It was just August.
This year is the first year of Daye. Yang Guang repaired Luoyang City, Luoyang West Garden, Xianren Palace, Tongji Canal... and launched a large number of projects.
After millions of laborers worked hard, paying the price of "four to five out of ten died of exhaustion, and corpse carts were everywhere on the road", the only major project launched in the first year of Daye that remained unfinished was the new city of Luoyang.
Xingyang is right next to the Tongji Canal.
Yang Guang's envoy came via the Tongji Canal. Although the Tongji Canal did not allow outsiders to enter the water, Li Yuan was Yang Guang's cousin, and Dou had two young children, so Yang Guang specially allowed Dou to go to Luoyang with the envoy via the Tongji Canal to avoid the fatigue of the journey.
Li Yuan was very proud and couldn't help but laugh at Dou again, saying that it was unnecessary for Dou to be suspicious of her cousin.
Dou smiled apologetically and said that she was indeed wrong.
Li Yuan was unable to accompany the emperor because of his official duties. Dou Shi was anxiously taking Li Shimin, Li Xuanba and a group of servants to Luoyang to meet the emperor.
On the boat, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba studied their family relationships and memorized a lot of names and the life stories of their owners, so that they would not know who they were talking about when the emperor asked them.
The two children yawned as they recited their memorized words.
Li Shimin recited for a while, then fell on the deck covered with a blanket and rolled around, expressing his boredom vividly.
Li Xuanba gritted his teeth and held on for a while, but he couldn't do it anymore.
He lay on the deck with his arms and legs spread, allowing his second brother to roll over him and crush him again, without moving a muscle.
When Li Xuanba read Western fantasy novels about aristocrats, he was speechless that the aristocrats had to memorize the aristocratic genealogy. Who would have thought that he would be reincarnated into the Sui Dynasty and would have to memorize the genealogy.
Oh, this set of dregs started with us, thousands of years earlier than the West, so we can't blame the West.
Li Shimin rolled over again, crushing his brother again, and then lay down beside Li Xuanba.
He yawned and said, "It turns out that we have so many cousins. Why do I always hear people who flatter my family say that Ye Ye is your Majesty's only cousin?"
Dou sat on the carpet and watched the two of them being lazy. After listening to Li Shimin's words, she smiled and said, "Your father is your maternal cousin. Your mother is your maternal elder who is still alive."
Li Shimin was young and did not understand the implication of Dou's words.
Li Xuanba helped interpret: [Yang Guang is a cold-hearted person. If his elders were still alive, he would acknowledge his cousin to show his filial piety to Empress Wenxian.]
Li Shimin blinked.
In other words, the other elders of the Dugu family have passed away, resulting in the estrangement of the younger generations?
He did not see Ye Ye having much close contact with his cousins at home, so he could not remember all the people in the Dugu family. It seemed that the Dugu family and his own family were also somewhat estranged.
But why would my grandmother, who was so strong, be alienated from her brothers? It was strange. Would the genealogy give the answer?
Li Shimin turned over and sat up, saying, "I will continue to recite! Ah Xuan, don't be lazy, get up quickly!" Pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing.
"Hmm..." Li Xuanba sat up and yawned.
The two brothers leaned back against each other, stretched out their short legs, and tried to keep on reciting.
Dou asked for pen, ink, paper and inkstone to draw the two children reciting their lessons.
Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were taught to memorize the genealogy of their relatives before they were enlightened, but they have forgotten it now. They gritted their teeth and tried hard to recite it, and they can catch it quickly.
They spent a day on the boat and waited for another day in the villa arranged by Yang Guang in Luoyang. When Yang Guang summoned them, the two had already memorized the genealogy.
Li Shimin and Li Xuanba also found out from the genealogy of relatives why their grandmother was not too close to their cousins.
The two brothers covered themselves with quilts and whispered to each other about anecdotes of their ancestors, "reviewing" for their meeting with the emperor tomorrow.
It turns out that my great-grandfather Dugu Xin had three wives. His first wife, Ru Luo, gave birth to a son, Dugu Luo, his second wife, Taiyuan Guo, gave birth to six sons and two daughters, and his third second wife, Qinghe Cui, gave birth to Empress Wenxian Dugu Jialuo.
