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Chapter 282: Wei Zheng, the admonishment minister through the ages
The Tang Dynasty was built on the ruins of the troubled times at the end of the Sui Dynasty. It took Emperor Taizong only ten years to change the social chaos of the past, where people's livelihood was poor, and instead created a prosperous era of Zhenguan rule by He Qing and Hai Yan.

The creation of this prosperous age was not only due to Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. The advent of this prosperous age was inseparable from the capable ministers of the Zhenguan Dynasty.

It can be said that the Tang Dynasty's brilliant achievements in economy, politics, culture, and military were inseparable from the officials who constantly made plans and strategies for Emperor Taizong in the court.

Among these famous Zhenguan officials, there was one who was different from the others.

He would neither flatter Tang Taizong nor form cliques in the court. After his death, Tang Taizong personally wrote an inscription for him.

He is Wei Zheng, one of the important founders of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan era.

"In 580 AD, Wei Zheng was born in Quyang County, Julu County. He was from a prominent local family."

"Wei Zheng's father, Wei Changxian, held an official position in the Northern Qi court in his early years. He was later demoted to the county magistrate for writing a letter ridiculing the government."

"Wei Zheng's father died when he was young. Because he did not manage the family's property well, his family fell into decline and he became a Taoist priest."

"Although he was down and out, Wei Zheng had great ambitions and devoted himself to learning."

After Wei Zheng, there was no more remonstrance minister, and he became an unprecedented and famous minister.

"At that time, Liu Heitai was in rebellion in Shandong, and Li Yuanji failed to suppress it."

"In December of the fifth year of Wude, Li Jiancheng went to Shandong and adopted Wei Zheng's suggestions."

"He switched to the policy of appeasement and disintegrated the peasant uprising army and won victory. He also made friends with Shandong heroes and strengthened his own power."

"Wei Zheng then surrendered to Li Tang, but he was not reused."

Wei Zheng had repeatedly advised Taizong outspokenly, admonishing Taizong to follow the example of Yao and Shun, and to learn from the tyranny of the Qin and Sui dynasties.

And dared to stick to principles until Taizong surrendered.

"The chief historian Zheng Ting didn't take it seriously and thought it was a commonplace."

Wei Zheng is just such a talent, and he speaks out and dares to give advice, does not shy away from the edge, and shares the worries of the country and the king.

"Furthermore, the food in Dongdu was exhausted, and Wang Shichong had no choice but to fight to the death, so he did not fight with him."

"Wei Zheng suggested that Prince Li Jiancheng ask for war and perform meritorious service. At the same time, he could make friends with Shandong heroes and make his position more stable."

"At that time, Li Mi's former subordinate Xu Shiji still occupied a large area of ​​territory, reaching the sea in the east, the Yangtze River in the south, Ruzhou in the west, and Wei County in the north. He was uncertain about where to go."

"Instead of adopting Wei Zheng's strategy, Li Mi went into battle rashly and suffered a disastrous defeat."

"He likes to read and has a wide range of knowledge. He sees the chaos in the world and likes the theory of vertical and horizontal directions the most."

"There is no treasury in Wagang. The soldiers have merit but are not rewarded, which affects their fighting morale."

"Wei Zheng said it was a clever plan and left."

"In 621 AD, Li Shimin led troops to attack Dou Jiande and won with a small number and a large number."

It was precisely because of such admonishers that Taizong could always alert himself and avoid making big mistakes. This was what he envied most.

"After Li Ji received the document, he decided to return to the Tang Dynasty and opened a warehouse to transport grain to support Li Shentong, the king of Huai'an."

"In 617 AD, Cheng Yuan Baobao of Wuyang County revolted in response to Wagang Li Mi and summoned Wei Zheng as an official to take charge of documents and records."

"Wei Zheng wrote "A Letter to Xu Shiji" to advise Xu Shiji to assess the situation and avoid missing the opportunity to achieve great things."

Li Longji: Wei Zheng, the most critical minister in the world, a good minister who was both a teacher and a friend of Taizong.

