Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 209 I Will Accomplish Your Painstaking Efforts

After Liu Rengui left Ganlu Palace, he went straight out of Chengtian Gate.

It was already past noon and there was still half an hour before the court meeting. Many officials had already arrived outside Chengtian Gate.

Xu Xiaode was always one of the first to arrive at every court meeting. When he saw Liu Rengui coming out of the palace, he was very surprised and walked over quickly.

"Mr. Liu, how did you get out?"

Liu Rengui said: "I just had an audience with the emperor."

Xu Xiaode hurriedly asked, "Why did you come to see His Majesty? Isn't it about the land system reform?"

"I wonder what Mr. Xu thinks, whether the land system reform is feasible?" Liu Rengui asked in return.

Xu Xiaode gave a bitter laugh and said, "I don't have any brilliant ideas, but after all, it's an ancestral system, and I'm afraid it might be easily changed and cause chaos."

Liu Rengui said no more.

Not long after, Ren Yaxiang arrived with officials from the Dali Temple, followed by Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang.

Ren Yaxiang soon met some old friends and went over to chat with them.

Li Yuanfang finally found an opportunity, pulled Di Renjie aside, and said, "Di Shaoqing, please tell me quickly why the relationship between the Xiao family and Chen Shuozhen cannot be mentioned in the court."

Di Renjie whispered, "Yuan Fang, don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? That Xiao family member suddenly confessed this just as the court meeting was about to begin, leaving us no time to verify it."

Li Yuanfang was stunned for a moment and said, "Now that you mention it, it does seem like a coincidence."

Di Renjie said in a low voice, "This time, the Xiao family plotted rebellion, but Your Majesty didn't implicate the entire clan. Instead, Xiao Siye was rewarded for his meritorious reporting. Don't you find that terrifying?"

Li Yuanfang felt a chill on his back and asked, "Do you suspect that this was deliberately done by the Xiao family?"

Di Renjie said, "I can't be sure, I can only say that this possibility exists. Think about it, if you tell this matter in the court, and the Xiao family members turn against you in front of His Majesty and the entire court, saying that you confessed under torture, what will happen?"

Li Yuanfang's face turned pale and he said, "Your Majesty will probably order a thorough investigation into this matter."

"What if it's finally revealed that the Xiao family has nothing to do with Chen Shuozhen?"

Li Yuanfang smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid His Majesty will condemn me."

Di Renjie said solemnly, "Not only will they convict him, but His Majesty and the other ministers will also develop a bit of sympathy for Xiao because of this incident. They may even feel that our interrogation of Xiao may not be fair."

Li Yuanfang gritted his teeth and said, "What a powerful method!"

Di Renjie smiled and said, "Of course, this may just be my guess. Perhaps the Xiao family is indeed related to Chen Shuozhen. However, even if this is true, it is insignificant. There is no need to lose the big picture over the small one."

Li Yuanfang nodded silently, thinking that he had spent the whole night thinking about Xiao's motives, which was simply foolish.

With the sound of bells and drums, it was finally time for the court meeting. The ministers followed Cui Yixuan to the outside of the Liangyi Hall and lined up. After the name was called out, they entered the main hall.

Not long after, Li Zhi entered the hall, surrounded by eunuchs and guards, and walked to the throne and sat down.

The ministers greeted each other with the etiquette of the first and fifteenth lunar month court. After the ceremony, Li Zhi said in a clear voice: "Today, an emergency court meeting is held to discuss a matter. Yuchi Qing, please tell us about it."

Yuchi Gong strode out of the group and said in a booming voice, "Five nights ago, Xiao Shuren came to the Jinwu Wei Yi Mansion and said that the Xiao clan members had gathered in the back hall to discuss treason."

"I led my men into the Xiao Mansion, but encountered resistance from the Xiao clan members upon entering. After a brief interrogation, they confessed to conspiracy to rebel. Following His Majesty's orders, I am transferring this case to the Dali Temple."

Li Zhi said, "Di Qing, please continue."

Di Renjie quickly stepped out of the group and announced loudly, "After several days of investigation by the Dali Temple, the Xiao family has been found guilty of treason. Thirty-five members of the family were directly involved, one hundred and twenty-three were indirectly involved, and over four hundred members were also implicated. Furthermore, according to the Xiao family's confession, fourteen other families in Jiangnan were also implicated."

Most of the ministers only knew that the Xiao family was plotting a rebellion, but they were not aware of the details. When they learned that the case was so serious, they were secretly shocked.

Li Zhi said slowly, "Mr. Di, please tell us about Xiao Shu's case."

Di Renjie replied with a "yes" and said aloud, "The Xiao family has been annexing farmland in Suzhou for a long time. Since the Shijiazhuang farmland is sandwiched between two of the Xiao family's farmlands, the Xiao family wants to purchase this land."

