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

Chapter 510: Li Ke, will he purge the court of corrupt officials in the future? (Part )
"Your Majesty!" Li Ke knelt down and kowtowed heavily to the ground.

His forehead rested on the cold ground.

Then no more words were said.

Li Chengqian sat behind the desk and looked at Li Ke indifferently.

If someone suddenly knelt down in the past, it might have surprised and alarmed him, but now, he has seen too many people kneel down in front of him.

Li Chengqian has already adapted to his identity as emperor.

His eyes fell on Li Ke, but he didn't say anything immediately. He just looked outside the hall.

The wind and rain outside the palace continued, with no sign of abating.

After a moment, Li Chengqian said quietly, "Father is lying there right now. If you have anything to say, just say it. I won't hide anything. I will tell you as directly as possible. Sanlang, you should know who I am."

"Yes!" Li Ke breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and bowed, saying, "I'm here because of Mother's matter. I know that before my father died, he issued an imperial decree ordering all the concubines in the harem to become nuns. I wonder what Your Majesty plans to do with this."

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Although I haven't thought about it in detail, I also know that it is impossible to let all the concubines become nuns. After all, the principles of human ethics are there. Therefore, according to the rules of the harem, the concubines of the princes can accompany the princes to their fiefdoms, but..."

Li Ke lowered his head slightly with a sad look on his face.

"The status of the Concubine Wu is different." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Even if I want her to leave the capital, others will do their utmost to stop her."

Li Ke knew who the other people Li Chengqian was talking about were.

People like Changsun Wuji, Cheng Zhijie, Yuchi Jingde, Fang Xuanling, and even their descendants would not agree to let his mother leave the capital.

"Even if I force the imperial edict to leave the capital, Li Chengqian's eyes fell on Li Ke and he shook his head and said, "Believe it or not, before the imperial concubine leaves the capital, the memorials impeaching you for treason will pile up on my desk.

I'm afraid this is not what the concubine wants to see."

Li Ke nodded helplessly.

If his mother were to leave the capital, the whole world would probably be in uproar.

Although the Former Sui Dynasty was destroyed, not all those who were loyal to it died.

However, most of them fled into the deep mountains and forests, or disguised themselves as joining the Tang Dynasty. If given the chance, they would still stir up trouble.

Of course, these people's main attention is on Yang Zhengdao.

It’s not him, Li Ke.

Li Ke's surname was Li, not Yang. He was the son of Emperor Taizong.

However, this does not mean that there is no one he can trust.

For example, coming home.

Lai Huer, the father of brothers Lai Heng and Lai Ji, fought for Emperor Yang of Sui in Yangzhou until the last moment. In the end, only the two brothers survived in the entire family.

Now, one of them is the Prince's Secretary, and the other is the Prime Minister who is also the Yellow Gate Minister and the Vice-Chancellor.

Their power is also among the top upper class in the entire Guanlong clan.

Of course, their relationship with the former Sui Dynasty was completely severed when Lai Huer's family died.

They are now ministers of the Tang Dynasty and the most trustworthy officials promoted by the current emperor himself.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't even have any contact with Li Ke.

But, this is normal.

Under normal circumstances, the Lai brothers would not support Li Ke at all.

Absolutely not.

But if the situation changes...

For example, the emperor died.

If the emperor dies suddenly, the crown prince will definitely inherit the throne.

But the prince is young, and it is easy for powerful officials to usurp power.

At that time, Li Ke, the emperor's eldest brother, would be able to raise countless armies with just one sentence: "Purge the court of evil officials."

Once he successfully reaches the city of Chang'an, the Lai brothers' hearts will inevitably be shaken.

This is especially true if they are being suspected by others.

Li Ke is very smart and he understands this.

The ministers were wary of him, and so was the emperor.

Li Chengqian also understood this. He was the emperor, the most suspicious person in the world. How could he possibly trust Li Ke?

