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

Chapter 423 The Emperor Wants to Change the Zhenguan Law (Part )
In Yidong Palace, Li Chengqian leaned in Wei Wei's arms.

Wei Wei, with a chubby face, held a wood ear spoon in her hand and carefully helped Li Chengqian clean his ears.

Li Chengqian's eyes were empty, staring out of the hall without any thoughts.

The hall was completely silent; even the crying of children had completely disappeared.

Li Chengqian's fifth son, Li Shan, was already three years old.

Under the care of the wet nurse, he fell asleep peacefully.

Wei Wei patted Li Chengqian's shoulder gently, and at the same time took the ear spoon out of Li Chengqian's ear.

Li Chengqian turned around and let the ear spoon go into his other ear.

Li Chengqian was very quiet and didn't want to think about anything.

Now is his rare time to relax.

After a moment, Wei Wei took out the ear spoon, then looked at Li Chengqian with a sweet smile and said, "Alright, Your Majesty!"

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian did not get up, but continued to lie in Wei Wei's arms, looking at her with his body flat.

His fingers gently grasped Wei Wei's soft hands, but his eyes stared straight into her dark and lively eyes...

"Your Majesty!" A soft call sounded outside the palace. Li Chengqian sighed helplessly and asked sideways, "What's wrong?"

"The Duke of Kaihua was stopped when he entered the palace, and then left the palace again." Xu An's serious voice sounded outside the palace.

Li Chengqian fell silent. Zhao Jie came to see him today because he found that the situation in the princess's villa was getting out of control.

If this continues, lives may be lost.

The person most likely to be filled in is Zhao Jie's half-brother, Yang Yuzhi.

Zhao Jie did not want Yang Yu to die.

However, everything today was revealed by him alone.

Most importantly, he thought of a profound question.

The person who pushed him to expose all this was Li Chengqian.

Or to put it more directly.

The person who wants to uncover all this is Li Chengqian.

The person who wanted to kill Yang Yu was also Li Chengqian.

The current emperor.

That's why Zhao Jie hurried into the palace.

But he didn't expect that Li Chengqian didn't want to see him at all.

At the same time, Li Chengqian's attitude was also told to him through Cen Changqian.

Li Chengqian has been staying with Wei Wei these days.

Who is Wei Wei? She is the daughter of Wei Zheng.

What would happen if Wei Zheng encountered these things?
He will get to the bottom of it.

He will kill till the end.

"Since Yongzhou Prefecture has already investigated the case, then those who should intervene should do so." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "Order the Imperial Clan Minister Li Baiyao and bring four guards to the Princess Changguang's mansion and villa. As there are relatives involved in the case, they are required to conduct a comprehensive investigation... If any relatives are found to have committed the crime, they will be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Temple. All departments must fully cooperate and no mistakes must be made."

"Yes!" Xu An bowed outside the hall.

"Go." Li Chengqian lay down again. It was not the time for Yu Zhining and Zhang Xuansu to intervene yet, so he had to wait a while.

……

"Your Majesty, do you really want to kill someone?" Changsun Wuji followed beside the imperial carriage and asked with a serious expression.

"How could that be?" Li Chengqian raised his eyes and looked towards the Liangyi Palace in the distance. He smiled softly and said, "Now that my father is in poor health, even if I encounter someone who deserves death, I will spare his life in order to accumulate blessings for my father. How could I kill someone so easily?"

All the remaining words in Changsun Wuji's mouth were swallowed back.

What does it mean to be a person who deserves to be killed? Yang Yuzi is the person who deserves to be killed.

A human head pen, which uses a person as a pen and writes upside down.

The meat table is used as a couch, and people are sat on and humiliated at will.

Beauty bowl, using a person as a spittoon, is extremely disgusting.

Flesh screen, using people as screens, extremely extravagant.

The Wuzhe Conference is even more damnable.

Li Chengqian could not tolerate these things, and the retired emperor Li Shimin could not tolerate them even more.

Especially now that Li Baiyao has intervened, and in his capacity as the Minister of Zongzheng Temple, many elders who privately wanted to excuse their children were at a loss for words for a moment.

Those who were able to participate in Yang Yuzhi's misfortunes were basically the powerful people in Chang'an.

And most of them are descendants of royal families and princesses.

Princess Changguang's son Yang Yuzhi, Princess Gaomi's eldest son Duan Yan, Prince Zhuang Li Feng's second son Li Yaochen, and many more sons of princes and princesses. Some even said that they had seen Prince Teng Li Yuanying, Prince Shu Li Yin, and Prince Yongjia Li Xu themselves.

Of course, this is just rumor.

But even so, there are already many royal relatives involved.

Even people from the Changsun family were implicated.

High end bureau.

Yang Yuzhi was not only the son of Princess Changguang, but also the son of former Prime Minister Yang Shidao.

