Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 527 A Sage's Eternal Glory, A General Amnesty

More than an hour later, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a knock on the door.

"Please come in," said Changsun Wuji.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Changsun Quan strode in, followed by Zhao Chiman, both with joy on their faces.

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "Chiman is back."

"Yes, I just got back a few days ago." Zhao Chiman bowed respectfully.

If it weren't for Changsun Wuji's advice to apologize to Pei Xingjian, he would have missed the battles in Yingzhou Island and Liaodong.

Therefore, he now holds Changsun Wuji in the highest esteem.

Changsun Quan smiled and said, "I returned three days ago. I was going to come and pay my respects to you then, but after hearing about something, I waited two days and came with my younger brother today."

Changsun Wuji's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What have you heard?"

Changsun Quan asked excitedly, "Brother, do you know what month it is now?"

Changsun Wuji laughed and said, "I'm not isolated from the world, how could I not know that it's July now?"

"Do you remember what important days are in July?"

Changsun Wuji pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing slightly: "His Majesty's birthday?"

Changsun Quan laughed loudly and said, "As expected of my elder brother, you really remember!"

The current emperor's birthday is July 21st. However, because Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) disliked extravagance, every year on his birthday, only a few people, including Wu Zetian and Consort Zheng, would make some arrangements in the harem, and that was it.

Over the years, some court officials have submitted memorials proposing that the emperor's birthday be designated as a festival, celebrated lavishly every year, with a three-day holiday, so that the people would remember the emperor's birthday.

However, Li Zhi did not agree.

Hearing Changsun Quan's tone, Changsun Wuji's heart stirred, and he asked, "Is this year's birthday celebration different from previous years?"

Changsun Quan laughed and said, "Elder brother guessed right again. This year is the 40th birthday of the Emperor. A minister suggested holding a palace banquet to celebrate His Majesty's birthday, and His Majesty actually agreed."

Changsun Wuji murmured, "Yes, His Majesty was born in the second year of Zhenguan, and now it is the nineteenth year of Yonghui. His Majesty has indeed reached the age of forty."

Changsun Quan continued, "Although His Majesty agrees to hold a banquet, this banquet is different from ordinary palace banquets. His Majesty only intends to invite sixteen people to the banquet."

Changsun Wuji's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Why are there only sixteen people?"

"His Majesty said that this Thousand Autumns Banquet is not to celebrate himself, but to celebrate the increasing prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and the peaceful and happy lives of the people. He has decided to invite the sixteen people who have made the greatest contributions to the country between the sixth and nineteenth years of Yonghui to the palace, to publicly announce their achievements, and to give each of them a special reward."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji was deeply moved, his face contorted with excitement, and he was almost unable to contain himself.

Why start from the sixth year of the Yonghui era? He naturally understood.

Before the sixth year of the Yonghui era, he always thought that the emperor was still young, and that he and Chu Suiliang made most of the decisions on important state affairs, and the emperor rarely raised any questions.

At the time, he was unaware of the emperor's strong dissatisfaction. It wasn't until October of the sixth year of the Yonghui era that the emperor, taking advantage of the matter of deposing the prince and establishing Wu, suddenly launched an attack and finally established his authority in the court.

Chu Suiliang was also demoted from the court for the second time.

From then on, the emperor gradually took control of the government.

Of course, this is just his own opinion.

To outsiders, the emperor was always under his control and had little autonomy; he was seen as a usurper who manipulated the government.

Seeing his silence and unpleasant expression, Changsun Quan quickly said, "Elder brother, His Majesty has not held a grudge against you. Your name is among the sixteen people who are qualified to receive an award from His Majesty!"

"Really?" A glint flashed in Changsun Wuji's eyes.

Changsun Quan laughed and said, "Yes, the list has spread throughout Chang'an. The people of Chang'an are praising it and comparing these sixteen people to the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion back then."

Changsun Wuji gazed northward, his heart filled with both joy and satisfaction.

In the past ten years or so, if judged solely by his achievements, he believed he deserved to be among the top ten in the court. His strategy of splitting Tibet alone surpassed that of most other court officials.

However, he did all these things in secret, using other people's names, and no one in the court or the public knew about them.

Now that the emperor has announced his achievements, it means that in the emperor's mind, his achievements over the years are enough to make up for the mistakes of the past.

Once the birthday banquet is over, everyone in the court and the public will understand the emperor's intentions. He will no longer need to hide in Baiyin Temple and can return to Chang'an to spend his later years in peace.

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, suppressing his joy, and asked who else was among the sixteen.

Zhao Chiman said, "Besides you, there are Li Ji, Cheng Zhijie, Yuchi Gong, Qibi Heli, Cheng Mingzhen, Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Pei Xingjian, Wang Jishan, Liu Rengui, Yu Zhining, Yan Liben, Shangguan Yi, Di Renjie, and Zhang Jianzhi."

