Chapter 491 The Dog Emperor, He's Trying to Take Advantage of My Ministry of Commerce Again

"this……"

Li Shimin's face darkened.

After Wei Shuyu said that, it seems that such a possibility really exists.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Li Jing was a military genius who won every battle.

But when it comes to which general the soldiers prefer, most of them would choose Qin Qiong!

"His Majesty……"

Seeing Li Shimin hesitate, Wei Shuyu added fuel to the fire, saying, "I believe that you also favor Uncle Qin."

"When you were still the King of Qin..."

"Uncle Qin has always been by your side, clearing away all obstacles for you!"

"If even a fierce general who fought alongside you on the battlefield and led the charge for you cannot be considered a meritorious official of the Lingyan Pavilion, then who is worthy?"

Li Shimin remained silent.

In fact, he had many concerns.

Firstly, Qin Qiong had too high a prestige in the army.

Even a great general like Cheng Yaojin was willing to defy him for Qin Qiong.

This is something he doesn't want to see.

Secondly, Qin Qiong was also a leading figure in Wagang!

You should know...

The old brothers of Wagang Village are qualified to contend for the world.

Even now, many people from Wagangzhai hold important positions in the military.

Thirdly, Shan Xiongxin!

Shan Xiongxin and Qin Qiong were very close friends.

His execution of Shan Xiongxin is a grudge that can never be erased.

"Perhaps you have a point, but I have my own considerations."

Li Shimin remained unmoved.

He wouldn't gamble with his empire.

Even if there's only the slightest chance!

"Your Majesty, Uncle Qin is getting old."

"He's too old to fight anymore!"

"He has been out of court for eight years..."

"He did not designate his eldest son as heir!"

Swish.

Li Shimin was startled.

There was no eldest son born of the principal wife.

These words finally struck a chord with Li Shimin.

Without an eldest son, it's equivalent to having no heir in line.

Even if we conquer the world, it won't be stable!

Uncle Bao, is this a way of showing loyalty?

Does this indicate that he has no ambition to seize power?

"Does Your Majesty really have the heart to do this?"

Wei Shuyu sighed deeply: "Based on my observation, Uncle Qin will not live for many more years."

What?

Li Shimin stood up in surprise: "What did you say?"

Before Wei Shuyu could reply, he was met with a barrage of insults from Cheng Yaojin...

"You're talking nonsense!"

Cheng Yaojin pointed at Wei Shuyu and cursed, "Don't think that just because you're Xuancheng's son, I won't dare to beat you up."

well.

Wei Shuyu sighed: "It's a fact, what's there to deny?"

"Uncle Qin appears to be unharmed..."

"In reality, he is severely deficient in qi and blood."

"You should all know that Uncle Qin has sallow skin and age spots, right?"

The group of people were stunned.

indeed.

Qin Qiong was a handsome and dashing man in his youth.

But his complexion has become increasingly sallow over the years.

“A sallow complexion with spots is a sign of blood and qi deficiency.”

Bang.

Li Shimin sat back on the dragon throne, looking utterly dejected.

He always thought that Shubao was faking his illness, but he never expected it to be true.

This brings to mind the suppression and suspicion directed at Qin Qiong over the years.

A deep sense of regret welled up in my heart.

Thinking back to the days of the Wude era, when I fought alongside Qin Qiong on all sides, I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat...

Just like Dang Renhong.

Li Shimin was able to issue an edict of self-reproach for him, which shows how much Li Shimin cherished his comrades-in-arms!

"Shubao, it is I who have failed you..." Li Shimin cried out in despair.

"His Majesty."

Wei Shuyu bowed again and said, "Uncle Qin's contributions are beyond dispute!"

"I dare to guarantee it..."

"Among officials, military generals, gentry, and common people... there will be no dissent against Uncle Qin being listed among the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Lingyan Pavilion!"

Li Shimin raised his head and looked at Wei Shuyu.

His lips twitched slightly, and finally he sighed...

"My decree has been issued; how can you expect me to revise it?"

As the emperor, his words were law.

Ordinary matters are one thing, but to arbitrarily change the highest honor bestowed upon meritorious officials in the Tang Dynasty is to make people think it's childish!

Although not many people know about this.

