Thief Emperor

Chapter 1023 Things That Are Difficult But Should Be Done

This year is the ninth year of Zhangwu, and Emperor Li is already thirty-nine years old, almost forty.

At his age, he might still be considered young in another world, or even a young person, but in this era, he is definitely no longer young.

Even if they are still young and vigorous now, what about in seventy or eighty years?
Time flows like water, never stopping for anyone.

Therefore, a very real problem was placed before him.

This same question will also be faced by all middle-aged people: the question of the next generation.

As the emperor, the supreme ruler, Li Yun naturally didn't need to worry about supporting or educating the next generation. However, with such a large family fortune, he inevitably had to consider the issue of succession.

In fact, this is the biggest problem that plagues every emperor throughout his career, especially for emperors who have "achieved great success".

Li Yun will inevitably have to face this problem as well.

Although with him around, the entire court and the royal family would remain as stable as Mount Tai, even Li Yun had to consider the future, in case his descendants really caused trouble.

Emperor Li's bottom line is...

We must not shake the foundation of the nation or damage its vitality.

To put it more bluntly, if this country is bound to experience turmoil in the future due to the issue of succession, Emperor Li's bottom line is the Xuanwu Gate Incident, or even the Fengtian Jingnan Rebellion, but not the War of the Eight Princes.

Of course, it's best if nothing happens at all.

He now has eleven princes, the youngest of whom is still an infant, while his older sons have already reached the stage of vying for power.

As a father, Li Yun did not want them to accumulate conflicts, at least not at this juncture.

Su Sheng poured tea for Li Yun, then looked at Li Yun, hesitating to speak.

Li Yun looked at him, frowned, and said, "I've come in person, can't you just say what you want to say, Senior Brother?"

Su Sheng sat down next to Li Yun and said with a smile, "Then what I said should not be taken seriously by Your Majesty, nor should it be taken as a personal statement. I was only speaking to Erlang in a private capacity."

Li Yun frowned, then sighed: "Why are you all so slippery now? Tell me, tell me quickly."

Su Sheng lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then said softly, "It doesn't matter who the Prince of Yue's wife is. There are so many families in Luoyang. If Erlang takes a fancy to a young lady, or if His Highness the Prince of Yue takes a fancy to a young lady, as long as someone comes to visit, they will all comply."

General Su said with a smile, "They can all see that our dynasty has no signs of being short-lived."

One of the most practical issues is that the prestige of the imperial family is always linked to the lifespan of the dynasty. If it is a short-lived dynasty that lasts only one or two generations, entering the royal family may not necessarily be a good thing.

However, now, it is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that the Li Tang dynasty is not short-lived. Even among those scholars of the "old learning," the new dynasty does not have any major problems in its court structure. The only problem is Li Yun, the founding emperor. If one day the founding emperor becomes the founding emperor and the subsequent emperors realize their mistakes and correct the course, this dynasty will inevitably be a long-lasting one.

In long-standing dynasties, the founding royal family is naturally very precious. Even the aristocratic families of the old Zhou dynasty, which had existed for hundreds or thousands of years, had completely lost their former arrogance and would compete to send their daughters into the royal family.

"The important thing is where His Highness the King of Yue will be enfeoffed in the future."

Su Sheng glanced at Emperor Li and didn't continue speaking.

Li Yun frowned and said, "Why don't you finish your sentence, brother?"

Su Sheng coughed and lowered his voice: "Shu region."

Upon hearing this, Li Yun remained silent.

Changing the King of Yue to the King of Shu was indeed a good choice. Shu is known as the Land of Abundance, and life there wouldn't be too bad.

Moreover, if the second prince performs well, he can also form a defense against Tibet from the Shu region.

More importantly, this place poses almost no threat to the central dynasty. Even if there were to be internal strife among the brothers in the future, at most it would just be another Shu Kingdom.

The only downside is that Shu is too far away. If Li Zheng were to be sent to Shu to take up his fief, he might only be able to see his parents a few more times in his lifetime.

Emperor Li lowered his head and drank several sips of tea before standing up, walking out with his hands behind his back: "I'll think about this matter myself."

He sighed and said, "It's harder than fucking risking your life."

There shouldn't be any major problems if Li Zheng stays in Luoyang at this time. With Li Yun there, nothing will go wrong either.

Li Yun's concern was that Li Zheng, being the son of a concubine, was also close to military affairs and restless. If he stayed in Luoyang, it might create a rift between him and his elder brother, leading to conflict.

Sitting in the carriage, Emperor Li lifted the curtain, glanced at Su Sheng who had seen him off all the way, waved, then closed the curtain, muttering to himself, "Your fourth son..."

