The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 368 New Establishment
Chu Suiliang adjusted his official hat and walked quickly into the hall.

Inside the hall, Changsun Wuji had already been sitting here.

It is now known throughout the court and the public that Duke Zhao is the Crown Prince's most trusted right-hand man.

This was especially true during His Majesty's Eastern Expedition.

Changsun Wuji sat at one side of the hall, silent. He picked up the tea bowl and looked at the tea without drinking it.

The eunuchs poured tea for several important officials in the court, and then waited on the side.

Not seeing the prince coming, the few people continued talking to themselves.

Chu Suiliang was talking in a low voice with Xu Yushi and Guo Zhengyi.

Xu Jingzong, Yan Qinli and Zhang Da'an were also talking.

For a while, there were a lot of whispers in the hall.

"All right."

Duke Zhao finally spoke, and everyone fell silent.

Chang Sun Wuji put down his tea bowl and said, "The Crown Prince asked us to discuss matters here today. It would be best if there is a result. Before His Majesty goes to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods, we should get things done after the court opens next year."

To split up Jingzhao Prefecture is a huge undertaking and it will probably not be completed this year. But Duke Zhao said that it should be done before the Fengshan ceremony, which seems a bit too hasty.

The Fengshan ceremony will be held in September of next year, which means Your Majesty must arrive at Mount Tai before September, and set out before May of next year.

All in all, there are only eight months left until May of next year.

After a while, no one spoke in the hall.

Chang Sun Wuji said, "Drink all the tea."

Hearing this, everyone picked up their tea bowls and took a sip of the warm tea.

The eunuchs then refilled the tea for everyone.

Chang Sun Wuji said again: "Guo Zhengyi speaks first."

"Yes." Guo Zhengyi stood up and said, "I thought that the Jingzhao Prefecture would further divide the people, education, money, food, and supervision..."

"Wait a minute." Xu Jingzong interrupted, "Money and grain are the business of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. These matters are not under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture. Besides, supervision is the responsibility of the Censorate and has nothing to do with Jingzhao Prefecture."

Guo Zhengyi was not surprised when his speech was interrupted.

Chu Suiliang's face darkened a little. He looked at Xu Jingzong and said, "He hasn't finished speaking yet. Why is Xu Shaoyin so anxious to interrupt?"

Xu Jingzong sat upright and said fearlessly, "Why? Minister Chu, do you think what I said is wrong?"

Chu Suiliang snorted coldly and motioned Guo Zhengyi to continue.

Looking at the two assistant ministers, Guo Zhengyi bowed slightly and said, "According to Xu Shaoyin's opinion, the money and grain will be managed by the Ministry of Revenue, and government offices will be set up in all counties."

After that, he looked at the two assistant ministers again before continuing, "Business and governance belong to Jingzhao Prefecture, and construction belongs to the Ministry of Works."

Listening to Guo Zhengyi's words, Changsun Wuji drank his tea with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Wait." Xu Jingzong interrupted Guo Zhengyi again.

"Bang!" Chu Suiliang slammed the table, stood up and said, "Xu Jingzong! Are you done yet?"

Xu Jingzong laughed instead and said, "According to the words of Jingzhao Prefecture, construction dispatch personnel are human resources. This must belong to Jingzhao Prefecture and cannot be handed over to the Ministry of Works."

Chu Suiliang waved his sleeves and pointed at Xu Jingzong, shouting, "Xu Jingzong! How much power do you have in Jingzhao Prefecture? Would you be happy if all the powers of the six ministries in the court were in your hands?"

Xu Jingzong asked with great interest, "What do you mean, Minister Chu? Are you saying that I am bullying you here by relying on the Crown Prince?"

Before Chu Suiliang could speak again, Xu Jingzong slammed the table and stood up, "Don't mention the prince. Everyone in the court and the country knows how I, Xu Jingzong, made Guanzhong rich."

"Stop discussing it. What are you discussing?" Chu Suiliang waved his sleeves and was about to leave.

"Minister Chu" Xu Yushi hurriedly stopped him and looked at Duke Zhao who was still sitting in the hall, and whispered: "Don't get angry, Duke Zhao is still sitting here, Duke Zhao will report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince about what was discussed today."

Chu Suiliang then sat back down, picked up the tea bowl and took a big sip.

The two sides started discussing again. Changsun Wuji knew that Chu Suiliang and Xu Jingzong had been angry with each other for a long time. The conflict had existed since Xu Jingzong took office in Jingzhao Prefecture.

Inside the palace, Li Chengqian was flying kites with Su Wan and Ning'er. The two children looked up at the kites with great joy.

Xiao Yutu said, "The four wise men said that I am quite talented and can learn anything very quickly."

Li Chengqian asked: "Really? Then what did you learn today?"

"Today, I learned to read the Analects from the four sages."

Su Wan held her waist, walked to her son and said, "Okay, read a sentence for me to hear."

