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

Chapter 245 After today, I have nothing to worry about.

"This, this is."

As the cart, which required two oxen to pull, slowly approached, Chai Shao's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

His lips twitched uncontrollably as he struggled to keep his legs from shaking.

The oxcart was somewhat overloaded, and the wooden wheels creaked and groaned as they rubbed against the ground.

Looking at the boxes above, Chai Shao's face grew even paler.

"His Majesty."

He let out a scream and bowed deeply to Li Shimin.

If the copper coins on that carriage were to fall on him, they could crush him to death.

Those officials who were also implicated in the corruption within the Jingzhao Military Command were now trembling with fear, staring anxiously ahead.

They all prayed silently, begging His Majesty to spare Chai Shao out of consideration for the late Princess Pingyang Zhao.

It wasn't that they had a particularly good relationship with Chai Shao, or that they sympathized with him.

Rather, it's because if His Majesty could let Chai Shao go, then there would be no reason to make things difficult for them anymore.

"Before your elder sister passed away, she asked Father to take good care of you. Now you have violated the law. Although I care about your elder sister, I am the emperor. How can I show favoritism?"

Li Shimin looked up at the sky and sighed sadly.

This is what he said; it seems to be a statement, but it also seems to be a question.

It seems as if he is saying to someone, "Come and tell me how you showed favoritism."

Wen He raised an eyebrow, looked away, and could only chuckle in his heart.

at this time.

Changsun Wuji stepped forward and bowed to Li Shimin, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a report to make."

“If Fu Ji is pleading for mercy, then there’s no need to say anything more.” Li Shimin waved his hand, feigning impatience.

Changsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, I am not pleading for mercy, but rather begging for forgiveness."

"What crime have you committed? Are you perhaps just like Duke Huo?"

Li Shimin seemed to be questioning him, but he clearly knew that Changsun Wuji had not been involved.

Wen He just wanted to yawn. Couldn't these two just be more direct?

They just had to put on this show.

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji explained, "Your Majesty, my crime is not embezzlement, but rather that I forgot to remind the Emperor and Father. Yesterday, Your Majesty said that if anyone could hand over the embezzled money today, the past would be forgiven. Now Your Majesty has broken your promise, and it is my fault."

Now let's get to the main point.

When Li Shimin said those words yesterday, Wen He knew that if these people obediently handed over their money...

Then nothing will happen.

The principle of "no punishment for high-ranking officials" didn't just begin in the Song Dynasty.

Even if these powerful and wealthy individuals commit murder, they can escape punishment as long as they pay money.

Wen He looked at the scene before her and found it all rather boring.

It would be better to let him go home and tell stories to Xiaorou.

"Well, I had forgotten about that." Li Shimin feigned surprise, looking at Chai Shao, about to back down, when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of disdain in Wen He's eyes.

'This brat figured it out?'

Li Shimin was taken aback.

He wasn't surprised, after all, with Wen He's quick wit, it would be hard for her not to see through the act that Changsun Wuji and he had just put on.

But what does this kid's expression mean?

Could it be that you think I am inferior to that emperor of later generations who only knew how to skin and stuff grass?

"His Majesty?"

Everyone was waiting for Li Shimin to continue, but he suddenly froze.

Chai Shao was ready to express his gratitude.

Just then, Li Shimin said in a cold voice, "The death penalty can be waived, but punishment is still necessary. All officials and nobles involved in the embezzlement case of the Jingzhao Military Command will have their salaries reduced by one year, and these copper coins will be settled here."

“Each one was wiped clean and strung together with new thread. Before the cleaning was finished, no one was allowed to eat or use the toilet, only drink water.”

They are not allowed to eat, only to drink water, but they are not allowed to use the toilet.

It must be quite uncomfortable counting money outside in this freezing weather.

Even so, it's still better than having them carry money on their shoulders; at least they won't be crushed by it.

"Your subject thanks you for your grace."

"Ah."

Li Shimin nodded to him, then looked at all the civil and military officials.

"There are hundreds of prefectures in the country, and each place has a military command. I will investigate thoroughly. I hope that you gentlemen will not make a mistake. If you return the money in full, I will forgive you and simply come here to count it. If not, then don't blame the hundred cavalry."

"I will give you one more day. After one day, the Hundred Cavalry and the Ministry of Justice will conduct a thorough investigation."

He shouted a stern rebuke.

He flicked his robe and turned to walk into the palace.

The courtiers hurriedly saw him off, and only breathed a long sigh of relief when they saw Li Shimin's figure enter Chengtian Gate.

"Thankfully, no one was killed."

Feng Deyi sighed.