He stopped there.

Su Silang and the Prince of Yue have a very deep bond, and in the future, the Su family might be dragged into it by that second son.

Thinking of this, Emperor Li sighed inwardly, then clenched his fist and muttered to himself.

Enough, enough, let them make a fuss.

It won't make a fuss.

In the Ganlu Hall, Emperor Li sat imposingly on the main seat. Beside him, Xu Ang and Xu Ziwang were looking through the list that Emperor Li had handed to them. After reading it, they were somewhat surprised and looked up at Li Yun. It took them a long time to react.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Emperor Li lowered his head and drank his tea, his expression calm: "These must all be eliminated."

“I have already met with Xu Kun, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. This matter involves officials and hardly involves the Ministry of Justice, so there is no need for the Ministry of Justice to be informed.”

Emperor Li continued, "This matter mainly involves the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel."

"The Censorate has removed the hidden dangers for me, and the Ministry of Personnel has filled the vacancies for me, ensuring that the administration is not in chaos."

Xu Ang flipped through it again, then sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I now have a son again."

Back in Jiangdong, Xu Ang was not afraid of death; in fact, he seemed to be seeking death. After the founding of the nation, Li Yun wanted to help his old friend escape his lonely state. He first gave him several maids and later arranged a marriage for him.

Now, Master Xu's son is four years old, which can be considered as having a child late in life.

Only now has he finally emerged from the nightmare of those years and returned to the world of the living.

Li Yun rubbed his temples, looking rather helpless: "This is all because we progressed too quickly back then, and we had no choice but to use so many former officials of the Wu Zhou dynasty. In addition, some of the court's policies in recent years have reached into their pockets, causing some of the old men in Jiangdong to also collude with them."

As he spoke, Li Yun looked up at Xu Ang, paused for a moment, and asked, "Brother Xu, what do you think of my administration over the years?"

Xu Ang sighed: "His Majesty is taking money from those wealthy and powerful families on behalf of the people."

He glanced at Li Yun at this point, then stopped talking.

The court's policies were indeed beneficial to the people, at least during the reign of Emperor Zhangwu, when administration was effective.

However, those aristocratic landowners also had something to say.

That is, you, the emperor, are not on the right side.

What right do you have to change laws that have been in place for thousands of years? We are the landlords, but is the emperor a landlord too?
We collect rent, does the emperor collect rent?

After pondering for a long time, Minister Xu looked down at the list and said, "Your Majesty, there are so many people on this list, all of whom are officials of the seventh rank or above in the court. This matter cannot be rushed. If it is rushed, the Ministry of Personnel will have no way to replace them."

"Moreover, national affairs."

He glanced at Li Yun, considered his words, and continued, "It has to be deeply rooted in people's hearts."

"These national policies can never truly resonate with their people."

Emperor Li looked at him and said silently, "Now that education is flourishing throughout the land, there will surely be students from poor families and even farming families who will be able to enter the halls of learning. I hope that in the future, the policies of the state will be able to penetrate the hearts of these people."

"So much so that it became the constant law of the new dynasty, unchanging for all eternity."

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Xiangong couldn't help but say, "Hengfa... I'm afraid it will be very difficult."

"I know."

Emperor Li chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Let alone ten thousand generations, even three generations or two generations are very difficult."

"So lately, I've been trying to teach the next generation well."

At this point, Emperor Li sighed with emotion: "But whether it will succeed is still hard to say. After all, you can't see into people's hearts. In our positions, what can I say? They will always nod and say they are right. But we have no way of knowing what they really think."

"Anyway."

Emperor Li looked at Xu Ang and said quietly, "No matter what, our generation must do a good job in the affairs of the Zhangwu Dynasty. Since these people have different paths from us, we cannot let them continue to serve in the court and occupy high positions."

"Except for one or two people with exceptional abilities."

Emperor Li said softly, "The rest, either expel them from the court, or send them to various counties to serve as county magistrates for a few terms, so that they can see the hardships of the people and what the world is like under the nine heavens."

"Brother Xu, you don't need to take charge of this matter personally."

Li Yun said quietly, "Find one or two newly recruited young censors in the Censorate. They are full of vigor and eager for merit."

As for the Ministry of Personnel...

"I will select a candidate as soon as possible."

Xu Ang rose and acknowledged the emperor's presence, then bowed respectfully and said quietly, "Those people are very clever. Your Majesty's actions will not last long."

"The new learning will become a prevailing trend in the court, but how long will it last, and how many people will truly be committed..."

"It's hard to say."

(End of this chapter)