Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 197 Li Chengqian: The whole world is surnamed Li! [Long chapter, please give me a monthly ticket]

The atmosphere in the Tai Chi Hall was solemn.

Li Shimin sat upright on the imperial throne, his face stern and his eyes sharp as torches as he glanced at the ministers below.

The impact of the locust plague is even greater than that of the drought.

Because wherever the locusts pass, there is almost no grass growing and no harvest. If the people lose their livelihoods, peasant uprisings are very likely to occur.

This happened frequently in ancient dynasties.

What’s more, the previous snow disasters and droughts have already made the people miserable, and now there is a severe locust plague. It is really like adding insult to injury and then causing harm.

Therefore, when he heard the urgent news of the locust plague, Li Shimin immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

He took a deep breath and asked in a deep but powerful voice, "The locust plague is raging in Henan Province, and the people are suffering terribly. My dear ministers, do you have any suggestions for dealing with this?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers looked at each other and remained silent for a while.

After a while, the Minister of Revenue Wei Jin stepped forward, bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, the court's taxes haven't been fully collected this year. Two years ago, taxes were used to aid the victims of the snowstorm, in addition to the court's necessary expenses. Last year's taxes were also used to aid victims of the drought. Add to that the war against the Turks, and Your Majesty's aid to the Gur Khanate in terms of food and supplies. Now the treasury is empty, and we simply can't come up with enough money and food for disaster relief!"

After he finished speaking, he shook his head helplessly, his face full of worry.

The other ministers nodded one after another, with helpless expressions on their faces.

An official said weakly, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, locust plagues have been impossible to resolve. People usually just let the locusts bite for a while and then let them go on their own."

"Yes, Your Majesty, locusts are 'divine insects'. They cannot be killed, and they cannot be completely eliminated."

"In the past two years, our Tang Dynasty has experienced many disasters, which are truly rare. I think it's the 'Hanba' that's causing trouble."

"Your Majesty! In my opinion, the continuous natural disasters that have plagued the Tang Dynasty are a punishment from Heaven on your ministers. I believe Your Majesty should issue a 'repentance edict' and ask Heaven for forgiveness!"

"Your Majesty, I second your opinion!"

Although officials in the Tang Dynasty did not believe in Confucianism as much as in dynasties after the Song Dynasty, Confucianism after the Han Dynasty remained the mainstream ideology.

They feel that it is extremely abnormal for a country to suffer so many natural disasters, as if it has been punished by God. This is God's punishment on the rulers.

There were even extreme Confucian officials who believed that locusts were "divine insects" and should not be killed.

Don’t think that the ancients were not smart or confused.

In fact, before Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, few courts advocated the elimination of locusts. Even during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, when a locust plague broke out in Shandong, the then Prime Minister Yao Chong advocated the elimination of locusts, but there were still many officials who opposed and resisted.

Finally, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang overcame all objections and launched a campaign to eliminate locusts in Shandong Province.

Since then, later governments began to establish the position of "locust catcher" to monitor locust plagues across the country in order to achieve the goal of controlling locusts.

Before Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the idea that locusts could not be killed and were "divine insects" was deeply rooted in the minds of officials who advocated Confucianism.

So much so that the atmosphere was very depressing as soon as the court meeting began.

Either they dealt with the problem passively or they offered no resistance and allowed the locusts to devour people's crops. This put ministers such as Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Wei Zheng into an embarrassing situation.

On the one hand, Confucianism was the mainstream thought among the officials of the Tang Dynasty. On the other hand, they did not have a good way to deal with the locust plague and knew how terrible it was.

However, when Li Shimin heard an official suggest that he issue a "self-criticism edict", his anger instantly rose.

He slammed the table and shouted, "The treasury is empty, is there no other way? What is the court supporting you for?!"

His voice echoed in the court, making everyone's ears buzz.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the court became silent like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

He gritted his teeth and looked around at his ministers, then said solemnly, "Food is the most important thing for the people. The people don't have any food aid from the court, and locusts are eating their crops. How can they survive?"

