One day, Emperor Taizong got a vigorous and elegant kite. He let it jump on his arm. While he was having fun, Wei Zhi came in. Emperor Taizong was afraid of Wei Zhi's suggestion, so he could not avoid it. He quickly hid the kite in his arms. All this has long been seen by Wei Zhi, who deliberately chattered and delayed time when he was on a business trip. Taizong was afraid to take out his kite, and as a result, it was confined in his arms.
Historical story Emperor Taizong Li Shimin
Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, was just an ordinary figure in a noble family. Although he was ordinary, his three sons, Li, Li Yuanji, were all heroes. Li Shimin made the greatest contribution, and several of his most powerful enemies, such as Liu Wuzhou, Wang He and Dou Jiande, were defeated by his army. Since the feudal dynasty practiced the system of inheritance of the eldest son of the prince (with a few exceptions, of course), once the prestige and strength of the prince were equal to or even exceeded that of the prince, ruthless coups and bloodshed were almost inevitable, which was the next knot that the authoritarian regime could not solve. Because of this, the emerging Tang Dynasty soon embarked on the road taken by the Sui Dynasty decades ago, and there was a struggle for position.
In 626 AD (the ninth year of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty), Li Shimin, the king of Qin, was in the same predicament as his father, but the difference was that his father was for the sake of the monarch and the minister, and he was for the sake of brotherhood. After Qin Gong's staff wanted to fight with death, later Emperor Taizong made up his mind. Before the early dynasty, he ambushed Xuanwu Gate and killed his brother Prince Cheng Jian and his younger brother Wang Yuanji. At that time, Tang Taizu Li Yuan was boating on the lake in the palace when Li Shimin's army rushed to the front and claimed to escort him. The old man realized that his two sons were dead. In order to avoid the same fate as Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty, he immediately abdicated to Li Shimin and became the emperor's father. This is the famous "Xuanwumen Change".
Li Shimin killed his brother and forced his father, just like the second emperor, Yang Di Yang Guang-although he left his father alive and didn't kill him like Yang Guang did, he was different from Yang Guang: after Yang Guang successfully proclaimed himself emperor 14 years, all that remained was to vent his abnormal desires endlessly, pushing the powerful Sui Dynasty to the abyss completely in just 30 years; On the other hand, Li Shimin always regards Yang Guang as the object of vigilance, and every measure strives to be different from Yang Guang. In the end, Li Shimin the Great became one of the most outstanding wise monarchs in the history of China. He used his high wisdom to govern his empire diligently and cautiously, and created the second golden age for China after the Western Han Dynasty, which lasted for 130 years.
There are many reasons for the formation of "Zhenguan rule". For example, after a long period of war, countless lands are barren, and people prefer peace and stability, making a living is relatively easy. However, these factors do not play a decisive role. Li Shimin the Great's personal merits are the most important factor. Great and his consultants, Du Ruhui, and others formed an efficient, honest and wise management team to encourage and supervise each other and earnestly engage in national construction. With the support of the people's respect and trust, the construction of a clean government has achieved unprecedented success. Li Shimin strictly controlled himself not to touch the wand of "absolute power", which plunged countless kings into the abyss, and encouraged and accepted the most embarrassing harsh words. He asked the official: "If the monarch is headstrong and thinks he is smarter than others, his subordinates will certainly flatter him. As a result, the monarch lost his country and his men could not live alone. In order to protect his wealth, Yu Shiqi, the prime minister of Sui Dynasty, tried to please Yang Guang blindly, only to end up dead. You should take this as a warning and report to me if you have any questions about state affairs. "
On one occasion, he ordered the recruitment of strong men under the age of eighteen. Wei Zhi refused to sign the imperial edict, and Li Shimin told him: "This is all traitors evading military service and deliberately underreporting their age." Wei Zhi said: "Your Majesty always said: I treat the world with integrity and ask the people not to bully; But you lost your integrity first. " Li Shimin was startled, and Wei Zhi said, "Your Majesty doesn't treat people honestly, but he suspects others of cheating first." Li Shimin immediately withdrew the order. Li Shimin also ordered all officials to forge qualifications and surrender within a time limit, otherwise they would be executed. After the deadline, it was seized again, and Li Shimin was beheaded. Dali Dai (equivalent to the vice president of the modern Supreme Court) was only sentenced to exile and was furious. He said, "You deliberately made me break my word!" Dai said, "Your Majesty's orders are only temporary emotions. However, after careful study, the law was promulgated and the people kept it. Your majesty should be patient and leave a big letter. " Li Shimin said ecstatically: "Your law enforcement is so strict, what concerns do I have!" He also overhauled Luoyang Palace and told Zhang: "Your Majesty restored Luoyang and burned all the palaces in the Sui Dynasty, but it doubled in less than ten years. Why did you hate it before, but now you imitate it? This situation is worse than Yang Guang. " Li Shimin changed color and said, "You say I'm not as good as Yang Guang. What about being a son?" Zhang said: "If we don't stop working, it will be like a child's pain." Li Shimin sighed and said, "I made this mistake because I didn't think well." Give two hundred silks and satins and stop work immediately. Prince Li Ke, the son of Li Shimin, was impeached by Liu Fan for hurting farmers while hunting. Li Shimin blamed Shi Quan Wanji, the leader of Prince Mi: "This is all because Wanji can't persuade and stop, and the crime should be put to death." Liu Fan said, "Your Majesty can't be stopped from hunting. How can you just blame Quan Wanji? " Li Shimin angrily returned to the palace. After a long time, his anger subsided and he found himself wrong. He immediately came out and summoned Liu Fan Jiamian.
The most serious incident happened in 632 AD (recorded by many official unofficial history). Li Shimin couldn't stand Wei Zhi's outspoken criticism, so he went back to the palace in great anger and vowed: "You old farmer, you must kill you this time (this is certainly not Li Shimin's original words, but the records in the history books must be polished, I'm afraid it's not true, but my words are probably more in line with Li Shimin's mood at that time). At this time, the eldest grandson queen showed the outstanding temperament that can completely rival the famous monarch. She immediately put on a formal queen's costume and stood in the yard to pay homage to the emperor. Li Shimin was surprised. Empress Grandson said, "I heard that a wise leader keeps his subordinates upright, and Wei Zhi is upright. It is because of your wisdom that I can't congratulate you! " Li Shimin realized that he had gone too far. Soon after, Wei Zhi was promoted to Shi Zhong (equivalent to the Prime Minister)-we can imagine that if the eldest grandson was Lv Hou in the Western Han Dynasty or Cinuo in the late Qing Dynasty, or a modern person, what would Wei Zhi end up like ... Such a wife is probably an important reason for Li Shimin's eternal fame.
It is very difficult to yield to reason, especially for feudal monarchs with unlimited rights. Li Shimin the Great was the first among the hundreds of emperors in China with thousands of years' history to be truly praised and worshipped by the people of China, not only because of his achievements, but also because of his own virtues. His words and deeds and noble moral sentiments in governing the country have become an example for all emperors in the future and even for us today.