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

Chapter 62 Go with the Censor Li Yifu
The courtyard of the Yongzhou official residence was empty.

In the back hall, Hou Junji was sitting on the couch, his right hand on the file of Lu Hu's case, tapping it gently.

After listening to what Helan Chushi said, Hou Junji looked up in confusion and asked, "The Crown Prince said that this case doesn't need to be investigated anymore?"

"The prince said that this is also what His Majesty meant." Helan Chushi said, and couldn't help but glance outside the hall.

"Don't worry, the back hall has been surrounded by my personal guards." Hou Junji shook his head, then looked at the file in front of him, pondered for a moment, and put it last.

Helan Chushi finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then continued, "The prince said that this case has been settled, and the Eastern Palace will not ask about it anymore. I hope my father-in-law will not ask about it anymore, as it will not benefit him."

"Crown Prince." Hou Junji pondered the crown prince's name. This time when he returned to the capital, the crown prince gave him a really big surprise.

Nodding slightly, Hou Junji asked again, "What else did the prince say?"

"The Crown Prince said that he had originally hoped that his father-in-law could be appointed as a governor of a more distant place, such as Puzhou, Lanzhou, or Daizhou. Unexpectedly, His Majesty appointed his father-in-law as the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou and even retained his position as the Minister of Personnel..." After a brief pause, Helan Chushi whispered, "His Majesty asked me to tell my father-in-law to be careful."

Hou Junji nodded gently, pondering Li Chengqian's words carefully. Then, he said with some self-mockery, "Helan, you see, some people may speak harshly to you on the surface, but in reality they wish you the best. Some people may treat you well on the surface, but they personally stifle your future."

"Father-in-law, I don't quite understand what you are saying." Helan Chushi said subconsciously.

"Removing me from the post of Minister of Personnel means the Gaochang incident is completely over." Hou Junji raised his head, looked outside the hall, and said, "The Tang Dynasty was founded on military merit. Puzhou, Lanzhou, and Daizhou are all close to the border. With my ability, I can return to Chang'an in a year and retake the positions of Minister of War and Minister of Personnel. I will do it very securely."

Helan Chushi couldn't help but shiver.

"Although your father-in-law still holds the position of Minister of Personnel, I have very little control over the Ministry's power." Hou Junji returned his gaze to the back hall of the Yongzhou official residence. He shook his head slightly and said, "Although Yongzhou is the imperial capital, the most important thing here is stability. However, stability makes it difficult to achieve results."

"Father-in-law, His Majesty said that he wanted to examine my character in order to uphold justice..." Helan Chushi was forced to stop speaking halfway when he was forced to stop by Hou Junji's cold gaze.

Hou Junji shook his head slightly and said, "He also said that he would always watch over me!"

Hou Junji couldn't help but grit his teeth.

The words sounded nice, allowing him to continue serving as the Minister of Personnel and concurrently as the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou.

It seemed like he took it very seriously, but in fact, he was watching his every move closely.

He was even placed under the scrutiny of all the civil and military officials in the court, and if he made the slightest mistake, he would be impeached immediately.

By then, none of the old guys like Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, and Wei Zheng will let him go.

They even spoke up for him on the surface, but kept adding fuel to the fire in secret.

He knew the emperor's character better than anyone else: he appeared kind on the surface, but was actually mean inside.

Look at Xue Wanjun, he was exiled to Pingzhou because of two women, and he was almost in Liaoxi.

"Instead of this, it's better to try again in the northwest." Hou Junji couldn't help shaking his head. The more he stayed in front of the emperor, the more those things would stimulate him. It would be better to leave. After a long time, he would forget about it.

Occasionally, when he thinks of her, he will miss her. That is Hou Junji's opportunity.

"Father-in-law!" Helan Chushi was listening from the side and was frightened. The prince didn't mean that.

"That's fine, just be careful." Hou Junji waved his hand and said, "Alright, go back and tell the Crown Prince that I'll remember his words."

"Yes!" Helan Chushi finally breathed a sigh of relief, then bowed and said, "Then father-in-law, I will go back first."

"I will be here more during this period, so please take care of the family." Hou Junji raised his head slightly.

"Yes!" Helan Chushi's face jumped, and then he bowed and said, "My son-in-law will take his leave."

……

Only after Helan Chushi's back completely disappeared from his sight did Hou Junji suddenly raise his right hand and slam it heavily on the table.

With a "bang", the huge vibration caused the files on the table to shake.

At the same time, two memorials appeared in front of Hou Junji.

Hou Junji gritted his teeth and opened the memorial he had previously read. "I, Cen Wenben, have submitted a memorial: Gaochang is in a coma. Your Majesty ordered Junji and others to attack and conquer them. Within ten days, they were handed over to the Dali Court. Although Junji and others hanged themselves, I am afraid that people at home will suspect that Your Majesty is only recording their faults and ignoring their achievements. I have heard that the order to launch a campaign is to defeat the enemy. If the enemy is defeated, even if greedy, it can be rewarded; if it fails, even if honest, it can be punished. This is why Li Guangli and Chen Tang of the Han Dynasty, Wang Jun of the Jin Dynasty, and Han Qinhu of the Sui Dynasty were all punished..."

"Hang oneself in a net", "Only record his faults", "Only record his faults", "Although he is greedy, he can be rewarded".

Li Guangli, Chen Tang, Wang Jun, Han Qinhu, who are those people?

Li Guangli was a mediocre man who had suffered repeated defeats in battles. He had been leading the army only because his sister was the favorite concubine of Emperor Wu of Han. However, in the end, he was implicated in a conspiracy to seize the throne. After finally winning a great victory on the front line, he was suddenly defeated. Seventy thousand men died on the grassland. Li Guangli betrayed his country and surrendered to the Huns. In the end, not only was he and his entire family executed, but the Huns also did not let him go.