"However, the villagers of Shijiazhuang resisted fiercely, refusing to consent no matter how the Xiao family tried to rob them. Xiao Shu took advantage of Chen Shuozhen's rebellion and bribed a group of bandits, posing as Chen Shuozhen's subordinates, to kill all the villagers of Shijiazhuang. He then assisted the government in eliminating the bandits, causing the case to remain unsolved for five years!"

Li Zhi said in a serious tone, "You all have heard, right? Such a cruel and insane thing actually happened in the territory of our Tang Dynasty!"

Yu Zhining slowly stepped out of the group and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, the Xiao family is so audacious and reckless that their crimes are unforgivable. I, this old minister, propose that the entire Xiao family be exterminated!"

Li Zhi glanced at him and said, "Some of the Xiao family are indeed hateful, but the person who reported their conspiracy this time was also a member of the Xiao family. Otherwise, there would be endless trouble. In my opinion, those who participated in the conspiracy should be severely punished, while those who did not participate can be exempted from prosecution. The reporter has made great contributions and should be rewarded."

Yu Zhining smiled and said, "Your Majesty is kind and gracious. I, this old minister, have no objection."

The ministers stepped forward one after another and seconded the motion: "We have no objection."

Wei Hongji suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should investigate in detail when the Xiao family first began to plot rebellion, so as to serve as a warning and prevent similar situations from happening again in the future."

When Li Yuanfang heard this, he was shocked and glanced at Wei Hongji secretly.

Li Zhi said, "Di Qing, please tell me."

Di Renjie said loudly, "Your Majesty, according to the Xiao family's confession, they became rebellious after Your Majesty dealt with the Gu and Wang families."

Shangguan Yi said, "Your Majesty, this shows that the Jiangnan nobles have never been loyal to the Tang Dynasty. They have failed Your Majesty's grace towards them and should no longer be trusted."

When Li Zhi heard Shangguan Yi's words, he nodded secretly.

What Wei Hongji said was meant to put pressure on the emperor, saying that it was the emperor who was exterminating the aristocratic families, which forced other aristocratic families to rebel.

Shangguan Yi's words divided the Jiangnan aristocratic families from other aristocratic families, and the responsibility also fell on their own shoulders, as they had failed the emperor's grace.

This is not wrong either.

The Tang Dynasty did not mention other aristocratic families in Jiangnan, but treated the Xiao family very well. However, they still rebelled. It was obviously their own fault, and the emperor could not be blamed.

Li Zhi said slowly, "Since all the ministers have no objection, then the Xiao family's matter shall be handled in this manner."

At this moment, Liu Rengui stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report." Li Zhi said, "Speak."

Liu Rengui said: "I have been inspecting Hebei and found that Hebei has a large population, but too few Zhechongfu. Why not expand the Zhechongfu? In the future, if there is a war in Liaodong, there will be no need to mobilize the Guandong Army!"

All the ministers were stunned. They thought the emperor was going to take the opportunity to discuss the land system, but they didn't expect Liu Rengui to suddenly go so far.

Li Zhi asked, "Why did Liu Qing suddenly bring up this matter?"

Liu Rengui said, "Your Majesty, I believe the Xiao family incident should serve as a warning. Because there are too few Zhechoufu (officials) in Hebei, the people believe the court doesn't trust them. If left unchecked, rebellion is likely to resurface in the future. We need to make plans as soon as possible."

Li Zhi pondered and said, "What Liu Qing said is not without reason."

Seeing that the emperor was about to be persuaded, the ministers could no longer hold back and stepped forward to oppose him.

"Prime Minister Liu is wrong. It is precisely because Hebei is untrustworthy that we have only set up fifty Zhechoufu. If we expand the Zhechoufu, Hebei may be in chaos!" Lu Chengqing was the first to object.

Yuchi Gong shouted, "After defeating Dou Jiande, Emperor Gaozu believed that Hebei would surrender. Later, they surrendered and rebelled again. Countless Tang soldiers died in Hebei. Shouldn't we learn from this lesson?"

"Yes, the Tang Dynasty already has the Guandong Army, which is enough. Why should we set up the Hebei Zhechou Mansion?" said General Zhang Da'an of the Right Guard.

The number of troops in the Tang Dynasty is fixed. If the army is expanded alone, the burden on the court will increase. So generally speaking, if the Zhechoufu is expanded in a certain place, it will have to be abolished elsewhere!
Guanzhong has the largest number of Zhechoufu and bears the brunt of the attack.

Therefore, the military was very opposed to it, and civil officials such as Lu Chengqing also strongly opposed it on the grounds that the ancestral system could not be easily changed.

In fact, with the generals charging, they didn't need to be too aggressive, but Liu Rengui's proposal made them see an opportunity.

As long as the reason that the ancestral system could not be easily changed was issued to stop Liu Rengui's proposal, it was equivalent to silencing the emperor, and the emperor would not be able to propose changing the land system again.

For a time, civil and military officials fiercely opposed it, and their attitude was even more fierce than when Li Jingxuan and Li Yifu proposed to revise the clan records that day.

