As night fell, all of Chang 'an was shrouded in darkness. Because of the curfew, all the streets were dark except for the brothels.
After dinner, the people of Chang 'an went to bed. The entire city seemed to have fallen asleep, but some people were still awake.
The Taiji Palace in the Imperial Palace was still brightly lit.
Since the dynasty had just been established, there were many things that Li Er needed to decide. He would read memorials until very late every night. But what he was holding now was …
It was a memorial written by a courtier.
"Hehe, not afraid of ten thousand, but just in case. Why does this kid have so many strange things in his head?"
Li Er looked at the secret report in his hand and shook his head with a smile.
Li Zexuan would never have thought that he would enter Li Er's sight again after the Nibbled Chicken incident.
"Haha, Qingque has been talented since she was a child. I didn't expect that she would suffer such a big loss today. But it's good for her to suffer some setbacks. But Li Zexuan is really interesting. "
Of course, Li Er wouldn't hold a grudge against Li Zexuan for his son's humiliation outside. His daughter was raised in a rich family while his son was raised in a poor family. Li Er had always adopted a 'let nature take its course' attitude towards his sons. They could compete with each other, they could fight each other, but they couldn't cross that red line.
Even if one of his sons was bullied, they could find a way to get back at him. Li Er would never stand up for him.
Looking at the novel questions and unexpected answers on the secret report, the smile on Li Er's face grew wider and wider. However, when he read the last question, the smile on Li Er's face suddenly froze, and his face gradually became solemn.
Li Er's face darkened and he asked the guard in black in front of him,
"Li Zexuan really calculated the answer in one breath?"
The guard quickly bowed and said,
"Your Majesty, it's absolutely true."
Li Er waved his hand and asked the guard to leave. He turned around and clenched the secret report in his hand. The last question had touched the ambition that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.
After the incident at the Xuanwu Gate last year, the Great Tang was in a state of turmoil. The Turkic Khaganate sent out an army of one hundred thousand and took advantage of the situation to invade. Like a hot knife through butter, the Turkic Khaganate actually managed to reach Jingyang, which was only forty li away from Chang 'an, shaking the entire capital! At that time the enemy was strong and we were weak, Li Er was forced to set up a deceptive tactic, he personally led Gao Shilian, Fang Xuanling and the others, six riders, to the Wei River and spoke with Xieli across the Wei River.
In the end, the Turks retreated. Not only did they take away 30 thousand Han slaves, they also received the promise of non-aggression from Emperor Li Er. All the treasures in Chang 'an's treasury were emptied. These smug bandits left Yuanzhou State and fled into the vast grassland from Huaiyuan.
Perhaps later generations would praise Li 'er for not being afraid in the face of danger and crafting a clever plan to set up the Wei River Alliance, winning a chance for the Great Tang to breathe.
But in Li Er's view, the so-called Wei River Alliance was the shame of his life.
All those years ago, he, Li Er, had followed his father to Taiyuan County and experienced a hundred battles before finally conquering the world. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Li Er still remembered that after the Turks retreated, Cheng Yaojin held his handwritten letter and knelt on the ground like a child, wailing loudly. Tens of thousands of soldiers put on their armor and knelt in front of the commander's tent. Several valiant generals requested to go to war, determined to wash away the humiliation brought by the Wei River Alliance with blood.
Although the Great Tang had just been established, from the emperor to the people, there was a pride in their bones, a pride of being a Tang person.
If the emperor was humiliated, the officials would die. If the emperor was humiliated, the people would die.
In an instant, the entire country, from the generals to the people, was filled with fighting spirit. They all swore to take revenge for their emperor.
But at that time, the Great Tang army was weak. Their equipment was not complete, their provisions were not sufficient, and there were many rebellions. Tufan and Tuyuhun were eyeing them covetously.
Li Er could only grit his teeth and swallow it down. For a gentleman to take revenge, ten years was not too late. He swore in his heart that once the rebels in the country were wiped out and the soldiers were strong enough, he would hunt the grassland with everyone and fight to the death with the Turks.
Today, seeing Li Zexuan give the last question to Li Tai, Li Er's heart was unable to calm down for a long time. Speaking of Li Zexuan, Li Er could not help but think of the conversation he had with Cheng Yaojin two days ago in Taiji Palace.
