Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Man can conquer heaven!

As news gradually spread throughout Bingzhou that the skies were clearing up.

The news spread that people had already begun to harvest and dry the wheat while the weather was sunny.

The Taiyuan government officials finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yangcheng Palace.

After finishing his morning exercise, Li Chengqian felt refreshed and energized. While eating breakfast, he looked at some reports and documents that Wang De had sent in advance.

A rare, relaxed smile appeared on his face.

"There will definitely be production cuts, but this time the scale of the cuts has been kept to a very small extent... Great!"

Qian Yingying sat next to Li Chengqian.

Seeing the prince's profile as he intently studied the document, I felt inexplicably at ease.

The heavens seem to be against this wise prince, as if determined to make an enemy of him.

The continuous torrential rains were a direct result of Bingzhou's early efforts to renovate and renovate its inland rivers and ditches, as well as its massive investment of manpower and resources to complete the first phase of the Yellow River water conservancy project.

Even though Bingzhou had high-yield winter wheat varieties like Tianbao Jinzhong, it was still difficult to achieve significant results.

This year, they will all be flooded.

Furthermore, it is unknown how many more people will be displaced, or even lose their lives in this natural disaster, their families torn apart and lives lost...

"The reconstruction work in some low-lying areas must be carried out quickly..."

During breakfast, Li Chengqian didn't even have time to say a few words to Qian Yingying, his future crown princess. After a hasty meal, he headed straight for Shougong Hall.

“Miss Qian, His Highness…”

Qian Yingying looked at the nervous Wang De and smiled faintly.

"Don't worry, Eunuch Wang, isn't this exactly how the Crown Prince should be? I won't overthink it."

Seeing that the Crown Prince's beloved girl was not unhappy, Wang De breathed a sigh of relief. After bowing and paying his respects, he hurriedly headed towards the Shougong Hall.

In the days that followed...

It wasn't just the Yangcheng Palace in Taiyuan Prefecture that was keeping the officials extremely busy.

Heading towards Chang'an.

After King Li Tai of Wei officially took over the affairs of overseeing the state in Chang'an.

After spending about half a month familiarizing myself with the situation of each department and the local issues, and making some personnel adjustments.

His Highness the Prince of Wei finally began his sweeping reforms.

Meeting that day.

As Feng Deyi was officially promoted to Minister of Revenue in public, Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing, who had been trembling with fear for half a month, also received a new post as an Inspector General.

There was a "click" sound.

Li Tai slammed a precious sword, which he had found in his father's private treasury, onto the tray held by the eunuch Fan Qi.

Speak loudly.

"Cui Xiaoguo, commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is hereby granted the position of Inspector-General, commanding 3,000 Imperial Guards and 500 Firearms Troops, to assist Minister Feng and Prince Jing in investigating tax evasion among merchants!"

"Anyone who dares to obstruct this will be punished as an equal, regardless of their official rank or grade!"

"In the name of overseeing the country, I hereby bestow upon you the Emperor's Sword!"

"If any illegal acts are encountered during this period, you may execute them first and report later!"

Cui Xiaoguo's square face was filled with excitement. He took a deep breath, bowed solemnly, and accepted the sword handed to him by Wang Decheng with both hands.

Shout loudly.

"Your Highness, rest assured! Xiaoguo will certainly live up to Your Majesty's grace and sweep away the treacherous and corrupt officials!"

"Return the people to the land, and restore a bright and clear sky to the new policies and reforms!"

"If anyone neglects their duties, may they be struck by lightning, and their descendants will not have a good end!"

aside.

Feng Deyi and Prince Jing, Li Yuanjing, were trembling with fear.

On the surface, the troops and power given to Cui Xiaoguo, the head of the secret service, were meant to assist them, but they were actually a force that could almost overwhelm the forces under Li Yuanjing, the inspector.

It looks like they're being wary of and warned.

If they honestly perform their duties and investigate commercial taxes, they won't be punished.

If they fail to satisfy His Highness Prince Wei... then the steel swords in the hands of the Imperial Guards and the muskets in the hands of the Firearms Army can also be used against them.

