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

Chapter 688 Unexpected Calamity (Second Update)

Changsun Wuji calmly picked up the wine pot again.

The smooth surface of the pot reflected a faint, cool glow from the stove.

Chu Suiliang bowed slightly, and with a trembling hand, presented the wine cup.

One glass of wine, then another.

Looking at the somewhat cloudy wine in his cup, Chu Suiliang, his cheeks flushed, sighed and said, "Your Majesty is a rare man of composure, which is why things have gone so smoothly since you ascended the throne. But the matter of clearing out hidden fields and households is different. Although Your Majesty made some attempts before and the results were good, it was only because you were careful not to really touch the interests of more powerful families."

Moreover, Chu Suiliang saw things very clearly. The emperor was very cautious in his actions, and his vision was equally sharp, allowing him to clearly see the potential dangers that things might cause.

"However, even the late emperor became somewhat stubborn and self-willed in his later years, let alone Your Majesty." Perhaps he had drunk too much, for he did not notice that Changsun Wuji's expression suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant. He continued, "Your Majesty has been on the throne for many years. The Western Turks have been destroyed, and Tibet and Goguryeo have been defeated by them. In addition, Baekje and Silla are not far from being destroyed. Your Majesty has also reached the point where he is becoming stubborn and self-willed."

The most representative example is Changsun Wuji being forced to resign from his position as Left Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The political situation began to become unbalanced.

It completely fell into the hands of the emperor.

Chu Suiliang looked up at Changsun Wuji, whose expression had become serious again, and said, "Duke, if His Majesty continues to make small-scale moves, then everyone can tolerate it. But if His Majesty becomes too radical, even to the point that the powerful families of the world are forced to join forces, then the world will be in chaos."

Chu Suiliang's face was terribly grim.

In fact, Chu Suiliang's analysis of the emperor was generally quite accurate.

For example, the Qianfeng Quanbao coins issued by Emperor Gaozong after his Fengshan ceremony reflect his stubbornness and even madness.

Finally, he was dealt a severe blow by a coalition of powerful families, and only then did he become obedient.

Chu Suiliang was unaware of these matters, but that did not stop him from worrying about Li Chengqian and taking this step.

“You’re right.” Changsun Wuji raised his head and said softly, “Someone needs to give His Majesty a good whack on the head.”

"Yes!" Chu Suiliang bowed slightly.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Those who should retreat, retreat; those who should prepare, prepare." Changsun Wuji sighed softly, then his expression became solemn: "That's true, but after you arrive in Jingzhou, you still need to pay attention to clearing out the hidden lands and households of local powerful families. At least you need to make His Majesty aware of this, so that you can return more easily in the future."

"Yes!" Chu Suiliang nodded vigorously, all for the future, for he would become prime minister in the future.

"Be careful. If something happens to me in the future, you'll be able to rely on yourself." Changsun Wuji drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"Duke." Chu Suiliang hesitated, knowing that both he and Changsun Wuji were getting on in years.

Changsun Wuji waved his hand, held his wine cup, squinted his eyes, and said, "Finally, keep a close eye on the King of Wu."

"Yes!" Chu Suiliang bowed deeply.

……

It is unknown how much time passed, but Chu Suiliang had already left.

Below the window, only Changsun Wuji remained, staring blankly at the wine glass in front of him, lost in thought.

A soft footstep came from outside the door, and then with a creak, Changsun Chong pushed the door open and walked in.

Changsun Chong glanced at Changsun Wuji, then bowed and said, "Father, it's late, you should rest."

Changsun Wuji snapped out of his daze, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at Changsun Chong, asking, "What do you think of Chu Suiliang?"

Changsun Wuji was slightly taken aback, then cupped his hands and said, "Father, Prime Minister Chu was, after all, a prime minister. Although he was dismissed, he has now been reinstated as Minister of Rites. It is not something I can comment on casually."

"Speak, then speak." Changsun Wuji's face darkened.

"Yes!" Changsun Chong cupped his hands, thought for a moment, and said, "Although Prime Minister Chu is a scholar, he is quite opportunistic. When the Prince of Jin was plotting to become the heir apparent, Prime Minister Chu had many dealings with him, but later, he abandoned the Prince of Jin. Later, there was the matter of Liu Ji, where Prime Minister Chu showed a rather treacherous side. Furthermore, when His Majesty ascended the throne, Prime Minister Chu was demoted, which was suspected of being arrogant."

“Therefore, His Majesty would never allow Chu Suiliang to become prime minister, but he still has such a wish.” Changsun Wuji sighed and said, “He sees himself as Xiao Yu and also as Li Jing.”

