Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 136 Prince, Please Offer Sacrifice to Xianling on My Behalf (Part )
In the Liangyi Hall, Dang Renhong was still kneeling on the ground.

The emperor looked at him straight, his eyes full of disappointment.

Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and Chu Suiliang knelt on both sides of the hall.

Li Chengqian stood under the red steps, took two steps back, and was not conspicuous.

Li Shimin sighed softly, looked at Dang Renhong, and asked, "Tell me, what exactly is going on here? Explain it to me clearly."

"Yes!" Dang Renhong kowtowed, then spoke, "While I was in Guangzhou, I made some mistakes, but I wasn't involved in much corruption. Later, a wealthy overseas businessman approached me and asked me to allow him to sell the goods he had acquired in Guangzhou..."

"What overseas wealthy businessmen? Explain clearly?" Although the emperor was scolding Dang Renhong, his eyes were looking at Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng knelt on one side and coughed softly.

"Yes!" Dang Renhong stood up slightly and said, "Your Majesty, in fact, that man is not a wealthy overseas businessman. He is a pirate who plunders caravans in the South China Sea."

"go on."

"There are many islands on the edge of the South China Sea. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, when the Five Dynasties were in turmoil, many people gathered together to become bandits. Some even said that the core leader of the bandits was Sun En's old subordinate." Dang Renhong paused for a moment. The emperor's face on the imperial couch had turned gloomy.

Sun En was the leader of the Jiangnan sect of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His uncle Sun Tai was killed by Sima Daozi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty for plotting rebellion. Sun En then fled to an island and continued to prepare for revenge.

Later, when the Eastern Jin Dynasty was weak and in chaos, Sun En took advantage of the situation and rose up, commanding the north and south. At the peak of his power, he had hundreds of thousands of people under his command, all of whom were organized by the Taoist sect, and he caused great harm.

However, he was eventually defeated by Liu Yu and Huan Xuan, and committed suicide by jumping into the sea with his men.

The rest of the tribe was gradually wiped out in the following decades.

But even so, many Sun En followers still fled into the depths of the sea and eventually disappeared.

The South China Sea is also one of its hiding places.

……

"The South China Sea is remote. I wanted to organize a fleet to wipe out the rebels, but I kept miscalculating. In addition, most of their robberies were against overseas merchants and travelers, but they did not cause much harm to the merchants of the Tang Dynasty. So I gradually gave up the encirclement and suppression. At this time, someone came to my door." Dang Renhong kowtowed again.

"It's the pirates' insiders in Guangzhou." The emperor shook his head and squinted his eyes. "No, it should be two people working together. Some are plundering overseas, while others are responsible for selling the goods in Guangzhou. But if these are to go smoothly, they need your approval as the governor of Guangzhou."

"I am guilty." Dang Renhong kowtowed again.

"More than one million strings of cash. That makes sense. No wonder you were able to accumulate an income of more than one million strings of cash in just a few years." Li Shimin sighed lightly.

"But I have also offended quite a few people." Dang Renhong raised his head and said seriously, "Those who colluded with the overseas bandits, and those whose interests were exploited by the bandits... Among them, the one whom I sent to hunt down the censor who went to Guangzhou was someone who had colluded with the overseas bandits."

"How many people in this world are colluding with overseas bandits!" The emperor sighed softly, then looked at Wei Zheng and said, "Duke Zheng, let's end this matter here. In a few days, I will grant amnesty to the entire nation on the pretext of the New Year. Dang Renhong will be demoted one level and exiled to Zhenzhou. Once in Zhenzhou, he will be appointed as the commander of the Zhechou Prefecture, responsible for suppressing overseas bandits. How do you do that?"

Li Chengqian's eyes couldn't help but jump. He had just given the emperor an idea, and the emperor said it out in the blink of an eye.

Killing someone at the end of the year is unlucky.

If it is auspicious, there will naturally be amnesty for the whole country.

The emperor could smell the meaning of this without even thinking about it.

Li Chengqian thought the emperor would handle it carefully, but unexpectedly, after the court meeting, he said it directly in front of Wei Zheng.

If Wei Zheng disagrees with this matter, what should the emperor do?

Is it really murder?

Dang Renhong collected more than 700,000 strings of cash from overseas and kept them in the Guangzhou Governor's Office, but he dared not touch them. For whom was it for him?
His biggest crime was that he had secretly hoarded more than 400,000 strings of cash, so he was dismissed from office and exiled.

