Sixty miles due north of Chang'an, there is a very spectacular mausoleum called Xianling. The buried owner is Li Shimin's father, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan.
The Xianling Mausoleum faces south and is modeled after the original mausoleum of Emperor Guangwu. The entire mausoleum is very large, with a bucket-shaped earthen cover that looks like a mountain of earth. The entire mausoleum is rectangular in shape, surrounded by rammed earth walls. There is a door on each wall, and there are two stone tigers guarding in front of each door. There are also special tomb guards guarding the outside of the cemetery. No one is allowed to approach at all.
However, all the guardians of the mausoleum dedicated today were suddenly transferred, and the surrounding areas were guarded by a special force. In the afternoon, the main entrance to the south was also opened, and then a young man wearing an ordinary blue gown was pushing a wheelchair. When I walked in, although it was already early summer, the old man in the wheelchair was still covered with a thin blanket. His skinny hands on his legs were trembling slightly, and his old eyes were filled with crystal tears.
Li Min also discovered something strange about his father Li Shimin. In fact, just when they approached the Xianling Mausoleum, Li Shimin began to become very excited. The expression on his face changed, sometimes sad, sometimes guilty, and a variety of emotions were intertwined. It can be seen that Li Shimin's intense psychological activities.
Li Shimin knew that he didn't have much time, so he wanted to fulfill a few unfulfilled wishes in his heart within this limited time. Among them, Sizi's marriage was being prepared, and the remaining few things were more complicated. Secret, such as quietly coming to the mausoleum to worship, or even to keep it secret, except for him and Li Min, the people arranged around him are either his shadow guards or Li Min's four guards. These people will not know how to do it until they die. Spill what happened today.
In fact, speaking of the mausoleum, Li Shimin comes to pay homage almost every year, but this time he does not come mainly to pay homage to his father Li Yuan, but to someone else.
Li Min pushed Li Shimin's wheelchair forward slowly along the bluestone road. After walking to Li Yuan's mausoleum, Li Shimin let out a long sigh, and the tears in his eyes flowed down his cheeks.
"Liu Lang, put the incense and candles for your grandfather, then kowtow a few times, wait outside the mausoleum, and come back in an hour later!" Li Shimin directly ordered in a hoarse voice without wiping the tears on his face.
"I obey!" Li Min opened the box he was carrying, took out incense and candles and other items, and placed them in front of Li Yuan's mausoleum. There were also several fruits and a bottle of wine. Finally, according to etiquette, Li Min stepped forward and kowtowed a few times to his grandfather, whom he had never met before. Then he returned to the cemetery and waited outside.
Although the main purpose of coming this time is not to worship Li Yuan, as a son, since he came to Xianling Mausoleum, he naturally wanted to worship his father. Besides, Li Shimin had many things he could not do to his father in the past. In addition, he was dying soon, so he had many things in his heart that he wanted to talk to his father about.
Li Min didn¡¯t have much impression of Li Yuan, the grandfather of the whole family, because he passed away exactly one year before he traveled through time. Historically, Li Yuan, Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, has not always been highly evaluated, and he is the most criticized. They just let the two sons Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin compete for the throne. In addition, Li Yuan was also very lustful, especially after he ascended the throne and became emperor. There were more women in the harem than Li Min's grandfather Yang Guang.
However, as Li Min slowly integrated into this era, his understanding of Li Yuan was no longer limited to the history books of later generations. This made him quickly discover that Li Yuan was not as incompetent as later generations thought. There was an obvious reason. evidence. As the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he could stand out among the many heroes in the late Sui Dynasty. How could he be an incompetent person?
Speaking of which, Li Yuan was actually a man of both civil and military skills. When he first started his army, he was able to take advantage of the situation and decided on the military thought of taking Guanzhong first and then the world. It was precisely with this correct strategic thought that he was able to In a very short period of time, the Tang Dynasty swept the world with almost invincibility, and in a few years it had conquered the entire Central Plains.
However, compared to his military achievements, Li Yuan's greatest contribution was actually political. It was his decision that made all aspects of the Tang Dynasty follow the Sui system, and he also promulgated the land equalization system and abolished many of the previous Sui systems. The miscellaneous taxes laid a solid foundation for the future prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that without Li Yuan, there would be no Zhenguan rule by Li Shimin.
It's a pity that although Li Yuan was a good emperor, he was not a good father. For his two equally outstanding sons, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, he not only failed to play a regulating role as a father, but also made random wishes, making the two brothers incompetent. The fire finally broke out with the "Xuanwumen Incident", which caused him to lose two sons at once, and even he himself was forced to abdicate, and at the same time he was burdened with a reputation of incompetence.
Li Min was outside thinking about Li Yuan's life. An hour passed quickly. When he opened the door of the cemetery and walked in, he found that Li Shimin was still sitting in a wheelchair, with a pair of withered eyes.He covered his wrinkled face with his hands, crying silently like an ordinary old man.
