My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 376: The Crown Prince is in trouble, everyone is in danger

Daming Palace.

Li Chengqian was at ease, but Su Yuer in the Prince's Mansion was a little nervous.

"Your Highness, there is a lot of panic in Chang'an City right now, and every official is worried about their safety. Can you please hold off for a while?"

It’s no wonder that Su Yuer said this. Her father Su Tan has come to Daming Palace three or four times.

At first, it was a case involving dozens of people, so it was natural for Su Tan to follow the prince's pace.

With irrefutable evidence, these dozens of people were quickly arrested, dismissed from their posts and sent to prison.

Most people knew what the prince was thinking, and they also understood that it was impossible to rally these dozens of people.

So there was no pleading, it was basically giving up.

According to normal procedures, the prince would naturally arrange a group of confidants.

Many people are eyeing the vacant positions.

After all, there are seven fifth-rank official positions here, not to mention other official positions.

Li Shimin implemented a streamlined system of officials, so there were not many officials in Chang'an City. Fewer people meant greater power.

After this group of officials are removed from office, new officials will be promoted.

Li Shimin and the aristocratic families both drew up new lists, and reserved some places for the crown prince.

It can be said that the division has basically been completed.

Almost half of the places are reserved for the crown prince, and everyone thinks that the crown prince should be content.

However, no one expected that the prince had no intention of taking action at all.

Instead, a new batch of files was sent to Su Tan.

Dozens more people.

Su Tan was terrified, but he still got it done.

Anyway, there is sufficient evidence, so it’s not a bad rule.

But this is not the end.

Then, dozens more people came.

The number of people reached two hundred.

The two hundred officials here only count those in the capital city of Chang'an, not those in the local areas.

Including local officials, the number has reached five hundred.

However, due to the distance between the places, many officials would not be arrested and brought to Chang'an for interrogation so quickly.

Evidence is one thing, but interrogation also has to follow procedures.

At this moment, Su Tan was confused.

The whole Chang'an became turbulent because of this.

The reason why only two hundred officials caused turmoil in Chang'an City had a lot to do with Li Shimin's political system.

The Sui Dynasty was overwhelmed by the financial burden caused by the bloated officials. When Li Shimin ascended the throne, he faced the dilemma of nine herdsmen out of ten sheep.
That is to say, ten people need to support nine officials to solve this problem.

Li Shimin adopted the public money system, which levied special property taxes on wealthy businessmen as public money, lent them out at interest to pay officials' salaries, and reduced direct fiscal expenditures.

For example, each money-catching official was given a loan of 50,000 coins with an annual interest rate of 48,000 coins, which not only solved the salary problem but also avoided increasing taxes on the people.

There is also local financial sharing, with military expenses being borne by local vassal states, and the central government only retaining a small number of imperial troops, further reducing financial pressure.

The next step was to reduce the size of the officialdom. At the beginning of the Zhenguan period, Li Shimin reduced the number of central officials from more than 2000 to 643 through streamlining, and the total number of officials nationwide was about 7000.

The number of states and counties across the country has also been greatly reduced, forming a small government structure.

As the capital, Chang'an concentrated the core bureaucratic system of the central government.

There are 643 officials working in various departments in Beijing, covering core institutions such as the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples and five academies.

This scale reflects Li Shimin's ultimate pursuit of administrative efficiency, ensuring the efficient implementation of government orders by compressing redundant positions.

In other words, Li Chengqian's move killed almost one-third of the officials in Chang'an City.

This made Su Tan, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, feel very nervous.

I don’t know whether I should follow the prince and do such a crazy thing.

Facing the Crown Princess's concerns, Li Chengqian said calmly, "It's okay, the evidence is conclusive."

“Is there impunity for crimes?”

Li Chengqian took a sip of the teacup, and the celadon made a clear sound on the table: "Yu'er, do you know why father promoted the official system reform?" His fingertips ran over the pile of files on the desk, "On the surface, it is to reduce the burden on the people, but in fact, it is to hold power in their own hands."

Su Yu'er's face turned pale. "How can His Majesty just sit back and watch such a big fight?"

Li Chengqian sneered: "If he really wanted to protect these people, he should have taken action long ago."

"Now that the evidence is solid, if he intervenes forcefully, he will be known as someone who protects a criminal."

Su Yuer hesitated and said, "Father is a little worried."

Li Chengqian said calmly: "If your father is a smart man, he should know that compared to the calculating emperor, the heir who is about to succeed the throne is his real backer."

Su Yuer suddenly realized that those seemingly ordinary evidences were actually a carefully planned killing. Every time the prince moved an official, he was cutting off a part of his majesty's power.

