The Duke's Mansion of Lu State was once a bustling and prosperous place.

Hou Jun raised a large number of adopted sons, accepted the help of many businessmen, and lived a very good life.

However, all this is like a passing cloud now.

In the backyard, Hou Junji was drinking alone, feeling unhappy.

Originally, when he led an army to Gaochang last year, he thought the peak of his life was about to come.

In fact, Gaochang was easily destroyed by him, and Hou Junchi became a hero in pacifying the Western Regions.

It's a pity that this hero just returned to Chang'an City and was thrown into prison without receiving any reward.

If you don’t want others to know, don’t do anything except yourself!

Hou Junji assigned some people who had not committed any crime without permission without informing Li Shimin.

And when he was in Gaochang, he allowed his subordinates to plunder property, and he also secretly withheld a lot of treasures.

Although Gaochang is a small country, it is located at the hub of the Silk Road and its domestic wealth is not small.

These things had already spread in Chang'an City before Hou Jun gathered his troops to return to the court.

So his fate can be imagined.

If Cen Wenwen hadn't actually interceded for Hou Junji, and Li Shimin also remembered Hou Junji's important contribution to the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Hou Junji might have died in prison.

"Aye, you are drinking alone here, why don't you go to the East Palace with me? His Royal Highness must be very interested in inviting Aye to taste the wine."

Helan Chushi came to Hou Junji and put forward a suggestion that he thought was good.

Helan Chushi, who is a strong guard in the East Palace, is also very clear about the situation Li Chengqian is facing now.

If he can convince his father-in-law Hou Junji to support the prince, then his position in the East Palace will definitely be more stable.

When Li Chengqian ascends the throne, he will at least be allowed to take charge of one of the twelve guards and receive a reward from the Duke.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince? It is taboo for the Crown Prince to contact the generals of the dynasty privately. Is it possible that you don't even understand this?"

Hou Junji had held the positions of Minister of the Ministry of War, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, etc., and he was also a general who personally led troops in battle, so he was definitely in a high position of authority.

Even though he was released from prison just now, his influence is still there.

Especially the soldiers who went to Gaochang with him knew what Hou Junji was punished for, and as the recipients of the treasure, they naturally identified with Hou Junji a little more.

Or if you look at it from another angle, you will know the status of Hou Junji.

When Li Shimin first ascended the throne, he generously rewarded meritorious officials.

Hou Junji received a settlement of 1,000 households for his meritorious service, but Li Kuan's father-in-law Cheng Yaojin only received a settlement of 700 households.

Not to mention other things, just from this reward, we know that Hou Junji's achievements are higher than Cheng Yaojin's, and his influence is higher than Cheng Yaojin's.

It's just that because the end was not so good, there are not as many records in history books as there are about Cheng Yaojin.

Under normal circumstances, a general of this level would never take sides easily.

As long as they support Li Shimin, whoever succeeds to the throne will have to win over veterans like them.

"Aye, one moment is another. Now His Royal Highness the King of Wei is deeply loved by His Majesty, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been repeatedly impeached by ministers. Naturally, he is very anxious. If it were not for the strong support of Empress Changsun, His Majesty might have had another thought in his heart.

What does it mean to establish His Royal Highness the King of Wei as the Crown Prince?"

As soon as Helan Chushi said these words, Hou Junji suddenly stood up from his seat.

Naturally, he had heard about the dispute between the East Palace and the Wei Palace.

But when he left Chang'an, this dispute was not so obvious.

Moreover, unlike Helan Chushi who has been with Li Chengqian for a long time, his grasp of some things is actually not that accurate.

Now when I heard what my son-in-law said, I realized that the competition for the crown prince had actually reached such an extent.

"Most of the ministers in the court should support His Highness the Crown Prince, right? After all, he is the eldest son of the Tang Dynasty. Regardless of whether he is the direct eldest son or the eldest son, the position of crown prince belongs to him."

"Aye, what if it's Li Xian?"

As soon as Helan Chushi said these words, the backyard fell into silence.

Logically speaking, no one would question the inheritance attributes of the eldest son in legal terms.

But where is the example of Li Shimin himself? It seems that he can choose whether to establish a leader or to establish a virtuous person.

"Has His Royal Highness the Crown Prince indicated that he wants to see me?"

Hou Junji thought for a long time before he asked this question.

