The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 164 The Crown Prince's Influence... When did it become so great?

Inside the Liangyi Hall, Li Shimin was reviewing memorials, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

Wang De quietly stepped forward and gently placed a secret report on a corner of the imperial desk.

"Your Majesty, regarding the Eastern Palace... His Highness the Crown Prince is in the Ministry of Works, and he has some new initiatives."

Wang De's voice was very low.

Li Shimin grunted in response, but did not look up, his fingers still turning the pages of the memorial before him.

Only after finishing dealing with an urgent report about the canal transport did he reach for the secret report and begin to read it.

At first, he appeared relatively calm.

It is only natural for the Crown Prince, who has just taken charge of the Ministry of Works, to go down and see what's going on.

But as he looked, his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

The secret report detailed the process of Crown Prince Li Chengqian's inspection of the various workshops.

How to talk to an old carpenter and ask how long it takes to carve a pattern for a dressing case.

How to endure the high temperatures in a blacksmith's workshop, watch people forge hoes, and even inquire about iron consumption and the durability of the bellows.

How to summon all officials and master craftsmen and announce it publicly...?

"...Anyone who can improve tools and equipment, increase efficiency, or create new agricultural implements and water conservancy equipment, regardless of their background or status, will be generously rewarded once proven..."

"Officials and guards have been dispatched from the Eastern Palace to be stationed at the Ministry of Works and major workshops, specifically to handle suggestions. No one is allowed to obstruct them; they must be presented directly to the Crown Prince..."

Li Shimin's fingertip paused for a moment on the words "regardless of birth or status" and "directly presented to the Crown Prince".

He put down the secret report, leaned back in his chair, and gazed at the empty square outside the hall, remaining silent for a long time.

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside me.

Shocked? A little.

His son, who had been pampered since childhood, was suffering from a foot ailment and was depressed. But had he ever truly come into contact with these artisans at the bottom of society or known the specific details of their work?
Now, however, he can patiently stay in that noisy and dirty place for nearly two hours, asking such detailed questions.

This is not just for show; he genuinely wants to get things done.

Relief? A little bit too.

A ruler who understands the hardships of farming is better than one who merely talks about benevolence and righteousness and is unaware of the difficulties of harvesting.

But more than anything, there was an indescribable unease, even a hint of unease.

Li Shimin did not entirely oppose the idea of ​​encouraging artisans to innovate and rewarding those who made contributions.

If craftsmanship and skills can improve, it will indeed benefit the country.

But the Crown Prince's approach was too... direct.

He is the crown prince, the future emperor!
The emperor and the crown prince should govern the country and inspire the people through the laws of the court and the bureaucratic system of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers.

Rewards and punishments, praise and blame, should all be carried out by the relevant departments in accordance with the law and announced to the world.

How could you do such a thing... lowering yourself to personally make such a promise to a group of craftsmen?
They even established a direct channel to the Crown Prince's Palace, bypassing the Ministry of Works' original management system.

What a shame!
Li Shimin himself was an emperor who gained power through military conquest, not someone who lived a long life in the inner palace.

He had lived in the military camp, where he could drink and eat heartily with the former generals of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and they were like brothers.

But he knew very well that it was directed at the generals!
It is for those meritorious officials who risked their lives for him and are qualified to share his wealth and honor!
He could befriend and confide in his confidants like Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Zhijie.

But the targets absolutely do not include ordinary soldiers.

There is an insurmountable divide between ruler and subject, official and commoner, scholar and craftsman.

This is fundamental to maintaining order.

Now, it seems the Crown Prince is blurring that line himself.

"Wang De," Li Shimin said slowly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"The old slave is here."

"What are the opinions in the court regarding this matter?"

Wang De bowed and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, indeed some officials have submitted memorials. Most of them are... lower-ranking officials, such as a few remonstrance officials and clerks from the Censorate and the Secretariat, as well as some assistant secretaries and principal clerks from various ministries."

"They...generally praised His Highness the Crown Prince for his understanding of the people's plight and his efforts to govern diligently, believing that...believing that His Highness's actions would inspire the artisans to work harder and benefit the country."

Li Shimin snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He was aware that many of these lower- and middle-ranking officials had recently become close to the Crown Prince.

"anything else?"

"There are also a few officials who, while acknowledging His Highness's efforts, feel that His Highness's personal visit to the workshop and direct conversation with the craftsmen seems... seems to be slightly unbecoming of a crown prince."

"I believe that the matter of encouraging artisans can be handled by the Ministry of Works according to precedent. Your Highness only needs to grasp the general idea and does not need to... does not need to get involved in the details."

This was said euphemistically, but the meaning was very clear.

Li Shimin remained silent, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the imperial desk.

It seems that not everyone was blinded by the Crown Prince's actions.