She subconsciously grasped the hem of her skirt: "Your Highness, if it is a noble family..."

Li Chengqian said indifferently: "This is Chang'an. If the noble families rebel, I will be overjoyed."

It’s not easy to take action against Erfeng for the time being.

After all, if a war between father and son really breaks out, the entire Tang Dynasty will be in turmoil, and it may even return to the dark days of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

This was something Li Chengqian could not accept.

We have to leave Xuanwu Gate, but we cannot do it blindly, otherwise we will become a sinner in history.

However, if the aristocratic families gave Li Chengqian any reason, he would dare to let Su Dingfang lead the Shenwu Army to attack directly.

Kill one if one comes, kill ten if ten come. The original plan was to clear all the way down from Hedong to Henan after conquering Liaodong.

Unfortunately, Erfeng was not very capable in this area and took it over directly.

This resulted in Li Chengqian's initial plan failing.

At that time, the army was heading south, and Li Shimin would inevitably raise an army to fight back, so naturally the move would be meaningless.
-
The drizzle is like silk.

Under the eaves of the Dali Temple, raindrops dripped down the green tiles and formed a curtain, shrouding the meeting hall in a hazy gloom.

Sun Fujia held the latest file, his knuckles turning white, and stared at the mountain of documents on his desk, which listed the crimes of more than a hundred officials.

"Shaoqing Su, do you really want to continue handling these cases?" Sun Fujia raised his head suddenly, his cloudy eyes full of anxiety and worry.

"Now the people of Chang'an are in a panic, and the officials are all worried about their own safety. If this continues, the court will be in chaos!"

Su Tan remained silent.

At the beginning, it was the prince who promoted him to the position of Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

But the current situation is far more complicated than imagined.

"Sun Siqing, the evidence in these cases is solid, and the guilty should be punished by law."

Su Tan carefully considered his words, but his voice unconsciously lowered a few notes: "Your Highness the Crown Prince also wants to rectify the government and restore peace and order to Chang'an."

Sun Fujia sneered: "Rectify the imperial order?"

Then he stood up suddenly, and the corner of his robe swept across the desk, causing several documents to fall to the ground with a clatter.

"Shaoqing Su, you and I have been in this officialdom for decades, how could we not see through the tricks? His Royal Highness is clearly using the name of law to eliminate dissidents! Most of these two hundred officials are your Majesty's trusted ministers. Once all of them are convicted, will your Majesty let it go?"

Su Tan was shocked. Sun Fujia's words were like a sharp knife, piercing his deepest worries. How could he not know the real purpose of the prince's action? But as the prince's father-in-law, he had already shared the prince's prosperity and decline.

Ever since he was promoted by the Crown Prince to be the Junior Minister of Dali Temple, he knew that his fate had long been closely tied to that of the Eastern Palace.

If the prince successfully ascends the throne, he will be the father-in-law of the emperor and hold the highest position among ministers; but if the prince fails, what awaits him will surely be an abyss from which there is no escape.

"Sun Siqing, please don't speak carelessly."

Su Tan suppressed his uneasiness and said in a deep voice: "Everyone is equal before the law. No matter who it is, as long as they break the law, they should be punished. Your Highness the Crown Prince is doing this to uphold the dignity of the law."

Sun Fujia was so angry that he trembled all over: "The dignity of the law?"

"Su Shaoqing, don't be blinded by the splendor and wealth in front of you! His Majesty is carrying out official system reforms and streamlining officials in order to reduce the burden on the people and speed things up. Now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is laying off officials on a large scale, disrupting the court layout that His Majesty has worked so hard to build. This is clearly against His Majesty! Once His Majesty is angered, not only will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince be in danger, but countless people will also be implicated!"

Beads of sweat appeared on Su Tan's forehead, and every word of Sun Fujia struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

He remembered the Crown Princess Su Yuer's advice last night: "Your Highness, this is a matter of life and death. Father must help you with all his strength. As long as Your Highness ascends the throne, the Su family will be glorious; but if Your Highness loses power, the entire Su family will no longer have a place to stand."

His daughter's words were still ringing in his ears. How could he retreat at this critical moment?
"Sun Siqing, I have made up my mind."

Su Tan took a deep breath, straightened his back, and looked at Sun Fujia with a firm gaze: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has been very kind to me. I, Su Tan, am willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness in this life. I will investigate these cases thoroughly!"

Sun Fujia looked at Su Tan in disbelief, as if he had never seen this person before. He sat down slowly, his old face full of disappointment and grief: "Su Shaoqing, you are confused! Do you think you can rest easy by following the prince? But have you ever thought about it? His Majesty is in his prime. Although the prince has the advantage of artillery, who is His Majesty? If you fail, your Su family..."

