Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 99 The Sound of Mi Mi
Everyone was present, but the atmosphere was slightly strange.

The group exchanged glances.

It seemed as if they were both asking each other if it was because of Dream of the Red Chamber.
in the case of.

Is such a big deal really necessary?
If not, why would Zhang Jiuling, a low-ranking official, be present at this prime minister's meeting?

Li Longji saw everything, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. He took a sip of tea to moisten his lips, and after setting down the teacup, he suddenly said, "What? Don't you all know why I summoned you here today?"

Everyone was silent.

People are becoming increasingly uncertain.

Li Longji suddenly looked at Zhang Jiuling again, "Zhang Yuanwailang".

"The minister is here."

Zhang Jiuling immediately stepped forward.

Li Longji asked, "You submitted this memorial, so why aren't you saying anything?"

It seems it's still because of Dream of the Red Chamber, but is it really worth making such a fuss? Could it be that this matter has really angered the emperor, or is the emperor more concerned about the imperial examination reform than I thought, and therefore wants to make an example of someone?

Zhang was filled with confusion, and for a time, he had countless guesses.

Zhang Jiuling was also taken aback, but the matter was already set in motion, so he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has recently issued a policy on literature and art, hoping that the poems and essays written by the literati of our Great Tang Dynasty will be beautiful, practical, principled, powerful, elegant, and flavorful."

However, shortly after this policy was promulgated, Wuming Academy promoted Mr. Wuming's "Dream of the Red Chamber" in the form of storytelling, which won the praise of the people.

I have personally witnessed it. Although the story is exciting, it is full of intrigue and romance, which is decadent and goes against the policies of the court.

Your Majesty, I believe this book should be banned for now, and only reinstated after Your Majesty has achieved significant political and military success.

Li Longji frowned and said angrily, "Such a thing has happened? Is the Nameless Academy deliberately trying to oppose the imperial court?"

Li Qiao immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand?"

Li Longji said, "The court has just issued a policy. Any honest person will write poems and essays in accordance with the court's policy and will not go against the wind. I do not see any misunderstanding here."

Li Qiao explained, "The date the imperial court issued the policy and the date of the charity performance by Wuming Academy were only a few days apart. They still had to rehearse, which shows that this was arranged in advance. It is impossible that Mr. Wuming wrote this book specifically to oppose the imperial court."

Li Longji glanced at Zhang Jiuling, but Zhang Jiuling remained silent.

Zhang Jia-zhen also observed this, noting the complete lack of confrontation. He understood Zhang Jiu-ling's character and thought to himself that Zhang Jiu-ling's memorial was for Zhang Shuo's sake, not his own intention.

Li Longji waited a while before speaking: "Whether it was pre-arranged or not, let's not discuss that. After all, the imperial court issued the policy first, and Dream of the Red Chamber came later. Even if it was truly pre-arranged, it should have stopped after the imperial court issued the relevant policy. However, Wuming Academy ignored the imperial court's policy and claimed it was a misunderstanding, which is hard to believe!"

Li Qiao immediately said, "Just now, Assistant Minister Zhang only mentioned one point, but not the other. The reason why Wuming Academy allows its students to perform in restaurants is to repay the Emperor's grace. Therefore, their performances are all charity performances, and the profits will be used to help those relocated households. This was all requested by me."

Li Longji said, "Oh: Is this matter also related to the Prince of Sipu?"

"Yes."

Li Qiao nodded and said, "Initially, Mr. Wuming wanted to do something to repay the Emperor's favor. He originally planned to take his students to do good deeds. In this way, he could repay the Emperor's favor, guide his students to do good, and help the people. It was a win-win-win situation."

Upon learning of this matter, I recalled Your Majesty's recent thorny issue: the re-registration of unregistered households. This process, which falls under the category of providing property for the people, prompted me to take this opportunity to put it into practice. Therefore, I encouraged them to do so and provided them with assistance.”

Yuwen Rong frowned upon hearing this. His attendance at the meeting today was purely coincidental. Starting next year, he would be undertaking sweeping reforms to restore the national treasury, which was why he had been meeting with Li Longji frequently recently. It just so happened that they bumped into each other.

He originally thought he was just there to watch the show, to see them fight like dogs, but as they talked, he realized something was off; there was something more to their conversation.

How come this practice of registering a household in seclusion has become a matter of purchasing property for the people? Brother, this is my suggestion.

Could it be that today's game was specially prepared for me?

He suddenly felt a sense of impending doom, like a trap set in Hongmen. He immediately perked up, realizing that none of them were good people; they were all damned bastards.

This immediately made the atmosphere even more delicate.

"I see."

Li Longji nodded and looked at Zhang Jiuling again.

Zhang Jiuling remained silent.

This was not his original intention; he did it entirely for Zhang Shuo's sake.

Li Longji waited a moment longer, his face slightly displeased, and said, "Zhang Yuanwailang, are you unaware of this matter?"

You're the one who wanted to impeach me, but you're not saying anything.

Are you mocking me?