The group bowed and expressed their gratitude.

Li Taiping's calm gaze slowly swept over the officials in the Chang'an court.

Most of the veteran officials of the Wude era were taken to the western expedition by Li Yuan, and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, two former pillars of the court, were also taken away by the emperor. In addition, many of his own elder brother, the emperor, was also transferred from Taiyuan Prefecture.

On the contrary, in the imperial court in Chang'an...

There are clearly more mediocre people filling in the gaps.

Li Tai seemed to let out a slight snort from his nose.

Where is Zheng Jiang?!

"Your subject, Zheng Jiang, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, pays respects to Your Highness!" Zheng Jiang quickly stepped forward.

Seemingly realizing something, he couldn't help but feel excited.

"You've done a very good job, and the achievements of the Zheng family members in local governance are evident to all..."

Li Tai paused slightly, and all the officials turned their gazes toward Zheng Jiang.

Some felt envy, some worried, and some disdain.

However, with Li Tai issuing the order to "promote Zheng Jiang to the position of Minister of Personnel".

The atmosphere among the officials in the imperial court had clearly become somewhat awkward.

Minister of Rites Tang Jian remained expressionless. Seeing that his subordinate vice minister seemed to have some dissatisfaction, he immediately cast a fierce glance at him.

He gave the latter a warning glare, and the latter opened his mouth, but in the end could only swallow his anger.

"The previous reform of the promotion of officials in Chang'an was too slow and yielded very little result. It seems that some people have put in a lot of effort to keep their own positions, or the positions of their family members!"

Li Tai's expression was icy, revealing his dissatisfaction and murderous intent without any attempt to conceal it.

Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the dragon table.

"Now that I sit on this throne as regent, I'd like to see which of these high-ranking officials here truly desires a complete and harmonious family! Zheng Jiang!"

Zheng Jiang trembled: "Your subject is here!"

Li Tai's eyes widened.

"The reform of official promotions must be swift and decisive! What nonsense about 'deliberation and planning'! I want to see if your 'deliberation and planning' will outlive you!"

"I will ask my elder brother, the Emperor, to transfer a group of officials from Taiyuan Prefecture who previously participated in the civil service reform to supplement the Ministry of Personnel. In addition, I will also request the personnel from the Ministry of Rites who are responsible for drafting the relevant examination questions for the promotion of civil servants!"

"Tang Jian..."

Tang Jian straightened up, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your subject is here!"

Li Tai squinted: "I don't think the Ministry of Rites has any problems, right?"

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will do my utmost to cooperate and ensure the smooth completion of the civil service promotion reform! If I fail, I am willing to commit suicide to atone for my sins to the world!"

Li Tai nodded in satisfaction, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it was unclear.

Then came a word of praise.

"Yes, that's right. My royal brother has said more than once that Minister Tang is a loyal and devoted official, and seeing it today, it is indeed true."

As Tang Jian lowered his head, a flash of joy appeared in his eyes.

"Your Highness flatters me. I am ashamed!"

The morning assembly concluded.

Before long, drafted public notices began to appear at the gates of Chang'an and in some squares.

It quickly spread to the surrounding counties and prefectures.

His Highness the King of Wei, acting as regent, is determined to forcefully push forward with reforms to the promotion of officials!

This news, like the spring breeze that gradually warms up after the day cleared, quickly spread throughout Guannei Road, Henan Road, Hedong Road, and Longyou Road.

The local officials, who had previously been struggling because the imperial court had been slow to implement effective reforms like those in Bingzhou, were overjoyed upon seeing this news.

"Hahaha! There's hope! There's hope! We, the clerks, have hope of being promoted!"

"We can finally truly enter the court and serve as officials!"

"It's His Highness Prince Wei! His Highness Prince Wei is the prince who fought alongside His Highness the Crown Prince in the Northern Expedition against the Eastern Turks. He is the Crown Prince's own younger brother, personally trained by His Highness! If His Highness Prince Wei wants to implement reforms in the promotion of officials, it must be true!"