"Li Mi always praised Yuan Baobao's documents every time he received them. When he heard that it was written by Wei Zheng, he summoned Wei Zheng to join the army for the literature of the Marshal's Mansion."

Quoting from classics, he urged Emperor Taizong to despise corvee and neglect taxes, promote culture and suppress military affairs, and be frugal and diligent in government.

"Prince Yin Li Jiancheng heard about Wei Zheng's reputation, so he took him under his command, took charge of books and classics, and treated him with courtesy and kindness."

The story between Taizong and Wei Zheng became a good story and became a symbol of the sincerity between emperor and minister.

Since then, there have been many famous officials in the past dynasties, but Wei Zheng is the only remonstrating official.

"A year later, Wang Shichong turned to Luokou and was defeated by Li Mi."

Taizong and Wei Zheng were both teachers and friends, and they achieved mutual success.

If he had a good minister like Wei Zheng who dared to give direct advice, the Anshi Rebellion would never have happened.

"After Dou Jiande was captured, Wei Zheng also followed him to Chang'an and returned to the Tang Dynasty for the second time."

In order to realize the wish of a prosperous country and a prosperous people, there is an urgent need for talented courtiers to help Taizong reform and guide him to make great achievements.

"It is better to reinforce deep ditches and high fortifications to hold out against them. When the enemy's food is exhausted, we can retreat without fighting. This is the way to win."

Therefore, Taizong and Wei Zheng's monarchs and ministers were of one mind, treated each other with sincerity, and achieved mutual success, which has become a good story in history.

"Wei Zheng offered advice to Li Mi's chief historian, Zheng Ting, saying that although Li Mi had won many victories, he had suffered too many casualties."

"Wei Zheng saw that King Li Shimin of Qin was famous for his meritorious service, so he persuaded Li Jiancheng to consolidate his position as crown prince as soon as possible and actively advised him."

Taizong was a man of great talent, broad-minded, and tolerant of others. The most important thing was to appreciate and reuse talents.

"Dou Jiande admired Wei Zheng's talents and worshiped him as his daily companion."

"After that, Dou Jiande led his army to attack Liyang, and Wei Zheng, Li Shentong, Li Ji and others were all captured."

"In 626 AD, Li Shimin won the Xuanwu Gate Coup."

"Wei Zheng then offered ten secret strategies to strengthen Wagang. Although Li Mi was surprised, he did not adopt them."

"Li Shimin asked Wei Zheng why he wanted to alienate his brothers. Wei Zheng replied that if the former prince had listened to him, he would not be in trouble today."

"After Li Shimin heard this, he valued his uprightness and valued his talents, so he accepted Wei Zheng and treated him with courtesy."

"At that time, the situation in the prefectures and counties of Hebei was chaotic and full of chaotic parties. Wei Zheng reminded Li Shimin in time."

"Li Shimin then sent Wei Zheng to Anyi and Hebei to stabilize the situation and handle matters as appropriate."

"Wei Zheng met Li Zhian, the old prince's subordinate, and Li Sixing, the guard of the King of Qi, in Cizhou and escorted him back to the capital. Wei Zheng told the deputy envoy."

"If the two are released, people will believe that the imperial edict issued by the court is true, and it will definitely have a significant impact on the stability of the people."

"If the two men are still allowed to be escorted to the capital, it will only mean that the court's words do not mean anything, and it will surely break the trust of the people and cause irreparable losses."

"The great interests of the country should be the top priority, and the Lord should treat each other with the courtesy of a national scholar, so he should repay the kindness of knowing and meeting with the responsibility of a national scholar."

"Immediately ordered people to release them and absolve them of their guilt, so that the reputation of the imperial court can be inspired far and wide."

"Li Shimin is very satisfied, and Wei Zheng finally successfully completed the task of appeasing Shandong and Hebei."

"After this incident, Li Shimin paid more and more attention to Wei Zheng and often summoned him to discuss the gains and losses of governing the country."

