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

Chapter 706 Three Edicts to the Prime Minister
"Wang Gui repeatedly offered advice and pointed out shortcomings, diligently serving the royal family."

Li Shimin's gaze swept over the assembled officials, finally settling on Wang Gui. He looked furious and said, "I hereby grant Wang Gui the title of Founding Baron of Yongning County, and promote him to the position of Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, concurrently serving as Right Vice-Chancellor to the Crown Prince."

This award is somewhat unusual.
Wang Gui himself was somewhat stunned. After all, he was a former subordinate of the deposed Crown Prince Jiancheng, and he had just offended the nephew-uncle prime ministers Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji.

Unexpectedly, the emperor not only praised him but also bestowed upon him such a title.

Wang Gui forgot to express his gratitude for the honor.

Changsun Wuji's smug smile slowly froze, and his eyes turned murderous as he looked at Wang Gui.

Unexpectedly,

It didn't end there.

"I intend to arrange a marriage between our families. I have heard that your youngest son, Jingzhi, is intelligent and filial. I will bestow my third daughter, Princess Nanping, upon your youngest son, Jingzhi."

Princess Nanping was Li Shimin's third daughter.

However, Li Shimin had a second daughter who died young, so Princess Nanping was actually his fourth daughter. She had two older sisters, Xiangcheng and Runan.

Princess Xiangcheng has already betrothed to Xiao Rui, the eldest son of Xiao Yu.

The second daughter, Princess Runan, was always frail and sickly.

The emperor bestowed a marriage upon them, and they took the initiative to establish in-law relationships.

Wang Gui, of course, could not refuse.

He was, after all, a trusted confidant of Jiancheng, and the emperor had bestowed this marriage upon him. If he refused, it would be more than just a matter of being disrespectful.

Almost without hesitation, Wang Gui agreed to the marriage.

Changsun Wuji's face turned ashen, and he looked extremely unpleasant.

Li Shimin smiled and said, "We're practically family now."

Wang Gui was from the Wuhuan Wang clan, which originated from the Taiyuan Wang clan, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans.

His grandfather was even more famous: Wang Sengbian, the Grand Commandant and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the Southern Liang Dynasty. This Wang Sengbian had fought alongside Chen Baxian to defeat Hou Jing and assisted in governing the country. He was ultimately defeated by Chen Baxian; otherwise, there would have been no Southern Chen Dynasty, but rather a Southern Wang Dynasty.

Wang Sengbian surrendered to the Liang Dynasty from the Northern Wei with his father in his early years and followed Xiao Yi. Later, he defeated Hou Jing and supported Xiao Yi to ascend the throne. He was then enfeoffed as the Prince of Yongning, and appointed as a Chamberlain and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

After Xiao Yi's death, he and Chen Baxian jointly welcomed Xiao Yi's son, Xiao Fangzhi, to the throne. He was also granted the titles of General of the Cavalry, Director of the Imperial Secretariat, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Interior and Exterior, and Director of the Imperial Secretariat, and jointly managed the government with Chen Baxian.

However, he later accepted Xiao Yuanming, who was supported by the Northern Qi, as emperor, deposed the legitimate heir and established a son of a concubine, and attempted to seize power. He was defeated and killed by Chen Baxian.

The Wuhuan Wang clan originated from the fact that Wang Gui's ancestors had served as Protector of the Wuhuan and Marquis of Guangyang, hence the name Wuhuan Wang clan.

After Wang Sengbian's death, Wang Gui's father, Wang Yi, followed Wang Lin into the Northern Qi Dynasty. He was appointed as a court attendant and the governor of Leling. Later, he married a woman from the Du family of Jingzhao, the eleventh-generation descendant of Du Yu.

Wang Gui was renowned for his talent from a young age. Later, at the age of twenty-two, he was summoned to the Secretariat. After his uncle was killed for participating in the rebellion of the Prince of Han, he was implicated and abandoned his post to hide in the Zhongnan Mountains, where he became friends with Du Yan and Wei Fusi.

He also associated with Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling.

Later, when Li Yuan captured Chang'an, Wang Gui, through Li Gang's introduction, became Jiancheng's advisor and military advisor. He later gained Jiancheng's deep trust and became his confidant.

Li Shimin's aunt, the Grand Princess of Tong'an, also married into the Wang family of Taiyuan, so they were indeed relatives.

To be honest,

Du Ruhui was closer to Wang Gui; Wang Gui's wife, Du Rouzheng, was Du Ruhui's paternal aunt.

He was related to Li Yi, and Li Yi's wife, Du Shiniang, had to call Wang Gui's wife, Du Shiniang, "aunt."

