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

Chapter 468 Rebellion against Tiangang
"The eighth day of the ninth lunar month is an auspicious day."

Zheng Xuandu, dressed in a blue robe, held a teacup. He quite liked the loose-leaf tea from Li Yi's family. Compared to various tea cakes and brewed teas, this kind of loose-leaf tea was more to his liking.

“My family said that Rou Niang will be married into the family on the eighth day of the month.”

Li Yi was indifferent to his brother-in-law, saying, "The autumn harvest has already begun. Look at those tens of thousands of acres of rice along the thirty-mile stretch of the Hao River. They're busy harvesting, threshing, and drying the rice, trying to get everything into the granary while the weather is good. There's no time to bring Rou Niang into the family now."

Zheng Xuandu frowned. This second son of the Duke of Xingyang was now serving as the Crown Prince's tutor in the Eastern Palace. It was the first official position that Li Yi had been granted, but Li Yi had refused it back then.

Zheng Xuandu, in his early twenties, was only a ninth-rank official in charge of the Crown Prince's office. However, this prestigious position was the best stepping stone for someone like him from a prominent family to rise to prominence.

"Lord Sikong, His Majesty has bestowed Rou Niang upon you as a concubine. This matter has been delayed for far too long; His Majesty and the Crown Prince have urged us several times."

Although the autumn harvest is over, the affairs of the fields are handled by the stewards, tenants, and servants; there's no need to trouble the Minister of Works.

On the eighth day of the month, my Zheng family held a wedding ceremony. The Minister of Works came to welcome us, and it was a lively and festive occasion, without causing any delays.

Li Yi ignored him, saying, "It's my family's rule that I always take my family to the fields, whether it's spring planting, summer harvest, or autumn harvest."

"Sikong now holds the titles of Prince, Three Dukes, and Prime Minister all in one, why would he still need to go to the ground?"

"That's called not forgetting your roots."

Zheng Xuandu was speechless after being rebuffed. "Minister, the auspicious day has already been chosen, and my family has already sent out the invitations. It's not appropriate to change it now."

Li Yi interrupted him, "Although I am taking a concubine by imperial decree, it is my business to decide when to bring your sister into the family. It is not your family's place to make that decision."

A few words were enough to make Zheng Xuandu's face turn red.

He was the second son of the five noble families of Xingyang Zheng clan, born of the legitimate wife. His father was the Left Vice Minister of the Crown Prince and the Minister of Civil Affairs, and his cousin was the Crown Princess.

His family had already shown great favor by offering his younger sister, Rou Niang, to Li Yi as a concubine, yet Li Yi was so ungrateful.

He really wanted to turn around and leave, but remembering his father's instructions before he came, he could only clench his fist in his sleeve and forcefully suppress his anger.

"Lord Sikong, the invitations have already been sent to our relatives and friends, so it's really not appropriate to make any changes now. Please give the Zheng family some face, give me some face, and give Rou Niang some face as well."

"If you really can't wait, then just send them here on the eighth day of the month."

"Isn't the Grand Commandant hosting a banquet at the Prince of Wu'an's residence in Shengye Ward, Chang'an?"

"Taking a concubine is not the same as getting married, so why make such a fuss? Keep it simple. Just send the person over, there's no need for any ceremony, since the concubine agreement has already been signed."

Zheng Xuandu's face turned blue with anger.

Although Rou Niang was not born of the principal wife, she was still born to one of her father's concubines. She was a woman of the five noble families, and many noble young men would not be able to marry her. Yet Li Yi treated her with such contempt.

"Why does Sikong mean to belittle my Zheng family and Rou Niang like this?" Zheng Xuandu could no longer hold back and stood up to shout.

Li Yi sat there, slowly sipping his tea.

"What, do you expect me, Li Yi, to give your family the full traditional betrothal gifts, a grand wedding procession, and personally come to your door to bring her back in a grand chapel?"

“You must remember, I, Li Yi, have a wife. Your sister entered the household as a concubine. The Zheng family of Xingyang claims to be a noble and prestigious family, how can they not even abide by basic etiquette? A concubine is to be treated as a wife?”

Zheng Xuandu's mouth gaped open, but he couldn't refute it for a moment.

No matter how prestigious Rou Niang's family background was—she was the daughter of the Crown Prince's Left Vice Minister, concurrently serving as the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Duke of Xingyang—she ultimately entered the Li family as a concubine.

But Li Yi's lack of courtesy was something he hadn't expected, and he was extremely dissatisfied, his face turning from blue to purple to white to black.

