Tang Dynasty

Li Shimin sat high on the horse holding the bridle, with a few followers behind him.Looking in the direction of Miyagi, the tall Xuanwu Gate was getting closer and closer to him.

He was a little apprehensive, after all, entering this door was equivalent to making a decision that could not be changed; but he was also a little impatient, after all, this decision was for the elder brother.

Finally, he stopped his horse in front of the Xuanwu Gate, and several guards clapped their fists and opened the city gate when they saw him.

Li Shimin nodded slightly, but when he was about to enter the door, a voice came from behind him: "Second brother!"

Turning around in response, I saw Li Yuanji galloping out of the shady forest and standing still not far away.He was dressed in strong armor, and behind him were nearly a hundred scattered people.

Li Shimin immediately understood a little bit in his heart, and said with a deep expression, "What does Yuan Ji mean by this?"

Li Yuanji supported the hilt of the sword on his waist, and said word by word: "Second brother, your life should stay in this Xuanwu gate."

As soon as these words came out, several guards behind Li Shimin drew their swords and stood in front of him.Behind Li Yuanji, Xue Wanche also led people to defend in front, and the atmosphere was on the verge of breaking out, but the strength of the two sides could not be compared.

Li Shimin himself did not move.He still looked at Li Yuanji intently, and said slowly, "Why?"

"Second brother is really second brother, so calm." Li Yuanji laughed and said, "It's just who is the person in this palace who misses you the most, how can you not know? But why ask me? "

His heart tightened suddenly, Li Shimin's hand holding the rein of the horse tightened, but he didn't speak.

That answer clearly came to mind, but his thoughts seemed to be resisting something, unwilling to touch it.

Until there was a rapid sound of hooves behind him, Li Shimin's figure shook, but he still slowly turned his head to look.

Then he saw Li Jiancheng in the mist.

The white robe and silver armor, and the bright red cloak behind him are blazing like fire, just like seeing Taiyuan for the first time many years ago.

Li Jiancheng stood up slowly not far away, and finally raised his eyes to meet Li Shimin's.However, the look in his eyes was as cold as ice.

The men and horses following behind were even more tense.

Seeing such gazes, Li Shimin seemed to suddenly understand something.He lowered his eyes and gave a wry smile, and finally said slowly: "Indeed...Brother, apart from you, no one else in this palace can take my life so easily."

Li Jiancheng looked at him without speaking.

The two looked at each other through the sound of the wind, and there was only silence in the world for a while.

Li Yuanji watched from a distance behind the two, knowing that if there was any further delay, something might happen, he winked with Xue Wanche, who immediately understood, he roared, and rushed up with the people behind him.

This loud roar pierced the sky, broke the tranquility, and also broke the temporary confrontation between the two sides.Although Li Shimin's guards were not many, they went up to him bravely at this time. The two sides were fighting together, and the sound of swords clashing could not stop echoing.

Li Shimin returned to his horse and drew his sword, and hurriedly faced the battle, but found that those people were unwilling to tangle with him.He suddenly understood something, looked up at Li Jiancheng again through the shadow of swords and swords, and then walked towards him on a horse.

Li Jiancheng watched him approach, but still stood where he was, motionless.

Li Shimin finally stopped at a position not far from him, slowly looked around at the people behind him, and smiled slowly: "Brother, you still can't trust me after all."

Li Jiancheng looked at him and said nothing.

Li Shimin said slowly: "Brother, you want to take your life with your own hands, right?"

Li Jiancheng's eyes were cold, but he still didn't speak.

The sound of fighting behind them still didn't stop, but it seemed to be blocked thousands of miles away, unable to penetrate the death-like silence between the two.

Li Shimin's eyes slowly glanced at the people behind Li Jiancheng who were ready to go, but kept silent, knowing that with such a distance and such a huge disparity in power, there was no possibility for him to escape.What's more, it was Li Jiancheng who wanted his own life.

In this way, my heart calmed down instead, as calm as ashes.

"If you have to die in the end, it's better to die in the hands of the elder brother." He smiled lightly, and looked at the other party again, "It's just... elder brother, Shimin will only give you this life."

"Okay..." Li Jiancheng finally opened his mouth, but there was no smile in his expression.He took a longbow from the guard, and pulled out an arrow cluster from the quiver sideways.

The moment he touched the arrow cluster, his hand trembled suddenly, and he instinctively wanted to draw it back to his heart, but after a slight pause, he pulled out the arrow cluster and put it on the bowstring, pointing directly at Li Shimin.

