Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 164 Isn’t it Your Majesty’s will?
On December 29th, near the end of the year, the people of Chang'an City were all decorating with lanterns and colorful lights, in an atmosphere of joy and celebration.

The only exception is Cui's mansion, where there is not a single red lantern at the door.

Yu Zhining came to Cui's house in a sedan chair.

After entering the mansion, I saw that everyone in Cui's mansion had a sad look on their face, as if they had lost their parents.

When Cui Dunli's son Cui Shouye saw Yu Zhining, his eyes turned red and he bowed.

"Mr. Yu, you are finally here. He has been thinking about you all the time and was worried that he would not be able to see you for the last time."

Yu Zhining hurriedly asked, "Is your father really that seriously ill?"

Cui Shouye sighed, "I've asked Dr. Sun to see him, and he said he won't make it past next year."

Yu Zhining's face changed color as he said, "He was fine during the court meeting a while ago. It's been less than a month. How could he have deteriorated to this point?"

Cui Shouye choked up and said, "Father was already in poor health. After the court meeting that day, he came back and kept talking about how he had let down the King of Wu, the Sage, and the late Emperor. He even skipped meals every day. How could he have survived?"

Yu Zhining stamped his feet and said, "Hey, this Old Cui, why is he so stubborn? What does the King of Wu's affairs have to do with him? Take me to see him!"

Cui Dunli's bedroom was very warm, but when Yu Zhining saw Cui Dunli's appearance, his heart suddenly turned cold.

After not seeing him for half a month, Cui Dunli looked haggard and lifeless. If he hadn't coughed occasionally, one would have thought he was dead.

"Old Cui, you are confused. The incident of Li Ke was caused by Zhangsun Wuji. Why do you have to suffer this?" Yu Zhining walked over quickly, held Cui Dunli's hand, and his voice choked with sobs.

Cui Dunli slowly turned his head and said weakly, "Old Yu, you are finally here. I have something to tell you."

Yu Zhining's eyes were blurred with tears. He said, "You talk, I'm listening."

Cui Dunli sighed, "We followed Zhangsun Wuji and took the wrong path. This isn't how aristocratic families should be."

Yu Zhining nodded and said, "I tried to persuade him a long time ago, but he refused to listen and insisted on seizing power, which is why we are in this situation today."

Cui Dunli glanced at his son, Cui Shouye nodded, and led everyone in the room out and closed the door.

Cui Dunli held Yu Zhining's hand tightly and said in a trembling voice, "Old Yu, the aristocratic families are the guarantee of imperial power and are the best helpers for Your Majesty. Not those clean officials who seek fame and reputation but cannot govern the country well!"

Seeing that he was so frank and honest with himself and expressed his true thoughts, Yu Zhining no longer hid anything.

"I thought so too, but the Saint no longer trusts us. He thinks we are only getting in the way and working against him."

Cui Dunli sighed and said, "That's why I said it was Zhangsun Wuji who harmed us all. Ever since he and Chu Suiliang took control of the government, they have been suppressing the imperial power and treating Your Majesty like a child. How can this be allowed?"

Yu Zhining said in a deep voice: "He is too obsessed with power and too self-righteous."

Cui Dunli said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty's impression of the aristocratic families must be changed as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Your Majesty continues to suppress the aristocratic families, the country will be in great chaos!"

Yu Zhining sighed softly, "The situation has come to this point, and there's nothing I can do."

Cui Dunli looked at him and said, "We are no match for them. We can only rely on the younger generation who are in their prime and strong."

Yu Zhining asked, "Do you have a favorite candidate?"

Cui Dunli seemed to have a last burst of light, his eyes opened wide and he spoke fluently.

"Xiao Siye, what do you think of him? He captured Helu alive, has earned the Saint's trust, and is quite talented!"

Yu Zhining frowned and said, "But he is from a Jiangnan aristocratic family. Can you trust him?"

The northern nobles all despised the southern nobles because they only cared about their families, undermined the imperial power, caused chaos in the country, but did not care at all and only cared about their own enjoyment.

Cui Dunli said, "I've talked to him. Although he's from a Jiangnan aristocratic family, he hates the ways of the Jiangnan aristocracy. He said that for the country to be strong, the aristocracy must assist the imperial family. If the priorities are messed up, the country will inevitably decline!"

Yu Zhining was silent for a while, then said, "Okay, since it's the person you like, I will try my best to support him."

Cui Dunli panted and said, "I have already submitted a memorial recommending him for the position of Minister of War. Please help me keep an eye on him. If he truly wants to help His Majesty and plan for the long-term future of the clan, then you should support him. If he deceives me and opposes His Majesty, then you must impeach him!"

Yu Zhining took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry, I will keep a close eye on him."

