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

Chapter 705 A Plea to Your Majesty
Changsun Wuji walked out with a smile on his face.
He even had the leisure to greet Li Yi and ask about the Lingnan Shipyard, "Are you really going to build a shipyard in Lingnan to engage in maritime trade?"

“Well, we’ll build a ship to sail to Southeast Asia to trade spices and Kunlun slaves. Then we can reclaim wasteland in Lingnan, build manors, grow sugarcane and cotton, make sugar and spin cotton cloth. Would Lord Changsun be interested in developing Lingnan together?” Li Yi invited with a smile.

Changsun Wuji chuckled.
“Lingnan is a bit far away. I just bought some land and I’m not exactly flush with cash right now. Let’s talk about it later.”

The uncle said that Li Yi was making arrangements for his future, but Changsun Wuji felt it was unnecessary.

Now that he has just taken office as Right Minister, what kind of retreat plan is he going to make?
He was the emperor's brother-in-law, a trusted confidant of the emperor.

"The sugarcane from our Central Plains is not as good as the sugar that Sogdian merchants bring from India. Their sugar is finer and whiter, and it sells for a higher price. The sugarcane you grow in Lingnan is just rock sugar, which is far inferior."

Li Yi smiled slightly and let Changsun Wuji walk in front, "Actually, the Indian sugar sold by the Sogdians can't compare to frost and snow at all; it's not white at all."

"But all along, Indian icing sugar has been the whitest sugar."

"That's in the past."

Li Yi knew the method of decolorizing yellow clay, and he knew the direction and method. He let the craftsmen figure out the details carefully. What was so difficult about that?

There will always be brave men under great rewards.

The same goes for craftsmen; if you provide direction and offer generous rewards, breakthroughs won't be difficult.

The sugar market in the Tang Dynasty was still very large. If a breakthrough could be achieved, it could even compete with Sogdian merchants and Indians for overseas markets.

Historically,
Emperor Taizong of Tang once sent Wang Xuance as an envoy to India. One of Wang Xuance's tasks was to seek out the technology for refining sugarcane from India.

Just then, a great upheaval occurred in Central India. King Magadha had died, and Arjuna had usurped the throne. Upon hearing that the Tang envoys had entered the country, Arjuna sent two thousand soldiers to ambush them.

Wang Xuance fought his way out of the encirclement and fled back to Tibet. Enraged, he borrowed troops from Tibet and Nepal, gathering over ten thousand soldiers and appointing himself commander-in-chief. In a single battle, he defeated tens of thousands of Indian troops and marched straight to the enemy city. Arjuna was greatly alarmed and refused to leave the city. Wang Xuance led his army in a fierce attack for over three months, finally breaching the city walls.

Pressing their advantage, Yinluoshun abandoned his kingdom and fled to Eastern India, where he borrowed troops to launch a counterattack. However, Wang Xuance ambushed and annihilated the enemy army, capturing Yinluoshun alive. He ultimately destroyed Central India and even threatened to send troops to destroy Eastern India. The King of Eastern India, Shikumo, was terrified and hastily sent envoys to apologize to the Tang army and show his submission. Only then did Wang Xuance withdraw his troops and return to the capital.

When Wang Xuance returned to the capital, he brought back the Indian technique for making frosting sugar.

And now,
Wang Xuance was still completely unknown.

The white sugar of the Tang Dynasty was still monopolized by the Sogdians, and it was all Indian sugar.

Li Shimin returned to his bedchamber to change his clothes.
As Lady Changsun helped her husband change his clothes, she whispered to him, "Now that I have been entrusted with the Purple Palace, I am already extremely honored. I really do not wish for my brothers, nephews, and sons to be scattered throughout the court."

The examples of Lü Bu and Huo Qubing from the Han Dynasty serve as a stark warning.

"I humbly beg Your Majesty, do not appoint my elder brother and uncle to high-ranking positions!"

Li Shimin looked at himself in the bronze mirror without saying a word.

Changsun Wuji pleaded earnestly, and Li Shimin sighed, "It seems you already know about your uncle's concealment of Wang Gui's memorial on Wuji's behalf."

“But this is not a big deal,” Li Shimin said.

No matter how much Changsun tried to persuade him, Li Shimin did not agree to his wife's request.

After changing clothes,
Li Shimin then went to the Chongxian Hall.

