When Li Shimin Was Reborn as Liu Shan

In the twenty-third year of the Zhenguan era, Li Shimin, once so full of ambition, had finally reached the end of his strength! I lay quietly on my bed, remembering the year I rode out in fine clothes and fine armor to join the army at Yanmen, beginning my legendary life. Then came the Xuanwu Gate Incident and the start of the Zhenguan era. I crushed the Turks, campaigned against Tuyuhun, trampled Xueyantuo, and pacified Gaochang. If Heaven gave me ten more years, I would make the Tang dynasty reach higher than the sky. Time slipped by, and at last I could endure no more. My memories grew ever hazier. As for the rights and wrongs of Xuanwu Gate, and the murder of my brother and seizure of the throne, let posterity judge. In my final moments, how I wished I could open my eyes and look upon this magnificent realm, the land I had won. I had yet to admire it properly. The eunuchs, palace maids, ministers, princes, and grandsons wailed in my ears. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. At last, I could hold on no longer, and the sounds around me faded away... quieter and quieter... “The Emperor Taizong has passed away!”