"Wei Zheng has the talent to govern the country and has an upright and unyielding temperament. Li Shimin readily accepted his advice."

"Wei Zheng was also pleased with Li Shimin's trust. He told Li Shimin everything he knew and showed his talents without hiding anything."

"The more than 200 things Wei Zheng advised him touched Li Shimin's heart, and Li Shimin also understood that he was sincerely serving the good of the country."

Li Shimin: If it were not for Wei Zheng and other critical and good ministers, I don’t know how many mistakes I would have made.

When a person is in a high position, it is easy for him not to realize his own faults. At this time, someone needs to stand up and give advice.

And Wei Zheng was such a courtier, and he could no longer remember how many times Wei Zheng pointed out his mistakes.

I still remember that in the first year of Zhenguan, he wanted to send people to recruit troops.

The minister reported that as long as he is a tall and strong man, even if he is under eighteen years old, he can be recruited into the army.

He naturally agreed, but Wei Zheng firmly opposed it and refused to sign the decree.

He was very angry at that time and blamed Wei Zheng for being too stubborn.

The tall, strong men were those who had been treacherous enough to avoid corvee labor by falsely reporting their age, and there was no harm in conscripting them.

But Wei Zheng believed that an army depends on good governance, not large numbers.

If you recruit strong men and manage them in the right way, you will be invincible in the world. There is no need to recruit young people.

Then Wei Zheng changed the subject and pointed out his fault directly.

He governs the world with integrity and wants his officials and people to avoid fraud.

However, Wei Zheng accused him of breaking his promise many times not long after he took the throne.

It turns out that when he first came to the throne, he issued an edict stating that all property owed by the people to the officials would be exempted.

However, the relevant departments believed that the property owed to Prince Qin's palace was not official property, so they still demanded it.

He was promoted from King of Qin to Emperor, and the property of King Qin's palace should also belong to the official family.

He also ordered that areas in central Guanzhong be exempted from rent for two years and areas outside Guanzhong were exempted from corvee for one year.

Soon there was another edict that those who had paid taxes and performed corvee services would be exempted from the next year.

If the taxed items are returned and then taxed again, the people cannot help but blame them.

Now we are collecting rent money and assigning them as soldiers, so there is no talk of exempting them from corvee service from the next year.

In addition, those who jointly govern the world with him are local officials, and daily official affairs are entrusted to them.

As for recruiting soldiers and suspecting them of fraud, this is not the way to govern a country based on integrity.

It was precisely because of Wei Zheng's advice that he understood his previous mistakes.

He used to think that Wei Zheng was stubborn and suspected that Wei Zheng was not knowledgeable about government affairs.

After Wei Zheng pointed out his mistake, he discovered that Wei Zheng's discussion of the country's major policies had indeed hit the mark.

If the government's decrees are not trustworthy, the people will not know what to do, and the country will not be governed.

"In November of the first year of Zhenguan, Lingnan tribe leaders Feng An, Tan Dian and others fought with each other and did not enter the court for a long time."

"The local and state capitals reported more than a dozen times that Feng An was treasonous, and Li Shimin ordered soldiers and horses from dozens of states in the Jiangling Mountains to be conquered."

"Wei Zheng advised Li Shimin that the Central Plains had just been pacified, and the remote terrain of Lingnan was dangerous and there was miasma and plague, so large troops should not be stationed."

"And Feng An's rebellion has not yet formed, so it is not appropriate to mobilize troops."

"Li Shimin wondered why Feng Ang was said to have rebelled against the situation since there was an endless stream of rebels."

"Wei Zheng explained that if Feng Ang rebelled, he would definitely divide his troops into several groups to occupy strategic locations and attack neighboring states and counties."

"It has been several years since he was reported for treason, but Feng's troops have not yet left the country. There is obviously no sign of rebellion."

"Since the state capitals suspect Feng of treason, and His Majesty has not sent envoys to appease him, Feng is afraid of death, so he does not dare to come to the court."

"If His Majesty sends envoys to show his sincerity, Feng will be happy to be saved from disaster, and there will be no need to labor the army to make him obey."