"That's enough!" Su Tan suddenly interrupted Sun Fujia, his voice filled with anger and embarrassment: "Sun Siqing, don't mention this again. I, Su Tan, know how to act."

He bent down to pick up the scattered documents on the ground and held them tightly in his arms. "I will personally review these cases. If Sun Siqing feels that there is something wrong, you can report it to His Majesty."

After saying that, Su Tan turned around and was about to leave. Sun Fujia looked at his back and sighed heavily: "Shaoqing Su, you are pushing yourself and the Su family into a dead end! If a disaster strikes in the future, don't regret your choice today."

Su Tan paused, but did not look back. He pushed open the door of the meeting room, and the rain blew in his face, soaking his clothes with the coolness. He looked up in the direction of Taiji Palace, which was the center of power and the source of the storm.

He clenched the document in his hand and swore in his heart: "Your Highness, since I have embarked on this road of no return, I can only go all the way. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are ahead, I will do my best to help Your Highness ascend to the throne of the emperor!"

As Su Tan's figure disappeared in the rain, the Dali Temple fell into silence again. Sun Fujia looked at the empty meeting room and muttered to himself: "A catastrophe is inevitable..."
-
Inside Tai Chi Palace.

The gilded beast furnace emitted curls of ambergris, but it could not cover up the stagnant atmosphere in the hall.

Li Shimin threw the memorial impeaching the prince on the table heavily, and the jade paperweight made a crisp sound.

"More than 200 people will be imprisoned within a few days. The cells in the Dali Temple are about to overflow!"

Li Shimin's eagle eyes swept over the people below the stairs, and his gaze lingered on Zhangsun Wuji for a moment, "Wuji, you are the prince's uncle, and you are also the Shangshu You Pushe, what do you think about this matter?"

Zhang Sun Wuji paused as he stroked his beard. His scarlet robe shone steadily under the candlelight. "Your Majesty is carrying out official system reforms with the intention of eliminating redundant personnel and clarifying laws. If the Crown Prince really handles cases impartially, there is nothing wrong with that. But..."

He changed the subject, and saw Chu Suiliang's eager eyes. "Such a thunderous method may damage the foundation of the court. I hope Your Majesty will think twice."

Chu Suiliang suddenly took a step forward and asked, "Foundation?"

"Chang'an is shaken, and all officials are chilled! Su Tan, as the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, disregarded the legal procedures and imprisoned several fifth-rank officials appointed by Your Majesty overnight. This is clearly the Crown Prince using the name of the law to form a clique for personal gain!"

He glanced at Wei Zheng from the corner of his eye, and seeing that the other party's expression did not change, he raised his voice again, "I heard that half of the officials who were dismissed had participated in the reform of the grain transport system in the third year of Zhenguan, and they were all capable officials selected by Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng snorted coldly: "Doctor Chu is wrong! If there is solid evidence of guilt, even if he is your Majesty's right-hand man, he should be punished according to the law. The laws of the Zhenguan period are clear, how can we allow personal feelings to interfere?"

Chu Suiliang turned around abruptly, with a sinister look in his eyes: "Wei Zheng!"

"The Crown Prince is acting so recklessly, which is clearly a blatant provocation to your Majesty's reform of the official system! As the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, do you intend to condone the Crown Prince's disruption of the government?"

Yang Shidao had been standing still with his eyes downcast, but at this moment he coughed lightly to break the deadlock: "Everyone, since the crown prince became regent, he has indeed been vigorous and resolute. But if we rashly speculate on his motives, we may cause resentment. It is better to ask the Dali Temple to present the case file to your majesty for your holy judgment."

This is just trying to smooth things over.

Everyone knows that the prince dared to do this because those officials had solid evidence.

Could it be that Your Majesty can tolerate the sinners?
So do we still want the laws of the Tang Dynasty?

However, regarding these criminals, no one else dared to plead for them.

No one wants to be involved in this trouble. If the prince were to take the opportunity to accuse someone of covering up the crime, he would really be dragging himself into the quagmire.

Li Shimin was silent for a long time, then suddenly grabbed the memorial on the table and threw it out of the hall.

The memorial fell to the ground, the ink spreading on the ground like wet blood: "Pass on my oral order, the Dali Temple must strictly abide by the laws and regulations when handling cases, and officials above the third rank must not be moved without authorization."

Li Shimin also felt a little tricky, as the prince's attack this time was entirely aimed at the law.

I can't just leave it alone, but as an emperor, there is no reason for me to shield a guilty minister.

It was at this time that another file was sent to the Dali Temple.

The protagonist of this file is the Imperial Counselor Chu Suiliang.

(End of this chapter)