However, in the following days, things developed slightly beyond Li Shimin's expectations.

Those officials who submitted memorials subtly expressing their objections, whether their intentions were to uphold the rites or to have ulterior motives, all received personal replies from Crown Prince Li Chengqian!
He did not use the crown prince's seal, but spoke in his personal capacity, and his words were earnest.

"...Having read your memorial, I know that you are loyal to the country, which greatly comforts me. However, you said that there is a distinction between the ruler and the people. This is indeed the teaching of the sages, but the sages also said that Heaven sees as the people see, and Heaven hears as the people hear. The people include artisans, farmers, merchants, and traders."

"Although the work of craftsmen is of humble status, what they create is the foundation of the nation's granaries and the weaponry of the army. How can it be taken lightly?"

"...In the past, when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, he traversed mountains and rivers, passing by his home three times without entering. Did he not share the hardships with the common people? When the Duke of Zhou established rites and music, he also had to collect folk customs from the people to understand the gains and losses. When Confucius was in distress in Chen and Cai, he still discussed the Way with his disciples in the countryside. He never abandoned his words because of his humble status."

"Is the way of the sages not only found in the high halls of the court, but also in the remote corners of the world?"

"...I do not wish to abolish the rites and laws, but rather to clarify their essence. The purpose of the rites and laws is not to separate the superiors and inferiors, but to define roles and stop disputes, so that everyone can live in their own profession and give full play to their abilities."

"If we cling to empty rhetoric and fail to understand the real suffering of the people, wouldn't our policies be nothing more than castles in the air and the moon's reflection in the water?"

In his letter, he did not offer a strong rebuttal, but instead used the Confucian principles they were familiar with to explain the "rationality" of his actions.

He encouraged these officials not to just sit in their offices reading documents and reports, but to "emulate the actions of ancient sages and worthies" and "go deep into the villages to observe the customs and traditions."

He went to see for himself how ordinary people farmed, how craftsmen worked, and how merchants traded. He wrote: "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. There are profound truths in the books of sages and wise men, and true knowledge can also be found in the fields and alleys."

This is going to be very serious.

The officials who received the reply were all extremely excited, even though they might have been just submitting a formality or perhaps testing the waters.

The Crown Prince personally replied with earnest advice—what an honor and what great importance this is!
More importantly, the Crown Prince's proposal that "reading the classics should also involve going to the grassroots level" seemed to open a new door for them, pointing out a path to advancement that was different from the past, where people only knew how to bury themselves in scriptures or scheming for connections.

As a result, a strange trend began to quietly spread in the officialdom of Chang'an, especially among those mid- to low-ranking officials.

In the past, after court sessions or on leave, officials would often gather together for banquets and conversations, or visit the residences of various powerful figures.

Nowadays, many people have started to change into ordinary clothes and wander around the markets of Chang'an and Wannian counties, go to the East and West markets to watch the transactions, and some even go to the countryside near the capital to watch farmers work and talk with the village head and old farmers.

Whether an official "goes deep into the grassroots" and understands "the hardships of the people" has become a new label for judging whether an official belongs to the "princelings"!
If a young official cannot speak of local prices or farming matters at a gathering, he will be secretly ridiculed by his peers, who will think he is incompetent and out of touch with the new trends of the Crown Prince's palace.

This news naturally reached Li Shimin's ears as well.

Upon hearing Wang De's report, a look of obvious astonishment appeared on his face for the first time.

"Going deep into the grassroots? Understanding the people's sentiments?"

Li Shimin repeated these two new words that had come from the Eastern Palace, his eyes filled with disbelief.

When did the Crown Prince's influence become so great?

How could it possibly influence the atmosphere of the entire middle and lower-level official group?
This is no longer as simple as just controlling a Ministry of Works.

This is shaping a new standard for official conduct, and vying for the right to speak and the sense of identity among officials!
He felt a sense of unease, but it was quickly replaced by a more complex emotion.

According to the secret report from the Hundred Cavalry Commandery, most of what those officials saw and heard when they went to the "grassroots" level was true and not fabricated.

Moreover, this trend seems to have indeed led many young officials away from pointless empty talk and scheming, and started to focus on practical matters.

"Fortunately... most of them are currently middle and lower-level officials."

Li Shimin comforted himself with these words.

Those powerful officials of the fifth rank or above, with deep roots and their own rules of conduct and networks of interests, have not yet been significantly affected by this trend.

But before he could catch his breath, a debate in the court brought this undercurrent into the open.

The meeting discussed the specific policies regarding the "purchasing" of grain in the Guanzhong region this year.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs proposed that, in order to stabilize grain prices, it would purchase a batch of grain from counties in the capital region at a price slightly lower than the market price and store it in reserve for unforeseen circumstances.

This is a routine procedure every year, and the rules are the same old rules.