Chongxian Hall
This was originally the place where the Crown Prince kept his books.

today,

The emperor held court here.

Among all the prime ministers,

Grand Secretary Gao Shilian was absent.

As soon as the emperor sat down,

The court debate began.

Wang Gui, the Right Grand Counselor, then stood up and loudly impeached Gao Shilian, the Grand Secretary.

The matter he impeached was the secret document that Gao Shilian had concealed and entrusted him to forward, which was specifically aimed at Gao Shilian's nephew, Changsun Wuji.

In the palace, Wang Gui first impeached Gao Shilian, then impeached Changsun Wuji, and then remonstrated with the emperor.

It wasn't surprising that Li Yi knew the news in advance.

"Your Majesty, Gao Shilian abused his power, withheld confidential memorials, and protected his nephew. He is unfit to remain prime minister." Li Yi glanced at Changsun Wuji.

He glared fiercely at Wang Gui, but remained calm and composed, as if he considered it to be nothing more than a trivial matter.

Yes,

General Yuchi Gong, a great general, beat up Prince Li Shentong of Huai'an at the palace banquet on the day of the emperor's enthronement, almost blinding him in one eye, but in the end he only had to go home and reflect on his actions for a few days.

He was then appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Shuofang Road Army, and nothing happened to him.

His uncle, Gao Shilian, was the Grand Secretary. He withheld a secret memorial from Wang Gui and claimed he had forgotten about it. Does His Majesty really intend to dismiss him from his post because of this?
Inside the hall,

The atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense.

Wei Zheng, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat who participated in court affairs, was also implicated. He directly attacked Gao Shilian and even targeted Changsun Wuji.
It is said that the emperor relied too much on his relatives by marriage and failed to distinguish between public and private matters.

Wang Gui and Wei Zheng, singing in unison,
The attack on Gao Shilian was so severe that it left no stone unturned, and the nature of the matter became increasingly serious.

at last,

The emperor spoke.

"Xuanling, Keming, Wuyi, Fuji, you chancellors, what do you think should be done about this matter?"

Changsun Wuji spoke first.

He believed that this was merely a minor but significant work by Wang Gui, and that Prime Minister Gao had simply forgotten about it for a moment.

Wang Gui was to submit a memorial, and according to custom, his advice should not be revealed. He should not have entrusted the memorial to Gao Shilian for forwarding in the first place. Now that Prime Minister Gao forgot to submit it, the responsibility is shared equally.

unfortunately,

Changsun Wuji's explanation seemed somewhat weak.
Because Wang Gui presented further evidence, including witnesses, proving that Gao Shilian had privately opened his sealed memorial and then went to Changsun Wuji's house that same day, he had reason to believe that Gao Shilian had indeed opened his sealed memorial and seen the contents of his secret memorial to the emperor, which impeached Changsun Wuji.
He then withheld the secret report and even privately informed Changsun Wuji.

This is a grave crime, deserving of death.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, among others, pleaded for Gao Shilian's life.

Li Shimin let out a long sigh.

Instead of taking any action on the spot, the court reminisced about the hardships they had endured along the way.

"I am not one who forgets old friendships, nor am I one who easily forgets your merits."

He produced an imperial edict.
The title of Duke was bestowed upon one of the sons of Li Yi, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Gao Shilian, Wei Zheng, Yuchi Gong, and Hou Junji.

This reward was unexpected.

Changsun Wuji was somewhat smug.

Wang Gui was so angry that he glared and his face turned red.

It seemed as if the emperor was favoring Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji and trying to smooth things over, but Li Yi could sense that the emperor had no intention of letting the matter drop.

otherwise,

It wasn't just about bestowing the title of Duke upon one of the eight meritorious officials who supported the coronation; he also had to speak up for Gao Shilian directly, exonerate him, and even reinstate him to his position as prime minister.

But the emperor did not.

This shows that this matter is not simple.

But judging from Changsun Wuji's expression, it seemed that he didn't understand the emperor's thoughts at all.

The court discussion then concluded.

The emperor did not punish Gao Shilian, nor did he deal with Changsun Wuji.

Instead, the eight meritorious officials each had one son granted the title of Duke of a Commandery.

Because Li Yi's eldest son is now the Duke of Rongguo, the title of Duke of Anding was given to his second son, Li Yan, who was granted the title of Duke of Anding.

(End of this chapter)