Although Xiao Yu voluntarily resigned from office at the end of Emperor Taizong's reign, it was the emperor who took the initiative to let him retire, and he was later reinstated.

As for Li Jing, did Chu Suiliang have the same abilities as Li Jing?
Of course, this was not easy, so when the emperor and the powerful families were about to have a fierce conflict, Chu Suiliang outwardly supported the emperor, but in reality favored the powerful families.

“My father will resign as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel next March.” Changsun Wuji looked up at Changsun Chong and said, “You are His Majesty’s cousin. After the New Year, Chu Suiliang will be transferred to Jingzhou, and Li Baiyao will take over as Minister of Rites. You will go to take up the post of Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.”

"Father!" Changsun Chong exclaimed in surprise, then asked with a trembling voice, "How did this happen?"

“You don’t understand.” Changsun Wuji waved his hand and said, “I have been in the position of Left Minister of the Ministry of Personnel for too long. Many people have been suppressed, layer upon layer. Over the years, I don’t know how much resentment has accumulated, and it has even hindered the normal operation of the bureaucracy.”

Changsun Wuji's lips trembled slightly, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Changsun Wuji looked up and said, "Over the years, Su Dan has not been transferred back to Chang'an, Li Daozong has not been transferred back, Su Xu has not been transferred back, Du Zhenglun has not been transferred back, Du Fengju has not been transferred back, and even Li Dejian, Zhao Jie, Liu Rengui, Pei Xingjian, Xi Junmai, Du Gou and others have all been arranged to stay away."

Although Li Chengqian cultivated many confidants in the imperial court, he had even more in the local prefectures and counties.

“His Majesty doesn’t want them to come back simply because he’s worried they’ll band together and fight me for power. If that happens, the court will be in turmoil and no one will be able to control it.” Changsun Wuji sighed softly, then shook his head and said, “His Majesty still trusts Father, so Father will resign from his position as Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and be appointed Minister of Works, in charge of the Council of State Affairs, during the imperial examinations in March.”

"He is in charge of the affairs of the Council of State Affairs," which means that among all the prime ministers in the Council of State Affairs, Changsun Wuji still ranks first.

"Of all the people in the world, His Majesty trusts the most is still his father." Changsun Wuji smiled and then said, "It's just a pity that the court is in such a state, but it's also good, as it allows his father to take a break."

"Yes!" Changsun Chong breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“As your father, I will step aside. Chu Suiliang has been appointed to an outside post, so you will inevitably stand out in the court.” Changsun Wuji’s expression turned serious again. “In the court, if it concerns the princes, you should speak your mind. Even the Crown Prince, you don’t need to be polite.”

"Yes!" Changsun Chong solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

"As for everything else, we don't need to concern ourselves with it." Changsun Wuji stared at Changsun Chong and said, "Everything is subject to His Majesty's opinion, understand?"

"Yes!" Changsun Chong bowed deeply.

"That's settled then." Changsun Wuji waved his hand and said, "I'll sit a little longer, then I'll go and rest."

"Yes!" Changsun Chong bowed again, then turned and left the room.

"Alas!" Changsun Wuji looked at the falling snow and plum blossoms outside the window and sighed softly.

Chu Suiliang's retreat exposed Changsun Chong.

This was something Changsun Wuji did not want to see. Although Changsun Chong had certain abilities, he had not experienced much hardship under Changsun Wuji's protection for many years.

Chu Suiliang's transfer from Minister of Rites to Grand Commander of Jingzhou caused problems for Changsun Wuji's plans in the court.

Over the years, Chu Suiliang has been Changsun Wuji's most capable assistant. In their faction, Chu Suiliang's prestige is second only to Changsun Wuji.

However, Chu Suiliang had some sinister intentions. Although Liu Ji deserved his fate to some extent, it was Chu Suiliang who secretly fueled the flames.

Now Chu Suiliang's thoughts have resurfaced.

The emperor had no intention of appointing Chu Suiliang as prime minister again. In other words, without any change in the political landscape, even with Changsun Wuji's full support, Chu Suiliang would not have had a chance.

However, the emperor wanted to take further action regarding the hidden fields and hidden households.

Chu Suiliang's plan was to have Changsun Wuji withdraw his involvement, then watch the emperor fail on his own, and finally have Changsun Wuji and he clean up the mess.

This would allow Chu Suiliang to be promoted to the position of prime minister.

However, his thoughts were not the same as those of Changsun Wuji.

Although Changsun Wuji was the representative of the Guanlong aristocratic families, he was actually a buffer placed by the late emperor between the Guanlong aristocratic families and the emperor, with the real purpose of protecting the emperor.

The ultimate outcome of Chu Suiliang's actions was inevitably the continuation of the privileges of powerful clans, which completely superseded the emperor.