The whole process was coherent and smooth, without any hesitation.

Looking along the arrow, Li Shimin's figure is very clear, but his face is somewhat blurred.

Feeling that his breath was already uncontrollably messy, Li Jiancheng knew that he could no longer tolerate any hesitation.

With just one arrow, this person can understand the pain that pierces his heart.

With just one arrow, all kinds of long-cherished wishes in the past and present can be completely ended.

This arrow is too light and too heavy.

But Li Shimin looked at him quietly, and suddenly said: "Brother, can you tell me... what happened last night, is it true or not?"

However, the other party did not respond.

Li Shimin laughed at himself, closed his eyes slowly, and said, "Brother, let's do it."

The wind passed by his ears, and after a long time, he vaguely heard Li Jiancheng's voice.

"is true."

Hearing this answer, Li Shimin instinctively opened his eyes.

At the same time, an arrow cluster was already in front of his eyes, but it flew by his ear, leaving behind only a biting sound of wind.

But what he saw in his eyes was the scene of Li Jiancheng spitting out a mouthful of blood and falling off the horse.

----

When Wei Zheng pushed the door and entered, Li Shimin was leaning against the bed, obviously aware of his arrival, but he just kept his original posture, motionless.

Walking slowly, Wei Zheng said in a low voice, "I've seen King Qin."

Hearing the sound, Li Shimin turned his head to look at him, but his eyes were dazed and empty, as if his soul had been taken out of him in an instant.Nodding his head slightly, he quickly turned his head back and stared blankly at the person on the bed.This posture seems to have never changed.

Wei Zheng still remembered that when Li Jiancheng was sent back to the mansion, the other party's expression was crazy, and every word he spoke was trembling.But at this moment, after three days of inseparable waiting, that kind of madness has left nothing but lifelessness.

Following his gaze, Wei Zheng turned his gaze to the person on the bed.Li Jiancheng lay on his back, as calm as a deep sleep, but his complexion was as pale as paper, almost without any blood.

Since falling off his horse, he has only been unconscious.All the imperial doctors in the palace were used to diagnose and treat the pulse, but they could only shake their heads helplessly, unable to tell what the disease was.

In fact, although he didn't want to admit it, Wei Zheng knew it in his heart. Judging from the fact that his condition was getting worse until he coughed up blood, if he wasn't treated in time, maybe... as he said, he wouldn't last long.However, what he didn't expect was that Li Jiancheng fell at the Xuanwu Gate. Is this God's will, or did he not want Li Shimin to die from the bottom of his heart?

Slowly withdrawing his thoughts, Wei Zheng said, "Your Majesty has not gone to court for three days today, and it is said that the dragon's body is not in good condition."

Since Li Shimin entered the Prince's Mansion, he has never taken a single step, and naturally he has not gone to court for several days.Even when the people from Prince Qin's mansion came to look for him, he avoided seeing them at first, and then he simply ordered all the people in the mansion not to enter the East Palace to disturb them, and anyone who violated it would be killed without mercy.

But it is known that Li Yuan did not go to court for three days.

Li Shimin nodded his head very slowly when he heard the words, and said in a low voice: "It's no wonder that the father didn't come to visit. I think the dragon's health is not good... I will enter the palace to make amends in the future."

He murmured, as if he was talking to himself or talking to Wei Zheng, but the tone of his voice had long since lost the strength of the old sword. Wei Zheng sighed, but in fact he could probably imagine that after hearing that the three sons killed each other, and the life and death of one was unknown, The feeling a father should have.Except for sending people to bring herbs, he never came in person in the past three days, not because he didn't want to, but because he really couldn't do what he wanted.

While he was pondering, he heard Li Shimin say again: "Why...you want to tell me this matter?"

"The King of Qin is really discerning," Wei Zheng said with a chuckle, "The King of Qin probably doesn't know that at this time, the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty are discussing in private... If there is something wrong with the emperor, who should be the successor?"

"Of course the crown prince will be the successor." Li Shimin said slowly, "Aside from the crown prince, who else can it be?"

Wei Zheng looked at him fixedly, but the other side turned his back to him, but he couldn't tell what his expression was.

After being silent for a long time, Wei Zheng said word by word: "If the crown prince sleeps forever, what will happen to King Qin?"

"Master Wei...what do you mean by that?"

Wei Zheng said seriously: "If the crown prince is really like this, for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, His Highness should be ready to succeed to the throne."

