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

Chapter 280: The Crown Prince's Hands in the Ministry of Revenue Are Too Long (Part )
Li Shimin, sitting on the long couch, put down the memorial in his hand, looked at the ministers with a smile and said, "Li Yu, Li Shan, these are good names."

"A broad mind has no corners, but rather a sharp edge; a well-beginning and a well-concluded one, a well-executed one." Changsun Wuji stood aside, cupping his hands and saying, "Your Majesty's intentions are excellent. I wish Your Majesty the victory in this battle, and a well-beginning and a well-concluded one."

"Li Shan, Li Shan." Li Shimin looked at his ministers and nodded with some emotion, saying, "I have done my duty to Wei Zheng."

All the ministers bowed their heads in agreement. Wei Zheng's daughter was married into the Eastern Palace as Crown Prince Liangti. Now that he had a son, he would not be neglected in the future.

In the future, she will at least be given the title of Queen Mother of the Kingdom.

The ministers were no strangers to the happenings in the palace.

Li Shimin looked up at Su Xu and said with a smile, "Su Qing, your daughter has been married into the Eastern Palace for some time now. She's almost pregnant, right?"

Su Xu's expression was calm, and he bowed earnestly, saying, "Your Majesty, I will leave everything to fate."

"You!" Li Shimin sighed softly, looking at Su Xu with a thoughtful expression. Finally, he said slowly: "Your visit to Liaodong this time has really posed a big problem for me."

"Your Majesty!" Su Xu bowed, still earnestly, and said, "The Crown Prince has said that Liaodong is vast and rich in resources. Trees, herbs, and minerals have been accumulated for countless years. Because it is sparsely populated and mined very little, there is much to be gained. In particular, there may be large quantities of copper and gold mines here. We should quickly explore and mine them. Only then will the court's support for Liaodong be more successful next year."

Copper mines, gold mines, all the civil and military officials in the palace couldn't help but look at the emperor.

Li Shimin hesitated slightly and said, "I originally wanted to wait until next year to slowly start mining, but since Su Qing is here, I will leave this matter to Su Qing."

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward and said, "If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Currently, all matters in Liaodong Road are handled by the Liaodong Marching General's Office. This is mixed with official matters of the court, which is quite inconvenient. Your Majesty, it's time to sort things out."

"Okay!" Li Shimin nodded and said thoughtfully, "Establish the Andong Protectorate, and appoint Zhao Yuankai, the Minister of Rites, as the Inspector of the Andong Protectorate, responsible for all matters related to the Andong military farms.

Su Xu, the Director of the Imperial Academy, was appointed Deputy Protector of Andong and Inspector of Shenzhou, and Xuanchu City was designated as Shencheng, the seat of Shenzhou.

"Yes!" Zhao Yuankai and Su Xu bowed together.

"Establish Liaozhou, with Liaodong City as Liaocheng and the capital of Liaozhou. Appoint General Niu Jinda of the Left Guard as the Governor of Liaozhou, commanding the Left Guard to garrison Liaozhou and place it under the jurisdiction of the Andong Protectorate." After a brief pause, Li Shimin looked at Li Ji and said, "The Liaodong Road Military Commander's Office will be temporarily stationed in Liaozhou to oversee all military operations in Liaodong."

Niu Jinda and Li Ji stood up and bowed at the same time.

"Alright, everyone, get busy. The headquarters will properly handle the memorials from all over the court and then send them to me." Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Wuji, stay!"

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed in unison, then turned around and stepped back.

……

In the lobby, Zhang Ananda personally brought hot tea and placed it on the table in front of Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wuji, then slowly retreated.

Li Shimin handed the memorial to Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Your Highness hopes that the former Sui Dynasty survivors in Liaodong can return to Chang'an and Luoyang before next spring planting, and then be dispersed and resettled to begin spring planting. Meanwhile, those who have families and property and do not need the court's help in resettlement will only receive 100 mu of land, and there will be no further management or resettlement."

"Your Majesty, this is as it should be." Changsun Wuji closed the memorial and said, "I think the Crown Prince has handled all matters very appropriately."

"He's meddling too deeply in the Ministry of Revenue." Li Shimin raised his head, looked outside the hall, and then said, "Fang Xuanling, Tang Jian, and Zhao Yuankai all spoke in unison with him."

Today, all of a sudden, Li Shimin suddenly discovered that, without his knowledge, Li Chengqian had gained great prestige in the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Agriculture, and even the Ministry of Chancellery.

This was something he had not anticipated before.

"Isn't that exactly why Your Majesty asked the Crown Prince to stay in Chang'an to supervise the country?" Changsun Wuji put down the memorial and said, "The Crown Prince's supervision of the country is crucial to stabilizing the country and providing logistics for Your Majesty. The affairs of the world are all about farmers, workers, and soldiers. With the soldiers in Your Majesty's hands, it's normal for the Crown Prince to interfere in farmers' affairs and workers' affairs.

