The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 492: Officials in Groups
Beside the Taiye Lake, Li Chengqian ignored his beaten son. Even Empress Su, who was preparing a meal with Xiaofu, ignored her beaten son.

In the water pavilion of Taiye Lake, Li Chengqian was chewing a walnut, and in front of him were Qingque and Li Ke who were eating tea eggs.

"Brother, building so many official residences along the canal will consume too much manpower and resources."

Li Ke persuaded.

Li Tai ate the tea eggs and nodded, agreeing quite a bit.

After eating too many walnuts, Li Chengqian took a sip of hot water and put down the tea bowl.

Li Tai and Li Ke looked at each other and said nothing.

After the bowl was placed on the table, Li Chengqian took his hand back, sat upright and said, "The court is still well-off."

Li Ke said: "I have been walking along both sides of the canal recently and have seen many sons of noble families still complaining."

Li Tai said: "They just think that because of their status as a noble family, they think the court should give them the same rewards as previous dynasties, regardless of their talents and words and deeds."

"The imperial examination has been in place for more than ten years, and I feel that these people are still stubborn and unrepentant."

In Li Ke's opinion, the aristocratic families should be thrown into the coffin. It is not enough to just throw them in, nails need to be hammered into the coffin to prevent the aristocratic families as a group from being resurrected.

The three brothers were unanimous in their stance on stifling a class group.

Li Chengqian glanced at his father who was still fishing nearby, and then saw Li Zhi scolding Zhinu.

Zhinu is a child who seems to be missing a string in his brain and needs someone to remind him from time to time.

Li Ke picked up the persimmon cake on the table and ate it, saying, "Royal brother, can you lend Li Yi Mansion to me?"

"what are you up to?"

"I may have to kill a few people. They are all bad people."

The cold wind blew across the water pavilion, causing the thin ice on the water surface to fluctuate slightly.

Seeing that his brother did not agree immediately, Li Ke said, "I will submit the charges to the Censorate."

Li Chengqian said: "As long as the evidence is solid, we should arrest those who should be arrested. The law is merciless, so you don't have to worry."

Li Ke said sternly, "I will obey your orders."

Then I saw my father and uncle talking.

The family dinner is very lively. In fact, it is like this every year. Now that everyone has started their own family, it seems to be getting more lively every year.

Li Tai said: "Brother, the Literature Museum has drawn a map of the entire Pamir Mountains. The location of Little Bolor is indeed very important."

Li Chengqian picked up the roasted walnuts from the stove and peeled off the shells.

Li Tai continued, "Small Bolor is located in the northwest of Tubo and borders the Pamir Mountains. Back then, Wang Xuance came to the Pamir Mountains to help by passing through Small Bolor. This place must not fall into the hands of the Tubo people."

Li Ke said: "Although Tubo and Tang are on good terms now, but..."

Li Chengqian chewed a walnut and nodded, "I don't believe in alliances."

The current Tubo and the Tang Dynasty are allies, but only allies. History books have proven time and again the law of the jungle under the imperial system. This has nothing to do with alliances, but only with strength.

Li Ke said: "I heard that the small Bolor Kingdom wanted to worship my brother as the emperor several times."

Li Chengqian just smiled, ate walnuts by himself, and looked at the scenery of Taiye Lake in silence.

Li Tai signaled to Li Ke with his eyes.

Li Ke also nodded slightly, understood, and said no more.

When talking about alliances, we have to mention the reality. The reality is that under the barbaric rule of the jungle, each country only has what it has, and the emperor wants everything they have.

They never thought about any alliance. Only when they all became part of the Tang Dynasty would they be free from worries.

The same was true for Tubo and the Lesser Bolor, not to mention Nanzhao, Silla and India.

The sun appeared from behind the clouds, and its sunlight shone onto Taiye Lake.

When the little magpie came running to tell them the story, the family left the pavilion and had dinner together.

The Emperor and the Empress were taking care of a group of grandchildren. After dinner, Li Ke and Li Tai left early as they had to take charge of canal affairs.

Li Chengqian sat alone by the Taiye Lake, looking at the files in his hands. Coal had become an important resource in the Tang Dynasty, and honeycomb coal, a mixture of yellow mud and coal, had become a supply-side necessity.

The teachers of Chongwenguan were also required to teach the counties that stoves burning honeycomb coal could only be used outdoors.

Compared with development, the exploitation of these resources may not be a big deal.

"Qingque and Ke'er are both gone?"

"Yes." Li Chengqian nodded and replied, "Now I am less with them than with them."

Li Shimin sat down beside him, handed over the water bag for warming his hands, and said, "This is given to you by your daughter."

