Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4747 Trust Remains
The days are long in summer, and at the turn of the month there is still a ray of afterglow from the setting sun in the sky, pouring obliquely into the imperial study through the trees outside the window.

The lamp has been lit, and Li Chengqian is writing and reviewing memorials at his desk.

The empress walked in from the door holding a cup of ginseng tea. Seeing the emperor buried in his papers, she frowned slightly, walked forward and placed the ginseng tea on a corner of the imperial desk. She stood behind the emperor, stretched out her slender jade fingers to rub the emperor's temples, and said softly: "You don't even need dinner, how can your body endure it?"

Li Chengqian dropped his brush, leaned back on his wife's soft body, closed his eyes comfortably for a moment, then opened them again. Looking at the piles of memorials on the desk and against the wall, he sighed in annoyance.

"Where is the time for eating? These must be processed today and handed over to the officials. Tomorrow they must be implemented according to the instructions. There can be no delay."

"Why do we need to sort out everything when we can just finish the important matters?"

"It's okay to delay for one day, but day after day, as time goes by, the state affairs will pile up like a mountain. I, the emperor, will be comparable to Jie and Zhou. Believe it or not, in just three or five days, the censors will stand outside Chengtian Gate and scold me for being a hedonistic, lazy and foolish emperor."

Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and shook his head.

He was determined to be a good emperor. Even if he couldn't be as good as the previous emperor, he would at least be a wise ruler in history. He had to endure no matter how hard or tiring it was...

The Queen also sighed: "How can we review so many memorials every day? If we make a mistake, it will be a disaster. I know your majesty's mind and I am determined to be a good emperor who is not inferior to the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor, but you should also know that times have changed. The Tang Dynasty today is far from being comparable to the Qin and Han dynasties."

Li Chengqian took a sip of ginseng tea and smacked his lips, feeling somewhat helpless. However, he also admitted that the queen was right. Although the Qin and Han dynasties unified the world, how much territory did they have in total? How many people did they have?
Today, the empire has a vast territory. When Liaodong in the east is already bright, the sky of Suiye City in the west is still full of stars in the deep night. The islands in the south are fragrant with coconuts and waves. The North Sea in the far north is still cold and snowy, and the land is frozen...

The country was divided into ten circuits, 360 states, more than 1,550 counties, several protectorates, and vassal states, with a population of tens of millions. Such a large land area and population meant countless government affairs, and even the most energetic emperor could not control the affairs of the world by himself, so the "Political Affairs Hall" came into being.

The original intention of the establishment of the "Zhengshitang" was to assist the emperor in handling state affairs. It was an institution equivalent to a "secretariat". However, as the territory of the empire grew and the population increased, the corresponding government affairs became more and more complicated, and the power of the "Zhengshitang" inevitably grew.

To this day, the "State Affairs Hall" has long become an entity that "divides and seizes imperial power". Even though Li Chengqian feels a deep sense of crisis and is unwilling to resign himself, he has no choice but to watch the "State Affairs Hall" erode imperial power bit by bit.

After all, there are too many state affairs. Even if the "Zhengshitang" is abolished, there must be another institution similar to the "Zhengshitang". Otherwise, the overwhelming memorials every day will make the emperor die of exhaustion...

It is no longer possible to have the power of life and death and to make absolute decisions like the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor Wu. It would be great if one could take important matters into one's own hands and handle them properly without being sidelined by ministers.

But it is easy to delegate power, but it is difficult to seize it again. If you are not careful, you will be sidelined by your ministers...

By then, the imperial power will fall into the hands of others and he, the emperor, will become a puppet. Wouldn't that be a disgrace for all eternity?
But even if he wanted to set up another "inner court" to assist him in handling state affairs, the ministers in the "State Affairs Hall" would definitely not allow it...

So Li Chengqian was in a dilemma.

Seeing his changing expression and confused face, the queen said no more.

The couple have known each other deeply for many years. How could she not know Li Chengqian's true indecisive character beneath his seemingly generous appearance?

"Your Majesty, Duke Ying, Duke Yue, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, the Prefect of Jingzhao and several other ministers are outside the palace asking to see you, saying that they have important matters to report to Your Majesty."

Seeing Wang De coming in to report, Li Chengqian looked at the sky and asked, "Have the ministers just finished their meeting in the government hall?"

"Exactly."

"Then come and talk about the tax increase for the Buddhist and Taoist sects. This is a big deal and cannot be delayed. Let them come over."

"Here."

Wang De accepted the order and bowed out.

The Queen looked at Li Chengqian's tired face and suggested, "It's already this late, and I'm sure the ministers haven't had their meals yet. Why don't I ask the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a simple meal and send it over so that Your Majesty and the ministers can have their meals and discuss matters at the same time?"

Li Chengqian thought about it and nodded in agreement: "That's great. No need to be extravagant. Just ordinary meals will do. Let's just eat a simple meal."

The emperor cannot always put on airs and show off his majesty. He should also get close to his ministers at appropriate times. Although he cannot drink with his ministers at the same table and "dance wildly" after getting drunk like the previous emperor, it is still nice to have a relaxing meal together...

"Here."

The Queen withdrew from the back hall and went straight to the imperial kitchen to deliver the message.

