The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 408: An Upright Man

In a struggle involving the collective, personal emotions and interests are not worth considering.

In other words, in the hands of a powerful emperor, who had hundreds of censors as ferocious as wolves and tigers, their personal struggles seemed very insignificant during their march south.

Groups of rebellious people, who were labeled as traitors, were taken to the Western Regions.

The joys and sorrows of an individual ultimately turned into silence and quiet footsteps in an anti-popular collective. At least one could still breathe and was still alive.

Compared to the heads on the ground, their situation is much better.

But from the perspective of morality and justice, in the eyes of the world, they are anti-people because they are against the government.

Fortunately, the emperor at least did not kill their three clans.

All in all, the struggle between the aristocratic families and the emperor was more intense than since the Jin Dynasty or before the Sui Dynasty, and exterminating an entire family was just a small matter.

That year, during the Gaopingling Incident, Sima Yi exterminated the three clans of the Cao family and killed seven thousand people.

Another 30,000 people were killed in the Liaodong Campaign.

Among them, there were several clans supporting the Cao family, such as Deng, He, Ding, Bi, and Zhang. Three of them were exterminated. The Book of Jin records that all men and women, young and old, including aunts, sisters, and married women were killed.

It is unknown whether the so-called suitable people, whether they were like human beings or could speak human language, were all killed.

Perhaps from that time on, the bloodbath between the aristocratic families and the imperial court began.

Therefore, there is no need to argue that the current emperor is still merciful. Saving the lives of thousands of people and sending them to the Western Regions to plant trees is also a good deed.

As for the heads that fell to the ground, apart from the records in the national history, I am afraid no one will remember them in a few years.

When the officers and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty came to Yangzhou, they might feel that more than 10,000 people could not eat up all of Yangzhou.

But they didn't expect that more than 10,000 people were enough to destroy Yangzhou.

Di Zhixun watched the group of anti-civilians walking further and further away, and he also walked back into the city of Chang'an, returning to the Ministry of Justice with the list of prisoners in his hand.

But he heard Minister Liu talking to several officials.

Di Zhixun put the list back on the bookshelf beside him, and then stood aside. He heard that Minister Liu was also going to Yangzhou.

Officials including the six ministers of the Tang Dynasty were often sent to other places, and this had been the case since the Wude period.

Therefore, just like Your Majesty now, the ministers of various departments will be sent to the countryside.

However, this time, the place that the Minister of Justice Liu Dewei was going was a bit far, to Yangzhou.

After finishing his words, Di Zhixun saw Liu Dewei looking at him, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Minister Liu."

This Minister of Punishments, who participated in suppressing Wang Shichong's rebellion during the Wude period, has been in this position for more than twenty years and is now sixty years old.

Liu Dewei walked out of the Ministry of Justice's office, his gray beard fluttering in the wind. He whispered, "In fact, this time, I have resigned from my post to His Majesty."

Hearing this, Di Zhixun's expression was moved. He raised his eyes and looked around. Fortunately, no one else heard what he said.

"You are a very down-to-earth person. It would be great for someone like you to be the Minister of Justice."

Di Zhixun bowed and said, "I really don't deserve this."

Liu Dewei smiled and said, "I will go to Yangzhou to help Your Majesty pacify Yangzhou and other places in the south of the Yangtze River. I will not come back. If there are still years to spare, I will be in Yangzhou City, waiting for you to visit me."

Listening to the old voice, Di Zhixun bowed deeply.

"Yes, I almost forgot." Liu Dewei smiled and said, "Your son is now following the King of Jin in Yangzhou?"

"The letter I sent home earlier said he went to Yangzhou."

Liu Dewei nodded and said, "I will go see him."

The autumn rain was still drizzling outside. Di Zhixun said, "Minister Liu, are you considering another candidate for the position of Minister of Justice?"

Liu Dewei coughed twice and shook his head, "I recommended you to His Majesty. When you were reading the imperial edict to those criminals, His Majesty agreed to let you serve as the Minister of Justice in the future. Don't refuse. The court is in need of talents right now, and it is what a young man like you should do."

Looking at the rainy scene in the sky, the rain became much lighter. Liu Dewei walked into the rain, waved his hand and refused to let Di Zhixun see him off, and walked alone in the imperial city.

Di Zhixun looked at the old man who was like a teacher to him, and stood in his place and bowed again.

The rain was not heavy and the drizzle stopped for a while. Liu Dewei walked to the door of the Ministry of Rites and saw a young man walking out in a hurry.

When the other party saw someone in official uniform, he bowed and saluted.

