Li Shimin in Ganlu Hall was unable to sit down. Although Li Tai had been excluded from the position of prince, the other party was one of his favorite sons after all, so he couldn't help feeling sad. However, in this sadness, there was a bit of guilt and helplessness...

Changsun Wuji and Li Shimin grew up together. When Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan raised an army, Changsun Wuji also tried his best to assist Li Shimin, so he naturally knew his surname. Seeing Li Shimin now, he couldn't help but sigh and said, "Your Majesty, if you really dote on the King of Wei, then you shouldn't pass the throne to him!"

"Why?" Li Shimin immediately raised his head and asked in surprise. This is Changsun Wuji. If someone else dared to say such words to him, Li Shimin would probably be scolded loudly before the other party could defend himself.

Changsun Wuji replied calmly: "The King of Wei is good at literary talent, but not talented in governing the world. So if you really dote on him, you should not pass the throne to him, otherwise it will not only be of no use to the country, but may even cause him a murderous disaster!"

When Changsun Wuji said this, he suddenly hesitated for a moment, and then whispered: "Besides, the King of Qi is out now, and the King of Wei has always been in conflict with his brothers. If he ascended the throne, he would definitely have conflicts with the King of Qi. If the two of them raised troops because of this, although the King of Wei had the entire country at that time, with His Majesty's understanding of the two princes, who will win and lose in the end?"

Changsun Wuji's words were a bit heartbroken. After all, it was a bit amazing. Assuming that the two princes were fighting for life and death, if they were placed on other emperors, they would have taken him down and punished him long ago. However, Li Shimin was not unhappy after hearing this, because he did not regard Changsun Wuji as a minister, but as a friend who could talk to him. And only a real friend would say these unpleasant words to him.

Li Shimin pondered for a while and suddenly sighed. Changsun Wuji said the truth. Although he loved Li Tai, he also knew that Li Tai and his brothers were not very happy. Even Li Zhi, who was a compatriot, didn't like this fourth brother, let alone other people.

Now that Li Yan is developing outside, he still has to rely on the support of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yan's strength has grown very fast and has already built several of his own territory. Although the population is still lacking, as long as he has his own support and his talent, he will definitely attract many people from the Tang Dynasty to settle down from him.

If you calculate that you are in your prime, you will have at least ten years to live. With Li Yan's development speed, you will definitely need people and money. If you really have a war with the Tang Dynasty and the emperor is Li Tai, then according to Li Shimin's estimate in his heart, Li Tai can almost be said to be defeated. This has little to do with the strength of both sides. Just from the talents and employment of the two, even the three Li Tais are not as good as Li Yan, so the defeat was destined from the beginning.

However, Li Shimin was not worried that Li Yan would be unfavorable to the Tang Dynasty. First of all, Li Yan had a generous surname and could get along well with most of his brothers. And even if his relationship was not very good, he would not make things difficult for his surname. For example, his uneasy son Li You had a bad relationship with Li Yan before and even had conflicts. However, Li You is now a governor in Li Yan. Although he has no real power, he is also a wealthy person.

Therefore, no matter who ascends the throne in the future, as long as the other party does not take the initiative to be unfavorable to Li Yan, Li Yan will always be friendly to the Tang Dynasty and help his brothers develop the Tang Dynasty more prosperous. Even if someone in the country dares to be unfavorable to the Li family, then Li Yan outside will be a very strong deterrent. If necessary, he can lead troops to help the Tang Dynasty quell the rebellion. It can be said that Li Yan was Li Shimin's strong backing for the inheritance of the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, the power in Li Yan's hands mainly comes from the Tang Dynasty, and is related to the interests of various wealthy nobles within the Tang Dynasty. These wealthy nobles are based on the Tang Dynasty, so the stability of the Tang Dynasty is what Li Yan wants to see most. In any case, he will not take the initiative to provoke disputes with the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, those who are related to his interests will likely stand opposite him. If no one else needs to do anything, the power in Li Yan's hands will be greatly reduced, so Li Yan will never do such a stupid thing.

It is also worth mentioning that if Li Yan really wanted the Tang Dynasty, with his current popularity and influence, no prince would be his opponent. Even Li Shimin hoped that he would inherit his position, but he was very indifferent to this, so no one would believe that Li Yan would fight with his brothers for the throne in the future.

In just a while, Li Shimin thought about a lot of things, and most of them were related to Li Yan. When he thought of his son who was thousands of miles away, he finally felt some comfort in his heart. Although his eldest son was unfilial and rebelled, his fourth son Li Tai was eager to compete for the throne, and Li Zhen and Li Zhi were too young, at least he had Li Yan, a sensible son. In addition, Li Ke was also good. He heard that the Shanghai city had been built most of the time and was very prosperous. I believe that after it was completed, it would definitely be another Dengzhou.