Li Chengqian stood up and stretched his body to loosen up his muscles, making a series of crackling sounds from his joints. Then he washed his face and wiped his hands with the help of a palace maid, and the ministers then filed in.

The emperor and his ministers greeted each other, and then knelt on the mats near the window. The eunuchs brought low tables and placed one in front of each person. Seeing the ministers' confusion, Li Chengqian smiled and said, "My dear ministers, you haven't had dinner yet, right? I haven't had dinner either. The queen has asked the imperial kitchen to prepare dinner. Let's talk while we eat."

"Here."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Finally, Li Chengqian couldn't help but look at Ma Zhou and asked, "What are the reactions of the Buddhist and Taoist sects to the imperial court's tax increase?"

Ma Zhou said: "Your Majesty, both sides are very supportive and there is not the slightest resistance."

"Huh?" Li Chengqian was very surprised: "It shouldn't be..."

Everyone then stated the various reasons they had discussed previously, and Li Chengqian nodded repeatedly in approval.

"It seems that Duke Yue had a good grasp of the situation. He raised taxes just when the two factions were fighting fiercely, making both sides cautious and hesitant. They had to show a "submissive" attitude, fearing that the court would be furious and support their opponents. As the saying goes, those who are good at fighting do not have great achievements. Duke Yue made great contributions by planning and winning the battle thousands of miles away."

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am too kind to praise you. How can I accept your praise? This matter was undertaken by my brother Prince Bin alone, so the credit naturally belongs to my brother Prince Bin. I was just a contributor, and I dare not take credit for it."

It had been a long time since the king and his subjects had been so friendly with each other. As they spoke to each other, it seemed as if all the past estrangements had disappeared and they were back to peace.

Ma Zhou said calmly, "Not only was Duke Yue the first to propose this matter, but he also designed the detailed strategy. This should be the credit of Duke Yue. I dare not embezzle."

Fang Jun was speechless: "You are such a boring person. I was just being modest. When your majesty continues to encourage me, I will take the credit. Who would sincerely give the credit to you? You are being self-indulgent."

Seeing Ma Zhou's embarrassed and helpless look, the emperor and his ministers all laughed.

Although there were struggles between civil and military officials in the imperial court, although there were turmoil within the royal family, although the aristocratic families still had their foundations intact, although the various Hu tribes on the border were ready to make a move...but the empire's national strength was growing day by day, the people lived in peace, all industries were thriving, and the army was invincible on land and sea. Compared with the overall prosperity, these minor hidden dangers were not worth mentioning.

The eunuch brought the food and placed it on the low table in front of everyone. Li Chengqian picked up the chopsticks and held the bowl: "It's late today, so there's no need to prepare wine. Just eat some food to fill your stomach. I will hold a banquet in the palace during the Zhongyuan Festival to entertain you, my dear ministers."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

No one spoke during the meal. When Li Chengqian finished eating, everyone quickly put down their chopsticks. The eunuch took away the food, wiped the low table clean, and served fragrant tea. Then they began to discuss government affairs.

Li Chengqian drank tea and asked Ma Zhou: "Since both the Buddhist and Taoist sects have cooperated in the implementation, we should seize the time this morning and be careful to prevent any changes."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I have already selected capable officials from Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and borrowed dozens of students who are good at mathematics from the academy. We will immediately go to the temples and Taoist temples in various parts of Jingzhao Prefecture to measure their fields and then inspect their real estate and shops. We must make sure that the properties of each temple and Taoist temple are thoroughly investigated."

Buddhism and Taoism are extremely special. At the beginning of the founding of the country, the power of these two sects was greatly relied upon. After the founding of the country, these two sects naturally took the opportunity to grow stronger. Because the court gave them various preferential treatment and privileges, coupled with their unique influence, the court turned a blind eye to their rapid development and was helpless. To this day, no one knows how many industries these two sects have and how many people they hide.

It is only right to take advantage of the opportunity of increasing taxes to investigate the situation.

It would be very dangerous if the imperial court could not firmly control these two powerful and influential sects. Once something happened, not only would Guanzhong be in turmoil, but the entire world would be involved in war...

Li Chengqian nodded, and then instructed Fang Jun: "You will personally stay at Xuanwu Gate. During the period of measuring the land and property of the Buddhist and Taoist sects, you will be in charge of the left and right Jinwu Guards. You must ensure the peace of Guanzhong. If anyone intends to do something wrong, suppress them immediately!"

The Buddhist and Taoist sects are too powerful, and their internal factions are numerous and complicated. They are willing to cooperate with the court in collecting taxes now, but they may not continue to do so in the future. If there is another disturbance, the capital will inevitably be in turmoil. There must be strong figures who are always vigilant and kill people when they find something wrong. Others can't and dare not do such a thing. Only when the safety of the capital is in Fang Jun's hands can he sleep peacefully.

Liu Li, who was standing aside, was drinking tea with helplessness in his heart. His Majesty and Fang Jun had been at odds recently, and seemed to have become estranged. However, any small incident could reveal how much Fang Jun meant to His Majesty.

No matter how much they quarreled and how much they quarreled, Fang Jun was still the person His Majesty trusted the most. Looking at the court and the royal family, no one could match him...