When Changsun Wuji heard that all of them were people of outstanding talent and merit, and that even Li Yifu and Lu Chengqing could not enter, he couldn't help but nod in approval.

Only a list like this can make people feel honored.

Changsun Quan sighed, "It's a pity there are only sixteen people. If there were twenty-four spots, we would definitely be among them if we filled them all."

Zhao Chiman nodded. He was always proud and arrogant, and he didn't find anything wrong with what he heard.

He even felt that, based on his military achievements, he could completely replace Di Renjie or Zhang Jianzhi and be included among them.

The only saving grace was that Jiang Ke wasn't among them, otherwise it would have been even harder for him to accept.

Changsun Wuji was in a great mood and personally brewed tea to entertain the two of them. The three of them drank tea and chatted.

Before long, the topic turned to Liaodong, and Changsun Wuji asked the two about the situation in Liaodong and Yingzhou Island.

Last November, Xue Rengui joined forces with the Tang Dynasty navy to eliminate the Mohe people who wanted to return to the Blackwater region.

After the war ended, Xue Rengui led his army back, leaving only 10,000 armored cavalry to guard the Mohe.

In early January, Liu Rengui petitioned Emperor Li Zhi to lift the restrictions on iron ore mining in Liaodong, allowing merchants to mine, and also to encourage merchants to harvest ginseng in Changbai Mountain, exempting them from commercial taxes.

He wanted to emulate the governance methods of the northern deserts and attract Tang merchants to the Mohe region through commercial development.

As long as merchants went there, they would hire some long-term laborers to go with them, and over time, the number of Chinese people in the Mohe region would continue to increase.

In addition, they can utilize commercial development to hire local Mohe people for work.

As long as the Mohe people can eat their fill, stay warm, and live better than before, the likelihood of them rebelling against the Tang Dynasty will be relatively small.

Although the Mohe region lacks coal and horse farms, it possesses abundant high-quality iron ore, ginseng, medicinal herbs, and timber resources.

Many Tang Dynasty merchants who made their fortunes through the Mobei trade route actively responded to the imperial court's policies and sent people to the Mohe region to establish trading companies.

Liu Rengui was originally worried that the Mohe army that had fled to Kuyi Island might eventually escape back to Mohe and recuperate in the forest, becoming a potential threat.

Who would have thought that they would lose the war against the Ainu people on Kui Island?

Actually, if you think about it carefully, it’s not surprising.

Kuyi Island has a unique geographical location and has been the habitat of the Ainu people for many years. The Mohe people were certainly not as familiar with the environment as the Ainu people, so they lost their geographical advantage.

In addition, it was November, the dead of winter. The climate and geography of Kuyi Island were even colder than those of the Mohe region, and the horses all froze to death. The Mohe cavalry lost their opportunity to fight, thus missing the opportune moment.

Finally, the Mohe army had just suffered a blow from the Tang Dynasty, their morale was low, their fighting strength was greatly reduced, and they even lacked popular support. The Mohe did not have the advantages of favorable timing, terrain, or popular support, so naturally they could not defeat the Ainu people. After suffering heavy losses, they had no choice but to flee back to the mainland west of Kuyi Island.

However, this continent was inhabited by the Sushen people.

The Sushen were actually a branch of the Mohe people, but they separated because they lived in a harsher environment and their lifestyle gradually became different from that of the Mohe people.

The Sushen people had been badly bullied by the Mohe people in the past. Now that they saw the Mohe people were in dire straits, they naturally took advantage of their predicament and killed some of the invading Mohe people, captured some, and sent others to the more northerly regions.

Seeing that Liaodong was developing in a stable direction, Changsun Wuji felt somewhat relieved.

There were still three days until Li Zhi's birthday celebration.

That night, Changsun Quan and Zhao Chiman stayed at the temple for the night. The next morning, Changsun Wuji and the two of them rode in a carriage back to Chang'an.

The carriage traveled very fast, and after noon, the city of Chang'an could be seen in the distance.

As they approached the city gate, they suddenly heard the sound of hooves, and three fast horses galloped past.

The two people in front were two teenagers, neither of whom were more than twenty years old. Although their faces were young, they were both extremely robust and had an imposing presence.

The third person was different; he was about thirty years old, with a thin face and dull eyes.

Upon seeing the two young men ahead, Changsun Quan exclaimed, "Whose sons are these? They are so robust and strong!"

Zhao Chiman smiled and said, "Your uncle should have heard of these two people's names."

"Oh, who is it?"

Zhao Chiman said, "One is named Wang Xiaojie, and the other is named Li Mutang."

Changsun Quan laughed and said, "So it's them! I heard that these two lads, along with that prodigy from the Xue family, represented our Great Tang in this year's Imperial Hunting. They performed quite well, and His Majesty praised them highly!"