When Li Shimin thought of Li Ke, he suddenly felt aroused. Among the adult sons, Li Ke was the most talented, and he also looked like himself in terms of his surname. If he made him the crown prince... When he made Li Ke the crown prince, Li Shimin was also quite moved. He said to Changsun Wuji in a deep voice: "Wuji, Qingque doesn't need to mention it anymore. He can only be the king, but cannot inherit the throne. I have already seen this clearly. Originally, the most suitable person to be the crown prince was Liulang, but he was not in this mind, so he could only give up. But what do you think Ke'er? He is a mother and Liulang and has the style of elder brothers. If he said that the queen was the emperor, he would definitely be able to live in harmony with Liulang and other brothers. In addition, his talent was outstanding. If he was the emperor, it would be a blessing for the people of the Tang Dynasty!"

Hearing Li Shimin praise Li Yan first, and then mentioned that he wanted to make Li Ke the crown prince, Changsun Wuji's eyes darkened. After he hesitating for a moment, he said: "Your Majesty, the so-called elders and young people are orderly, and there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate princes. My candidate for the Tang Dynasty naturally has to be selected among the legitimate princes. Although the King of Wu is good, it was born by Concubine Yang and has the blood of the former Sui royal family. Therefore, if he is appointed as the crown prince, it may cause dissatisfaction among the ministers. Please think twice!"

Seeing Changsun Wuji oppose, Li Shimin sighed in his heart. In fact, he also knew Changsun Wuji's thoughts. As the queen's brother, he naturally hoped that his nephew would succeed to the throne. Therefore, as long as he was a prince of illegitimate birth, Changsun Wuji would object, even Li Yan. After all, this is related to the future status of their Changsun clan, but if Li Yan really wanted to be the crown prince, he would probably not be able to suppress it with the power of Changsun clan alone.

Since Changsun Wuji had already said something different from legitimate and illegitimate, he no longer hid his thoughts. He gritted his teeth and went forward and said, "Your Majesty, although His Highness, King Jin, has always been generous and has a very close relationship with all princes and princesses. Especially the King of Qi also likes King Jin very much, so I think it is better to make King Jin the crown prince and then choose a strict teacher to teach him. When he is sincere and kind, he will definitely be a prince who is not inferior to King Qi!"

Changsun Wuji finally showed the candidates he supported, but Li Shimin was a little hesitant after hearing this. He and Empress Changsun had three sons in total. The eldest son Li Chengqian was deposed and the fourth son Li Tai was just excluded by him, so only Li Zhi, who was only twelve years old this year, was left. However, although Li Shimin also liked this son very much, he felt that Li Zhi's surname was a bit cowardly and did not look like his father. He was worried that if Li Zhi succeeded to the throne, it would lead to the loss of power, so he abandoned Li Zhi and considered Li Ke. However, now Changsun Wuji clearly supported Li Zhi, which made Li Shimin not be careful.

Seeing Li Shimin showing a deep thoughtful expression, Changsun Wuji did not speak anymore because he knew that he had already said enough today. As for how to decide, it was the matter of the Your Majesty in front of him.

However, the fact of establishing a crown prince was too important, and even Li Shimin, who had always been decisive, was a little undecisive, especially when it came to establish Li Zhi as the crown prince, Li Shimin was very cautious, so he thought about it for a long time but could not make up his mind. When the lights first came on, he found that Changsun Wuji had been with him, without saying a word or leaving, which moved Li Shimin a little, and hurriedly asked Changsun Wuji to go back to rest. As for the matter of establishing a crown prince, he needed to think carefully.

Since Li Shimin said so, Changsun Wuji was not good at saying anything, so he had to leave as he said. However, that night, Li Shimin didn't even eat dinner and kept locking himself in the room to weigh the pros and cons. Until the third hour, there was silence around him, but Li Shimin still couldn't make up his mind to make Li Zhi the crown prince. But at this moment, Li Shimin suddenly remembered Li Yan, who was thousands of miles away, and didn't know that he had already rested?

Thinking of Li Yan, Li Shimin suddenly felt a flash of inspiration. Although the establishment of a crown prince was related to the rise and fall of the country, it was also considered a royal family matter. Since he had been hesitating, the opinions in the court could not be unified. As for Empress Changsun and others in the harem, they all had to avoid suspicion on this matter and could not express any opinions at all.

In addition, whether in or outside the court, they have their own positions and selfish intentions in establishing a crown prince. Therefore, Li Shimin did not dare to believe all the opinions of these people, and even Changsun Wuji and Li Shimin were a little wary.

Since no one above is trustworthy, Li Yan has become the most trustworthy person Li Shimin can trust, at least in the matter of establishing a crown prince. After all, Li Yan is not interested in the throne at all, and he voluntarily gave up the throne. Now, Li Yan should be the least selfish about the issue of establishing a crown prince. Since that is the case, why not ask Li Yan for his opinion and see which brother he looks at? Although he may not be able to listen, it is good to make a reference.

Thinking of this, a hint of joy finally appeared on Li Shimin's face. He immediately ordered someone to grind the ink. He picked up the pen and wrote a letter to Li Yan. Unfortunately, Li Shimin didn't know that Li Yan was not the only one who saw his letter.
Chapter completed!