The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 456 The Most Determined General Protecting the Nation

"There's news, there's news!" A clerk came running over and shouted, "His Majesty has issued an order to abolish the Secretariat."

The Secretariat has been vacant for many years, and no one has served in it since the Zhenguan period.

Everyone in the court and the public pricked up their ears, wanting to know the news from the palace. No one knew what the current emperor had said to Duke Ying, Ma Zhou, and Yu Zhining.

After noon, Cen Wenben walked out of the palace leaning on a cane. As the old man appeared, officials along the way in the imperial city bowed to him.

Since Prime Minister Fang, Duke Zhao, and Duke Zheng, another old minister has left the court.

Cen Wenben may be the last old minister of the Secretariat who has remained in the court since the Zhenguan period.

From then on, the transition from the Zhenguan period to the present seems to have been completed.

Another decree came from the palace.

People listened to the imperial edict, and Ma Zhou continued to serve as the Minister of Personnel while serving as the Shizhong, presided over the imperial examinations over the years, and merged the Chongwenguan into the Ministry of Personnel.

The second decree followed immediately, Yu Zhining was appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Minister of War, and part of the construction power of the Ministry of Works was merged into the Ministry of War.

Duke Ying led the troops across the country and rebuilt the military prefectures and cities.

At this point, a new structure was established in the court, with Duke Ying, Ma Zhou, and Yu Zhining jointly managing state affairs.

In the new palace, after Yu Zhining and Ma Zhou had left, Li Chengqian kept Yinggong alone to have tea.

Li Chengqian said: "This year's new tea has not yet been delivered, so I only have old tea left."

Your Majesty's hobbies are actually very simple, just fishing and drinking tea. For emperors of all dynasties, Your Majesty's hobbies are truly a blessing to the country.

Li Ji stroked his beard and smiled, "I just like to drink old tea."

Outside, Lord Ying was fully aware of the heavy responsibility he shouldered for Zhenguan and the present dynasty, and he was always serious in his daily life. The more powerful he was, the less likely he would allow strangers to approach him.

All the officials in the court were very cautious when facing Duke Ying.

Only in front of Your Majesty, Duke Ying is as friendly as an elder next door.

Whether it is Yu Zhining or Ma Zhou, as long as they are people who endanger the Li Tang country, Duke Ying is willing to help Your Majesty eliminate them.

Li Chengqian drank his tea and said, "I heard that Lord Ying left his grandson in the Western Regions and never let him come back?"

After hearing His Majesty talking about family matters, Li Ji placed his hands on his knees and said, "He is not the only grandson of mine."

This was Duke Ying's own business, so Li Chengqian didn't ask too much, although even if he asked, Duke Ying would tell the truth.

"I have reduced the authority of the Ministry of Industry and strengthened the authority of the Ministry of War."

Li Ji replied: "I will have more contact with the Ministry of War in the future. The construction of the guards in various places still requires the help of the Ministry of War."

Li Chengqian nodded, took a book from the bookshelf, placed it in front of Duke Ying, and said, "This is the military book that Duke Wei gave me before he died. He asked me to give it to the right person."

Upon learning that it was the military book left by Li Jing, Li Ji's expression became more solemn.

"Who do you think I should hand it over to?"

Li Ji said: "I watched Your Majesty grow up, and I practiced archery hard in the East Palace."

Li Chengqian nodded, "It's the same now."

"I dare not make a rash judgment."

When it comes to the relationship between the monarch and his subjects, the relationship between Duke Ying and Your Majesty is the most special. Duke Ying watched Your Majesty ascend the throne from the East Palace, and he is also one of the few old ministers in the court who knows Your Majesty best.

Li Ji knew that His Majesty had always been a child who yearned for power since he was young, so he said, "Your Majesty hopes to reform the six ministries in the court."

Hearing Yinggong's words, which spoke out his true feelings in one sentence, Li Chengqian smiled with relief and explained, "We'll take it step by step. Now is just the beginning."

Li Ji nodded.

The conversation was very long and the eunuchs all saw it. Duke Ying was the most trusted minister of Your Majesty, and Duke Ying also trusted Your Majesty very much.

No matter what Your Majesty wants to do, even if it was to launch the Pamir War against all odds, Duke Ying would stand by Your Majesty.

Therefore, Duke Ying always nodded in agreement to Your Majesty's words, and stood firmly beside Your Majesty to clear away obstacles for Your Majesty.

Even if it means killing the newly appointed Ma Zhou and Yu Zhining, as long as Your Majesty says the word, Duke Ying will wield the butcher knife without hesitation.

Even though Duke Ying guessed that His Majesty wanted to reform the six ministries in the court, he still nodded to such a bold idea.

This is the most determined general who defended the country in the Li Tang Empire.

When Duke Ying walked out of Chengtian Gate, the ministers stopped trying to get news, as everyone who should know already knew.

After Cen Wenben retired, he came to the Duke of Liang's Mansion.

Fang Xuanling lay on his side on the couch, which was carried by servants into the sunlight.

Cen Wenben stepped forward and said, "Prime Minister Fang."