Looking at the young man who bowed, Liu Dewei asked, "Whose child are you and what are you doing in the imperial city?"

The child replied: "I am Pei Yan, and I came to the imperial city to help Minister Xu and approve the documents."

"You are not even an adult yet, but you are able to review documents in the imperial court?"

Facing the question from the old man in front of him, Pei Yan replied cautiously: "It is true that I have not participated in the imperial examination yet. I am currently studying at the Hongwen Academy."

Hearing this, Liu Dewei understood and said, "I remember that you are the young talent from Shanxi. The nobles from all over Shanxi recommended you to enter the court, but you insisted on studying in the Hongwen Academy, hoping to pass the imperial examination on your own. Is that right?"

Pei Yan's face flushed, and he said, "Yes, boy, why does this old gentleman know so clearly?"

Liu Dewei said: "The Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate know enough information, don't they?"

As they were talking, they had already walked out of the Suzaku Gate. Liu Dewei led a group of officials and got on the carriage, heading all the way to Luoyang. After arriving in Luoyang, they would go south to Yangzhou.

Pei Yan was indeed a very talented child. Xu Jingzong liked the calligraphy of this child very much. Not only was his calligraphy good, but his talent was also remarkable.

But this child does not understand the essentials of the current government. Xu Jingzong ordered: "Why doesn't this child go to Chongwenguan?"

A clerk at the side said, "All the teachers in Chongwen Hall are teachers who are here to teach."

Xu Jingzong said: "Such a good seedling cannot be wasted."

The clerk smiled and nodded.

After finishing the current tasks, Xu Jingzong also got off duty. He saw that the office of the Honglu Temple was still brightly lit, probably because Guo Zhengyi and others were still busy with state affairs.

Seeing that it was getting dark and the rain was getting heavier, Xu Jingzong found Su Tan who had just got off work at Chongwenguan.

Su Tan now lives in Anyifang in Chang'an City. This is a newly built market town. In the past, it was used to store weapons. Later, a group of houses were rebuilt here and the name was changed to Anyifang.

Your Majesty has built a lot of new houses here, and now these houses are still empty. Your Majesty's intention is to prepare houses for officials in the court, but many of the current officials are left over from the Zhenguan period and are not needed at the moment.

Su Tan lived here quite early.

Seeing that it was Xu Jingzong who came to visit, Su Tan invited someone to go into the house and said, "I wonder why Minister Xu came here at night?"

Although the man in front of him was only the head of Chongwen Hall, he was the father-in-law of the emperor and the head of the Guanzhong gentry. Xu Jingzong still saluted politely and said, "I am here to visit Head Su."

Su Tan had no aversion to Xu Jingzong. Although this man had a bad reputation, which was neither good nor bad, he was the most respected minister by His Majesty.

The two men saluted each other again. Xu Jingzong handed over a small wine pot and said, "This is the Xinfeng wine brewed this year."

Su Tan looked at the wine pot and did not immediately accept the other party's kindness. He said, "Minister Xu, is there something you want to ask me?"

Xu Jingzong explained: "Recently, there is a student in Hongwen Academy named Pei Yan. He is a promising talent, but all he has learned are classics and classics. It would be a pity if such a person only learns these."

At this point, Xu Jingzong opened the wine pot and poured some wine into the bowl, drank it in one gulp, and said, "I think such a talented person should come to your Chongwen Hall to have a look."

Su Tan said: "It turns out that Minister Xu came here to recommend talents for the country."

Then, he picked up the wine pot and poured himself a bowl of wine. He took a sip and grinned, then said, "In fact, Chongwenguan has always been open to the public. Our books are also in Hongwenguan. If Pei Yan wants to come, he can enter Chongwenguan to borrow books, but..."

Hearing the other party mention a "but", Xu Jingzong frowned again.

Su Tan said with some embarrassment: "I have a condition. If he can pass the imperial examination, can he teach outside for three years?"

"Why?"

Su Tan continued, "He is the son of an aristocratic family, and he has been recommended by aristocrats from all over the country. Such people need to be polished. Minister Xu thinks he is a talent, and in my opinion, he is a rough diamond. Besides, all future students of Chongwenguan need to teach first, and then serve as officials in the court."

Xu Jingzong hesitated and asked, "When was this rule established?"

"The rules set by your majesty are that students from Chongwenguan must first teach for three years before entering the court as officials. Don't worry, the quality of their teaching will not affect their official careers. Officials in the court must visit various places to better govern the country, right?"

Su Tan further explained: "After some time, the Minister of Personnel Ma Zhou will issue the decree, which will happen in the next two days."