Little Yutu scratched his head and said, "Learn and... learn..."

As expected, the child couldn't memorize a single sentence.

Su Wan sat down, holding her pregnant belly, but she didn't care. Yu Tu was only five years old, and it was too difficult for him to recite the Analects.

Little Yutu said, "I forgot."

Su Wan continued, "It's okay. You should learn from the four teachers. It's okay if you don't understand now. You must understand in the future."

"I know, kid."

He held his mother's hand and said, "Mom, I want to learn the art of war."

Su Wan asked in confusion: "Why do you want to learn the art of war?"

"I want to be a great general, like grandpa, and fight in all directions." After saying this, he made a gesture of shooting an arrow, making a "whoosh" sound from his mouth.

"I would like to take Lord Wei as my teacher."

Su Wan added: "You can't even recognize all the characters, and you still want to learn the art of war?"

Xiao Yutu asked seriously, "Now that the child can learn to read, can he learn the art of war?"

Su Wan added: "Listen to your father."

The eunuch came hurriedly with the memorial in his hand and said, "Your Highness, the Duke of Zhao's memorial was discussed by Minister Chu and Minister Xu for half a day before reaching a conclusion."

Li Chengqian was still holding the kite string in his hand and said, "Put it aside."

"Hey."

The eunuch couldn't help but smile as he looked at the family having fun.

Little Yutu, who was always resourceful, naturally didn't want to fly a kite. After telling his parents about it, he went to play with Aunt Mingda.

Xiao Yutu strode into the imperial city that was under construction, followed by two eunuchs.

Aunt Mingda is now working in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and she is the only one in the entire bureau on weekdays.

Before he reached the Taishijian, Xiao Yutu, who was walking and thinking about learning military tactics, bumped into someone head-on.

He looked up and said in surprise, "Uncle!"

Changsun Wuji bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness."

Xiao Yutu smiled and asked, "Does Uncle know the art of war?"

Chang Sun Wuji said: "I know a little."

Xiao Yutu, who was originally going to the Imperial History Bureau, immediately changed his mind and followed his uncle's footsteps, walking through the imperial city and all the way to the Secretariat. At this moment, many officials in the Secretariat were busy.

Little Yutu blinked his bright eyes vigorously, marveling at the piles of books piled up here.

Changsun Wuji walked into the Secretariat and sat down in the upper seat, ready to deal with today's state affairs.

When the officials saw the emperor's grandson, they all bowed. Little Yu Tu sat next to his uncle and looked at the documents on the table in surprise.

He looked up and asked, "Uncle, are all Tang Dynasty affairs handled here?"

Zhang Sun Wuji smiled and nodded, and approved a document while he was talking. He added: "Back then, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sat here to learn about government affairs. In just three or five days, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could handle government affairs that would take others a month to handle."

"Is my father really that amazing?" Little Yu Tu hesitated and said, "No wonder I am so gifted."

Changsun Wuji continued, "But studying politics and observing politics is a very boring and mentally exhausting task."

Xiao Yutu picked up a thick file and saw a lot of words. He blinked and said, "Uncle, what is written on it?"

Zhang Sun Wuji took a look and explained, "This is a letter from Silla, saying that the Japanese in the East China Sea sent envoys. They crossed the sea to the Tang Dynasty and were recommended by Silla's envoy Jin Chunqiu."

Xiao Yutu counted on his fingers, "Goguryeo people, Turkic people, Western Region people, Tibetan people, Nanzhao people, Japanese people..."

Changsun Wuji felt relieved. It seemed that Donggong must have given him careful instruction every day.

"Back then, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spent the entire day here studying politics, and he often asked me questions about government affairs. In addition to participating in government affairs, he also had to govern Guanzhong, and this lasted for more than ten years."

Little Yu Tu said, "My father is so diligent, Yu Tu will definitely follow his example."

Changsun Wuji nodded, ignored him, and continued to deal with today's state affairs.

After a while, he glanced sideways again and saw that the emperor's grandson had fallen asleep on a pile of documents with drooling.

Changsun Wuji shook his head and smiled.

When he woke up from a nap, he didn't know what time it was. It was still sunny outside. Little Yu Tu rubbed his eyes and asked, "Uncle?"

Changsun Wuji nodded again.

He scratched his messy hair, wiped his saliva with his sleeve, and sat on a pile of files with a dull look in his eyes.

The emperor's grandson seemed to be awake, but also seemed not to be awake.

After a long while, he finally stood up, stretched himself comfortably, and then strode away.

Originally, after discussing the restructuring of Jingzhao Prefecture, Changsun Wuji was in a bad mood, because the matter was once again dropped because Jingzhao Prefecture did not want to give up power.

In this regard, Changsun Wuji was somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace for letting Xu Jingzong go.

But today, when I saw the emperor's grandson, I felt particularly good.

