Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 191: It’s Difficult to Be a Minister Under a Wise Ruler

The moonlight is cold and quiet, and the clear moonlight shines on the city of Chang'an.

In the cold winter, most households go to bed early. Looking down from the air, the south of the city is dark, and there are only sporadic lights in the east and west of the city.

Only the northern imperial palace and the neighborhood near the palace were brightly lit.

In Xingdaofang and inside Xu Mansion, the lights are very bright.

In the study of Xu's house, Li Jingxuan and Xu Jingzong were drinking tea.

The steam from the tea mixed with the smoke rising from the incense burner, filling the whole room with smoke.

Li Jingxuan and Xu Jingzong sat opposite each other, and could hardly see the expressions on each other's faces.

After a long silence, Li Jingxuan finally spoke.

"Why?" The voice was low and hoarse.

"Why?" Xu Jingzong lowered his head and drank tea.

Li Jingxuan said coldly, "Why didn't you help me at the court meeting that day? I was fighting for everyone's interests, but you stabbed me in the back?"

Xu Jingzong chuckled and said, "Jingxuan, you are still too young. Li Yifu would not ask such naive questions as yours."

Li Jingxuan slammed his teacup on the table and said, "There's no need to beat around the bush. Just say what you want to say."

Xu Jingzong said slowly: "Do you know what I have been doing recently?"

Li Jingxuan was stunned for a moment, then snorted coldly: "I heard that you have married many concubines recently."

Xu Jingzong said calmly, "Everyone thinks I'm disrespectful because I'm old and still have concubines. They all laugh at me behind my back."

She looked up at him and said, "I'm afraid you're laughing at me in your heart."

Li Jingxuan said: "I don't have time to care about these things, nor do I have time to laugh at you, I just want to know..."

Xu Jingzong raised his hand to interrupt, "Don't be so impatient. You'll understand after you listen to me."

Li Jingxuan had no choice but to remain silent.

Xu Jingzong clapped his hands, called in a confidant, and ordered him to guard the outer door and not allow anyone to approach the study. Then he spoke slowly.

"I passed the imperial examination and became a scholar during the Sui Dynasty. Later, the empire fell into chaos and was conquered by the Tang Dynasty. I have lived through three generations of emperors and have seen more than you. Do you agree?"

Li Jingxuan admitted that Xu Jingzong saw things more clearly than he did.

Xu Jingzong said, "When Zhangsun Wuji was in control of the government, I supported Empress Wu. I risked my life and property at that time, hoping to help Your Majesty break the impasse and take control of the government."

"Later, I finally succeeded, and His Majesty finally gained control of the government. But he suddenly changed his attitude towards me and began to promote clean officials. Why?"

Li Jingxuan's heart trembled, but he said nothing.

Xu Jingzong said calmly: "Jingxuan, you are the most honest one among us. If Li Yifu was here, I would never say this."

Li Jingxuan took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "This is also what I am confused about. Please enlighten me, Mr. Xu!"

Xu Jingzong's expression became more helpless as he said, "It's simply because we have encountered an overly shrewd monarch."

Li Jingxuan was stunned.

Xu Jingzong narrowed his eyes and said, "I have been studying the anthology of the Six Dynasties and have discovered a truth: serving as a minister under a wise ruler is the most difficult thing. Few can live out their old age in peace."

Li Jingxuan stared at Xu Jingzong in a daze, not daring to respond at all.

Xu Jingzong said, "His Majesty initially used us and the Queen to deal with Zhangsun Wuji. After the success, he turned around and began to purge the Queen's power, preventing her from interfering in government affairs. Naturally, he would no longer use those of us who support the Queen."

Li Jingxuan remained silent. He also noticed that the emperor was trying to control the queen.

Xu Jingzong said calmly, "So I have seen through it all. Your Majesty appointed Li Yifu as prime minister, and later appointed you as prime minister, all of which were temporary expediency measures. No matter how hard you try to please him, you won't be able to stay as prime minister for long."

Li Jingxuan sighed.

Xu Jingzong said, "Since you understand this, it's better to retreat while the going gets tough, do your part well, and live a peaceful and stable old age. That would be the best outcome."