"Aye led a large army to pacify a country, but he still made the emperor angry. How could he suppress the rebellion? His Royal Highness naturally knew this. Although he did not let the child invite Aye today, he was still in prison at the time.

When he was born, His Highness the Crown Prince expressed his feelings for Aye in front of the child."

Did Li Chengqian invite Hou Junji?

Naturally, Helan Chushi didn't dare to talk nonsense about this kind of thing.

Otherwise, when the trap is revealed, I, the middleman, will become an unwelcome figure on both sides.

"In this case, then you should go to the East Palace today to find out the tone of His Highness the Crown Prince. If he is really interested, then find another suitable time to meet him as a father."

…

In Hanyuan Hall, the court meeting caused an uproar as soon as it started.

After Zhang Liang coughed twice, he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, emperors have been appointed to the throne, but they have never been granted the title of Zen. There is no one who can only use things according to their needs. There is no one who has not reached Mount Tai without seeing the auspiciousness.

Although he was ordered to do so, he was unable to achieve his goals. When he came to Liang, his virtues were inconsistent. He was reconciled but there was no time to pay for it, so he decided to use it immediately. I suggested that your majesty choose a day to go to Mount Tai to enshrine the throne!"

When Li Shimin on the throne heard Zhang Liang's words, his eyes suddenly lit up.

There is no emperor who does not have the idea of ​​becoming a Zen emperor.

Qin Shihuang unified the world and annexed six countries. In the 28th year of the First Emperor's reign, he visited Mount Tai in the east.

Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty granted the title of Zen to Mount Tai in his prosperity, and Emperor Guangwu granted the title of Zen to the Han Dynasty in order to revitalize the Han Dynasty.

In the Tang Dynasty, in the first month of the fifth year of Zhenguan, Prince Zhao Li Xiaogong and others requested for Zen status for the first time. Li Shimin was self-aware and knew that the conditions were not mature at that time, so he refused.

At the end of the fifth year of Zhenguan, the governor of Lizhou, Warrior Yi, and others once again petitioned Li Shimin to be granted Zen status, but they were still rejected.

After that, the ministers were not discouraged and continued to make requests in the sixth year of Zhenguan.

Needless to say, it still didn’t happen.

At this time, Li Shimin was working hard to succeed. It was the most glorious time in his life and his clearest mind.

Of course, this does not mean that Li Shimin really has no vanity star at all.

The main reason is that this Zen ceremony is really a big event, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it wastes people and money.

If the minister proposed it, the emperor would agree.

That will definitely be criticized by many people.

When Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, he even asked Liu Bei to come and visit the thatched cottage three times.

Li Shimin naturally had to shirk several times before agreeing.

Now, he has been on the throne for fifteen years. People like Zhang Liang, who are relatively good at maneuvering, have already sensed that Li Shimin himself has the idea of ​​​​going to become a Zen monk, so he came up with what he said at today's court meeting.

"Your Majesty's martial arts skills far surpass those of previous emperors. I agree with Duke Yun's proposal."

"Wei Chen seconded the proposal!"

"Wei Chen seconded the proposal!" No. 5

Suddenly, many ministers in the Hanyuan Palace stood up and agreed.

This kind of thing obviously pleases Li Shimin, and most people in the court probably won't stand up to oppose it.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

"Wei Chen disagrees! Nowadays, the people in Guanzhong are living and working in peace and contentment, and have no worries about food and clothing. But in Shandong, the fireworks are still bright, and the eyes are wide open. The move to enshrine Zen requires a lot of effort and mobilizes people. It is so large that it is inevitable to waste money and people. The people of Shandong are overwhelmed, pointed out

It might cause trouble."

Wei Zheng's words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Li Shimin's head.

Originally, he was prepared to be a little more modest, and then he agreed.

After all, the current national power of the Tang Dynasty has indeed risen by several levels compared to when he ascended the throne.

Officials say that Li Shimin is already qualified to be granted Zen status.

"Zheng Guogong, you don't agree with His Majesty to go to Zen, is it because His Majesty's merits are not enough?"

Zhang Liang looked a little ugly when he saw Wei Zheng standing up to oppose his proposal.

"enough!"

Wei Zheng glanced at Zhang Liang expressionlessly.

"Then you mean that His Majesty's virtue is not enough?"

"Your Majesty is virtuous enough!"
To be continued...