Wei Zheng didn't know about the latter part. All he knew was that the prince gave the emperor advice, reducing the death penalty by one level to hanging, and then reducing it by another level to exile three thousand miles away.

And what Dang Renhong just said.

"Ahem!" Wei Zheng raised his head, looked at the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, regardless of the cause, such serious corruption deserves severe punishment. Your Majesty has just issued an edict to the world, sentencing him to death by hanging. So be it."

Dang Renhong looked up in horror. He didn't expect that even after the emperor said so, Wei Zheng still wouldn't let him go.

"I understand. Thank you, Lord Wei." The emperor nodded with satisfaction, then said with emotion, "I have approved the letter of retirement you submitted yesterday. You can rest well at home from now on. If you need anything, I will send the Crown Prince to inquire."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wei Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Chengqian looked at Wei Zheng with a complicated expression. The meaning of Wei Zheng's words was very clear. The emperor said that if he wanted to kill someone, then he must kill him.

As for whether it was himself or someone else who died, he didn't care. "Dang Renhong" must die to serve as a warning to the world.

As for the future, this person must never appear in front of anyone in the world.

The emperor can do these things as he pleases, but not in front of Wei Zheng.

He didn't want to see it.

Without an official position, naturally one can't see anything.

In this case, it is a matter of retirement.

"Take them away, the Crown Prince will stay." The Emperor waved his hand slightly, and all the ministers immediately stood up and bowed. "I'll take my leave."

……

The railings are like jade, and the mountains and rivers are endless.

The emperor, wearing a black cloak, stood behind the railing, looking at the entire square in front of the Liangyi Palace and the guards holding spears standing on the palace wall in the distance.

The four-meter-high steps were enough for him to cross the palace wall and see the entire Chang'an clearly.

"What do you think about Dang Renhong's case today?" Li Shimin asked calmly without turning around.

“When people have power, they will have selfish desires, but selfish desires are hard to curb, so we need someone to monitor them. However, Guangzhou is too far away, and monitoring is inconvenient and difficult, unless the court sends an imperial censor to inspect Lingnan Road once a year. In this way, it will conflict with the power of the recorder and the military commander. Therefore, we can only trust the chief historian and the military commander to control them.” Li Chengqian bowed seriously.

"I'm talking about Dang Renhong's affairs." The emperor glanced at Li Chengqian lightly.

"I am not a pedantic person. If some things cannot be eliminated, we can just control them." Li Chengqian bowed slightly.

"Yes!" Li Shimin sighed and said, "There are pirates lurking in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Many are even remnants of the former Sui Dynasty's sea guards and even Sun En's evil. I want to eliminate them, but the Tang Dynasty lacks ships, so I can only control them in disguise. Come, pass on the order to appoint Yan Lide as the governor of Guangzhou. He must depart immediately without delay."

Zhang Ananda stepped out from behind the pillars and bowed, "Yes." "Well, since you're concerned about the Guangzhou situation, keep a close eye on it." The emperor looked up and said, "It's beyond my reach. Some people truly believe it's beyond my reach. I want to see how these people still claim to be beyond my reach once the Sea Guard is re-established."

The fastest way to get from Chang'an to Guangzhou is to ride a horse south at full speed for 600 miles.

But this is not advisable.

If we send some people to intercept and kill them along the way, we can completely cut them off.

Therefore, it is still necessary to take the water route, go directly from Luoyang to Yangzhou, and then take the sea route from Yangzhou to Guangzhou. With a favorable wind, the speed is extremely fast.

If you encounter headwinds, you can also go directly from Hangzhou to Taizhou, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou.

As all routes are launched, the control will be much stronger than before.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed seriously.

He knew that this was the difficulty of the Tang Dynasty governing the world.

The world is too big and news travels too slowly.

Among the four Anxi towns in the future, there were also Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and even Mobei. Only Guangnan was slightly better.

But to be honest, it also has many drawbacks.

Dang Renhong was able to amass millions of strings of cash in just a few years, and even the emperor was tempted to intervene.

It can be seen that the control is weak, especially among local aristocratic families.

The weaker the imperial court's control, the stronger the power of the aristocratic families.

All the imperial court could do was to appoint southern officials to the north and northern officials to the south.

