Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 319 The Emperor has retreated?

Yan Liben was busy until mid-afternoon before he got up and headed towards Ganlu Gate.

He was the prime minister and could enter the cabinet without an announcement. He walked all the way to the outside of Ganlu Palace. When the eunuch on duty outside saw him, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Yan. Are you here to see the saint?"

Yan Liben said, "Exactly. Is the Saint in the palace?"

The eunuch said, "The Saint is currently processing memorials in the Linhu Hall. I will send someone to escort you there."

A young eunuch was sent to lead Yan Liben to the Linhu Palace.

After a while, the Nanhai Pond and the Lake Viewing Terrace could be seen in the distance. The emperor was sitting on the Lake Viewing Terrace, busy handling government affairs.

Yan Liben stood there waiting for the eunuch to pass on the message. After a while, the emperor summoned him to meet him.

Li Zhi had just finished dealing with the memorials when he saw Yan Liben coming over. He smiled at him and said, "Mr. Yan, you've arrived just in time. I'm in the mood for chess. Please play a game with me."

Yan Liben agreed and sat down opposite Li Zhi. When Wang Fusheng was setting up the chessboard, Li Zhi asked him why he came.

Yan Liben said, "I have come to report to Your Majesty on the restoration of the Qinling Mountains. The pine and banyan trees planted in Changbai Mountain in the seventh year of the Yonghui reign are now over ten feet tall. Last year, we also planted two hundred thousand new saplings in Zhongnan Mountain."

Li Zhi said, "Very good. At the beginning of the year, Minister Lu reported to me that the amount of cultivated land in Guannei Road increased by 5,000 mu last year. This is the first time since the fifth year of Zhenguan. This proves that our efforts have not been in vain!"

Yan Liben thought that this was not only due to the tree planting, but also due to the land system reform and the fact that there had been no war in Guanzhong in the past two years.

But since the emperor was happy, he would not say such tactless words.

Yan Liben added, "The forest protection measures in Zhongnan Mountain have been largely completed. Next, we can focus on cultivating trees in Shouyang Mountain."

Li Zhi suddenly raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, didn't we just start planting trees and protecting the forest in Zhongnan Mountain last year? Why are we turning elsewhere after only a year?"

Yan Liben said, "Your Majesty, almost all the trees that can be planted in Zhongnan Mountain have been planted."

Li Zhi put down the chess piece in his hand and said in a deep voice, "No, that's not right. I've read the report. Zhongnan Mountain is suffering from severe deforestation. How can only 200,000 trees be planted?"

Yan Liben hesitated and said, "It's not convenient to plant trees in other places."

Li Zhi asked, "Why?"

Yan Liben whispered, "Your Majesty, there are many gardens and villas in Zhongnan Mountain, occupying a large area. It is difficult to grow trees here."

Li Zhi raised his eyebrows and said, "I remember issuing an order prohibiting the construction of gardens in the Qinling Mountains. Who is so bold as to defy my order?"

Yan Liben said, "Most of these gardens were built before Your Majesty issued the order."

Li Zhi said in a deep voice, "That won't do either. It must be demolished. This trend cannot be allowed to continue!"

Yan Liben said, "If we tear everything down, I'm afraid it won't be a good idea."

Li Zhi suddenly stared at Yan Liben and said, "Mr. Yan, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. There's no need to test me. Is anyone trying to stop you from demolishing it?"

Yan Liben quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty is wise. There are some individual gardens on Mount Zhongnan that are difficult to demolish."

Li Zhi said, "Oh, whose garden is it?"

Yan Liben whispered, "For example, the garden of Concubine Yan. This garden was built by the King of Yue for her to escape the summer heat, as a token of his filial piety."

Li Zhi was silent for a while, then said, "Farming in Guanzhong is paramount; everything else must give way. I will handle the affairs of Concubine Yan and the King of Yue. Are there any other difficulties?"

Yan Liben bowed and said, "If this garden can be demolished, everything else will be easy."

Li Zhi nodded and raised his hand, saying, "Sit down, Mr. Yan, and let's continue playing chess."

After the game of chess, Yan Liben lost three moves and left.

Li Zhi stood up and walked to the lake-viewing platform, leaning on the railing to gaze into the distance. At this time, the sun was setting, and the sunset dyed the lake surface a dazzling orange-red.

The evening breeze blew, making Li Zhi's sleeves rustle.

Li Zhi suddenly raised his hand and said, "Fusheng, go to Ganlu Palace and bring over the memorials from Linghu Defen and Jingbo."