"We've finally waited for this moment! Fortunately, we've never stopped studying and researching, and we've already mastered the questions from the Taiyuan Prefecture's civil service promotion exams!"

"Hahahaha! His Highness the Crown Prince has always emphasized practicality and innovation when promoting officials. We have been low-level officials for many years, and we know best how to govern a region! Now, it is finally our turn, those of us from poor backgrounds, to govern a region!"

Jiannan Circuit, Chengdu Prefecture.

Looking at the latest report from the Hundred Cavalry Commandery.

Li Shimin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He patted Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who were standing to the side and didn't really want to talk to him.

"Hahaha, Xuanling, Keming, look at that kid Qingque! Just as we predicted, he's handling the regent's affairs very well! Hahahaha!"

"Truly worthy of being the son of Emperor Taizong of Tang!"

Fang Xuanling subtly pursed his lips, not wanting to say anything.

However, Lu Shiming, the former governor of Chengdu, who was also present at the moment, looked at the three people in front of him with trepidation.

If he hadn't met the Prince of Qin of the Tian Ce Mansion in Chang'an back then, he would never have believed that the emperor, who was clearly in Chang'an, would inexplicably come to his Chengdu Prefecture.

Seeing that the two ignored him, Li Shimin smacked his lips in boredom.

Only then did he turn his gaze to Lu Shiming in front of him, gently stroking a small tuft of his beard.

It seems like a smile but not a smile.

"Prefect Lu has not disappointed me; he has not joined the Lu family of Fanyang in rebellion..."

That simple sentence caused Lu Shiming, who was already uneasy about Li Shimin bringing up this matter, to instantly kneel down on the ground with a thud.

"Your Majesty! Heaven and earth bear witness that I have had no contact with the Lu family of Fanyang for three or four generations. Moreover, the clan has an ancestral hall in this Shu region. How could I possibly have any connection with those treacherous officials and rebels!?"

Seeing the other party's appearance, Li Shimin did not feel any shame or fear.

Smile lightly.

"I didn't say anything else, why are you panicking? If you really have connections with the Lu family of Fanyang, do you think you could still hold such an important position as the Prefect of Chengdu?"

He shook his head slightly and picked up a household registration document about Chengdu Prefecture from the table.

The above records a considerable number of clans.

This situation is very common in Jiannan Road and even Lingnan Road.

Seeing that the other party was still kneeling on the ground, looking trembling with fear, Li Shimin suddenly spoke.

"Prefect Lu, do you know Wang Ming, the head of the Wang family of Taiyuan?"

Lu Shiming nodded, not understanding what His Majesty the Emperor wanted to say.

"I am aware of the Wang family of Taiyuan. Wang Ming is currently serving as the prefect of Taiyuan..."

"Hmm... What official position do you think Wang Ming will get when the Crown Prince ascends the throne?" Li Shimin nodded, asking another seemingly casual question.

But it made Lu Shiming feel as if he had caught something.

"This, Your Majesty, how dare I presume to know His Majesty's intentions? The current Crown Prince is wise and virtuous, which is well-known even in my humble land of Bashu, and the people all praise His Highness's wisdom... Governor Wang has made great contributions and will surely become a pillar of the court in the future."

As he finished speaking, Lu Shiming cautiously raised his head, seemingly trying to observe the emperor's expression.

But the other party nodded in satisfaction.

Suddenly she leaned down and spoke softly with an alluring expression.

“Wang Ming was initially dishonest, and it was the Crown Prince who taught him a lesson, which led to his current state. But Minister Lu, your political achievements are good, and you have not offended my Crown Prince.”

"If you were to govern Chengdu Prefecture into another Taiyuan Prefecture... do you think you would be any worse than that old bastard Wang Ming?"

"Wang Ming is already fifty-five, while you're only in your early forties... Minister Lu!"

"This is a golden opportunity for the Lu family of Shu!"

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance.

My heart is filled with contempt.

This emperor truly has no shame.

Even recruiting soldiers requires using the crown prince's name...