This is precisely why the two of them repeatedly incited the King of Qin to rebel. Of course, the King of Qin himself also harbored this ambition. Therefore, the two sides quickly reached an agreement.
At first, everything went smoothly, but where did the problem lie?
First, a top-tier assassin appeared, whose strength was no less than that of King Huai of Wei back then.
Clad in iron armor and wielding a Tang sword weighing tens of kilograms, he managed to fight his way in and out seven times amidst the encirclement of hundreds of elite guards from the Qin Prince's mansion, including Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, and Yuchi Jingde. Is there any justice in that?
Even more outrageous, from three hundred paces away, they were able to fire a powerful crossbow bolt, nearly killing the Prince of Qin. If Li Shimin hadn't been quick-witted enough to send a double outside, he probably would have really died that time!
"Hehe, who would have thought that a mere head guard (Shi A), along with twenty guards, could lead the Crown Prince and escape with his life from the hands of hundreds of soldiers? And who would have thought that a mere female palace attendant (Cai Yan) could lead His Majesty around the lake and evade the army's pursuit?" Fang Xuanling said with some helplessness.
The saying "Man proposes, God disposes" perfectly illustrates this point.
At that time, whether the Crown Prince or His Majesty had fallen into the hands of the King of Qin, the current situation would not have occurred.
If the crown prince is gone, the King of Qin will naturally be the only crown prince.
If His Majesty were in control, then an edict would be issued directly, proclaiming the Crown Prince's rebellion and the uprising of troops. All of this was planned. Unfortunately, plans often go awry.
However, at that moment, a cry came from outside the palace—the cry of a child. Before Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui could react, Li Shimin jumped up and went to the window. Under the protection of the guards, he looked out at the scene.
At first glance, Li Shimin's eyes widened instantly, like copper bells, truly showing his fury!
It turned out that the crying outside was coming from several children. They were Li Chengqian, Li Tai, Li Ke... Beside his sons were his first wife, Changsun Wugou, his second wife, his third wife, his fourth wife, and others.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered that among the crowd were even his own illegitimate son, three lovers, and two illegitimate daughters. All his legal wives, concubines, and children were also present.
"Ah, Li Jiancheng, you will die a horrible death!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang gave a cold laugh. In fact, it was his idea to bring Li Shimin's wives and concubines here. After all, from a certain perspective, it was for Li Shimin's own good.
At least, after he dies, his wife won't be violated or even have a child with another man, right?
Then, with a command, all his wives and concubines were herded into the besieged palace. Letting them die together was a relatively happy ending!
Yes, at least that's what Lin Yang thinks. A failed rebellion means his wife dies with him, instead of being humiliated by others in the future. This is infinitely better than the treatment of those who lost their kingdoms or failed rebellions!
Look at Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty. After surrendering, his wife was repeatedly summoned to the palace by Zhao Guangyi and abused.
Then look at Emperor Yang of Sui, and the fate of his first wife, Empress Xiao, was even more tragic. She was manipulated and played with by five or six emperors.
Therefore, Lin Yang felt that giving a ruthless hero like Li Shimin the opportunity to kill his wives and concubines before his death was already the greatest mercy!
"Hahaha, thank you very much. Although I don't know who it is, thank you anyway." With that, Li Shimin drew his sword and began slashing wildly at his wives and concubines.
"Haha, Wugou, I failed. Let's be husband and wife in our next life."
Upon hearing this, Empress Zhangsun smiled gently. At this critical moment of life and death, she neither resisted nor said anything, but quietly helped Li Shimin tidy his disheveled hair and soiled clothes. With a hiss, blood splattered all over Li Shimin.
"Wow, Mom, wake up! Dad's gone mad!"
"Haha, kill, kill, kill, all of you die!"
Finally, Li Shimin personally set the entire hall ablaze. All his imperial ambitions and aspirations were burned to ashes in that fire.
On his deathbed, feeling the pain in his body, Li Shimin couldn't help but recall his life.
My name is Li Er, and I am also known as Li Shimin.
My father is Li Yuan, a Duke. He may look like an honest, cowardly, and easily bullied man, but in reality, he is shrewd and cunning.
Back when the world was in chaos, I knew that my father often received mysterious people in his study. From their clothing and speech, I knew they must be talented individuals from prominent families.
Furthermore, their military bearing reveals that they were certainly not the kind of weak, bookish families that the Five Surnames and Seven Families could cultivate.
So, eliminating the impossible, what remains is the truth. That is to say, they came from the Guanlong aristocracy.
As expected, things turned out exactly as I had predicted. At the crucial moment, my father decisively raised an army and occupied Taiyuan.
In mid-May, they launched a rebellion, and by July, they had assembled an army of 30,000 and marched directly towards Chang'an!
In just two months, he completely occupied Taiyuan and even deployed an elite force. My father is really something else.
Looking back on this incident, Li Er strongly suspected whether the plan to join forces with Pei Ji to send palace maids to his father and force him to rebel was his own or his father's plan!
Then, within a few months, they captured Chang'an and occupied the entire Guanzhong region. My father is really something!
As Li Er recalled this, he suddenly felt a sharp pain. He touched himself and found blood everywhere. He knew he wouldn't live much longer!
It's a pity I failed. Now I'm going to become a laughing stock, aren't I?
...