Zhu Changxiao's version of the Sui Dynasty

Regicide is a serious crime in any dynasty and cannot be tolerated by the world. Pei Qiantong was worried that the old incident would be brought up again. In order to avoid Xiao Jun, he took the initiative to ask for an imperial decree to transfer to a local official. Li Shimin, who did not know the reason, sent him to Chenzhou (Yuanling, Hunan) as a governor.

He had just settled in Chenzhou and thought that he could avoid the old incident because the emperor was far away. He never expected that he would be sent an envoy by the court less than five days after he took office. Pei Qiantong knew that it was a blessing, not a disaster, and he had to change his official robe and hurried to the door to greet him.

The envoy in the court was the general Huangfu Wuyi. Pei Qiantong and Huangfu Wuyi were colleagues in the Sui Dynasty and old friends after they surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. They were very familiar with each other.

Without waiting for Huangfu Wuyi to dismount, Pei Qiantong hurriedly greeted him with a smile and bowed. He thought that the two were old friends and could talk easily, but Huangfu Wuyi turned over and dismounted without returning the greeting. Instead, he frowned, raised the imperial edict, and said, "Pei Qiantong, listen to the order."

Pei Qiantong saw that Huangfu Wuyi's face was not right, so he did not dare to ask more questions, and knelt down with his robe lifted: "Your humble servant listens to the order."

Huangfu Wuyi read: "In compliance with the emperor's order, your majesty has issued an edict: since ancient times, the monarch has been the leader of the ministers, the father has been the leader of the sons, and the monarch, the ministers, the father and the son are the great etiquette of the country. The former queen Xiao returned to the country and accused Pei Qiantong of participating in the Jiangdu Palace Coup, treason and regicide, and his crimes are extremely serious. Order to investigate the Jiangdu Palace Coup, arrest Pei Qiantong, and return to the capital to be punished. This is the imperial decree."

Pei Qiantong was shocked when he heard it, and knelt down for a long time. Huangfu Wuyi rolled up the imperial edict and threw it to Pei Qiantong. He waved to his officers and soldiers. The soldiers on the left and right stripped Pei Qiantong of his official uniform, took off his official hat, put on shackles, and immediately searched the governor's mansion and escorted the prisoner back to the capital.

The rustling autumn wind rolled up the yellow leaves and swept the desolate road. The two wooden wheels of the prisoner's car rolled swayingly. On both sides were the imperial guards of the court, shining with silver armor, which was chilling. Pei Qiantong, with shackles on his hands, sat in the prison car in despair and confusion. Looking around, the prosperous Tang Dynasty only brought him endless sorrow and fear.

The sound of scattered horse hooves came from the side of the prison car. It was Huangfu Wuyi who was sitting on the horse. Pei Qiantong asked palely and weakly: "General Huangfu, I am afraid I will never see you again in the capital after this trip."

"Alas..." Although Huangfu Wuyi was cold, he also had a trace of pity and regret for Pei Qiantong on the desolate road at this time. Wuyi said: "Loyalty and treachery are different, and generations cannot tolerate it. The crime of regicide is greater than heaven. This is the fate of Lord Pei. Take care of yourself."

"For the sake of our past relationship, the emperor General Fu, can you lend me a pen and ink?"

"What do you need your pen and ink for, brother Pei?"

"Both the general and I surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, but the general is a gentleman, and I am indeed a villain who killed the king. In comparison, my crimes are unforgivable, and I want to write a letter of repentance to warn the ministers of the future generations."

"Brother, you have such a heart, which is precious." Huangfu Wuyi immediately ordered people to prepare simple paper and pen. Pei Qiantong was in the prison car with shackles, recalling the past, and wrote a letter of repentance. This is:

It is difficult to say loyalty and treachery, and the crime of killing the king is as serious as deceiving the heaven.

In ancient times, kings were very taboo and could not tolerate flatterers around them.

To make a long story shortNot many days later, Pei Qiantong was escorted back to Chang'an, and Huangfu Wuyi also returned to the court to meet Emperor Taizong of Tang to report.