As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on the official who had just called locusts 'divine insects.' His teeth clenched, a vein throbbing on his forehead as he spoke word by word, "If the locusts that are killing the people are 'divine insects,' then what are you officials who don't care about the people?"

"Look at yourselves! You all say that court officials are the parents of the people, but this is how you treat the people of the Tang Dynasty!"

"This"

Hearing this, the ministers looked at each other and remained silent.

Suddenly, Cui Renshi, the Dali Temple Secretary, stood up from the queue.

He was dressed in official uniform, with a calm expression. He held his sceptre and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I have a way to alleviate the disaster!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

When the ministers heard what Cui Renshi said, they were all surprised and turned to look at him.

Even Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Zhangsun Wuji and others looked at him with admiration.

You know, in the past, at times like this, officials from the Five Surnames and Seven Families were all very low-key.

Even if they were not direct descendants of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, they would remain silent at such times.

Because for aristocratic families like the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Clans, who have deep roots in the court, the most taboo thing is to be the first to stick their heads out.

Therefore, they couldn't help but be surprised when the head of the Cui family, Cui Renshi, stepped forward.

Even Li Shimin was shocked by Cui Renshi's actions.

But he said in a surprised and doubtful tone: "Lord Cui, what are your plans? Please tell me!"

"To be honest, Your Majesty, our family's farmland is close to Henan Road. Wherever the locust plague has passed, our family's farmland has also been severely affected. In addition, as an official of the Tang Dynasty, it is my duty to consider the people of the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, I should do my best for both public and private reasons!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin hummed a sound, then smiled broadly, "Lord Cui, you are truly understanding and righteous. I am very pleased. I wonder if you have any ideas to alleviate the disaster?"

"Your Majesty, since the treasury is empty, even the most skilled cook cannot cook without rice. Therefore, I suggest that Your Majesty open the door to grain donations and call on all officials in the court and even the noble families to donate grain to cope with the disaster!"

"What!?"

When the officials heard what Cui Renshi said, they were furious.

Even the other family heads who came with Cui Renshi were confused by his words.

What's going on?
If you want to show your loyalty, there is no need to sell us out!

Aren't your nephews going to be killed by His Majesty Li Er? Why are you still supporting him? Are you a cheapskate?

"Hahaha! Good, good!"

Just as the officials were cursing Cui Renshi in their hearts, Li Shimin suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily. He even said a few good words and said with a smile on his face, "Your Excellency Cui, this suggestion is very good. I will issue an edict immediately, calling on everyone to donate grain to deal with the disaster!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Cui Renshi bowed respectfully, with a barely perceptible sneer in his eyes.

Seeing this, the other ministers looked at each other in confusion.

But no one stood up to express opposition.

Although Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, including Changsun Wuji and others, all felt that this matter was not that simple.

Because as far as they knew, Cui Renshi, including the other five surnames and seven families, had been trying to find a way to rescue their family's direct descendants recently.

It is impossible for them to be so kind as to give advice to Li Shimin who was planning to kill their nephews.

But the facts were before their eyes. Even though Fang Xuanling and others were full of doubts about Cui Renshi's suggestion, they still did not speak out to stop him.

Just like that, a terrifying locust plague was "easily" resolved.

On the other side, Li Chengqian, who had just left Xingtang Newspaper Office, returned to the Prince's Mansion when Sun Fujia came to greet him.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened. News has arrived of a locust plague in Henan Province. His Majesty is summoning all officials to discuss countermeasures. What do you think we should do?"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Sun Fujia's report, Li Chengqian was visibly stunned. He then estimated the time in his mind, thinking that the locust plague had indeed occurred at this time. So, he smiled and comforted Sun Fujia, saying, "Don't be nervous, Lord Sun. Didn't His Majesty summon all the officials to discuss this? I believe that with all the officials working together, they will definitely be able to come up with a countermeasure!"

After saying this, he called to Lai Fu beside him: "Lai Fu, have someone take the paper off the carriage!"