……

Li Chengqian looked at Li Ke and said softly, "So, the best I can do is to send the Concubine Dowager to Xingdaofang and build a temple there so that she can live with Empress Xiao and take care of each other. Besides, Empress Xiao is old and probably doesn't have many years left... After all, she is the Concubine Dowager's legal mother."

Li Ke's lips trembled.

Empress Xiao.

On his way back, he happened to meet Empress Xiao, which had already attracted special attention. Now if his mother was arranged to Xingdaofang, wouldn't that add more pre-Sui Dynasty labels to him?

Li Ke kowtowed solemnly, his face filled with sorrow as he said, "Your Majesty, please be lenient and don't arrange for my mother to stay at Xingdaofang."

"Why?" Li Chengqian's eyes grew slightly colder.

"Your Majesty!" Li Ke kowtowed and said bitterly, "My mother has been with my father for over thirty years. During these thirty years, I have never seen Empress Xiao. If we meet suddenly, we will be speechless and awkward.

Empress Xiao is quite old, and a sudden meeting with her might be detrimental to her health. Furthermore, my mother's biological mother is someone else, and even back then, they rarely met."

Li Ke lay close to the ground, feeling its coldness. At this moment, this was the only reason he could come up with.

Empress Xiao was indeed his mother's biological mother, but during the Sui Dynasty, Concubine Yang was just the daughter of an ordinary concubine and didn't even have a title.

She could never get to Queen Xiao.

There is no emotion at all.

Of course, if that were all, then it wouldn’t really matter, but there happened to be another person there.

Yang Zhengdao.

Concubine Yang was Yang Zhengdao's aunt.

After all, Concubine Yang and Empress Xiao are not related by blood, so the two of them just stay together.

However, if Concubine Yang stayed with Yang Zhengdao, I'm afraid the whole Chang'an would look over at them.

By then, Li Ke will inevitably be implicated.

Li Chengqian nodded expressionlessly and said, "Since you say so, I can't force you to do anything. So I can only settle for the next best thing and build a temple in Banzhengfang and let Concubine Yang become a nun there. What do you think?"

Li Ke looked up in surprise.

Li Chengqian's expression had softened.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great grace." Li Ke kowtowed again.

Banzhengfang, Li Ke's Prince of Wu's Palace, and Li Yin's Prince of Shu's Palace are all in Banzhengfang.

Allowing Concubine Yang to become a nun in Banzhengfang would be equivalent to becoming a nun in Li Ke and Li Yin's home. Li Chengqian smiled and said, "On weekdays, you can ask the Princess of Wu and the Princess of Shu to take the children to visit more often..."

Li Ke heard Li Chengqian's pause and subconsciously looked up.

Li Chengqian calmly shook his head and said, "I suddenly realized something. Even if the Concubine left Chang'an with you, she was actually going to Suzhou. At most, she would stay with you in Liangzhou for a while before returning to Suzhou. The Princess of Wu and your Erlang are both in Chang'an. I'm afraid she doesn't have many family members in Suzhou."

"Yes!" Li Ke looked up blankly, his face looking a little ugly.

Only then did he realize that he was now the governor of Liangzhou and had to take office in Liangzhou every year. After leaving Beijing, his mother would go to his fiefdom of Suzhou.

He had only one concubine and two young sons in Suzhou.

They were not familiar with his mother at all.

As for him, he had to return to Chang'an to attend the grand court at the end of every year and had no time to go to Suzhou.

On the contrary, if his mother missed him, she would have to travel back and forth.

This is how unfilial his son is.

On the contrary, in Chang'an, the mother and son can spend more time together.

"I was wrong. Thank you, Your Majesty, for reminding me." Li Ke kowtowed quickly to express his gratitude.

Li Chengqian waved his hand calmly and said, "This thought just came to me. Don't worry, I will do my best to handle the matter of the Concubine Dowager. All you have to do is govern the area well for me. Return to Liangzhou in August. The autumn harvest is almost over, but you must also expedite the delivery of tax grain to Chang'an."

"Your Majesty, I obey your order. Please rest assured." Li Ke bowed seriously.

"Go." Li Chengqian waved his hand calmly.