Zhang Jiuling was torn. He only wanted to offer some advice, but seeing the matter escalating, he feared he might overreact—something he certainly didn't intend. Seeing Li Longji's displeasure, Zhang Shuo thought to himself, "This is bad," and was about to speak up to help Zhang Jiuling out of the predicament.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jiuling had been observing Zhang Shuo all along. Seeing that he was about to jump out, he immediately spoke up first: "Your Majesty, doing good deeds does not necessarily have to go against the policies of the court. Mr. Wuming is incredibly talented. His story of capturing and releasing Cao Cao was so wonderful. Why must he use Dream of the Red Chamber to do good deeds instead of writing some stories that are more in line with the current court's preferences? There is no conflict between the two."

The situation here is already murky enough; if you, Zhang, jump out again, the situation might get out of control.

"It makes sense."

Li Longji immediately slammed his fist on the table and said, "Under the guise of repaying the Emperor's grace, they are indulging in such decadent music. I am ashamed of myself! This is outrageous!"

Zhang Jiuling was extremely depressed.

Am I making this sound that serious?
Li Qiao panicked. It was obvious that the emperor was on Zhang Jiuling's side. What should he do?

I speak with such reason and evidence, and you nod in agreement; he mutters a few words, and you fly into a rage.

That's so unfair!

Yuwen Rong also noticed that the emperor seemed to be favoring Zhang Jiuling, and immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if anyone can use Your Majesty's name to do personal things, it will damage Your Majesty's reputation and cannot be tolerated. I also suggest that the nameless academy be severely punished."

Zhang Shuo, Zhang Jiazhen, and Yuan Qianyao all looked at Yuwen Rong at the same time.

But the three of them quickly realized that he was afraid Li Qiao would take his job.

Zhang Jiuling complained bitterly.

He never expected things to escalate to this point; how is he going to handle this?

In an instant, Li Qiao seemed to become the target of everyone's criticism.

Li Qiao was also anxious. How could it have turned out like this? It was different from what Xiao Man had said. He exclaimed excitedly, "The Dream of the Red Chamber is not decadent music."

Now that the emperor no longer cares about repaying the emperor's favor or providing property for the people, the most crucial question has become whether Dream of the Red Chamber is truly decadent.

Using decadent music to repay the emperor's favor would make the emperor lose face.

His attempt to turn the tables only proves that Dream of the Red Chamber is not decadent music.

Li Longji asked, "Is that so?"

Li Qiao hurriedly said, "That's right. Dream of the Red Chamber is indeed about love between men and women, and it also includes intrigue and scheming. But many poems and essays also describe love between men and women and intrigue and scheming, just in a more subtle way."

Li Longji nodded and then asked Zhang Jiuling, "Zhang Yuanwailang, on what basis do you conclude that Dream of the Red Chamber is decadent music?"

The more they talked, the more serious they became, and Zhang Jiuling couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want things to get so tense.

Zhang Shuo knew Zhang Jiuling's character well and realized that he had indeed put him in a difficult position, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the poems and essays mentioned by Prince Sipu are actually not of high quality, and poems and essays can never have the influence of Dream of the Red Chamber. After all, there are few people who understand poems and essays, but everyone loves to read stories. This is what Minister Zhang is worried about."

If only a minority of people enjoy reading it, even if it's considered decadent, it's not a cause for concern. The main issue is the immense influence of *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Yuwen Rong immediately said, "What you say is very true, Master Zhang. Everyone loves to hear stories. Nowadays, everyone is talking about Dream of the Red Chamber. If we don't stop it in time, it will be too late to stop it if it causes chaos in the future."

Li Qiao quickly defended himself, saying, "You all view Dream of the Red Chamber in such a narrow way. The story in Dream of the Red Chamber is unprecedented, and it was immediately loved by everyone. Isn't that a testament to its literary excellence?"
It is precisely because of the prosperity, openness, and magnanimity of our Great Tang Dynasty that all kinds of literary works have been born.

If we ban it because of this, how can we talk about civil administration?

“What the Prince of Sipu said makes sense!” Li Longji nodded, then suddenly looked at Zhang Jiazhen, “What does Zhang Zhongshu think?”

Zhang Jiuling was completely bewildered; wasn't it chaotic enough already?

Zhang Jiazhen was standing to the side without saying a word, and you dragged him in.

Yuan Qianyao was also somewhat confused. The impeachment didn't seem like an impeachment, and the accountability didn't seem like an accountability. He thought to himself, "Why does the emperor seem to be trying to sow discord?"

Zhang Jiazhen, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, was taken aback when the emperor suddenly asked for his opinion. He quickly replied, "I haven't been to restaurants much lately and haven't heard of 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' so I can't give an opinion."

Li Longji then looked at Yuan Qianyao.

Yuan Qianyao quickly added that he had never heard of it.

This matter is becoming increasingly abstract, and they don't want to get involved until they figure it out.

Li Longji pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I haven't heard of it either, but what you all say makes sense. I don't want to wrong any good people. How about this, let the Nameless Academy send two students here to explain Dream of the Red Chamber. After that, I and you will make a judgment on whether Dream of the Red Chamber is decadent or not."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo, Zhang Jiazhen, and Yuan Qianyao all looked at Li Longji.

A hint of guilt flashed in Li Longji's eyes, and he coughed, "What do you all think?"

Zhang Jiazhen hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty is extremely discerning; I believe this is the proper course of action."

Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao also expressed their approval.

(End of this chapter)