Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

The olive branch thrown by the Prince of Wei's Palace brought these scholars neither any actual benefits nor made their poems famous.

It can't be compared with the Eastern Palace at all.

Anyone who is not obsessed with joining the King of Wei will choose Li Chengqian, the legitimate crown prince.

In the minds of ordinary people, the prince is the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Following the future emperor will give you a bright future.

If they follow a prince and their master is punished one day, they will be implicated as well.

Moreover, working in the royal palace would have very limited prospects.

Li Chengqian asked in surprise: "Du He, did the emperor ask you to compile the good poems from the poetry gathering into a collection of poems?"

Du He shook his head and said, "Your Majesty has entrusted the task of selecting and compiling the poetry collection to the Secretariat."

"But don't worry, Your Highness. I will take over this task. It won't be a big problem."

As the Junior Secretary, he was actually the adjutant of the Secretariat, and he also helped the Secretariat to gain so many benefits.

He couldn't say that he had an outspoken attitude in the Secretariat, but Yan Shigu, his immediate superior, basically responded to all his requests.

As long as he takes over the task of compiling the poetry collection, choosing whose poems to include in the collection will only be a matter of a word from him, right?

If anyone is not convinced, then let's compare their poetry writing skills.

When it comes to writing poetry, there is no rival for plagiarist Du Ye!

Li Chengqian was overjoyed: "Great! Du He, you still have a solution!"

He said anxiously, "Du He, go to the Secretariat now and take over the task of compiling the poetry collection. I will send someone to Pingkangfang to invite scholars to the East Palace."

"Um... okay."

Du He said with a slight tremor on his lips.

He had just returned from the Secretariat and hadn't even had time to relax yet, but now he had to go there again.

...

"Master Du, I haven't seen you for half an hour, and you have become much more handsome!"

"As expected of the most handsome man in the Tang Dynasty, Master Du has a handsome appearance!"

"Du Shaojian is so talented that even Pan An in ancient times would have to admit he is inferior to him."

When Du He arrived at the Secretariat, these old proofreaders and secretaries stood up and praised him.

Even though Du He was thick-skinned, he couldn't help but blush when he heard the praises from a group of old men.

It is true that whoever has money is the boss.

When they came to the Secretariat before, these old guys would at most say hello respectfully. But now that they have secured great benefits for them, their words of praise are more exaggerated than the last.

Who says that people in the Secretariat are all old-fashioned?

An old-fashioned person wouldn't say such a thing.

Du Hedao felt that they were just a bunch of old naughty boys.

When I arrived at Shangguan Yan Shigu's office, I found him humming a tune while reading an ancient book comfortably.

knock knock knock.

Du He knocked gently on the door, then walked in and said, "Master Yan, you are in such a good mood!"

Yan Shigu looked up and saw that the person coming was Du He. He quickly stood up and said.

"Master Du, please take a seat. I will make you some tea."

Although it is not clear why Du He came here again, Du He is now a popular figure in the Secretariat and must be served well.

Liu Li, the Yellow Gate Minister of the Menxia Province, was eyeing Du He covetously.

If Du He got unhappy and ran away, he would cry to death.

Du He waved his hand and said, "Master Yan, you don't have to be polite. I have a small request this time. Please let me compile the poetry collection for the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival."

Is this a request?

This is not a big deal!

Yan Shigu immediately said, "Mr. Du, you are too polite. You are the adjutant of the Secretariat, so you don't need to say the word please."

"Since you have the leisure time, you will be fully responsible for compiling the poetry collection!"

"Just tell me how you need me and the people from the Secretariat to cooperate."

Du He nodded.

Then he clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Lord Yan. I'll leave first. When the Ministry of Rites brings the poetry materials, please send someone to the East Palace to inform me."

After saying that, Du He was about to walk out.

"Master Du, please wait a moment."

Yan Shigu quickly called Du He to stop.

Du He turned around and asked in confusion: "Master Yan, is there anything else important?"

Yan Shigu took out a booklet recording achievements from the Secretariat from a locked cabinet on the side, and walked over to hand it to Du He.

"Du Shaojian, your achievements this year rank first in the Secretariat."

"My health is getting worse and worse. When the Ministry of Personnel conducts the annual assessment, I will recommend you to the Ministry of Personnel as the Secretary General!"

As he said this, he let out a long breath and said it with a somewhat carefree look on his face.

"I am sixty-three years old this year, and I am old and frail. I also want to go home and spend my remaining years in peace."

"I believe that under your leadership, the Secretariat will be better off than it is now."

Hearing Yan Shigu's sudden words, Du He was stunned for a moment.

Then Du He waved his hand and said, "Sir Yan, you are still strong and healthy now, you should continue to take on the important task of the Secretariat."

"Next year I will have to follow the Crown Prince to conquer Goguryeo, and I don't know when I will be able to return."

"I'm afraid that you, Lord Yan, will have to take care of the duties of the secretary."

Du He's current ambition is no longer to work in a less powerful department like the Secretariat.

His sights were set on the core positions of the three provinces and six ministries.

Yan Shigu stroked his beard and remained silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "Alas, seeing how old I am, I forgot that you were going to go to war with the crown prince."

"Okay, then I'll have to hold on for another year."

"When you return triumphantly from the Liaodong battlefield next year, I will recommend you to be the Secretary General."

I don’t know why Yan Shigu, his superior, wants to resign so much.

Du He did not argue with him any more, but evaded the question by saying, "Sir Yan, let's talk about this next year."

After saying that, he left the Secretariat and returned to the East Palace across most of the imperial palace.

When he arrived at the entrance of the hall, Du He did not see Xue Rengui.

So he curiously asked the guards on the side: "Where is General Xue?"

The guard clasped his fists and said, "The Duke of Wei is here. He took Lord Xue to the side hall to teach him the art of war."

The fact that Xue Rengui became Li Jing's apprentice was no secret to a soldier close to the crown prince.

Moreover, Li Jing came to the Eastern Palace many times to teach Xue Rengui the art of war.

Du He nodded and walked into the hall.

Li Chengqian, who was reviewing memorials, saw Du He coming back and asked hurriedly.

"Du He, what's going on?"

Du He bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, I have fulfilled your mission. I have accepted the task of compiling the poetry collection."

"Great!"

Li Chengqian waved his fist excitedly.

It has to be Du He, who is always decisive and resolute in doing things.

The two men chatted for a few words, and the person who went out to Pingkangfang to recruit scholars also came back.

"Your Highness, I have brought back 1152 scholars who participated in the poetry meeting."

"They are waiting outside. Do you need to summon them now?"

Li Chengqian was very excited when he heard that the servants had brought most of the scholars to the Eastern Palace.

He said quickly, "Take them to rest first, and have someone cook some hot summer soup for the scholars. I will go and meet them in person later."

"promise!"

The servant bowed and left the hall with his head lowered.