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

Chapter 796 Hell was set up for this person.
"Your Majesty, due to the short time constraints, we did not have time for a major overhaul. We only had time to repair a few main halls in the Ziwei Palace. Many other places could only be repaired simply for now. Please punish us, Your Majesty."

"I am somewhat uneasy," said Pei Huaijie, the Palace Attendant.

Li Shimin strolled through the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang.

When Emperor Yang Guang built the Eastern Capital, he named the imperial palace Ziwei City, after the Ziwei Palace, the residence of the Heavenly Emperor.

This palace was built only eighteen years ago.

When this palace was built, Li Shimin was only six years old. That year, his father was the governor of Xingyang, and his post was not far from here. He once accompanied his father to pay homage to the emperor.

Eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye, and his cousin, the emperor, has long since died in Yangzhou.

Li Er, who once suffered from an eye disease and was ridiculed by Yang Guang as "Little Blind Man," has now become the supreme ruler of the world.

"This palace is very well renovated. The country is in dire need of rebuilding now, so there's not much to it, and the emperor shouldn't be thinking about enjoying himself."

"Let's change the name of Ziwei Palace to Luoyang Palace from now on."

years ago,
Li Shimin led his army to besiege Luoyang, but the siege dragged on for a long time without success.

It was also at the end of such a year,

The soldiers were eager to return home, and the Turks invaded the border again. At that time, the retired emperor issued an edict to order the troops to return to the capital.

Li Shimin refused to withdraw.

At the crucial moment, Li Yi offered up a Taoist secret technique: gunpowder.

Using gunpowder combined with acupoint-based explosive techniques, they first breached the city of Luoyang, and then blasted open the Luoyang Imperial Palace.
Wang Shichong's army mistook that tremendous power for an earth dragon turning over.

The stubborn Zheng army finally collapsed, and Wang Shichong led his officials out of the city to surrender.

The Tang Dynasty thus seized control of the Central Plains.

After the war, the retired emperor originally planned to dismantle the Luoyang palace and imperial city, and let the people take the bricks, stones and timber to repair their houses.

It was Li Yi, the Pacification Commissioner of Henan and Hebei and concurrently the Governor of Luozhou, who submitted a memorial arguing that it would be a pity to demolish it and that it would be better to seal it up for the time being.

During Li Yi's tenure, he also implemented a work-for-relief program, hiring craftsmen and laborers to repair the outer city, imperial city, and palace city of Luoyang.

Li Yi deserves the most credit for the fact that Luoyang City, especially the Luoyang Imperial City and Palace City, is so well preserved.

Otherwise, it would be completely demolished by the people after the war, and rebuilding would be very difficult.

When Emperor Yang Guang built the Luoyang Palace, many of the giant trees used in the palace were felled and transported from places like Sichuan and Jiangxi, consuming countless manpower and resources.

"When Emperor Yang of Sui issued an edict to move the capital to Luoyang, the imperial palace, Ziwei City, was the first to be built. It was designed by Yuwen Kai, the chief craftsman, and supervised by Liu Quan, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, and Wei Wanqing, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat. Seven hundred thousand soldiers and laborers were deployed to build the city wall, and it was completed in sixty days."

The construction of the palace buildings and walls within the city required the labor of over 100,000 people. The Civil Engineering Bureau alone had a regular workforce of 800,000, while the carpentry, bricklaying, metalwork, and stonemasonry work employed an additional 100,000 people.
This Ziwei Palace, covering an area of ​​8,000 mu, employs a total of 1.7 million workers.

It is said that the number of people employed in the Qin Dynasty's Epang Palace was only around 700,000, a full million more than expected.

Li Shimin was deeply moved.

The Ziwei Palace has three main halls: Qianyang Hall, Daye Hall, and Huiyou Hall. Among them, Qianyang Hall, like Taiji Hall in Chang'an, is the most important hall, with a foundation nine feet high.

The palace pillars used were nine feet in diameter, all from Yuzhang in Jiangnan. Each giant log required two thousand people to pull it, using iron wheels for transport. Every few miles, the iron wheels had to be changed, and each giant log also required hundreds of people to carry iron hubs along with it.

They could only drag it for thirty or twenty miles a day.