"Li Shimin then sent officials to Lingnan to express condolences to Feng Ang, and Feng Ang asked his son Feng Zhidai to return to the court with the envoy."

"Li Shimin praised Wei Zheng for suggesting that Lingnan be stabilized by sending only one envoy, which was more effective than a hundred thousand troops."

"In October of the second year of Zhenguan, Li Shou, the governor of Jiaozhou, committed a corruption crime."

"Li Shimin believed that the governor of Yingzhou was versatile in both civil and military affairs and was honest and dedicated to the public affairs, so he conscripted him into the court and ordered him to suppress Jiaozhi County."

"The governor of Yingzhou originally agreed, but soon regretted it and declined because of a recurrence of his old illness."

"Li Shimin asked Du Ruhui to pass the decree to the governor of Yingzhou in the hope that he would keep his promise, but the governor of Yingzhou insisted on dismissing him."

"Li Shimin summoned him again and tried to reason with him, but the governor of Yingzhou still refused to obey."

"Li Shimin was furious. If the emperor cannot issue orders, how can he govern the country."

"He ordered the governor of Yingzhou to be beheaded in the court hall, but he regretted it soon."

Li Zhi: Thanks to Wei Zheng's outspokenness and remonstrance, my father was able to wake up and rectify the injustice for the minister.

Because Lu Zushang, the governor of Yingzhou, was unwilling to take office, his father executed Lu Zushang in anger.

This move was indeed his father's fault, or Wei Zheng cleverly pointed this out and made his father realize his fault.

After his father executed Lu Zushang, it didn't take long for him to discuss with Wei Zheng the conduct of Emperor Wenxuan of Qi. Wei Zheng told his father a story about Emperor Wenxuan of Qi, which made his father understand that he had mistakenly killed Lu Zushang, the governor of Yingzhou.

Emperor Xuan of Qi Wen was arrogant and violent, but when arguing with others, he was able to listen to the other party's opinions when he was at a loss for words.

At that time, Wei Kai, the former governor of Qing Dynasty, was sent as an envoy to the Liang Dynasty to return to the dynasty. He worshiped him as governor of Guangzhou but refused to take up his post. The prime minister reported this matter to Emperor Wenxuan.

After hearing this, Emperor Wenxuan was furious and summoned Wei Kai into the palace to scold him.

However, Wei Kai argued that he had previously served as the governor of a large state. After returning from a mission, he had merit and no fault. Instead, he was appointed the governor of a small state, so he was unwilling to take up the post.

After hearing this, Emperor Wenxuan of Qi thought that Wei Kai's words were reasonable, so he did not blame Wei Kai.

It was after listening to this story told by Wei Zheng that his father realized that although Lu Zushang lacked the morality to be a minister, killing him was too rough. In this way, he was not as good as Emperor Wenxuan of Qi.

Finally, realizing his mistake, his father ordered the restoration of the family shadow of Lu Zushang's descendants.

"In the third year of Zhenguan, Wei Zheng was promoted to Secretary Supervisor and began to participate in government affairs."

"When Wei Zheng saw that after the chaos, the books and pictures were scattered, and the laws and regulations were complicated, he reported to the imperial court and organized scholars to collate four books."

"A few years later, the pictures and books in the secretary's house will be essential and complete."

"At that time, when King Gaochang entered the dynasty, all countries in the Western Regions wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to send envoys to pay tribute."

"Based on historical experience analysis, Wei Zheng advised that the large number of envoys from various countries would lead to the consumption of a large amount of national power and resources."

"After Li Shimin listened, he felt it made sense and adopted Wei Zheng's suggestion."

"In the fourth year of Zhenguan, the governor of Puzhou was dismissed from his post due to corruption. I am a former official of the King of Qin, and I hope to be more liberal."

"Li Shimin felt pity for the Puzhou governor and wanted to reinstate him to his original post."

"Wei Zheng remonstrated that many of the old officials in the Qin Palace, including many officials inside and outside the imperial court, were worried that everyone would rely on favoritism and frighten those who truly behaved properly."

