Thief Emperor

Chapter 1060 The Crown Prince's Inspection Tour
The four chancellors of the Central Secretariat, Du Qian, Yao Zhong, Xu Ang, and Tao Wenyuan, originally only had the first two, whose positions were above Zhuo Guangrui.

However, at this time, Zhuo Guangrui took office in the Ministry of Revenue. Theoretically, the Ministry of Revenue was a subordinate office of the Ministry of State Affairs, one of the three ministries. Now, in the new dynasty, the Council of State Affairs was in charge of exercising the powers of the three ministries. Logically speaking, the prime ministers were indeed Zhuo Guangrui's superiors.

However, while this is the truth, Zhuo Xiangong's status is special. In the past, in the Hall of State Affairs, only Du Qian and he were dukes. Even Yao Zhong was only granted the title of marquis.

Currently, Du, Yao, and Xu Ang are all old acquaintances of his in the Secretariat, while Tao Wenyuan is a crippled prime minister who could be kicked out of the Secretariat by the emperor at any time.

As he bowed, several prime ministers came forward to help him up. Prime Minister Du tugged at his sleeve and said in a daze, "It's only been half a year since we last met, why are you so distant, Brother Xianzong?"

Zhuo Guangrui shook his head slightly and said, "Prime Minister Du, during the past few months of staying at home, I have already changed my courtesy name."

He said solemnly, "My clan has lost its glory. Now I am an official, and my courtesy name is Anping."

The Zhuo family of Wu County, though not yet raided, is now a thing of the past. Even if they survive, they will likely never amount to anything again.

The Zhuo family in Luoyang now consists of only the father and son in the court, and they are basically starting over. In the past year, Prime Minister Zhuo has experienced many ups and downs and no longer wants the courtesy name Xianzong, so he changed it to his own.

"Anping."

Looking at him, Master Du remarked, "Brother Zhuo, you have a wonderful state of mind."

Yao Xiangong returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Brother Anping, on your return to the court."

Xu Ang silently cupped his hands in greeting: "With Brother Zhuo back, we can have a little more leisure time."

Tao Wenyuan simply clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, but lowered his head and said nothing.

The case in the seventh year of Zhangwu was not entirely unrelated to him, and he had also had a disagreement with His Majesty the Emperor some time ago.

It can be said that the knife hanging over the Zhuo family has vanished, but the knife hanging over Tao Xiangong's head is still there, and it has become even sharper.

Who knows, could last year's rebellion have been related to the powerful clans of Guanzhong?

At this point, he had lost most of his yin energy, and when facing Zhuo Guangrui, he felt more envy than anything else.

The old friends gathered together and talked for a long time. Finally, Master Du pulled Zhuo Guangrui into his office. After entering the office, Master Du closed the door, bowed deeply to Zhuo Guangrui, and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Zhuo."

Zhuo Guangrui quickly stepped forward and helped him up, saying with a wry smile, "Prime Minister Du, what are you doing?"

"If it weren't for Brother Zhuo, the Du family would also be in grave danger. I might be alright, but my third brother..."

He shook his head and sighed: "Now, although my third brother has left the court, he is safe and sound, all thanks to Brother Zhuo."

Zhuo Guangrui paused, then shook his head and said, "It's not my achievement, but rather His Majesty giving you and me face."

Zhuo Xiangong said quietly, "Your brother's matter was done on behalf of Prime Minister Du, and today I am doing it on behalf of Minister Xue."

As he spoke, he looked out of the hall and said quietly, "Prime Minister Du and His Majesty have a very close relationship and a deep friendship, so there is nothing to worry about. However, I am afraid that I will have no face left in His Majesty's eyes in the future."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Du was taken aback, and then quietly said, "Face and face are not really important to His Majesty. What His Majesty truly values ​​now is the new policy."

"New policy..."

Upon hearing the words "new policies," Zhuo Guangrui murmured, "Just now in the Ganlu Hall, His Majesty also spoke to me at length about the new policies in Jiangdong Province."

Minister Du's expression turned serious.

"This is a test for both of us. If we perform well, we can still walk alongside His Majesty in the future. If we fail, His Majesty may..."

"I'm afraid we'll have to find another group of like-minded people to go with us."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Guangrui's expression changed.

He looked around to make sure no one was nearby before muttering, "Prime Minister Du, the new policies in Jiangdong are nominally the responsibility of His Highness the Crown Prince. If this fails, it's one thing if you and I are replaced, but does His Highness the Crown Prince also have to be...?"

Du Qian grabbed Zhuo Guangrui's sleeve, signaling him to stop talking.

The prime minister of the court remained silent for a long time before finally managing to utter two words.

"Hard to say."

…………

February is the time when spring arrives and all things come back to life.

That day, another grand court assembly took place.

Today's grand court assembly saw the return of two important figures to Luoyang.

The first one is Zhao Cheng, Minister of War.

