Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 201 Will they form a new force?
"What's wrong with hiding, Your Majesty? The Empress already said that what I just said was good advice. You can't hold it against me later."

Wen He dodged and hid behind a pillar, only peeking out her head.

If Li Shimin dared to lay a hand on him again, he would... run around the pillar.

"Hmph, Guanyinbi is just afraid that I will punish you." He glared at Wen He, then sighed, "She is also afraid that I will be in a difficult position. Changsun Anye was suddenly captured by the Hundred Cavalry. I'm afraid she has guessed what happened."

Given Guanyinbi's intelligence, upon learning that Wenhe was from the future, she must have concluded that Changsun Anye must have done something that forced Li Shimin to kill him.

Wen He curled her lip indifferently.

If it were merely for murder, Li Shimin would have ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate, and at most, the punishment would have been immediate execution.

After all, the law is like child's play to these powerful and wealthy people.

When those people broke the law, most of them sent their own servants to take the blame, and a few even ignored it and didn't care.

Like Changsun Anye, his crime this time was committed several years ago.

Li Shimin had always turned a blind eye to things, at most sending someone to reprimand him sometimes.

This time, he had only one reason for killing Changsun Anye.

rebellion.

However, this matter had not yet occurred, so Li Shimin used other crimes.

The so-called "abandoning the market" was nothing more than making an example of someone to deter others, a way to intimidate the Guanzhong and aristocratic families.

Tell them: "I can kill people!"

Otherwise, why abandon the market?

The term "beheading in public" refers to the act of beheading someone in front of a large crowd, displaying the body and head for three days before allowing the family to collect the remains.

It was considered one of the most severe punishments in the Tang Dynasty's legal code.

The last person to be treated this way was Dou Jiande.

"What's with that expression? Do you also think I'm too cruel?" Li Shimin glared at him.

Wen He stiffened and quickly shook her head.

"His Majesty has always been the most benevolent, how could he be so cruel? Changsun Anye deserves to die."

He gave a dry laugh.

However, Li Shimin did not believe a word he said.

"If I were truly ruthless, it would be because of you, you brat. If you hadn't told me about those things in the future, why would I have made an example of you?"

For Li Er to say such a thing is simply ungrateful and a case of biting the hand that feeds you.

"Your Majesty, you can't say that."

"This is what I say: if history records me as tyrannical, you, Wen He, will certainly be implicated!"

Li Shimin pointed it over.

Wen He chuckled and said dismissively, "So what if they're tyrannical? People in your time say that Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were bad, but in our time, they were more popular than Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Jing of Han, whom you admire."

reputation?

What does he need fame for?

Before I transmigrated here, I hadn't had time to delete my mobile browser or my computer's hard drive.

He has long since lost his reputation.

Li Shimin paused for a moment, turned to look at Wen He, coughed lightly, and his eyes shone with anticipation.

Seeing that he hadn't said a word for a long time and was just staring at her, Wen He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Your Majesty, is there something on my face?"

Wen He pointed to herself.

The smile on Li Shimin's face immediately vanished. He chased after her and pulled Wen He out from behind the pillar.

“I mean, I.”

"What do you mean?"

"How will posterity evaluate me, cough cough?" Li Shimin was a little embarrassed, and lowered his voice considerably afterward.

If Wen He hadn't been standing so close, he wouldn't have been able to hear what he was saying at all.

"Well, didn't we already talk about this before? Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizu of Song, do I need to elaborate on your reputation?"

Wen He then realized that Li Shimin had been looking at her expectantly just now because he wanted her to praise him.

This is too shameless.

"What did you mean when you said I was the strongest carbon-based life form in East Asia in the seventh century?"

Li Shimin had wanted to ask this before, but he forgot about it later.

Since the topic of future generations' evaluation has come up, he wanted to find out.

But Wen He was taken aback.

This is a meme on the internet, just like the name Li Erfeng.

It's fine to talk about it behind someone's back, but if Wen He says it to Li Shimin, he's afraid he'll get beaten up.

"It means very good, very strong, very powerful. In the whole of East Asia, no, I should say in this era, in the whole world, you are the most powerful person."

It's just praising someone.

Wen He picked up on what Li Shimin liked to hear: "Your Majesty, your literary and military talents far surpass those of the ancients. Your civil and military achievements are unparalleled throughout the ages. You can truly be called the greatest emperor of all time. Compared to you, that 'perfect old man' in later generations is nothing at all."

Li Shimin was quite pleased to hear this, but he became confused by some of the following words.

"What kind of perfect old man in wild boar skin?"

