The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 534: The Ministry of Rites

When I left Chang'an before, people were still talking about the new policies. Now that I have come back, there are even more people talking about the new policies.

"Bring that messenger up to me."

Hearing General Gao Kan's loud shout, Di Renjie looked back and asked the deputy general beside him, "What messenger? And you brought a messenger with you?"

General Pang replied, "It was the Arabs who captured the prisoner. He claimed that he could be the envoy of Ali. He went to see Ali and said that he brought Ali's words to the Khan."

General Pang, Pang Tongshan, usually doesn't talk much, but when he opens his mouth, he has a loud and clear voice.

Di Renjie bowed and explained, "I didn't know about this before."

Pang Tongshan replied: "Di Shuling, this was arranged by the general when we retreated from Congling."

Another official from the Ministry of War came hurriedly and said, "Everyone, you can go home and settle your families first. I will inform you when the court has made arrangements."

After saying this, the official left again.

Zhang Jianzhi said: "With the current ability of the court, it is easy to find someone in Chang'an City. You will not be left out. Just go home."

Di Renjie watched everyone leave and said, "I'm going home first."

Zhang Jianzhi asked in surprise, "Aren't you going to see the King of Jin?"

"No, I'm going to go see my parents first."

Zhang Jianzhi smiled again and said, "Okay."

Several generals who had returned from the Western Regions said goodbye on Zhuque Street. Di Renjie walked into an alley on Zhuque Street and observed his surroundings on his way home.

There have been great changes in Guanzhong, which can be seen from the Hexi Corridor all the way to Guanzhong. Many villages in Guanzhong counties have been renovated, the houses appear more orderly, the roads are straighter, and the road leading to Chang'an has fewer twists and turns.

The route he had taken from the Hexi Corridor emerged in Di Renjie's mind. The entire Guanzhong region was centered on Chang'an, with various counties surrounding Chang'an, forming circles of circular routes. There were newly built roads in all directions connecting Chang'an.

On the way home, Di Renjie also found that the road was much smoother and cleaner than before. It was still very cold that day, especially when the cold wind blew into the alley.

Di Renjie was so cold that he tightened his clothes. As he was walking, his neighbors saw him approaching and started talking to him in low voices.

The closer he got to home, the slower Di Renjie's pace became. When he reached the doorstep, he could hear voices from his family.

"You guys, clean the floor."

"Huaiying likes to eat spinach, what do you do with lotus root?"

"Where's the fish? Have you killed it?"

……

Before entering the house, Di Renjie heard his mother's commanding voice in the yard. In this family, my mother has always had the final say, and it is still the same now.

Di Renjie pushed the door open and walked in. The courtyard, which had been quite lively, suddenly became quiet for a moment.

Then came Di's mother's sharp voice. She shouted, "Still sleeping! The son is back, and you are still sleeping!"

Seeing my mother scolding loudly and my father coming out with sleepy eyes, Di Renjie smiled and said, "Dad, Mom."

Mother Di looked at her child and frowned, saying, "He has grown taller in the past two years and has a beard."

Di Renjie was also scratching his head.

The Di family is no longer the Di family that lived in Jingzhao Prefecture. Now Di Zhixun is the Minister of Justice in the court, and Di Renjie is a well-known general in the army. They have a large courtyard and servants at home.

Sitting at home, Di Renjie ate his meal with big mouthfuls and asked about the current changes in the court.

Di Zhixun drank his wine slowly and told his son about the situation. There have been many changes in the court nowadays. The assistant ministers of the Secretariat have been replaced several times. There are sixteen of them now, and it is not known how many there will be in the future.

Di Renjie listened to these words patiently. In the past, there were only three people in the Secretariat who could make decisions?

During the Zhenguan period, those who presided over the government were Duke Zhao, Prime Minister Fang and Duke Zheng.

I originally thought that the decision-making in the court would be headed by Duke Ying, and mainly consisted of five people: Ma Zhou, Yu Zhining, Xu Jingzong, and Chu Suiliang.

Now, if the sixteen secretaries and assistant ministers want to bypass these five pillars, as long as the sixteen assistant ministers are united enough, they can compete with these five, and even bypass Duke Ying and others, directly advise His Majesty, and execute the government orders.

Di Zhixun added: "Some people say that the current emperor is becoming more and more centralized, while the power of the court officials is becoming less and less. Now there is even a situation where the sixteen vice ministers of the Secretariat are competing against the six ministers of the six ministries. The Qianqing Dynasty has a strong emperor and weak officials."

Seeing his wife glaring at him again, Di Zhixun cleared his throat and said, "I'll just tell you these words, don't tell anyone else."

