roccoschili Chapter 74 A Brief Discussion of Xuanwu Gate
Chapter 74 A Brief Discussion of Xuanwu Gate
Empress Changle paused slightly in her teacup, while Empress Zhangsun continued to drink tea with a smile, but the teacup remained on her lower lip for a few minutes longer than before.
Only Sizi was completely unaware, lying on the stone bench weaving grass rings for Huihui.
Wang Zhihuan remained calm and composed. To him, chatting about anything was simply a pastime to pass the time when he was bored.
He may say it for now, and others may listen for now.
He set the fairness cup aside, remained silent for a while, and when he spoke, his tone was neither impassioned nor hesitant.
"It's fine to chat, of course, this is just my opinion. Mr. Li, please take it with a grain of salt, and I'll just say it for now, but don't take it seriously."
Let's start by looking at the long river of time. Take the current emperor, for example. He has been on the throne for nine years, and what he has done is there for all to see.
He spoke in a calm tone, "From the time the Turks submitted to the emperor in the second year of the Zhenguan era, the northern border was stabilized. In the third year of the Zhenguan era, the imperial examinations were held, giving children from poor families a way to advance in their careers."
In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, the Eastern Turks were destroyed, avenging the humiliation of the Wei River Incident. In the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, the laws and regulations were revised, cruel punishments were abolished, and death sentences were subject to multiple review.
In the seventh year of the Zhenguan era, the equal-field system was fully implemented, displaced people from all over the country returned to their hometowns, and the price of grain in Guanzhong dropped to three copper coins per dou of rice.
He paused, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Master Li, think about it. In less than ten years, the world will be at peace, and the people will live in peace and prosperity."
This governance was achieved through concrete actions, not just words; such ability is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Li Shimin held his teacup, a slight smile unconsciously playing on his lips.
He had heard countless people sing his praises, and the ministers in the court could talk about his achievements from morning till night.
But he always felt a distance between those words and their implication that they were flattering him.
The young man before them had no idea who he was, and what he said was his true view of the world.
These words truly pleased me, making me feel as if I were floating on air.
"Young Master Wang, according to you, the court has done a pretty good job today. What do you think of the current emperor?"
Li Shimin asked casually, his tone like he was chatting about everyday things, but his gaze was fixed on Wang Zhihuan's face.
Wang Zhihuan was just about to serve tea to the Emperor when he heard this, and his hands continued moving.
He placed the fairness cup steadily on the tea tray and looked up at Li Shimin.
"Personally, I believe that the current emperor deserves the title of a wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages. Of course, these four words also have two layers of meaning."
"Oh?" Li Shimin leaned forward slightly.
"Let's start with Qian Gu. Qian Gu doesn't mean he was perfect, but rather that what he did during his nine years on the throne was outstanding for any emperor."
To be able to stabilize a nation that has just emerged from chaos in just a few years, ensuring that its people have enough to eat and wear—this achievement alone surpasses that of most emperors.
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Let's talk about 'enlightened rulers'. An enlightened ruler is not a saint without selfish desires, but a person who can make the right choice between personal likes and dislikes and the interests of the country, or even when his own life and death are at stake."
Give the simplest example.
—For example, the Xuanwu Gate.
As soon as the words "Xuanwu Gate" were written, even the cicadas in the courtyard stopped chirping.
The Yue kiln cup in Chang Le's hand trembled slightly, spilling two or three drops of bluish-green tea onto her moon-white skirt, where it slowly seeped out.
She lowered her eyes, her fingertips clenched so tightly they turned white, and she felt a growing anxiety in her heart.
Empress Zhangsun's hand, which was holding a teacup, paused in mid-air. After a moment, she slowly placed the cup back on the stone table, making a very soft "tap".
The smile remained on her lips, but her eyes were still, her gaze fixed quietly on Wang Zhihuan's face.
Sizi was squatting by the stone bench, playing with Huihui. Hearing the sound, she raised her little face, looked at her mother, and then at her sister who had suddenly fallen silent. Her little hand unconsciously clenched the fur on the cat's back.
Grey let out a "woof" and broke free and ran away.
Li Zhiyuan had been teasing Xiao Hei with a blade of grass, but now he stopped, only holding the blade of grass in his hand, listening intently to the sounds coming from the stone table, his back ramrod straight.
Li Shimin, however, remained unmoved.
He remained slightly leaning forward, his gaze like a deep pool, unfathomable. Only his hand resting on his knee showed a barely perceptible curl of his index finger.
Wang Zhihai seemed completely unaware, and of course, even if he had, he wouldn't have cared; it was just idle chatter.
He lifted the copper kettle from the red clay stove and poured a stream of hot water into the empty cup.
The sound of flowing water was exceptionally clear in the silence. Steam rose, blurring his lowered eyes and brows.
"This matter," he began, his voice low but each word clear, "was never really about any grand principles of governance or destiny. It was just idle gossip embellishing things and making it sound mystical."
He paused for a moment, then gently swirled the teacup, which was seven-tenths full, watching the amber-colored tea ripple along the sides of the cup.
"In the end, it all boils down to two words: a dead end."
He uttered two words, raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping past Li Shimin and landing on the swaying shadows of the jujube trees in the distance.
"Master Li, think about His Majesty's situation back then. Wasn't it a dead end where it was either you or me?"
The power dynamics in the court, the authority in the military, the support of the people... have all been intertwined into a single rope, already around his neck.
Taking a step back is no longer about finding a vast expanse of sky and sea, but about plunging into a precipice, where one's wife, children, elderly parents, trusted comrades, and loved ones will all be smashed to pieces.
Wang Zhihuan spoke in a flat tone, as if he were saying that the tea trees on the back mountain needed pruning.
"Your Majesty, as a husband, should protect your wife; as a father, should safeguard your young children; as a ruler, should care for your subordinates. Is this not the fundamental duty of a human being?"
He sipped his tea, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "When these people are forced to the edge of a cliff, drawing their swords isn't ruthlessness, it's instinct."
Anyone in that position would have had no other choice. The so-called "bitter and ungrateful"...
He shook his head, a faint, almost wistful smile appearing on his lips. "That's just cheap talk made in peaceful times, standing on dry land."
If Your Majesty had hesitated for even a second, the outcome might have been different. Therefore, one cannot help but admire the current Emperor's decisiveness and courage.
The only sound in the courtyard could be the soft crackling of pine charcoal in the stove.
Li Shimin continued to look at him, and something moved very subtly in the depths of his eyes, which were like a deep pool, before returning to silence.
He picked up the cup of tea in front of him, which had long since gone cold, and slowly drank it all. The cold tea was initially astringent, but then a hint of sweetness emerged.
"Wang Langjun, according to popular opinion, is cruel and immoral."
Li Shimin suddenly spoke, his voice calm and even, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs, but his gaze remained fixed on Wang Zhihuan's face, waiting for him to continue.
He asked the question not out of anger, but out of a clear and cautious mind.
The boy's words "instinct" and "duty" were like a clear spring, washing away the mental shackles he had carried for nine years.
But it was precisely this unprecedented sense of relief that gave rise to a deeper longing, one that even he himself was not fully aware of—
He wanted to know if this understanding, which penetrated flesh and blood and went straight to the core, could withstand the scraping of the sharpest blade called "human relations".
He wanted to hear how this young man would use his simple yet profound principles to touch upon the most solid iron ruler in the world, the one that judges the merits and demerits of emperors.
This question is a further step after the release, a verification, and also a silent inquiry into his own heart.