Thief Emperor

Chapter 1112 Fame Before and After Death

"Father."

As night deepened, His Highness the Crown Prince bowed respectfully to His Majesty the Emperor, saying, "I apologize for disturbing Father's rest."

Emperor Li glanced at the tightly bound official before him, then at the Crown Prince, and said with a smile, "What is it?"

The Crown Prince lowered his head and recounted the events. Then, pointing at the official from the Eastern Palace, he gritted his teeth and said, "This scoundrel harbored treasonous intentions. He first presented me with a document in which Tao Wenyuan slandered the Emperor. I read it once I saw that it was a memorial."

"I just finished reading it, and this fellow came up to me and asked if I had finished reading it."

"I had just nodded when this scoundrel snatched the document away and threw it into the brazier!"

The Crown Prince looked up at his father and said in a deep voice, "After careful consideration, I realized that this matter could be serious or minor, and we cannot be negligent. Therefore, I immediately had him bound and brought him to see Father."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Li glanced at the ten memorials by Tao Wenyuan that he had just finished reviewing on his desk, then looked at the Crown Prince: "Go and take a look, are they the same?"

The crown prince hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Father, Tao Wenyuan's documents contain many criticisms of the Emperor. As his son, I cannot read them..."

"Go if you are told to go."

After saying this, Emperor Li stood up, walked to the official in charge of the Eastern Palace, and squatted down: "Was it Minister Tao who asked you to deliver the document to the Eastern Palace?"

When Li Yun asked him this question, the official trembled with fear and stammered, "Yes...yes, Your Majesty..."

"It was my mentor, it was my mentor's instruction..."

He originally wanted to take the blame himself to repay his mentor's kindness, but after being frightened by Li Yun, he couldn't say anything.

The emperor's authority had reached an unparalleled level.

Upon hearing this, His Majesty the Emperor narrowed his eyes and said softly, "Mr. Tao, you really are quite cunning."

After saying that, he looked down at the official in charge of the Eastern Palace and smiled: "It seems that Mr. Tao probably helped in arranging you to be in the Eastern Palace."

"Someone is coming."

His Majesty the Emperor called out, and immediately the chief eunuch Gu Chang cautiously approached, bowing his head and saying, "Your Majesty."

"Send this person to Meng Hai so he can question him in detail, and then dump him at the Tao family's place."

“Tell Meng Hai to thoroughly investigate all of Tao Wenyuan’s crimes since the founding of the country.”

Emperor Li closed his eyes and said, "Present it to me within half a month."

Eunuch Gu quickly bowed his head, replied "Yes," and then immediately took the official from the Eastern Palace away.

Send directly to Jiu Si.

Emperor Li took several deep breaths to suppress his anger. After a while, he turned to look at the Crown Prince and asked, "Are they the same?"

The crown prince was startled and quickly put down the document in his hand, bowing his head and saying, "I have glanced at it, and it is... it is roughly the same."

Li Yun hummed in agreement, sat back in his seat, looked up at Crown Prince Li Yuan, and smiled: "No matter what, you came to see your father immediately after encountering this kind of thing and treated me with sincerity. So, we are still family."

The fact that the Crown Prince came to see Li Yun so late, especially on such a sensitive matter, could be partly because the Crown Prince truly shares the same ideals as his father and has no other intentions.

On the other hand, it is also possible that the Crown Prince felt that nothing in the Eastern Palace could be hidden from his father's eyes and ears, and that it was better to send the person over himself to clear his name than to be discovered by his father.

The Crown Prince smiled at Emperor Li: "I have been with you since I was a child, and you have taught me step by step over the years. I have seen it all."

"Father and son by blood."

Li Yuan said solemnly, "No matter what happens, I will always stand by your side, Father."

As he spoke, he pointed to the document and said, "Father, this document..."

Li Yun waved his hand, signaling him not to continue. He looked at Li Yuan and said, "There's no need to explain these things."

Emperor Li said quietly, "Over the years, I have come to a clear understanding: no matter how capable a person is, he can only control what is in front of him, not what will happen after he passes away. There is no need to worry about the future."

He gestured for the Crown Prince to sit down, and after the Crown Prince was seated, Li Yun continued, "No matter what Tao Wenyuan says, I won't listen to him, but will you listen to me..."

Li Yun shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I can't control it."

He paused, then continued, "Once you're in this position, what you do with it is up to the next administration. All I can give you are eight words."

The Crown Prince bowed his head and said, "Your subject understands."

"The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is secure."

Li Yun nodded: "Just remember these eight words."