The five-year-old Xiao Yutu was very busy every day. He had to listen to the lectures of the Four Sages every morning. He only had some time for himself after lunch in the afternoon. During this time, he could play freely as long as he did not get into trouble.

At night, little Yu Tu would learn to write. This was probably his entire day's life. Occasionally he would have a day off and play for the whole day.

At night, Li Chengqian looked at the memorial written by his uncle, which was the result of the meeting between Xu Jingzong and Chu Suiliang in Qianyang Hall today.

The future plans will also be written according to the results of this discussion.

Little Yutu and Little Lingque sat on their father's left and right, also holding pens and learning to write according to Ouyang Xun's calligraphy.

The square regular script characters look crooked in the hands of children.

The father, son and daughter were sitting at a long table, each holding a pen and writing.

In the quiet home, Su Wan saw this harmonious scene and read a book with a smile on her face.

Ning'er walked into the hall with the account book, and she slowed down her steps when she saw this scene.

"Ah..." Xiao Yutu's long yawn broke the silence. He put down his pen and said, "Dad, Mom... I'm sleepy."

Li Chengqian said: "Go to sleep."

"Yeah." Xiao Yutu went to wash up listlessly.

At the morning court the next day, Xu Jingzong was confronting a group of officials headed by Chu Suiliang.

The Secretariat wanted to divide the power of Jingzhao Prefecture, and Xu Jingzong naturally would not give it up easily.

Even though Xu Jingzong was alone in the court, he did not lose out at all when facing questions from dozens of people from the Secretariat.

Li Shimin listened to the quarrel in the hall with a gloomy face and felt annoyed.

Li Chengqian had a smile on his face. Xu Jingzong clearly realized the complexity of the six ministries in the court. If Jingzhao Prefecture was simply divided into six ministries, it would be the same as not splitting it at all. The function of Jingzhao Prefecture would no longer exist, and all government affairs would return to the previous process of three provinces and six ministries, without the efficiency and convenience of the original Jingzhao Prefecture.

Xu Jingzong knew the redundancy and troubles of the old system in the court. He also realized how convenient it was to do things in Jingzhao Prefecture now. He would not let Jingzhao Prefecture go back to its old ways.

One is the old court structure, while Jingzhao Prefecture is a newer structure.

After all, there is little subjective mobility among the six ministries in the current court.

The biggest advantage of Jingzhao Prefecture is its autonomous mobilization, which enables it to quickly enter various places and take over local affairs.

On the important issue of who is in charge, Xu Jingzong was very firm in his attitude and directly reported to the crown prince.

Seeing the two sides arguing endlessly, Li Chengqian stepped out of the court and said loudly: "Xu Shaoyin."

Xu Jingzong quickly bowed and said, "I am here."

"Jingzhao Prefecture and the Secretariat will arrange personnel to go to each county and village to inquire about the needs of the villagers. Specific matters must be handled specifically, and all aspects must be inquired. Manpower from each county must be recruited to inquire about what the villagers need."

"Here."

Li Chengqian added: "The six ministries have each retrieved their files and compared them with the files of Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Here."

In October of the 19th year of Zhenguan, the day when Luoyang officially entered winter, the court issued a decree to all counties, focusing on population, land and grain, to establish three departments of people, land and grain, and to set up supervision departments for housing and construction, commerce, education, agriculture and animal husbandry, water conservancy and municipal taxation.

He ordered all counties to coordinate the construction of the three new offices and six prisons, which would be presided over by the county magistrates.

Each county retained its original powers to assist the three offices and six supervision offices.

The Jingzhao Prefecture retained the authority to conduct public security and arrest, and was divided into two prefectures: public security and fire prevention.

Xu Jingzong, the Junior Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, was ordered to coordinate the work, and Liu Rengui, the Junior Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture, was ordered to supervise the work.

Zhang Da'an, the secretary of Jingzhao Prefecture, was in charge of the teaching supervision, agriculture and animal husbandry supervision, and water conservancy supervision.

Yan Qinli, the Secretary of Jingzhao Prefecture, was in charge of the city’s tax supervision, commercial supervision, and housing and construction supervision.

The three offices and six supervisors under the jurisdiction of each county were all managed by the two Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture and supervised by the Secretariat and the Censorate.

Under the leadership of the current prince, the county planning of the Tang Dynasty was once again subdivided, and more than 700 officials were added to Luoyang and Guanzhong and sent to various counties.

Changsun Wuji looked at the decree in his hand and suddenly coughed again. The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace once again centralized power.

This is the prince's real intention. The prince has never thought of dividing power between the Secretariat and the six ministries.

The emperor and his ministers sat on the tower. Li Shimin asked, "What do you think, Fu Ji?"

Chang Sun Wuji stopped coughing, took a deep breath, and said, "It is very complete and detailed, but the number of additional officials is still not enough."

“I think it’s too complicated.”

"Your Majesty, if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were here," he said with a long sigh, "then His Royal Highness would say that governing the country should be complicated."

(End of this chapter)