Di Renjie chewed a sheep bone and asked, "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

Di Zhixun shook his head and said, "I don't know whether it is good or bad. Some people say that this is your majesty's new policy. I just heard your majesty say something before, probably from Chu Suiliang, saying that the governance of the country has reached this stage, and collective wisdom and collective opinions are more important, while individual foresight is somewhat weak."

"So-called collective wisdom is a very vague thing." Di Zhixun took a sip of wine and said slowly, "It cannot be seen or touched. Whether it is good or bad, only future generations can judge. In fact, I really appreciate what your Majesty said."

Di Renjie asked: "What?"

Di Zhixun thought for a moment and sighed, "Your Majesty said that the behavior of the court should be regarded as the behavior of the country. Everyone in this world is a part of the country. How people live determines what the country should be like."

Di Renjie listened quietly.

Now that his son was back, Di Zhixun was happy and drank more. He was in high spirits and talked more.

They even talked about the arrangements in the army. This time, Pei Yan would definitely be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. A Vice Minister of the Ministry of War in his twenties was too young.

Di Zhixun added: "I don't know why the court placed you in the Dali Temple in the first place. Now it seems that the Ministry of Personnel thinks you are more suitable for Jingzhao Prefecture. You are most likely to be the next Shaoyin."

At this point, Di Zhixun laughed heartily again and said, "My son is over 20 years old and has already been promoted to the position of Junior Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture."

The father and son drank until very late. In the coming year, many people will be promoted, even many students from Chongwenguan, including Luo Binwang, Yao Chong and others.

Di Renjie then talked about the candidate for the position of Secretary of the Central Secretariat.

Di Zhixun explained, "Huaiying, don't underestimate the court's vision in selecting people. The court now values ​​a person's ability rather than his or her background. The sixteen Zhongshu assistant ministers, standing in the Zhongshu Province, are the best in terms of city taxes, land taxes, accounting, management, investigating people's sentiments, geography, river food, and even population."

"Let's talk about Xu Yushi, who was the director of the Luoyang River Supervisor..."

Di Zhixun talked more and more, and his mother sat beside him choosing new clothes for her son.

The night was beautiful tonight, with a bright moon and sparse stars. It was not until his father passed out that Di Renjie walked outside and took a breath of cold air. There was still unmelted snow in the corners of the yard, and the water in the basin outside the house had frozen into ice.

Di Renjie really likes Guanzhong's regular day and night cycle.

When I was in the Pamirs, sometimes I would just close my eyes for a moment and the day would dawn.

Sometimes, even though a long time has passed, the day is still pitch dark, and the sunshine is only brief when it appears.

Di Renjie did not go to bed tonight, but sat quietly at home, watching the sun rise from the east and shine into Chang'an City. No matter how cold the night was, the sunlight appeared as expected, and this feeling made Di Renjie feel particularly at ease.

The court had already taken a break, but when they heard that the army had brought a new Arab envoy, everyone in the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites, who were originally on break, became very distressed.

People often say harvest in autumn and store in winter, harvest in autumn and store in winter.

We should spend the winter, but something like this happened again. Xu Jingzong went out early, looking dissatisfied and a little angry.

In the cold and windy Chang'an City, few people were out and about in the early morning, and there were few pedestrians on the streets. After taking two steps, Xu Jingzong saw Guo Zhengyi, who was also walking towards the Suzaku Gate.

Guo Zhengyi, shrinking his neck in the cold wind, said with a smile, "Minister Xu."

Xu Jingzong exhaled hot air and said, "Why didn't this envoy die on the way?"

Guo Zhengyi added: "It's a pity that he didn't die."

Xu Jingzong shook his head and said, "What a pity."

The two of them walked towards the Suzaku Gate together and met Lu Zhaolin and a group of officials from the Ministry of Rites who had been waiting there.

When everyone saw Xu Jingzong coming, they all bowed to him.

Xu Jingzong nodded and led a group of more than ten people from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple into the Suzaku Gate. Behind the gate was the imperial city. The imperial city was particularly deserted now. After the winter solstice, it would be the coldest time of the year in Guanzhong.

In addition to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites was also busy.

The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Works are closed as normal.

There were several soldiers standing in front of the Ministry of Rites. They invited the envoy to the Ministry of Rites and put him under guard. It was more like an escort than an invitation.

Xu Jingzong strode into the Ministry of Rites, and a group of officials also walked into the somewhat dim government office.

Everyone sat down one by one, some chatting in low voices. Some were sorting files, some were grinding ink, some were loosening the frozen brushes, and some even lit the stove and boiled a pot of water.