Wang Fusheng responded, and soon he made a call and brought the two memorials personally.

Although Li Zhi had read these memorials, he did not approve them and had originally not intended to pay any attention to them, but now he changed his mind.

Li Zhi returned to the table and sat down. He picked up the jade pen and wrote his comments on each of the two memorials.

Although he refuted the opinions of the two, he responded in a discussion-based manner.

After writing it, he ordered Wang Fusheng to send it to the Menxia Province, and the officials of the Menxia Province would return it to the two of them.

Li Zhi was about to give another order when he suddenly noticed Wu Meiniang walking towards him from a distance, with Yuping following behind her, holding a medicinal meal in her hands.

Li Zhi walked to the table and sat down. He took the medicinal food, which turned out to be a bowl of autumn pear paste. He smiled at Wu Meiniang and said, "The Queen has worked hard."

Wu Meiniang propped up her chin with one hand, smiled as she watched Li Zhi eat the medicinal meal, and asked, "Your Majesty, can you taste the medicinal meal today? Is there any difference from the usual one?"

After hearing this, Li Zhi scooped another spoonful and tasted it carefully, but he didn't taste anything special.

Wu Meiniang didn't want to keep the appetite in suspense any longer, and said with a smile: "Today's autumn pear paste has Shougui added."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up and he asked, "But is it Shougui from Changshou Village?"

Wu Meiniang said, "That's right. The villagers of Changshou Village have all returned to their village, and their houses have been rebuilt. The villagers all know that it is Your Majesty's kindness, so they specially asked Guo Daozhen to bring Shougui back and send him to the Wu Mansion. I am here to convey their wishes to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "I didn't do anything. They should thank Zhang Zhong." The autumn pear paste, which contained the villagers' love, was indeed a little more delicious than usual.

Li Zhi ate everything, put down the jade spoon, and stared at Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang smiled gently and said, "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Didn't I put on my makeup well today?"

Li Zhi laughed and said, "How could that be? I just suddenly remembered something you mentioned to me."

Wu Meiniang asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

Li Zhi said, "I seem to remember you mentioned that Concubine Yan is your relative."

Wu Meiniang blushed slightly and said, "Yes, if you count it, she is my aunt's cousin."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Mei Niang, at 3:30 tomorrow morning, summon her to the palace and give her some words of comfort on my behalf, so that she doesn't have to worry about what's happening in Zhongnan Mountain."

Wu Meiniang was even more puzzled, her eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "Why comfort me?"

Li Zhi then told her that the garden of Concubine Yan in Zhongnan Mountain was going to be demolished.

After hearing this, Wu Meiniang's confusion not only did not decrease, but increased.

Judging from Li Zhi's tone, he had clearly promised Yan Liben to resolve the matter, so why did he appease Concubine Yan instead?

Based on her understanding of her husband, he attached great importance to the Qinling Mountains issue and would never back down.

These confusions only flashed through her mind for a moment. She nodded her chin and said, "I'll remember it."

Li Zhi reminded him, "Remember to summon her into the palace at 3:30 am. Don't miss the time."

Wu Meiniang knew that the emperor must have a plan, and nodded with a serious expression.

After Wu Meiniang and her men left, Li Zhi instructed Wang Fusheng, "Summon Zhang Wenguan to an audience at noon tomorrow."

Time quickly came to the next day. Li Zhi finished all the government affairs in the morning and took a nap in the Linhu Palace until 3:00 p.m. when he was woken up by Wang Fusheng.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Wenguan has entered the palace and will be here soon."

Li Zhi took the silk scarf handed to him by the palace maid, washed his face, and immediately woke up.

After a while, a eunuch led Zhang Wenguan to the Linhu Palace.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Wenguan, pay my respects to you." Zhang Wenguan said with a bow.

Li Zhi said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhang, I heard that you almost demolished Concubine Yan's garden in Zhongnan Mountain. Is this true?"

Zhang Wenguan was startled and thought to himself, "Oh no! The King of Yue has indeed complained to the Emperor." He whispered, "It is true."

Li Zhi snorted and said, "Don't you know that it's the summer garden that the King of Yue built for the Concubine Dowager Yan?"

Zhang Wenguan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty has ordered me to restore the forests of the Qinling Mountains. If we fail to demolish all the gardens, this trend will spread and I fear all my previous efforts will be wasted."

Li Zhi said calmly, "That being said, we must also consider the overall situation. The King of Yue is my brother, and I am about to entrust him with an important task. If you demolish his garden at this time, how can he concentrate on working for me?"

