Thief Emperor

Chapter 1061 One Must Be Cautious
Li Yun has one advantage: he is always willing to listen to advice, and he will listen to opinions on matters big and small, especially those of the person involved.

Especially in areas he doesn't understand, His Majesty the Emperor always respects the opinions of those involved. Even in military matters, which he is quite knowledgeable about, as long as he doesn't personally lead troops, he generally respects the opinions of the frontline commanders and won't interfere without authorization.

However, before this grand court assembly, Li Yun had not consulted anyone about the Crown Prince's tour, or rather, the Crown Prince's tour on behalf of the Emperor. He had not informed Empress Xue in advance.

It's important to understand that grand court assemblies are more often used to announce events than to discuss them; everything is agreed upon in advance before the announcement.

This time, Emperor Li can be said to have launched a surprise attack.

However, the emperor's authority was profound, and this matter was reasonable. Neither the crown prince nor the court officials could contradict His Majesty the emperor at the grand court assembly.

Therefore, the resolution was passed smoothly.

After the grand court assembly ended, His Majesty the Emperor went to the backyard with his hands behind his back, while His Highness the Crown Prince remained in the Taiji Hall, looking somewhat bewildered at the ministers nearby.

None of the prime ministers left, and Zhuo Guangrui, the Minister of Revenue, also stayed behind in a tacit manner. His Highness the Crown Prince quickly came to his senses and looked at Prime Minister Du. Prime Minister Du bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty attaches great importance to the new policies in Jiangdong."

His Highness the Crown Prince took a deep breath, lowered his head and smiled wryly, "I can see that, but that's precisely why I'm worried about not doing a good job and angering Father."

Minister Du and the other ministers exchanged glances, then pulled the Crown Prince aside and whispered, "Does Your Highness trust me?"

His Highness the Crown Prince looked at Du Qian and said solemnly, "If you don't trust the Prime Minister, then there is no one in the court whom I can trust."

"Very well, Your Highness, please remember one thing I have to say."

Minister Du lowered his head slightly and said, "After Your Highness arrives in Jiangdong, do what you are supposed to do and do a good job of the eastern tour. If you see any corruption along the way, punish it if necessary. Your Highness must take the new policies to heart and do your best to implement them. If they are successful, that would be good."

Du Qian stopped there.

As a politician, speaking to this extent is quite straightforward and shows considerable sincerity.

It would be good if it could be accomplished, but it wouldn't really matter if it couldn't, because what the emperor wanted to see was the Crown Prince's attitude towards the new policies, not necessarily his ability to get things done.

After all, the specifics of the new policies were not the responsibility of the Crown Prince. Local officials such as Zhang Sui, as well as the Emperor's brother-in-law Lu Bing, were all in Jiangdong, and there were also people from the Ministry of Revenue in charge. When His Highness the Crown Prince arrived in Jiangdong, he was only in a supervisory role.

With just a few words, Du Qian pointed out the key points of His Highness the Crown Prince's upcoming eastern tour. The Crown Prince looked at Prime Minister Du with gratitude, bowed sincerely, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Prime Minister."

Du Qian quickly returned the greeting, shaking his head and saying, "I dare not accept such a compliment."

His Highness the Crown Prince spoke a few more words with the other important ministers before leaving the Taiji Hall.

After His Highness the Crown Prince left, Prime Minister Yao took a few steps closer, bowed slightly to Du Qian, and said, "Prime Minister Du, regarding this matter, you should have..."

Du Qian shook his head: "I don't know."

He also glanced at Yao Zhong, who shook his head slightly and then said quietly, "It seems that His Majesty is determined to do this well and get it done."

After thinking for a moment, Prime Minister Du looked at Yao Zhong and said solemnly, "Brother Juzhong, for twenty years, His Majesty has never made a mistake on important matters."

Yao Zhong was taken aback upon hearing this, then slowly nodded and murmured, "It's like a primordial deity, born with knowledge."

These words stunned Prime Minister Du. He remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Today is the first court assembly of the year. The Secretariat is probably very busy. Brother Juzhong, why don't you go to the Secretariat to take charge? I'll go and have a word with His Majesty."

Previously, Zhuo Guangrui presided over most of the affairs of the Secretariat. Now that Zhuo Guangrui is gone, Yao Zhong is doing most of the work, assisted by the other two prime ministers, while Du Qian is in charge of the overall direction.

Upon hearing this, Yao Zhong nodded silently and bowed to Du Qian, saying, "Prime Minister Du, His Majesty seems resolute. Please be careful with your words."

Du Qian smiled, returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and then proceeded to the rear hall. Inside, His Majesty the Emperor was reviewing documents. Du Qian stepped forward, helped organize the scattered documents, and then sighed, "Why is Your Majesty in such a hurry?"

