The rise of the Tang Empire has three indispensable heroes behind it - Li Shimin, Pei Lian, and Liu Wenjing. However, in the early spring of the third year of Tang Zhenguan (629), Li Shimin suddenly shocked the government and the opposition with an edict, removing an important official of the imperial court, cutting off half of his food estate, and expelling him from the prosperous city of Chang'an, making him return to his hometown. This high-ranking official who suddenly suffered bad luck was the famous hero Pei Lin in the early Tang Dynasty. Pei Lian, as the founding father of the Tang Dynasty, the hero of the Jinyang Uprising, and the most trusted right-hand man of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan. What crime did such a high-ranking and powerful figure commit that he would lose everything he had overnight and be expelled back to his hometown? According to official records, the initiator of Pei Lian's case was actually a monk named Faya.
In Chang'an during the Wude period, the monk Faya was in the limelight. He was not satisfied with cultivating in the temple, but was keen to make friends with the powerful and strive to integrate into the upper class, and over time won the favor of Gaozu Li Yuan and the former crown prince Li Jiancheng, and was able to enter and leave the forbidden palace freely, which was undoubtedly a very glorious privilege at the time. However, the good times did not last long, and after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he deprived Falla of this privilege. Falla was dissatisfied with this and spread some demagogic "rumors" that destabilized social stability, and was immediately arrested by the relevant departments. It stands to reason that any official can deal with such a small person, but the imperial court has appointed an important minister to try the case. This important minister is none other than Li Shimin's confidant Du Ruhui, who was the secretary of the military department at the time. An insignificant monk said a few inconsequential complaints, and he actually had to bother the dignified military department Shangshu and the close ministers of the Son of Heaven to try it, which is really a big fuss.
The imperial court is so aggressive, which naturally has its deep meaning. Originally, Pei Lin was not directly related to this case, but when Du Ruhui interrogated Faya, he accidentally involved Pei Lian. According to Falla's confession, Pei Lin had heard the "gossip" he said, but he did not report it in time. Pei Lin resolutely denied this, but Falla insisted on it. In the end, Du Ruhui calmly closed the case and convicted Pei Lian. Hence the scene described at the beginning of this article. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this case is full of suspicions, and it seems too hasty to convict Pei Lin just based on Faya's words. After all, Pei Lin is in a high position, and although he has no real power, he is still the founding father. And the imperial court was so eager to convict him and expel him back to his hometown, apparently with other intentions. In short, this is not an ordinary case, but a clear witch hunt. In other words, it is not Fa Ya or Du Ruhui who really wants to deal with Pei Lian, but Du Ruhui's superior, the most powerful person in the world - Li Shimin.
In fact, Pei Lian, who has been in the officialdom for many years, already knows it. However, he still had a hint of luck and begged Li Shimin, hoping to remember his past achievements and let him spend his old age in the capital. In the face of Pei Lian's plea, Li Shimin sneered again and again, and said in a fierce voice: "Your merits are actually mediocre, how can you rise to such a high position? You are only relying on the favor of the Emperor Taishang to rank first among the ministers. During the Wude period, bribery was rampant, the court was chaotic, and the problems were all caused by you. I remember that you are an old minister, and I can't bear to deal with it according to the law, so I am very kind to let you go home to guard the ancestral grave!" seems to be to confirm Pei Lian's conjecture, soon after Li Shimin expelled Pei Lin from the imperial court, he rehabilitated Liu Wenjing Zhaoxue, not only restored his official title, but also let his son Liu Shuyi inherit the title, and married a princess to Liu Shuyi. Between this depreciation and praise, Li Shimin's attitude has been fully revealed.