Li Chengqian took the hand warmer, put his hands on the bag, looked up at the blue sky and said, "Father, I am afraid I have to launch an expedition."

Li Shimin's black hair had a few white hairs. He let out a long sigh, closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun.

After talking to his uncle and mother, they left. Li Chengqian sat alone by the Taiye Lake, still looking at the file in his hands.

Is the Tang Dynasty going to go to war again?
This was a rumor circulating in Chang'an City. At the beginning of this year, the court sent two generals to leave Chang'an and go to the Western Regions. Now, more and more generals and officials were being sent to the Western Regions. The court also wanted to build the Four Anxi Towns. This was undoubtedly a signal that the Tang Dynasty was going to go to war again.

Some people also believe that the Tang Dynasty continuously sent generals and officials to the Western Regions to guard against the Tibetans.

Some people even refuted this view, saying that Tubo is currently preoccupied with its own internal affairs and will not set its sights on the Western Regions.

Wang Jiusi walked on the streets of Anyifang, listening to the discussions of people around him. Most of the people living here were officials, and the officials living here were also talking about matters in the court.

The Qianqing reign lasted for ten years. After the Zhenguan reign, it was the decade with the greatest changes, especially for the people in Chang'an City.

Wang Jiusi arrived at his door and saw Pei Yan cooking.

As it happened that he had not yet eaten, Wang Jiusi said, "I bought some mutton."

Pei Yan nodded and said, "Then let's have some food together. We still have to go to the court to be busy at noon."

"Yeah." Wang Jiusi nodded, took out his mutton, and the two sat together.

The pot on the stove is cooking rice porridge, which is very thick and has a rich aroma.

Pei Yan said: "This is the rice shipped from Liaodong."

Wang Jiusi took a sip of porridge and said, "I heard that Liaodong has had a bumper harvest for many years, and the granaries in Luoyang are almost full."

Pei Yan: “Yeah.” The current situation is that Luoyang is storing grain while also consuming it vigorously.

A lot of grain is also being transported to Guanzhong, so Guanzhong and Luoyang actually consume most of the rice in Liaodong.

According to the memorial from the Ministry of Agriculture, the farmland in Liaodong was vast and fertile, and the population was small, so most of the grain went south along the canal.

However, Guanzhong and Luoyang are densely populated and can consume food.

Pei Yan said: "Food in Liaodong is very cheap. A dou of rice may only cost two or three cents, but when it is transported to Luoyang, it costs eight cents."

Wang Jiusi ate his porridge and whispered, "I heard that there are three more Zhongshu Shilang in the Zhongshu Province this year?"

Pei Yan said: "Well, there are now eleven Zhongshu Shilang in the Zhongshu Province."

Pick up the pot again and put the stove outside the house, leaving the fire in the stove to burn. If other families want to use the stove, they can take it directly.

Those who lived in Anyifang were all officials, and the neighbors got along harmoniously. Occasionally, people would fight due to different political views, but this was normal and everyone was used to it.

The Qianqing period was different from the previous ones. The emperor always felt that there were not enough officials. He once increased the number of Zhongshu and Shilang to eleven. If this continues year after year, the number of Zhongshu and Shilang will probably increase to thirty or fifty?

Now it seems that this is the case.

There are not enough local officials, which is a current situation. There are also not enough officials in the court. What the emperor needs are capable ministers, and those who have been selected through the imperial examinations over the years are still not good enough.

When Pei Yan thought about the pile of things that needed to be done in the Ministry of War, he had a simple meal and went to the imperial city with Wang Jiusi.

The duties of the Taifu Temple and the Sinong Temple were roughly the same, but under the emperor's adjustment, land registration, agricultural supervision, and warehousing were all presided over by the Taifu Temple.

On the contrary, the Sino-Agricultural Temple is only responsible for crop cultivation. The current emperor has been reforming the three provinces, six ministries and nine temples.

Just like the current Secretariat, the number of civil servants in office in the Secretariat once reached more than sixty people.

Thinking again, these things had nothing to do with him, Pei Yan arrived in the imperial city and went straight into the official residence to handle today's official business.

This year's holiday was very short, only a few days, and the court officials returned early to work.

In the tenth year of the Qianqing reign, just after the Lantern Festival, another cartload of silver and money was pulled out of the palace and headed towards Luoyang through the Chunming Gate.

The emperor issued an edict, ordering General Niu Jinda to lead 3,000 soldiers to Xizhou, and ordering General of the Left Xue Rengui to lead 2,000 soldiers to Tingzhou.

The emperor once again sent additional troops to the Western Regions, this was the second time this year.

Just half a month after the Lantern Festival, a major event occurred in Xiaobolü. A Hu merchant named Murong Shun took over Xiaobolü with a group of soldiers and proclaimed himself the king of Xiaobolü.