Emperor Li didn't even raise his head, but just smiled and said, "He's twenty years old now. When I was twenty, I had already formed a bandit-catching team in Xuanzhou."

"Besides, I'm not in a hurry."

His Majesty the Emperor looked up at Du Qian, his expression calm: "These things are progressing step by step. I want him to do it himself and see the results with his own eyes."

"He's still young, and I'm not old either."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, "He still has a long time to see and learn. Even if he can't learn it in ten years, he can learn it in twenty."

Having said that, Du Qian could now fully grasp the Emperor's true intentions: he wanted to completely bind the Crown Prince to the new policies.

Then Emperor Li continued, "You don't need to worry that I will make things difficult for him. If he handles the affairs of Jiangdong well, when he returns, I will start letting him take over some of the state affairs."

Previously, the Crown Prince only participated in government affairs, but even within the Secretariat, he had no final say. In short, he was an observer and a learner. However, if he were to take over state affairs, things would be different. The Crown Prince could make decisions on matters entrusted to him by the Emperor, and most of the time, even if the Crown Prince's handling of the matter was flawed, the Emperor would not overturn it or offend the Crown Prince.

At that time, they will truly take over the reins of power.

Du Qian thought for a moment, then hesitated before speaking.

His Majesty the Emperor pulled him down to sit, then said with a smile, "Brother Shouyi is probably wondering what will happen if the Crown Prince doesn't do a good job?"

Du Qian nodded silently without saying a word.

Emperor Li said calmly, "If we don't do well this time, then we'll do it next time. I shouldn't die in ten or twenty years. He still has many opportunities. When he can stand on his own, let him oversee the country in Luoyang. I can also travel around and maybe even go to the border region myself to see how the Khitan people are doing."

Upon hearing this, Du Qian thought for a moment, then smiled at the emperor and said, "If that day ever comes, Your Majesty, please remember to select a second generation of Grand Secretaries."

"If I am still able to move when the time comes, I will accompany Your Majesty and travel around."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at him and nodded readily: "Once the new policies are implemented, we old brothers can take a break."

…………

As evening fell, in the Ganlu Hall, two brothers sat on either side of a wine table. Prince Jin sat opposite Li Yun, bowing his head deeply and said, "Second brother, I have been in Jingzhao Prefecture for ten years. Whenever something happens in Jingzhao Prefecture, it is inextricably linked to me. Even if you don't mention it, I cannot pretend that nothing happened."

He was referring to the assassination attempt on the emperor during the Longevity Festival last year. The emperor's whereabouts on that day were leaked by relevant personnel from the Jingzhao Prefecture. At that time, the Prince of Jin had only left Luoyang a few days earlier.

Because of this incident, some people in Luoyang even gossiped behind his back, saying that the Prince of Jin had orchestrated the whole thing and that his hasty departure from Luoyang was an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility.

Emperor Li rolled his eyes at him, ignoring him, and asked, "Has the third son been obedient with you all this way?"

Li Zheng scratched his head and said, "Sanlang is quite well-behaved and respectful to me. His generation is much more disciplined than ours."

Li Yun nodded silently and said, "The rules are fine."

"How is Uncle's health?"

After hearing this, Li Zheng remained silent for a while, then shook his head slightly: "He's getting worse every day. Fortunately, he's no longer serving in the military and is recuperating at home. Maybe he can recover in a few years."

Li Yun nodded and asked, "Did you take Sanlang to the Cangshan stronghold?"

"They've gone, of course they've gone."

Prince Jin said with a smile, "His name comes from the Cangshan Great Village. How could I not take him to see it? I even took him to stay on the mountain for two days. However, he is spoiled and didn't like it. After two days, he even caught a cold."

Emperor Li was speechless: "It must be from the cold."

His Majesty the Emperor poured Li Zheng a cup of wine and said quietly, "Now, the only ones who can handle things are these three children. Since he is well-behaved, let him start taking over the royal family's businesses from now on."

Li Zheng responded with a "yes," then asked with some curiosity, "Why did Second Brother suddenly order the Crown Prince to make an eastern tour during today's court assembly?"

Li Yun tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, his expression calm: "Is that not allowed?"

Prince Jin poured him more wine and said with a smile.

"Just curious."

"Firstly, let him go on his errands and take a look at the lives of the people below. This way, he can keep the people's hearts in mind in the future."

"Secondly."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, "Secondly, the person he reveals to us elders may not be the real him."

“I want him to go out and see if there is another version of himself hiding after he leaves Luoyang.”

Upon hearing this, Prince Jin was dumbfounded.

Emperor Li drank another cup of wine, looked at Li Zheng, and sighed deeply.

"This concerns countless people around the world, so I must be cautious."

(End of this chapter)