"promise!"

Lai Fu agreed and immediately led his men to the carriage.

Sun Fujia asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Prince, are you going out to buy paper?"

"No, this paper wasn't bought, it was taken. From now on, all official documents for the Prince's Mansion, including daily paper, should be obtained from the Xingtang Newspaper Office. Take as much as you need!"

"Ah? This"

Sun Fujia was surprised to hear this. He wondered if His Royal Highness was so arrogant. How could His Royal Highness's assets be seen everywhere in Chang'an? The entire Prince's Mansion was almost entirely free of charge, including daily meals, which were all delivered on time by restaurants outside.

No wonder some people say that Jiangling is the richest city in the world. It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s stay in Jiangling for the past two years was not in vain!
Just as Sun Fujia was feeling deeply moved, he heard Li Chengqian say again, "Master Sun, how is the task I asked you to do going?"

"Ok?"

Sun Fujia was stunned for a moment, then he said as if recalling something: "Your Highness, are you talking about the Academy of Sciences?"

"Correct!"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I want to build an academy in Chang'an called the Academy of Sciences. This academy will not recruit talented people, but only skilled craftsmen!"

"This"

Sun Fujia hesitated for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Doesn't the imperial court already have a Ministry of Works? Why would the Crown Prince establish an academy that only recruits skilled craftsmen?"

Li Chengqian explained with a smile, "The Ministry of Works of the imperial court is the government office in charge of the imperial court's construction projects, while the Academy of Sciences is the research institute for innovative projects. It's just like the Qin Palace, Tian Ce Palace, and Hong Wen Academy when my father was the King of Qin. The Qin Palace and Tian Ce Palace were responsible for military affairs, while Hong Wen Academy was responsible for discussing national policies. They all have different functions."

Sun Fujia nodded as if suddenly realizing something, then bowed and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince wants to establish his own Hongwenguan. I understand!"

"Well, okay, you can understand it that way. Tell me how your business is going. Is there a suitable place to build a science academy?"

"Your Highness, there is a place that can meet your requirements, but it is difficult to get there. It belongs to the Cui family's property."

"The Cui family?"

Li Chengqian frowned. "Why are they here again? Are they that powerful in Chang'an?"

"This"

Sun Fujia grinned awkwardly and said with a wry smile, "It can't be helped. Even when dynasties change, the family remains the same, so naturally their power will not weaken."

"If a humble family like mine wants to be respected, it must rely on marrying into a wealthy family. Otherwise, even if I hold the position of Prime Minister, in the eyes of those wealthy families, I am no different from a peasant!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian sneered, then flicked his sleeves in indignation: "The whole world is surnamed Li!"

After saying that, he went straight back to the mansion.

At the same time, at Cui Renshi’s residence.

Just after returning from the Taiji Palace, the heads of the five surnames and seven clans all gathered at Cui Renshi's residence.

Even Wang Gui, who had previously had some unpleasantness with Cui Renshi, came of his own accord. But Wang Gui was the first to speak: "Master Cui, what did you mean by your previous suggestion to His Majesty? When did we agree to donate grain?"

"Yes, Master Cui, why didn't you discuss it with us before making the decision?" Li Zhen said with some dissatisfaction.

Although the other family heads did not speak, they were also very dissatisfied with Cui Renshi's suggestion.

Cui Renshi slowly picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then said with a smile, "Everyone, please be patient and listen to me tell you the details."

Upon hearing this, the family heads looked at each other in bewilderment.

Cui Renshi smiled and said, "The reason I proposed to donate grain to Your Majesty is because Your Majesty will not be able to get the donated grain!"

"Ok?"

The family heads were slightly stunned.

Wang Gui frowned in confusion and asked, "What does Patriarch Cui mean?"

Cui Renshi glanced at Wang Gui, then at the other family heads, and said with a faint smile, "Don't you know the reputation of His Majesty? How many noble families do you think he can mobilize to donate grain with his prestige?"