Liu Rengui remained calm and refuted everyone's reasons one by one.

"Unrest will only occur when the people are not united. The expansion of the Zhechoufu in Hebei is precisely to eliminate the rift between the people of Hebei and the court and prevent chaos."

"When Hebei surrendered and then rebelled again, it was because Dou Jiande's death had caused him to lose the support of the people of Hebei. The true lesson from this past should be to learn from it and treat the people of Hebei well, rather than deepening the hatred between the two sides. If we hadn't expanded the Zhechoufu, would they have been unable to rebel?"

"If the Guanzhong army were to fight in Hebei, it would consume a great deal of manpower and resources, which would be detrimental to the country. Furthermore, would the soldiers willingly undertake such a long journey to Hebei? If they were gone for years, the farmland would become barren, and wouldn't that also affect Your Majesty's plan to restore production in Guanzhong?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi said in a loud voice: "Indeed, it is not a good idea for the Guanzhong army to fight in Hebei!"

Seeing that the emperor was about to be persuaded by him, the ministers became more and more anxious.

Yuchi Gong said angrily, "Prime Minister Liu, you know nothing about military affairs, but have you ever thought about this question?"

Liu Rengui said calmly, "Oh, what's the problem?"

Yuchi Gong said, "The people of Hebei are martial and strong. If they rebel in the future, they will be much more difficult to deal with than those barbarians. Can you take on the responsibility?"

Liu Rengui said slowly: "I am willing to guarantee it!"

Yuchi Gong angrily asked, "What guarantee do you have?"

"I'm using my position as Prime Minister, my life and property as a guarantee. If Hebei is in turmoil as a result, I'm willing to bear all responsibility!"

Lu Chengqing said in a deep voice: "Prime Minister Liu, the chaos may not happen now. A hundred years from now, if there is chaos in Hebei, how will you bear the responsibility?"

Liu Rengui bowed to Li Zhi and said, "Your Majesty, I, an old minister, request to resign from my position as prime minister and be transferred to a prefecture or county to reassure the ministers."

All the ministers were shocked when they heard this.

I've only heard of people willing to take responsibility after the fact, but I've never heard of anyone taking responsibility in advance.

Liu Rengui's sacrifice shows that he had no selfish motives and was truly devoted to the country.

Li Ji sighed and said, "Your Majesty, fellow ministers, Minister Liu has been to Hebei and knows the situation there better than you and I do. His willingness to pledge his life and property shows that the situation is indeed not optimistic. I agree with Minister Liu's opinion."

"Duke of England, you..." Yuchi Gong was about to speak, but was pulled by Cheng Zhijie. He turned his head and saw that Cheng Zhijie had a serious expression, so he shook his head at him.

Yuchi Gong snorted and said nothing.

Lu Chengqing was a man who valued his reputation. Seeing that Liu Rengui was willing to resign from his official position as a price for forcing him to do so, and that he himself was in a disadvantageous position, he sighed and said nothing.

Seeing that his ministers were silent, Li Zhi sighed and said, "It is rare that Liu Qing is so devoted to the country. I appreciate your dedication and will establish eighty more Zhechoufu in Hebei. Effective immediately, Liu Rengui will be dismissed from his position as Minister of the Interior and appointed Governor of Yingzhou."

Su Dingfang had already gone to Anxi, and the position of governor of Yingzhou was vacant.

Li Zhi appointed Liu Rengui as the governor-general because, through him, he could understand the changes in the attitudes of the people in Hebei after the establishment of the Zhechoufu.

Secondly, it also allows him to take the opportunity to switch to a military position, giving him a chance to demonstrate his abilities when dealing with the Korean Peninsula and Japan in the future.

Liu Rengui had originally thought he would be sent out as a provincial governor, but he had never expected the emperor to trust him so much as to have him garrison Yingzhou on the border. A gleam flashed in his eyes, and he bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust!"

Lu Chengqing looked at Liu Rengui with a complicated expression. He was originally quite dissatisfied with him, but now he had a little more respect for him.

For a time, the court fell into a brief silence because Liu Rengui resigned as prime minister.

When Li Zhi again proposed to amend the land system, as Liu Rengui had expected, the opposition was much smaller and Lu Chengqing remained silent.

It's like a war. After losing the previous battle in which you had the advantage, your morale is low. When faced with another battle in which you are not at an advantage, you simply give up the fight.

Many court officials offered suggestions and proposed specific measures to transition from the equal-field system to the rented-field system.

Upon seeing this, Li Zhi did not immediately make a decision. He just said that the matter was of great importance and asked the ministers to think carefully about the reform plan. Then he announced the adjournment of the court.

He did this in the hope that officials from the Ministry of Revenue, such as Lu Chengqing and Du Zhenglun, would also participate, brainstorm, and propose reform methods.

In this way, they will be more motivated when they are responsible for the specific matters of the reform in the future.

(End of this chapter)