Chapter 3: Is the Xuanwu Gate Incident About to Begin?

“Your Highness, please calm your anger.” Changsun Wuji understood what Li Shimin feared most. It was not the fear of losing to Li Jiancheng or Li Yuanji in a power struggle, but the dread that if he ascended the throne, he might fail to lead the Tang Dynasty to greatness and instead follow in the footsteps of Yang Guang’s downfall.

He regretted bringing Wen He before the Prince of Qin. If the boy’s words caused the prince to lose his ambition, then the Crown Prince and the King of Qi would have succeeded in their schemes.

“Your Highness, whether this boy’s words are true or not, even if they are, they pertain to the future. What you should focus on now are the matters at hand,” Changsun Wuji said with a respectful bow.

“I agree with Changsun Wuji on this point,” Wen He nodded. It was not without reason that Changsun Wuji later became a trusted regent.

“You insolent brat! I am older than you, yet you dare call me by my name?” Changsun Wuji raised his hand and swung a slap toward Wen He’s nape. Quick as a flash, Wen He ducked and stepped back, smiling awkwardly as he apologized, “Sorry, in my time there aren’t so many rules like yours, and nobody uses courtesy names. We just say the full names.”

“Hmph! Judging by your age, you’re no different from Chong’er. Call me uncle, and I’ll consider myself generous,” Changsun Wuji said, stroking his fine beard with a grunt.

Call you uncle? Trying to take advantage of me—how shameless! Wen He inwardly scoffed, ignoring Changsun Wuji’s comment and smiling instead, “I think we get along quite well. How about I call you brother?”

“Pfft!” Li Shimin, who had been deep in thought, suddenly burst out laughing. “Hahaha, Fuji, he’s trying to be your son!”

“You insolent brat, what nonsense are you spouting!” Changsun Wuji was not pleased at all. He had plenty of sons and didn’t need another.

Wen He was even more bewildered. When he finally came to his senses, he was tempted to slap himself. Those Tang people—how could they confuse brother for father? He had been outsmarted!

“Ahem, I meant elder brother, not father,” he hastened to explain.

But Li Shimin didn’t seem to hear him; his laughter only grew louder.

Changsun Wuji shook his head in silent exasperation. Yet, seeing Li Shimin so joyful and undeterred, a heavy weight lifted from his heart.

“Your Highness, enough laughter. Let us speak of serious matters,” Changsun Wuji said resignedly as he stepped forward.

Li Shimin laughed heartily for a while before composing himself. Looking at Wen He and Changsun Wuji standing side by side, one tall, one short, he thought the two really did resemble father and son.

“Indeed, you two do look somewhat like father and son.”

“Your Highness!” Changsun Wuji straightened his countenance and shot Wen He a glare for his earlier foolishness.

Wen He rolled his eyes, snorted, and turned away.

“All right, no more jokes, Wen He,” Li Shimin said, regaining his seriousness as he fixed his gaze on the youth to his left front.

Sensing the shift in tone, Wen He knew it was time to get to the point.

“If you truly come from the future, I ask you: Even if the Tang cannot endure for a thousand autumns, can it surpass the Former Han with you by its side?”

“Ah?” Wen He hadn’t expected such a question from Li Shimin.

He did not consider himself superior to Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, or Du Ruhui. He merely possessed the advantage of hindsight, a foresight into history.

After a moment’s thought, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Li Shimin fell silent.

Changsun Wuji also said nothing.

Wen He had expected Changsun Wuji to erupt in anger as before.

“What about its flaws?” Changsun Wuji asked.

Wen He shrugged. “There are many reasons for the Tang’s downfall. Some you probably know—land concentration, powerful aristocratic clans, as well as class conflicts.”

Li Shimin was naturally aware of these.

Though not yet emperor, he was Grand Chancellor and certainly saw these problems clearly.

In fact, after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he tried hard to weaken the aristocratic clans, but with little success.

Only under Emperor Li Zhi and Wu Zetian was there a sweeping reduction of their power.

And during Huang Chao’s rebellion, the aristocratic clans were utterly destroyed.

“You mentioned that Li Longji caused Tang’s decline. What exactly did he do?” Li Shimin pondered for a moment before asking.

Wen He was a little taken aback by the sudden shift of topic to Li Longji.

After a pause, he said, “Many things, but the root cause of these conflicts was the military governors, or jiedushi.”

“Impossible! How could our Tang have jiedushi?” Li Shimin began, but Changsun Wuji interrupted.

“Indeed, the Tang had the fubing system, so where would jiedushi come from?” Li Shimin nodded in agreement.

Wen He smiled wryly. “The decay of the equal-field system led to the collapse of the fubing. As the Tang’s territory expanded, the northeast and northwest required permanent garrisons. Tibetans, Turks, Khitans, and others constantly raided, prolonging soldiers’ border service to the point it became a lifetime duty.”

“In the tenth year of the Kaiyuan era, Li Longji implemented a recruitment system, handing over full control of the local salt and iron taxes to the jiedushi, who also combined military and civil authority. After several rebellions drained the court’s armies, the jiedushi grew stronger. Eventually, even the emperor had to heed their commands. Can you say the dynasty would not perish under such conditions?”

The late Tang period, except for the emperor’s figurehead status, was essentially a replay of the Eastern Han’s decline.

“But that was only the fuse. The Tang’s problems lay in its institutions from the start, largely due to the aristocratic clans. Later internal strife invited foreign powers to grow strong; Chang’an was sacked six times.”

He shrugged.

As someone from the future, he had only been a bystander to the rise and fall of the Tang, so speaking of these things came easily.

But the two listeners were drenched in cold sweat.

“Your Highness,” Changsun Wuji’s voice trembled. Even facing armies, he had never felt such dread.

He looked at Li Shimin, who trembled too, but with eyes not of fear, but of rage.

*Smack!*

Li Shimin slammed his palm on the table, standing abruptly. A smile curled at his lips, and soon he laughed out loud.

“Your Highness, what are you—”

Changsun Wuji’s heart skipped a beat. Was this hysteria?

Li Shimin waved him off and pointed at Wen He. “Fuji, do not worry. I am not afraid of events yet to come. But now I understand why Heaven sent this boy before me.”

“Ah?”

Wen He was stunned. He himself did not know why the heavens brought him to Tang, yet Li Shimin already did?

Ignoring his surprise, Li Shimin stepped forward, hands behind his back.

“Fuji, send word to Xuanling and Kemin to come to the residence tonight. Also, secretly seek out Shubao, Yizhen, and Jingde.”

“Oh? Is the Incident at Xuanwu Gate about to begin?”

Li Shimin’s words had barely fallen when a shout came from behind.

He and Changsun Wuji turned in surprise to see Wen He beaming, eyes wide as he stared at them both.