I have done a good job of calculating the expenses of Your Majesty's campaigns this year. Your Majesty, please take a look at this year's bill."

Li Shimin took a look at the memorial and then shook his head slightly. He knew that Li Chengqian's calculation was correct.

No, the calculations of the entire court were correct.

There were 100,000 soldiers, nearly 400,000 civilians, and tens of thousands of captives in Liaodong. It was only because Liaodong produced some grain this year that Li Shimin would have been able to lead his army back to Chang'an this autumn.

In order to balance the finances, Li Chengqian naturally needed Liaodong to send as much captured spoils as possible back to Chang'an to balance the finances.

Even Li Shimin could not say anything about this kind of settlement of accounts.

What Li Shimin really cared about was that Li Chengqian was able to manage the finances.

The core of the governance of the country lies in the Ministry of Revenue.

The key to the Ministry of Revenue’s rule lies in the Ministry of Finance.

Now that Li Chengqian has intervened in the Ministry of Revenue, Li Shimin feels like someone is holding his lifeline in check.

Li Shimin didn't know what to say for a moment, and he always felt a little uncomfortable.

"Now the army is in your Majesty's hands, why do you have to think too much?" Changsun Wuji looked at Li Shimin with some displeasure.

Li Chengqian stayed in Chang'an to supervise the country. What they hoped most was that nothing would go wrong so that it would not affect the army.

And this is what Li Chengqian is doing now.

Moreover, the real key to all affairs in the world lies in the military.

The 100,000 elite soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were all in Li Shimin's hands, and Changsun Wuji didn't even know why he was being so pretentious.

If the Crown Prince is suspected of interfering in the Ministry of Revenue and he is able to return to the court, and then he is relieved of his power as regent, wouldn't everything return to normal?
The emperor's mind was always suspicious, wanting more and more.

Changsun Wuji really didn't think that Li Chengqian could pose any threat to the emperor.

"Okay." Li Shimin felt for a moment that he was being a little too sensitive. He shook his head and said, "After this defeat, I'm afraid Goguryeo won't give us any chances to fight next year. And the envoy just now was probably here to test our strength."

The emperor sneered lightly and looked outside the palace.

In the battle of Liaodong, Goguryeo's main force suffered heavy losses. Even though there were still a lot of remaining troops, they did not dare to fight a field battle with the Tang Dynasty easily.

Thirty thousand defeated one hundred and fifty thousand. Li Shimin could imagine how terrified the people in Goguryeo were.

Zhang Sun Wuji nodded and said, "Your Majesty, next year's war will probably be mainly siege warfare."

"Yes!" Li Shimin sighed, turned to look at Zhangsun Wuji, and said, "Next year's march will begin in March. Let Tang Jian go back and prepare all the necessary military equipment."

"Okay!" Changsun Wuji nodded calmly and sent Tang Jian back to the court at this time?
Deep in Changsun Wuji's heart, he had a feeling.

It is also a question whether Li Chengqian will be able to smoothly transfer power when the emperor returns to the court in the future.

Maybe there will be another storm.

……

It snowed heavily in winter, and Chang'an was covered in white.

Li Chengqian lay on the couch, looking outside the hall.

There was complete silence between heaven and earth; even winter was nowhere to be seen today.

"Your Highness!" A whispering voice sounded in his ears. Li Chengqian retracted his gaze and then looked softly at Su Yi beside him.

Su Yi didn't open her eyes, but just murmured.

Li Chengqian smiled, reaching out to caress her delicate, jade-like cheek, his expression gentle. At this moment, Su Yi finally opened her eyes, somewhat bewildered. The moment she saw Li Chengqian clearly, she whispered softly, "Your Highness!"

"Ok!"

"Is it dawn?" Su Yi looked up at the window.

"No!" Li Chengqian pulled up the quilt and covered them directly on their heads, then said in a muffled voice: "Look, it's still dark!"

"Your Highness!" Su Yi couldn't help but scream, but she stopped herself mid-sentence...

Half a day later, the quilt was lifted up again.

Su Yi tightly grasped the red quilt, raised her head, and looked at Li Chengqian with red eyes: "Your Highness, don't you have to go to Wude Hall today?"

"We still have to go, but there's no need to rush. It's snowing heavily today, so all officials will be late." Li Chengqian reached out and pinched Su Shu's slightly flushed nose.

"Your Highness!" Su Yi said coquettishly. Li Chengqian then smiled and let go of her hand, then held Su Yi in his arms.

At this time, Su Yi looked up at Li Chengqian again and asked, "Your Highness, Father has now been appointed Deputy Protector of Andong and Governor of Liaozhou. When will he be able to return?"

"It's hard to say." Li Chengqian shook his head, looked up, and said, "Although my father-in-law is only the Deputy Protector General of Andong now, the Protector General of Andong, Zhao Yuankai, is originally the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. When my father returns to the court next year, he will come with him. If my father-in-law does well, he will probably be the Protector General of Andong."

Now that I have become the Protector General of Andong, it will probably be even more difficult to come back.