How could Changsun Wuji possibly agree to such a thing?

Therefore, the only option was to send him away first, hoping that he could spend his last few years in Jingzhou peacefully before retiring.

As for the situation in the court, let's see how the emperor handles it first.

……

A new year begins, and everything is renewed.

Before we knew it, ten years had passed.

At the start of the year, a series of major events occurred in the court.

Tang Jian, the Grand Chancellor, retired; Du Zhenglun, the Governor of Guangzhou, was promoted to Grand Chancellor; Xu Shuya, the Chief Secretary of the Jingzhou Grand General's Office, was transferred to Guangzhou as Governor; and Chu Suiliang, the Minister of Rites, was transferred to Jingzhou as Grand General.

Li Baiyao, the former Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, was promoted to Minister of Rites.

Sun Chong, the Director of the Secretariat, was promoted to Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

Lu Dunxin, the Imperial Academy Chancellor, was transferred to the position of Secretary.

It's the seventeenth day of the first lunar month in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Qianyuan Hall, Li Yifu sat behind a table on the left side of the hall, carefully handling memorials.

Opposite him sat Shangguan Yi, the Imperial Secretary; Liu Fan, the Imperial Secretary; Cen Changqian, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat; Zhang Wenguan, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat; and Pei Yan, the Imperial Secretary.

To his left sat Gao Jifu, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, and Lu Dunxin, the newly appointed Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.

Yes, the person at the very top was Lu Dunxin, followed by Gao Jifu and Li Yifu.

Son of Lu Deming, former Crown Prince's advisor.

Among all the officials in the Qian Yuan Hall, the one in charge of everything was Lu Dunxin, the former Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, whom Li Yifu had rarely seen before.

In just a few days, Lu Dunxin had managed to get everything in order, both internally and externally.

When the emperor had something to report, he would usually do so on behalf of the other officials.

Lu Dunxin was able to think of and handle things properly even in ways that Li Yifu hadn't considered, which earned Li Yifu's great respect.

To be honest, if Li Yifu hadn't already planned his future path, Lu Dunxin would have been his biggest enemy.

A series of heavy footsteps sounded from the side hall entrance.

As the emperor's figure appeared, he sat down on the imperial couch.

The people in the hall who had already risen all bowed and said in unison, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years."

"Rise." Li Chengqian waved his hand, looked at Lu Dunxin to the side, and asked, "There is no regular court session today. Tell me, what is on the agenda?"

"Your Majesty!" Lu Dunxin handed over a memorial and bowed, saying, "The Grand Commander of Jingzhou, Chu Suiliang, has come to report, requesting an investigation into the hidden land in Jingzhou!"

Li Chengqian was taken aback, then looked to the side.

Zhang Anan immediately presented the memorial to Li Chengqian.

After opening the memorial, Li Chengqian carefully reviewed it.

As he watched, a half-smile crept across his face.

Although Chu Suiliang said he wanted to investigate the hidden land in Jingzhou, he only talked about the importance of investigating the hidden land throughout his writings, but he rarely mentioned how to investigate the hidden land.

Setting the memorial aside, Li Chengqian looked at Lu Dunxin, suddenly smiled, and said, "Minister Chu knows that the nation is facing difficulties, so he is willing to share my burdens. Since he is willing to investigate the hidden land in Jingzhou, let's start in Jingzhou. However, things in Jingzhou are complicated, and we need to send a capable person to Jingzhou to assist. Minister Lu, who do you think is the most suitable person in the court to assist in the investigation?"

"Investigate hidden plots." Lu Dunxin's eyes flickered slightly, then he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Pei Shuang, the Imperial Secretary, is the most suitable."

“Yes, Pei Qing is most skilled at investigations. He joined forces with Chu Qing in Hongnong to investigate the Yang family. Now that they have joined forces again, they will surely be able to thoroughly investigate the entire Jingzhou.” Li Chengqian looked up and said, “Issue an imperial decree to appoint Pei Shuang as the Chief Secretary of the Jingzhou Grand General’s Office to assist Chu Qing in investigating the hidden lands in Jingzhou.”

"Yes!" The officials bowed respectfully, but Li Yifu, standing to one side, tried his best to suppress his smile as he lowered his head.

Chu Suiliang's willingness to investigate the land is a joke. Ever since the Hongnong incident, Chu Suiliang has never mentioned the investigation again.

Now it's just a formality, but the emperor has completely put them on a pedestal.

"Alright." Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said seriously, "At the start of the year, we must first focus all our efforts on promoting spring planting. After that, it's time to deal with the Eastern Islands. The three kingdoms of the Eastern Islands should be destroyed."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)