"Yes." Fang Xuanling smiled when he heard the familiar address and said, "Only old friends like you would address me like this. Those young people all address me as Lord Liang respectfully."

Cen Wenben took the chair handed to him by Madam Liang Guo, sat aside and said, "I am also old."

Fang Xuanling raised his eyes slightly, observed him and said, "How come you are older than me?"

Cen Wenben whispered: "People never know when they will get old."

Fang Xuanling, who was over seventy years old, said again: "You are obviously more than ten years younger than me."

Cen Wenben leaned on his cane and said, "I am old, ten years is nothing."

Fang Xuanling asked the servant to help him sit up and asked, "Your Majesty, there is no minister to assist you now?"

Cen Wenben shook his head, "No more, His Majesty doesn't need us old people, oh... there is also a Lord Ying."

Fang Xuanling sat facing the wind, his messy hair and beard fluttering in the wind, and said, "Your Majesty will have to walk the rest of the way on your own."

Cen Wenben remained silent.

No one knows what the future will be like, but today’s court is harsh and optimistic. At least it won’t be worse than before, this is what everyone recognizes.

Today in the Taiji Hall, Shangguan Yi and Jiang Shiren had a fight because the Qianniu Guards led by Jiang Shiren disobeyed the Ministry of War's discipline.

Originally, this matter had nothing to do with the Censor, but Pei Yan knew that he was alone and weak, so he also involved the Censorate.

Shangguan Yi highly regarded Pei Yan, a member of the younger generation, and stood up for Pei Yan in the court, which led to a fight.

Wang Xuance, Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui and others all lowered their heads, pretending not to know Jiang Shiren.

Jiang Shiren had been away from Chang'an for more than two years, and he didn't know how powerful the censors were now.

Shangguan Yi's good friend Xu Jingzong helped to mediate.

Finally, Wang Xuance took a quick look and saw that His Majesty was indifferent to the current situation, so he said, "You clerks should stop being so arrogant."

Now Pei Xingjian has been implicated and joined the dispute.

Li Chengqian retired from the court, but everyone was still fighting in the Taiji Hall.

Lai Ji walked out of the Taiji Hall, writing as he walked. There were several words written in the history book: The fifth year of Qianqing, spring, April, the Grain Rain season, he died of illness during this morning's court session.

The court became lively again with the presence of a group of young generals. Wang Xuance, Jiang Shiren, Pei Xingjian, Liang Jianfang and others replaced the positions of the old generals.

An old eunuch and a young eunuch were standing outside the Taiji Hall, waiting for the fight between the general and the ministers to end. The old eunuch said to him, "During the Zhenguan period, if the emperor saw his ministers in the Taiji Hall, he would scold them." The young eunuch nodded.

The old eunuch continued, "But His Majesty is different now. His Majesty never scolds or yells."

The young eunuch said, "Some people say that your Majesty is cold and indifferent."

The old eunuch shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is not a cold-hearted person. What is your name?"

"Wang Fusheng."

The old eunuch secretly took note of this ignorant young eunuch.

Finally, the fight in the Taiji Hall ended, and a group of medical officers walked into the hall with familiarity.

Shangguan Yi and Xu Jingzong supported each other as they walked out of the Taiji Hall and all the way out of Chengtian Gate.

Pei Yan was not allowed to enter the Taiji Hall yet. He stood outside Chengtian Gate and saw someone coming out. He quickly stepped forward and said, "I feel guilty for letting Doctor Shangguan take the lead because of the Ministry of War..."

"No need!" Shangguan Yi waved his hand and said, "Pei Yan, remember this!"

Pei Yan hurriedly saluted.

Shangguan Yi gritted his teeth and said, "If you can't defeat those generals in the court, don't have a foothold in the court in the future."

Pei Yan felt a chill in his heart.

Xu Jingzong gave the young man a critical look and continued walking, supporting Shangguan Yi.

Today, Shangguan Yi taught Pei Yan a lesson, that is, as a civil official, you must never be afraid of military generals. If you are afraid of military generals, they will become more and more aggressive. As a result, the contradictions between civil and military officials in the court became more and more serious under this atmosphere.

Your Majesty is not concerned about everything, and has never cared about this kind of brutal trend.

He even consciously or unconsciously hoped that the civil servants would be as fierce as wolves and tigers, and that the military generals would remain strong and tough.

The civil servants during the Zhenguan period were considered to be quite tough, and those during the Qianqing period were even worse.

Lai Ji accidentally heard the conversation between Shangguan Yi and Pei Yan, and wrote about this situation in the history book while walking.

After finishing writing, Lai Ji felt very satisfied. Looking through the records of the past two years, he felt that the history of the Tang Dynasty was really full of ups and downs.

The sun was shining brightly during the Grain Rain season. Lai Ji was walking in the imperial city and saw a group of generals helping each other as they walked out of Chengtian Gate.

The military generals in the court were so united that Lai Ji once again wrote: the civil officials were brave, the military generals were fierce, and there was harmony between the court and the people.

The Silla people also transported dozens of carts of silver ore from Liaodong, which was used for state purposes as expected.