In the fourth year of Emperor Wu of Han's Zhenghe reign, Li Guangli was killed by the Xiongnu Chanyu as a sacrifice to the gods.

Chen Tang, a great general of the Western Han Dynasty, was greedy for money, but he was also a strong man who made the Xiongnu submit to him and shouted "Whoever openly offends the mighty Han will be punished even though he is far away." In the end, he was envied for his achievements, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to the extreme. Finally, he was moved back to Chang'an and died there.

Wang Jun came from a noble family. He was well-educated, handsome, resourceful and good at fighting. He led the Jin Dynasty to destroy the Wu Dynasty and unify the world. However, he was framed by his jealous superiors. In order to avoid suspicion, he indulged in pleasure and had a good end.

Han Qinhu, Li Jing's uncle, pacified the Southern Chen Dynasty, captured Chen Shubao alive, and unified the country. However, he was accused of letting his soldiers go and defaming the Chen Palace. Although nothing happened to him, he was later transferred to Liangzhou and became the governor of Liangzhou. He died three years later at the age of 55.

But Hou Junji was only forty years old! Cen Wenben's memorial was full of Hou Junji's faults, but the emperor magnanimously forgave him.

The word "greedy" appears five times: "although greedy", "greedy for", "make greedy", "greedy person", "greedy foolish".

There were also "faults", "sins", "profits", and "not a loyal minister", which almost nailed him to death.

This made Hou Junji, who never wanted to admit his mistakes, go crazy with pain.

……

Hou Junji sneered and opened the second memorial. "Your Majesty, Wei Zheng, has a memorial: Although the officials in the court hold important positions, their trust is not strong enough. As a result, they may doubt themselves and be complacent. Your Majesty is lenient with major issues but impatient with minor offenses. Your sudden anger and reprimands are inevitable, reflecting your love and hate... If you appoint them to high positions and look for minor faults, the clerks will follow your orders and manipulate the law..."

The sneer on Hou Junji's face disappeared.

Although Wei Zheng was basically pleading for him, he actually wanted him to admit this minor crime.

If Hou Junji was willing to plead guilty, it wouldn't have come to this.

Wei Zheng was a good man, but the emperor’s reply was “Although I have pacified the world, it will be very difficult to keep it.”

Difficult, who is difficult? It’s Hou Junji.

Before he knew it, Hou Junji's expression became gloomy and cold again.

……

Turning over the file in front of him and looking at the verdict of Yongzhou Prefecture on the case of Lu Hu and Cui Qian, Hou Junji pondered for a long time and finally couldn't help shaking his head.

Lu Hu, Cui Qian, this matter obviously has a beginning and an end, but if even someone like Yin Jun can't figure it out, it will be even more difficult for a half-baked person like Hou Junji to investigate.

Not to mention that there is an emperor watching over there.

Lu Hu, the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince, Lu Hu...

Prince?

This incident was to frame the crown prince, so who was it? Of course, it was the King of Wei.

King of Jin.

Hou Junji suddenly recalled the incident half a month ago when Li Zhi was attacked by someone beside him.

No, that was not an attack on Li Zhi, but an attack on the prince.

King of Wei.

Hou Junji couldn't help but smile. He raised his head, looked outside the hall, and said loudly, "Come here, call Su Dingfang, the General of the Left Golden Guard."

"Yes!" A voice finally sounded outside the hall.

……

"...Your Highness, something happened." Li Anyan hurriedly walked into the Chongjiao Hall. Li Chengqian, who was discussing government affairs with Yu Zhining and Zhang Xuansu in the hall, couldn't help but frown.

"Your Highness, how about I go back first?" Yu Zhining bowed slightly and was about to say goodbye and leave.

"No need, Master Yu." Li Chengqian waved his hand, then looked at Li Anyan and asked, "What happened?"

"Your Highness." Li Anyan glanced at Yu Zhining briefly, then said seriously, "Your Highness, the body of a Jinwu Guard commander was found in Zhuoying County."

"As for the matter of the Jinwu Guard, you should ask the Jinwu Guard to handle it, and that's at the foot of Mount Zhongnan?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but frowned.

"Your Highness, that man was the leader of the Jinwu Guard who was on duty at the main road of Chang'an County when Duke Chen returned to the capital on the first day of the first lunar month. Although the Jinwu Guard who killed Prince Jin was not under his command, he was under the command of the same Jinwu Captain as him." Li Anyan made the connection clear.

Li Chengqian, Yu Zhining and Zhang Xuansu's faces darkened at the same time.

"Moreover, Your Highness, this person is usually fond of gambling." When Li Anyan said this, Li Chengqian immediately knew that there was no need to investigate further, because this person was plotting against him.

"Your Highness!" Yu Zhining couldn't help but look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly and said, "An Yan, regarding this matter, you should ask Dai Zhide, Qin Huaidao, and Helan to find the Jin Prince's official and the Supervisory Censor Li Yifu, and go to the scene together to find out what exactly happened. At the same time, tell them what you have found, and immediately inform the Eastern Palace and the Jin Prince's Mansion."

"Yes!" Li Anyan immediately bowed and turned away.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Yu Zhining and said, "Master Yu, I don't want to interfere..."

"It's okay, Your Highness. It will be easier if you bring Prince Jin along. After all, Prince Jin is the younger brother and Your Highness is the older brother. No one can say anything if Your Highness stands up for Prince Jin." Yu Zhining turned sideways to look at Zhang Xuansu, who nodded in agreement.

"That's good, let's continue discussing the matter..."

(End of this chapter)