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

Chapter 168: Pressure is put on King Qi, I hope he can hold on (First update)
Ma Zhou, a disciple of Taiji Sect, bowed earnestly to Li Chengqian and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your recommendation today."

Li Chengqian glanced at the ministers behind him, then smiled and gestured for them to come in. As he walked away, he said, "I recommended you because I believed you could govern Qizhou properly, but unfortunately, you didn't succeed in the end."

Although he was only the Chief Secretary of Qizhou, because the Governor-General of Qizhou, the Governor of Qizhou, and King Li You of Qi basically had no say in affairs, the Chief Secretary of Qizhou basically held the power of the Governor-General of Qizhou and the Governor of Qizhou.

This is also why so many people are coveting this position, and Yin Fei, Yin Hongzhi and others are unwilling to give it up.

"Your Highness, do you still think that Qizhou Chief Clerk Yin Hongzhi should be transferred out of Qizhou?" Ma Zhou's voice couldn't help but lower.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "If the King of Qi is capable, he can naturally balance the two sides, but the King of Qi..."

Ma Zhou nodded in agreement.

Qizhou's state affairs often require the final say of one person, but if Quan Wanji and Yin Hongzhi have a conflict with each other and Li You is unable to balance them, the final result will either be one side winning or both sides losing.

"In fact, for many things, it is better to let one person manage both internal and external affairs and exercise the power of a governor. This will be better for the people." Li Chengqian smiled bitterly with some helplessness.

In fact, the problem of Qizhou ultimately lies with Li You.

So many troubles arose because Li You, the governor of Qizhou, was unqualified.

If someone else had been appointed as the governor of Qizhou or the governor of Qizhou, the issues in Qizhou would have been resolved long ago.

However, the emperor appointed Li You as the governor of Qizhou and the governor of Qizhou because Li You was his son.

The other two are just assistants.

The fundamental problem is that neither of these two people thought about assisting Li You well, which is why all these things happened.

Yin Hongzhi was fine, but he really wanted to take full control of Li You, and then let Li You do nothing while he took charge of Qizhou.

Quan Wanji also had problems. Although the emperor praised him for being outspoken and daring to make suggestions, he also once said that his suggestions could not be accepted.

In fact, saying more is because he has selfish motives.

As he was speaking, he had already returned to the East Palace.

……

In the Chongjiao Hall, Li Chengqian motioned Ma Zhou to sit down, and then had someone serve honey tea.

Ma Zhou took a sip and said, "Your Highness, the current situation in Qizhou is already like this. Your Majesty agreed to Quan Wanji's request today because Quan Wanji and Yin Hongzhi have already reconciled privately. Qizhou is temporarily worry-free. However, as Your Highness said, problems will arise sooner or later. As the Crown Prince, Your Highness should actually think of a solution."

"Then in your opinion, when will the Qizhou problem break out?" Li Chengqian looked at Ma Zhou and threw the question back.

Ma Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "At the slowest, it will take one or two years, and at the fastest, it will take three to five months."

Li Chengqian looked outside the hall, tapped the table gently, and then said, "Father has already made a decision on the matter of Prince Qi's Mansion. It is not convenient for me to get involved too much."

Li You is the King of Qi. Previously in the hall, the emperor had made a decision on the affairs of Qizhou.

Although there were various punishments and restrictions, the emperor was pleased to see that Quan Wanji and Yin Hongzhi reached a reconciliation.

After all, he still hoped that Quan Wanji and Yin Hongzhi could join forces to assist Li You.

Li Chengqian knew in his heart that this was impossible.

But the emperor had already made his decision, and he could not oppose the emperor in this regard.

There is nothing wrong with saying something to Ma Zhou in private, but you cannot take any action in this regard openly.

So we have to think of other ways.

"However, I cannot intervene in the power struggle within the Qi Palace, but I can still think of a way to manage Qizhou's affairs." Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Since Your Majesty wants everyone in the Qi Palace to be united, then we must act in accordance with their unity. Qizhou's autumn harvest must increase by 50% this year... The people of Qizhou must increase their autumn harvest by 50%, and Qizhou's tax revenue must also increase by 50%. All the pressure will be on them, leaving them no time for internal strife."

Ma Zhou looked at Li Chengqian in surprise, then nodded slowly, saying, "Your Highness is absolutely right. In reality, no one cares about the internal strife in the Qi Palace except Your Majesty. The officials in the court truly care about the people's livelihood in Qizhou... So as long as the people's livelihood in Qizhou is guaranteed, then the Qi Palace will fight to the death with them."

"That's not true. Perhaps under pressure, they will actually become united." Li Chengqian looked up and sighed, "Prince Qi is my fifth brother after all. Although many things he did were not right, he is still young. I really hope that he can grow under pressure."

"What if it doesn't work?" Ma Zhou looked up and looked at Li Chengqian with concern.

"Why do you sound a bit like Duke Zheng?" Li Chengqian looked at Ma Zhou in surprise.

Ma Zhou bowed slightly and said, "Duke Zheng serves his country and his people, setting an example for all his subjects."

"Alright." Li Chengqian looked at Ma Zhou deeply, then said carefully, "Two years, maybe. Last year, due to internal strife in Qizhou, tax revenue dropped significantly. So, as long as they try their best this year, a 50% increase should be achievable. Next year, if they try their best, 20% should be no problem. But if they put aside their internal strife, 30% is a stretch."

