A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1067 Wu Huaiyu is back again

Everyone is afraid.

Li Shimin, the most powerful person in the Nine-Five Years, is also afraid of God.

The emperor also heard the rumors in the streets and alleys of Chang'an City, but he did not try to stop the people from talking. He knew that it was better to guard against the people than against the river.

What we need to do now is not to hold these ordinary people accountable, but how to solve the current disaster situation and restore people's hearts.

Leaving Wu Huaiyu as prime minister was just one of the things the emperor did.

It's still very cold,
The snow finally stopped,
The snow outside the window is five feet deep,
The Tang Dynasty stipulated that the double step of Emperor Li Shimin was used as the standard for size, (one step for each left and right foot), which was called a step. It also stipulated that three hundred steps were one mile, and one-fifth of one step was one foot.

This foot is equivalent to 0.303 meters in later generations.

There is five feet of snow on the flat ground. This snow is no longer ankle-deep, but is about to cover a person's neck.

Under normal circumstances, the snow is one foot thick, and the clouds are frozen and cold. Even three feet or four feet of snow is unbearable. However, this spring in Chang'an, there was five feet of snow on the ground.

Wu Huaiyu's white hemp announcement yesterday spread throughout Chang'an City in half a day, and all the offices of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Yamen immediately knew that Duke Wu was back.

Send away all the officials,
Wu Huaiyu sat in this former office for a while, finished the cup of tea, and then stood up again. He was not only the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but also a subordinate of Tong Zhongshu.
He had to go to the introspective political hall under the palace gate.
When I walk in the door and look inward, I also receive countless compliments.
There are two Menxia Provinces, one is located in the imperial city like the Capital Office, and the other is located in the palace city. The two inner provinces of Zhongmen and Menxia Province in the palace city are convenient for assisting the emperor, and there are people even at night. Stay on duty.

It snows heavily, the weather is cold, and the ground is as ice-like as a mirror.

The left servant of Shangshu Province shot Liang Guogong Fang Xuanling, the right servant shot Shen Guogong Gao Shilian, Zhongshu Ling Yan Guogong Ma Zhou of Zhongshu Province, and the servant of Zheng Guogong Wei Zheng of Menxia Province.

Wu Huaiyu also saw that many of the street trees on the street had been cut down. The people couldn't stand the cold, so they secretly cut down the trees on the street to keep themselves warm at night.

He is no stranger to this place. After all, he once served as Minister of Civil Affairs and Prime Minister. Now, after several years, he is back again.
There are many familiar old faces missing in the Civil Affairs Bureau. Almost all the servants, lieutenants, and foreign ministers have changed. However, many of the ministers and other minor officials are still old people. Although these people work hard , work diligently, but there is an invisible gap between Qingzhu,

Political Hall meeting.

Seeing Wu Huaiyu come in, all the officials came forward to greet him.

The political hall is located in the Menxia Province, which is also convenient for the prime ministers to make decisions and can quickly complete the process in the three provinces, especially the Menxia Province that is responsible for review.

But now,
It was so early in the morning, there were not many people on the road, and most of the street shops were closed.

Wu Huaiyu took a carriage to the imperial city. There were few pedestrians on the road. Chang'an was still very lively at this time. Officials who had gone to Beijing to attend court gatherings had just begun to return to their places. The imperial examination had just ended, and a large number of scholars were still in the capital...
Even many foreign envoys from foreign countries were still in Chang'an to experience the prosperity of the Tang capital, and those Hu merchants were still doing business everywhere.

Others are appointed by the emperor to discuss matters in the political affairs hall, and they are also prime ministers with titles such as "participating in political affairs", "participating in the affairs of Henan Dynasty", and "third rank under Tongzhongshu".

Now just clean it up, wipe it, and decorate it a little bit, and it will be back to its original appearance.

Then there are the prime ministers who join the political hall with their own official titles.
Li Daliang, the official censor and the Duke of Wuyang County, the Duke of Chen Guojunji, the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Duke of Wuyang County, and then Wang Gui, the Duke of Yongning County and Tongsanpin under Zhongshu's family,
Wu Huaiyu was the eighth prime minister.
I am the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, with the title of Pingzhangshi under the Tongzhongshu family, and am appointed to the Political Affairs Hall as the Prime Minister.

However, although there is no hope of promotion, after all, it is a central provincial government office. Even a small official has a lot of real power. His apparent income is not much, but his secret income is still good. It is not as good as the previous one but more than the lower one. For many people from ordinary backgrounds For many scholars, being able to serve as an official in the central government offices of three provinces and six ministries is already the pinnacle of life.

After he left, the new minister did not use his room, but replaced it with a new one. No one else dared to occupy that room, so it remained empty.

Not only did the prime ministers of the three provinces work together,

Knowing that he likes to drink green tea, I specially made Gu Zhu purple bamboo shoots for him and prepared a small fruit plate.

This early in the morning, before anyone else came, the stove had been lit in the house, the water was boiled, the house was very warm, and some people even smoked incense.

Wei Zheng also said, "The sage is following his advice this time. I have always believed that a great talent like Wu Sikong is killing a chicken with a sledgehammer, and the great talent is useless."