"I'll take my leave." Li Ke took a deep breath, then bowed and walked out.

After leaving the East Hall and kneeling before the late emperor's spirit again, Li Ke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although things did not turn out as he had expected, there was finally a result.

After leaving the palace, it was already very good that their mother was served and cared for by the princesses of their two brothers, and both brothers had to take up positions in local areas.

This is already good.

Li Ke felt relieved.

Suddenly, Li Ke was stunned.

They asked their mother to leave Chang'an and go to her fiefdom, not to let her enjoy the good life there, but simply to let her leave Chang'an.

Being in Chang'an means facing countless storms.

Leaving Chang'an is not for enjoyment, but for peace of mind.

Does the emperor know this truth?
……

Li Chengqian looked into the hall, and the look of Li Ke who insisted on not letting Concubine Yang go to Xingdaofang still flashed through his mind.

He sneered softly.

After all, Empress Xiao is still Concubine Yang's biological mother.

If anything happens to Empress Xiao, Concubine Yang will need to wear mourning clothes.

Li Chengqian asked Concubine Yang to be with Empress Xiao, on the one hand to let Concubine Yang fulfill her filial piety, and on the other hand to draw other people's attention to Li Ke.

What is Yang Zhengdao? Just a pile of dry bones in a tomb.

Only Li Ke, only Li Ke could attract other people's attention, arouse other people's vigilance, and even hatred and resentment.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling focused their attention on Li Ke, so they paid much less attention to Li Chengqian.

In this way, Li Chengqian could implement his new policies more effectively.

As for Li Ke, even if he was impeached countless times, as long as he was accused of treason, Li Chengqian would protect him as much as possible.

He will stand on the opposite side of others for his whole life.

Be a lone minister for the rest of your life.

Do it for a lifetime, live for a lifetime, and thus avoid being impeached for treason and beheaded.

Li Ke's own identity is sensitive, only in this way can Li Chengqian protect him.

But now, Li Chengqian finally sees it clearly.

Li Ke was filial to his mother, but that was all he was filial to.

Once things involve him, Li Ke will immediately retreat for his own benefit.

This is Li Ke.

Of course, Li Chengqian would still use Li Ke to check the land and population and promote science and education, but in the end, Li Chengqian would not protect him too much.

All he can hope for is that he doesn't make too big a mistake.

Once someone catches you, you will be punished according to the law.

Li Chengqian raised his head and whispered, "Someone come!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Ananda walked in quickly from outside the hall.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "How about the reply from the various local Zhechoufu?"

"Your Majesty, some of the Zhechong Lieutenants have already begun sending their sons to Chang'an. Some, who are farther away, have just received the imperial edict and should have already begun selecting them." Zhang Ananda bowed and said, "The six hundred Zhechong Lieutenants' sons will be divided among the Left and Right Qianniu Guards for placement."

Li Chengqian nodded lightly.

The Tang Dynasty had 650 Zhechongfu, each with about 1,000 soldiers. By controlling these people, Li Chengqian would not have to worry about anyone rebelling.

"Make a note of this." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "When they arrive, give them a month's vacation before next year's autumn harvest. If they live far away, the vacation will be longer. Let them return to their hometowns and take a good look around. I want to know how local affairs are going this year."

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed and then carefully retreated.

Li Chengqian lowered his head and looked at the side of the table. He read the densely packed memorials carefully again.

The provincial governors, chief secretaries, Sima officers, military officers of the six departments, and local aristocratic families.

The county magistrate, county magistrate, county lieutenant, chief clerk, six-department military officers, and local clans.

By mastering these, Li Chengqian will be able to control the lifeline of a county, or even a state.

Of course, there are 360 ​​states in the Tang Dynasty.

This is not an easy job.

He needs to spend a lot of time reading and memorizing.

It’s still classification and screening.

Because even in these memorials, no one knows how much key data has been tampered with.

However, even so, by doing this, he can have a more comprehensive grasp of the entire Tang Dynasty.

The whole world.

(End of this chapter)