Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 248 I Will Make Up for the Late Emperor's Mistakes
Late at night, in Lizheng Hall.

On the wide phoenix couch, Li Zhi leaned against the wall, holding Wu Meiniang with one hand, and gently stroking her smooth and delicate shoulders with his fingers.

"Mei Niang, have you heard of Li Junxian?"

Wu Meiniang was originally leaning comfortably on Li Zhi's shoulder with her eyes slightly closed. When she heard these words, she suddenly opened her eyes.

"Jiulang, why did you suddenly mention him?"

Li Zhi said slowly, "His son has come to Chang'an. He may file a complaint with the emperor tomorrow to redress Li Junxian's wrongdoing."

Wu Meiniang's eyes flickered slightly, and she looked up and asked, "Jiulang, are you going to help redress Li Junxian's injustice?"

Li Zhi said, "There must be right and wrong in this world. Li Junxian has been wronged even more than the King of Wu. We can't let him continue to be wronged just because the late emperor made the decision."

Wu Meiniang had long realized that Li Zhi's filial piety towards the late emperor was only superficial, and that he actually did not respect the late emperor that much, so she was not surprised.

What she wondered was how Li Zhi knew about Li Yiyuan?

Could it be that the Sigongtai discovered it?

The next morning, Wu Meiniang helped Li Zhi dress and then sent him out of the palace.

After Li Zhi left, she returned to the hall and ordered someone to call Zhang Duohai over. She said calmly, "Did you complete the task I asked you to do?"

Zhang Duohai smiled and said, "Your Highness, Li Yiyuan is really stubborn and I couldn't persuade him. Later, I thought of using Zhangsun Wuji to deal with him."

"Zhangsun Wuji?" Wu Meiniang's eyes twitched.

Zhang Duohai hurriedly said, "I figured that Zhangsun Wuji didn't want this to get out of hand, so I sent someone to tell him, hoping he would try to stop it. Who knew..."

Wu Meiniang said coldly: "Who knew he told His Majesty."

"What, he told the saint?" Zhang Duohai was stunned.

A murderous look flashed in Wu Meiniang's eyes. She stood up and slapped Zhang Duohai in the face with a "slap".

"How dare you, fat fellow, act on your own!" she said in a stern tone.

Zhang Duohai hurriedly knelt on the ground, stretched out his head, and blew hard on the hand that Wu Meiniang had just hit him, saying: "Your Highness, please calm down and don't hurt your hand. I will punish myself."

After blowing for a while, he slapped himself hard with both hands.

Zhang Duohai's chubby face was very elastic. Wu Meiniang felt a little pain in her hand after he slapped her more than 20 times. After seeing him slap her more than 20 times, she said coldly: "Enough."

Zhang Dahai put his forehead to the ground and said, "I have failed in my duties. Please punish me, Your Highness."

Wu Meiniang looked down at him and said, "Do you think I'm angry just because you didn't do your job well?"

Zhang Duohai was stunned for a moment and didn't dare to say a word.

Wu Meiniang asked, "How did you tell Zhangsun Wuji?"

"I sent someone to let one of his servants, who was away from home, hear about this."

Wu Meiniang snorted, "Changsun Wuji is such a shrewd person, how could he not see that someone deliberately let him know?"

"This……"

"Once he knows, he'll think I want to continue dealing with him, you understand?"

Zhang Duohai raised his head slightly and muttered, "But he's just a commoner now. Even if he knew, he wouldn't dare to retaliate."

Wu Meiniang kicked him on the shoulder and said angrily, "Foolish! Do you think I'm afraid of him? I promised His Majesty that I would not take the initiative to deal with him in the future. You are asking me to break my promise to His Majesty!"

Zhang Da Hai shuddered all over and put his head back to the ground.

Wu Meiniang's chest rose and fell, and she took a few breaths. "You also know that Zhangsun Wuji is now a commoner. As the empress, if I were to deal with him again, wouldn't I be ridiculed? When His Majesty knew, he would also think I was petty!"

Zhang Dahai whispered, "I know I was wrong..."

Wu Meiniang was about to continue scolding when a low drumbeat suddenly rang out.

This is the sound of the Dengwen drum.

Wu Meiniang walked to the door and looked towards the direction of Suzaku Gate. She thought to herself, "Li Yiyuan has indeed come to complain."

Li Yiyuan walked with heavy steps, passed through Chengtian Gate, bypassed Taiji Hall, and finally arrived at Liangyi Hall.

The government affairs that took place during the holiday were originally being discussed in the palace, but were interrupted at this moment.

All the civil and military officials in the court remained silent and watched him enter the hall.

Li Yiyuan glanced up at the throne, catching only a glimpse of the emperor's outline. He then knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "I, Li Yiyuan, pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Get up! Since you're beating the drum to report the incident, you must have a grievance."

