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

Chapter 409: The Debate on Reign Names: Yongwei, Yonghui, and Yongchang (Part )
As the morning light rises, the palace is quiet.

In the Lizheng Hall, Li Chengqian stood calmly in the hall, Su Shu stood in front of him, helping him tidy up his clothes.

After several days of urgent work, a black robe with a golden dragon pattern was finally worn by Li Chengqian.

The emperor abdicated too suddenly.

As a result, many things were not prepared in time.

Li Chengqian also wore dragon robes a few days ago, but those were dragon robes that his father had never worn before.

Only this one today was made according to Li Chengqian's body shape, using the best silk materials and was made bit by bit in the shortest time.

It fits Li Chengqian perfectly.

Su Shu stood in front of Li Chengqian and helped him straighten his collar with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Okay, stop looking." Li Chengqian patted the back of Su Shu's hand, then said softly, "You should get some more sleep. I'm going to the morning court now."

"Yes!" Su Shu nodded, then made way. Li Chengqian then walked past her with a smile.

Su Shu followed him all the way to the gate of Lizheng Hall, and watched Li Chengqian sitting on the imperial sedan chair and heading towards the distant Lizheng Gate. Only after he completely disappeared did she reluctantly look away.

The emperor's dragon robe and the empress's nine-phoenix robe.

That's Su Shu's.

When she thought of this, Su Shu couldn't stop smiling.

……

Outside Xianchun Gate, Li Anyan, dressed in red and golden armor, came as a guard.

Li Chengqian turned slightly to the side and asked in a low voice, "How is the Baiqi Division taking over?"

"We took over half and kept the other half. All those related to the Military Affairs Department, the four directions of the barbarians, and the internal and external rebels have been taken over. Those related to Chang'an, Luoyang, and the various aristocratic families are left in the hands of General Chang." Li Anyan repeated the situation in a low voice.

Although the Baiqi Division is a royal guard organization, in reality, when they act outside, they all have to act as the Qianniu Guards.

The Qianniu Guards were in charge of guarding the palace and also provided ceremonial guards for the emperor.

If there is an oral order, the messenger will pass it on at the bottom of the stairs, the General of the Guards will pass it on, and the other thousand bulls will pass it on.

Therefore, many times, the Qianniu Guards also served as imperial envoys.

Sometimes, you can even kill people with a Thousand Ox Knife.

Although the Qianniu Guards do not have the authority to spy on intelligence now, they have been the emperor's tool for killing and spying since the founding of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Among all the Qianniu guards, more than half are descendants of high-ranking officials. At the same time, the families behind them will also become channels for the Qianniu guards to gather information.

"That's all." Li Chengqian nodded, then said, "General Chang has led the Hundred Cavalry Division for many years and has made tremendous contributions... Although I'd like to sideline him and have you take over the Hundred Cavalry Division, this process needs to be slow, at least ten years. We can't rush it, or problems will arise."

"I understand." Li Anyan bowed in agreement.

There are countless people secretly watching over a huge secret organization like the Baiqisi.

The most terrifying thing is not those who are plotting rebellion, but those aristocratic families who are trying to infiltrate it.

They had no intention of rebelling. What they actually wanted was to infiltrate the emperor's power, cover up the emperor's eyes and ears, steal the emperor's power, turn the emperor into their puppet, and then divide the world and make the emperor bear the blame for the disintegration of the world.

This was the root cause of Huang Chao's uprising.

Once there is a problem with the transfer of power in the Baiqi Division, these aristocratic families in the world will immediately reach out, infiltrate, and even control the Baiqi Division.

They are Li Chengqian's biggest enemies.

If Li Chengqian succeeded to the throne abnormally, he would need to rely on the power of these people and use some shady means to eliminate them. But if Li Chengqian succeeded to the throne normally, he would have to use the power in his hands as much as possible to suppress them fundamentally.

"Leave half of our people in the Baiqi Division, keep a small half in hiding, and put the remaining small half into the Jinwu Guard, the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, Yongzhou Prefecture, and the two counties of Chang'an Wannian. The positions don't have to be too good, and the most important thing is to control the information." After Li Chengqian finished speaking, Li Anyan immediately nodded.

He understood that what Li Chengqian was really talking about was not the Baiqi Division, nor the Jinwu Guard, these law enforcement agencies, but those secret guards who were hidden by Xiaoban and had almost the same function as those under Chang He's command.

They are the core of Li Chengqian's future.

……

The Liangyi Hall was just ahead. Li Chengqian asked, "How's the investigation into the Tibetans going? Their connection to my father's misfortune is obvious. As long as we catch the person who's connecting them, I can keep Lu Dongzan and Gar Qinling in the Tang Dynasty."

