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

Chapter 644: Official Position Is the Outward Sign of a Family at the Top (Part )
In the Zhenguan Hall, the stove glowed dimly.

Li Xin walked into the hall and bowed solemnly to Li Chengqian, saying, "I, the Censor Li Xin, pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live a long and healthy life."

"Stand up." Li Chengqian put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at Li Xin with some fatigue and confusion, and then looked at Zhang Ananda who was standing on the side.

Zhang Ananda bowed slightly and raised his fingers.

Li Chengqian immediately understood. He looked at Li Xin, slapped his forehead, and said, "Look at my memory. I was so busy that I even forgot about your affairs... Zhang Jian went back and passed on the order to let Xin'er enter Beiyuan and reunite with Qingque at the end of the year."

"I obey your command." Zhang Ananda bowed seriously.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Xin bowed gratefully.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "You have done a very good job as the Censor in the past two years. If a member of the royal family makes a mistake, you should impeach and punish them. Don't hesitate."

"Yes!" Li Xin bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Don't blame me for being harsh. You should understand that my grandfather had seventeen sons who inherited the family lineage, and my father had eleven sons who lived to adulthood. I already have nine sons. While having many children and a large family that will extend across the country is a good thing, if there is no restraint, it will inevitably harm the world."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Li Xin bowed and said, "I will follow your instructions."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded with satisfaction.

Li Xin hesitated for a moment, but still bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have come to Luoyang with another matter to report to Your Majesty!"

"Speak!" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

"It's my marriage." Li Xin said cautiously, "I met a woman in the East Market this year. We are very compatible, and there are no obstacles from my family. So I am reporting this to Your Majesty and ask for your permission to marry."

"That's a good thing." Li Chengqian nodded and asked, "Whose daughter is so lucky?"

"She is the daughter of Dugu Xiuwen, the chancellor of the Imperial College." Li Xin bowed and explained everything in detail, "I only later learned that she was from the Dugu family."

"So considering seniority, she's still your cousin, right?" Li Chengqian smiled softly and said, "Alright, I approve of this marriage, but it can't take place this year. Let's wait until the second half of next year. By then, I'll be back in Chang'an, and I can help you with the internal and external affairs."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief, and then couldn't help but kneel down to express his gratitude.

"Since you're in Luoyang, there's no need to rush back. Buy something for your father." Li Chengqian turned to look at Zhang Ananda and said, "Prepare a nice house for Xin'er. Give her thirty pieces of silk and three hundred strings of copper coins."

After saying this, Li Chengqian looked at Li Xin and said, "I will no longer be in charge of Chang'an. You may have to accompany me on my eastern tours every year in the future. It would be better if you have a better place to stay in Luoyang."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Xin kowtowed with some trembling.

He knew that because of Li Chengqian's status, it would be impossible for him to be given much care in Chang'an. Only in Luoyang, where there would be less sight, would it be easier to take care of him.

"Okay, go ahead." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly and said, "Just do your best in the future. You have to know that your status is different. You can do many things that others are not convenient to do."

"I understand." Li Xin kowtowed calmly, then bowed deeply.

"Okay, let's go back to Chang'an in a few days." Li Chengqian sighed lightly and turned slightly to the side.

"I'll take my leave." Li Xin kowtowed again, then stood up, bowed, and slowly left the hall.

After a long while, Li Chengqian looked up at Zhang Ananda and said, "Xin'er is a good child. He knows that innocence is the best protection for him, so he will try his best to be a lone minister. As for me, he will have no problem whatsoever."

Zhang Ananda bowed slightly.

"By the way, is Zhinu okay?" Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly.

"The King of Jin is in the mountains of Qianzhou, devoting himself to practicing Taoism and ignoring the secular world." Zhang Ananda bowed.