After Minister of Civil Affairs Tang Jian finished his report, he asked for the opinions of his ministers, as was customary.

They thought it would pass smoothly, but unexpectedly, a young official named Zhou Zheng, a sixth-rank Left Remonstrance Official from the Secretariat, was the first to step forward and object.

"Your Majesty, I believe this matter is inappropriate!" Zhou Zheng's voice was clear and bright, carrying the sharpness unique to young people.

A slight silence fell over the hall as many eyes turned to this usually unremarkable minor official.

Senior officials such as Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling also raised their eyelids.

"Oh? What do you think is wrong, Zhou Shiyi?" Li Shimin asked calmly.

“Your Majesty,” Zhou Zheng bowed and replied.

"Recently, on official business, I have visited Lantian and Weinan counties under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture several times. I learned from conversations with local farmers that although last year was a bumper year, the grain price in Guanzhong was already half a percent higher than in previous years due to the disaster in Shandong and the disruption of the canal transport."

"Now that the harvest is scarce, the market price of rice has reached thirty-five cash per dou (a unit of dry measure). The Ministry of Revenue has proposed to purchase rice at the same price as last year, set at thirty cash per dou. This price is five cash more than the market price. If farmers are forced to sell their grain, it will be no different from exploitation! This may hurt the farmers' morale and incite public resentment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another censor from the Censorate stepped forward to echo his words.

“Your Majesty, what Zhou Shiyi said is true! I have also visited Hu County and Zhouzhi and saw with my own eyes that the people’s grain reserves are not plentiful. If we force a purchase at a low price at this time, it will surely cause widespread resentment. I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully!”

Immediately afterwards, three or four more officials stepped forward. They were not high-ranking officials, mostly junior officials or clerks, but they spoke with certainty, all claiming that they had "seen it with their own eyes" and "heard it with their own ears." They listed the names of the counties and townships they had "in-depth" into, and even specified the situation in a certain village or neighborhood, and unanimously opposed the price of grain purchase proposed by the Ministry of Revenue.

A buzz of discussion immediately arose in the imperial court.

Tang Jian's expression was rather unpleasant.

As the Minister of Revenue, he was in charge of the nation's finances and had his own set of data and considerations.

How could he save face after being questioned in court by these minor officials?
He immediately stepped forward to refute: "What you say is merely a narrow view! The price set by the Ministry of Revenue for grain purchase is determined by taking into account the grain prices of previous years, the expenditure of the national treasury, and market conditions, with the aim of stabilizing prices. How could it be your wild speculation?"

Zhou Zheng, who had initiated the confrontation, did not back down and raised his head, saying, "Minister Tang! What I have said is not mere speculation, but the truth!"

"Having served in the imperial court for so long, does the Minister know the current price of rice in Chang'an? Does he know how much grain farmers in the countryside have to sell to pay their taxes?"

"If a policy does not align with the people's sentiments, it will still harm the people, no matter how many reasons there are!"

"You!" Tang Jian was so angry that his beard twitched.

"What does a mere child like you know about national affairs! You only know how to talk about the people's plight, do you even know that the national treasury is empty and border expenses are enormous?"

"It is precisely because we know the national treasury is empty that we need to be even more considerate of the people's strength!" another official shouted.

"Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, or draining the pond to catch all the fish, is hardly a way to achieve long-term stability and security."

"His Highness the Crown Prince often teaches us that we should study the classics and go down to the grassroots to understand the real hardships of the people! Minister Tang, have you ever personally gone to the countryside to see for yourself and ask those farmers if they are willing to sell their grain to the government at a price of thirty coins per dou?"

These words not only directly contradicted Tang Jian, but also brought up the teachings of Crown Prince Li Chengqian!
Fang Xuanling, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

Changsun Wuji's brows furrowed tightly.

Gao Shilian couldn't help but snort coldly.

These minor officials, relying on the Crown Prince's power, dare to be so presumptuous!
On the dragon throne, Li Shimin's face was calm and composed, but the fingers on the armrests tightened slightly.

These officials were undoubtedly the so-called "princelings" who were deeply influenced by the Crown Prince's theory of "going deep into the grassroots."

They used the irrefutable details they obtained through their own visits to challenge the existing policy-making system and authority.

Their target was Tang Jian, the Minister of Finance who was in charge of finance!

What's even more frustrating is that what these young officials said... makes a lot of sense!
The data they cited and the details they described were so meticulous that it was clear they had actually gone down there to see and ask questions.

In comparison, Tang Jian's explanation of "comprehensive consideration" and "national strategy" seemed rather vague and weak.

Faced with undeniable "people's suffering," any grand principles seem somewhat powerless.

What was originally an ordinary court meeting instantly turned into a tense standoff.

(End of this chapter)