People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1504: The Emperor's Teaching: The Rule Does Not Change for Three Years After the Father's Death

Li Xian lowered his head in deep thought. After a moment, he slowly raised his head and said seriously, "I have indeed not paid much attention to the affairs of the court, but I believe that I have paid enough attention to the affairs of the people."

Hearing what Li Xian said, the emperor was slightly stunned and asked in surprise: "People?"

"Wugong County." Li Xian bowed slightly and said, "Last year, Uncle Wang suggested that the officials of the six ministries and the heads of the various temples in the court give lessons to me one after another. I asked about some private methods.

This year, I have been keeping a close eye on Wugong County. I have a clear view of the criminal law, taxes, and personnel affairs."

After a short pause, Li Xian said seriously: "There are many things that they can't fool me about."

The emperor was surprised. He had not expected that his son had made such progress over the years.

"Yes, for many things, as long as you grasp a clue and keep investigating, you will be able to find the result."

Li Zhi sighed softly and said, "It can be seen that you have indeed learned a lot over the years. The only problem is that Wugong County is only a county, but you have to face the whole world."

"Please teach me, father!" Li Xuan raised his head and looked at Li Zhi seriously.

The emperor smiled gently, nodded with satisfaction, and said: "The world, the world is different now... cough cough cough..."

After coughing twice, the emperor continued, "In governing the country, the most important thing is not the people, but the soldiers."

Li Xian looked up at the emperor in surprise. These words were different from the emperor's previous teachings.

The emperor shook his head slightly and said, "The Tang Dynasty has the North Gate Guards and the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court. As for the North Gate Guards, I know you have never liked Cheng Wuting. Now I have agreed to the retirement of Li Jinxing, the General of the Right Guards, and transferred Cheng Wuting to the position of General of the Right Guards, the Governor of Changzhou, and the Governor of Changzhou. I have promoted Li Yi, the General of the Imperial Guards, to the position of General of the Imperial Guards."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the Secretariat and the Imperial Censor on the side had already drafted the imperial edict.

The emperor calmly shook his head and said, "I will issue this imperial edict as you wish, but it will not be issued until February next year, after Prince Peng leaves the capital."

"Uncle Wang will leave Beijing in February next year?" Li Xian captured more important information.

"Yes!" The emperor nodded and said, "When Prince Peng returns to the capital in the future, you must remember everything he says to you, but there is only one thing: he is not allowed to stay in the court for more than fifteen days each year."

Li Xuan had a huge influence on Li Xian.

It is true that his advice to Li Xian was often effective, but it was precisely because of this that the time he spent in the court had to be limited.

The emperor raised his head and said softly, "In February next year, not only will Prince Peng leave the capital, but your father-in-law, the Duke of Pingyuan, and General Gao Kan of the Left Guard will also leave the capital.

Xue Rengui, Pei Xingjian and others are no exception. They have to suppress the four directions and the overall situation cannot be disturbed. "

"Yes, your son obeys your order." Li Xian nodded immediately without hesitation.

The emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, "I am actually wronging you by doing this."

With the Sixteen Generals of the Guards in the capital, Li Xian's position was naturally as stable as a rock, but the emperor was not very confident about his ability to govern the country.

The slightest mistake in governance can immediately lead to chaos in the world.

Especially once the Sixteen Guards Generals intervene in the government, if things go wrong, the outcome will be bloodshed.

What happened to Li Xian back then is still a thorn in the emperor's heart.

Therefore, even if Li Xian became the emperor, he would still have to expel those sixteen generals of the guards who could be expelled in February of next year.

Of course, in the court, General Xue Guwu of the Right Jinwu Guard and General Sun Renshi of the Right Tunwei Guard were still there.

"As the old saying goes, the system should not be changed for three years after the father's death." The emperor turned to look at Li Xian and said in a deep voice, "I ask that you do not make any major changes to the government within three years. Within three years, if you have any disagreements with the court officials on military and national affairs, then all will be reported to your mother for the decision. The court will be held on the first and fifteenth day of each month, and your mother will rule the country from behind the curtain."