Xiao Yu, standing beside him, chuckled and said, "If you don't pay back the money, someone will die."

The money his descendants had embezzled had already been delivered, and he had also made those people submit their resignations.

After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Xiao family was always in the spotlight.

Countless eyes are watching them.
The reason for this is, of course, that Xiao Yu's sister was once Yang Guang's empress, and now this Empress Dowager Xiao is hiding among the Turks, instigating them to attack the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, he is now the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, which has made him the envy of many.

That's why he acted so decisively this time.

Upon hearing this, Feng Deyi glared at Xiao Yu.

However, the latter didn't care at all and walked towards Wen He with a smile.

"Wenxianzi, it's been a long time."

"Master Xiao, it's been a long time. How are you?"

Wen He admired Xiao Yu's courage quite a bit.

"It's good, but I can't eat and I can't sleep well," Xiao Yu sighed, which surprised Wen He.

Why would this old man deliberately come to me and say these things?

Does he expect me to put in a good word for him with Li Shimin?

"What do you mean, Master Xiao?"

"What else could it mean? How long has it been since you wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms? How come there are only the first ten chapters? Maybe you should write more. Don't be lazy at such a young age. You should write more."

Why are people still urging for updates even after we've reached the Tang Dynasty?

Wen He muttered a curse in his heart, then chuckled dryly twice and said, "What Master Xiao said is absolutely right. However, I've been busy lately, but I will definitely update more often when I have free time."

"renew?"

"Just write more."

"I see, that's an interesting way of putting it."

Xiao Yu stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded.

The two talked for a while longer before Xiao Yu took his leave.

Wen He chuckled and was about to head back when she realized she didn't even have a carriage.

"If I had known I was going with Xiao Yu, I could have hitched a ride in the carriage."

It seems we'll have to walk back.

He was about to leave when he saw Gao Yue rushing over from the other side.

Upon seeing this, Wen He quickly turned around, pretending not to have seen anything.

But Gao Yue seemed to have noticed his movement and immediately shouted, "Your Excellency of Gaoyang County, His Majesty summons you."

Wen He, who was about to run away, had to stop.

He thought to himself, "Damn you, Li Er!"

Turning around, Wen He greeted him with a beaming smile: "Greetings, Senior Official. Does His Majesty wish to see me?"

His attitude made it seem as if he wasn't the one who had just run away.

Gao Yue sighed helplessly in her heart, but her face still showed a warm smile.

"This servant does not know either. His Majesty only summoned you and Vice Minister Changsun to the Lizheng Hall."

"I see. Then please, sir, lead the way." What else could it be?

Wen He could predict why Li Shimin had sought him out.

When we arrived at the Risjeongden Hall

The palace maids are serving breakfast.

Upon seeing Wen He arrive, Li Shimin beckoned to him and invited him to come in and sit down.

"Let's have our meal first," Li Shimin said.

Upon hearing this, Wen He casually sat down in the empty seat.

The flatbread made with chicken broth tasted almost exactly like the ones at his house.

Wen He was already hungry, so she ate two large bowls of food.

Feeling the intense gazes from Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji, he finally put down his bowl and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

After the palace maids cleared away the tableware, the doors of the Lizheng Hall were closed.

Only Gao Yue was left inside to serve.

“Fuji just said that we should kill a few minor officials as a warning to others. Jiaying, what do you think?” Li Shimin suddenly asked.

Wen He looked up at Changsun Wuji in surprise.

This cunning old fox knew that Li Shimin wanted to kill people but also wanted to protect those aristocratic families, so he thought of dragging a few insignificant minor officials out as scapegoats.

No wonder he gained Li Shimin's trust; his methods were truly ingenious.

"No matter what, if Your Majesty thinks that this will stop the corruption, then kill them."

Wen He didn't think those minor officials shouldn't have died.

Corrupt officials should be killed.

He was just a little resentful that someone he felt deserved to be killed had escaped death.

His appearance made Li Shimin chuckle.

"So you think he shouldn't have been killed?"

"I think they all deserve to be killed."

“If we kill them all, there will be no one left to use in the court,” Li Shimin said with a smile.

I don't know if Xiao Wenhe's idea is naive, or if I feel that my methods are too soft.

"His Majesty."

Changsun Wuji bowed to Li Shimin and said, "If they can return all the embezzled money, they will surely remember this lesson in the future. My suggestion to kill the minor official is not to make an example of him, but because this matter is a bottom-up issue."

In Changsun Wuji's view, if it weren't for the bribes from those petty officials, how could the higher-ups have embezzled money?

scions of noble families are all of high moral character.

Wen He scoffed.

