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

Chapter 89 From Today Onwards

Li Shimin gave Quan Wanji, who was at a loss for what to do, a deep look, and sighed inwardly: "Granted."

Quan Wanji's heart sank. He immediately handed over his personal fish-shaped tally and horn tablet, and followed his attendants out of the Taiji Hall.

Quan Wanji was so despised that not even a single person felt sorry for him.

Li Shimin cleared his throat: "Today, I have invited the Duke of Zan to court to discuss how to attack Tuyuhun next year."

"Duke Zanguo may speak frankly about his plans, and may recommend any capable individuals."

Now that things have come to this, they are not so afraid of revealing secrets, since Tuyuhun has already been restrained.

Every move of the Tuyuhun was being watched secretly by someone on behalf of the Tang Dynasty.

It's hard to say who among Murong Fuyun's followers is truly loyal.

Dou Fengjie raised his bamboo tablet and said, "Your Majesty, I am merely speaking presumptuously."

"With the Western Sea as the boundary, the northern route will be led by Minister Hou of the Ministry of War as the Grand Commander, with the Khans of Gandou, Qida, and Chekun Dasilifa as his soldiers. They will march directly to Fusi City. The Duke of Lu, who is familiar with the route, should have no problem."

Hou Junji stroked his beard with a reserved air. This cousin of his was a good one; he never forgot his contribution.

The last victory came too easily; it wasn't satisfying enough.

"For the southern route, I recommend Su Dingfang, the Left Guard General of the Imperial Guard, as the commander-in-chief, and Li Hai'an, the Eagle General of the Eagle Banner of Kuangdao, as my deputy commander-in-chief. We will gather 30,000 troops from the various Qiang tribes and launch an attack from the foot of Dafei Ridge."

"On the western route, please request the Liangzhou Governor's Office to dispatch troops to block the retreat route of Tuyuhun to Qiemo and Shanshan."

"In addition, an imperial censor-in-chief is indispensable for military supervision. I request that Xu Yushi and Ma Zhou be appointed to this position."

Dou Fengjie's act of recommending himself for the position of deputy chief steward brought smiles to the faces of both the emperor and his ministers.

That's right. Dou Fengjie went to great lengths to set up this scheme, just to gain this military merit and seniority.

If Dou Fengjie truly had no desires or wants, then one would indeed feel uneasy.

Because of Xu Yushi's successful experience as military supervisor last time, neither the emperor nor his ministers thought there was anything wrong with the military supervisor recommended by Dou Fengjie.

Hou Junji was the only one who was a little unhappy, because he could no longer get involved in the allocation.

Imperial Censor Zhang Wencong weakly said, "Ma Zhou loves wine and chicken, but drinking is forbidden in the army—"

Such a problem is not a problem in front of the emperor.

With a stroke of his pen, Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) issued a special decree granting Ma Zhou permission to drink alcohol in the army, citing Ma Zhou's illness and need for alcohol.

As for Dou Fengjie's detailed plan, it was impossible for him to reveal it on the spot.

Minister of Revenue Tang Jian immediately stated, "The Ministry of Revenue will arrange the provisions for the 40,000 troops as soon as possible."

Dou Fengjie smiled and retorted, "Minister Tang, the provisions for 40,000 troops are a minor matter. What the Ministry of Revenue should consider is that I promised the Qiang people that I would exchange their livestock for wheat at fair value."

Tang Jian was alright, but Dou Jing, the Minister of Agriculture, gritted his teeth.

Damn it, this brat has brought so much warehousing and transportation pressure to the Ministry of Agriculture!

Fortunately, the wheat given to the Dangxiang Qiang did not have to be transported from Guanzhong; it would be much easier to exchange it directly through Jiannan Road and Shannan Road.

However, where will the food shortage in Chang'an be made up for?

"Deputy Supervisor, tell the Qiang people to raise fewer yaks and more yellow cattle in the future," said Li Wei, the Director of the Imperial Garden, stroking his beard with one hand, speaking cheerfully.

"That's right, scalpers have a wider range of applications," agreed Du Chuke, Minister of Works.