On the winter solstice of the second year of the Daye era, all nations paid tribute.
Yang Guang received court congratulations in the Qianyang Palace and even composed a poem for receiving court in the Qianyang Palace on the winter solstice: "With dignified bearing, I pay homage to all nations, upholding the legacy of a hundred kings."

Li Shimin arrived at the Qianyang Palace.
Looking at the magnificent, well-preserved, and newly renovated palace, one can't help but sigh in admiration.

"If it weren't for Wu Yi, this main hall would have been demolished."

The foundation of the hall is nine feet high, and the total height of the main hall is as high as 270 feet. It has thirteen bays and twenty-nine frames, and is nearly forty feet wide and eighteen feet deep.

Those giant pillars,

They stood guard like celestial soldiers and generals, each measuring twenty-four spans in circumference.

The lotus leans against the well, dazzling those who look up at it.

The south-facing pavilion was fitted with a net of loose silk, extending no more than seven feet below the ground, to keep out birds. It was surrounded by a covered walkway where guards sat and slept.

There are two large wells on the left and right sides of the palace, each with a surface width of twenty feet.

There are two towers, one in the southeast and one in the southwest of the courtyard, each with a large bronze bell hanging on it. The water clock is located below the tower, and the bell and drum sound as the water clock ticks.

Li Shimin looked at these well-preserved palaces
The colors look faded.
One can't help but marvel at the strength of the Sui Dynasty back then.

Chang'an was newly built by Emperor Wen, while Luoyang was built by Emperor Yang. Father and son, each built a capital city.
They are all so majestic and magnificent.

The Tang Dynasty has been established for six years.
With our current national strength, let alone building a capital city, we can't even completely renovate Luoyang.

Even though he had only been emperor for half a year, he still had to chase grain to Luoyang.

Entering the Qianyang Hall,
Li Shimin seemed to feel the grandeur and magnificence of the time when all nations paid homage to the Sui Dynasty.

Take a deep breath.

Li Shimin had to admit that

The prosperous Kaihuang era is truly something to reminisce about.

Even at the very beginning of its great undertaking, it was incredibly powerful.

The gap is too big,

There is still a long way to go, and the emperor cannot afford to relax.

"Where is Wu Yi? Hasn't he returned to Luoyang yet?" "After inspecting Baima Temple, Minister Li went directly to Dengsi Temple on Shaoshi Mountain, where he encountered some trouble," Pei Huaijie said.

Li Shimin nodded.
He came from Chang'an, and his journey was rather slow, taking him more than half a month to reach Luoyang.

On the road,
News of Li Yi's reorganization of the White Horse Temple and Shaolin Temple had already spread, and at that time, many ministers who were devout Buddhists submitted memorials, believing that Li Yi's actions were inappropriate.

Some even attacked Li Yi, saying that the hellish conditions were set up by this very person.

In the spacious Qianyang Hall,

Li Shimin strolled slowly.

He trusted Li Yi completely. This Situ, who was two years younger than him, had gone through thick and thin over the years and had developed the best understanding with him.

Everyone says that Fang planned and Du made decisions.

However, when it comes to long-term strategic thinking, Li Shimin even believed that Li Yi and he were the most compatible.

On many important matters, great minds think alike.

After the chaos of the past, both Buddhism and Taoism needed to be reorganized. Li Yi and he shared the same opinion: reorganization, restraint, and control.
But not destruction.

Some say that Li Yi persecuted Buddhism in Henan, but Li Shimin did not believe it.
He also has his own sources of information.

Li Yi's decrees at the White Horse Temple, the Shaolin Temple, and other temples...
Although his information was somewhat delayed, he grasped it very accurately.

What Li Yi did wasn't called destroying Buddhism.

Shaolin Temple has indeed gone too far.

Even the emperor felt nauseous after learning about the so-called traditions of trying new things in Baiguwu. The fabricated history of the thirteen monks rescuing the King of Qin also displeased him greatly.

Not to mention that they were found to be involved in usury, illegally brewing alcohol, and even manufacturing weapons, and had amassed a private army of three thousand monks.
Originally, he ordered Shaolin Temple to keep 500 monk soldiers to protect the territory and keep the people safe. Unexpectedly, these monk soldiers were often used to suppress tenants who could not pay their rent and people who could not repay their usurious debts.

There have been instances where, during periods of food scarcity, many starving people went to the temple to beg for food, only to be driven away and beaten by monks with sticks.