Li Yiyuan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I am the son of Li Junxian. My father was unjustly killed because of a prophecy from the female ruler, King Wu. I heard that the current sage is benevolent and magnanimous and doesn't believe in prophecies. That's why I risk my life beating the drum, hoping to redress my father's injustice. I will have no regrets even in death!"

When the ministers heard this, they were all stunned.

Li Junxian’s injustice was concluded when we last discussed the female protagonist, King Wu. Logically speaking, Li Junxian should be vindicated.

However, this case was decided by Emperor Taizong.

No one can be sure whether the contemporary sage Renxiao is willing to question the decision of Emperor Taizong because of an unjust case.

For a moment, the court fell into silence, and you could hear a pin drop. The ministers held their breath and no one said a word.

Suddenly, a thin figure walked out and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, I beg you to redress Li Junxian's injustice."

When the ministers saw this man come out, they were surprised at first, but then they thought about it and understood his support for Li Yiyuan.

This person was none other than King Wu Li Ji, who had a similar experience to Li Yiyuan.

Today is the first court meeting after the first day of the lunar month, and the scale is the same as the new moon and full moon court meetings, so Li Ji is also qualified to attend the court meeting.

Seeing that his nephew had interfered in the matter, Li Zhen could not just sit back and watch, so he immediately followed him out.

"Your Majesty, the late emperor punished Li Junxian because someone spread rumors. At the time, the late emperor was seriously ill and inevitably made mistakes. If Your Majesty can help the late emperor make amends for his mistakes, given his wisdom and bravery, he would only be pleased."

Li Shen followed and said, "I second the motion." Immediately, several other members of the royal family came forward to second the motion.

Li Zhi slowly stood up and said, "The King of Yue is right. Even kings make mistakes. Wei Zheng pointed out the late emperor's mistakes many times, and the late emperor was delighted. I believe that the late emperor's spirit in heaven would also happily agree with this."

When the ministers saw the emperor's statement, they all came out to support him.

This matter was different from the unjust case of King Wu Li Ke. It did not require offending anyone, so all the ministers in the hall expressed their support.

Li Zhi immediately made a ruling and ordered the Dali Temple to work with the Ministry of Justice to redress Li Junxian's unjust case.

In addition, it was announced that Li Yiyuan would inherit Li Junxian's title of Duke.

Li Yiyuan wept with joy, kowtowed in thanks, and left the hall as if in a dream.

As various matters were discussed one by one, Changsun Quan became more and more nervous.

At this time, it was the turn of Yanran Deputy Protector Zhou Zhidu to report on the affairs of Mobei.

After listening to him, Li Zhi asked, "Has anything special happened in Mobei recently?"

Zhou Zhidu was stunned for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, apart from the increase in the number of tribes, there is nothing special."

Li Zhi said angrily, "Isn't it strange that the tribes have suddenly increased? Can you find out which tribes these new tribes belong to?"

Zhou Zhidu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, they are all Tiele people."

Li Zhi asked, "Where did they all come from?"

Zhou Zhidu said, "It should be the small tribe that was displaced before and has returned to Mobei."

King Han Li Yuanjia suddenly stepped forward and said, "When General Xue suppressed the rebellion, he only targeted the nine major Tiele tribes. The smaller tribes were not affected. So where does the talk of displacement come from? Could it be that the nine Tiele tribes quietly returned to Mobei?"

Zhou Zhidu said, "No, I've sent people to investigate. They've already moved west to the Qian River Basin and are currently fighting the local Khitans, seizing their water and grass. They show no signs of returning eastward."

Li Yuanjia bowed and said, "Your Majesty, since they are not from the Tiele tribe, they are most likely some other Hu tribe impersonating the Tiele tribe. I believe we should investigate this matter and expel them, otherwise it will affect the interests of our merchants in Mobei."

Li Zhi looked at Zhou Zhidu and said, "Mr. Zhou, what do you think of what the King of Han said?"

Zhou Zhidu hurriedly said, "If it is really another tribe disguised as the Tiele tribe, I will investigate this matter and expel them!"

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Very good. I will wait for your news."

After this matter was completed, Shangguan Yi stepped forward and petitioned to set up a new institution in the Taifu Temple, called the "Pawnshop", and to set up official pawnshops in all prefectures and counties, allowing the people to borrow money at low interest rates.

This was exactly the plan that Li Hong and the officials of the Eastern Palace had worked out. With Li Hong's insistence, the interest rate was very low, less than one cent.

Li Zhi had read the plan and agreed to it, but added a clause, asking officials from the Censorate and the Ministry of Revenue to supervise the matter to prevent any officials from abusing their power for personal gain and taking the opportunity to make money.

Shangguan Yi also served as the Prince's Secretary, so it was most appropriate for him to bring up this matter.

