ATPnovel Chapter 2717 Li Shen's Path
Chapter 2717 Li Shen's Path
This time, Li Shen really had to spend a lot of money. Ten thousand sets of writing brushes and inkstones is no small amount, and even at a low price, it would still cost more than one string of cash.
A sheet of paper measuring twelve feet in length and two feet in width would cost over a hundred coins for just a few sheets.
Li Shen spent over 100,000 strings of cash this time, not including the cost of transportation and manpower.
However, Li Shen felt it was worth spending over 100,000 strings of cash to make his father happy.
"Tenth Brother, what do you think our Great Tang should do now?"
Suddenly, Li Shimin spoke up and asked.
Li Shen was taken aback, not understanding what it meant, what did it mean to say "should be done"?
"Father, I don't understand."
"I am asking you, what does my Great Tang Dynasty still need to do now?" Li Shimin said.
"What to do? I don't know what to do." Li Shen shook his head. How would he know what to do?
"Now that the Tang Dynasty is strong, it is the movement of the Dao that can be reversed, and the use of the Dao that is weak. All things under heaven are born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence."
The sun at its zenith begins to decline, and the full moon begins to wane.
The Tang Dynasty could not remain so powerful forever; this applies to everything—if you don't advance, you regress.
Li Shimin spoke a long and cryptic speech, which made Li Shen ponder for a long time:
"Is Aye trying to say that prosperity inevitably leads to decline, things reach their extremes and then reverse, the moon waxes and wanes, and after the worst comes the best?"
"Indeed, prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and things reach their extremes before reversing. Haha, that's exactly what I mean."
I hope that my descendants will surpass me and create another prosperous era, even more magnificent than the one I created.
Otherwise, with this current prosperity, it probably wouldn't be able to withstand the extravagance of several generations of monarchs.
In my spare time, I carefully studied the history books and discovered this pattern: each dynasty was worse than the last, and slowly perished over hundreds of years.
If a foolish ruler emerges, the downfall of the country is imminent.
Therefore, I am thinking that we should accumulate more wealth for future generations, so that even if a foolish ruler comes along, he won't squander it all in one go.
Li Shimin looked at the ice cave in front of him and spoke slowly. This was the first time he had shared his thoughts with anyone.
He used to hope that his empire would last for thousands of generations, but in recent years he has had more free time and time to think.
He knew this was just wishful thinking; the Tang Dynasty could not last forever, and would eventually become a part of the long river of history, it was just a matter of time.
So he wanted to do more for his descendants while he was still able to move.
Li Shen listened silently to his father's worries. This seemed to be the first time his father had said such things in front of him.
My father used to be a very confident man. He believed that the Tang Dynasty could last for thousands of generations.
"Cough." Li Shen cleared his dry throat.
“Father, I understand your worries, but nothing in this world lasts forever; everything is like that.”
All we can pass on are traditions and spirit.
Just as we accepted the written culture of the pre-Qin period, as long as we pass on the unique culture of our Tang Dynasty,
My Great Tang Dynasty will last for a thousand generations, and my Li family will be forever recorded in history. Isn't this another form of eternal glory?
“Another kind of eternal..." Li Shen’s words made Li Shimin fall into deep thought. Even when the fish took the bait, Li Shimin did not lift the fishing rod.
Li Shen instilled in him a new ideology, which was no longer on a material level but had risen to a spiritual level, a four-dimensional space.
Many people have always wanted to be remembered in history and leave a lasting legacy, and Li Shimin was no exception.
But Li Shen's ideas were far grander than theirs; he wanted to pass on the entire humanistic culture of the Tang Dynasty.
They have reached a new level compared to these people.
At this moment, Li Shimin had to look at his son with new respect. He never expected that someone who was usually so unruly would have such great ambitions.
If the Tang Dynasty can truly be passed down, then even if the Li Tang dynasty is gone, future generations will still remember the Li family.
"Someone, go and summon the Crown Prince immediately, tell him to come here right away." Li Shimin couldn't wait to involve Li Chengqian as well.
The Crown Prince is the future heir apparent, and perhaps the two of them can accomplish what Li Shen was asking.
Before long, Li Chengqian rushed over, followed by Li Zhi, Li Tai, Changsun Wuji, and others.
They heard His Majesty's urgent summons and thought something had happened.
"Father, is there anything urgent that summoned your son?"
Li Chengqian arrived, panting heavily.
"Hey? Don't all come up here! What if we collapse? I'm still young and don't want to die."
When Li Shen saw a group of people standing together, he immediately stood up and shouted.
The ice is quite thick, but with so many holes carved into it, who knows if there are any cracks? If a group of people standing in one place can't withstand the pressure, they'll all fall in.
The carving here is three or four meters deep.
"Let's talk on the shore. Men, set up the tents." Li Shimin made a quick decision. He glanced at the ice hole, also afraid of falling in.
It's freezing cold here. If you fall into the water, you'll catch a chill and get sick as soon as you get out.
A group of people returned to the shore to wait for the soldiers to set up the central command tent.
No one asked any more questions during that time.
Before long, the central command tent was erected. Li Shimin led his men over, and just as they were about to enter, he turned back and shouted:
"Get in."
Then came a shout that rivaled Wang De's:
"Hey, you're here~~~~"
Then Li Shen came running over, carrying a fishing rod.
A charcoal fire had been lit in the main tent, and everyone sat around it. The heads of the three provinces and six ministries were all there; no one else was allowed to enter.
"Father, what exactly happened?" Li Chengqian asked again, seeing his father so serious, it must be something big.
"Speak, repeat what you just said to the Crown Prince and the other officials."
Li Shimin sipped his tea and gestured towards Li Shen with his lips.
Helpless, Li Shen repeated his previous remarks, and the scene fell silent except for the sound of breathing.
Everyone looked at Li Shen with complicated expressions; who would have thought that such remarks came from Prince Ji?
The transmission, teaching, and inheritance of ideas—from Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi to Laozi—have been passed down through generations.
Although the people are no longer alive, their teachings have been passed down to this day.
Prince Ji's actions are so similar to those of these sages, except that what the sages passed down was their personal way of life, while what Prince Ji wanted to pass down was the entire culture of the Tang Dynasty.
“Your Highness, please accept my bow. Your Highness’s ambition is like a roc soaring through the nine heavens. I admire you greatly.”
Suddenly, Ma Zhou stood up and respectfully bowed to Li Shen, his attitude extremely serious.
Then everyone else stood up and bowed respectfully to Li Shen.
They conquered this land and assisted the emperor in governing it. If this legacy can be passed down, each of them will be remembered in history and revered by future generations.
Looking at the crowd before him, Li Shen felt a surge of pride. Who but the emperor had such an honor? Overjoyed, Li Shen leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and once again struck his habitual pose, stroking his beard.
"This old man... oh dear!"