Chapter 356 Ascends the throne, Long Shuo (finale)

At the beginning of this year, Pei Xueqing gave birth to a son for Li Xiang.

Although this new child was not the first person in the fifth generation of the Tang Dynasty, he was the first boy.

Royal inheritance is naturally not like playing house, and giving birth to a boy is indeed very important.

After learning the good news, Pei Xueqing’s brother Pei Xingjian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With such a child, my sister’s position as queen was finally stabilized, and she no longer had to face the disaster that happened to A Jiao in the Early Han Dynasty.

But he underestimated his sister. After all, Pei Xueqing and Chen Ajiao, who were spoiled women, had different personalities…

Under Li Shimin’s decision, the child was named Li Shizhi.

Shizhi was also full of Li Shimin’s expectations.

On the day he was born, Li Shizhi was named the Crown Prince.

You see, some people are born to be cattle and horses, and some people are born in Rome.

But Li Shizhi was different. He was born to rule Rome.

Ah, it’s not an adjective. After all, after the Tang Dynasty had dealt with the Arabs, it certainly could not tolerate the Eastern Roman Empire sleeping soundly beside its bed.

Li Chengqian was so happy to have a grandson that he almost lost his mind. Although he said that it didn’t matter whether it was a boy or a girl, the old boy accidentally walked from the East Palace to the Lizheng Palace.

Under Li Chengqian’s eager anticipation, Li Qinling and Xue Rengui’s returning army officially arrived in Chang’an City on April 11.

Destroying a country is a great achievement, not to mention that Li Qinling and Xue Rengui did it with very little effort.

For Li Chengqian himself, destroying a country like Tubo, which was entrenched in a high position and quite troublesome, at a very small cost was also a great political achievement.

It is said that “the blood on the border turned into sea, and the Emperor Wu’s intention to expand the border has not yet been satisfied”. At least in the military achievement of conquering Tubo, there is no such thing as “blood turned into sea”.

Of course, the “Emperor Wu” in Du Fu’s poem refers to Li Laosan, not Awu – if it was Awu, Emperor Wu should have retreated.

Li Chengqian prepared a high-standard ceremony to welcome the army back to the capital.

He personally led the civil and military officials to the outskirts of Chang’an, ten miles away, to welcome Li Qinling and Xue Rengui.

After rewarding the meritorious soldiers, Li Chengqian once again came to the Taimiao to offer sacrifices.

This was the most perfect ending to his career as an emperor, and also another peak of his achievements.

Afterwards, Li Chengqian also confirmed Li Qinling’s surname “Li”, turning it into the national surname and incorporating it into the genealogy of the Li clan.

Li Qinling cried bitterly and got drunk that day. He kowtowed several times in the direction of Tubo in the mansion.

It was not because of his longing for his homeland, but because he could finally change the name of his father Lu Dongzan.

No, now his name is Li Dongzan.

Dad, you know, I have been a Tang Dynasty citizen for a long time!
Li Qinling finally realized his dream of bringing honor to his family. Li Chengqian also made an exception and allowed his father’s request to change his name, and also included Li Dongzan in the family tree.

From then on, Li Qinling’s lineage became part of the Tang Dynasty royal family.

Based on their military achievements, Li Qinling was conferred the title of Prince of Qinghai, and Xue Rengui was conferred the title of Duke of Wei.

Li Qinling’s hometown was Tubo, so he was the Prince of Qinghai; and Xue Rengui’s hometown, Longmen, Jiangzhou, belonged to the State of Wei during the Warring States Period.

As for why he was not conferred the title of Duke of Jin… After all, Li Zhi was still alive. Besides, Jin was the birthplace of the Tang Dynasty, and this title could not be given casually.

Duke of Wei was formerly the title of Fang Xuanling, but in the 11th year of Zhenguan, Fang changed his title to Duke of Liang, so the title became vacant and was awarded to Xue Rengui.

Among the famous military generals of the Duke of Wei in later generations, there was Li Guangbi, one of the two great generals of the middle Tang Dynasty, and Xu Da, a particularly famous general of the founding of the Ming Dynasty. It was not an insult to Lao Xue to take this title.

The Dafeichuan combination is no longer as bitter as it once was in the past, and Li Xiang also thinks it is pretty good.

In fact, the responsibility for the defeat at Dayuechuan did not lie with Xue Rengui, he was also betrayed by others.

After the army returned, Li Chengqian also formally issued an edict to hold the inner abdication ceremony at the New Year’s Day court meeting in the seventh year of Yonghui.

Li Xiang said he was excited, but he was not excited either.

Why are you in such a hurry to go up there? Will it be tiring?
The little elephant thought to himself that he didn’t have the Terminator-like physique like Lao Zhu, so he decided to take it easy.

Everything is going on in an orderly manner, but when it comes to expectations, the ones who are most looking forward to it are Li Shimin and Li Chengqian.

Li Shimin was looking forward to seeing his favorite grandson ascend the throne, while Li Chengqian was feeling relieved and could do whatever he wanted at last.

After much difficulty, the New Year’s Day court meeting finally arrived. The night before, Li Chengqian was so excited that he paced back and forth in front of the Lizheng Hall.

For this, Li Shimin expressed his great disgust for him.

After being the emperor for six years, he is still so unstable… Never mind, as long as the child is happy.

Early in the morning before dawn, all the ministers came to the Taiji Palace, waiting for this historic moment.

Inside the hall, the air was filled with the scent of sandalwood and all the ministers stood in silence, their eyes focused on the Emperor Li Chengqian who was sitting at the top.

Li Chengqian is worthy of being the son of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun. As long as he does not go out of line, he can be called a majestic yet compassionate emperor in terms of both appearance and temperament.

As he was about to abdicate, he seemed very calm at this moment.

When the ceremony started, Li Xiang walked slowly into Taiji Palace from outside.

Li Chengqian also stood up from his seat and, under the gaze of his ministers, held up the imperial seal that symbolized supreme power.

As the ceremonial officer sang the ceremony, Li Xiang walked forward and knelt in front of Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian walked up to Li Xiang and placed the imperial seal in his hand. The inheritance of power seemed to have quietly completed a sacred handover through this heavy token.

A trace of relief flashed in his eyes, and the bits and pieces of events since the 16th year of Zhenguan appeared before his eyes.

From that time on, it was his good eldest son who had been protecting him, and had helped him safely along the way from being a crown prince to becoming an emperor.

Now that his mission is accomplished, it is time for him to pass on power to his son.

The entire hall was silent except for the sound of breathing. The ministers’ eyes were full of awe. They were witnessing the end of an era and the beginning of another.

From this moment on, Li Chengqian was no longer the emperor of the Tang Empire, but the emperor emeritus.

The internal abdication ended with the congratulations of the ministers. Old Li and Li Chengqian, as the Supreme Emperor and the Emeritus Emperor, also left the Taiji Palace and returned to the Lizheng Hall.

Li Xiang sat on the supreme throne, and it would be a lie to say he was not excited.

From the sixteenth year of Zhenguan to the sixth year of Yonghui, thirteen years had passed.

Thirteen years passed in a flash, and he finally became the emperor of the Tang Empire.

This is not the end, but a brand new beginning.

As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he will lead the entire Tang Dynasty on a new journey.

(End of the book)

(End of this chapter)