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

Chapter 670 A New Emperor, A New Court
Pei Ji resigned.

To the officials in the hall, it might have seemed more like an expression of dissatisfaction.

Li Shimin sat up straight and flicked his sleeves. "Prime Minister Pei, you've just turned fifty this year, haven't you?"

"Your Highness, I am fifty-one years old this year."

Li Shimin nodded and asked Feng Deyi, the Grand Secretary, "Prime Minister Feng, according to the court's regulations, at what age do officials retire?"

"Your Highness, according to the regulations of the court, officials who are seventy years of age or older are permitted to retire."

"Yes, Prime Minister Pei, you have been a meritorious official who helped me establish the dynasty, and you have served as the chief minister of the court for six years. Now you are only over fifty years old, which is the prime of your life. I still need Prime Minister Pei's assistance in governing the country."

Pei Ji resolutely declined the offer, stating, "At the age of fourteen, I was appointed as the registrar of this prefecture through family connections. At eighteen, I was recommended by the prefecture as a filial and incorruptible official and, through family connections, was appointed as a Left Imperial Guard. Later, after graduating from officialdom, I served successively as the registrar of Qizhou, the censor, and the supervisor of Jinyang Palace."
Taiyuan joined His Majesty in raising an army.
Before I knew it, I was over fifty years old, frail and sickly, old and decrepit.

"I dare not hold this high position without merit; I humbly request Your Highness's permission to retire and return to my hometown to enjoy my later years."

Li Shimin frowned.

The most important thing right now is stability.

Therefore, high-ranking officials and important positions in the imperial court were kept in place as much as possible to avoid unrest among the people.

He didn't immediately dismiss Pei Ji, but that old dog was shameless; on the very first day of court assembly, he directly resigned in the palace.

Li Shimin kindly tried to persuade Pei Ji to stay, but Pei Ji refused, acting like a spoiled child.

“Since Prime Minister Pei is unwell and needs recuperation, I cannot disregard his health and force him to stay,” Li Shimin said, staring at Pei Ji, and slowly made his decision. “Prime Minister Pei will retain the title of Minister of Works, but will be temporarily relieved of his post as Left Vice Minister.”
He dispatched a junior official from the Ministry of Personnel to take daily shifts at Pei's residence, and further granted him a fief of 300 households, bringing the total to 1,500 households.

Pei Ji stood there, stunned.
His resignation was not a real resignation, but merely a display of his seniority, or even a strategic retreat to save face.

who knows,
This new crown prince is so disrespectful.
After offering a few words of advice, he readily removed him from his position as Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, retaining only the title of Minister of Works.

Although the Minister of Works was one of the Three Dukes and could sit and discuss matters with the emperor, he had no real duties.

The statement that a high-ranking official would be sent to his residence to serve was actually a way of saying that Pei Ji would no longer need to go to the court.

"Your Highness grants my request to retire. I would like to return to my hometown of Puzhou."

Li Shimin said coldly, "Sikong, you should rest and recuperate in the capital."

Because of Pei Ji's meddling,

It did disrupt the original rhythm.

Originally, today's court assembly would have ended after the imperial edict was read out and the ministers met.

But Pei Ji's meddling...

Li Shimin decided to take further action.

"The position of Left Vice Minister is vacant. Such an important position cannot be left vacant." Li Shimin glanced at the ministers in the hall, and without discussing with them, he made the arrangement directly: "Xiao Yu, the Right Vice Minister, is hereby promoted to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Feng Deyi, the Grand Secretary, was later promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

"Fang Xuanling, the Left Vice Minister of the Crown Prince, is hereby appointed as the Grand Secretary."

"Yang Gongren, who was concurrently the Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel, was granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace and appointed as the Chief Administrator of the Yangzhou Grand General's Office, in charge of the affairs of the Grand General's Office."

"Gao Shilian, the Left Vice-Chancellor of the Crown Prince, is hereby appointed as the Grand Secretary."

"The Crown Prince's Right Vice-Minister Changsun Wuji was appointed Minister of Personnel, and the Crown Prince's Right Vice-Minister Du Ruhui was appointed Minister of War."

Wei Zheng was appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

"Li Yi, who was concurrently Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary, was also appointed Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Governor of Yongzhou, and General of the Left Guard."

"Qu Tutong was dismissed from his post as Grand Chancellor of Shaanxi East Circuit, and appointed Grand Master of the Palace and Governor of Luozhou."

······
Li Shimin originally planned to wait two or three months until he ascended the throne and made adjustments.

But for now, let's make some adjustments first.

Of the seven prime ministers in the imperial court, he naturally ceased to hold the position after being made crown prince. Pei Ji resigned as prime minister, and Yang Gongren was dismissed and exiled to Yangzhou.

Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi remained prime ministers, but both were reassigned.

Only Li Yi and Chen Shuda remained as prime ministers in the Secretariat.

Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian were promoted to Grand Chancellor, taking over this central department responsible for decision-making and drafting imperial edicts.

In addition to Li Yi, the Secretariat
The Ministry of Personnel was only responsible for execution, so Xiao Yu and Feng Lun were appointed as Left and Right Ministers, but Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui were appointed as the two most important Ministers of Personnel and Military Affairs.

Wei Zheng also served as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was responsible for supervision.

The Left and Right Chancellors jointly oversaw the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, supervised and audited the administration of the Six Ministries and Twenty-Four Departments, were responsible for reviewing imperial edicts, and had the power to reject improper orders.

This official position may appear to be a fourth-rank official, but it wields considerable power.

The Ministry of Personnel, the executive body, required the approval of the Left and Right Vice Ministers for all its work, including the Six Ministries and Twenty-Four Departments.

A series of personnel adjustments,
It's a bit dazzling.

The abolition of the Grand Secretariat of Shaanxi East Circuit was not surprising, since the emperor had actually abolished it once before.

Now that the King of Qin has become the Crown Prince, there is no need for him to retain the position of Grand Chancellor of Shaanxi East Circuit.

Even the Tian Ce Mansion will definitely be abolished; it's impossible to appoint a second Tian Ce General.

really,

Li Shimin then announced the abolition of the Tiance Mansion.
He then downgraded the Youzhou Grand Governor's Office and the Jiaozhou Grand Governor's Office to Central Governor's Offices.

Li Yi sat calmly in the hall.

Adjustments will be made sooner or later, whether sooner or later.

Given Li Shimin's current control, making adjustments sooner rather than later wouldn't have had much of an impact.

Of course, it would be better to make adjustments after a few months of streamlining.

The crown prince then bestowed two more official titles upon him.

The Governor of Yongzhou and the General of the Left Guard were both important positions with real power, but because these positions were so powerful, they were often not actually held, but rather held concurrently.

Yang Gongren was originally the Grand Chancellor and concurrently the Minister of Personnel, and also held the remote position of Governor-General of Liangzhou, with the additional title of General of the Left Guard. Before the Twelve Armies were withdrawn, he also held the title of General of the Heavenly Star. Among all the prime ministers, Yang Gongren was second only to Pei Ji in terms of the emperor's favor. Although he entered the court as prime minister the latest, he later surpassed Feng Deyi, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda.

Now, Li Shimin directly dismissed him from his post as prime minister and sent him to Yangzhou.

It's not that they completely distrusted him; it's just that there are only a few prime minister positions, and if someone needs to be placed in one, someone has to step out.

Among the former prime ministers, Yang Gongren had the least experience and the shortest tenure, second only to Li Yiguo.

The Yang family of Hongnong, especially the Guanwang branch, had an excellent relationship with the Li Tang royal family. Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and even Li Yuanji, the four fathers, each had several women from the Yang family.

Although not all of Li Yuan's concubines Yang, Li Jiancheng's crown prince Chengwei, Li Shimin's concubines Yang, and Yang, the wife and concubine of Yuanji, were from the Yang family of Hongnong, several of them were from the Yang family of Hongnong.

Yang Gongren used to have a decent relationship with Li Shimin, but he also had good relationships with the emperor, the crown prince, and even the Prince of Qi.

Moreover, Yang Gongren's younger brother, Yang Shidao, married Li Shimin's widowed sister, becoming Li Shimin's brother-in-law.

The appointment of the Inspector General of Yangzhou as Chief Clerk was not entirely a demotion; it was also an expression of trust and a test, since the Grand General of Yangzhou, Li Xiaogong, had only recently been summoned to the capital, and the original Chief Clerk, Li Jing, had been transferred to the position of Governor of Daizhou.
The emperor appointed his trusted advisor, Wu Shihuo, a court official, as the chief administrator of the Yangzhou Grand General's Office.
right now,

Li Shimin's selection of Yang Gongren to replace Wu Shihuo and his summoning of Wu Shihuo back to court were both carefully considered.

Someone else might not have been able to manage such a large undertaking as the Yangzhou Grand Governor's Office, but Yang Gongren had previously served as the Governor of Liangzhou for several years, where he reopened the Silk Road, quelled rebellions, and defended against the Turks. He was both a skilled civil and military officer and had performed admirably.
Yang Gongren and Wu Shihuo were also relatives; Wu Shihuo married Yang Gongren's cousin as his second wife.
With this relationship in place, Wu Shiyue could trust him more, hand over power back to the court, and prevent further turmoil in the southeast.

