A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 418: Human face and peach blossom complement each other

Changan.

In the Taiji Palace, the timekeeper looked at the arrow markings on the water clock spout and announced the time in a loud voice.

"The first quarter of the hour of Chen (7-9 AM)!"

Inside the palace, on the throne, Li Yuan took out a yellow silk edict and handed it to Feng Deyi, the Grand Secretary.

Above the emperor's head was a three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) caisson ceiling with a giant coiled dragon in the center, surrounded by sixteen smaller golden dragons.

"King Qin, receive the edict." Feng Deyi took out the ivory and yellow silk edict, which was an edict appointing Li Shimin as the Grand Marshal of the Hebei Army.

"Grand Commandant and Minister of Works, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Chancellor, Governor of Yongzhou, General of the Twelve Guards, Grand Chancellor of the Shaanxi East Circuit, Pillar of State, Prince Shimin of Qin"
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Hebei Army, and overall commander of military affairs in Youzhou, Yizhou, Dingzhou, Weizhou, and other prefectures.

Minister of War, Duke Jiang Qututong, stepped forward with a sandalwood box and took out a military command token engraved with the Big Dipper.

Li Shimin received the imperial edict and the tally.

Right Minister Pei Ji stepped forward, holding an ivory tablet. “Your Majesty,” he said, “I request that an Imperial Commissioner be appointed to oversee the supply of provisions, pacify powerful families, and provide relief to refugees. This commissioner should be a respected and influential official from the Hebei gentry.”

Li Yuan looked at his old colleague, who stood at the head of the civil officials in his purple robe and jade belt.
Currently, there is a Pacification Ambassador for Hebei Province. Li Yi is the Pacification Ambassador for Hebei Province in Henan. Pei Ji has requested the appointment of a new Pacification Ambassador for Hebei Province, and even said that the position should be filled by a minister from a prestigious family in Hebei. This undoubtedly means that the person in charge should be replaced.

“Pei Jian, Li Yi is the ambassador of Henan and Hebei,” Li Yuan said.

"Your Majesty, I understand, but with the army currently campaigning in Hebei and the Duke of Jin stationed in Luoyang, primarily focused on pacifying Henan, he may not be able to attend to Hebei. It would be better to establish a separate Hebei Pacification Commissioner, capable of both appeasing powerful clans and overseeing the transport of provisions."

The Duke of Jin can simply focus on guarding Henan.

"Does Supervisor Pei have a suitable candidate?"

"I recommend Zheng Shanguo, the Left Vice-Minister of the Crown Prince and concurrently Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, as the Pacification Ambassador, and Lu Chisong, the Crown Prince's Chief of Staff, and Cui Mingan, the Vice-Minister of the Palace Secretariat, as his deputies."

Zheng Shanguo was the head of the Xingyang Zheng clan, one of the five surnames and seven families; Lu Chisong was from the Fanyang Lu clan, also one of the five surnames; and Cui Mingan was from the second branch of the Boling Cui clan, another of the five surnames.
These three men are all from the five prominent families and seven influential clans of Shandong. They are also highly regarded in the current government.

Cui Mingan had previously accompanied Li Shentong to pacify Shandong.

During the Tang Dynasty, Shandong and Hebei basically referred to the same area: east of the Taihang Mountains and north of the Yellow River.

The emperor stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.

Before the King of Qin and others could react, he immediately gave permission.

Therefore, Li Shimin was appointed as the Grand Marshal, with Prince Qi, Li Yuanji, and Yin Kaishan, the Minister of War, as his deputies.

Zheng Shanguo, Lu Chisong, and Cui Mingan were appointed as pacification envoys.

Li Shimin frowned slightly.
If an expeditionary force has been established here, there is no need to appoint a pacification commissioner. The pacification commissioner already has military power, but now an expeditionary force has been established with him as the commander, and three pacification commissioners, one as the commander and one as the deputy commander, have been selected.

The emperor also specifically stipulated that the pacification commissioner would be responsible for overseeing the transport of grain and fodder.
Their own logistics were now under their control.