"Cheng Qian!" The emperor looked at Chang'an City in front of him and said calmly: "On New Year's Eve, you will lead the kings to offer sacrifices to the Xianling Mausoleum on my behalf!"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian paused, then bowed heavily.

Xianling, the mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu, was a place that Li Chengqian had not visited for many years.

"Also, on the second day of the New Year, we will offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. You should come with me." The emperor raised his head and looked higher in the sky.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed seriously.

……

Inner courtyard of the Eastern Palace, Guangtian Hall.

This palace is where the East Palace entertains foreign guests.

Su Xu stood in the hall and bowed earnestly to the Crown Princess, who was seated at the upper left, saying, "Your Highness, your Highness is greeted by your servant Su Xu."

"Uncle, please sit down." Su Shu raised her hand slightly.

After the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects, what remains is naturally the friendship between uncle and nephew.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Su Xu bowed slightly, then sat down at the head of the table and said, "I was busy with worldly affairs a few days ago, so I was unable to attend the princess's hundredth day. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

"Uncle, what you said is not true. We are all family, there is no need to tell outsiders. Besides, my aunt and two cousins ​​are here, and my niece is already very happy." Su Shu waved her hand and said sincerely that she didn't care.

"After all, I have made a mistake, so today I present you with a volume of "Comprehensive Geography: Yongzhou" to congratulate the princess." Su Xu solemnly handed over a volume of the book on the side.

Su Shu was slightly stunned, then said seriously: "Thank you, uncle."

"That's all right." Su Xu breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and said, "Wugong County is in the seventeenth chapter. Although this article is not as good as the "Clan Records," it is a sufficient supplement."

"Thank you for your hard work, uncle." Su Shu opened the book slightly and took a look. "Wugong County in the Han Dynasty was south of the Wei River, which is the western boundary of today's Zhuoying County... Sufang Township is now more than 20 miles northwest of Wugong County in Yongzhou..."

Su Xu was a descendant of the Wugong Su family. When he compiled the "Guodi Zhi", he naturally praised the Wugong Su family highly.

Su Shu nodded in satisfaction and said, "After all, my family is a descendant of Zhuanxu Gaoyang clan, and our bloodline is noble, so it should be so."

"Yes!" Su Xu saw that Su Shu was somewhat satisfied, so he asked carefully, "In those days, if we talked about nobility in the world, it would naturally be the emperor's family. The crown prince inherited the throne, and there was also a grandson who was still alive. Moreover, the royal family had strict rules and regulations, and was also a role model for the world. I heard a few days ago that the King of Wei was punished in Ziyun Pavilion, which shows the majesty of Your Majesty."

Su Shu held the "Guo Di Zhi" in her hand and paused for a moment. Her expression gradually turned cold. She glanced at the words on the "Guo Di Zhi" and then said softly, "The King of Wei is fine. He is just frightened. If you want to see him, you can submit a memorial now."

Su Xu shook his head and said, "Your Highness made a mistake and should be punished. Please stay for as many days as Your Majesty permits."

Su Shu raised her eyes slightly, then said with a relaxed expression: "Now that the manuscript of 'Guo Di Zhi' is finished, uncle will be promoted next. I wonder what uncle thinks?"

Su Xu looked at Su Shu in surprise, then calmed down, thought for a moment, and said, "Perhaps I should go to a local place to take up my post. As for where, it will depend on your majesty's arrangements."

"Yes!" Su Shu nodded and said, "It's good that Uncle knows the answer. By the way, I heard that Yiniang is engaged. I wonder whose son it is?"

"It's the Jingzhao Wei family..." Su Xu had just said half of his words when a voice suddenly rang out from outside: "The Crown Prince is returning to the palace."

Su Xu immediately stopped talking. Su Shu smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness is back. Uncle, if you have anything to discuss, please speak to Your Highness. Your niece will step aside for now."

"Farewell, Your Highness." Su Xu stood up immediately.

……

In front of Cheng'en Hall, Su Shu waved gently.

A middle-aged woman came over and bowed seriously.

Su Shu asked calmly, "How are things going outside?"

"Everything has been arranged. The son of the Wei family will definitely not be able to escape." The old woman bowed cautiously.

"Very good, everything goes according to plan." Su Shu looked towards Guangtian Palace.

Since my uncle has an idea in his mind, then my niece will completely destroy this idea.

As for the sons of the Wei family and the children of Jingzhao, many of them are dissolute!

(End of this chapter)