Li Yi has not yet submitted a memorial to him.
Li Shimin completely trusted Li Yi and supported him in doing things his own way. No matter how Li Yi handled things, he believed that Li Yi was both sensible and wise, and would be fair.

Last year, when the imperial court wanted to demolish Shaolin Temple and dismiss the monks, the Crown Prince pointed his sword at the Prince of Qin's mansion. Xiao Yu and Yang Gongren intervened, and in the end, the emperor withdrew the edict. Li Shimin actually contributed a lot in secret.

If he had known the true nature of Shaolin Temple back then, he wouldn't have intervened.

The emperor summoned Zhou Xiaofan, the general of the imperial guards.
"Send a few hundred riders to Dengfeng and tell them that I have arrived in Luoyang. Tell them to come back quickly and deal with the Shaoshi Mountain matter swiftly and decisively."

"By the way, let me tell you that Xiao Yu, the governor of Qizhou and Duke of Song, has sent several letters to scold Wu Yi for wanting to destroy Buddhism. He said that Buddha is a saint, and Li Yi does not respect saints. He also said that hell is set up specifically for people like Li Yi."

I have already issued an edict reprimanding Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu then submitted another memorial falsely accusing Wu Yi of forming a faction and plotting a rebellion. I severely reprimanded him. Xiao Yu then wrote a letter requesting to become a monk, and I agreed to his request. However, he broke his promise again.

I have now stripped him of his title of Duke of Song and demoted him to the position of Prefect of Shangzhou.

If it weren't for the fact that he was a senior official of the court and also related to my children by marriage, I would have demoted him to Lingnan.

Have someone tell Wu Yi not to worry about Xiao Yu and his ilk; my trust in him remains unchanged.

"Hurry back to Luoyang, I'm waiting for him to brew tea with snow."

After Li Shimin finished speaking,
Looking at Qianyang Palace, "Supervisor Pei!"

"The minister is here."

"Ziwei Palace was renamed Luoyang Palace, Qianyang Hall was renamed Qianyuan Hall, and Daye Hall was renamed Zhenguan Hall."

Of the three main halls, only the Huiyou Hall retains its original name.

Where is Wu Yi's residence in Luoyang?

"In the southwest corner of Luoyang City, next to the West Market, is Tongji Ward."

How big is the house?

"It covers an area of ​​more than 20 mu."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin frowned. "Tongji Ward is too far from the imperial city and palace, and the West Market is too noisy."

Thus, Huixun Ward on the south bank of the Luo River—didn't I previously say I would allocate the entire ward to the King of Yue?

The Huixun Ward was divided in two, with Prince Wei Wuyi and Prince Yue Li Tai each occupying half.

Huixunfang is a great place.
Separated from the imperial city by the Luo River, the ward is located near Tianjin Bridge to the west.

In the previous dynasty,
Huixunfang was once a gathering place for imperial relatives and nobles.
However, Wang Shichong later usurped the throne, and the owners of Huixunfang changed. Subsequently, the Tang dynasty captured Luoyang.

Many high-ranking officials and generals of the Zheng Dynasty were taken to the Luo River and executed in Huixunfang.
Although the Tang Dynasty did not demolish the Ziwei Palace and the imperial city afterwards,

However, Luoyang suffered from many years of war. After being returned to the Tang Dynasty, it rapidly declined due to the influence of the Guanzhong region's centralization in the early Tang Dynasty. Most of the princes and nobles in Luoyang moved to Chang'an in Guanzhong, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.

Luoyang is becoming increasingly deserted.

Huixunfang, a neighborhood where land was once extremely valuable, now has many abandoned residences.

The emperor favored his second son, Prince Yue, Li Tai. Although he was still young and only staying temporarily in Luoyang, he had already chosen Huixun Ward, which was separated from the imperial city by a river.
Furthermore, he intended to bestow the entire estate upon Li Tai.

Upon hearing that Li Yi only had a small residence of about twenty acres in the southwest corner of Luoyang, Li Shimin immediately allocated half of the Huixunfang estate prepared for his son to this trusted and favored minister.

Not so,
This also demonstrates the emperor's support for Li Yi.

Just as the former prime minister Xiao Yu repeatedly attacked Li Yi, the emperor was able to directly strip this father-in-law of his title of duke and demote him to Shangzhou.

(End of this chapter)