"Alright, if you still want Rou Niang to marry into the family on the eighth day of the month, then send her over then. I'll set up a few tables that evening for relatives and friends to get together. Rou Niang will serve tea to the Princess, and that will be considered the ceremony."

"Yes, I'll have them send it over on the eighth day of the month as well, for Steward Cui's daughter."

Zheng Xuandu was so angry his mouth almost twisted out of shape.

Li Yi finished speaking to himself, "It's settled then. Do you have anything else to do? If not, go back and tell your father, Lord Zheng, that when the bride is sent over, remember to send the dowry along with her. Also, the dowry is one million, send that as well."

"What do you mean by 'accompanying family'?" Zheng Xuandu thought he was hallucinating.

Li Yi laughed and said, "Don't you claim to be from five surnames and seven families, or ten surnames and forty-four families? You intermarry with each other and are unwilling to intermarry with outsiders. Even if you do, you still need to compensate for the difference in social status."

I think this tradition is quite good. I, Li Yi, am the Prince of Wu'an, a member of the Imperial Clan Court, and also one of the Three Dukes and the Prime Minister. When you come, you will see the grandeur of my Wutou family and the number of my family's gates.

Your father is only a third-rank official, far inferior to me. He owes me a sum of money to maintain his family's status, but I won't ask for much, just one million coins, a mere one thousand strings of cash.

Zheng Xuandu found it hard to believe.

The direct descendants of the five major clans do not easily form marriage alliances with those outside the five clans. Even if they do, they often have to accept dowry to compensate for the difference in social status.

It has always been the five surnames that receive this allowance; I have never heard of anyone receiving allowances from the five surnames.

Back when Crown Prince Jiancheng was still the heir of the Duke of Tang, he married a woman from the Zheng family of Xingyang. Although he did not provide any dowry, Zheng Guanyin was still considered to be marrying down.

Princess Tong'an, Li Yuan's younger sister, was married to a member of the Wang family of Taiyuan, but she was a second wife.

Why,
Why should Li Yi dare to accept the Zheng family's dowry?

"Minister Sikong, you may have some misunderstanding about social status, and even more so about the concept of 'family wealth.' Even though you are now one of the Three Dukes and Prime Minister, and have been granted the title of Prince of Wu'an..."
However, Sikong was originally from the Li family of Tianshui, and later became a member of the imperial clan, but was only a branch of the imperial Li family.

As is well known, although the imperial Li family is a branch of the Longxi Li clan, it is not one of the Longxi Li clans that comprised five surnames, seven clans, and forty-four families.

My family belongs to the Donglin branch of the prominent Zheng family of Xingyang, the most prosperous of all the branches. In terms of social standing, we far surpass the Minister of Works. Even if there were to be any dowry or allowances, it would be the Minister of Works who gave them to my Zheng family.

When the Minister of Works married a woman from the Du family of Jingzhao, he gave her a dowry of one million. The Fengxiang branch of the Du family in Jingzhao was far inferior to our Donglin branch of the Zheng family in Xingyang.

Li Yi chuckled.
"What? The imperial family members Li, Prince Wu'an, and the Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary are all inferior to your third branch of the Zheng family of Xingyang?"

Li Yi knew the Zheng family quite well.
The Zheng family was prominent during the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, with four famous ancestors.

The Zheng family of Xingyang originated from Zheng Dangshi, the Grand Minister of Agriculture during the Western Han Dynasty. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Zheng family had gradually developed into a prominent and influential clan, and by the Wei and Jin Dynasties, they were already very prominent.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, several generations of the Zheng family served as important officials in the court.

Zheng Wen, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince of Later Yan, had three sons, who were divided into the Northern, Southern, and Central Ancestors.

The six sons of Zheng Ye, the Northern Ancestor, formed the Six Branches of the Northern Ancestor. The third branch is descended from Zheng Donglin, the third son of Zheng Ye, and this branch is the strongest of the Zheng clan today. From the Northern Wei to the Northern Zhou dynasties, there were Zheng Xiaomu, Zheng Yi, and Zheng Cheng. During the Tang dynasty, the Zheng brothers, Zheng Shanguo and Zheng Yuanzhu, were the most prominent.

Zheng Shanguo inherited his title at the age of nine and became a prefect at the age of fourteen. His mother was from the Cui family of Qinghe in Zhengzhou, and his wife was from the Lu family of Fanyang.

This man came from a good family, had a strong political record, and had always enjoyed a high reputation. He only suffered a setback with Dou Jiande, but now he was highly regarded by the emperor in the Tang Dynasty and held an important position.

His daughter was to be Li Yi's concubine, yet he still had to pay for her dowry?