Two of these three were officials in the Crown Prince's Palace, and Cui Mingan also had close ties with the Crown Prince.

Li Shimin suspected that this was not a spur-of-the-moment suggestion by Pei Ji, but rather a pre-planned scheme, and that the emperor himself had even discussed the matter beforehand.

From now on, all provisions and fodder will be handed over to the officials of the Crown Prince's Palace.

The Grand Secretary Feng Deyi drafted the edict on the spot, and the Chamberlain Chen Shuda affixed the seal.

Cui Mingan, who had been reappointed as the Deputy Pacification Commissioner, produced a memorial. "Your Majesty," he said, "this is the genealogy of forty-four families from five prominent clans and seven prestigious families in Shandong."

Of the five surnames and seven prominent families, forty-four have become the most influential and respected.

Li Yuan accepted it.

Upon closer inspection, these forty-four families were also known as the Five Surnames and Ten Families, holding the top position among the most prestigious clans in the land.

"Six sons of Li Bao of Longxi in the Northern Wei Dynasty, four sons of Wang Qiong of Taiyuan, three sons of Zheng Wen of Xingyang, four sons of Lu Dushi of Fanyang, six sons of Lu Fu, six sons of Lu Pu, two sons of Cui Zongbo of Qinghe, two sons of Cui Yuansun, eight sons of Cui Yi of Boling in the Former Yan Dynasty, and four sons of Li Kai of Zhaojun in the Western Jin Dynasty. These are forty-four people from seven surnames and ten families."

The genealogy presented by Cui Mingan is that of this family of forty-four.

Five surnames and seven prominent families, seven powerful clans, under which there are forty-four branches; this is the true Five Surnames Clan.

Even the Li family, the imperial family of the Tang Dynasty, although they themselves came from the Li family of Longxi, were not among the ten surnames and forty-four families of the imperial family.

Both Li Bao and Li Yuan's families were descendants of the kings of Western Liang, but Li Bao later moved to Northern Wei, and his six sons became powerful clans in Shandong.

Apart from the six branches descended from Li Bao's sixth son, the rest of the Longxi Li families, including the imperial Li family, were not among the five surnames and ten clans.

The name Zhao Jun Li specifically refers to the fourth branch of Li Kai's family after his four sons.

The Lu family of Fanyang had fourteen families, the Cui family of Qinghe had four families, and the Cui family of Boling had eight families.

Zheng Shanguo, Lu Chisong, and Cui Mingan were among these forty-four families.

Cui Mingan presented this genealogy, implying that as long as the imperial court appeased and won over these forty-four families, Hebei would be able to secure victory.

Looking at these families, Li Yuan felt a headache coming on. He was well aware of the influence of these families. His sister had married into the Wang family of Taiyuan, and she was even becoming a second wife for a member of the Wang family.

He arranged for his eldest son to marry a woman from the Zheng family in Xingyang, but it was extremely difficult. He waited until he was twenty-six years old before he was able to marry her.

"All those of the five surnames and seven clans listed in this genealogy, even those who are affiliated with Dou Jiande, will not be investigated. As long as they submit to the court, they will all be granted official titles and ranks."

"When the King of Qin campaigns against Hebei, he should be careful not to harm the five noble families and seven prominent clans, and not to damage their property."

Li Shimin was very dissatisfied.

Pei Ji stepped forward again. "Your Majesty," he said, "this old minister believes that with the Duke of Jin currently stationed in Luoyang and unable to attend to other matters, and with the court about to launch a campaign against Jing and Xiang, it is necessary for a minister to be stationed at the Xiangzhou Circuit."
Your subject suggests that Qu Tutong, Minister of War and Right Vice Minister of the Shaanxi-Eastern Circuit, be transferred to Right Vice Minister of the Xiangzhou Circuit, stationed in Xiangzhou. The Duke of Jin should no longer concurrently serve as Left Vice Minister of the Xiangzhou Circuit, but instead be appointed Left Vice Minister of the Shaanxi-Eastern Circuit, stationed in Luoyang, and concurrently serve as Pacification Commissioner of the Henan Circuit.