"So, when I suggested that he call on the noble families to donate grain, I was actually asking for trouble!"

"And once he realizes that his prestige is not enough to get the noble families to donate grain for him, guess what kind of situation he will find himself in?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the family heads' pupils shrank suddenly, and they instantly understood Master Cui Ren's sinister intentions.

This was to make Li Shimin shoot himself in the foot.

"But even if Your Majesty cannot obtain the grain donated by the noble families, what benefit will it bring to us?" Zheng Shanguo asked doubtfully.

Cui Renshi smiled at him, shook his head and said, "Master Zheng still doesn't understand. We are a big family. Even if we give away a tiny fraction of our family's grain, it would be enough to help him out!"

"But will we rescue him for nothing?"

"Obviously impossible!"

"Well, if we offer him a condition at this time, that he can get food as long as he lets our children and nephews return to their ancestral land to solicit donations, what do you think he will choose? Will he kill our children and nephews, or take his people from the Tang Dynasty?"

"Ah? This"

When the family heads heard this, their scalps instantly felt tingling.

Even Wang Gui couldn't help but admire Cui Renshi's strategy.

This move is simply amazing.

He had originally planned to give up on his nephews.

Now after hearing Master Cui Ren's plan, he suddenly felt that this move was indeed feasible.

It's just a little mean.

However, just losing some food can save the lives of the family's direct descendants, which is a good deal no matter how you look at it.

He couldn't help but agree.

So, it didn't take long for them to reach an agreement and adopt Cui Renshi's strategy.

On the other side, Pei Ji’s mansion.

Li Shimin dismissed the old minister Wude and Li Chengqian did not come to his rescue, which made Pei Ji feel an unprecedented double blow. He fell ill soon after.

However, Li Shimin was quite indifferent to this and only allowed him to take sick leave without any other care.

In the past few days, with the treatment of doctors, Pei Ji's health has finally improved.

At this time, he was meeting his good friend, Monk Faya in the hall.

And this monk Faya has a great background.

When Li Yuan was emperor, he was a famous "enlightened monk" and was highly appreciated by Li Yuan and Crown Prince Li Jiancheng. He even received special permission from Li Yuan to enter and leave the palace freely and preach to Li Yuan.

However, later Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Because Li Shimin did not believe in Buddhism and Taoism, he had no good feelings towards him, so he directly deprived him of the privilege of entering and leaving the palace.

As a result, Monk Faya gradually became distant from the imperial palace, and even the donations that Li Yuan often gave to his temple were gone.

This made Monk Faya feel some resentment towards Li Shimin, and he often spoke ill of Li Shimin in public.

And just in recent days, his remarks finally alarmed the local authorities, and they reported him to Li Shimin.

Although Li Shimin had not yet issued an order to investigate him, he was extremely panicked, so he found Pei Ji, hoping that Pei Ji could rescue him.

The reason why he was able to be on good terms with Pei Ji was because Pei Ji was Li Yuan's trusted minister. When he came into contact with Li Yuan, Pei Ji was often by his side. After a few interactions, the two became good friends.

However, what he didn't know was that Pei Ji was now in danger himself.

Especially after hearing his request, Pei Ji fell silent.

However, he still did not give up and said to Pei Ji again: "Master Pei, in my opinion, the emperor's personality has changed drastically, which must be caused by evil spirits. Only by exorcising the evil spirits can he return to his true self!"

"Oh?"

Pei Ji, who originally didn't want to pay attention to Monk Faya, heard this and his eyes lit up: "What do you mean?"

"According to Patron Pei, the Emperor's personality changed drastically after he came into contact with the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince also behaved very differently, which shows that this evil demon possesses profound magical powers. He can not only influence the possessed person, but also those around him, and even the entire Tang Dynasty."

Monk Faya said solemnly, "If we can get rid of this evil demon, I believe the Crown Prince and the Emperor will surely turn over a new leaf!"

"But how do we get rid of this evil demon?" Pei Ji couldn't help but ask curiously.