Li Jingxuan frowned and said, "Why didn't you tell us this earlier? We could all go our separate ways sooner!"

Xu Jingzong took a sip of tea and said, "That's why I said you were too young. You, Li Jingxuan, are a kind person, and I can tell you a few things from my heart. But the others may have decent abilities, but as for their character, hmph, I don't trust any of them."

Li Jingxuan sighed, "Do we have no chance at all in the future?"

Xu Jingzong glanced at him and said, "If you have the patience to lie low for a dozen years like Liu Rengui did, waiting for His Majesty's temperament to change, you might have a chance. But I'm old, and I've worked hard all my life, yet I only have one son. Now I just want to have more children to expand my family line."

One can hear some resentment in his words.

Li Jingxuan nodded and said, "Thank you for your honesty."

Xu Jingzong warned: "Jingxuan, you have to be careful with Li Yifu. He is different from you and has many tricks up his sleeve. Don't let him take advantage of you."

Li Jingxuan whispered, "I'll remember this."

Xu Jingzong said, "Why don't you stay at my house for dinner tonight?"

Li Jingxuan shook his head and said, "I have something else to do. Goodbye."

Xu Jingzong didn't try to keep him and ordered his men to send him out.

The sky was pitch black, and it was past midnight.

Li Jingxuan got on a carriage and headed back home when suddenly a rider on a fast horse came galloping up to the carriage. The rider was a clerk from the Secretariat.

"Prime Minister Li, Minister Li asks you to go to Xitai to discuss an important matter."

Xitai refers to the Secretariat, which corresponds to the Menxia Province of Dongtai.

Li Jingxuan didn't lift the car curtain, and said calmly: "Just say I have something to do and can't go."

……

In the Secretariat, Li Yifu sat quietly on a chair in a warehouse.

A clerk hurried in and bowed to him, saying, "Minister, Prime Minister Li said he has something to do and cannot come."

Li Yifu frowned and asked, "What did you say?"

"No."

"Where did you meet him?"

"Xingdaofang."

Li Yifu was stunned and said, "It's so late, why is he going to Xingdaofang? Is he going to ask Xu Jingzong about what happened that day?" The clerk asked, "Do you think we should go to Li Xiang for this matter?"

Li Yifu shook his head and said, "Forget it, I will see the emperor myself tomorrow."

His meeting with the emperor tomorrow is both an opportunity and a risk. He brought Li Jingxuan along to share the risk.

Since the other party was unwilling, he could only take the risk alone.

Early the next morning, Li Yifu went to Ganlu Palace to meet the emperor.

After waiting in the side hall for a long time, the emperor summoned him to an audience.

Li Yifu entered the main hall and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Li Yifu, pay my respects to you."

Li Zhi said, "No need to be polite. Li Qing has come to see me so early in the morning. What's the matter?"

Li Yifu said sternly, "Your Majesty, while I was looking through the official documents in the storehouse these days, I accidentally found an old edict from the 21st year of Zhenguan, which is related to the Suobi Kingdom."

Li Zhi frowned, staring at him intently, and asked, "Why are you suddenly concerned about the affairs of the Subi Kingdom?"

Li Yifu felt an invisible pressure and could only bite the bullet and said, "Your Majesty, I noticed that the areas near Songzhou and Liangzhou are expanding their inner and outer prefectures, so I guessed that Your Majesty wanted to take action against Tubo."

"Recently, Your Majesty has crowned the Subi Queen, so I suspect that Your Majesty intends to use the Subi Queen to deal with Tubo."

"This is a military matter, and I dared not interfere, so I kept it to myself. These past two days, while sorting through old imperial edicts, I stumbled upon an imperial edict related to the Subi Kingdom. Thinking it might be useful to Your Majesty, I came to report it."

After listening to this, Li Zhi was silent for a long time, then nodded and said, "It's rare that you are so devoted to the country. What did you find written in the imperial edict?"

Li Yifu said, "In the 21st year of the Zhenguan reign, the Tibetans came to the Tang Dynasty to pay homage. A Tibetan envoy got drunk and caused trouble in Chang'an, injuring more than a dozen people and crippling two. This had a very bad impact."