"Mom will be sad, but I'm afraid Daye will be very happy." Su Yi said with a pout.

Su Xu used to be the Chief Clerk of King Wei, and later he was transferred to be the Director of the Imperial College. Over the years, he had a feeling that his ambitions were unfulfilled.

He was also one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Palace. Those old friends back then, not to mention Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, others such as Yu Zhining, Li Xuandao, Yan Xiangshi, etc., became prime ministers, governors, and vice ministers.

If he doesn't go any further, he will probably be compared with Yu Shinan, Chu Liang, Lu Deming, Yao Silian and other people who are no longer around.

"Then my beloved concubine, please give birth to a child for me as soon as possible, and then let my aunt take care of the child." Li Chengqian smiled and hugged Su Yi again.

"Your Highness..." Su Yi lowered her head with some helplessness and amusement.

"Okay, I should get up. There are still many things to do in the court." Li Chengqian took a deep breath and turned over from the bed.

The maids on both sides immediately stepped forward to help Li Chengqian put on his clothes. Even Su Yi got up wearing only a thin pair of underwear to help Li Chengqian pack his clothes.

Li Chengqian looked at Su Yi in front of him and smiled gently.

Su Xu went to Liaodong. Once he arrived, the emperor would understand that Li Chengqian wanted Su Xu to serve in Liaodong.

This must have hurt the emperor a little.

But Li Chengqian just wanted to do this, he was looking at the future.

As long as Su Xu can gain a foothold in Liaodong, then when the emperor wants to conquer Liaodong again in the future, he will have to rely on Su Xu.

Su Xu's ability is enough to guarantee this.

Li Chengqian was also using his own methods to force the emperor to hand over some power to him even after returning to the court in the future.

The environment in Goguryeo was even more dangerous than that in Liaodong.

In the previous life, after returning from the Liaodong campaign, countless people failed to make it through that stage.

The emperor's old injury relapsed only after he came back.

When the emperor fell ill, the court was unable to handle the situation. Li Chengqian had the ability to handle the affairs of state, so naturally the affairs of state had to be handed over to him.

Take control of the government and plan for the future.

……

In the Secretariat, people are hurrying around.

Fang Xuanling sat in the left inner wing, head down, processing official documents. The ground beside him was full of documents sent from various places.

This is already a lot less.

Li Chengqian took over a lot of it.

But even so, there are still many.

But fortunately, with the heavy snow and the delays in official documents, the next few days shouldn't be so busy, so I can relax...

A burst of hurried footsteps was heard outside, and then someone walked quickly into the room.

Zheng Congjian, the left-hand doctor, walked in from outside the hall and bowed to Fang Xuanling with a serious expression, saying, "Prime Minister, the Dali Temple has reported that someone has accused someone of treason!"

Fang Xuanling paused, looked up at Zheng Congjian, his face darkening as he asked, "Has the Dali Temple investigated?"

Zheng Congjian bowed and said, "The people from the Dali Temple said they came to investigate and brought official documents. I asked for the documents, but they said they would personally present them to the Minister of Works."

"Who's here from the Dali Temple?" Fang Xuanling looked up in surprise.

"Zhang Wenguan, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple." Zheng Congjian bowed seriously.

"Zhang Wenguan?" Fang Xuanling frowned. Zhang Wenguan and the Eastern Palace had always been close, so why was he the one delivering the official documents today?

rebellion.

Fang Xuanling suddenly remembered that someone had reported treason today, so it was normal for Zhang Wenguan to come.

However, someone reported a conspiracy and brought it to him. Shouldn't it have been delivered by Sun Fujia himself?
"Let someone in." Fang Xuanling waved his hand.

"Yes!" Zheng Congjian left quickly, and soon brought Zhang Wenguan and a man in a black robe into the room.

After the man in black robe entered the room, he knelt down and kowtowed to Fang Xuanling, and his face could not be seen clearly.

Fang Xuanling took the document from Zhang Wenguan and asked casually, "Who are you accusing of treason?"

"The current Sikong, Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and Duke of Liang Fang Xuanling." The man in black robe spoke directly without any hesitation.

Fang Xuanling, who had just received the official document, was stunned. After a moment, he came to his senses and looked at Zhang Wenguan with a gloomy face.

Zhang Wenguan shook his head solemnly and bowed slightly.

It has nothing to do with the prince.

Fang Xuanling immediately understood that Sun Fujia asked Zhang Wenguan to deliver the official document today to tell him that this matter had nothing to do with the prince.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Xuanling looked at Zheng Congjian with a grim expression and said, "Go and invite Prime Minister Gao, Prime Minister Yang, Prime Minister Xiao, Prime Minister Yu, as well as the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Justice, and the Crown Prince. Invite them to come together and try the case of Fang Xuanling, the Minister of Works, the Governor of Chang'an, the Minister of the Left, and the Duke of Liang, for treason."

The sound of Fang Xuanling gritting his teeth was extremely clear.

(End of this chapter)