Zhao Chiman exclaimed, "They almost made it last year. These three young men are really good."

Changsun Quan turned to Changsun Wuji and smiled, "Elder brother, you are best at judging people. What do you think of these two young men?"

"What?" Changsun Wuji suddenly looked up.

Changsun Quan asked in surprise, "Didn't you see those two boys just now?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "No, I was only busy going to see the third person."

"That last guy? He looks quite ordinary!"

Changsun Wuji said, "Don't you recognize that person?"

Changsun Quan shook his head.

Changsun Wuji slowly said, "He is Li Jingye, the eldest grandson of the Li family who was expelled from the family genealogy. You should have met him before."

"What? He's Li Jingye? He doesn't look like him!" Changsun Quan exclaimed in astonishment.

Changsun Wuji said, "Anyone who has experienced something like this will be greatly affected, their will will be depressed, and their spirit will naturally change."

Changsun Quan said, "That's true."

Changsun Wuji frowned and continued to ponder.

Upon seeing Li Jingye, he was reminded of Li Ji.

Li Ji was also among the sixteen people invited to the Thousand Autumns Banquet, and he was naturally delighted.

However, Li Ji was a man who rarely showed his emotions. If he were merely attending the Thousand Autumns Banquet, even if he was happy, he would not have shown it so obviously, much less leave in such a hurry.

There must be other reasons behind this.

Thinking of this, he asked Changsun Quan, "Has anything else major happened in Chang'an in the past few days?"

After a moment's thought, Changsun Quan said, "If we're talking about important matters, His Highness the Crown Prince has requested an imperial decree from His Majesty, saying that the country is enjoying favorable weather and peace, and he hopes that His Majesty will grant a general amnesty on the day of the Thousand Autumn Banquet!"

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji's eyes flashed, and he smiled and said, "That makes sense then. No wonder that old rascal Li Ji was so happy."

"What happened to Grand Tutor Li?"

Changsun Wuji recounted how Li Ji had received a letter that morning and then hurriedly left.

"Just you wait and see, Li Jingye will soon be reinstated into the family genealogy."

Changsun Quan was greatly puzzled and asked, "Elder brother, Li Jingye is not imprisoned. The general amnesty has nothing to do with him. Why would he suddenly return to the family genealogy?"

Do you know why Li Jingye was expelled from the family genealogy?

"He must have met Wei Shen," Changsun Quan replied.

Changsun Wuji said, "Not only that, if I'm not mistaken, after Li Jingye met with Wei Shen, he didn't tell Li Ji, and may even have agreed to Wei Shen's plan!"

Changsun Quan exclaimed in surprise, "No way!"

Changsun Wuji said calmly, "If it weren't for that, Li Ji would never have expelled Li Jingye from the family genealogy."

“But didn’t His Majesty not punish Li Jingye?” Zhao Chiman suddenly asked.

Changsun Wuji said, "His Majesty didn't punish him because of Li Ji. Li Ji knew the truth, so he had to give His Majesty an explanation, which is why he expelled Li Jingye."

Upon hearing this, the two realized that Li Ji was essentially exiling Li Jingye.

Now that His Majesty has granted a general amnesty, Li Jingye's crimes can be forgiven, and Li Ji can then legitimately include Li Jingye in the family genealogy.

When Changsun Wuji returned to his residence, he found it very clean. He asked the old servants in the mansion and learned that Princess Xincheng often sent people over to help clean the mansion.

That evening, Yu Zhining somehow got wind of the visit and came to his residence.

Yu Zhining is a few years older than Changsun Wuji, but he has been living a very happy life these past few years and seems to be getting younger and younger.

He was especially delighted to be among the sixteen people on the list for the Thousand Autumns Banquet, and insisted on drinking and celebrating with Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji was also in a good mood, so he drank a few cups with him, and the two chatted about their youth.

In the following two days, not only Xin Maolai came to visit, but also the patriarchs of powerful families such as Wei Hongji and Yuwen Jie, sensing that things were not going well, came to visit as well.

In recent years, due to the Xiao family, the Changsun family has had some subtle conflicts with these powerful families. Their visit at this time is to resolve these misunderstandings.

Changsun Wuji was getting old and didn't want to make any more enemies. Since they were willing to back down, he was also willing to let bygones be bygones.

As the sun rose and set, time quickly came to July 21st.

Early in the morning, Changsun Wuji put on a red suit. He no longer held any official position, only the title of the emperor's brother-in-law.

This ceremonial robe was given to him by Li Shimin when he was granted the title of Imperial Brother-in-Law, and he has always treasured it carefully.

Around mid-morning, Changsun Wuji, dressed in formal attire, left his residence and headed to Taiji Palace to attend the emperor's birthday banquet.

(End of this chapter)