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

Chapter 758 The tree fell and the hozens scattered
Li Shimin still left Pei Ji a way out.

Pei Ji was exiled to Jingzhou, under the jurisdiction of the Lizhou Governor's Office, but his family was not implicated. His property was not confiscated, and his wife and daughters were not confiscated and sent to the inner palace.

Jingzhou was located in Shu. It was originally named Nanhezhou. Later, Xizhou was established in Xitang County, and then renamed Jingzhou. The prefecture seat was Qinghua County. It was under the jurisdiction of Lizhou Prefecture. The Donghe River, a tributary on the right bank of the Jialing River, flowed through it.

This is not a good place nowadays. The name change to Jing (meaning quiet) reflects the imperial court's desire for the place to become peaceful. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the barbarian tribes in this region have never submitted to the rule of the emperor and have frequently rebelled.

This area, which was later under the jurisdiction of Guangyuan, is located on the northern edge of the Sichuan Basin, on the southern slope of the Micang Mountains, and is a mountainous region with the East River running north to south.

Exile to Jingzhou, which seems not far from Chang'an.

That would be exile to the wilderness.

In the hall,

Pei Ji took the crown.

Remove the goldfish charm.

The ministers watched this scene unfold.
Everyone felt a sense of loss, realizing that an era had come to an end.

On the same day,

Pei Ji left the palace, returned home to say goodbye to his family, and was then urged to set off.

The fact that the emperor allowed him to go home and say goodbye to his wife and children was already a great favor from heaven.

Next, they traveled ten post stations a day, covering three hundred li each day.

The journey from Chang'an to Jingzhou along this road into Sichuan was extremely difficult, but the mission was urgent and could not be delayed.

"My lord, the messenger is urging us again."

"Steward Wei, give each of the constables another ingot of gold as a reward." Pei Ji's wife instructed. Pei Ji had been dismissed from his post and stripped of his title, and her title of Lady of Wei had also been revoked.

"Madam, they refuse to accept it."

Pei Ji waved his hand, "Forget it, there's no need to make things difficult for them."

"After I leave, you should pack your things and return to your hometown of Puzhou. Before you go, present the thousand acres of fertile land that the Emperor Emeritus bestowed upon me, as well as this mansion, to the imperial court."

Pei Ji looked dejected.

He was born into the Pei family of Hedong. He lost his father at a young age and was raised by his elder brother. Later, thanks to his family's influence, he was appointed as the registrar of the prefecture at the age of fourteen.

Although by the end of the Daye era, at the age of forty, he was only a seventh-rank deputy supervisor of Jinyang Palace, he was an old friend of Li Yuan, the governor of Taiyuan who also served as the palace supervisor, and was treated with great courtesy. Later, he became a meritorious official who helped the emperor rise to power.

These seven years,
From a minor deputy supervisor of Jinyang Palace to the founding prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and finally to the position of Minister of Works, he could be said to have climbed to the top of the mountain and looked down on all the mountains below.

A new emperor brings a new court, and ultimately, he was not tolerated by the new emperor.

The current emperor is not an easy-going ruler like the retired emperor.

When someone accused Pei Ji of plotting a rebellion, the emperor ordered the relevant officials to investigate. After finding no evidence, the emperor comforted him in person and even sent three concubines to Pei Ji's home with fine wine for a banquet. They stayed overnight before returning, as a sign of his special favor.

Now that he has been dismissed from his post and exiled to Jingzhou, many of the barbarian tribes there are fickle and unpredictable. Even if Pei Ji doesn't die in a battle on the way, he will surely die at the hands of the barbarians.

This parting,

Perhaps this is goodbye forever.

He patiently explained things to his family.

They donated the thousand acres of land and the mansion in Chang'an that the retired emperor had once bestowed upon them to the court, and the whole family moved back to their hometown in Puzhou.

The son, Lawyer Pei, is engaged to the nineteenth daughter of the retired emperor, and the daughter is engaged to the sixth son of the retired emperor, Prince Zhao, Yuanjing.

Don't concern yourself with these two marriages to the royal family.

If the royal family wants to cancel it, let them do it; if they don't cancel it, that's for the best.

"The main task is to cooperate with the imperial court and government officials to declare and inventory the land within the prefecture, and to promptly hand over two liters of grain per mu for the public granary."

If there is still surplus grain, more should be offered to the imperial court.

prior to,

Pei Ji, still relying on his status as a veteran and meritorious official, submitted a memorial opposing the requirement that officials and gentry pay two sheng of grain per mu (a unit of land measurement) for the public granary, and opposing the land restriction order.

But now, all he can do is urge his family to show their support for the court through their actions, hoping that the court will leave him a chance to survive and not drive him to extinction.