Songtsen was about to die. If Lu Dongzan and Lun Qinling were left in Chang'an, there would be chaos in Tubo in the future.

By then, it would be much easier for Li Chengqian to deal with Tubo.

Li Anyan's face darkened, and then he said seriously, "We are investigating all the contacts of the deceased Imperial Guard Captain. We are investigating very carefully, and we will definitely find out something, but it will take time."

"That's fine." Li Chengqian calmly shook his head and said, "Some people can escape, but the temple cannot. Take your time and build solid evidence."

"Yes!" Li Anyan blinked in confusion.

"Haha, let's check it out." Li Chengqian's expression became restrained, and the imperial carriage placed him in front of the side hall of Liangyi Palace.

Only then did Li Chengqian calmly walk into the hall.

Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, Ma Zhou, Li Ji, Yu Zhining, Li Daozon, Li Baiyao, Zhao Yuankai, Zhangsun Chong and others were already in the hall.

Everyone looked solemn, holding tablets in their hands and standing with their bodies bowed.

Li Chengqian walked up the steps step by step and finally sat down on the imperial couch.

The ministers immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you. May your Majesty live forever."

"Please stand up, everyone." Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

……

Fang Xuanling stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites, the Imperial Secretariat, and the Secretary General have already agreed on several reign titles for Your Majesty."

Secretary General Sun rushed forward and handed over the memorial.

Dou Zhijie walked down the steps, took the memorial, then turned around and walked up to the steps and placed it on the imperial desk.

"Your Majesty, there are five reign titles that have been decided: Yonghui, Yonglong, Yongchang, Zhengyuan, and Tianqi."

Fang Xuanling bowed and continued, "Your Highness and I are inclined to the idea of ​​Yonghui, Hui, Huizuo, Shengda, and Hongfuqitian."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I have read the memorial "Ode to the White Dove" written by He Chengtian of the Southern Song Dynasty. It says, 'With the phoenix of Xuanhu, the great glory of Emperor Zhaoxuan; with the sparrow of Fenggong, the glorious fortune of Concubine Zheng and Wen.'" "Yes!" Fang Xuanling breathed a sigh of relief.

Hui is more easily interpreted as beautiful and kind.

"The Book of Documents: The Canon of Shun": Be cautious and follow the Five Canons, and the Five Canons will be obeyed.

Lu Deming's interpretation: Hui means Wang Yunmei and Ma Yunshan.

If it is explained in terms of beauty, it sounds good, but as the son of Li Shimin, the Heavenly Khan and the retired emperor, this is somewhat lacking.

"So, Yonglong and Yongchang all mean the same thing." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "What about Zhengyuan?"

"The governance was grand in Zhenguan, and the politics was initiated in Kaiyuan." Changsun Wuji stood up and bowed, his expression solemn.

"Then why not Kaiyuan?" Li Chengqian suddenly laughed to himself and waved his hand, saying, "Kaiyuan isn't suitable, then Tianqi... forget about Tianqi. Resigning to fate is not my style, nor is it my father's style."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

"So Yonghui is still the best." Li Chengqian looked at the name in front of him and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Tianqi was the reign title of Ming Xizong Zhu Youjiao, only slightly better than Chongzhen.

Yongchang was the reign title of Wu Zetian, while Yonglong and Yonghui were the reign titles of Li Zhi.

"Yonghui does have a perfect meaning. The young Tang Dynasty will grow stronger and more prosperous under the governance of me and the other ministers. It's a good name indeed." Li Chengqian smiled softly, but his expression faded slightly before he added, "Similarly, this also means that some of you will be left behind or even abandoned due to your age... As the saying goes, every generation has its own talents."

A new generation replaces the old.

Everyone present understood this principle.

Moreover, there are indeed many such people around the emperor. Ma Zhou and Yu Zhining are no longer young, but people like Dai Zhide, Li Yifu, and Su Liangsi already have a hint of aggressiveness.

Especially since they are the emperor's absolute confidants.

Seeing that no one spoke, Li Chengqian smiled and continued, "I have thought that since my father's reign title is Zhenguan, then given my status, it should not be excessive to use the word Yuan. What do you think of Zhenyuan?"

The emperor, the eldest son of the retired emperor, can use the word Yuan, but it is a bit awkward to use Zhenguan.

"Your Majesty, what you mean is that all future generations should start with the word 'zhen' and continue it for eternity." Ma Zhou understood Li Chengqian's meaning and stood up and bowed.

"Yes!"

"I think it is inappropriate." Ma Zhou bowed and said, "The retired emperor chose Zhenguan as the reign title.

The way of heaven and earth is the way of Zhenguan.