The corners of Li Xian's mouth twitched involuntarily. His father distrusted him so much that he had not allowed him to handle major state affairs for three years.

All of this was just like when he was in the Council of State. Regarding state affairs, if the opinions were the same as the prime minister's, he would agree with them; if they were different from the prime minister's, he had no right to veto them.

In fact, he is just sitting there as a rubber stamp.

And the key point is that there will be no New Moon Court Meeting, and his mother will have to rule the country from behind the curtain.

This means that Li Xian had no rights for three years.

The emperor looked at Li Xian calmly and said softly, "Think about it yourself. If you ask King Peng about this matter, what will he say?"

Li Xian was slightly stunned, then he looked up and blinked, and he instantly understood the meaning of it all.

Then, Li Xian nodded without hesitation and said, "I obey your command."

The emperor smiled, nodded, and said, "You don't have to worry about military affairs, but what's inside the Forbidden Palace is what you need to worry about. In the next three years, what you need to do is to control the entire Forbidden Palace in your own hands."

The emperor took a deep breath and said, "You have Li Yi in the Imperial Guard, Li Jingjia in the Left Thousand Bull Guard, Li Lingwen in the Right Thousand Bull Guard, Cheng Chubi in the Left Golden Guard, Xue Guwu and Li Dazhi in the Right Golden Guard. Now everything in the Central Government is under control.

In addition, there are secret guards. For matters concerning the secret guards, you can go to the Prince of Beiping, he is the chief commander of the secret guards. If you need help, you can go to Li Zhaode."

"I understand, son." Li Xian nodded seriously. From now on, the emperor has gradually handed over power to him.

"After you have mastered all of this, you can then reach out to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple." Li Zhi said softly: "Duan Qing and Wang Qing are both trustworthy people I have left for you. Remember, do not touch them within three years, no matter how big the event is. In this way, you don't need to worry even if Pei Yan is the regent."

Li Xian had gradually understood the emperor's thoughts, took control of the military power, and ceded political power.

As long as you control the military power and every bit of power, you can use that power to change the overall situation and even the world.

He seemed to have heard of this method somewhere.

Within five steps, everything is under control.

"I understand, son." Li Xian nodded vigorously.

Li Zhi smiled with satisfaction and said, "Pei Yan is a bit tough, but since you have just ascended the throne, you need someone like him to shield you from all attacks... You should not regard him as your enemy, but let him become your spokesperson. Even if you lose some authority, it doesn't matter, because you have bigger enemies."

"Please give me instructions, father." Li Xian bowed his head again. "People's hearts." Li Zhi groaned and raised his head, sighing: "Your biggest enemy is the human heart. The subtle and fickle nature of the human heart is the most difficult thing to figure out in this world. In this world, the one who really took power from you was never the prime minister, but the aristocratic family."

Li Zhi's eyes were solemn. Over the years, from the beginning to the end, he had actually been fighting against the aristocratic families of the world.

Every time the financial revenue was reduced, the noble families in the world were competing with him for power.

These rights are not as obvious as those of the positions of Shangshu and Prime Minister. They exist in the hands of the military officers and clerks at all levels in every state and county.

These people are the biggest helpers for the world's aristocratic families to seize the emperor's power.

But the emperor had no good way to deal with these people.

Because such people are the foundation of the Tang Dynasty's governance of the world, but unfortunately, there are simply no more positions for them.

The emperor could only allow them to collude with the noble families in the world. The most he could do was to send the county magistrate, county lieutenant, and county magistrate to win them over and divide them. But if it was the other way around, it would be the county magistrate, county lieutenant, and county magistrate who would be won over and divided.

There is no effective way to deal with this kind of thing. The only way to check the current situation of a state or county is to collect taxes.

Someone needs to set an example for Li Xian as to when to be gentle and when to be heavy-handed, and what the criteria should be in between.

This person is Pei Yan.

……

Li Zhi raised his head slightly and said, "Although Pei Yan is a tough person, it is not difficult to check and balance him."