Zheng Xuandu could not understand, much less accept.

Li Yi smiled faintly, "Unwilling to pay the compensation? Then this marriage can be called off. My family is extremely wealthy, do I lack that million? That's the compensation you have to pay according to tradition."

It is simply contrary to Tiangang.

Confusing right and wrong.

Unable to contain his anger, Zheng Xuandu retorted, "If anyone should be given a dowry, it should be the Sikong who gives it to the Zheng family of Xingyang. The Xingyang Zheng family, Donglin branch, is the most prestigious and highest-ranking family in the world!"

"I, the dignified Prince of Wu'an, Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary, holding the title of Grand Master of the Palace and the same rank as the Three Excellencies, am a first-rank official, yet I am inferior to your family, who holds only a third-rank position?" Li Yi maintained his attitude. "Go back and tell Lord Zheng that this marriage was something you actively sought out."

"Since you want to curry favor with me, Li Yi, you're not even willing to pay this small token of your patronage?"

Zheng Xuandu was furious. How could there be such a shameless person? The Zheng family was trying to curry favor with Li Yi.
Even if we take a step back and assume that compensation is required, that only applies when a wife or daughter is married off. Who would ask a concubine to pay compensation for taking a wife or daughter into their household?
Zheng Xuandu was so angry he almost smashed the cup. He turned and left, riding his horse back to Chang'an.

"Binwang, please get me another pot of tea."

Li Yi then had Ma Zhou invite Du Ruhui, who was in the next room.

"I've made a fool of myself in front of my brother."

Du Ruhui sat on the couch and carefully examined Li Yi, his smile barely contained.

"Wu Yi, what are you up to now?"

“Isn’t it a fine tradition to provide financial support to one’s family?” Li Yi said.

"But this is the first time I've ever heard of demanding compensation from five families in Shandong."

“Hahaha,” Li Yi laughed, “Actually, I just can’t stand the Zheng family. They were the ones who proposed the marriage alliance, but they still have this condescending attitude. I just can’t stand it.”

"It's not just that, is it?" Du Ruhui said.

“Of course, the Zheng family is the Crown Prince’s people, and the Crown Princess is from the Zheng family of Xingyang. The Zheng family wants to form a marriage alliance with me, and the Crown Prince is behind it all. I don’t want to get too entangled with them,” Li Yi said frankly.

He never concealed his support for the King of Qin from the King and his close confidants. His appointment as an official in the Eastern Palace was by imperial decree, but he was unwilling to marry into the Crown Princess's family.

We need to get our attitude right.

If the Zheng family hadn't always maintained that arrogant attitude, Li Yi wouldn't have minded the marriage alliance. After all, marriage alliances among noble families are always complicated, and sometimes choosing sides doesn't matter.

"By doing this, wouldn't you be completely breaking ties with the Zheng family, even slapping the Crown Prince in the face? Or even defying the Emperor's will?"

Li Yi wasn't worried at all.

If he has a close relationship with the Crown Prince, or even with the Zheng family of Xingyang and the Cui family of Qinghe, the Emperor might be displeased.

The current emperor is Li Yuan, not Li Jiancheng.

Li Yi should correct his attitude. He is a subject of the Tang Dynasty, a subject of the emperor, not a subject of Jiancheng. Even if he concurrently serves as the Crown Prince, he is different from Ren Can, who is a subordinate official of the Eastern Palace.

He kept his distance from the Crown Prince and the powerful Shandong families like the Cui and Zheng clans, and even created some discord between them. The emperor would only feel at ease.

Given Li Yi's current achievements and status, all he needs to do is maintain a superficial distance from the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin, and even more so from those powerful clans. He must remain neutral among the princes and loyal to the Emperor.

The remaining,
None of those are the main points.

As the Prince of Wu'an, Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary, General of the Right Guard, General of the Banner, and Grand Governor of Mingzhou, if he could get along well with everyone, forge marriage alliances with powerful families everywhere, and maintain good relations with all the officials in the court,

Even being close to the Crown Prince or the King of Qin,
Then he might become the next Liu Wenjing, and the three get-out-of-jail-free cards that Li Yi had accumulated wouldn't be able to protect him then.

Li Yi can now secretly support the King of Qin, but he cannot openly take sides. He must also keep his distance from the Crown Prince, and always put the Emperor first, openly so.

Du Ruhui stroked his beard, fully understanding Li Yi's meaning, and sighed inwardly.

"The Sage has already agreed to the matter of the Academy of Qin King's Palace. Currently, the King of Qin has selected eighteen scholars, including your senior brother Wei Zheng."

(End of this chapter)