"No need to be so celibate." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "In Qianzhou, find a suitable family and marry him a woman to be his concubine. She will take good care of him and have children. He is still very young. If he has a son in the future, he can also participate in the imperial examinations. Just like Xin'er, although his official position will not be high, he will be useful to the court."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Zhang Ananda bowed deeply and seriously.

"You should personally arrange for people to do it and make sure everything is done well." Li Chengqian stared at Zhang Ananda seriously.

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian looked up at the sky and said, "Let's stop here for today."

Behind the pillars, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong and others stood up, bowed slightly, and then took their leave.

Li Chengqian stood up and turned to walk towards the back hall.

……

In Tongming Palace, Concubine Xiao was wearing a light purple skirt and was reading a book quietly.

Suddenly, a steady sound of footsteps was heard.

Xiao Zi was startled and immediately stood up, walked out of the inner hall, and bowed to the emperor who had come close, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty!"

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded calmly, then waved his hand slightly.

The maids in the palace immediately retreated.

Li Chengqian then walked to the short couch in the inner hall and sat down, looking at Xiao Zi.

Xiao Zi picked up the teapot from the table beside her, poured a cup for Li Chengqian, and said, "Your Majesty, are you in a bad mood today?"

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian responded softly, then gently embraced Xiao Zi in his arms, stroking the back of her hand, and said softly: "Xin'er entered the palace today and asked for her marriage. I feel a little emotional."

"Which girl is so lucky?" Xiao Zi looked up subconsciously.

"She's the daughter of the Dugu family." Li Chengqian shook his head and chuckled, "It must be the Queen's handiwork, otherwise it wouldn't be such a coincidence."

Xiao Zi's face was full of surprise.

"Of course it was intentional." Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "The Crown Prince has already married, and Xin'er is even older than the Crown Prince. Naturally, I have to take care of everything, otherwise why would I marry the daughter of the Dugu family?"

The Dugu family was also one of the Tang Dynasty's in-laws. Although Li Chengqian's great-grandmother, Empress Yuanzhen, had passed away for many years, the friendship still existed.

When Dugu Dabao was with Li Chengqian, he was the Prince's servant in the Eastern Palace. Now he is the Prince's Night Watch Commander of Li Xiang, so their relationship is naturally extraordinary.

"Your Majesty is benevolent!" Xiao Zi knew about Li Xin's affairs. There were indeed not many emperors who could do this since ancient times.

Li Chengqian smiled calmly, then raised his head to look at Xiao Zi and said, "Seeing Xin'er's wedding and thinking of his many children, I can't help but think of myself. Father had eleven sons who lived to adulthood, while I only have nine sons now."

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Zi immediately understood what Li Chengqian meant. When she raised her head, her eyes were already full of tears. "Haha!" Li Chengqian immediately picked up Xiao Zi and walked towards the imperial couch.

The curtains fell, and all the spring scenery was hidden within them.

All the maids around blushed and lowered their heads.

……

A night of joy, the hall is filled with dim light.

Li Chengqian gently opened his eyes, his fingertips slid across Xiao Zi's smooth back, and his eyes couldn't help but look out the window.

The night was quiet, and only occasionally could sounds be heard from the palace.

The war against Goguryeo was temporarily over.

When the Three Kingdoms are overthrown in the future, Li Chengqian will have enough time to prepare calmly.

However, what happened next was just the beginning.

What Li Chengqian wanted was how to absorb all of Goguryeo's wealth into the court and then digest it quickly.

Gold, copper.

Kaiyuan Tongbao.

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Hebei...

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Zi's unconscious muttering interrupted Li Chengqian's thoughts.

Li Chengqian smiled softly, stretched out his hand to hold Xiao Zi in his arms, and then asked in a low voice: "Did my beloved concubine ever return to Jiangnan when she was young?"