"Duke Zan, get me a horse that can carry heavy loads!" King Li Tai of Yue said with a grin.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai's rolls of fat and couldn't help but sneer: "Prince Yue, don't be silly. Apart from the newly arrived Sharma, I'm afraid there's no horse that can carry your many sorrows."

Li Tai did not give a direct answer: "From today onwards, I will practice boxing, horseback riding, and archery, and be a happy person."

Dou Fengjie rubbed his fingers together. "King Yue, have you paid the copyright fee yet?"

The same words will elicit different reactions from different people.

For the first time, Li Chengqian's gaze towards Li Tai was filled with apprehension.

His younger brother, who surpasses him in filial piety and literature, could even possess considerable martial arts skills if he were to lose weight. Wouldn't he be able to perfectly inherit the Xuanwu Sect's techniques?

Li Shimin's eyes flickered, wondering if Li Tai's words meant that he was giving up on Lishi.

Is "be a happy person" a protest against me, implying that he is unhappy?

Gao Shilian wanted to say something, but when he thought about his experience of being demoted from a court attendant to the position of chief secretary in the Yizhou Grand General's Office, countless words turned into a soft sigh.

There's no point in making trouble by talking too much.

Li Shimin considered for a long time: "How about I appoint you as the Governor of Yongzhou and General of the Left Guard?"

Without this whetstone, who can provoke the proud Li Chengqian?

The position of Governor of Yongzhou, a second-rank official, oversees the capital region, which sounds like an immensely powerful position.

Unfortunately, in Chang'an, you could throw a clod of dirt anywhere and hit an official outside the capital; Yongzhou couldn't afford to manage so many official titles and ranks.

Most importantly, when the prince was the governor of Yongzhou, the real power lay with the chief secretary and the chief administrator; the prince was merely a figurehead.

"Your Majesty, I am not after official rank or title; I simply wish to do something practical so as not to spend my days idly."

Li Tai's words were very pleasing to the ear.

Upon closer reflection, well, whether he's the Left Guard General or the Left Guard Grand General, can Li Tai mobilize even a single soldier?

The position of Governor of Yongzhou was even more of a hollow one.

I'd rather practice boxing, horseback riding, or archery than take those two official positions.

Although Li Tai couldn't climb onto the horse's back, nor could he fully draw the Seven-Dou Bow—

"Does the King of Yue want to work in a substantive department, such as the Court of State Ceremonies?"

Sikong Changsun Wuji glanced at his second nephew.

"The Emperor's brother-in-law really understands me. What a coincidence, isn't the position of Minister of Ceremonies vacant?"

Li Tai beamed with joy.

Dou Fengjie praised him, saying that the chubby boy knew how to seize an opportunity to climb the ladder. Since no one had taken over the position of Minister of State Ceremonies, he took the opportunity to ask for the official post.

The position of Minister of State Ceremonies, a third-rank official, was not particularly prominent, but it granted access to diplomatic relations and the power over funerals, which was precisely the area that the Crown Prince could not reach.

Li Shimin sighed. Qingque was becoming increasingly difficult to fool; empty promises were no longer enough to coax him. He had to be given this real position.

"Minister Sikong, your government affairs hall should review this and remove the Prince of Yue from his post as Minister of Ceremonies."

Li Shimin spoke helplessly.

"除" means to remove all previous official positions and replace them with new ones.

In other words, Li Tai lost his title of Left Guard General, and the promised title of Left Guard Grand General was also gone.

Li Tai, however, laughed without a care in the world.

This is a great catch!

Spending every day with my uncle allows me to practice Tai Chi and even test my calligraphy skills!

Li Tai was skilled in cursive and clerical script, but he was particularly fond of Dou Fengjie's vigorous and strong Liu style calligraphy. He asked for a piece of calligraphy to take home and stamped it with his two calligraphy appreciation seals, "turtle" and "benefit".

Li Chengqian's face was so long it was almost as long as A-lu's.

I never imagined that my one extra word would lead to Qingque snatching a real position!

Among the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial, two junior officials and Dou Fengjie smiled and gestured to Li Tai.

Tsk, Dou Fengjie then realized that there were only a few Miao people in the entire Court of State Ceremonies who attended court. If a fight broke out, he would suffer a loss!

It seems Dou Fengjie needs to practice his scepter technique properly so he won't suffer a loss later.