Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 88 Puguang Temple, the hat is too heavy

Puguang Temple, filled with Buddhist chants and Zen hymns.

The temple abbot, Dao Yue, said calmly, "Although Duke Zanguo is young, he is very insightful."

"If he agrees to protect the Taoist sect, the nature of his previous actions against Farin will immediately change."

Only by being impartial and unbiased can we maintain a fair stance.

The abbot of Fahai Temple, Daozhen, looked resentful: "Senior brother, he has seized the foundation of my Fahai Temple!"

Dao Yue shook his head slightly: "Junior brother is still too stubborn. The original site was Fahai Temple. Does moving it to the former Duke Zanguo's mansion mean it's no longer Fahai Temple?"

"Where the heart leads, flowers bloom and Buddha is seen everywhere."

Daozhen almost laughed out of anger. So it's not because you moved into the once filthy Duke Zanguo's mansion that you can talk so lightly.

Whoever is in this situation will feel terrible.

Daoyue was also a high-ranking monk, and his message quickly spread throughout the temples of Chang'an.

The matter of Dou Fengjie disqualifying Falin Dade from the preliminary selection was thus settled.

As long as it's not deliberately targeted, the monks can accept some adjustments.

"Senior brother, you were both appointed by the Crown Prince. Qin Ying, the abbot of Xihua Temple, often enters the Eastern Palace to pray for His Highness. Why don't you go to the Eastern Palace for a visit?"

""

Daozhen was greatly puzzled.

"The crown prince's position is unstable; attaching yourself to him at this time could easily bring disaster. Why not sit quietly and listen to the chanting of sacred texts, cultivating yourself to attain the first stage of enlightenment (Sotapanna)?"

Dao Yue spoke softly.

In his view, Dou Fengjie was right about one thing: the Buddhists only needed to quietly watch the Taoists make their own moves.

The consequences of alchemy were so great that even the Taoists themselves could not bear them.

The more detached one is from the matter, the clearer one can see that Li Chengqian, the crown prince established in the first year of the Zhenguan era, was not actually the best choice in the emperor's mind.

The reason for choosing him was that Li Shimin was showing the world that the struggle for the throne would not be repeated, and that the Tang Dynasty would still follow the rule of establishing the eldest son as heir.

But who can say for sure what will happen in the future?

Since you have taken on the robes of a monk, you should not get too close to the secular world.

If your heart is like a Bodhi tree, why let dust settle on it?

July 1st.

Inside the Taiji Hall, the officials stood in their respective ranks.

At the end of the Honglu Temple procession, Dou Fengjie stood upright, his eyes lifeless, holding his bamboo tablet with a helpless expression.

The highest rank he could hold was only the sixth grade. Apart from the title of Duke, only the rank of Grand Master of the Palace and General of the Vanguard could reach the fifth grade.

Is this how people have to attend court? Is there no justice in this world?

He's not one of those officials from the Censorate who dare to speak out!

Even the sixth-rank officials who attend court are only the assistant directors of the twenty-four departments of the Six Ministries!

The Vice Minister of Agriculture, Wu Shiling, spoke slowly: "Your subject, Wu Shiling, requests commendation for Dou Fengjie, the Acting Director of the Imperial Gardens."

"Since the deputy supervisor took office, he has implemented the curved shaft model, the method of deep cultivation and thorough weeding, and the idea of ​​combining waterwheels and bamboo troughs, which has given the director of the Imperial Garden a completely new look."

"The Deputy Supervisor also introduced tall and strong Sharma horses to the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as cabbages and onions that can be grown in every household. I think the prefix 'Inspector' can be removed from his title."

Liu Shan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, glared angrily: "The Ministry of Agriculture dares to rob the people of the Ministry of State Ceremonies! Do you believe I'll send your men to Goguryeo again?"

Dou Fengjie yawned, showing little interest in Wu Shiling's suggestion.

It's fine to take on the job as the director of Jingyuan as a side job, and it's good to occasionally go over and give instructions. It would be too uncomfortable to be working in the fields all day long.

Moreover, Dou Fengjie did not want to truly become Dou Jing's subordinate.

The position of the Court of State Ceremonial was better. It allowed one to manipulate foreign countries whenever possible, stir up trouble, and, when in a good mood, ride a donkey to Lhasa on a diplomatic mission, while singing "Nothing can stop me" or "Riding a donkey to Lhasa".

The verbal sparring between the two junior officials was like a passing breeze to Dou Fengjie, leaving him completely unmoved.