Previously, he was the Minister of Works, a meritorious official of Taiyuan, and the second most meritorious official to be granted a real title.

Now, he is a homeless dog.

Four sins that will surely lead to death.

The two pardons granted by the Emperor Emeritus covered this matter.

The wife was somewhat reluctant to part with the family fortune.

For the past two or three decades, Pei Ji's career had been unsuccessful; he was just a minor official, and his family was not wealthy. But in the last six or seven years, he rose to prominence, and wealth began to accumulate on his own.

“We just need to report the land area truthfully and hand over the grain from the granary. Why do we have to donate land, grain, and even our houses?”
Now that you've been dismissed from your post, you still need to think about your descendants and leave them a legacy.

Pei Ji sighed helplessly.

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. We now own several thousand acres of land. If we only donate one thousand acres, and can keep the rest, isn't that enough?"

"You know I've been dismissed from my post, stripped of my official rank, and exiled to Jingzhou. Do you and your family really think you can protect these thousands of acres of land?"

The servant came again to report that the officials were urging them to come.

Pei Ji sighed and stood up.

Pei Ji's wives, concubines, and children all surrounded him, and they all shed tears.

Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but shed tears. Perhaps after retiring from office, he should have taken his wives, concubines, and children back to his hometown of Puzhou, retired to his rural home, and stopped concerning himself with court affairs. Perhaps then he wouldn't have ended up like this.

He raised his hand to wipe away his tears with his sleeve.

Pei Ji left with weak steps.

At the main gate,
Officials from the Ministry of Rites arrived with craftsmen, who were removing the plaque of the Minister of Works from the main gate of the Pei residence and taking away the gate halberd.

He also told the Pei family that now that Pei Ji had been dismissed from his post, the size of the Wutou Gate and the main gate had to be reduced, otherwise it would be an overstepping of their bounds.

"Lord Pei, let's go."

Officials from the Ministry of Justice came to urge them on. This trip was being closely monitored by higher-ups, and they dared not accept money or gifts from the Pei family.

You have to travel 300 li a day.

Pei Ji was only allowed to bring one attendant.

The steward, Wei An, requested to accompany him in serving, hoping to atone for his sins. "Let's go."

The autumn wind is bleak.

Pei Ji embarked on his journey into exile.

He couldn't help but look back.

Maybe he'll never come back.

···
Three days later,
Pei Ji's wife submitted a memorial to the court, offering up a thousand acres of fertile land and the first-class seat in Chang'an, which were bestowed upon Pei Ji by the retired emperor, as well as ten thousand bushels of grain.

The emperor accepted the tribute and also granted Pei Ji's wife's request to take her children back to her hometown in Puzhou.

The emperor sent Consort Wei, along with Zhao Wangbao and Fu Chongyi's wife Xu Xiuzhi, to the Pei family. He bestowed some silks and satins upon Pei Ji's wife and told her that the marriage alliance between Pei's children and the royal family remained unchanged.

Pei Ji's wife took the whole family away from the capital and returned to their hometown. The next day, the emperor issued an edict to bestow the mansion that the Pei family had donated upon Liu Shuyi.

Liu Shuyi is Liu Wenjing's eldest son.

Pei Ji and Liu Wenjing were once colleagues and friends, but they later became bitter enemies, and Liu Wenjing was eventually killed by Pei Ji.

Now, many years have passed.

Three days after Pei Ji was dismissed from his post, stripped of his official title, and exiled, the emperor issued an edict to exonerate Liu Wenjing and restore his official rank and titles.

He ordered his eldest son, Liu Shuyi, to inherit the title of Duke of Lu, and promised to marry a princess to him in the future.

Liu Shuyi made a request to the emperor.
I heard that Pei Ji's original residence has been offered to the imperial court, and he wants this house.

Although Li Shimin had already returned Liu Wenjing's old residence to the brothers Liu Shuyi and Liu Shuyi, he still granted his request.

An imperial edict was issued to bestow Pei Ji's former residence upon Liu Shuyi, the Duke of Lu.

The Liu brothers have experienced the vicissitudes of life and tasted the bitterness of human nature over the past few years. This time, their father's wrongful conviction has been overturned, his official titles and ranks have been restored, Liu Shuyi has inherited the title of Duke of Lu, and has been promised a future marriage to a princess.
Naturally, he also showed off in a very high-profile manner.
They arrived at Pei Ji's old residence with great fanfare.
A plaque for the Duke of Lu's Mansion was hung on the main gate.

The two brothers had their servants place more than a dozen baskets of copper coins in front of the door and kept throwing them at the neighbors who came to watch, to announce to everyone that they had taken over their enemy's old house.