"Li Shimin readily accepted Wei Zheng's advice and told the Puzhou governor that he was once the king of Qin and was just the master of the palace."

"Now that he is on the throne, he is the king of the people of the world."

"You can't just protect the old people in Prince Qin's palace. The minister's opinions cannot be violated."

"Li Shimin once lamented that it would be difficult to govern the country after the chaos."

"Wei Zheng, however, advised that after the chaos, the world should be governed by benevolence and follow the precedent of ancient kings to educate the people. If the people return to simplicity, the world will be peaceful."

"The prime minister disagreed and took Xia, Shang, Zhou and Qin as examples, saying that Wei Zheng was a scholar and his eloquent talks would bring disaster to the country and should not be believed."

"Li Shimin disagreed with this and accepted Wei Zheng's suggestion without doubt."

"The prime minister died in the first year of Zhenguan, but by the fourth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin had achieved great rule in the world."

"Only twenty-nine people are sentenced to death a year, the criminal law is almost useless, and the price of rice is only three yuan per dou."

"The barbarian leader wears a uniform and wears a sword."

"As far as the sea in the east and the five ridges in the south, if you don't close your door at night and don't bring food with you, you will be supplied on the road."

"Li Shimin told the ministers that this was the result of Wei Zheng's admonition to govern the country with benevolence and righteousness, and lamented that the prime minister could not see this situation."

Zhao Kuangyin: Tang Taizong was able to listen to the advice of his ministers. Perhaps this is the reason why Tang Taizong was able to become an emperor throughout the ages!
Not to mention other things, just the fact that Tang Taizong could resist going to Mount Tai to pray for Zen is worthy of his admiration.

If he had outstanding achievements like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he would go to Mount Tai to become a Buddhist monk no matter what.

In the sixth year of Zhenguan, various civil and military officials kept requesting Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to hold the Taishan Ceremony.

However, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty disagreed and believed that if the world was stable and the people were wealthy, it would be okay even if they did not go to Zen.

But the ministers kept asking, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty planned to listen to everyone's opinions, but Wei Zheng thought it was impossible.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was curious whether he thought that the emperor's merits were not enough, or that his virtue was not strong, that the Tang Dynasty was unstable, or that the Yi tribes from all over the world had not surrendered, the harvest was not good, and the auspiciousness had not arrived, so that he was not worthy of the Taishan Zen.

Wei Zhengjun affirmed Tang Taizong's achievements, but believed that although Taizong had the above six reasons.

However, after the fall of the Sui Dynasty and the chaos, the population did not recover and the state treasury was empty.

When Taizong drove east to Mount Tai, he had a large number of cavalry and chariots, and the cost was unbearable.

When Emperor Taizong consecrated Mount Tai, the kings of various countries gathered together, and the leaders of the Yi tribes from far away followed.

Nowadays, from Yishui and Luoshui east to Dahai and Mount Tai, there are few people and dense vegetation everywhere.

This was to lure Rong Di into the hinterland of the Tang Dynasty and show the weakness of the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, the countless rewards and supplies cannot satisfy the desires of these distant people, exempt them from corvee service for a few years, and cannot compensate the people for their hard work. Policies like this that advocate a false name but are actually harmful to the people should not be adopted.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty believed that what Wei Zheng said was reasonable. In addition, at that time, there were floods in several states and counties in the north and south of the Yellow River, so he stopped the granting of Zen.

Mount Tai is a top priority for emperors of all dynasties, and it is a great honor for the emperor to be able to go to Mount Tai to be enshrined.

But Tang Taizong was able to listen to Wei Zheng's advice and suppress this huge temptation. This was far beyond what he could do.

"In March of the sixth year of Zhenguan, Princess Changle is about to get married."

"Because he was born to the queen, Li Shimin prepared a dowry for her, and the etiquette was twice that of the eldest princess of Yongjia, which seriously exceeded the system."