The old lady of Duke Tang was also born to Guo from Taiyuan.
When Dugu Xin fled to the Western Wei, he abandoned his parents, wife and children in the Eastern Wei. Dugu Luo was imprisoned when he was still an infant, and was not released until the establishment of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, more than 20 years later. He lived among the people in poverty.
Both Dugu Xin and his other sons thought that Dugu Luo had died long ago, so they regarded the son born to Taiyuan Guo as the eldest son.
Dugu Jialuo asked Yang Jian to find Dugu Luo. The six sons born to Taiyuan Guo looked down on and insulted Dugu Luo, and because Dugu Luo's mother was of low birth, they did not recognize Dugu Luo as their brother.
After Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty, Empress Dugu recognized Dugu Luo as the eldest and legitimate head of the Dugu family through Yang Jian and used Dugu Luo in a very important position.
Dugu Tuo, the fifth son born to Taiyuan Guo, was resentful and cursed Empress Dugu with witchcraft, and was demoted to a commoner.
After that, the surviving sons of Taiyuan Guo began to be cautious.
Li Shimin: "In fact, Empress Wenxian was also good to her other half brothers. Every cousin who lived to the Sui Dynasty had a high position and generous salary. What my sixth cousin did was really wrong."
Li Xuanba reminded: "My sixth cousin is Empress Wenxian's half brother, not her half brother."
Li Shimin was surprised and said, "When my great-grandfather married Qinghe Cui, my great-grandmother was still alive, and she gave birth to a son? That's not right. Although my great-grandmother was a concubine, she was also my great-grandfather's legal wife!"
Li Xuan said domineeringly: "My great-grandmother and Empress Wende's mother were both my principal wives. My great-grandfather married a second wife."
Li Shimin: "…"
Li Shimin held his head in his hands, "Ah! I just questioned the family tradition of the Zheng family in Xingyang. How come the Guo family in Taiyuan and the Cui family in Qinghe are also like this? The Cui family in Qinghe is still the leader of the Five Surnames and Seven Famous Families and the Four Surnames in the World! I heard that Yeye wanted to ask Cui's daughter for his brother, but Cui declined. Even if there are friends of Yeye in Cui, Yeye can only give up!"
Li Xuanba spread his hands: "Our family is still too weak."
Li Shimin rolled his eyes. He used to think his family was very powerful, but now... look at his great-grandfather!
Li Xuan said domineeringly: "Now all my great-grandfathers have passed away. After the current emperor came to power, he posthumously awarded high positions to my sixth great-grandfather, who was stripped of his title, to show his remembrance of Empress Wenxian. But looking at the family tree, perhaps the emperor is not really that close to us. Mother is right to worry."
Li Shimin sighed, "But Grandmother and Yeye both think they are very close to Your Majesty."
Li Xuan said domineeringly: "They are them, we are us, listen to mother, be careful and cautious."
Li Shimin nodded: "Yes, I'll listen to you."
At this time, Dou said at the door: "Erlang, Sanlang, are you asleep? Are you chatting secretly and refusing to go to bed?"
Li Shimin didn't even think about it and shouted, "Mother, she's already asleep! We didn't have a secret chat!"
Li Xuanba took a deep breath and covered his eyes with his hands.
Ah, what can I do to save my stupid brother who is about to be spanked by my mother?
...
On the second day, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba, dressed as jewelry stands, were brought into the palace by Dou.
Li Shimin sat in the carriage, twisting his buttocks left and right. The beating he received yesterday still hurt!
Li Xuanba covered his mouth and laughed secretly.
Li Shimin's expression was full of resentment. Ah Xuan was really bad, pretending to sleep immediately. Mother was also biased, knowing that Ah Xuan was pretending to sleep but not exposing him, she only spanked her own butt.
Li Shimin's resentful expression continued until he met the emperor.
In order to avoid suspicion, the emperor generally would not meet with women from other dynasties.
Dou was taken to see the empress, and only the two children were taken to see the emperor.
