I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 758: The Challenge of the Aristocratic Family, Undercurrents
In the Golden Palace, the morning light shone through the carved window lattices, casting a golden glow all over the floor. Li Zheng sat upright on the dragon throne, tapping the armrests rhythmically with his fingers, and his eyes swept over the civil and military officials in the palace. His sight finally stopped at Shang Kexi, who was standing at the end of the line of military officers, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"What I want is peace in the world, and now it seems that I have achieved most of it." Li Zheng's voice was not loud, but it made the entire hall quiet.

Shang Kexi lowered his head, his gray beard trembling slightly. This veteran general who once dominated the battlefield now felt uneasy standing in the court. The rebellion three years ago not only killed most of his soldiers, but also caused his status in the new dynasty to plummet.

Li Zheng's eyes were like knives, slowly slicing across Shang Kexi's wrinkled face: "But barbarians are just barbarians. I don't think they dare to act rashly, right Shang Kexi?"

You could hear a pin drop in the hall. All the civil and military officials cast their eyes on the old general who once commanded his own army. Fine beads of sweat oozed from Shang Kexi's forehead, slid down his cheeks, gathered into drops at his chin, and finally fell on the marble floor with a "pop".

"Your Majesty," Shang Kexi's voice was as dry as sand, "Your Majesty, I will remember your teachings."

Li Zheng chuckled, his laughter was cold: "I remember three years ago, you also stood here, swearing to be loyal to me. What happened?" He deliberately dragged out the tone, "Three months later, you led 30,000 troops to rebel in Hexi."

Shang Kexi's knees softened and he fell to the ground: "I deserve death! Your Majesty is so magnanimous and spared my life. I am grateful and will never have second thoughts again!"

Li Zheng stood up, the gold thread on his black dragon robe sparkling in the sun. He walked slowly down the steps, the soles of his boots hitting the marble floor, making a crisp sound. To Shang Kexi, the footsteps sounded like the drumbeats of death.

"Raise your head." Li Zheng ordered.

Shang Kexi raised his weathered face with difficulty. Li Zheng looked down at him and suddenly patted his shoulder: "My dear, don't be so nervous. If I really wanted to kill you, I would not have spared your life three years ago." His voice suddenly softened, "After all, you have made great contributions to the late emperor."

A trace of surprise flashed across Shang Kexi's eyes, but was soon replaced by fear: "Your Majesty is wise."

"Come here." Li Zheng turned back to the dragon throne, "Give Shang Aiqing ten pieces of brocade and one hundred taels of gold to comfort him for the hardships of fighting for many years."

This turn of events stunned the whole court. The emperor, who had just criticized Shang Kexi, was rewarding him in the blink of an eye? Shang Kexi was even more dumbfounded, not knowing how to react for a moment.

"What? You think it's too little?" Li Zheng asked with a raised eyebrow.

Shang Kexi kowtowed immediately: "I dare not! I thank your majesty for your grace!"

Li Zheng nodded with satisfaction: "Retreat. Remember what I said today."

Shang Kexi felt as if he had been pardoned, and he backed out of the hall. When he turned around and crossed the threshold, his official uniform was soaked through and stuck to his body.

After Shang Kexi left, Li Zheng looked at the other ministers in the hall. He noticed that several representatives of the aristocratic families, led by Cui Yan, looked unhappy and exchanged glances with each other.

"Do you have any memorial to report, my dear ministers?" Li Zheng asked deliberately.

Cui Yan stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there is one thing I don't understand."

"speak."

"Shang Kexi once committed the crime of treason, but Your Majesty not only spared his life, but also rewarded him today. I'm afraid this kind of treatment will be difficult to convince the people." Cui Yan's voice was neither humble nor arrogant, but it contained a sharp edge.

Li Zheng narrowed his eyes: "Are you teaching me how to govern the country, Cui Aiqing?"

Cui Yan knelt down quickly and said, "I dare not! But..."

"Just what?" Li Zheng interrupted him, "Just because I feel that I am too harsh on the noble families, and too lenient on military commanders like Shang Kexi?"

Cui Yan's forehead was covered with sweat: "That is not my intention at all"

"Lord Cui," Li Zheng suddenly smiled, "I remember that your Cui family has thousands of acres of fertile land in Hedong and tens of thousands of tenants. Last year, the tax revenue seemed to be 30% less?" Cui Yan's face suddenly changed: "Your Majesty, there was a severe drought in Hedong last year..."

"That's enough." Li Zheng waved his hand. "I'm in a good mood today and don't want to pursue this. Leave now."

Cui Yan opened his mouth, but in the end he could only kowtow and leave. Seeing this, the other family representatives all bowed their heads, and no one dared to speak again.

The court meeting ended in an eerie silence. When all the officials left and only Li Zheng and his trusted general Hou Junji were left, Hou Junji finally couldn't help but speak.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that the way you handle this matter will make those noble families unhappy!" Hou Junji said worriedly.

Li Zheng frowned slightly, walked to the window, and looked at the sky outside the palace wall in the distance: "So what?"

Hou Junji followed and said: "The aristocratic families are intertwined and control the lifeline of local money and grain. If they unite..."

"You are worrying too much." Li Zheng sneered, "They don't have the guts. I was able to quell the Shang Kexi Rebellion three years ago, but it wasn't because of the support of these noble families."

"But your majesty, peace in the world requires the cooperation of all parties."

"Cooperation?" Li Zheng turned around, a sharp look flashing in his eyes. "What they call cooperation is that I should turn a blind eye to their occupation of civilian land and tax evasion? They want me to continue to allow them to monopolize the imperial examinations and control the government?"

Hou Junji was silent for a moment, then whispered, "The power of the aristocratic families is deeply rooted and cannot be changed overnight."

"That's why I want to let them know," Li Zheng said word by word, "what it means to be respectful to the wise and humble, and what it means to have the majesty of the imperial power!"

Hou Junji smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent."

"Benevolence?" Li Zheng shook his head. "Hou Qing, do you think that I really forgave Shang Kexi by rewarding him?"

Hou Junji looked puzzled.

Li Zheng walked back to the dragon chair and sat down, tapping the armrest with his fingers: "Shang Kexi still has prestige in the army. Killing him will only make those old subordinates dissatisfied. But keeping him and letting him live in fear every day will deter others."

"As for those noble families," Li Zheng's eyes flashed with calculation, "I will take action against them sooner or later. But not now. Let them be in fear for a few days, and when they come to me on their own initiative, things will be much easier."

Hou Junji suddenly realized: "Your Majesty is wise! But I'm afraid Cui Yan and others will not give in easily."

"So I need you to do something." Li Zheng lowered his voice, "Send someone to keep a close eye on the Cui family and several other big families. Especially their dealings with each other."

"I understand." Hou Junji responded solemnly.

Li Zheng stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and looked up at the relief of the coiled dragon on the dome: "Peace in the world. What I want is not just superficial peace, but the real eternal stability of the country."

He turned and looked at Hou Junji: "Pass on my order to hold a banquet in the Imperial Garden in three days and invite the heads of all the noble families to attend the banquet."

Hou Junji was surprised and said, "Your Majesty, this is..."

"After a blow, there must be a sweet date." Li Zheng said meaningfully, "I want to see how tough these self-proclaimed noble families are."

(End of this chapter)