Although Li Shimin was only in his early twenties and his daughters were still young,

However, they have already taken the initiative to arrange marriages with the two ministers.
The eldest daughter was married to Xiao Yu, the former Left Minister, who belonged to the Xiao family of Lanling. The third daughter was betrothed to the son of Wang Gui, the Yellow Gate Attendant, who belonged to the Wang family of Taiyuan.

The previous in-law, Xiao Yu, was kicked out of the Council of State by Li Shimin and demoted to the position of Prefect of Qizhou. This new in-law has been promoted directly from Right Grand Counselor to Vice Minister of the Palace Secretariat and concurrently Right Vice Minister to the Crown Prince.

Before that, Gao Shilian was the Right Vice-Minister to the Crown Prince, and then he was promoted to Grand Secretary.

Li Yi, as a time traveler,
But I remember very clearly that Wang Gui was known as one of the Four Great Prime Ministers of the Zhenguan Era, along with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, and Wang Gui—the Four Heavenly Kings!

It seems that

Not only has Wei Zheng been appointed prime minister ahead of schedule, but Wang Gui may also be appointed prime minister ahead of schedule.

His status as a confidant of the deposed crown prince not only did not affect his career, but may even have made him a model that the emperor wanted to establish.

The Crown Prince's confidants are all so highly valued.

Who would dare say that the emperor only used his personal cronies?

And what about Yuwen Shiji and Pei Ju? Didn't they all become prime ministers?
Today’s court discussion,

Everyone expected that Wang Gui and Wei Zheng's impeachment of Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji would lead to a bloody battle, but no one anticipated anything amiss.
The emperor would ultimately handle it in this way.

The emperor did not punish Gao Shilian or Changsun Wuji. Instead, he bestowed the title of Duke upon one of the eight meritorious officials, including Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji.

Turning to the present, he rewarded Wang Gui, bestowing upon him titles and promotions, and even arranging marriages between them.

Even Wei Zheng received a reward of three hundred bolts of silk.

Until the court meeting ended and the emperor left,

Many people were still a bit stunned.

When Li Yi walked out of Chongxian Hall, he saw Changsun Wuji heading towards Lizheng Hall.

That was the palace where his younger sister, Lady Changsun, lived.

Is he asking his sister for help?
Li Yi turned and left; Changsun was not the kind of person who showed favoritism.

The more Changsun Wuji sought her out, the more she would likely try to persuade Li Shimin to dismiss her uncle and brother from their positions as prime minister. And Li Shimin hadn't been idle today either.

He did not reinstate Gao Shilian to his post.

Gao Shilian remains suspended from his duties.

Even the position of Right Vice-Minister to the Crown Prince, which was originally held by Gao Shilian, has now been given to Wang Gui.

Li Yi felt that Li Shimin's attitude was actually quite clear.

Li Shimin initially seized the throne with the help of his trusted confidants, such as Changsun, and after gaining power, he relied even more heavily on them. Now that the situation has stabilized,

Li Shimin was disappointed by the performance of Changsun Wuji and Gao Shilian, and now Wang Gui had seized such a huge handle against them.
Li Shimin might also want to go with the flow and kick one of the uncle and nephew out of the government, or even both of them.

At this point, dismissing Gao Shilian from his post as chancellor would not have caused Li Shimin any harm.
On the contrary, it gives people the impression that the emperor is selfless and impartial.

Whether it was Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi, Chen Shuda, or now Gao Shilian, the emperor treated them all equally.
Even a brother-in-law of the wife can be dismissed from his post as prime minister.

Who can still say that the emperor is biased and unjust?

Sending Gao Shilian to experience local life might not be a bad thing.

Changsun Wuji stormed off to Lizheng Hall in a rage.

The emperor had only been on the throne for a short time, and the eldest grandson had not yet been made empress, but an auspicious day had been chosen: the fourth day of the eighth month, when she would be formally made empress.

In the main hall of Li,

The eldest grandson is reading a book.

The palace maids were doing her hair and makeup, but she still couldn't put down her book.

Changsun enjoyed reading books with her husband and discussing the past and present, but rarely discussed politics.

"Uncle has arrived," a palace maid announced to Lady Changsun as she entered.

Hearing that her elder brother had arrived, Lady Changsun was very happy and quickly invited him in.

When Changsun Wuji entered, he immediately began to vent his dissatisfaction upon seeing his sister, complaining bitterly about how Wang Gui had deposed the Crown Prince's confidant and how His Majesty now trusted him so much.

Even just because of a secret memorial from Wang Gui, my uncle is now suspended from his post and forced to stay home to reflect on his actions.

It is also said that His Majesty actually betrothed the Third Princess to Wang Gui's youngest son.

"His Majesty actually appointed Wang Gui as the Yellow Gate Attendant and even replaced his maternal uncle's position as the Crown Prince's Right Vice-Minister. How can such a thing be? He doesn't even trust his own family members, but instead trusts outsiders so much."