"The late emperor issued an order to punish him according to the law. He was exiled to Lingbiao. The Tibetan envoys pleaded for mercy many times and even offered to exchange him for three thousand gold coins, but the late emperor refused."

Li Zhi's heart moved. "Three thousand gold? This person's identity must be extraordinary, right?"

Li Yifu said, "Although his specific identity is unknown, every time Tubo comes to the court since then, they will ask the Tang Dynasty to release him."

Li Zhi said, "Did Du Bu also make this request last time?"

Li Yifu said, "He did bring it up, but at the time, relations between the two countries were tense, so the Secretariat directly refuted it and did not report it to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi thought to himself, "The status of Subi men is very low. This man must have a special status to be valued so highly by Tubo."

"Is that man still alive?"

Li Yifu said, "I have checked the reports filed in Lingbiao in recent years and found no such person among the criminals who died."

Li Zhi nodded and said in a deep voice, "Then issue an order immediately to send this man back to Chang'an and don't let him die."

Li Yifu was secretly delighted and said, "I will do it right away."

……

Time quickly came to mid-November.

In a three-story house in Pingkangfang, Lan Ya was bathing when a maid suddenly came into the room and whispered, "Madam, General Xue is here."

Lan Ya smiled slightly and said, "Take him into the house and tell him I'll be there soon."

The maid agreed and left quickly.

The relationship between Lan Ya and Xue Rengui is very strange. She is neither Xue Rengui's wife or concubine, nor his mistress, but Xue Rengui often comes to see her.

She knew that Xue Rengui might treat her as a plaything, but she was a queen, and men were also playthings to her.

The two have maintained this strange relationship.

After Lan Ya continued bathing for a while, she stood up from the big bathtub, wearing only a thin gauze dress, then wrapped herself in a large blanket and ran quickly into her bedroom.

There were many charcoal braziers burning in the room, and it was very warm. As soon as she entered the room, she threw the blanket on the ground. When she saw Xue Rengui in the room, she was stunned.

"Why don't you take off your clothes?"

Xue Rengui was seen wearing armor, standing in the middle of the room with his head held high and his chest puffed out, like a door god.

Xue Rengui said, "I have something important to discuss with you this time. His Majesty has issued an order for you to meet someone."

Lan Yaqi asked, "Who is it?"

Xue Rengui said, "No need to ask any more questions. Just put on your clothes quickly and follow me and you will find out."

Lan Ya heard that it was serious business, so she did not delay and immediately dressed and followed Xue Rengui to the inner court.

Wang Jishan had been waiting at the door for a long time and immediately led the two men into a room.

Inside the room, a prisoner with messy hair was eating at a table.

He seemed to have not eaten for several days, and had made a mess of the food on the table, with bones and pieces of meat everywhere.

This person exuded a foul odor. Lan Ya frowned and asked, "Is this the one you asked me to see?"

Xue Rengui said in a deep voice: "Can you ask his name in Suobei?"

Lan Ya was surprised and asked, "Is he from Subi?"

Xue Rengui nodded.

Lan Ya slowly approached the man and looked at his outline carefully. Only then did she realize that he was actually quite handsome and had a pretty strong figure.

"Which tribe are you from?" she asked in Suebian.

The man suddenly raised his head and stared at her for a long moment before asking in astonishment, "Are you Subiranya?"

Lan Ya snorted coldly: "You should call her Queen Subi!"

The man laughed and said, "The Subi Kingdom was destroyed long ago. There is no Subi Queen anymore. Now there is only Subi Ruben and Niangbo Golden Bird!"

Lan Ya's expression suddenly changed as she pointed at him and said, "I recognize you. You are Jin Niao's man, Ling Zan!"

The man raised his head and said, "Yes, I am Ling Zan. Aren't you imprisoned in Luoshui City? Why are you here in Chang'an?"

Lan Ya ignored him and told Wang Jishan his identity.

Wang Jishan's eyes lit up, and he ordered his men to take Ling Zan away. He said in a deep voice, "With this man, we don't have to bother contacting the Suoqu tribe anymore."

Lan Ya said: "Have you thought of a better way?"

Wang Jishan smiled and said, "Yes, Madam Lan Ya, please come with me to see the emperor."

(End of this chapter)