"Within the Jingzhao Military Command, most of those who embezzle are military officers of the seventh rank or above. The higher the rank, the more they take. On the contrary, the lower-ranking officials do not receive the money they are entitled to. Uncle, your statement is biased."

The minor officials in the Jingzhao Military Command did not even receive more than half of their salaries, let alone embezzle money.

Seeing Changsun Wuji lying through his teeth, he realized that Changsun Wuji was blatantly bluffing.

"This……"

Changsun Wuji was speechless.

Li Shimin glanced at him, then waved to Wen He, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I've said I'll let bygones be bygones."

"But I am worried that someone might use this as an excuse to commit embezzlement. With so much money, is it just for their own use? Jia Ying, this matter needs to be thoroughly investigated by the Hundred Cavalry."

Wen He was stunned for a moment before she understood what Li Shimin meant.

"Does Your Majesty mean that someone wants to use embezzlement to plot a rebellion?"

"His Majesty!"

Changsun Wuji's eyes widened immediately.

Someone wants to use embezzlement to plot a rebellion.

Rather, His Majesty intends to use the pretext of rebellion to kill people!

"Does the auxiliary machine seem unacceptable?"

Li Shimin turned to look at him.

A bead of cold sweat clearly trickled down Changsun Wuji's forehead.

"This is not allowed!"

A rejection suddenly came from inside the hall, but it was not from Changsun Wuji.

Unexpectedly, it was Wen He.

He looked solemnly at Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty is a wise and sage ruler. How could you do such a slanderous thing? If you want to send the Hundred Cavalry to do this, I will not do it. I will take Xiaorou back to Gejiazhuang."

Changsun Wuji looked at him in disbelief.

Seeing his resolute and serious expression, he couldn't help but be a little lost in thought.

He originally thought Wen He would accept without hesitation.

After all, he was not on good terms with those aristocratic families.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to eliminate dissidents can also please His Majesty.

To everyone's surprise, he actually refused.

Li Shimin immediately frowned: "What if I issue an edict?"

“Then I will defy the imperial decree and dismiss me from my post. At worst, I will go home and become a peasant.”

"You brat, what do you take this official position I gave you for?!"

Li Shimin was furious and grabbed the brush washer from the table.

Seeing this, Gao Yue was so frightened that she quickly tried to stop him: "Your Majesty, this is Hetian jade, each piece costs two hundred strings of cash, and there are only three in the palace. You mustn't smash it."

"Go away!"

Li Shimin kicked him away and then gently placed the brush washer down.

Wen He stiffened his neck, looked at Li Shimin, and said earnestly.

“Your Majesty, if you ask me to find someone to beat up those aristocratic families or investigate their corruption so that they can be imprisoned, I can do it, because they have broken the law.”

"Whether they were killed, exiled, or something else at that time, it was all their own doing. But if you ask me to accuse them of treason, I can't do it. If I really did that, my conscience wouldn't allow it."

"Hehe, conscience." Li Shimin suddenly laughed twice.

He pointed at Wen He and shouted, "Then take your conscience and go home!"

"Go away!"

Wen He snorted.

At worst, I can just take off this official robe and go home to enjoy myself.

Or going south would be good too; we could sell all the land and use the money to build a big ship.

Unfortunately, he knew it was impossible.

Even if Li Er dismissed him from his post, he would still keep him in Chang'an.

Besides, Li Er wouldn't do that.

"That brat."

After Wen He left, there was no trace of anger left on Li Shimin's face.

He couldn't stop laughing, feeling extremely gratified.

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Changsun Wuji realized that he seemed to be unable to understand Li Shimin anymore.

The Prince of Qin, who was once his mentor and friend, seems to no longer exist.

Li Shimin breathed a long sigh of relief and sat down with an exceptionally relaxed expression.

"I just wanted to test this brat. Fu Ji has been my friend for many years. Does he really think I'm such a fool?"

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I dare not, but I do not understand Your Majesty's meaning?"

Li Shimin chuckled and said.

"The plot of rebellion by Li Yuan and Li Xiaochang has made me somewhat worried. If that brat were to accuse anyone he dislikes of of being a rebel, how would I be able to make a judgment?"

"From today onwards, I have nothing to worry about."

After Li Shimin finished speaking, he took out an imperial edict from the table and handed it to Gao Yue.

"He was promoted to the position of Inspector of the Hundred Cavalry of Gaoyang County, and concurrently served as the principal of the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Justice. He was given full authority to investigate cases of corruption in military pay and was authorized to act expediently. He was not required to report to higher authorities when questioning officials below the fourth rank."

(End of this chapter)