This is also the first time that Li Min has seen his father lose his composure, and he can't help but wonder what Li Shimin would have said to his father Li Yuan's tomb before? At the same time, he couldn't help but stop. He stood a dozen steps away from Li Shimin, wondering if he should step forward?
After a while, Li Shimin noticed Li Min's arrival, turned around and wiped the tears from his face, took a long breath, calmed down his excitement, and then said to Li Min: " Mukuro, come here and help me up, I want to kowtow to my father and mother."
"Yes!" Li Min hurriedly came over and responded. Not only is Li Yuan buried in the Xianling Mausoleum, but Li Shimin's mother, Queen Dou, who died early, was also moved here to be buried with Li Yuan. As for what Li Shimin said in front of his parents' mausoleum just now? Why was he in tears? I'm afraid only Li Shimin himself knows this.
Li Shimin's body was weak. When Li Min held his arm, he felt that Li Shimin's body was very light, as if he were holding a handful of bones. Thinking of the high-spirited Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Min couldn't help but feel sad. A sour.
With Li Min's support, Li Shimin struggled to stand up from the wheelchair, then slowly moved to his parents' graves, and slowly knelt down on his knees. Only then did Li Min let go of himself, put his skinny hands on the ground, and then with difficulty He bent down and kowtowed several times to his parents very solemnly. Naturally, Li Min did not dare to stand. He also knelt behind Li Shimin and kowtowed respectfully to his grandfather and grandmother.
After Li Shimin straightened up, he picked up the wine bottle in front of him and filled three glasses of wine. Then Li Shimin spoke again: "Father, this is your favorite Yicheng Jiuling. Originally, my son wanted to give it to you in person. I bought it, but unfortunately I am now too weak to go there, so I had to ask Liulang to send some people to transport some back from Yicheng. My son tasted it himself, and it still tastes the same as before, you will definitely like it!"
As Li Shimin spoke, he picked up three glasses of wine and poured them in front of Li Yuan's mausoleum. Then he poured three more glasses, but this time he drank them all in one gulp. Li Min was worried about his health and wanted to dissuade him, but several times He opened his mouth, but still no words came out. In the end, he just sighed silently.
Li Shimin was also very restrained. After drinking three glasses of wine, he stopped drinking. Instead, he began to slowly sprinkle the wine in front of Li Yuan's mausoleum. When the last drop of wine fell, Li Shimin suddenly let out a sigh, and then He said in a very low voice: "Father, I'm sorry!"
Li Min behind him was shocked when he heard Li Shimin's last words. At the same time, he glanced at his father in front of him with complicated eyes. Although Li Shimin only said five words, they contained huge information.
First of all, since Li Shimin came in, he has always called Li Yuan his father. In other words, he had always faced Li Yuan's tomb as a son, but in the last sentence, Li Shimin suddenly changed his name to 'Father', Although it was just a title, it meant a change in Li Shimin's role. At this time, he was no longer just Li Yuan's son, but also the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Shimin apologized to Li Yuan as an emperor, and the meaning of this is very intriguing. The first thing Li Min thought of was that after the Xuanwu Sect incident, Li Yuan was forced to abdicate. Although Li Yuan lived for another nine years and gave birth to a lot of princes and princesses, as an emperor, he was forced to abdicate by his son. If you abdicate, just think about it and you will understand how aggrieved Li Yuan will be?
In addition, during the Xuanwumen Incident, two of Li Yuan's three remaining legitimate sons died due to cannibalism. Moreover, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were both very favored by Li Yuan. This shows how sad Li Yuan would be. Li Shimin must bear the most direct responsibility for these.
As the saying goes, people can speak kindly when they are about to die. Li Shimin chose to come to Xianling Mausoleum before he died, and then said sorry to Li Yuan in person. It can be seen that the Xuanwumen incident that year also left a mark on Li Shimin's heart. an indelible scar.
Thinking of this, Li Min couldn't help but sigh. As a son, he was naturally not qualified to comment on who was right and who was wrong regarding his father's affairs. However, Li Min knew that if time went back and Li Shimin was asked to choose again, he would definitely do it without hesitation. This is the cruelty of imperial power, and the greater the imperial power, the more cruel the fight for the throne. This is why Li Min One of the reasons why he always wanted to weaken the imperial power.
After Li Shimin said he was sorry, he motioned to Li Min to help him up. When he sat back on the wheelchair again, Li Shimin pointed to the northeast of Xianling Mausoleum, which is the burial area of ????Xianling Mausoleum. Among them, King Li Shenfu of Xiangyi, King Li Shentong of Huai'an and other royal family members, as well as some important ministers, died. They were all buried here later.
In addition, in the burial area, there are two very important figures buried, they are also LiThe person the people want to worship most during this trip.