When Yang Shidao was the Minister of the Central Secretariat, countless people were trying to curry favor with him.

With so many people involved, it seems absurd and unbelievable, but it is real.

In particular, there is a personally signed list that clearly shows all the people involved.

Of course, Teng Wang Li Yuanying, Shu Wang Li Yin, and Yongjia Wang Li Xu were just three people that some people said they had seen.

As for whether they just come for a visit and leave, or get deeply involved in it, that is another matter.

But no matter what, the moment the list was found, it was destined that this matter would not end so easily.

This is why Changsun Wuji entered the palace early and blocked Li Chengqian at Xianchun Gate.

He wanted to know how the emperor wanted to handle this matter, but...

The retired emperor is in trouble, so accumulate blessings for him.

The emperor is naturally a filial son, so how should those who did these things and brought disgrace to the emperor be dealt with?

When did the emperor become so sarcastic in his speech?

……

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you!" In the Liangyi Hall, all the ministers bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch, calmly looking at the officials in front of him. Today was a rare day when almost all the third-rank officials in the court were present.

Yang Shidao did not come. He was at home, pleading guilty to not teaching his son well.

Zhao Jie was not there either.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "Everyone, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers then stood up with solemn expressions.

"Chief Secretary!" The emperor's voice came from above, and the ministers couldn't help but look at Zhang Xuansu, the Prince's Secretary.

Although everyone knew that Zhang Xuansu would definitely be transferred to the central government as a prime minister in the future, there were also rumors that the emperor intended to appoint him as the Grand Secretary of the Hongwenguan, but later these rumors gradually died down.

Today, Zhang Xuansu’s official position is still the Prince’s Secretary.

However, the emperor did not directly appoint a crown prince.

At present, Zhang Xuansu is still the Prince's Secretary when the emperor was the crown prince.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Xuansu stood up solemnly and bowed to Li Chengqian with his tablet in hand.

Li Chengqian leaned back slightly and asked calmly, "Chief Secretary, how long has it been since the fall of the Sui Dynasty?"

Li Chengqian's words made Zhangsun Wuji, who was standing on the left, feel his scalp tingle instantly. He knelt down and said, "Your Majesty!"

The ministers looked at Changsun Wuji in surprise, even Zhang Xuansu who faced Li Chengqian directly.

But then, they all reacted, and then they all felt a tremor, knelt down, and kowtowed, saying: "Your Majesty!"

Fang Xuanling then knelt down, his expression becoming serious.

Although this matter had no direct connection with him, many children of people in Hebei were also implicated.

But Fang Xuanling didn't intend to care because he knew too well what kind of person the emperor was.

However, the emperor predicted the demise of the Sui Dynasty as soon as he opened his mouth today. This shocking statement is really too shocking.

"Yang Guang was dissolute and immoral, and the Sui Dynasty fell in the second generation." Li Chengqian's face turned completely cold, but he said indifferently, "Changshi, you were the Jingcheng Hu Cao during the Sui Dynasty. You were in a local position. Let me ask you, in your eyes, was Yang Guang the only one who was dissolute in the Sui Dynasty, or were all the powerful officials of the Sui Dynasty dissolute?"

Li Chengqian almost roared out the word "dissolute".

All the officials in the hall were shocked, and then they all kowtowed and said, "We are guilty."

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said, "The Tang Dynasty was founded thirty years ago. Emperor Gaozu and my father worked tirelessly to build the prosperous Tang Dynasty we know today."

The corners of the ministers' mouths twitched slightly. When the emperor opened his mouth, he not only spoke from a high-level perspective, but also covered his hat tightly.

"Of course, the generous assistance of all the ministers along the way is indispensable." Li Chengqian's second words made all the officials breathe a sigh of relief. However, Li Chengqian immediately added: "My ministers, the Tang Dynasty has been established for thirty years, but the Sui Dynasty was also established for thirty-eight years. If you really condone those things, you will see the Tang Dynasty destroyed like the Sui Dynasty."

"We are guilty!" All the ministers kowtowed.

The Tang Dynasty was established for thirty years, and although the Sui Dynasty perished in the second generation, it still lasted for thirty-eight years. If we indulge in luxury and pleasure now, we will inevitably follow in the same footsteps as the Sui Dynasty.

Most of them were already there when the Tang Dynasty was founded.

At least now we are resting together with the country.

Li Chengqian looked calmly at the ministers kneeling on the ground and said calmly, "Extravagance is not a fault, but extravagance to the point of disregarding human lives, and more than 30 lives lost, is a sign of the country's demise."

The ministers couldn't help but shudder, and their faces became solemn.