Being an agricultural official was never an option for Dou Fengjie; he couldn't settle down to study it properly.

Yin Hongzhi, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, could no longer bear to listen and spoke up to mediate: "Why don't you two junior ministers stop for a moment and listen to what the Duke of Zan has to say?"

Dou Fengjie, lost in thought, addressed the assembled court with concise and to-the-point words.

"Maintain the status quo."

Tang Jian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, laughed heartily, pleased with himself for his discerning eye in recognizing talent.

Such a young person has a bright future!

"Your Majesty, I, Quan Wanji, have impeached Minister Tang for his improper conduct before the palace."

"Furthermore, I would like to ask the Duke of Zanguo, why did the Diankeshu (Bureau of Foreign Affairs) directly reject the Tuyuhun's proposal for peace?"

Quan Wanji, the Imperial Censor in charge of official documents, stepped out of the hall with his official tablet in hand.

"If the Imperial Censor is interested in inquiring about foreign relations, why not take a position at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs?"

"In that case, you can make the Tang Dynasty submit to Tuyuhun and pay tribute, as you wish."

"Or, you could join the Council of State as prime minister."

Dou Fengjie replied curtly.

Quan Wanji was a busybody; he even opposed the emperor's gift of tricolor glazed pottery to Dou Fengjie and impeached Tang Jian. Dou Fengjie was not going to tolerate him.

The label of "the Tang Dynasty paying tribute to Tuyuhun" was too heavy for Quan Wanji to bear, leaving him speechless.

Although Dou Fengjie's words were very impolite, no one could say he was wrong.

The Censorate can intervene in military affairs, but diplomatic relations are outside its jurisdiction.

It's fine for a senior advisor to occasionally mention diplomatic relations, but once it's blown out of proportion, it can make people keep their distance.

Moreover, this was Tuyuhun, a group that had been holding back their anger among the Tang emperor and his ministers.

"The imperial censors are used to reporting things based on hearsay, and they want to meddle in everything."

Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Gui spoke with sarcasm.

What a coincidence!

Last year, Wang Gui was in charge of evaluating officials in the capital. He was impeached by Quan Wanji for unfairness, but it was inconvenient to take action against him. So he could only make a sarcastic remark at this time.

Wang Gui was no pushover, having managed to oust Gao Shilian, Empress Zhangsun's maternal uncle, and secure a high position as a court attendant, despite being part of the Xi Yin Prince's faction.

Wang Gui's words directly accused Quan Wanji of overstepping his authority.

Dou Fengjie chuckled: "Your Majesty, my policy is to refuse Tuyuhun's offer of peace. King Tianzhu will surely travel far and wide, sparing no effort to beg for a glimmer of hope."

"Those with insight should keep their mouths shut at this time, while the greedy will try to snatch chestnuts from the fire for Tuyuhun, unafraid of burning their own hands."

Quan Wanji's face was as black as charcoal.

In all honesty, he did not accept any benefits from the King of Tianzhu. He simply felt that the Tang Dynasty should be more lenient and give Tuyuhun a chance to catch its breath.

As for how many more commoners die as a result, that's none of his business.

The common people are unworthy of benevolence.

Unfortunately, these words can be uttered in private, but cannot be used to defend oneself in the imperial court.

Minister of Personnel Gao Shilian Luohanmei twitched: "Your Majesty, the position of Prefect of Xihan Prefecture is vacant, and we need a capable minister like the Imperial Censor to fill the vacancy."

In the third year of the Wude era, Xihan Prefecture was established by separating the three counties of Hexi, Hancheng, and Heyang from Tongzhou, with its seat in Hexi County.

In the eighth year of the Wude era, the seat of Xihan Prefecture was moved to Hancheng County.

In the eighth year of the Zhenguan era, Xihan Prefecture was abolished and merged into Tong Prefecture.

The position of Senior Censor of the Fifth Rank was transferred to the position of Assistant Prefect of Xihan Prefecture, which, judging from the rank, was definitely a demotion.

The current governor of Xihan Prefecture is Prince Lu, Li Yuanchang, the emperor's seventh brother. He is only thirteen years old and lacks the ability to govern, so Quan Wanji is acting as governor in his place.

From this perspective, it's hard to say whether it counts as demotion.

But Gao Shilian's words showed his firm support for Dou Fengjie.

Regardless of personal feelings towards Dou Fengjie, the established policy of destroying Tuyuhun cannot be shaken.