Thief Emperor

Chapter 1113 New Situation
Public opinion has always been a powerful tool.

Li Yun had his third son run the official gazette, and it was already showing initial success. Because it was a novel thing, it was exactly the same as the official gazette that circulated only among officials, and it also had a lot of entertainment value. Now, the Tang Dynasty official gazette could be considered a bestseller in all the prefectures, counties and cities of the country.

Even so, the business is still losing money. After all, it has to support a large number of artisans, plus printing, logistics and other costs. Under the current technological conditions, it is difficult to make a profit.

Fortunately, Li Yun wasn't looking to make a profit.

What he wants is public opinion.

Slander can sometimes be more deadly than swords.

After leaving Ganlu Palace, Meng Hai did not slack off. He first briefly sorted out the evidence in his hands, and then had his subordinates collect more evidence. The next day, he personally went to the Zheng Prince's Mansion to request an audience with the Prince.

As the Director of the Capital Region, Meng Hai's rank may not be high, and he is relatively unknown in the capital. However, in terms of real power and his status with the Emperor, Meng Hai could even be ranked among the top twenty.

At least the top thirty are included.

He personally came to visit, and even the third prince, Prince Zheng, Li Cang, dared not neglect him. Prince Zheng personally came to the front courtyard to greet Meng Hai, and said with a smile, "Minister Meng."

Meng Hai bowed respectfully and said, "This humble servant, Meng Hai, greets Your Highness."

King Zheng waved his hand, stepped forward, took Meng Hai's sleeve, and said with a smile, "According to seniority, I should call Si Zheng 'uncle,' but there's no need to be so polite."

"Come on, come on."

Prince Zheng led Meng Hai to the main hall of the Prince Zheng's residence and they sat down. After tea was served, he looked at Meng Hai and said with a smile, "Minister Meng, your timing is perfect. I am here today on imperial orders to leave Luoyang and go to Qingyang Prefecture to pay my respects to the Duke of Ningguo."

If Meng Sizheng had arrived half an hour later, he probably wouldn't have seen me.

Upon hearing this, Meng Hai lowered his head and said, "It is precisely because I know that Your Highness is at home and about to leave that I have come to request an audience with Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Prince Zheng was speechless and said, "I almost forgot, the Nine Ministers are sharp-eared and sharp-eyed."

He looked at Meng Hai and asked.

"Mr. Meng has come to my house in person. What brings you here?"

Meng Hai didn't waste any words. He took out the documents that the Nine Departments had prepared and handed them to Prince Zheng, saying, "These are the evidence of the crimes committed by Minister Tao's sons and grandsons. His Majesty ordered the Nine Departments to collect them and hand them over to Your Highness."

"Then Your Highness will publish it in the official gazette of the Tang Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Li Cang immediately stood up, took the document with both hands, and said solemnly, "So it's an assignment from Father Emperor."

He said solemnly, "Don't worry, Director Meng, I will give the order immediately and make sure this matter is handled properly as soon as possible."

Meng Hai also stood up, bowed his head and said "okay", then said, "In that case, I will not disturb Your Highness's departure. Please take good care of yourself."

"If Your Highness needs any further assistance, you may send someone to summon me. I will be there at your beck and call."

King Zheng waved his hand and said, "If there is anything I need the help of the Director, I will have someone from the official register go to find the Director."

The two exchanged greetings. Meng Hai was about to take his leave when Prince Zheng reached out and stopped him. Prince Zheng smiled and said, "Uncle Meng, what crime has the Tao family committed to make Father Emperor so angry?"

Meng Hai quickly shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Your Highness, how dare we, who are on official business, ask such a question?"

"Instead of asking me, you should ask His Majesty directly."

Prince Zheng seemed to be deep in thought, then took out a piece of paper that looked like a receipt from his sleeve, handed it to Meng Hai, and said with a smile, "Uncle Meng, you've had a hard time making this trip. I'll treat you and your brothers to a drink."

This is the currency that can be exchanged in Luoyang.

But it cannot be considered a banknote.

Firstly, gold and silver were not interchangeable at the time, and this kind of exchange was for copper coins. Secondly, these exchange notes could only be exchanged at a few money shops in Luoyang City, and they might not be valid outside of Jingzhao Prefecture.

Money shops and banknotes will take some time to develop, but with the commercial prosperity of Jiangdong and Jinling Prefecture in recent years, a considerable number of money shops have already appeared in Jiangdong.

Emperor Li was even considering whether to establish government-run banks.

If the government-run money shops are successful enough, it will be a natural progression for them to issue official paper money when commerce develops to a certain extent.

Only at that time will we truly have control over minting.

Unlike the current practice of the imperial court minting metal coins, which, after deducting the cost of the metal, didn't actually yield much profit and was far from being a risk-free way to make huge profits.