But don't forget there's also Yuchi Yiseng.

If the list were to be leaked and altered, it would have a significant negative impact on Li Shimin and the list of meritorious officials.

"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious."

Wei Shuyu smiled and said, "I still have something to report."

Um?

Li Shimin suddenly raised his head.

Yes, Xiao Wei!

Xiao Wei will definitely have a way to smooth things over.

"you say."

Li Shimin took a deep breath.

After his inner conflict was resolved, his affection for Qin Qiong increased dramatically.

He even wanted to bring up the list of Qin Qiong's meritorious officials.

"I have heard that Your Majesty intends to build the Lingyan Pavilion in the Taiji Palace?" Wei Shuyu suddenly asked.

"Um."

Li Shimin nodded.

"I believe this is inappropriate."

Um?

Li Shimin asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"Heroes and meritorious officials are not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the world..."

"I believe that the Lingyan Pavilion should be built outside the palace."

"Let all the people of the world, and foreign tribes, witness together the magnificent deeds of the meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up.

yes.

What's the point of looking at this list of meritorious officials yourself? The more people who see it, the better.

"The number of meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty was far more than twenty-four."

Wei Shuyu continued, "Zhang Shigui, Li Junxian, Du Junchuo, Liu Shili, Gongsun Wuda..."

"Which of them wasn't a decorated war hero?"

"Is it a bit too few for Your Majesty to only recognize twenty-four meritorious officials?"

Um?

Li Shimin pondered and said, "You mean to establish more meritorious officials, so that we can suppress the fact that Shubao is not one of the twenty-four meritorious officials?"

"The subject refers not only to meritorious officials."

Wei Shuyu shook his head: "But rather, every person who has made contributions to the Tang Dynasty."

"We should either not build it at all..."

"If we're going to build it, we should include all the meritorious officials of the entire Tang Dynasty!"

"Make Lingyan Pavilion the sacred place of the highest honor in the Tang Dynasty!"

"Let every citizen of the Tang Dynasty be honored to enter the Lingyan Pavilion!"

Li Shimin was startled.

This idea is absolutely brilliant.

With such a territory in place, it would be difficult for outsiders to usurp the throne.

Shouldn't a usurper change the country's name?

Right under their noses, they've left behind land belonging to a meritorious official of the previous dynasty. Isn't that disgusting?

But if you try to destroy it, you will definitely face opposition from the descendants of many of the original meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty.

Their ancestors are right here; how can you just destroy them like that?

The final result might be...

You usurp the throne and then have to move the capital!

"no."

To everyone's surprise, Li Shimin still rejected the proposal.

Um?

Wei Shuyu was stunned.

This was clearly a super pretentious thing to do, so why would Li Shimin disagree?

You don't understand what's behind this.

Li Shimin shook his head, unwilling to say more.

He did consider including those meritorious officials on the list.

However, the meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion, besides their role in consolidating and suppressing Li Yuan, also...

Most importantly, it was used to counter the aristocratic clans...

If all of them are on the list, then the fight against the aristocratic clans will lose its meaning!

"this……"

Wei Shuyu was dumbfounded.

What are you doing?

They want people to do work, but they don't tell you what the work is.

Are you kidding me?

"His Majesty."

Just as Wei Shuyu was expressing his disdain, Wei Zheng stepped forward and said, "I believe what Shuyu said is feasible!"

oh?

Li Shimin asked with a smile, "What are Xuancheng's insights?"

"Actually, these two things are not contradictory!"

"The Lingyan Pavilion will still be honored with twenty-four meritorious officials."

"Other meritorious officials can be ranked below the Lingyan Pavilion!"

Um?

Li Shimin's eyes lit up.

If the rest of the people are below the Lingyan Pavilion, the suppression of the aristocratic families will still exist!

"Cough cough..."

Li Shimin coughed and smiled like an old fox: "Shuyu, actually I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Wei Shuyu gave a perfunctory bow.

Li Shimin didn't mind and continued with a smile, "However, building it according to your idea would cost quite a bit."

"You know I don't have much spare money."

"Tang Jian is incredibly stupid; he doesn't know how to make money..."

Dog Emperor!

So you're trying to take advantage of my Ministry of Commerce again?