In recent years, with the arrival of silver mines every year, more and more Silla people, especially women, have been escorting the silver mines.

Silla women took the opportunity to join the escort team and accompanied them all the way to Chang'an. In this way, most Silla women stayed in Chang'an, and the Tang Dynasty still had Silla maids.

Li Chengqian looked at the letter sent by Gao Yanshou, which said that the Queen of Silla left behind a daughter who had grown up to be a beauty. She had long been thinking about His Majesty and was obsessed with His Majesty's charm and was willing to present her to the Heavenly Khan.

Looking at the contents of the letter, Li Chengqian suspected that this so-called daughter might be Gao Yanshou's own daughter.

He threw the letter aside and ignored it.

But as luck would have it, this letter was seen by Empress Su.

After reading the letter, Su Wan called a palace maid.

The maid hurriedly asked, "Does the Queen need to kill him?"

Su Wan said: "Pass the word down, if there is a noblewoman from Silla who really leaves Liaodong, kill her."

"Here."

Li Chengqian pretended to be unaware of the Queen's arrangements and went fishing by the Taiye Lake.

Li Yuan also held up the fishing rod and said, "Gao Yanshou has ambitions."

"Grandpa, Gao Yanshou was the garrison general appointed by our father."

After that, Li Chengqian continued: "Grandpa's advice is reasonable. I should pay more attention to the changes in people's hearts. Some people have changed."

"What are your plans?"

"Let Heichi Changzhi replace Gao Yanshou, and order Gao Yanshou to follow Ashina She'er in the northern expedition. Anyway, I don't know where he will end up on his way north."

Li Yuan nodded slowly, "It seems that Jin Chunqiu has never thought of sending you a beauty."

Jin Chunqiu is indeed very honest. He has enslaved the Japanese to mine over the years and has always stuck to his duties, delivering a certain amount of silver every year.

Instead, it was Gao Yanshou who showed his tail first.

Li Chengqian wrote an imperial edict on the fishing platform of Taiye Lake and ordered: "Submit it to the Ministry of War."

Li Yuan nodded, "But you must also be on guard against Jin Chunqiu. He still has a base in Silla, and he also owns a silver mine."

"My grandson will be on guard."

This grandson is so trustworthy that Li Yuan doesn't even need to give him too many instructions.

Li Yuan smiled and said, "Nowadays, more and more people in this world want to present you with beauties and treasures."

"Grandpa, only when the environment around you is not chaotic, can your grandson's heart be like this Taiye Lake."

Li Yuan pursed his lips and looked at the water in the pond. The water was calm and deep, just like his grandson's heart, unaffected by external things, calm and deep.

Gao Yanshou had good intentions and wanted to present a beauty to the emperor, or he might have done so out of selfish motives and wanted to gain the emperor's favor.

It was this action that ruined Gao Yanshou's future. If he had been sent to fight in Mobei, any general under Ashina She'er would probably have died in Mobei.

But the emperor could not always keep people at a distance, and Li Chengqian happily accepted the gift from Nanzhao.

The Nanzhao envoys presented a map. Today's Nanzhao territory borders Zhenla in the south, Tubo in the north, and Tang Dynasty in the east.

It was already a small and powerful country with 69 cities. Li Chengqian named the capital of Nanzhao Dali.

The Nanzhao envoys asked the Khan to issue an edict to establish the Chongwenguan and the Protectorate in Nanzhao, and even expressed their willingness to worship the Tang Dynasty as a father-son country.

After seeing off the Nanzhao envoy, Li Chengqian said in front of the Honglu Temple Minister Guo Zhengyi and the Minister of Rites Xu Jingzong: "I heard that the Erhai Lake in Nanzhao is very beautiful."

Xu Jingzong understood and said, "I will discuss with the Ministry of War and set up the Protectorate on the shore of Erhai Lake."

Guo Zhengyi said: "Now Nanzhao is sitting on a rich land with several rivers flowing through it, and it also borders Tubo. I am afraid they may have rebellious intentions."

Xu Jingzong added: "Mr. Guo Si, Nanzhao has now pledged allegiance to the Tang Dynasty."

This is not paying homage, this is worshipping the Khan as the king and father.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Yes, that's right. Since they have already pledged their loyalty, there is no need to speculate on their rebellious intentions. Guo Siqing is not wrong in what he said. The court must be on guard. Let Nanzhao continue to send troops to conquer Zhenla and Pyu."

Guo Zhengyi and Xu Jingzong bowed together and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

In the summer of the fifth year of Qianqing, Li Chengqian summoned Songtsen Gampo and Ying Gong again. The three of them sat outside the Xingqing Hall and tasted this year's new tea.

While in Chang'an, Zhang Xuanbi wrote a letter to criticize his son. In the letter, he said how wise the current emperor was, and that even Di Renjie, Pei Yan and others were more promising than him. He scolded his son in the letter.

Zhang Xuanbi's second son, Zhang Huizhi, secretly glanced at his father's letter and said in high spirits, "My brother is not making progress. It seems that I need my son to revive the family tradition."

(End of this chapter)