Dou thought that the emperor and empress would receive her and the two children at the same time, and she would be with the children. Unexpectedly, the emperor would receive the two children alone. She was anxious, but she could do nothing but hope that the two children could adapt to the situation.
Li Shimin and Li Xuanba met the emperor alone.
They were very polite, but when Yang Guang saw Li Shimin's resentful expression, he couldn't help but frowned: "Li Erlang, why do you look so worried when you meet the emperor?"
Li Shimin pursed his lips and said, "Your Majesty, last night I was too excited to go to bed early because of seeing the emperor, so my mother spanked me on the buttocks, and it still hurts now."
Li Xuanba bowed and explained on behalf of his brother: "Your Majesty, my second brother is not looking unhappy, but he is suffering from unbearable pain in his hip."
Yang Guang was stunned. He didn't expect to get such an answer. He thought Li Yuan was dissatisfied with him, so he instigated his son.
He laughed and said, "Do you want me to send a royal doctor to take a look at you?"
Li Shimin quickly shook his head: "No, no, it's just a little bruise, I've already applied medicine, cousin... Your Majesty, don't worry."
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When Yang Guang heard Li Shimin let it slip that he almost called him "cousin", he suddenly understood.
It seems that Li Yuan not only had no ulterior motives, but also called himself his cousin and often boasted to his children about his close relationship with him.
Yang Guang was extremely suspicious and he became suspicious of his cousins as soon as he ascended the throne. He was also wary of Li Yuan because Li Yuan was loved and valued by Emperor Wen of Sui and Empress Wenxian, and had a good relationship with his brother Yang Yong.
This time he summoned Li's second and third sons separately. In addition to really wanting to see if they were child prodigies "Xiangrui", he also wanted to test Li Yuan's attitude towards him through two innocent children.
Li Shimin's "slip of the tongue" made Yang Guang feel much more at ease.
He smiled and continued to test, "It's okay to call me your cousin. I am indeed your cousin. Does Li Yuan often call me your cousin at home?"
Li Shimin said foolishly: "Yes, he is indeed always proud of being your Majesty's cousin, and even calls me 'cousin'."
Li Xuanba said with a stern face: "Every time this happens, my grandmother would scold my father for not knowing how to respect others."
Li Shimin: "Ye Ye always refutes that your Majesty is kind and gracious, and has been close to him since childhood."
Li Xuanba: "Grandmother rebuked father, saying that the more tolerant and kind Your Majesty is, the more father should strictly abide by the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects and not overstep his authority."
Li Shimin and Li Xuanba concluded in unison: "Mother said that grandmother is the elder, so we should listen to her."
Yang Guang listened to Li Shimin and Li Xuanba talking back and forth, and finally gave a harmonious reply. He was so amused that he bent forward and backward: "Hahahaha, I didn't expect that Li Yuan would privately...hahahahahaha."
He was completely relieved.
It turns out that Li Yuan pretended to be very capable on the surface, but in private he was actually a superficial person who was proud of his status as a relative of the emperor.
Li Shimin glanced at his brother secretly.
Li Xuanba: [See, I was right, wasn't I? Emperor Yang of Sui was such a person. If you say that my father treated him with great respect at home, he would definitely be suspicious. He would be happy only if you describe my father as a self-satisfied, superficial and foolish relative.]
Li Shimin's back stiffened.
Here it comes again, Ah Xuan, can you please stop saying "Emperor Yang of Sui"! Aren't you worried that I, your brother, will accidentally let it slip and our whole family will suffer? Shut up, Ah Xuan!
Li Xuanba didn't realize that his second brother was crazy, and was still sighing: [The current Emperor Yang of Sui is really vigorous and handsome. ]
Stop talking about "Emperor Yang of Sui"!
Li Shimin tried hard to hold back his thoughts and uttered a word in his mind: [Shut up!]
Li Xuanba came back to his senses: [Hmm?]
Li Shimin: [Mouth!!]
Li Xuanba: "…"
Li Xuanba: [Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It was just a slip of the tongue.]
Well, I accidentally used a habitual name again, what a mistake.