"Then 30%." Ma Zhou nodded and said, "If we put more pressure on the outside, maybe the King of Qi will make some improvements."

"Okay, 50% this year, 30% next year. If the King of Qi can't do it, I will petition my father to remove him from his posts as Governor of Qizhou and Governor-General of Qizhou, and then transfer him back to Chang'an to confine him to reflect on his mistakes." Li Chengqian nodded seriously.

It seemed that only Li You was being punished, but behind him were the Yin and Wei families. Once he was dismissed, the pressure on the two families would increase. Moreover, for Li Chengqian, if he really advised the emperor in this way, he would definitely offend the Wei and Yin families.

"Not enough!" Ma Zhou stared at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian's expression darkened. He looked at Ma Zhou and said, "If this is not enough, then I will have no choice but to ask Father to abolish the title of King of Qi and send him to some remote place to wait for his death."

"That's very good." Ma Zhouyi clapped his hands and said, "I will draft a memorial now. After your Highness and I sign it, we will send it to Your Majesty for your decision."

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned. If Ma Zhou also wanted to sign his name, it would mean offending the King of Qi, Yin family, and Wei family. He would bear the responsibility together with him.

"Okay, I'll do as you say." Li Chengqian nodded with a smile.

With Ma Zhou, a future prime minister, tied to him, he could offend the Yin and Wei families if he wanted.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Ma Zhou lowered his head, looked at Li Chengqian, then bowed seriously with a solemn expression.

……

The afternoon sun shines through the window panes and spreads across the floor of the Liangyi Hall, bringing warmth and tranquility.

Li Shimin looked at the memorial in his hand, then at Ma Zhou standing in the hall, and asked, "Prince, did he really say that?"

"Yes!" Ma Zhou bowed slightly and said, "I originally had some ideas, such as replacing the Qizhou Sima and the Recorder, but nothing is as convenient as the Crown Prince's suggestion. As for requesting that the King of Qi be transferred back to the capital in the future and his title be demoted, that is my advice."

"Is that so?" Li Shimin glanced at Ma Zhou, then looked at the memorial and said, "The Crown Prince believes that Quan Wanji and Yin Hongzhi will inevitably clash in the future. Why?"

Ma Zhou bowed and said, "The Crown Prince said that Quan Wanji is selfish and Yin Hongzhi lacks the ability. If the two work together, it will be fine. However, if they clash, it will inevitably endanger the people of Qizhou. Therefore, we set a maximum goal that they can achieve. With pressure, the desire for infighting will be reduced."

Li Shimin looked at the end of the memorial and said, "If it cannot be completed within two years, do you really want to request a demotion of the King of Qi's title?"

Li Shimin saw clearly that Li Chengqian must have been brought here step by step by Ma Zhou.

All this is essentially what Ma Zhou meant.

He had no intention of blaming Li Chengqian. Even he was optimistic about Ma Zhou, a future prime minister. After more than 40 years of experience, it was not surprising that Li Chengqian was brought here under his manipulation.

Not to mention, this was more or less Li Chengqian's own opinion.

At today's court meeting, Li Chengqian proposed several times to transfer Yin Hongzhi, let Quan Wanji take charge of Qizhou alone, and let him teach Li You alone.

Avoiding conflicts and letting Li You be taught entirely by Quan Wanji is the best thing for Li You.

However, Li Shimin did not believe Quan Wanji, and in the harem, Concubine Yin also looked worried.

The approach of balance seems to be the best method Li Shimin can adopt now.

The advice from Li Chengqian and Ma Zhou now seems to be able to make up for some of the shortcomings.

……

"Yes, I will request to demote the King of Qi." Ma Zhou bowed firmly and seriously.

"Alright, that's it." The emperor scribbles a "approved" on it, then hands it to Zhang Ananda and says, "Send it to Quan Wanji tomorrow."

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed slightly.

Li Shimin turned and looked at Ma Zhou again, saying, "Ma Qing, you have had some contact with the Crown Prince. How do you think the Crown Prince has his own opinions?"

Ma Zhou's expression became serious.

He knew that in the eyes of the emperor, a crown prince who only knew how to obey the words of his ministers was not a suitable crown prince.

Because of today's incident, Ma Zhou put Li Chengqian under a microscope, which made Li Chengqian appear somewhat incompetent.

So he must now dispel the emperor's doubts.

"The Crown Prince has a keen eye and can see the root of a problem. This is extremely rare." Ma Zhou bowed and said seriously, "It's just that the Crown Prince is young and lacks experience. In three to five years, when his temperament matures, he will be able to see the shortcomings of my advice."

"Yeah!" Li Shimin nodded. This was true. The prince was not so easy to fool.

As I said before, the reason why Li Chengqian made a memorial together with Ma Zhou today was mainly because he had his own ideas, which is why Ma Zhou gradually set him up.

But Ma Zhou also showed through his actions that he would assist the prince with all his strength, correct his mistakes, make suggestions and recommendations, and do his job as the prince's left assistant.

"Very good, Ma Qing, I will leave the Crown Prince in your care." The Emperor looked up at Ma Zhou and said, "I will be making an eastern tour of Luoyang this year. I will want to see the results of the Eastern Palace by the end of the year."

"Yes!" Ma Zhou bowed calmly.

(End of this chapter)