Li Xian looked at the emperor curiously.

Li Zhi smiled, turned sideways, and said, "Issue an imperial decree to allow the Minister of Revenue Cui Zhiti to retire, and to promote the Assistant Minister of Revenue Dou Lu Qinwang to the position of Minister of Revenue."

Li Xian was stunned, then he reacted.

Before, Li Xian's faction and Li Dan's faction were fighting fiercely for the position of Minister of Rites.

Now, the emperor easily appointed Dou Lu Qinwang as the Minister of Revenue.

You know, the last time, the person who played tricks in the Political Affairs Hall was Pei Yan.

However, the matter ended up being left unresolved due to the death of Lady Cui of Tong'an.

But afterwards, everyone thought about it and looked at Pei Yan with suspicion.

Later, Yuan Wanqing died. Although it was Li Zhaode who impeached him, if we trace the source, Pei Yan is also responsible.

Of course, Dou Lu Qinwang was Li Dan's man, but the times were different.

Once Li Xian ascended the throne, whether Li Dan was willing to admit it or not, the relationship between him and Doulu Qinwang changed.

Dou Lu Qinwang has never been alone. He has his own family and children behind him.

In the future, he will only become Li Xian's subject.

But the hatred between him and Pei Yan still exists.

Even if Pei Yan was the Minister of the Central Secretariat, he would be in trouble if the Minister of Revenue did not get along with him.

And that's not all.

The emperor continued calmly, "Issue an order to transfer the Sima Fan Libing of the Jizhou Grand Military Governor's Office back to the court to serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Let him assist the Minister of the Central Secretariat in handling the investigation of hidden farmland starting next year."

Li Xian's eyes couldn't help but jump.

Fan Lubing is not only a scholar of the North Gate, but also once served as the Prince's Groom of Li Xian. Now he is also a subordinate of Huang Taisun, the Grand Commander of Jizhou.

In this way, Fan Lubing's position poses a great threat to Pei Yan.

The emperor looked down at Li Xian and said, "Don't always think about checks and balances from above, the methods of your subordinates are just as effective."

"Yes!" Li Xian lowered his head. He had never thought of checking Pei Yan from below because he had never had the opportunity to intervene at the level of Shangshu Shilang.

But, it's different now.

Li Zhi sighed and said, "It's a pity for Minister Cui."

The corners of Li Xian's mouth twitched slightly. The ones who were really unlucky were the people of the Cui family.

The Cui family made a mistake in the affairs of the Zheng family. Cui Zhiwen was dismissed from his position as prime minister, Cui Mi was removed from his position as imperial censor, and Cui Zhiti has now been dismissed.

The emperor was too cruel to the Cui family.

"Since Minister Cui has left, there's no need to keep Dou Qing." Li Zhi turned sideways and looked gently at Li Xian.

Li Xian immediately understood that Dou Lu Qinwang and Fan Lubing both had close ties with Li Dan. It was enough for them to control the Ministry of Revenue. If they were allowed to control the Ministry of Personnel as well, even if Li Zhi became emperor, his position would not be stable, let alone Li Xian.

"Issue an imperial decree to allow the Minister of Personnel Dou Xuande to retire, and to promote the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou Lu Yuanfang to the position of Minister of Personnel. The Chief Clerk of Luozhou Yuan Jiazuo is transferred to be the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, the Governor of Jingzhou Liu Zirou is transferred to be the Chief Clerk of Luozhou, and the Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue Di Renjie is transferred to be the Sima of Luozhou." Li Zhi spoke calmly.

As soon as these words were spoken, the Zhongshu Sheren and Jieshi Zhong beside him had already drafted the imperial edict.

The emperor waved his hand gently, and the imperial edict had been sent to the Menxia Province. After it was stamped, it would be issued immediately.

Li Xian looked at the emperor carefully and said softly, "Father, these people have a very close relationship with Uncle Peng..."

"No matter how close you are, can you be as close as Ouyang Tong?" The emperor looked at Li Xian indifferently.

(End of this chapter)