"Wei Zheng objected, saying that elders and younger ones should be respected, and feelings should be shallow and deep, but etiquette and law should not exceed each other."

"Li Shimin listened to his advice and informed Empress Changsun. The empress rewarded him for his loyalty and advice, and gave Wei Zheng a reward of 400,000 yuan and a mansion."

"Once Li Shimin returned to the palace after leaving court, he was so angry that he looked for an opportunity to kill this country bumpkin."

"Empress Changsun asked who had angered His Majesty. Li Shimin said that Wei Zheng often humiliated him in the court."

"The queen stepped down, put on court clothes and stood in the courtyard. Li Shimin was surprised and asked why."

"The queen has often heard that if a monarch is enlightened, his ministers will be upright. Now Wei Zheng is upright and speaks out because of your majesty's enlightenment, so I congratulate your majesty."

"After Li Shimin heard this, his anger turned into joy."

"In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin wanted to appoint ministers as inspection ambassadors, but he couldn't find a suitable candidate."

"Li Jing recommended Wei Zheng, and Li Shimin said Wei Zheng made a mistake in admonishing me, so I can't leave his side for a day."

"In the first month of the tenth year of Zhenguan, the compilation of the five historical books of Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Sui was completed, which took eight years."

"Wei Zheng is the chief editor, and he is mainly responsible for the "Book of Sui"."

"Li Shimin was very pleased to award awards at all levels. Wei Zheng received generous rewards for his achievements as director and was promoted to Duke Zheng."

"Wei Zheng believed that he had done nothing for the country and only participated in government affairs by relying on his advice. He felt ashamed and resigned from his position because of his eye disease."

"Li Shimin did not agree, knowing that he needed Cambodian officials like Wei Zheng to continue to assist."

"In June of the 10th year of Zhenguan, Wei Zheng resigned for the second time."

"Li Shimin only allowed him to resign as a servant to relieve the pressure, and later promoted him to a magistrate to save trouble."

"In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, an important minister died of illness."

"Li Shimin thought of using Wei Zheng to fill the vacancy, but Wei Zheng refused."

Zhao Zhen: How great it would be if there were ministers like Wei Zheng who could always advise me!
He looked at the screen behind him, which had Wei Zheng's "Ten Grads Cannot End" written on it to remind himself.

Even though Wei Zheng was seriously ill, he still took it as his duty to admonish and criticize, to correct Taizong's virtue and advance the rule of Zhenguan.

In addition to accompanying the emperor, Wei Zheng also visited the court at all times.

He also worked hard and worked hard day and night, writing a large number of memorials.

In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong visited Luoyang and stationed in Zhaoren Palace, where he criticized many local officials.

Wei Zheng wrote "Three Comments on Current Affairs", admonishing that the Sui Dynasty was destroyed due to uncontrolled trends in counties and counties, and that the Tang Dynasty should be carefully restrained when it replaced the Sui Dynasty.

Taizong was very surprised and realized his mistake, saying that without Wei Zheng, he would not have heard such advice.

In the later period of Emperor Taizong's life, his life became increasingly extravagant. Wei Zheng took advantage of the time when Emperor Taizong ordered officials of the fifth rank and above to discuss matters.

He put forward the fact that political affairs were not as good as at the beginning of Zhenguan, and wrote "Ten Gradually Cannot End".

Pointing out the consequences of not restraining Taizong when he hunted and indulged in lust, loved villains and neglected gentlemen, advocated luxury, and worked for the common people, he once again reminded Taizong to be prepared for danger in times of peace.

Taizong was deeply moved after hearing this and was willing to change it. He made Wei Zheng's advice into a screen so that he could see it every day to alert himself.

And he also followed Taizong's example and made Wei Zheng's "Ten Gradually Cannot End" into a screen to warn himself.

"In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, Wei Zheng's condition became increasingly serious."

"There is no main hall in Wei Zheng's home. Li Shimin originally wanted to build one for him many times, but he was rejected."

"After the former Shangshu's right servant She Wen Yanbo died of illness, there was no main hall in the house, so the spiritual shu was parked in the side hall."