All the ministers knew that this was the prince's plan, and no one objected.

Li Zhi immediately agreed to this matter and first selected ten large states to set up pawnshops to see the results.

Seeing that most of the important matters had been discussed, Changsun Quan finally stepped forward and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

The ministers had already heard the news of exemption from corvée labor, and they were all shocked when they saw him come out.

Li Zhi said: "Speak!"

Changsun Quan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, in the past two years, Lucheng County has adopted the method of recruiting civilians instead of conscripting them. The results are remarkable and highly praised by the people. I believe this policy should be promoted nationwide."

As soon as he finished speaking, several officials immediately stood up to express their opposition.

Changsun Quan looked sideways and saw that among those who opposed it were Lu Chengqing, Du Zhenglun, Yu Zhining, Li Ji, Yuchi Gong, Cheng Zhijie and others.

If an ordinary official saw so many important officials opposing him, he would definitely not have the courage to stick to his own opinion.

Changsun Quan was not afraid at all, because these people who came out were all within Changsun Wuji's expectations.

The arrangement of the painting club was also successful. Yan Liben sat steadily on the mat and had no intention of getting up.

This also gave Changsun Quan more confidence.

Lu Chengqing was the first to speak out, saying, "County Lieutenant Changsun, corvée labor has existed since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, and became a common practice during the Qin and Han dynasties. It is a valuable experience passed down to us by our ancestors. How can we just abolish it?"

Du Zhenglun said, "I know your husband is thinking about the people, but have you ever thought about how much the country's fiscal expenditure will increase if corvée labor is abolished? By then, the national treasury will be unable to make ends meet and will have to raise taxes, which may not be beneficial to the people!"

Chang Sunquan said, "I've calculated that after abolishing corvée labor in Lucheng County, fiscal expenditures did increase, but the people's income increased even more. Even if taxes are increased in the future, the people will not complain."

Du Zhenglun said thoughtfully, "You mean, even if we increase taxes, the extra income of the people, after deducting these taxes, there will still be a surplus?"

Changsun Quan said, "That's right. Moreover, after the corvée is abolished, it will also increase the country's income through other means."

Du Zhenglun asked, "What are the methods?"

Chang Sunquan said: "The first is commercial tax. In the past two years, the commercial development of Lucheng County has increased significantly, and the commercial tax has increased by nearly 50%."

Du Zhenglun and Lu Chengqing looked at each other and seemed to be persuaded.

Chang Sunquan continued, "Secondly, the new population in Lucheng County far exceeds that of other counties. In fifteen years, the land tax will also increase significantly."

After hearing this, Du Lu and the other man remained silent.

Yu Zhining suddenly said, "If corvée labor is abolished, wouldn't it cost a lot of extra money to build various fortifications in the future?"

Yan Liben said, "That's true, but on the other hand, if the people are exempt from conscription, they can focus on cultivating their farmland and increasing production. This money can be recovered from taxes, right, County Magistrate Changsun?"

Chang Sunquan had not expected that Yan Liben would not only not object, but actually speak up for him. He was overjoyed and said, "That's right."

Yan Liben was the Minister of Works and was responsible for major construction projects across the country. Since he said so, Yu Zhining could not object.

Li Ji asked, "Excuse me, County Magistrate Changsun, if corvée labor is abolished, how will supplies be transported during wartime? Will we also use money to recruit civilians?"

His tone was gentle, not like a question, but more like a negotiation.

Chang Sunquan bowed and said, "General Li, I believe we can retain some menial duties and call them 'military service', and recruit them during wartime. After the war, the court will provide some compensation to the people who were recruited."

In this way, for the army, there is no difference from the original mobilized civilian manpower.

After Li Ji exchanged glances with Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie for a while, the three of them retreated.

Yu Zhining reacted quickly. Seeing them retreat to their seats, he followed suit.

In this way, those who opposed were convinced, and others such as Li Yifu, Shangguan Yi and others knew that the emperor supported this matter and would not object.

Li Zhi looked around and saw that no one objected. He nodded secretly and said, "It was indeed the right decision to let Changsun Wuji help Changsun Quan plan this matter."

"Since you gentlemen have no objection, then let's follow the advice of County Magistrate Changsun and cancel regular military service throughout the country, retaining only conscription," he announced loudly.

Chang Sunquan continued, "Your Majesty, I think we can proceed step by step, starting with Hebei Province. If there are no problems, we can then roll it out to the other nine provinces."

Li Zhi said: "Approved."

Seeing how cautious he was, the ministers who had originally had some doubts nodded secretly.

After this matter was reported, no other minister came forward to make a report.

Li Zhi shouted "Dismiss the court" and left the hall through the side door.

The first court meeting of the new year ended here.

(End of this chapter)