Cui Dunli heaved a long sigh and whispered, "Brother Yu, I'm leaving my two good-for-nothing sons in the care of you. Please..."

The tone gradually became lower and lower, and finally became inaudible.

……

Among the six ministries of the Secretariat, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue are usually the busiest in December every year, followed by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works should be more relaxed.

However, this year is different. All the construction work in Sanmenxia is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Construction. Although the reef has been broken, there is still a lot of follow-up work to be done.

The emperor issued another decree, asking the Ministry of Works to assist in the construction of Suiye City, which was also a major project.

Yan Liben now serves as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and has to review imperial edicts, which makes him even busier.

Although it was a day off today, he still stayed in the study for the entire morning, planning the construction drawings of Suiye City.

Pei Xingjian came to him, hoping to build Suiye City into a small Chang'an.

Although the blueprints can be copied from those left by Yuwen Kai, Suiye City is a border fortress that needs to be defended against the enemy.

Yan Liben hoped that he could design a powerful fortress that could not be captured by the enemy and become a permanent barrier for the Tang Dynasty.

Thanks to this city, we can also leave our name in the future generations.

Therefore, he continued to refine the blueprint of the city, and if he was slightly dissatisfied, he would rather spend a whole day to improve it than let it go.

When Yan Liben was concentrating on thinking about the location of the north city gate, he suddenly heard the sound of a door being pushed open, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

Yan Liben thought it was tea brought by his family and ignored it.

Unexpectedly, the footsteps stayed in the house and did not leave.

Yan Liben asked without even looking up, "What's the matter?"

No one answered him, but a cough was heard.

Yan Liben frowned, looked up, and was shocked. He quickly stood up and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, what brings you here? Your Majesty, I, Yan Liben, pay my respects to you."

Li Zhi did not come alone, he was accompanied by Du Zhenglun and Lu Chengqing.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Even on your day off, Lord Yan still remembers his official duties. I'm pleased, but I also want to advise you, Lord Yan, to take good care of your health!"

Yan Liben said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will pay attention to it."

Lu Chengqing pointed at Yan Liben and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Old Yan is good in every way except that when he's busy, he tends to forget about time. This was the case when we were in Sanmenxia."

Du Zhenglun laughed and said, "It is said that officials from the Ministry of Industry all have this common problem."

Yan Liben laughed and said, "Aren't you officials from the Ministry of Revenue like this?"

Everyone burst into laughter and the atmosphere became relaxed.

Li Zhi walked to Yan Liben's chair and sat down, raised his hand and said, "Let's sit down and talk." There were several chairs in the corner, and the three of them each moved one and sat down in front of Li Zhi.

Li Zhi first looked at Yan Liben.

"Mr. Yan, there is an important matter that I have always asked the Ministry of Revenue to take charge of. However, it is difficult for the Ministry of Revenue to complete it alone. I have brought Mr. Lu and Mr. Du to see you."

Yan Liben asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to establish military farms?"

The biggest intersection between the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue is on military farming.

Li Zhi looked at Lu Chengqing, motioning him to explain.

Lu Chengqing said, "Brother Yan, this is the case. Since last year, His Majesty has been worried about the food supply in Chang'an City and has formulated two plans."

"The first is to open the Sanmenxia waterway, as you know. Now that the Sanmenxia waterway has been opened and the river channel is being dredged, canal boats will be able to sail around March next year, and Chang'an City's food crisis will be resolved."

"However, this is only a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution. Your Majesty has learned that the main reason for the reduction in arable land in the Guanzhong region is the severe deforestation of the Qinling Mountains, which has left the land barren."

The Ministry of Works was under the jurisdiction of the Military Farm Administration. Yan Liben was also very knowledgeable about farming. After listening to Lu Chengqing's explanation, he quickly understood the key points.

The Qinling Mountains were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works, while the mountains, forests and lakes were all under the responsibility of the Ministry of Resources.

If we want to restore the vegetation in the Qinling Mountains, we have to involve the Ministry of Industry.

Yan Liben said, "I have also heard about the situation in the Qinling Mountains. Many peaks have been chopped off and are called Bald Mountains by the local people."

Li Zhi said: "So I hope you will cooperate with the Ministry of Revenue to restore these barren mountains into lush forests."

Yan Liben hesitated and said, "Your Majesty has ordered this, and I will do my best. But I am worried that if the people are forbidden from cutting down trees, many will have difficulty surviving the winter."

Du Zhenglun smiled and said, "Your Majesty has long considered Minister Yan's concerns. Over the past year, I have built many coal mines in Hedong, and many new coal warehouses in Chang'an City to store large quantities of coal."

"This coal was sold exclusively by the imperial court and supplied exclusively to the people of Guanzhong, allowing them to use it to survive the winter and reduce logging."