When he arrived at the imperial study, Li Shimin and the minister Wei Zheng were chatting. Huangfu Wuyi greeted the emperor, holding a scroll in his hand, and bowed to say: "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to take Pei Qiantong back. Pei Qiantong knew his sins along the way, wrote a letter of repentance, and presented it to Your Majesty."

Li Shimin took the letter of repentance and said to Wei Zheng: "I haven't tried him yet, but Pei Qiantong has confessed his guilt. Please take a look at this letter of repentance with me."

Unfolding the scroll and reading it carefully, it was the whole story of the Xiaoguo rebels' coup d'état. Li Shimin read the old story of Jiangdu and was deeply moved: "Emperor Yang of Sui was a tyrant and not only did the people rebel, but he also didn't expect that his guards would be deserted by his relatives and friends."

"May I ask your Majesty, how should Pei Qiantong be convicted?" Huangfu Wuyi asked.

"It is indeed helpless to be in the presence of a tyrant. But it is shameful to be unfaithful to be a loyal subject. It is difficult to clear the bad reputation of the dynasties." Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Those who have no king and no father, even if they repent, can be exempted from the death penalty, but they cannot escape the serious crimes and will be exiled to Lingnan and will never be used again."

"As you wish." Huangfu Wuyi took the order and left.

Looking at the splotchy handwriting on the confession, Li Shimin said to Wei Zheng, "We can learn from the past and understand the present. I remember that in the fourth year of Wude, the "Book of Sui" was compiled, but the wars in all directions were not settled, so it was difficult to verify. After several years, it was not compiled."

"Does the emperor mean to revise the "Book of Sui"? "

"My dear minister, you are upright and honest. I order you to write honestly and revise the "Book of Sui" to connect the past and the present and enlighten future generations."

Wei Zheng bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is wise, Using the past as a mirror, we can see the rise and fall of the country. Now that the nine provinces have been recovered and the four seas have been pacified, if we can record the lessons of the rise and fall of the Great Sui Dynasty in history, we will surely be able to educate future generations. ”

“Yes.” Li Shimin said, “It is very much in line with my wishes. I will order you to preside over the compilation, and then send Li Yanshou, Yan Shigu, and Kong Yingda as subordinates to write together.”

“I accept the order and thank you.” Wei Zheng received the order, summoned the envoys, and began to compile the "Book of Sui". This is:

The generations of the previous generations fill in the rings of the years, compiling books and writing history to praise the wise.

Compiled into a mirror to reflect the future, it is completed in one go and passed down through the years.

Xiao Jun lived in Chang'an, rarely going out, and spent the whole day feeding fish by the pond in the courtyard. He saw his grandson Yang Zhengdao running back home shouting and came to his grandmother, panting and saying, "Grandma, this is great news."

Xiao Jun threw fish food into the pond and asked, "What's the matter that makes you so happy?"

"Pei Qiantong was dismissed from his post and exiled thousands of miles away." Yang Zhengdao said.

"There is a cycle of revenge in the world, and no one can escape the cycle of reincarnation."

Yang Zhengdao said: "My grandson heard about something else, I don't know if I should ask or not?"

Xiao Jun said: "Tell me about it."

"My grandson heard that some people have quite a lot of criticism about this matter, and even think that Pei Qiantong's rebellion back then was justifiable."

Hearing this, Xiao Jun saw that Yang Zhengdao seemed to be talking about something, and said calmly: "Tell me, tell me." He casually threw the bait, still feeding the fish in the pond.

Yang Zhengdao pursed his throat and said: "Some people say that Emperor Yang of Sui was a tyrant, and Pei Qiantong was acting on behalf of heaven and eliminating tyrants for the people..." Yang Zhengdao looked at Xiao Jun's face and didn't dare to say it out loud.

Xiao Jun sprinkled all the fish food into the fish pond, clapped his hands, leaned on his cane, and said as he walked: "Even if you don't say it, I know what you want to say. The late emperor was aggressive and aroused people's resentment. He killed court officials indiscriminately and was tyrannical. No matter what, he is guilty of the mistakes he made. He is a sinner to the country and the people."

Yang Zhengdao asked in surprise: "The late emperor's mistakes angered people and gods, and my grandson has heard about it. But my emperor has listed Pei Qiantong's crimes. What's the purpose?"