"Zhijie, how has Second Brother Qin been recently?"
Li Er sat on the dragon throne, his face full of concern. Qin Shubao had followed him on many bloody campaigns and had saved his life several times. Thus, Li Er had always been very grateful to Qin Shubao. Even after he became the emperor, he still called Qin Shubao Second Brother Qin in private.
"Your Majesty, Second Brother Qin had many hidden injuries in his early years. Now that he is old, the injuries have flared up, and his body is getting worse by the day. A few years ago, Second Brother could still beat me in martial arts, but a few days ago, I went to the Qin Residence to see Second Brother. Second Brother, he … Your Majesty, I am heartbroken!"
As Cheng Yaojin spoke, he could not help but beat his chest and cry. This old general of the Great Tang had once faced countless powerful enemies without batting an eyelid. Now that he saw his best brother's body getting worse, he could not help but cry.
Men did not cry easily, but they had not yet been deeply hurt.
Li Er's eyes were also moist. He was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "Zhijie, do not be sad. I will have Daoist Sun go to the Qin Residence to take a look at Second Brother Qin. As long as it can alleviate Second Brother Qin's pain, I am willing to have people find it, no matter how precious the medicine is."
Cheng Yaojin hurriedly expressed his gratitude. "I thank Your Majesty on behalf of Second Brother."
Li Er sighed and said, "Ah, time flies.
"Sigh, time is unforgiving. Seeing all of you brothers who had followed me to conquer the world grow old day by day, I don't feel good in my heart. When our generation is old, who can help Chengqian protect the Great Tang? "
"Your Majesty, there are talented people in every generation. The children and grandchildren have their own fortune. There are also many loyal and brave people in the younger generation!"
Cheng Yaojin spoke a rare literary sentence.
Li Er shook his head and said, "Zhijie, the younger generation is relying on their parents' influence. How many of them are successful?"
Cheng Yaojin thought for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I met a young man a few days ago. I sparred with him and found that his martial arts were on par with mine."
Li Er's eyes lit up, and he asked with interest, "Oh, how old is that young man?"
"He should only be fourteen."
"What?"
Li Er was truly shocked. Although martial arts depended on talent, it could not be without the accumulation of time. Cheng Yaojin had been through hundreds of battles, and his martial arts were at least in the top ten of the generals of the Great Tang. Now that Cheng Yaojin said that a fourteen-year-old young man was on par with him, how could Li Er not be shocked?
"How can a fourteen-year-old young man be on par with Zhijie in martial arts? How come I have never heard of such a young talent in Chang 'an?"
"Your Majesty, it is true. This person is called Li Zexuan. He lives in Chang 'an's Yongle Lane. He was on good terms with my son, so I met him."
"Li Zexuan?"
This name was so familiar. Li Er stood up, frowned, and walked two steps before he suddenly remembered.
"Is it Li Zexuan who invented the chicken nibbling technique?"
Hearing about the chicken nibbling technique, Cheng Yaojin subconsciously licked his lips and said, "Yes, yes, it is him. Your Majesty, do you know him before?"
Li Er did not answer him, and said, "I only heard that he went to Mount Longhu to learn martial arts for eight years, but I did not expect his martial arts to be so strong."
Cheng Yaojin explained, "Your Majesty, Li Zexuan was Spiritual Master Lingxu's disciple, so it is not strange that his martial arts are so outstanding."
Li Er was a little absent-minded, and muttered, "I see."
…
"Your Majesty, it is late. I beg Your Majesty to rest early!"
The old eunuch Zhao Song cautiously came forward to persuade him.
Li Er collected his thoughts, nodded, and was about to leave when he suddenly turned his head and ordered,
"Zhao Song, ask Baiqi to pay more attention to Li Zexuan. I want to know more about him."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
This young man's martial arts were strong, but he was also very smart. He was quite accomplished in mathematics. If he was a talented general, then he should be nurtured. The younger generation of the empire needed a leader. Even if he was not a talented general, he could be transferred to the army as a clerk. If he was in charge of the allocation of provisions, it would probably reduce a lot of losses on the journey. It was time to find an opportunity to transfer this young man into the army and train him well. Li Er thought so.
…
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