The emphasis is actually on the former. The Way of Heaven and Earth is righteousness, so the name Zhenguan was chosen. Your Majesty, choosing only the word Zhen is a bit biased.

Zhenyuan, but too thin.

After listening to this, Li Chengqian nodded in deep agreement and said, "My dear minister, what you said makes sense, but Zhenyuan is inappropriate. However, the way of heaven and earth is righteousness, so how about using Zhengyuan?"

Zhengyuan.

"Zhengyuan does sound mellow and reassuring." Fang Xuanling looked up at Li Chengqian and bowed, "But Your Majesty, Zhengyuan was the reign title of Cao Mao, the Duke of Gaogui in the Cao Wei Dynasty. Cao Mao was the last emperor of the Cao Wei Dynasty and was killed in the street by Cheng Ji. It's not auspicious."

Li Chengqian raised his eyes, then said nonchalantly, "Cao Mao was also considered an outstanding ruler of the Cao Wei Dynasty. It's not bad for me to share a reign title with him. Besides, Zhenguan was the Dharma name of a Buddhist master in the early Sui Dynasty... How about Yuanzheng, or Zhenghui, or Yuanhui?"

"Your Majesty," Ma Zhou said, bowing, "You might as well ask Prime Minister Wei's opinion. It was Prime Minister Wei who made the decision on the Zhenguan era."

"Okay." Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Chong and said, "Cousin, please go to Duke Zheng's mansion now and have him select all the reign titles, and then send them back."

"Yes!" Chang Sun Chong immediately bowed, then turned around and left quickly.

"Alright, everyone, go out and take a rest." Li Chengqian smiled, looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "Prime Minister Fang, I have something to tell you."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian in surprise, then bowed.

"We will take our leave!" The others looked at Fang Xuanling curiously and then all left.

"Your Majesty!" After everyone left, Fang Xuanling bowed to Li Chengqian.

"Prime Minister Fang." Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling seriously and said, "I want you to resign from your position as Shangshu Zuo Pushe."

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling was a little slow to react, and his expression even changed slightly.

Li Chengqian waved his hand, sighed softly, and said, "My dear, you are seventy this year, right? I'm not overthinking it, but look at Prime Minister Wei and my uncle. They've both been forced to retire due to old age and illness, and I don't want to see your health crumble from years of hard work, so I want you to resign your position as Shangshu Zuo Pushe and take on the position of Situ, in charge of the Zhengshi Hall."

Fang Xuanling's face suddenly showed surprise. As Si Tu, in charge of the government affairs hall, this power was no less than that of Shang Shu Zuo Pushe, and he was closer to the emperor.

Fang Xuanling now truly believed Li Chengqian's idea of ​​letting him serve the court for a few more years.

"So what's next?"

"My uncle is the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, Duke Ying is the Shangshu You Pushe, Yu Xiang was promoted to Shizhong, Lai Ji was promoted to Huangmen Shilang and Canzhi Zhengshi, Lai Heng was transferred to be the Yongzhou Changshi, Dou Dexuan was transferred to be the Zhongshu Sheren, Jianying Jianyi Doctor, Li Yifu was transferred to be the Jieshizhong..." Li Chengqian expressed his thoughts.

"Your Majesty's arrangement seems to be an attempt to set up Duke Zhao." Fang Xuanling's subconscious words exposed Li Chengqian's true thoughts.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Some things are beyond my control, nor my uncle's. My father has abdicated the throne. The power of the Guanzhong faction, those who can rise to the top will naturally be able to deal with it, but those who can't will be squeezed under my uncle's command, and trouble is bound to happen in the future. I am doing this now to protect my uncle."

"Your Highness is considerate of me, an old minister. I thank Your Majesty." Fang Xuanling bowed seriously.

"Fang Yize has been transferred to be the Prince's Secretary." Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling and added.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling immediately bowed in surprise.

……

Not long after, Chang Sun Chong returned from outside the palace with a short note.

The short note was placed on the imperial desk in front of Li Chengqian. Suddenly, the words "Yonghui", "Yonglong", "Yongchang", "Zhengyuan", "Tianqi", "Zhengyuan", "Yuanzheng", "Zhenghui" and "Yuanhui" were all crossed out. Finally, Wei Zheng wrote two words on it personally: "Yongwei".

Li Chengqian was stunned, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.

While the ministers in the hall bowed in agreement, a hint of helplessness flashed in their eyes.

It’s Wei Zheng after all.

Understanding of the emperor, no, understanding of the two generations of emperors of the Tang Dynasty.

No one can compare to Wei Zheng.

　Li Zhi's honorific title was Tianhuang Dadi and his posthumous title was Da, so Yonghui corresponds more to the meaning of a grand and glorious reign.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)