Yan Liben thought silently for a while and said, "Your Majesty, it's not the common people who are really causing the severe deforestation in the Qinling Mountains."

Li Zhi's heart moved and he asked, "What is that?"

Yan Liben said: "Most of the trees that were cut down were actually used to build houses and palaces."

Li Zhi asked, "Be more specific. Who were the people who cut the wood and built the temple?"

Yan Liben said: "Many of them were high-ranking officials and famous ministers. They sent people to cut trees in the Qinling Mountains and build gardens outside Chang'an."

Li Zhi said, "That's easy. I'll issue an edict prohibiting the use of wood from the Qinling Mountains for garden construction. This hedonistic trend should be stopped!"

Yan Liben said: "Secondly, Taoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, and the Arabs would also use wood from the Qinling Mountains to build their training grounds."

Religious people always find ways to seduce the upper class nobles and use their financial resources to build temples and shrines to expand their influence.

Li Zhi would not tolerate this and waved his hand.

"From now on, no one is allowed to take wood from the Qinling Mountains to build religious temples. I will also send a decree to Minister Xu, asking him to strengthen the management of religion in Chang'an City."

Yan Liben nodded and said, "There is one last item, which also takes up the largest portion of wood."

At this point, the voice suddenly became lower.

Li Zhi said: "If you have any questions, just tell me and I will help you solve them!"

Lu Chengqing seemed to guess what Yan Liben wanted to say. He winked at him and shook his head.

Yan Liben fell silent immediately.

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "Why, why don't you say anything?"

Yan Liben said, "Your Majesty, in fact, if we can reduce the above two logging costs, it will be enough. In just over a decade, the Qinling Mountains will slowly recover."

Li Zhi said in a deep voice, "You haven't mentioned the last point yet. Since I am going to do this, I will do it thoroughly. Don't worry, just speak frankly."

Seeing this, Yan Liben could only whisper, "Your Majesty, the last logging fee was used to build your palace and temple."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment and said, "My palace and temple? When did I start building palaces and temples?"

Yan Liben said, "Last year, we expanded the Zhaoling Palace. This year, we've been working on the Ximing Temple and Daming Palace. Furthermore, we'll also begin expanding the Hot Spring Palace in January next year."

After hearing the last part, Li Zhi couldn't help but ask, "Who ordered the expansion of the Hot Spring Palace?"

Yan Liben was startled for a moment and said, "Isn't this your Majesty's will?"

"How come I don't know?" Li Zhi felt a chill on his back.

Du Zhenglun suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I heard Prime Minister Liu mention this matter. It was Prime Minister Li who proposed expanding and renovating the Hot Spring Palace so that Your Majesty could recuperate, and the Council of State unanimously approved it."

Li Zhi immediately understood.

In July, he had ordered Gao Youdao and others to help him read those unimportant imperial edicts.

This decree was not only approved by the Political Affairs Hall, but also by Gao Youdao's think tank and secretaries without a word.

So he did not see the edict.

If you think about it carefully, it is normal. For the ministers, the emperor's health is the most important.

Anyone who dares to speak out against this matter will not only risk angering the emperor, but will also be attacked by his ministers.

The Tang Dynasty treasury was not short of money, so it was naturally passed smoothly.

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said, "I will issue an order to cancel the expansion of the Hot Spring Palace. In addition, the construction of Daming Palace, Ximing Temple, and other projects will also be suspended. All priorities are to restore the Qinling Mountains."

Seeing the emperor's determination, Yan Liben said solemnly, "I will do my utmost to complete this task."

Lu Chengqing said, "Your Majesty, Minister Yan is responsible for both finishing up Sanmenxia and rebuilding Suiye City. The burden is too heavy. I would like to recommend someone to assist Minister Yan."

Li Zhi asked, "Who?"

Lu Chengqing said, "The Yunyang County Magistrate is Zhang Wenguan."

Zhang Wenguan was a Jinshi during the Zhenguan period, and later served as the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Water Resources. This was because his brother was an official in the Ministry of Revenue, which was not in accordance with the regulations of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, he was sent to be the magistrate of Yunyang County.

When Liu Rengui reorganized the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Wenguan's brother was also investigated and demoted to a local county magistrate.

So it was just right for Lu Chengqing to recommend him at this time.

Zhang Wenguan is also somewhat famous in history books, and like Di Renjie, he has the ability to solve cases.

Li Zhi nodded immediately and said, "Then summon Zhang Wenguan to the capital to serve as a doctor in the Ministry of Justice!"

At this moment, Wang Fusheng walked in and whispered, "Your Majesty, news just arrived that Prime Minister Cui has passed away at home."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then sighed softly and said, "I understand. Send an order to the Ministry of Rites to bury Lord Cui with honor."

(End of this chapter)