They sent out invitations to many guests and held a grand housewarming banquet.

Li Yi received an invitation from Liu Shuyi at the Political Affairs Hall.

"I'll choose a set of porcelain for them and send it over as a housewarming gift. I'm too busy with official duties to go."

Li Yi disliked the Liu brothers' flamboyant behavior.

When Liu Wenjing died, they were still young. Having experienced the pain of losing their family, a little bit of arrogance after these past few years of hardship wouldn't be entirely a bad thing. But if they continued like this...
Sooner or later, they'll cause trouble.

In his office,

Ma Zhou was sitting and drinking tea. He had performed very well in his position as Imperial Censor and had just been promoted by the emperor to the position of Imperial Censor in charge of books.

"You look much more dashing in that scarlet robe," Li Yi said with a smile.

"Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse," Ma Zhou laughed.

Although his name contains the words "Imperial Censor," his original position as Imperial Censor was a low-ranking official of the sixth grade.

The current Imperial Censor, however, is a fifth-rank official, serving as the second-in-command of the Censorate.

His original name was Imperial Censor, but during the Sui Dynasty, to avoid the taboo of the character "忠" (zhong), it was changed to Imperial Censor of the Imperial Secretariat.

The Censorate held significant power, with the Vice Censor-in-Chief serving as the second-in-command to the Grand Censor, in charge of the nation's laws, regulations, and decrees.

Historically, after the mid-Tang Dynasty, the position of Grand Censor was not frequently held. The Vice Grand Censor was the actual head of the Censorate, and he was often given additional titles and appointed as prime minister, with his rank rising to the fourth grade.

Ma Zhou, at a young age, had already become an assistant in the Censorate. It must be said that, in addition to his personal talent and ability, the key was that he met a patron.

When he first met Li Yi, he was merely an assistant instructor in Bozhou, and Li Yi recruited him as a staff member. After several years of experience, his reputation reached the King of Qin.

A once impoverished scholar,
He has now become a role model for many scholars in Chang'an, and most people envy him for rising from humble beginnings to high office.

He was even more impressed that he had met a good mentor who recognized his talent and gave him great support.

An official document was delivered from behind the hall.

It was Pei Ji's family that donated 1,000 hectares of land and 10,000 shi of grain.

We request instructions on how to use these fields and grain, especially the thousand hectares.

This was when the retired emperor rewarded his meritorious officials after conquering Chang'an. Pei Ji was ranked first in merit and was directly rewarded with 100,000 mu of fertile land and a large mansion.

These 100,000 mu of land are distributed in Hedong and Guanzhong, and are all fertile fields.

Pei Ji's offering now can be considered a good gesture.

"Pei Ji is getting senile. He had already retired and should be enjoying his old age, but he insists on getting involved in all this trouble."

He not only submitted memorials opposing the court's new policies such as limiting land use and establishing granaries, but he also secretly colluded with sorcerers to have an affair with the Taiji Palace.
If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty shot.
"Now we have no choice but to cut our losses and sacrifice our limbs to survive; it's a thousand acres of land!" Ma Zhou sighed.

Li Yi looked at the document.

"It's not just 100,000 mu of land. With Pei Ji's exile, all the fields his family had hidden will have to be inventoried and measured."

Even some government-owned or privately owned land that had been seized had to be returned.

Not to mention, many people used to register land under his name to evade taxes. Now, they'll definitely have to break away from the Pei family.

"Many merchants who used to curry favor with Pei Ji and depend on him will surely break away now."

Just like Kangpo, a famous Sogdian merchant in Chang'an, he actively attached himself to Pei Ji after Pei Ji became the first prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and became Pei Ji's official minister of agriculture.

Kang Po's business was transformed into Pei family business, relying on Pei Ji's power. As long as Kang Po paid a portion of the profits to the Pei family, no one dared to touch the business.

Such cases are numerous, all involving collusion between officials and businessmen.

When Pei Ji falls, the merchants who depended on him will naturally break away and seek other patrons.

In fact, Kang Po has already proactively sought to become Li Yi's patron through her connections. If Li Yi agrees, Kang Po's business will be under his name.
As long as Li Yi protects Kang Po, he can receive a large amount of tribute every year.

That is equivalent to having a stake in his business.

However, Li Yi had long heard that Kang Po was affiliated with Pei Ji and was very domineering in the business world. Li Yi disliked her and directly rejected her.

Ma Zhou lowered his voice and asked with some curiosity, "Pei Ji, can you reach Jingzhou?"

Li Yi nodded. "Mm."

"Oh." Ma Zhou nodded.

(End of this chapter)