Zhang Wenguan fell silent.

Li Zhi said: "Why, do you think what I said is wrong?"

Zhang Wenguan knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I lack the ability to handle this matter. Please appoint another capable official to govern the Qinling Mountains." Li Zhi snorted and said, "Are you blaming me for favoritism and wanting to abdicate?"

Zhang Wenguan said, "I dare not. However, if Your Majesty does not allow the demolition of Concubine Yan's garden, I believe that the restoration of the Qinling Mountains will be hindered!"

Li Zhi saw that he dared to say such words and was not afraid of angering him. He admired him in his heart but kept a blank expression on his face.

"I won't let you abandon your responsibilities, and I won't demolish Concubine Yan's garden. Please leave."

Zhang Wenguan sighed secretly, bowed and said, "I obey your command." He bowed and left.

On the way out of the palace, Zhang Wenguan suffered a great shock.

He had originally served as a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, and he attached much more importance to the importance of mountains, rivers, and forests than ordinary ministers.

When he first heard that the emperor wanted to restore the forests in the Qinling Mountains and expand the arable land in Guanzhong, he was very supportive of the emperor's policy.

The emperor opened the Mobei trade route, collected coal mines, and reduced the deforestation by the people of Chang'an, which also showed his determination.

Later, when the court summoned him to Chang'an and asked him to handle this matter, he was very excited. He worked hard and forgot to eat and sleep while handling this matter. He never wavered in the face of any obstacles.

However, the emperor's attitude just now disappointed him greatly, and his rock-solid determination began to crack for the first time.

Just as he arrived near Changle Gate, he suddenly saw two eunuchs leading a lady in gorgeous clothes in.

Zhang Wenguan was slightly startled when he saw the lady, then stepped aside and bowed to her, saying, "Your humble servant greets Concubine Yan."

Concubine Yan glanced at him and sneered, "Isn't this Doctor Zhang? Why do you look so dejected?"

Zhang Wenguan lowered his head and said nothing.

Concubine Yan chuckled and left with the eunuch, soon arriving at Empress Wu's Lizheng Hall.

After entering the hall and completing the formalities, Wu Meiniang asked her to sit at the head of the table, chatted for a while, and then conveyed the emperor's intention to her.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yan thought to herself, "That's right, the Emperor must have called Zhang Wenguan over and scolded him, that's why he's in such a state!"

On the other hand, after leaving the palace, Zhang Wenguan went straight back to the Ministry of Works. He was not in the mood to work for a while and sat in a chair in a daze.

After sitting for a while, a clerk came over and said that Yan Liben asked him to come over.

Zhang Wenguan had no choice but to get up and go see Yan Liben.

Seeing him look depressed, Yan Liben frowned and said, "Wen Guan, what's wrong with you? His Majesty summoned you to the palace, why do you look like this?"

Zhang Wenguan lowered his head and told the emperor what had happened.

After hearing this, Yan Liben was surprised and said, "This is not right. His Majesty clearly promised me that he would take care of the issues with Concubine Yan and the King of Yue."

Zhang Wenguan sighed, "Perhaps the King of Yue said something to Your Majesty. After all, Your Majesty trusts his brothers more."

Yan Liben raised his hand and said, "No, you don't understand His Majesty's style. When he wants to do something, he will never give in to personal feelings."

Zhang Wenguan was stunned for a moment and asked, "Then why did Your Majesty say those words to me?"

Yan Liben pondered for a moment and said, "I can't guess it at the moment. Let's wait a few days and see what happens."

Two days later, in the Imperial College, Linghu Defen and Jing Bo sat opposite each other and were making tea.

Both of them are among the oldest officials in the court.

As people get older, it’s difficult for them to change their perspectives, and this is also true for these two people.

Every time the emperor did something that violated the system, they would submit a memorial of opposition.

Although each memorial fell on deaf ears and received no response, they never stopped.

In their view, submitting memorials to give advice and suggestions was the duty of the ministers, and whether the emperor listened or not, there was nothing they could do.

However, the situation was different this time. The emperor actually approved the two people's memorials and sent them back.

The two old ministers were greatly encouraged to see that the emperor did not ignore them this time. They often gathered together in the past few days to discuss how to respond to the emperor in order to persuade him.

Jing Bo took the tea Linghu Defen handed over, but did not drink it. Instead, he put it down and said, "Brother Linghu, I just got some information that may be useful to you."

Linghu Defen narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Zhang Jianzhi came to visit me last night and told me something."

Jing Bo smiled and said, "Then you go first."