"Well, several hundred years later, a group of wild boars from the north took advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to invade, seize the throne and call themselves the Great Qing. However, in this era, their ancestors should now be called the Sumo tribe of the Mohe, living in the area between the white mountains and black waters of Liaodong."

Wen He couldn't remember much about the history of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. He had never liked that dynasty, so he wasn't interested in learning about it.

I was just too young to understand things, and I only learned a little bit after watching some TV dramas.

"The Mohe? Those savages who didn't even have a written language and lived a primitive life in the mountains and forests, how could they later come to rule the Central Plains?"

Even Li Shimin was shocked.

What exactly happened in the later generations?
Is the Central Plains really this weak?

"Well, this matter is quite complicated. After the aristocratic clans disappeared in later generations, they were replaced by regional military governors. This led to the rebellion of military men. Today they are ministers in the same palace, but tomorrow they are ruler and subject."

Li Shimin should be familiar with this situation, since it was similar during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

"So in the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin raised the status of scholars in order to suppress military men. In fact, he did not do anything wrong. It was just a pity that the one who succeeded him was a useless person who over-relyed on scholars, which led to an imbalance."

It can be said that since the Song Dynasty, the status of military men has never risen again.

There were signs of recovery in the early Ming Dynasty, but the Tumu Crisis led to the complete dominance of civil officials over military officials.

“Since the Song Dynasty, the military strength of the Central Plains has been weak. Apart from the two emperors, Emperor Taizu of Song and Emperor Taizu of Ming and Emperor Taizong of Ming, there have been almost no emperors like Your Majesty who could make foreign tribes fear you.”

It seems that the military prowess of the Song Dynasty emperors was attributed to Zhao Kuangyin, while the other emperors were completely lacking in both civil and military achievements.

There was another person who repelled the enemy and signed a compensation agreement, yet he still had the audacity to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Shame on you.

Wen He also casually praised Li Shimin in her words.

He thought to himself, "Are you satisfied now? Can you let me go home?"
"Scholars".

Li Shimin muttered something to himself, seemingly ignoring Wen He's praise.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Wen He with a serious expression.

"You previously suggested that I allow commoners to study so that they could take the imperial examinations and become officials. But what if these people become powerful? Won't they form a new force?"

It must be said that Li Shimin's vision was indeed extraordinary.

He had already thought of this before he even started doing it.

Wen He remained silent, but Li Shimin could already tell from his hesitant gaze.

“If any forces are of the same origin, they will inevitably band together for mutual support. If commoners’ sons are allowed to enter the court, they will certainly unite to deal with the Guanzhong and aristocratic families.”

"This has created a standoff."

This wasn't Li Shimin's own summary, but rather a lesson he learned.

This has been the case since the beginning of the nations.

Isn't the so-called "Hundred Schools of Thought" just the original prototype of factional strife?
"Later generations called this factional strife," Wen He replied.

The earliest mention of factional strife is probably in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The so-called "party turmoil" actually refers to the factional strife among the scholar-officials.

This refers to the factional struggles for power within the ruling group during the late Tang Dynasty, also known as the "factional strife".

“However, Your Majesty need not worry about this matter. It will be decades or even centuries before they form so-called factions or cliques,” Wen He said.

Li Shimin frowned as he looked at him, wanting to hear him continue.

“As long as Your Majesty does not want the Guanzhong Plain and the aristocratic clans to perish, then those scholars can only become the swords in Your Majesty’s hands.”

"Furthermore, Your Majesty need not give those scholars any special treatment. Do not treat them like the Song and Ming dynasties did, with tax exemptions and rent exemptions. Given the current state of the Tang Dynasty, there is no need to win them over in this way."

In fact, the Tang Dynasty had truly exceptionally favorable conditions.

With the gentry and Guanzhong regions present, even if the literati united as one, they could only become one of the three factions.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty did not distinguish between civil and military officials, which prevented the Tang Dynasty from fostering an environment that valued civil officials over military ones.

As long as the emperor doesn't do anything reckless and remove one piece of the triangle, the court will remain stable.

Most importantly, the Tang Dynasty did not need to share power with the scholar-officials.

There is no need to offer any generous price to make those people serve the court.

Old Zhu came from humble beginnings and was afraid of being looked down upon by scholars, since there were indeed people who dared to do such things.

Furthermore, the invasion by the Yuan dynasty led to the decline of Han studies, which is why he resorted to this desperate measure.

As for the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Da's aim was to have scholars suppress military men.

Li Shimin didn't need to follow their example. He only needed to tell the world that as long as one studied, one could take the imperial examination and become an official.

Countless people will flock to it.

In the past, those were the people who couldn't afford to go to school.