"For the sake of the Tang Dynasty... These words are exactly the same as what the elder brother wanted," Li Shimin chuckled, but reached into the quilt, found Li Jiancheng's hand, and held it tightly.After a long time, he murmured, "It's just that now, the country is always given to me, and I won't take it anymore."

Hearing this, Wei Zheng looked up at the person on the bed.Then he withdrew his gaze, sighed, and said: "What I said should also be the wish of the crown prince, please think twice, Your Highness." After saying that, he cupped his hands and said goodbye.

Li Shimin acted as if he had never heard of it, just clasped Li Jiancheng's hand tightly, bent down, buried his face in the quilt beside him, and murmured: "No, there is absolutely no such possibility...Brother, you will wake up." Those who come here must..." Between the words, the expression on his face was as sincere as if he had returned to his youth.

"Big brother..."

"Big brother..."

"Big brother..."

He whispered the other person's name over and over again until he was too tired and fell into a dream.

----

"Shimin, let's assume that today's matter never happened, and in the future... don't mention it again. Otherwise, you and I can't even be brothers!"

"Shimin, your eldest brother is tolerant and kind by nature, the only thing missing is determination. Father only wants you to be his arm, to do things he can't bear to do. If you can do this, the world will be as stable as a rock. .”

"There are no generals in the tent for this expedition to Turks. My father has already allowed me to borrow two generals from my second brother's house, Lieutenant Chi Gong and Qin Qiong. The imperial decree is again, and I hope that my second brother will not hesitate to borrow it."

"Your Highness, the crown prince framed you with the theory of 'Taibai sees Qin Fen'. He can't tolerate you anymore. If you don't act in time, there will be no chance of turning around!"

"Shimin, are everything you said true? Then I will call Jiancheng Yuanji into the palace tomorrow. If it is true or not, just ask!"

"Xuanwumen is the only way for the crown prince and the king of Qi to pass through. I thought... it was here."

"The last general, Chang He, is willing to do the work of a dog and a horse for His Highness!"

"I have the guts to say that if you don't take action tomorrow, not only His Highness will encounter disasters in the future, but everyone in the Tiance Mansion may not be able to survive!"

"Your Highness, I will wait for you to say something, and I will go through fire and water, and I will do whatever I want!"

"Your Highness, don't hesitate any longer!"

"Your Highness, make a decision quickly!"

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

……

"I'm sorry, brother."

……

"Pass down the order, except for Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, none of the children will be left behind!"

"Father, I killed eldest brother, I... killed him with my own hands. I have... no way out..."

"Hahaha, in today's Weishui alliance, what your majestic Jieli Khan wants is only a "Lanting Collection Preface"?! Okay, I'll give it to you! It's just a painting, and it can change the peace of my northern border." , I... naturally can't ask for it!"

"According to my decree, Li Yuanji was granted the title of Prince of Hailing, with the posthumous title of 'Assassination'; Li Jian was granted the posthumous title of Xiwang, with the posthumous title of..."Yin"."

"From today onwards, Li Jiancheng's crown prince title will be restored, and future generations will not be allowed to change it."

"Big Brother...Big Brother...It turns out that in all these years, I haven't been able to forget you for a single day?! Big Brother, you have tortured me for half my life, you...just let me go..."

"Mr. Du, I have to read this history book no matter what! I want to see what that person looks like in your history book..."

"No brother, you are not as good as what they wrote, not even half a cent! You are nothing, you are nothing in my heart, otherwise, how could I kill you?!"

"Decree to the world that after a hundred years, the "Lanting Collection Preface" will be buried with me!...Brother, everyone in the world knows that I will take your things with me even if I die!"

----

"Brother, when a person is about to die, his words are good. To be honest, I regret it, I really... regret it..."

"If there is an afterlife, I don't want this world, I only want you..."

Messy and broken words flashed through my mind one by one, but at the end of the dream, everything returned to Xuanwumen.

A man sits high on a horse, with a longbow drawn, and an arrow pointing directly at the person in front of him.Take a closer look, it's him.

But the person opposite is Li Jiancheng.

Li Shimin was shocked, and rushed to stop it, but immediately he let go of the bowstring.

Cut like a meteor, passing by in a flash.

Then Li Jiancheng fell off his horse in front of him.The cloak behind him was as bright as fire, and instantly dyed the entire Xuanwu Gate red.

……

Li Shimin woke up suddenly, only to realize that he was still lying on the bedside.

He raised his eyes, almost in a daze, and fixedly looked at Li Jiancheng on the bed.

After a long time, he suddenly leaned forward and buried his face in the other's neck.Almost using all the strength in his body, he hugged him tightly tremblingly.