Not only that, the small country of Bolor sent envoys to deliver a large amount of gold to the Heavenly Khan. A whole cart full of gold was shining in the sun.

For Murong Shun, if wealth cannot become an asset, it will be a huge loss for him.

Now, using a not-so-obvious means, he bought the small kingdom of Bolor and became the king of a small country.

No matter how much money Murong Shun made, his most successful deal until now was the acquisition of the small Kingdom of Bolor.

When Murong Shun became a king, he had a place to stand.

Li Chengqian was truly happy for this greedy yet loyal businessman. Now that he had his own foothold, he could develop his power. He had a place to store his wealth, and he also had the strength to protect it.

The Grain Rain season has not yet arrived, but Guanzhong is already in the busy farming season in early April.

The emperor issued an edict, Liu Rengui was appointed as the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture in Xizhou, and went to the Western Regions to build Jingzhao Prefecture in the Western Regions, and Yan Qinli was appointed as the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

The Minister of Rites Xu Jingzong, the Minister of Civil Affairs Chu Suiliang, and the Minister of Punishments Di Zhixun all served concurrently as Secretariat Assistant Ministers.

Therefore, the number of Zhongshu Shilang in the Secretariat increased to fourteen.

Today's emperor never sticks to the old ways, and his edicts change the current situation in the court.

There used to be only two vacancies for the position of Zhongshu Shilang, but the Zhongshu Province has now become a gathering place for capable officials in the court.

Any minister who has made achievements in the court can enter the Secretariat.

Because of these actions, Li Chengqian received many memorials of advice, all of which were words of advice not to arbitrarily change the official system.

To be honest, Li Chengqian felt that with the current busy situation in the court, would it take two Zhongshu Shilang forever?
Will the Tang Dynasty become strong?
A strong empire needs a group of capable ministers and a very large and powerful center.

Even if the Secretariat will grow to hundreds of people in the future, with nearly a hundred Secretariat Assistants, it would not matter.

On this road, the team of military generals in the court needs to be further expanded, and it would not be excessive to increase the number of military generals to at least 300, from the rank of Lieutenant General to 300.

Maybe in the future people will say that the court officials of the Tang Dynasty are worthless. Who says that court officials should be high and mighty and out of reach? This idea is wrong.

If everyone is devoted to the country and has no selfish motives, who would care about having a few more Zhongshu Shilang? First, the salaries were not cut, but the treatment and benefits were improved. Second, the official rank of Zhongshu Shilang was not lowered.

Therefore, except for those who are selfish in their pursuit of power, the rest of the people should be happy to accept it. Looking at these memorials of advice and remonstration, they all have some selfish motives to a greater or lesser extent.

It is natural for the vested interests to want to maintain their own status and prevent the emperor from reforming the court.

Li Chengqian walked along the ridge of the field, looking at Guanzhong during the busy farming season. Farmers busy at work could be seen everywhere in the fields. These ideas had to be realized step by step. He couldn't just say loudly to the court officials, "I want to make the court a new look, and you guys are not enough for me to use."

After hearing this, most of the court officials would bow down and apologize.

Songtsen Gampo followed behind the Heavenly Khan without saying a word.

Ma Zhou, who was already over fifty years old, walked beside His Majesty and asked, "Your Majesty, do you think these memorials of persuasion are not written correctly?"

Li Chengqian said: "I like reading these memorials very much. Their advice and admonitions are very reasonable."

Ma Zhou stroked his beard and nodded.

Your Majesty has been in power for ten years, and it has been like this for the past ten years. Your Majesty has never stopped court officials from making suggestions, but Your Majesty rarely corrects or accepts the suggestions.

Court officials often gave advice to the emperor, and the emperor would read every memorial of advice. After reading them, in most cases the emperor would ignore them.

Ma Zhou had no idea what His Majesty was thinking, he just stood there quietly.

"The river water is abundant this year, so it will probably be another year of bumper harvest." Chu Suiliang said.

"It is really gratifying to hear that Ashina She'er won many victories during his northern expedition." Xu Jingzong added.

Li Chengqian stopped, and the six ministers behind him also stopped.

Songtsen Gampo looked up at His Majesty's back, often watching the way this emperor governed the world. The gap in cognition made him feel that he had only learned the basics even now. This emperor was different from the emperors in history books.

Every spring and autumn, the emperor would personally leave Chang'an with the six ministers and travel around the counties in Guanzhong.

When Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince, he would often come in person to inspect the farming situation. Now, not only does Your Majesty inspect it in person, but he also brings all the civil and military officials in the court to inspect the counties together.

(End of this chapter)