"I think this secret report was a conspiracy by Wang Gui. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?"

Why didn't he submit the memorial himself, but instead had his uncle forward it? And why did he make sure everyone in the Secretariat knew about his impeachment of me beforehand?
He deliberately wanted his uncle to open his sealed document without permission...

Lady Changsun listened quietly to her brother's complaints.

Her brother was eight years older than her. She was twenty-one this year, and her brother was already twenty-nine. She still vividly remembered the year she and her two children were driven out of their home by her half-brothers.
Although the older brother is still young, he has already patted his chest and said that he will protect his mother and younger sister.

"Brother,"

"You should resign as prime minister."

"And your uncle, you should also persuade him to resign from his post as prime minister,"

Changsun gently persuaded him.

Changsun Wuji jumped to his feet. "What did you say?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked incredulously. "Why are you siding with outsiders?"

“Brother, I’m doing this to protect you and Uncle, and also to protect the Changsun family and the Gao family. Our family is an in-law, and it is a big taboo for in-laws to seize power.”

My elder brother and uncle were both meritorious officials who helped establish the throne, and His Majesty will not forget this merit. Nowadays, His Majesty has repeatedly bestowed honors and rewards upon my elder brother and uncle.

Today, my elder brother and uncle's son were granted the title of Duke. Isn't that enough?

The prime minister is extremely busy with countless affairs of state, and is under the watchful eyes of many people; it is truly a demanding job.

Even if my elder brother doesn't become prime minister, His Majesty will still appreciate and trust him.

Changsun Wuji wouldn't listen.

He is twenty-nine years old this year. When he was young, his father had just died, and he and his mother and two sons were driven out of the house by their half-brothers. They had nowhere to go and could only seek refuge with their uncle.

Having experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships over the years, what's wrong with Changsun Wuji wanting power and wealth?
Now, based on his merits, he has supported his brother-in-law to become emperor, and his brother-in-law has appointed him as the Right Minister. He feels that this is what he deserves.

"Am I, as prime minister, less capable than others?"

"When Li Yi became prime minister, he was just a decoration in the Hall of State Affairs. As a court attendant, he was just a human seal."

You know, some people secretly call him the "Three-Decree Prime Minister" now.
When he went to the palace to present the imperial edict, he said, "I have received the imperial edict." After the emperor approved or denied it, he said, "I have received the imperial edict." He then instructed the messenger, "I have received the imperial edict."

Li Yi was able to hold onto his position as Attendant-in-Ordinary and even be appointed Minister of Works. I have worked diligently and conscientiously, so why should I voluntarily resign as chancellor?

"Just because I am the Empress's brother?"

Empress Zhangsun poured tea for her brother, saying, "Minister Li has made outstanding contributions, especially in supporting the ascension of the emperor. However, Minister Li has been repeatedly requesting His Majesty to resign from his position as prime minister."
Li Situ was not incompetent or foolish, merely knowing how to relay imperial edicts; in fact, he knew when to advance and when to retreat.

Brother should learn from Minister Li.

Actually, my brother should just be the Minister of Personnel; he shouldn't have accepted the title of Right Vice Minister. Look at how His Majesty wanted to appoint Li Yi as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, but he refused; now His Majesty wants to appoint him as Left Vice Minister, but he still refuses.”

Changsun Wuji said, "His Majesty today also bestowed the title of Duke upon me and my uncle's son, which shows that he trusts and relies on us very much. There's nothing like what you're saying."

Lady Changsun shook her head helplessly.

"Your Majesty today bestowed the title of Duke upon one of the eight meritorious officials and their sons, and at the same time promoted Wang Gui to the position of Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate and concurrently Right Vice-Minister to the Crown Prince. He also granted him a title and bestowed a princess upon his youngest son. Do you still not understand?"
The real problem is that His Majesty didn't punish my uncle today, but instead bestowed a title upon him.

If His Majesty were to punish him directly, whether by deducting his salary or by reprimanding him, the matter would eventually be over.

But nothing has been done yet; he's still suspended. Don't you understand?

Changsun Wuji frowned, "It's not as serious as you make it out to be!"

“Brother, please heed my advice and resign as prime minister with your uncle.”

“If you do not resign as prime ministers, Wang Gui will not let this go.”

"And Wang Gui impeached you, and received such a reward from His Majesty. Do you think many more people will flock to him? If they really gang up on you and escalate the matter, it will be difficult to resolve the situation peacefully."

"It would be better if I resigned now, and this matter could be resolved."

“I’m not reconciled,” Changsun Wuji gritted his teeth. “You’re just a woman, what do you know about court politics?”

"If you don't believe me, brother, you can try to find out His Majesty's intentions by submitting the previous resignation letter."

(End of this chapter)