Xiao Zi slowly opened her eyes, turned sideways, and gave Li Chengqian a tired look before shaking her head. "Ever since the Xiao family moved north, very few have returned to Jiangnan. However, there are still many members of the clan in Jiangnan, and we still have contacts and exchanges."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "There are some things that my beloved concubine may not know. The Shaofu has some businesses in Jiangnan. Some of them are managed by the Shaofu himself, some are entrusted to the Queen's family, another part is entrusted to the Zhang family, and another part is arranged in my beloved concubine's home."

"Ah!" Xiao Zi looked up in surprise and said, "I didn't know about this!"

"It's normal that you don't know. Someone will naturally take care of things." Li Chengqian paused and said, "Jiangnan's grain, cloth, and overseas trade are actually all led by them. I am hiding under the surface, so outsiders know even less."

Over the years, Su Tan has been out of the court's sight, from the governor of Hangzhou to the chief secretary of the Yangzhou Grand Marshal's Office.

In addition, he is the queen's father and is a well-behaved person, so few people deliberately keep an eye on him.

After all, if the queen was angered and Su Tan was brought back to Chang'an, that would be something no one wanted to see.

So although Su Tan was in Yangzhou, he had many subordinates, including Wang Ye and Wei Gui, who were all old men from when Li Chengqian was in the Eastern Palace.

They were even transferred to local positions 14 years before the Zhenguan period.

He had long since disappeared from the sight of everyone in the court.

"Now that Pingrang City has fallen, the situation across East Island has undergone tremendous changes. I'm wondering if Jiangnan should increase its trade with Goguryeo." Li Chengqian raised his gaze slightly, then whispered, "As the saying goes, the Lu and Zhang families are both related to me, but I'm a little unfamiliar with the Gu and Zhu families."

"The Gu family is doing fine. My uncle is the Supervisor of the Imperial College. On the contrary, the Zhu family has been very quiet in recent years." Xiao Zi shook her head and said, "What I know is what happened in Chang'an."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded.

The foundation of a family is the basis for ensuring its continuation.

But only official positions are the outward manifestation of a family being at the top.

Only when one's official position is taken away does one need a foundation to rely on.

Even official positions and many other things can enhance the family's foundation and even influence one side.

Li Chengqian regained his composure, then smiled and said, "It seems I have to find some time to talk to Gu Qing."

"Yeah!" Xiao Zi responded softly.

Li Chengqian looked at her from the side and saw that she had closed her eyes due to exhaustion.

Li Chengqian held her gently, but many things flashed through his eyes.

……

The first day of the first lunar month, the sixth year of Yongwei.

Great dynasty.

Li Chengqian was wearing a red and yellow dragon robe and a twelve-tassel white jade headdress, sitting on the imperial couch.

Yu Zhining stood to the upper left of the court officials, holding the imperial edict in his hand, and said in a loud voice: "In the sixth year of Yongwei, on the day of Gengwu on the first day of the first lunar month, the Emperor said:

Yu Xi!

To serve the ruler is to be kind, and to support virtue is to be harmonious.

We must wait for the enlightenment of the Three Terraces before increasing the weight of the Nine Cauldrons.

The Minister of Punishments, the Grand Master of Imperial Sacrifice, and the Duke of Pengcheng, Liu Dewei, is a man of integrity and refinement, a distinguished teacher, and a man of profound knowledge, who aspires to be a king's assistant.

The position of Zhongshu Ling and other officials can be granted honors and titles according to the system.

Admire this. "

"Your Majesty, I, Liu Dewei, thank you for your grace!" Liu Dewei stood out from among the ministers, then knelt down in front of the emperor and kowtowed deeply.

Many officials in the hall looked at Liu Dewei with envy and expectation in their eyes.

If Liu Dewei can be the Minister of the Central Secretariat today, then they can be too in the future.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, and Yu Zhining continued to read: "...Yin Jun, the Minister of Justice, can be the Minister of Justice; Cui Yixuan, the Governor of Wuzhou, can be the Minister of Justice; Cui Zong, the Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, can be the Governor of Wuzhou..."

(End of this chapter)