Minister Zhao knelt before the emperor, kowtowed and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. After Yelü Hong arrived in Youyan, he has opened the gates of Youzhou City and surrendered. Now, the entire Youyan region, from Yuguan Pass onwards, is all part of our Great Tang territory.”

Zhao Cheng bowed his head and kowtowed, saying, "Under Your Majesty's rule, the situation has far surpassed that of the old Zhou Dynasty!"

His Majesty the Emperor looked at Zhao Cheng and asked, "Where are Huang Chao, Fei Zan, and the others?" Zhao Cheng bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, both Governor Huang and Governor Fei have already entered Youzhou. Of the troops I command in Taiyuan, five thousand remain in Youzhou, and the rest are on their way back to Taiyuan."

"The position of General of Taiyuan is currently vacant."

Zhao Cheng bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, please reappoint the General of Taiyuan."

The General of Taiyuan was originally Deng Yang, but Deng Yang was transferred to Jinling by Li Yun to replace Zhou Liang. Later, when Zhao Cheng went north, he took command of the Taiyuan army.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Li looked at Li Hu, the Left Vice Minister of War, and said with a smile, "Minister Li, would you like to serve as the General of Taiyuan?"

That was just a joke.

Li Hu was originally from the Hedong Military Governor's Office and grew up in Taiyuan. The Taiyuan Army in the past was basically composed of the old Hedong Army.

However, the old Hedong Army has long since been dismantled and reorganized, and no longer exists.

After all, more than ten years have passed, and it would probably be difficult to find even a few former members of the Hedong Army.

Li Hu stepped forward, not angry, but bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, Luo Zhen and Gongsun He under General Meng are both capable of serving as General of Taiyuan."

The Hedong Army no longer exists. Even if Li Hu returns to Taiyuan, the Taiyuan Army he leads will be composed of Tang troops and will not have any independent authority.

It would be better for him to be the Vice Minister of War, a position with greater power and influence, than to be a general in a local area.

The emperor glanced at the Ministry of War, pondered for a moment, and then said, "He Xian."

He Xian is the current Vice Minister of War.

He was not a military officer, but rather the assistant magistrate of one of the six counties under Yuezhou when Li Yun served as the governor of Yuezhou.

After that, he followed Li Yun and for a long time was responsible for escorting grain and fodder in the army. Although he was not an officer, he was knowledgeable about military affairs.

In the seventh year of the Zhangwu era, he was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Minister He knelt on the ground, bowed his head and kowtowed: "Your subject is here."

The emperor looked at him and said with a smile, "How about you go to Taiyuan and become the Taiyuan General? When you return in three years, I will promote you."

Minister He knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "I only fear that my abilities are insufficient..."

"It's alright. After the war in Youyan is over, I will transfer Gongsun He there to be your deputy."

He Xian then lowered his head and replied, "Yes."

Li Yun then looked at Prime Minister Du and said, "Prime Minister Du, send a document to Yangzhou to reinstate Duke Zhou Chang of Yangguo, and have him come to Luoyang to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Du Qian was taken aback, then bowed his head deeply: "Your subject obeys."

After the matter was discussed, Li Zheng, the Prefect of Jingzhao, dressed in a purple robe, entered the main hall, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to His Majesty the Emperor: "Your subject Li Zheng pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Prince Li Zheng of Jin also returned to Luoyang the day before yesterday.

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him, first asking him to rise, and then asked, "How is Jiangnan?"

Li Zheng rose and replied, "Your Majesty, last year's harvest in Jiangnan was bountiful, and grain prices were extremely low. Wherever I went, I saw very few beggars."

He paused, then said, "Your Majesty and I, along with the Third Prince, offered sacrifices at the ancestral mausoleum. Everything at the ancestral mausoleum is in good condition. Someone even found a lingzhi mushroom the size of a bowl on a mountain near the ancestral mausoleum."

Upon hearing this, all the officials bowed to His Majesty the Emperor and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, an auspicious omen has been born!"

Emperor Li looked at the kneeling officials, smiled wryly, and raised his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, get up."

"The presence of Ganoderma lucidum is a good thing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be considered an auspicious omen."

After all the officials had risen, His Majesty the Emperor looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Yuan'er, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Tang Dynasty."

"Ten years is a round number. I cannot leave Luoyang. Go to Qingyang Prefecture and pay respects at the ancestral tombs in my stead."

His Highness the Crown Prince quickly bowed his head and replied, "Yes."

Emperor Li thought for a moment and continued, "After paying respects at the ancestral tombs, there's no need to rush back to Luoyang. You can travel around Qingyang Prefecture and Jiangdong Road, and finally, stay in Jinling Prefecture for a while."

"This year, Jiangdong will implement new policies. If you go to Jinling Prefecture, you can keep an eye on things for me."

At this point, the emperor slowly said, "At the end of the year, you shall return to Luoyang and take a good look at the entire Jiangnan region for me, especially to see how the new policies are being implemented."

His Highness the Crown Prince was somewhat taken aback, but he immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the Emperor.

"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

(End of this chapter)