Linghu Defen's expression straightened. "I heard that when Zhang Wenguan, the doctor of the Ministry of Justice, was demolishing those illegal villas in Zhongnan Mountain, he demolished the property of the Prince of Yue's mother, Concubine Yan. As a result, he was summoned to the palace by the Emperor and reprimanded."

Jing Bo also said solemnly: "This is exactly what I want to say. Why don't we include this matter in the memorial to persuade His Majesty?"

Linghu Defen asked, "How can I persuade him?"

Jing Bo said, "Think about it, the prince is not in Chang'an, but he still violated the rules by building a garden in Zhongnan Mountain. If he were to take up a position in Chang'an, he would commit more violations in the future, which would definitely corrupt the atmosphere of the court!"

Linghu Defen twirled his beard and said, "Okay, write it like this!"

The two old men wrote the memorial immediately and sent someone to deliver it to the Secretariat the next day. In the evening, the emperor sent someone to deliver the memorial back.

The emperor still did not agree to their request, but his tone softened a bit and his arguments seemed a little guilty.

Both of them felt that they had found the right pulse, and continued to make a fuss about the Qinling incident and submitted another memorial.

This interaction between the emperor and the two old ministers quickly attracted attention from both the court and the public.

Many court officials were dissatisfied with the Qinling incident. Seeing the two old ministers taking the lead, they also submitted memorials to oppose the King of Yue staying in Chang'an.

For a time, the incident of the Qinling garden demolition became more and more serious, and King Li Zhen of Yue was unable to receive his official position for a long time.

Although Li Zhen kept it secret, the news still reached the ears of Concubine Yan.

Shocked and angry, she immediately went to the palace to see Empress Wu.

Wu Meiniang still received her warmly and ordered people to serve her tribute tea and cakes.

After tea, Concubine Yan asked about the matter of the King of Yue granting official positions.

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Don't be impatient. Right now, the court officials are submitting memorials one after another, and Your Majesty is also in a difficult position. It won't be too late for Your Majesty to grant the official position to the King of Yue after the storm has passed."

Concubine Yan frowned and said, "Wasn't it just a few senior ministers who opposed it before? Why are so many ministers suddenly against it?"

Wu Meiniang looked hesitant and said nothing.

Concubine Yan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, if you have anything to say, please don't hide it from me."

Wu Meiniang picked up her teacup and said, "Actually, it's just that those ministers are using the Qinling Villa incident as an excuse to stir up trouble. The policy of restoring the Qinling forests was personally ordered by Your Majesty, so Your Majesty cannot reprimand them for it, hence the stalemate."

Concubine Yan was stunned and said, "So, it's me who is dragging Zhen'er down? No wonder he refused to tell me."

Wu Meiniang consoled him, "Don't blame yourself too much. How can you be blamed for this? It's all because of those stubborn old men in the court who are harping on trivial matters."

Concubine Yan whispered, "Forget it. I'll ask them to tear down the garden when I get back. I only live here occasionally anyway. I usually live with Zhen'er."

Wu Meiniang asked, "Is this okay?"

Concubine Yan snorted, "I initially refused to allow it to be demolished because I was dissatisfied with Doctor Zhang's attitude. How could I embarrass His Majesty and let my son be criticized by the court officials over such a trivial matter?"

After listening to this, Wu Meiniang didn't say anything else, but smiled secretly in her heart.

She finally understood Li Zhi's intention. It turned out that he wanted to demolish the garden of Concubine Yan so as not to fall out with the King of Yue.

The next day, the emperor issued an edict to demolish all the Qinling villas, including the garden of Concubine Yan. He then issued another edict to appoint the King of Yue as the Minister of Zongzheng Temple and to be in charge of the Prince's guests.

When the ministers who submitted memorials saw that Concubine Yan's garden had been demolished, they thought it was just a concession from the emperor and did not dare to press the issue any further.

Besides, the King of Yue was not appointed as prime minister, which was also a victory for them.

Seeing that the emperor had withstood the pressure and granted him an official position, King Li Zhen of Yue could no longer complain that his official position was too low.

Moreover, the emperor had previously stated that he would keep an eye on the King of Han, and now that he had handed over the Zongzheng Temple to him to manage all the royal family members, it was obviously a sign of his trust in him.

A dispute came to an end, and only a few people could see that the whole thing was secretly manipulated by the emperor.

Zhang Wenguan was one of them.

Seeing that the emperor had indeed helped him solve his problem, he cheered up again and devoted himself to the restoration plan of the Qinling Mountains.

(End of this chapter)