This is the first time such a ridiculous thing has happened since the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

"Therefore, this matter must be thoroughly investigated and dealt with severely. Everyone involved must be dealt with strictly according to the law by the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Zongzheng Temple." Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said, "You all know the Tang laws better than I do. Your Majesty is merciful, and I have no intention of pursuing you to the bitter end, but the law is the bottom line, and everyone must abide by it."

"Your Majesty is wise." The ministers kowtowed again and breathed a sigh of relief.

When the Tang Dynasty was first founded, it used the Wude Code, which was relatively strict.

After the retired emperor ascended the throne, he revised the Wude Code to the Zhenguan Code, and the law suddenly became much more lenient.

Slaves and servants are treated like livestock.

This is the fundamental law of the Tang Dynasty. Killing cattle and horses without authorization will result in one year in prison.

Anyone who kills a slave without authorization shall be sentenced to one year in prison.

Not to mention, there is also the right of "Seven Discussions", which makes the final outcome even lighter.

In fact, the reason why this incident caused such a big stir was that the officials and dignitaries in the court were worried that the emperor would take advantage of it and start a massacre.

The emperor was what they truly feared.

The law is not.

So when the emperor said that everything should be done according to the law, they knew that this matter would end up with much ado about nothing.

However, when many people breathed a sigh of relief, Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and others who were at the front were already nervous.

The emperor, who had always been benevolent, showed unusual harshness today, and his words were full of sarcasm and bitterness.

How could it possibly end?

……

"Everyone, please stand." Li Chengqian glanced at the ministers, raised his head, looked outside the hall, and said softly, "My dear ministers, my father has long wanted to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, and you have always urged him to do so."

The ministers in the hall stood up and looked at Li Chengqian in surprise and confusion. They didn't know why the emperor was saying this.

"A few years ago, my father and I had a discussion. Some of you should have heard about it." Li Chengqian smiled at Zhangsun Wuji and the others before continuing, "Yes, I told my father that over the years, my father had attempted to perform the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai but failed. It wasn't because his achievements were insufficient, nor was it because he wasn't good at governing the country. It was because the world didn't have enough people, and Heaven didn't approve of my father's Fengshan ceremony."

The ministers couldn't help but nod their heads slightly. Why did what the emperor said sound a little wrong to them?
"The population of the former Sui Dynasty was nearly 60 million, while the Tang Dynasty, after years of war and reproduction, has less than 20 million. To hold a Fengshan ceremony for this is a joke." Li Chengqian's words struck a chord with all the officials. He hurriedly added, "That's why not only did your father decide not to hold a Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai? Even I, your father, have sworn before your father that if the population of the Tang Dynasty falls below 60 million, I will never hold a Fengshan ceremony for this, and neither will my descendants... The population of the Tang Dynasty is smaller than that of the former Sui Dynasty. How can the emperor have the nerve to hold a Fengshan ceremony for this?"

"We have made a mistake!" All the ministers bowed their hands.

"Minister of Revenue!" Li Chengqian looked directly at Yan Lide.

"I'm here!" Yan Lide stood out from among the officials with a bow.

"Let me ask you, how many people are there in the Tang Dynasty now?" Li Chengqian stared straight at Yan Lide.

"Your Majesty, according to a national survey conducted in the 14th year of the Zhenguan reign, there were 3.04 million households and a population of 13.5 million." After a brief pause, Yan Lide continued, bowing, "Although there have been no major population surveys in the past eight years, it is basically certain that there are currently approximately 3.95 million households and a population of approximately 18 million."

Today, the world has a population of 18 million, most of whom benefited from the recovery of Liaodong. In recent years, former Sui people who were in Goguryeo have continued to return.

"Three million and nine hundred and fifty thousand households, I believe this number is correct, but is the population, the world's population, really that small?" After Li Chengqian finished speaking in a deep voice, the ministers subconsciously looked up with bewildered expressions.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were the first to react, and their faces changed instantly.

"In the past, I truly believed that my father and I hadn't done enough regarding population matters, which had displeased the Heavens, and that was why my father's Fengshan rites had repeatedly failed. But today..." Li Chengqian snorted coldly, looked at Yan Lide, and asked, "So many people died in Changguang Wenzhu Manor. Were they among the population losses of your Ministry of Revenue?"

They are slaves!

This sentence instantly appeared in Yan Lide's heart, but then Yan Lide knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "I am guilty."

"The guilty one is not you, but me." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Tang law states that slaves can be freed after twenty years of service. I would like to change it today and reduce it by half."

The ministers looked up in surprise. This was a serious matter.

"I will not investigate the past. What happened in the past is what it is. I have no control over it. But from today on, after ten years of service, you slaves will be free." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said calmly, "Duke Zhao, do you have any objections?"

"I didn't!" Changsun Wuji stood up solemnly and bowed.

He now finally understood that the real purpose of Li Chengqian's actions was not to target any servants.

The emperor wants to revise the Zhenguan Law.

(End of this chapter)