Xu Jingzong understood and said, "That's good."

Su Tan asked his wife to bring food. He said with a smile, "How can such wine and drinks be without meat and vegetables? I will drink with Minister Xu."

"it is good."

After night fell in Guanzhong, Chang'an City returned to tranquility and the lights in the city began to gradually go out.

In the Liangyi Hall of the Imperial Palace, Li Chengqian looked at the account book in his hand. According to the original land situation in various parts of Yangzhou, 200,000 dan of taxes could be given to the court every year. However, previously it was only 40,000 to 50,000 dan per year, which means that at least 30% was leaked.

"In fact, the taxes from all over the Central Plains add up to a very rich country, but there is still a shortage of food in all parts of the Central Plains. This has been the case throughout the dynasties."

Seeing his father's distressed expression, Xiao Que'er said, "Then let them hand over all the money."

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "These four words are too heavy for some people."

"If they don't hand it over, then what's the difference between them and thieves?"

Li Chengqian picked up his seven-year-old daughter, walked to the window, and said, "You are right. In fact, someone has said so."

Little Magpie asked in confusion: "Who is it?"

"The Minister of Justice in the court, Liu Dewei."

"My daughter doesn't know me."

Seeing her shaking her head, Li Chengqian patiently explained, "He is an upright man and an important official to my father. However, he is old and will never come back after he finishes the things that need to be explained."

"Why don't you come back?"

Li Chengqian explained: "He is old and needs to be taken care of in his old age."

The palace was very quiet. Listening to His Majesty teaching the children, Su Wan smiled as she prepared the clothes for the change of seasons and cleaned up the palace.

In October of the second year of the Qianqing reign, Xu Jingzong and the Minister of the Honglu Temple Guo Zhengyi jointly submitted a memorial ordering Wang Xuance to go on a diplomatic mission to India.

His Majesty approved this memorial.

And today, news came from Liaodong that Jin Chunqiu led the Silla people, following the order of Tian Khan, to fight in the Japanese territory, conquered a large area of ​​Japanese territory, discovered many silver mines, and took over all the Japanese territory in the north. Now the situation has become a north-south confrontation.

Jin Chunqiu was very sensible and donated all the looted gold and silver to the Tang Dynasty.

Since the pre-Sui Dynasty, the Central Plains had had exchanges with the Japanese several times, but only this time, because a few Japanese looted at Baijiangkou, the Heavenly Khan ordered the massacre of the Japanese.

Such behavior frightened the barbarians.

The Tang Dynasty has always been a martial nation. If a Tang general does not conquer several countries during his expeditions, he cannot be called a famous general.

The emperor appointed Kim Chunchu as the commander-in-chief of the Silla army and ordered him to continue fighting against the Japanese.

After Xu Jingzong finished his report and received the emperor's order, he stood back in the court.

Among the military generals, no one was satisfied with the Silla people's achievements. Jin Chunqiu was too slow in attacking the Japanese. It took him a whole year to conquer only half of their territory.

Back then, Hou Junji's expedition to the Western Regions lasted only half a year.

In Chang'an City, Songtsen Gampo also learned of recent events. With just one word from the emperor, hundreds of heads fell to the ground.

At first, Songtsen Gampo thought that the Heavenly Khan should govern the world with benevolent policies and a policy of recuperation. This was roughly his understanding of the Heavenly Khan.

But now it seems that this Heavenly Khan is not a benevolent emperor, nor does he rule the world with benevolence.

After the morning court session, Li Chengqian still took care of his grandfather's daily life personally as usual.

Li Yuan was listening to Mingda speaking.

Recently, Mingda would come to visit grandpa often.

In front of the Wude Hall, Mingda was explaining the principle of pinhole imaging to his grandfather.

Li Chengqian sat aside and listened.

Grandpa didn’t understand, so Mingda had to repeat it many times.

Li Chengqian was drinking tea and watching this scene with a smile on his face. He asked the eunuch beside him, "Did Grandpa sleep well recently?"

The eunuch replied, "He sleeps very well, snoring like thunder every night."

Li Chengqian nodded.

Mingda came over with a bow and said, "Brother, Grandpa said he wanted to see you practice archery."

Li Chengqian took the longbow and said, "Okay."

Just like back then, Li Yuan looked at his grandson, who was standing in front of the Wude Hall, drawing his bow and shooting an arrow at a target in the distance.

Li Yuan had a smile on his face, and time seemed to have gone back to the past.

"My grandson is good at archery."

Mingda saw her grandfather’s smile, she turned her head and quietly wiped away her tears.

(End of this chapter)