However, there's no need to rush this. For now, the existing regionally circulated redemption tickets are sufficient.

Meng Hai waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Your Highness, this is unacceptable."

He said solemnly, "How dare we take Your Highness's money?"

King Zheng pulled him aside and said with a smile, "Uncle Meng, my money is clean and honest. Not a single penny of it was given to me by someone else. Besides, my money is my father's money. When my father asks you to do something, isn't it only natural to give you some money for drinks?"

"do not worry."

Prince Zheng said calmly, "Even if my father knew, he wouldn't say anything."

Meng Hai unfolded the redemption ticket, looked at it, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to take it. He then bowed slightly to Prince Zheng and said, "On behalf of my brothers, I thank Your Highness."

"Of course," Prince Zheng said with a smile. "My fifth brother is currently looking for a suitable marriage. I remember that Uncle Meng's family has a young lady of about the same age. When Uncle Meng sees my father, he can mention it to him."

"I think it's very likely to succeed."

"Fifth Prince?"

Meng Hai thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "How can my family's background be a match for a prince?"

King Zheng shook his head and said, "Even if we exclude the Duke of Xuan, the Meng family can still be considered a pillar of the dynasty. I think they are a perfect match."

Duke Xuan of Meng Qing has now changed his surname to Li, the imperial surname, so he has actually separated from the Meng family and become his own family.

From now on, the family genealogy will probably all start from Duke Xuan of Li Qing, so legally they are no longer one family.

The reason His Majesty the Emperor did this was partly due to his affection for Meng Qing, but also, perhaps, to sever ties with the Meng family and divide it in two.

Meng Hai thought about it carefully before speaking, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I will remember it."

Prince Zheng escorted him all the way to the gate, watching Meng Hai leave before returning to the palace with his hands behind his back. Coincidentally, Princess Zheng, who came from the Lu family of Fanyang, was also in the front courtyard. She looked at her husband and was somewhat puzzled: "How can a fifth-rank official be called Uncle Meng by the prince?"

She frowned and said, "That's too beneath your dignity."

Li Cang glanced at his queen and shook his head, saying, "You don't know the past of Jiangdong, so you don't understand."

Prince Zheng said with his hands behind his back, "When my father pacified the world, he had four people following him as his close attendants."

"They are Meng Hai, Zhou Bi, Zhou Luo, and Xue Gui."

“Zhou Bi will address my father as a brother and will immediately inherit the title of Duke of Ningguo. Zhou Luo is currently the General of Qingzhou and will surely inherit the title of Duke of Yangguo in the future.”

"As for Xue Gui."

King Zheng shook his head and sighed, "He is also the eldest cousin of all our princes, and will inherit the title of Duke of Xue in the future."

He glanced at his wife and said softly, "Minister Meng was my father's first close attendant; he will..."

"They'll probably be taking over the Nine Departments."

Princess Zheng's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. She looked in the direction Meng Hai had left and shook her head, saying, "He looks like an ordinary man; you can't tell at all."

"That's how the older generation is; they don't show off."

Prince Zheng was quite moved.

"Actually, it's very impressive."

"All right."

He looked at Princess Zheng, then at the sky: "It's getting late, I can't delay our journey. I won't be home, so you take good care of the house."

"Remember, when I'm not around, I will not accept any money or gifts from anyone."

He paused, then added, "Even if someone from your Lu family comes to deliver it, it won't work."

Princess Zheng glanced at Prince Zheng and frowned, saying, "Would my family harm Your Highness?"

"It's not to harm me."

Prince Zheng strode out of the house with his hands behind his back: "There are people who will use them to slip things into our house, and that's my job."

He walked away.

"The brothers are all very envious."

…………

Under the imperial authority of Emperor Li, Tao Wenyuan's ten memorials, which should have caused a great uproar in the court and among the people, did not cause much of a stir.

After Lord Du visited the Tao family overnight, all the Tao family members fell silent, and no one dared to speak.

Moreover, none of these people had actually read Tao Xiangong's ten memorials written before his death.

As for Li Yun's public opinion campaign against the Tao family, it will take at least half a month, maybe a month, before it takes effect. At this time, a strange peace has arrived in Luoyang.

It was as if nothing had happened.

At that very moment, Duke Liu Bo of Yingguo and Prince Li Zheng of Jin entered the palace together and arrived at the entrance of Ganlu Hall.

The two men entered the Ganlu Hall without any hindrance and met Emperor Li. Upon seeing the emperor, they both bowed their heads respectfully and said, "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Li glanced at the two men and rolled his eyes at them: "Sit down yourselves."

After the two men sat down, Li Yun asked them why they had come. Duke Liu Bo of Yingguo coughed before looking at Li Yun and speaking.

"Dayan, the leader of the Khitan Wugu tribe, is dead."

(End of this chapter)