"In fact, the emperor has never wanted to avenge our Yang family. Revenge for the late emperor is unpopular. What the monarch taboos is the loyalty of his subjects. Punishing Pei Qiantong is just killing a chicken to scare the monkeys and killing one to warn the hundred. Let the subjects see that no matter their merits and demerits, they cannot kill the monarch." Xiao Jun said.

"Grandma, you are right. I understand."

Xiao Jun said: "You are now a regular attendant of the emperor. You accompany the king all day long. You should know that the emperor has a catchphrase, which is "Strong grass is known by strong winds". The king cares most about the loyalty of his subjects. Even if the emperor is incompetent, he should not be fickle and have two minds. The king can be wrong, but the subjects cannot rebel."

After listening to Xiao Jun's words, Yang Zhengdao replied: "Grandma's teachings have made my grandson see the light and open his mind. Anyway, Pei Qiantong did not get a good reward, but it can be regarded as a revenge for my grandmother's death. The hatred of the country. "

Xiao Jun shook his head, leaned on his cane, walked into the house, shook his head gently and said: "No hatred, no hatred anymore. Be it beheading or exile, just ignore the grudges. The first emperor Yangdi, a disaster to the country and the people, hated by both humans and gods, his crimes will be judged by future generations. "

After a while, Xiao Jun was sitting alone in the front hall, reading the old almanac. Xiao Siye came to Yang's house with the victory report. When he saw his nephew coming to the house, he felt very cordial because he hadn't seen him for a long time. Yang Zhengdao also came to the front hall to chat with him.

Xiao Siye was full of joy and bowed: "My nephew pays respect to the Madam."

"No thanks, no thanks." Xiao Jun said happily: "Why are you interested in coming to see me today?"

"Good news from the border. The Tang army defeated the Turks a few years ago. Sunishi surrendered and captured Jie Li Khan. Now he has returned to Beijing in triumph." Xiao Siye said.

"Has the Khan returned to the capital?"

"Yes, but Princess Yicheng refused to surrender and died in Mobei."

"Alas..." Xiao Jun sighed: "Thanks to Princess Yicheng's shelter, we went into exile in Mobei. She has been kind to me. I have lived to the age of sixty, but I cannot see the princess again."

Xiao Jun lamented guilt and felt sad. Xiao Siye comforted her: "Madam, don't be too sad about the past. Today I brought a lot of delicacies and I want to accompany Madam and Zhengdao to drink at the same table."

Yang Zhengdao said: "Brother, this is a good suggestion. Thinking back to the time when my three generations of grandparents went into exile together, we haven't been together for a long time. Why don't we drink a few more glasses with my grandmother today and reminisce about the past.”

Xiao Jun was naturally happy to see his grandson and nephew accompanying him, and ordered Yang Zhengdao to prepare wine and food. Xiao Jun asked Xiao Siye again: "Siye is so excited today, isn't it just to celebrate the defeat of the Turks?"

"Madam, you don't know, Jie Li Khan was defeated and captured, and the northern grasslands were leaderless. The emperor ordered me to be an envoy to the grasslands to submit to the various tribes in the northern desert." Xiao Siye said.

"Oh..." Xiao Jun smiled again and said happily: "It's a good thing to be valued by the emperor. A good man has ambitions to go all over the world."

"Yes." Xiao Siye said again: "It's just that the grasslands and deserts are long journeys. This trip will take at least three to five years, and I can't come to visit you often."

"It's okay, it's okay. "Xiao Jun said: "My nephew is also a hero in his prime. Instead of staying in Beijing and living a life of luxury, it is better to make achievements outside the Great Wall. A real man in the world should inspire people everywhere and make achievements."

Xiao Siye was full of confidence and joy. While talking, Yang Zhengdao had prepared wine and food. The three generations of grandparents and grandchildren sat down together and enjoyed the banquet. There is no need to make a detailed list. This is:

The famous family of the Tang Dynasty came from the Xiao family, and the whole court was blessed by Hong En. The kings of the two dynasties were called Emperor Liang, and the eight prime ministers were Tang ministers.

The Jiangnan area was once remembered, and the northern frontier also left traces. The rise and fall of the Sui and Tang dynasties lasted for three hundred years, and the nobles came from the Xiao family.

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