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Ma Qiang was once a member of the Wagang Army, and after the army surrendered to the Tang, he became a bodyguard for Li Jiancheng. The "Single Leader" he referred to was clearly Dan Xiongxin, the early leader of the Wagang rebel army.
Li Jiancheng understood why Hua Ying did not dare to acknowledge Ma Qiang when he saw him. The Li Family and the Shan Family had a longstanding feud, stemming from a case of mistaken murder.
Years ago, when Li Yuan went to Taiyuan for official duties, the Left Guard General Yu Wen Shu, fearing that Li Yuan might pose a future threat, dispatched elite Imperial Guards disguised as bandits to ambush him outside Zha Shu Gang. Li Yuan managed to fend them off for a while with his remarkable archery skills and the help of his servants, but soon found himself overwhelmed.
By chance, Qin Qiong happened to pass by and fought fiercely to drive away the elite Imperial Guards. To be honest, if those Imperial Guards had not disguised themselves as bandits, Qin Qiong might not have dared to assist Li Yuan.
Hua Ying was clearly putting on an act, and Li Jiancheng saw through it. Who could dare to call themselves or refer to Li Yuan as "father emperor"? Moreover, Hua Ying's rhetorical question indicated that he was well aware of the enmity between Dan Xiongxin and Li Yuan.
Li Jiancheng did not take offense and responded to Hua Ying's earlier question: "General Hua, it is true that Hero Dan's brother was killed by my father, but it was a mistake, not intentional. In these chaotic times, accidental deaths are inevitable. Once someone is dead, they cannot come back to life; Hero Dan should not cling to that hatred."
"The Crown Prince should still address the commoner by name! After all, the commoner is no longer a soldier. My brother was closely related to the owner of Dan Zhuang; how could he possibly let go?" Hua Ying replied.
Li Jiancheng shook his head. "Holding onto grudges only harms oneself. My fifth brother was killed by Yin Shishi; did we kill his children? The accidental death of Dan Xiongzhong occurred because Yu Wen Shu sent troops after my father. But now that my father is emperor, has he killed Yu Wen Shu's children? Not only did he not kill them, but he also honored his daughter as a Zhaoyi and his son as Sima of the Tian Ce General's Office. If my father and we princes were all like Hero Dan and could not let go of our grudges, would Yin Shishi's and Yu Wen Shu's children still be alive?"
This question left Hua Ying speechless because what Li Jiancheng said was common knowledge.
When Li Yuan led the Tang army to attack Chang'an, Yin Shishi, who remained in Chang'an, not only killed Li Yuan's fifth son King Chu Li Zhiyun and other family members left behind in Chang'an but also destroyed Li Yuan's ancestral tombs and family temples. However, after conquering Chang'an, Li Yuan only killed Yin Shishi and spared his daughter Yin Yue'e and son Yin Hongzhi.
Yu Wen Shu died of illness; it was not Li Yuan who killed him. He had three sons and one daughter. His eldest son Yu Wenhua Ji was notorious as a leader of the rebel forces during the Jiangdu Incident who assassinated Emperor Yang Guang of Sui but proved too foolish and cowardly to achieve anything significant; his second son Yu Wen Zhi Ji was fierce and overbearing, inciting Yu Wenhua Ji to rebel before both were ultimately defeated and killed by Dou Jiande; the youngest son Yuwen Shiji is now mentioned as Sima of the Tian Ce General's Office.
His daughter Yu Wen Zhao Yi is a favored concubine of Li Yuan.
For quite some time, Hua Ying remained silent. He felt that Li Jiancheng made sense. In this chaotic world, hatred would only lead one deeper into suffering without escape.
The accidental death of Dan Xiongzhong had happened many years ago; there was no need to hold onto that grudge indefinitely. Neither Li Yuan nor his sons had resorted to violence against Yu Wen Shu’s or Yin Shishi’s children out of hatred; instead, they chose forgiveness and tolerance. This was likely one of the key reasons they were able to seize power.
Hua Ying took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness, I understand your point. Hatred indeed only brings more pain without true liberation. I will do my best to control my emotions and no longer cling to that hatred. The Emperor and Your Highness’s magnanimity is truly a blessing for the people!"
Li Jiancheng nodded and said, "Hua Ying, the Blacksmith Shop is not suitable for you. If you can truly let go of your enmity towards our Li Family, I hope you will come work in the Eastern Palace. Would you be willing?"
Hua Ying paused for a moment before nodding in agreement: "I am honored by Your Highness’s regard; I am willing!"
"Good! Please take care of your current matters quickly and then come find me in the Eastern Palace." With that, Li Jiancheng provided Hua Ying with specific directions to the Eastern Palace and instructed the blacksmiths to forge him a sword modeled after Ma Qiang’s dagger before leaving with Ma Qiang.
Since Hua Ying had once been a guard for Erxianzhuang's owner Dan Xiongxin, it was clear he possessed considerable martial skills—this was an important reason why Li Jiancheng wanted him in the Eastern Palace.
Of course, there was another layer of meaning behind this invitation. While Li Jiancheng repeatedly urged Hua Ying to let go of his hatred towards the Li Family, could Hua Ying truly do so?
I'm afraid it's just a matter of removing Li Jiancheng from the list of targets for hatred! As for Li Shimin, it seems he won't let go of his resentment so quickly.
Li Jiancheng only mentioned that Dan Xiongzhong was mistakenly killed, but he didn't mention that Dan Xiongxin was also a victim of mistaken identity. In fact, Dan Xiongxin wasn't a mistake at all; he was executed on Li Shimin's orders. Yet, Li Jiancheng had pleaded for mercy and opposed the execution of Dan Xiongxin.
Hua Ying, as a former guard of Dan Xiongxin, surely harbors hatred towards Li Shimin. He might be hiding in the Blacksmith Shop, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Li Shimin.
Li Jiancheng certainly wouldn't inquire about this; even if he did, Hua Ying wouldn't admit it and would be too afraid to agree to enter the Eastern Palace.
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng pondered how to forge new steel for weapon production. He needed to inform his father first; otherwise, someone might seize the opportunity to accuse him of treason.
With this thought in mind, Li Jiancheng went to a room dedicated to making soap and toothbrushes. This time, he focused on producing soap.
The next day after court, Li Jiancheng did not leave immediately but followed the emperor to the Two Instruments Hall.
"Jiancheng, do you have something to discuss with your father?" Li Yuan asked.
"Yes, Your humble son estimates that the soap given to Father last time is almost used up, so I brought two more pieces of soap for you," Li Jiancheng said as he handed over two bars of soap.
"Oh, good! Jiancheng, you are thoughtful! Is there anything else?" Li Yuan nodded with a smile. Recently, this eldest son had been experimenting with some unusual things, which was quite nice. He even mentioned that the methods for making these items came from a dream about an old Taoist during his days in Ren Zhi Palace.
That old Taoist is indeed impressive!
A eunuch took the soap from him.
Li Jiancheng continued, "Your humble son passed by a blacksmith shop yesterday and suddenly remembered that the old Taoist also mentioned a method for forging high-strength steel. I wanted to give it a try..."
Li Yuan interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "Such trivial matters don't need to be reported; just handle it yourself!"
Li Jiancheng scratched his head: "Isn't it because I'm afraid someone will accuse me of treason?"
Li Yuan shook his head in annoyance: "You are the crown prince; do you really need to plot rebellion? Besides, you're just making a few weapons. Without an army, how could you rebel?"
"Thank you for your understanding, Father!" After expressing his gratitude, Li Jiancheng took his leave.
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