Monk Faya was delighted, but his face remained calm as he said, "Of course, it's through the Dharma!"

"This"

Pei Ji frowned, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty does not believe in Buddhism, so I'm afraid we can't get what we want."

"The Buddha said that everything has cause and effect. Today's results are all due to past causes. As long as we find a way to make him believe it..."

"Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Before Monk Faya could finish his words, an urgent call came from outside the door.

Pei Ji's face darkened. He really wanted to kill this naive steward. However, because this steward was his wife's nephew, he suppressed his murderous intent and shouted angrily, "What's the matter?! You're so flustered! How can you behave like that?!"

"Forgive me, sir. This matter is of such great importance that I dare not fail to report it."

"Alright! Tell me! What happened?"

"My Lord, news has come from the court that a massive locust plague has struck Henan Province! Madam's ancestral homeland is in Henan Province!"

"what?!"

Pei Ji was surprised when he heard this.

The monk Faya's eyes lit up, and he straightened his body and said, "This is not a locust plague, this is clearly the arrival of the Heavenly King!"

"Ok?"

Pei Ji was surprised, and then looked at Monk Faya with doubt and said, "Master, what do you mean?"

"Amitabha!"

Monk Faya muttered a catchphrase, then said to Pei Ji in a serious tone, "Master Pei, do you remember what I just said? The evil spirit can not only influence the Crown Prince and the Emperor, but also the entire Tang Dynasty!"

"what do you mean?"

"The disasters that the Tang Dynasty is facing today are all caused by evil spirits!"

Pei Ji's heart was shaken, and he couldn't help but ask, "Master, are you saying that this locust plague is a punishment from heaven for the evil spirits?"

"That's right! The locusts are not pests of disaster, but the transformation of the Heavenly Lord!"

Monk Faya said solemnly, "We must guide the Heavenly Lord and destroy the evil spirits!"

"But His Majesty..."

Pei Ji said hesitantly, "He probably won't agree."

"Your Majesty, although you are the Emperor, you are still just an ordinary man. How can you know the Heavenly Sovereign? If you anger the Heavenly Sovereign, you will be punished even if you are the Emperor!"

Monk Faya said this, then stood up from his seat, clasped his hands together and said, "If I don't go to hell, then whoever goes to hell, let me guide the Heavenly King!"

"This"

Pei Ji was still a little hesitant, but also a little unwilling.

Although Li Shimin did not dismiss him from his official position, he knew very well that he would be dismissed by Li Shimin sooner or later.

Before that, he will gradually lose all his connections.

For example, now, according to past experience, if he was sick, most of the officials in the court would come to visit him.

However, even when he was almost recovered from his illness, only a few officials below the fifth rank came to see him, and they left on the pretext of something before even staying for a cup of tea.

The world is truly fickle.

This made him very depressed and helpless.

Although he was a founding hero of the Tang Dynasty, he was only a founding hero of Li Yuan.

Now, Li Yuan is no longer the Li Yuan of the past, so he naturally cannot get Li Yuan’s protection.

And if Li Yuan returns to his original state, can we continue to protect him?
Thinking of this, Pei Ji's eyes suddenly lit up, and he began to develop a mentality of "try everything possible to save the situation".

So, under the instigation of Monk Faya, Pei Ji finally decided to help him guide the "Heavenly Lord".

Regardless of whether Monk Faya can expel the "evil spirit" from Li Chengqian's body, as long as he can help Li Yuan get rid of his influence, he can make Li Yuan pay attention to himself again.

"Someone, come here! Bring me my token!"

Pei Ji shouted in a deep voice.

Soon, Pei Ji handed a token with the word "Pei" written on it to Monk Faya.

But then he heard Monk Faya say calmly: "All things are born from causes and conditions. This old monk and Mr. Pei are indeed predestined. Good, good!"

"Everything depends on the master!"

"Amitabha!"

Ps: Please give me double the monthly tickets.

　[Please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass, please give me a monthly pass]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)