The morning court session was extended.

Li Shimin was in no hurry to end the morning court session.
"Guards, escort Minister Pei back to his residence."

Li Shimin had Pei Ji carried out of the Eastern Palace in a palanquin and sent him back to his residence in the Crown Prince's carriage, giving him ample face.

But it also completely kicked him out of the center of power.

They were even allowed to attend this morning court session.

The morning court session continues.

Li Shimin ordered all officials to submit memorials to him.

If you have anything to say, please present it in court.

The submissions to the emperor during the morning court session were generally divided into two types. If it was a confidential matter, it was placed in a black bag, sealed with double seals, and presented as a sealed document. The other type was to present the matter in person.

However, under normal circumstances, memorials were not presented directly during the morning court session. They had to be presented after the emperor finished his court session, and sometimes the memorials even had to be reported to the Secretariat and Chancellery first.

When the censor impeaches someone, he must first present a report.

It was rare for a minister to step forward during the morning court session and shout, "I have a memorial to present," or for a censor to step forward and say, "I want to impeach so-and-so."

Otherwise, the court assembly would get out of control.

With so many important officials, how could they possibly spend all their time at the morning court session every day?

Unless it is an extremely urgent matter concerning military affairs that requires in-person reporting, all other routine matters require following procedures. A written memorial must first be prepared and submitted to the Secretariat-Chancellery.

The prime ministers would review the documents first, offer their suggestions, and then report to the emperor.

They wouldn't report everything to the emperor.

Therefore, the importance of the prime minister is also evident at this time.
If the prime minister is not one of the emperor's men, then the emperor is very likely to be deceived or even misled by the prime ministers. What you see is what the prime ministers have filtered out and made the emperor see. You will not see what they do not want you to see.

It is said that when Emperor Yang of Sui was in Jiangdu, there were refugees and rebellions everywhere, but Yang Guang was completely unaware of this and was deceived by Yu Shiji and others.

Li Shimin broke with convention
Let everyone speak freely, and express their opinions face-to-face, or even discuss them directly.

This arrangement,
Two more hours passed.

The morning court session was supposed to end in about half an hour, with officials returning to their respective offices to handle their official business, but today it's all been wasted here.

The high-ranking officials in purple and scarlet robes in the hall were alright, since the hall was relatively cool and they could sit down.

Those officials in green and blue robes in the square outside were suffering, though; the sun had already risen long ago.
The June sun was scorching, and everyone could only stand there and endure it.

Everyone got up at 3 a.m. to prepare for the morning court session, not daring to eat or drink anything, for fear of needing to use the restroom during the session.

Now, it's been more than two hours since I last ate anything, and my stomach is growling with hunger.

Some older officials,

Sunburn and hungry

She fainted immediately.

Emperor Taizong of Tang was listening attentively to his ministers' opinions in the palace when a eunuch quietly reported that many officials outside had fainted from the sun.
Li Shimin then realized that the court meeting had been going on for more than two hours.

"All officials of the fifth rank and above must submit a memorial to the emperor after the court session." Li Shimin assigned this task to the officials, and only then did the first morning court session come to an end.

Li Yi stood up, preparing to leave.

Li Shimin called out to him.
"My ministers, please have breakfast with me. I'm hungry too."

Li Shimin also ordered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to provide a breakfast meal for all officials attending the morning court session.

The prime ministers accompanied the crown prince to breakfast.
Pei Ji and Yang Gongren were dismissed from their positions as prime ministers, so naturally neither of them were qualified to be together.

Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian, the two newly appointed prime ministers, dined with the crown prince in the corridor.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Xiao Yu; the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Feng Deyi; the Grand Secretary, Fang Xuanling; the Grand Secretary, Gao Shilian; the Minister of Works and concurrently the Attendant-in-Ordinary, Li Yi; and the Attendant-in-Ordinary, Chen Shuda.

The new leadership of the Council of State consists of six prime ministers.

During breakfast, Li Shimin casually remarked to his six chancellors, "From now on, the Hall of State Affairs will be temporarily located in the Eastern Palace."

The Council of State Affairs will temporarily be chaired by Wu Yi, who will handle all administrative matters.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu put down the bowl of millet and meat soup and protested directly, "Your Highness, the officials of the three provinces discuss major military and national policies in the Secretariat, and the final decision is made by the Emperor. This is also to improve the efficiency of coordination among the three provinces."

The Hall of State Affairs is where the heads of the three provinces hold joint meetings. Each prime minister has their own responsibilities, and the pen of state affairs should also be used in rotation.

If only Minister Li were in charge of all affairs, wouldn't all the other ministers become his subordinates?

"Absolutely not!"

(End of this chapter)