The emperor stroked his beard.

“Pei Jian’s words make sense. Let’s make some adjustments. Li Yi will be appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Shaanxi East Circuit, and will also be appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Henan Circuit and Minister of War.”

"Qu Tutong was transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Xiangzhou Circuit and concurrently Minister of Works."

The Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Imperial Son-in-Law, Feng Shaoqing, were appointed Right Vice Ministers of the Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit; Yin Kaishan was appointed Minister of War; Wen Daya was appointed Minister of Works; Guo Xingfang was appointed Minister of Civil Affairs; Lu Kuan concurrently served as Minister of Personnel; and Han Liang was appointed Left Vice Minister of the Grand Secretariat.
Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, Yu Zhining, Xue Shou, Su Shichang, Changsun Cao and others served as secretaries of various departments of the Grand Secretariat.

The Grand Secretary Feng Deyi was appointed as the Chief Secretary of Li Shimin's Army Headquarters, and the Vice Grand Secretary Tang Jian was appointed as the Military Advisor.

In this series of transfers,
The most noteworthy change was the swap between Li Yi and Qu Tutong. Qu Tutong had been the Prince of Qin's deputy for the past few years, especially after Liu Wenjing's death. As Minister of War, Qu Tutong served as deputy general in both the campaigns against Hedong and the attack on Luoyang.
He was also the Grand Administrator of Shaanxi East Circuit, and he always stayed there to assist him.

Now, however, he was transferred to Xiangyang by imperial decree, and his position as Minister of War was changed to Minister of Works.

Li Yi was always considered an official of the Eastern Palace, given his position as Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and concurrently Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince. He had previously served as Left Vice Minister of the Xiangzhou Administrative Office, then Left Vice Minister of the Shanzhou Administrative Office, and later added the titles of Minister of War and Pacification Commissioner of Henan Circuit. Many felt this was the emperor's way of infiltrating the Shaanxi Circuit.
When the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat, the Prince of Qin, went on a campaign against Hebei, Li Yi, who was also an official of the Eastern Palace, took charge of the affairs of the Imperial Secretariat.

The Right Minister Feng Shaoshi was the emperor's eldest son-in-law, and it is said that, like Dou Dan, he was closer to the crown prince.

Wen Daya and Lu Kuan were both trusted confidants of the emperor.

Guo Xingfang was also from the Crown Prince's palace.

In this way, the Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit included many people from the Eastern Palace and the Emperor, and they were no longer all Qin King's men.

At the foot of Mount Beiman, on the upper reaches of the Chan River.

The cherry trees in Cherry Valley have just finished blooming with white blossoms. In late spring, the cherry blossoms have faded, and small green fruits are sprouting.

Zheng Rou Niang's carriage drove into the manor, crunching over fallen flowers.

The car curtain opens.

Two female maids disguised as men helped Zheng Rou Niang out of the carriage; she was draped in a light blue veil.

"Zheng Rou Niang from Xingyang has come to pay her respects to the Minister of Works. Please inform him of this."

In the manor,
Li Yi took advantage of his ten-day break to bring Huo Shi here for a vacation.

Upon hearing Song Yi's report, he was somewhat surprised, "Why has the young lady from the Zheng family come to our door?"

Song Yi said, "Ah Lang, have you forgotten? I sent Zhang Sima to investigate the Zheng family before. That young lady Zheng's half-brother is currently being investigated for an assault case."

"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it, but why did the Zheng family send an unmarried young woman to represent them?"

Song Yi said helplessly, "There are rumors in the streets that that Miss Zheng is engaged to A-lang and will soon become his concubine."

Huo Yu came over and said, "I just went outside to take a look. Although she was wearing a thin veil, I could vaguely tell that she was a beauty."

“There aren’t that many beauties,” Li Yi chuckled. “Besides, whether they’re beautiful or not isn’t the point.”