"After Li Shimin learned about this situation, he ordered people to build the main hall for it, and he was very sad about it."

"Seeing that Wei Zheng's condition has become serious, Li Shimin built the main hall for Wei Zheng using the materials he was preparing to build the small hall in order to let the wise prime minister die in peace. It was completed in five days."

"Li Shimin also obeyed the nobility advocated by Wei Zheng and sent palace envoys with undecorated screens and other furniture as gifts to Wei Zheng."

"After Wei Zheng's illness became serious, Li Shimin became even more worried. The general ordered to stay at Wei's house to communicate information at any time."

"Wei Zheng was given a lot of medicine, bait, and food. The palace sent envoys frequently, and they even visited Wei Zheng's house in person twice."

"The first time he went there, Li Shimin had a long discussion with Wei Zheng and was very speculative. He also issued an edict to give Wei Zheng two quilts."

"Visiting the Wei residence in person for the second time, Li Shimin led Prince Li Chengqian and Princess Hengshan."

"Wei Zheng was put on court clothes on the bed, and he took his family to see him."

"Li Shimin burst into tears when he saw this. He suppressed his grief and comforted Wei Zheng, and asked Wei Zheng if he had any last wishes."

"Wei Zheng is worried about the Tang Dynasty, and everyone present sighed with emotion."

"On the seventeenth day of the first month of the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin learned the sad news of Wei Zheng's death in the early morning. He was sixty-four years old."

"Li Shimin came to express his condolences in person and cried endlessly. He abstained from court for five days and gave Wei Zheng the posthumous title Wenzhen."

"Li Shimin issued an edict to give him 40 funeral drummers and others to bury Wei Zheng in a lavish ceremony and to accompany him in the Zhaoling Mausoleum."

"Wei Zheng's wife Pei said that Wei Zheng was frugal in his life and a luxurious funeral would go against his wishes, so she simply loaded Wei Zheng's coffin on a cloth cart."

"Li Shimin called all the civil and military officials out of the city to see him off, and personally wrote inscriptions and elegy lyrics. He specially granted Wei Zheng's family 900 households."

"In February of the same year, Li Shimin ordered Yan Liben to paint twenty-four portraits of meritorious officials and place them in Lingyan Pavilion, with Wei Zheng ranked fourth."

Zhu Yuanzhang: If Wei Zheng knew that Emperor Taizong smashed his tombstone after his death, I don’t know what he would think.

Wei Zheng was respected by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty during his lifetime, but was involved in turmoil after his death.

After Wei Zheng's death, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty told the officials at the court meeting that Wei Zheng's death was like losing a mirror through which he could discern gains and losses.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also made public the unfinished memorial written by Wei Zheng before his death, and asked the courtiers to correct the mistakes pointed out by Wei Zheng in a timely manner, hoping that the spirit of Renjing would be carried forward.

Tang Taizong did not hope that the ministers would only obey his will, but should point out his mistakes in a frank and timely manner like Wei Zheng.

Soon after, Hou Junji encouraged Prince Li Chengqian to commit rebellion.

Hou Junji participated in the rebellion and was executed for treason. Du Zhenglun, the minister of Zhongshu, was implicated and was demoted far away.

Wei Zheng once recommended two people to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, saying that they had the talents of prime ministers.

Now that the rebellion is happening, some people are jealous and take the opportunity to attack Wei Zheng for forming a clique for personal gain during his lifetime.

Wei Zheng also wrote down his own remonstrances before and after, and showed them to the historian Chu Suiliang.

After Tang Taizong learned about this, he became even more dissatisfied. He suspected that Wei Zheng was part of Hou Jun's party and ordered the tombstone to be pulled down.

Fortunately, Tang Taizong later launched a war against Goryeo. Although he won the victory, he still regretted that he failed to destroy Goryeo.

Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty lamented that if Wei Zheng was still alive, this trip would not have happened, so he rebuilt Wei Zheng's tombstone.

(End of this chapter)