These people are all very cultured and polite, and their conversations are also very humble and harmonious.

The Arab envoy knelt on the ground, looking at the Tang people around him. Just as he was about to speak, the person sitting at the top spoke first.

It was Xu Jingzong who spoke first. He asked Gao Kan, "General Gao, is it necessary for the court to meet this envoy?"

Gao Kan said: "This is what General Liang Jianfang ordered."

People were talking in low voices all around, and some were writing down their words.

Xu Jingzong looked at the Hu translator again and said lazily, "Messenger, what do you want to say?"

The Arab envoy spoke a few more words, and the Hu people translated: "He said that Ali is willing to be brothers with the Tang Dynasty and the Heavenly Khan."

Xu Jingzong smiled gently again.

The messenger also smiled gently.

Xu Jingzong picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of water.

Seeing this, the messenger smiled even more brightly.

Xu Jingzong slowly put down the tea bowl in his hand and asked, "So, what are the conditions for calling each other brothers?"

The messenger listened to the words translated by the Hu people and spoke a few more words.

"He said that Ali could hand over Mulu City to the Tang Dynasty, and with Mulu City as the boundary, the Arabs would rule the area west of Mulu City, and the Tang Dynasty would occupy the area north of Mulu City."

A clerk nearby recorded this conversation.

It's very quiet here and everyone looks calm.

Xu Jingzong asked again: "What about Tianzhu?"

The Arab envoy said: "Of course it belongs to the Tang Dynasty. Ali can promise not to compete with the Tang Dynasty for it."

Hearing this, Xu Jingzong looked at Gao Kan, "General Gao, is he really an envoy?"

Gao Kan said: "He claims to be an envoy from the Arabs."

Xu Jingzong asked again: "Does the envoy have anything else to say?"

The messenger smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. "Ali is willing to give the Khan countless gold."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Zheng slammed the table and stood up, shouting angrily: "Bullshit!"

Suddenly there was a loud scream, which frightened the messenger so much that he trembled.

There were also clerks who angrily scolded: "How could your mother give birth to such a thing as you?"

"Who gave you the courage to call the current emperor a brother?"

"Chop this bastard up!"

"Give me a knife, and I will go to the Arabs and kill Ali. One person from my family will be enough!"

Some officials pointed at the envoy and cursed loudly, "That bastard..."

At this moment, in the Ministry of Rites, more than ten people were pointing at the envoy and cursing loudly, with saliva flying everywhere.

Gao Kan had no choice but to retreat outside the house and listen to the insults, each one more vicious than the last.

When the cursing stopped, Xu Jingzong came out with Guo Zhengyi.

No matter how rudely they had cursed, once they stepped outside and appeared in front of the crowd, Xu Jingzong and Guo Zhengyi resumed their previous humble and polite attitude.

"General Gao, please take the person away. I will report to His Majesty right away."

Half a minute ago, Xu Jingzong was still cursing at the envoy, but in the blink of an eye he was so calm and composed. It was really unbelievable.

The momentum with which Xu Jingzong scolded the envoy was probably no less than that of those in the army.

The Ministry of Rites is the Ministry of Rites. I have finally experienced the legendary Gao Kan of the Ministry of Rites.

It was the coldest time of the year. Li Chengqian was looking at a plum tree that had just been planted in front of the new palace when the eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, Minister Xu is here."

Li Chengqian's eyes were still on the plum blossoms blooming in the cold wind, and he nodded slightly.

The eunuch understood and brought the person in. Xu Jingzong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I just met the Arab envoy."

"Tell me about it."

"Yes." Xu Jingzong straightened his words and said, "Ali said that he wanted to divide the territory with the Tang Dynasty with Mulu City as the boundary and govern it separately."

Li Chengqian retracted his gaze and looked up at the blue sky. "For so many years, I have never heard anyone talk about dividing the territory with the Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, should we send someone to ask Ali? To be honest with you, there are many people in the Ministry of Rites who are willing to go to the Arab Empire for the sake of the country, and are willing to kill Ali."

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "That's not necessary. I will discuss the matter of the Arabs and the Pamirs with Lord Ying. As for the envoy..."

Putting his hands in his sleeves, Li Chengqian frowned and said, "Kill the messenger."

Xu Jingzong bowed once more, and after receiving His Majesty's words, he went to make arrangements. He quickly walked out of Chengtian Gate and told the Minister of Honglu Temple Guo Zhengyi: "In the future, there is no need to send the envoys from the Arabs. I get annoyed when I see them. Tell General Gao to kill the envoy."

(End of this chapter)