On the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, the day before Peace Lang and Li Qi got engaged, Chai Shao, who was seriously ill, died quietly at his home, and did not attract much attention. After all, Chai Shao had already lost power and had disappeared from people's sight since the Zhenguan period. Many people even forgot this once prominent Duke Huo.

When Chai Shao passed away, Li Xiu was preparing for the engagement between his son and Li Zhi the next day. When he heard the news, he couldn't help but pause, and then handed over the things in his hand to others. He stood in the courtyard and was silent for a moment. After a while, he sighed and showed a little melancholy on his face.

If he hadn't seen Chai Shao before, then Li Xiu would probably be happy when he heard the news of his death. However, since he had seen Chai Shao that day, he found that the other party had finally let go of his hatred for him before he died. Even before leaving, he even reminded Li Xiu that the world would be in chaos, which made Li Xiu's attitude towards Chai Shao complicated.

If ordinary people heard others say "The world is going to be in chaos", they would probably doubt whether the other party was sick. After all, the Tang Dynasty is now strong and the strong enemies around them have been wiped out. Even Xue Yantuo, the most powerful on the grassland, was also caused by the Tang Dynasty's strategy, and it was impossible to complete the mission of unifying the grassland and threaten the Central Plains.

But Li Xiu was not an ordinary person. He was not only an important official of the Tang Dynasty, but also familiar with the subsequent history. Therefore, he firmly believed in the saying "The world is going to be in chaos", because this chaos did not come from the outside of the Tang Dynasty, but started from the inside of the Tang Dynasty. To be precise, it was a series of chaos caused by the inheritance of the throne.

Speaking of which, Li Shimin is only forty years old now, and he is in his prime in his later years. However, the lifespan of the ancients was shorter than that of later generations, so he has begun to grow old at the age of forty. Moreover, the heavy government affairs in recent years have seriously damaged Li Shimin's health, with half of his hair whiter and his body becoming obese.

For example, Princess Pingyang is Li Shimin's sister, but now if the two stand together, even if some people say that Princess Pingyang is Li Shimin's daughter, it is related to Princess Pingyang's natural beauty and is well maintained. However, even compared with other peers, Li Shimin still looks old, especially after Empress Changsun passed away, Li Shimin grew older faster.

The aging of an emperor is also a huge challenge for a huge empire. What's worse is that Li Chengqian, as the crown prince, also had many problems, and it is even impossible to determine whether he can maintain the position of the crown prince in the future. There is also a Li Tai who is eyeing him, which has added many variables to the inheritance of the throne.

There is also the conflict between Li Shimin and the aristocratic family. Although after the suppression of the past few years, the aristocratic family seems to be much more honest, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the aristocratic family is just temporarily dormant and waiting for the opportunity. As long as the time comes, they can fight back again. It is not certain who wins and loses.

The inheritance of the throne, the struggle between aristocratic families and imperial power all involve the core interests of the empire. As long as there is a slight fluctuation in the core of the empire, it may cause a huge storm. Based on Li Xiu's understanding of the history of later generations, what Chai Shao said is indeed correct. Now the Tang Dynasty is only calm on the surface, but it will soon cause a series of chaos. It is difficult for people in the situation to survive alone, even if Li Xiu resigns from office.

"What are you thinking about?" Just as Li Xiu was thinking, he suddenly heard a gentle voice coming from beside him. When he turned his head, he found that Princess Pingyang was standing beside him, looking at him with a smile on his face.

"No... nothing." Li Xiu hesitated for a moment, because he didn't know whether he should tell her the news of Chai Shao's death.

"Husband is lying again. Is there anything that is not convenient to tell me?" Princess Pingyang saw at a glance that Li Xiu was worried and asked with a smile again.

"This..." Li Xiu hesitated again at this time, and then finally spoke, "I just received the news that Chai Shao has passed away."

Princess Pingyang was stunned when she heard the news of Chai Shao's death. She said that she hadn't heard the name "Chai Shao" for many years. Now she suddenly heard this name and even felt unfamiliar. But soon she realized that she looked stern and said with a stern face: "Husband is really, what do you mean by mentioning such a person to me?"

"I didn't want to mention it at first, but before he died, he dragged his sick body to me..."

Li Xiu wanted to explain, but before he could finish his words, Princess Pingyang twisted her body and walked towards the backyard and said, "You are your own business when you see someone, don't tell me this!"

When Princess Pingyang finished speaking, she also walked away, which made Li Xiu shook her head helplessly. Even after so many years, Princess Pingyang still did not forgive Chai Shao. However, now that everyone is dead, it is meaningless to not forgive, and there is no need for the couple to argue about a dead person, so he didn't say anything else.

