Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 125: The Prime Minister Enters the Palace and Empress Wu Presents a Memorial
In less than a day, the news that the Wu family's polo head had beaten the Yu family's eldest grandson on the Furong Garden polo field spread throughout Chang'an.

Early in the morning, the aristocratic factions heard the news and took action.

They had long wanted to support Yu Zhining as the leader of the aristocratic faction.

However, Yu Zhining was slippery and didn't give them any chance at all.

Now that the Wu Mansion and the Yu Mansion are in conflict, everyone feels that the opportunity has come.

However, when Xiao Rui and others arrived at Yu's house, they learned that Yu Zhining was not there.

They refused to believe it, so they broke into Yu's house in the name of visiting Yu Zhiwei and searched everywhere for Yu Zhining.

It turned out that Yu Zhining was really not at home.

In April, the Jinshui River is filled with floating fallen flowers and catkins.

Next to the river bank, there is a stone table carved into the shape of a baby elephant. Next to the table, there are four stone benches, all carved into the shape of tigers.

There was a chessboard on the elephant table, and Li Zhi was sitting on a tiger stool, playing chess with Yu Zhining.

Yu Zhining came here on his own initiative. After learning about what happened on the polo field, he immediately rushed to the palace.

Li Zhi also heard about the polo field incident and was a little confused. When he learned that Yu Zhining had entered the palace, he directly asked him to come to the harem.

Li Zhi was in a leisurely mood and did not ask Yu Zhining any questions. Instead, he showed concern for his health.

"Now is the time of the changing seasons, when people are most susceptible to catching a cold. Mr. Yu is in poor health, so please take extra care."

Yu Zhining smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. In fact, the reason I'm seeking an audience with Your Majesty this time is because I'm old and I want to ask Your Majesty to retire."

Li Zhi's heart trembled. "My uncle has retired due to illness. I often feel that there is no one at court. If you were to leave as well, I'd be left with no one to turn to if I encountered any problems."

Yu Zhining sighed and said, "It's not that I, an old minister, am unwilling to share your Majesty's worries, but I am worried that staying in the court any longer will cause trouble for your Majesty."

His words showed that he was not really willing to retire.

Li Zhi knew that what he said was related to the incident at the polo field, so he asked, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Yu?"

Yu Zhining sighed, "Your Majesty, have you heard about what happened in Furong Garden?"

Li Zhi nodded and said, "I was just about to ask you, how is your grandson's injury?"

Yu Zhining said: "Fortunately, I only suffered minor injuries."

Li Zhi said, "The Wu Mansion did go too far in this matter. I will consult the Queen later about this matter and will not let Mr. Yu suffer any injustice."

Yu Zhining hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this old minister absolutely does not mean that. There is something else fishy going on here."

Li Zhi's eyes flickered: "Oh, what's wrong?"

Yu Zhining said, "First, the polo player committed suicide by poisoning Zhiwei immediately after injuring her. Second, it seems someone tampered with the player's penis, so Zhiwei was only slightly injured."

Li Zhi pondered and said, "That's indeed strange."

Yu Zhining said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the golfer committed suicide because he obviously didn't want others to torture him. Furthermore, he must be hiding some secret that he didn't want others to know."

Li Zhi said, "Mr. Yu, do you think he was sent by someone from the Wu Mansion?"

Yu Zhining said: "This possibility cannot be ruled out, but after careful consideration, this old minister believes that the other possibility is more likely."

Li Zhi said: "What's possible?"

Yu Zhining said, "This person was instructed by others to sow discord between the Wu Mansion and the Yu Mansion."

Li Zhi thought to himself, "As expected of a veteran of three dynasties, he has a keen sense of smell."

Li Zhi said, "Why do you think so?"

Yu Zhining said, "The problem lies in the bat. Only someone from the Wu Mansion has the best chance of replacing the bat. If someone from the Wu Mansion deliberately let him commit the murder, he would have used the same bat that killed him, and Zhiwei would be dead by now."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Are there any other reasons?"

Yu Zhining sighed, "Early in the morning, officials from the aristocratic factions all came to my residence. This is another reason."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment and said, "Do you suspect that this was orchestrated by a faction of the aristocracy?"

Yu Zhining nodded and said, "They all wanted to join me as your servant, asking me to protect them from the storm. But I am already old and don't want to cause trouble for Your Majesty, so I refused them. That's why they resorted to such extreme means to sow discord between me and the Wu family."

Li Zhi smiled secretly. Although Yu Zhining was smart, he lacked intelligence after all, and he actually suspected the aristocratic families.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Your Excellency is very understanding and righteous. I am very pleased. Coincidentally, Di Renjie, the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, is also at the stadium. I will order him to investigate and get to the bottom of this matter."

Yu Zhining bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Just then, Wang Fusheng came to report and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Queen has sent someone to deliver a memorial." He handed over a memorial.

Li Zhi took it and looked at it, his eyes flashed, and he finally understood Wu Meiniang's purpose.

He was already wondering why the accident happened even though Wu Meiniang knew about this matter in advance.

It turned out that her purpose was to get this reward.

Wu Meiniang's performance was very short.

She submitted a petition requesting that the Wu brothers be exiled to other prefectures and counties on the grounds that the Wu family condoned the servants and injured Yu Zhiwei on the polo field.

Li Zhi knew that the Wu Yuanqing brothers had always treated the Wu sisters and Madam Yang harshly, and Wu Meiniang had always disliked these two stepbrothers.

According to historical developments, Wu Meiniang exiled her two stepbrothers, and later used the Helan family incident to exile them to death.

She didn't stop this just to find a reason to send the two people away.

Moreover, through this incident, she could also save face for Yu Zhining, as if she had made a big concession.

It is also a kind of comfort to other clans.