"Since we're already here, let's meet," Huo Yu said with a smile.

In the gazebo of the Cherry Orchard,

Li Yi met with that Madam Zheng.
Upon seeing Li Yi, Zheng Rou Niang immediately removed her thin veil. The girl said she wasn't a beauty, but she had a certain air about her.

She wore her hair in a simple bun, with minimal jewelry except for a jade hairpin and two ivory combs, none of which were glittering or gold; her hair was very elegant.

She wore a sky-blue dress and a crane-feather cloak over it.

“Sikong has detained my brother for three days,” Zheng Rou Niang said softly. “There is a misunderstanding between the Zheng family and Sikong. We are now willing to clarify this misunderstanding and hope that Sikong can be lenient.”

"Why was your brother detained?"

Zheng Rou Niang looked at Li Yi and said, "The Zheng family does not have much grain left. We are willing to provide 1,000 shi of grain to the General Manager's Office, and lend 3,000 bolts of silk and 1,000 guan of cash."

Li Yi chuckled and shook his head.

At this moment, Chen Lingjiao came in and said, "My lord, an official document has been delivered by fast horse from Luoyang."

Li Yi opened it and found an urgent military report.

Yin Ashu was killed by Meng Haigong.
Meng Haigong used Yin Ashu's head as a sacrifice to the flag, led 30,000 troops, occupied the two prefectures of Cao and Dai, rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, and submitted to Dou Jiande of Hebei.

This news did not surprise Li Yi; it was expected.

Yin Ashu and his followers were all killed by Meng Haigong, who got what he wanted.

"Master, the Zheng family can only offer a maximum of 1,500 shi of grain, 1,500 guan of cash, and 3,000 bolts of silk." Seeing that he remained silent, Zheng Rou Niang gritted her teeth and took the initiative to raise her offer.

Li Yi put away the official documents and stared directly at Zheng Rouniang, making her earlobes blush with embarrassment.

"What does Madam Zheng think about the Zheng family's intention to betroth you to me as a concubine?"

"Marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers, and I will follow my parents' arrangements."

"You've seen me today, what's your impression of me?"

Zheng Rouniang blushed and lowered her head, her voice very low: "Sikong is young and promising, and a handsome man."

"Hahaha," Li Yi laughed loudly.

Zheng Rou Niang's cheeks flushed.

"I have a good impression of Madam Zheng after meeting you today. If you are not satisfied with the marriage arranged by your family, you can tell me directly and I will refuse on your behalf."

“I have no complaints,” Zheng Rou Niang said, looking up at him.

"In that case, I will pay a visit to the elders of the Zheng family another day."

"Can my brother be sent home?"

"Your brother's matter is a minor one, a small fine will suffice. But let's keep things separate. As for my borrowing money and grain from the Zheng family, that's official business, not extortion. It's all for the sake of getting through these difficult times together."

I hope you will go back and tell the Zheng family that I know very well how much grain they have stored up, and I also know how much land, slaves, and money they possess.

I won't borrow much, just five thousand shi of grain, plus five thousand bolts of silk.

"Okay, I will relay that message to you."

Zheng Rouniang looked at the cherry trees outside the pavilion and said, "I came at the wrong time. The cherry blossoms in Chanhe have already faded, and the cherries are not yet ripe. I can't see the red cherry blossoms in Chanhe either."

Li Yi smiled and said, "The cherry blossoms have faded, but the peach blossoms are in full bloom. There are also hundreds of acres of peach orchards in the valley behind my manor. Right now, the peach blossoms are in full bloom all over the mountains and valleys. If Zheng Rouzi is willing, I can accompany you to take a look."

“Alright, thank you for accompanying me, Master Xie.” Zheng Rou Niang readily agreed without any hesitation.

"Let's go then."

The peach blossoms covering the mountains are beautiful, in no way inferior to the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

The peach blossoms and the maiden's face reflected each other's redness.
Peach blossoms smile in the spring breeze.

(End of this chapter)