The next day was the day of engagement. In fact, according to Tang Rule, the royal marriage must be followed by the Six Rites. First, Nacai, ask for the name, and then Naji and Nazheng. The most important thing is Nazheng. In fact, the man takes the betrothal gift to the woman's house to decide the marriage and hand over the letter of the engagement to the woman. In this way, even if the marriage is completely settled, it is almost impossible to change.

Nacai, asking for name and Najib had already passed the steps before. Early this morning, Li Xiu brought Ping Anlang with him and then brought a large number of betrothal gifts to the palace. The royal wedding has always been organized by the Ministry of Rites, so there are naturally special people to receive it. Then, under the auspices of the Ministry of Rites and under the witness of countless royal relatives, Li Xiu solemnly handed the letter of the appointment to Li Shimin, which also symbolized the order of his parents. The marriage was finally settled, and Li Zhi became Ping Anlang's fiancée.

Of course, the beauty of the whole process cannot be expressed. However, Ping Anlang has to accept the praise of the royal family members. However, Ping Anlang is not timid at all and is polite and polite to deal with people. In addition, he is Li Xiu's eldest son, which has attracted many people to praise him. Of course, some people think that Ping Anlang was not born by Princess Pingyang, and it would be even more perfect if Ping Anlang was replaced by Li Jin. Unfortunately, they didn't know that Li Jin had been engaged to Wu Mingkong long ago.

After the engagement ceremony was completed, Li Shimin also held a banquet in the palace, and the royal family members who came to congratulate him also gathered together. Li Xiu and his son were the focus of this banquet. Even if Li Xiu didn't drink, he could not escape this time. In the end, he was drunk by Li Daozong and others. Ping Anlang was young and protected by Li Shimin, so he drank a few less drinks. After the banquet, he helped Li Xiu get on the carriage and went home.

After the enrollment, there is another very important etiquette, which is the questioning period. In fact, the man draws the date of marriage. After all, both parties are already engaged, and the woman cannot always wait. The date of marriage must be set. As for the last procedure, it is a kin to welcome it, which is actually a marriage.

The Chinese New Year is about to be celebrated, and Li Xiu also set the date of marriage between Heianlang and Li Zhi before the New Year. Because they are too young and beautiful bodies are not suitable for getting married too early. In addition, Li Xiu and Li Shimin had agreed to postpone it for two years, so the date of marriage was set three years later, and Li Shimin had no objection to this.

With the arrival of the Spring Festival, the new year finally came. On New Year's Eve, Li Xiu also had the happiest Spring Festival in these years. Because he is now in a state of nobility, he no longer has to worry about things in the court. The academy is also on holiday. It was not until the Spring Festival that the school started, and Li Jin's military academy was also on holiday. Therefore, he has been concentrating on accompanying his family this Spring Festival. During the Chinese New Year, Wu Mingkong and Li Qi also came. However, compared to Wu Mingkong's generousness, Li Qi was very shy and did not dare to look at Ping'anlang from beginning to end.

Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, another half a year passed. This summer came very early, and the temperature was higher than in previous years. It was just mid-May, and the weather was so hot that it was unbearable. Li Xiu had just accompanied Ma Ye and the others to fish, but later it was so hot that it couldn't stand it. Even if he was sitting in the shade of trees by the river, he was still sweating. In the end, the two old men couldn't stand it first and went to the villa in Nanshan to escape the summer heat.

Li Xiu also planned to take his family to Nanshan to escape the summer heat. After all, the weather this year is really hot. In comparison, the students of Nanshan Academy and Zhongnan Academy are quite blessed. The two academies were originally built in Nanshan, and they are not too hot in this scorching heat. Some students living in Chang'an are not willing to go home, so they simply brought their beds to the dormitory provided by the academy. Although they had to live together, the conditions were not as cool as home, but they were cooler than home after all.

Not only was Li Xiu's family preparing to escape the summer heat, Li Shimin in Tai Chi Palace could not stand this scorching heat. In fact, the terrain of Tai Chi Palace is relatively low-lying, so every summer, Tai Chi will become tide and wet. In addition, the high temperature weather makes Tai Chi Palace extremely stuffy. The whole palace is like a big steamer. Even if it is cooled down with ice, it is also uncomfortable to live in it.

So in this case, Li Shimin was preparing to go to Jiucheng Palace to escape the summer heat as early as late April, but because of some things, he didn't leave until mid-May. At almost the same time, Li Xiu took his family to a villa in Nanshan, and could also be with Ma Ye and Qin Qiong, and occasionally accompany them to the mountain roads to hunt and fish. Even if he went to Zhongnan Academy to attend classes, it would not take much time and was close, so he was very leisurely.

However, just as Li Xiu was living his life leisurely in the South Mountains, a news that shocked countless people suddenly came out. When Li Xiu heard this news, he couldn't help but think of the prophecy that Chai Shao said before, "The world is going to be in chaos."
Chapter completed!