This memorial is similar to the one she submitted when she requested an imperial decree to commend Han Ai and Lai Ji, and is very appropriate for the current situation.

Li Zhi had no good feelings towards the Wu brothers, so he naturally would not stop them. He handed the memorial to Yu Zhining.

"Mr. Yu, this is the Queen's memorial. Please take a look."

Yu Zhining carefully took it, and after reading it, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed." Li Zhi smiled and said, "What's wrong?"

Yu Zhining smiled bitterly and said, "Zhiwei wasn't seriously injured. How could you send two young masters of the Wu family away for such a trivial matter?"

Li Zhi said, "Don't worry, Lord Yu. The Queen is expressing her unwillingness to allow her relatives to have too much influence on government affairs. This is similar to when Xu Chongrong requested an imperial decree to exile Xu Qidan. Since she has made such a virtuous move, why not grant her wish?"

Yu Zhining sighed, "Your Majesty is indeed a discerning person. Her Highness the Queen is virtuous and kind, and her attitude towards her relatives is quite similar to that of Empress Wende."

Li Zhi immediately ordered Wang Fusheng to take the memorial to the Secretariat for drafting, and then ordered, "Summon Liu Rengui to the Ganlu Palace for an audience."

Wang Fusheng agreed and went.

Li Zhi walked back to Ganlu Palace and sat behind the imperial desk, thinking silently.

The recent war in Western Turkestan is nearing its end, and his pressure has been reduced a lot. He has begun to think about his next plan.

The biggest crisis of the Tang Dynasty is not external, but internal.

Hebei region.

First of all, the people’s livelihood in Hebei must never be affected by the war on the Korean Peninsula.

In his impression, Quan Gaisuwen did not die for another nine years.

With his death, Goguryeo fell apart and was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty two years later.

So there is no need to rush now.

We should first use these nine years to allow Hebei to recuperate, and then make a concerted effort to destroy the three Korean kingdoms and prevent Silla from reaping the benefits.

Of course, if we want to alleviate public grievances in Hebei Province, simply reducing or exempting taxes for three years is definitely not enough.

This is just the first step.

Li Zhi has been thinking about what Changsun Quan said recently.

The biggest problem in Hebei is corvee labor.

In fact, strictly speaking, corvee labor is not only a problem in Hebei, but also a problem of the entire feudal dynasty.

The people had to serve one month of labor service every year, which was a heavy burden.

However, reducing or exempting corvee labor is not a decision that can be made rashly.

During this period, the government had limited power, and some large civil engineering projects had to be completed by conscripting civilians.

This is also caused by insufficient productivity.

There is only one way, which is to let the government pay money to hire people to complete those major projects.

But this would put too much pressure on the national treasury and make it easier for local officials to engage in corruption.

Therefore, we must not be impatient with the matter of corvee labor. We need to plan slowly and try step by step.

While he was thinking, Liu Rengui came outside the hall and asked for a meeting.

Li Zhi called him in.

Soon, Liu Rengui entered the hall. After the formalities, Li Zhi asked, "Mr. Liu, I summoned you here because I want to hear your opinion on something."

Liu Rengui said: "I listen respectfully."

Li Zhi said, "The heavy corvée labor in Hebei has left the people with insufficient time to farm, leaving their fields barren. What are your thoughts on this?"

Liu Rengui pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, corvée labor is an important part of the Tang Dynasty's tax system. If we want to change it, we must be extremely cautious."

Li Zhi nodded: "I know, that's why I asked for your opinion."

Liu Rengui said: "The main reason for the heavy corvée labor in Hebei is that there are too few Zhechoufu, a large population, and a huge number of registered civilians. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, officials directly conscripted civilians from Hebei for some major construction projects."

Li Zhi said: "Is this possible to change?"

Liu Rengui said: "Yes, as long as Your Majesty sends an order to the prefectures and counties to subdivide the menial tasks and set a limit on the number of tasks that one person can complete. This will prevent one person from having to complete too many menial tasks."

After a pause, he said, "This also has its drawbacks. If we disperse the manpower, it will increase the time it takes to complete the construction."

Li Zhi pondered for a moment and said, "Growth is fine, but we can't just levy the manpower of one area just for the sake of convenience."

Liu Rengui said: "I obey your order."

Li Zhi added, "I have another idea. Can we try out a policy in a county where the government doesn't conscript the people, but instead employs them?"

Liu Rengui was stunned for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, wouldn't this just cost more money?"

Li Zhi said, "You can think about it from another angle. If we choose to hire people, the people will have the freedom to choose. Busy people can cultivate the land without having to worry about farming. People who are free can volunteer to complete the construction and get paid."

Liu Rengui frowned and said, "This doesn't seem to have changed anything."

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "The fields have been plowed, the construction has been completed, the busy people and the idle people are all working, and everyone is reaping the rewards. How can there not be any changes?"

Liu Rengui hesitated and said, "From the perspective of the people, this is indeed better, but it will cost the court a lot more money."

Li Zhidao said: "This is called improving productivity. When the productivity of the people increases, the country's output will increase, and the money spent will be recovered from other places."

Liu Rengui frowned and said, "That seems to make sense. However, whether it is good or bad may not be exactly what Your Majesty thinks."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "That's why I want to find a county to try this policy first and observe the results."

Liu Rengui pondered, "If it's just a county town, even if something goes wrong, the impact won't be significant."

He bowed and said, "I have no objection, but I wonder where Your Majesty would like to try it?"

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "It must be in Hebei. Zhang Sunquan was exiled to Cangzhou, right? What's the name of the county he's from?"

Liu Rengui: "Cangzhou, Lucheng County."

Li Zhi said: "Okay, let's pilot it in Lucheng County."

(End of this chapter)