The Crown Prince looked at Li Yun and said with a smile, "Father is far superior to me in both literature and martial arts. I only hope that Father can reign for ten thousand years."

Li Yun shook his head: "You are twenty-five years old this year."

“If you do well, in ten years or so, I will abdicate the throne to you.” Without hesitation, the crown prince knelt on the ground and bowed his head, saying, “Father, you must not have such a thought.”

"The foundation of the court lies with Father Emperor, not with your son. If the throne is truly abdicated, I fear the country will be in turmoil and the people will be uneasy!"

Li Yun patted his head and said calmly, "In another ten years or so, I'm afraid the old members of the anti-theft team will be gone, and the officials in the court will have been replaced one or two times. At that time, it will be the same whoever takes this position."

Emperor Li said with a smile, "I only hope that when that time comes, our family will still be able to live in harmony."

The crown prince knelt on the ground and bowed his head deeply: "Your son dares not accept the Emperor's favor. Please, Father, abandon such thoughts."

He kowtowed and said, "Otherwise, I will remain kneeling here forever."

The crown prince was no longer the seventeen or eighteen-year-old prince he once was; he had been personally handling state affairs for several years.

He knew in his heart that if ten or more years passed, his father would indeed abdicate in his place.

The ministers in the court are unlikely to agree, and this matter is too sensitive. If things go wrong, he might lose his position as crown prince.

His Majesty the Emperor is too domineering.

As a result, His Highness the Crown Prince had absolutely no intention of competing with his father.

"It is late."

The emperor didn't say much, but simply reached out to help him up and patted his shoulder: "Go back and rest. Tomorrow you still have to go to the Hall of State Affairs to handle state affairs."

The crown prince rose respectfully and left cautiously.

Emperor Li sighed after the crown prince left.

He genuinely wanted to "retire," but unfortunately, no one believed him.

Moreover, even Li Yun himself doesn't know if he will still have this thought ten years from now.

If he were still alive ten years later, he would have truly become the retired emperor.

If he continues to manage affairs, then there is little difference between him and not having abdicated.

If he really stops interfering, and his lust for power takes over, it will be difficult for him to move around freely. He might even be confined by his son.

"Difficult, difficult, difficult."

His Majesty the Emperor shook his head and sighed, "It is truly difficult to be a father and son in the imperial family."

…………

Three days later, Meng Hai, dressed in blue, bowed to His Majesty the Emperor in the Ganlu Hall. Holding a document in his hand, he said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I have investigated Minister Tao and have some results."

His Majesty the Emperor looked up at him, then continued writing, saying, "Say what you mean."

Meng Hai bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Tao..."

"He was an extremely honest official. Whether he was in charge of the Ministry of Rites in Jiangdong, or after the founding of the country when he served as Minister of Rites and Prime Minister, none of the Nine Departments found any evidence of his corruption. He would not accept any gifts from his disciples or followers. If a disciple brought a gift to his door, he would refuse to accept it."

"They will be kicked out of the Tao family mansion."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Li was not particularly happy; instead, he was quite annoyed and even stopped writing, clenching his fists.

That old pedant!
They were probably already planning for their reputation before and after their death more than a decade ago, or even earlier!

Otherwise, the imperial court is a cesspool, and even Su Sheng, when his old subordinates occasionally visit, would accept some gifts from him. How could he be so clean?

Seeing that Li Yun remained silent, Meng Hai lowered his head and continued, "However, although Master Tao is honest and upright, his sons and grandsons are not clean at all."

“We have conducted a preliminary investigation and discovered many of their illegal activities. If Your Majesty wishes to arrest them, we will immediately submit this evidence to the Court of Judicial Review and the Prefectural Administration of Jingzhao so that they may make the arrest.”

Emperor Li narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then groaned, "Tao Wenyuan has just died. If the court were to touch his children and grandchildren now, people would surely gossip about us behind our backs."

At this point, he looked up at Meng Hai and said, "Investigate further and try to find as much evidence against the Tao family as possible."

Meng Hai was taken aback, then lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, this is enough to arrest them."

Li Yun shook his head: "I need more. Once there's enough evidence, you can take it to Prince Zheng."

"Let the King of Zheng publish them in the newspaper."

At this point, Emperor Li gave a cold laugh and fell silent.

Don't you love your reputation?
You yourself may be clean, but your children and grandchildren are not. Once the crimes of the Tao family's children and grandchildren are reported in the official gazette of the Tang Dynasty, the public may be outraged and demand that the government arrest the Tao family!

Upon hearing this, Meng Hai was taken aback at first, then quickly lowered his head.

"I obey my orders!"

(End of this chapter)