But if paper is cheap, Wenhe can take the opportunity to launch charcoal pencils, and then there will be no shortage of students.
My concern is that productivity won't keep up and there won't be enough people to farm.

However, there's no need to worry, as it's not possible for the Tang Dynasty to promote universal education at present.

Even in Chang'an County, it was impossible to ensure that everyone had access to education.

"I'm afraid it's a double-edged sword, but you're right about one thing: they are indeed a good way to deal with those people."

Emperors like Li Shimin were actually a bit neurotic.

He feared both that his subordinates would unite against him and that their infighting would disrupt the government.

However, no dynasty could avoid this kind of thing.

Perhaps only when humanity is extinct will the problem be truly solved.

There's a saying that goes, "Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own."

"What do you think of the current imperial examination system? How did the monarchs of later generations conduct the imperial examinations?"

Li Shimin suddenly changed the subject.

Wen He knew that he had stopped worrying about whether those commoners would cause conflict after entering the court.

"Your Majesty, it's too early," Wen He said with a hint of helplessness.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

"It's definitely too early."

"Alright, you may leave. Leave Da'an Palace to Li Daozong. You should rest at home for a few days and then get the paper and tea out as soon as possible."

Li Shimin waved his hand wearily, signaling Wen He to step down.

He knew he was being too hasty.

The events involving Li Yuan, Li Xiaochang, and others made him realize once again the unreliability of the aristocratic families and the Guanzhong Plain.

There was one thing Wen He hadn't expected.

That is, how did Li Xiaochang, who was away from home all year round, manage to come into contact with the Imperial Guards?

Among the Sixteen Guards, many of the lower-ranking officers were from Guanzhong, and some also had connections with the gentry.

Although they have few troops, if they were to gather together, they could cause unrest in Chang'an.

That's why he's so eager to find a force that he can completely control.

Wen He guessed some of Li Shimin's thoughts.

However, he did not expose it.

Let those important figures worry about such troublesome matters.

All he wants to do now is go home and take a nap.

As he walked out of the Taiji Gate, he was about to go find the Xuanjia Guard who had brought him there.

Suddenly, several burly men blocked his way, their faces dark and their eyes blazing like angry knights.

"Hey, Brother Changsun, Master Fang, Master Du, and Master Xiao are here too! Haha, what a coincidence!"

Looking at the fierce-looking men in front of her, Wen He gave a dry laugh.

"He's your uncle!"

Changsun Wuji raised his hand and struck Wen He on the head.

The latter dodged it with a quick movement.

"what?"

Everyone was surprised to see this.

Wen He has made such great progress after learning martial arts from His Majesty for only a few days.

Changsun Wuji glanced at his empty hand, snorted in dissatisfaction, and stared intently at Wen He.

"His Majesty only summoned you just now. Did he discuss the matter of the Prince of Zhongshan with you?"

Upon hearing this, Wen He finally understood why these old guys were all here.

So it was all for Li Chengqian's sake.

However, since they are here, they must have sent someone to report to Li Shimin.

Unexpectedly, the latter did not see them.

"Your Excellencies, the Prince of Zhongshan is fine. You may go about your business."

Wen He smiled and bowed to them.

"Young master, this matter concerns the foundation of the nation, so please don't joke about it." Xiao Yu stroked his beard and looked at Wen He with a serious expression.

His face showed even more worry.

This person has had a tough time, having experienced the palace coup of the former Sui Dynasty and then the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

I'm afraid they don't want to see another prince die.

Upon hearing this, Wen He glanced at Changsun Wuji.

Everyone was puzzled and looked at him.

Changsun Wuji frowned and said angrily, "You brat, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, this matter is related to Changsun Anye."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Changsun Wuji with a slightly different expression.

"How could the matter of Changsun Anye involve the Prince of Zhongshan?" Changsun Wuji was very surprised.

He had previously tried his best to prevent his half-brother from having any contact with the princes.

Could it be that Changsun Anye secretly visited the Prince of Zhongshan behind his back?
Seeing everyone's guesses, Wen He stopped keeping them in suspense and told them everything that had just happened.

After he finished speaking, everyone had different expressions.

Changsun Wuji was even more furious: "The Empress is confused! Changsun Anye deserves to die!"

"I will go and request an audience with the Empress immediately!"

After saying this, Changsun Wuji headed towards Wanchun Palace.

But at this moment.

A person rushed out of the Taiji Hall.

When everyone looked, they saw that it was Gao Yue.

He rushed to the crowd in a panic, and before he could even catch his breath, he spoke urgently.

"Gentlemen, His Majesty summons you to an audience."

(End of this chapter)