They are all acquaintances.

Although the political hall is located under the door, it also has its own team of subordinate officials. It is not just a place where prime ministers hold meetings and discuss matters.

Prime ministers came in one after another,

Wu Huaiyu was no stranger to this, after all, he had served as prime minister for three terms.

"Everyone, go and do your work first. Most of them are old acquaintances, so there is no need to be so polite. The recent spring cold has caused disasters. Our Ministry of Civil Affairs has to work harder. When the disaster is over, we can hold a dinner party. of·····"

Since the Zhenguan period, the power of the political affairs hall has been increasingly strengthened, and the original central system of the three provinces has been greatly affected.

Even the share of subsidies from public money is large.
Wu Huaiyu walked into his office. Yesterday, he learned that he had become the Prime Minister and was also in charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The Ministry immediately arranged for someone to prepare his public apartment.
It's still the same room he once had,

Looking at this figure who was much younger than them, several prime ministers felt a little dazed. They were too familiar with Wu Huaiyu.
Take Fang Xuanling, for example, who has been staying at the Political Affairs Hall since Zhenguan. Except for the occasional suspension from work to go home to reflect, he has been the prime minister for eleven years.

Everyone is very happy about this news.
They all still remember that when Wu Huaiyu was in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he was kind to everyone. Although he was a little serious when doing things, he always strived for the benefits he gave everyone, whether it was a free canteen or fish, meat, chicken, duck, egg and rice paste during the New Year. vinegar,

I also placed a few pots of very green and tender green plants, which is very thoughtful.

"This snow actually lasted for six days and nights."

Most people never get over it in their lifetime.

Like the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the back office staff of the Political Affairs Hall still arranged for Wu Huaiyu to have his original office, which was kept very neatly.

All the way into the imperial city, Wu Huaiyu first went to the Yamen of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Wu Huaiyu had worked with him here for several years.

Some came to pick up bags, some picked up cloaks and coats, and some helped sweep slush off shoes.
Others hurried to open the door, and someone quickly fetched hot water and started making tea.

"Qingyang is back again. I don't need to worry about finances and taxes anymore." Fang Xuanling welcomed with a smile.

The diligent Wu Huaiyu couldn't stand it.

Wu Huaiyu went in to take a look, said hello to his staff, and then went to the conference hall.

The political affairs hall now also has five rooms below: cardinals, officials, soldiers, households, and Xingli. There are special officials behind the hall. The prime ministers have their own offices in the political affairs hall and even have their own assistants and subordinates.

The soldiers on patrol were so cold that they could hardly hold their swords and guns.

"I would also like to thank Prime Minister Wei for the recommendation." Wu Huaiyu said politely, but he was not so polite in his heart. If Wei Zheng hadn't recommended him as prime minister before, which aroused the emperor's suspicion, he would not have changed his title from Duke of Jin to Duke of Song.
He always felt that the title Song Guogong was not good.

Now Xiao Yu has dismissed the Prime Minister and eliminated the Duke of the Song Dynasty. Wu Huaiyu has been renamed the Duke of the Song Dynasty and has entered the Political Affairs Hall as the Prime Minister. In the eyes of others, it seems that he has robbed Xiao Yu of his position and title.

Brother-in-law Ma Zhou nodded to him and smiled slightly, Wu Huaiyu just nodded and smiled,
The relationship between Uncle Lang and Uncle Lang has remained so good over the years, and there is no need to be too polite at all.

Gao Shilian and Li Daliang also greeted Wu Huaiyu one after another, and they were all very cordial.

Wang Gui was relatively cold and just said hello politely.

Wu Huaiyu sat down.

Hou Junji took the initiative and came over.
"Congratulations to Wu Sikong for being Prime Minister again,"

Wu Huaiyu raised his eyelids and saw that this guy had a purple robe and a jade belt, and a big beard. He was still so tall and strong, his waistline seemed to be a little thicker, and his face was a little fatter.

He smiled at Wu Huaiyu, but the smile was not pretty.

This guy has really become smarter and no longer fights Wu Huaiyu.

Or maybe they just don’t know how to fight,
Wu Huaiyu never had a good impression of this ambitious guy.

"Xiang Hou returned to the political hall one step earlier than me."

The two of them laughed, which was quite hypocritical. Take your seat again,

From the first year of Zhenguan to the present eleventh year of Zhenguan, the prime ministers in this political hall have also come and gone, and several groups of people have changed.

Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, Feng Deyi, Yang Gongren, Yuwen Shiji, Du Ruhui, Du Yan, Dai Zhou, Li Jing, Qin Qiong, Wen Yanbo, Warrior Xun, Yang Shidao, Zhang Liang, Xiao Yu, Changsun Wuji,
Seventeen of the former prime ministers of Zhenguan are not in the political hall now.

Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Ma Zhou, Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Li Daliang, Hou Junji, Wu Huaiyu,
Plus the eight people here now,

During the eleven years of Li Shimin's Zhenguan Dynasty, there were twenty-five prime ministers.

Among those prime ministers, Wu Huaiyu missed Xiao Yu very much. Xiao Dapao was a ruthless man who dared to roll up his sleeves and fight with the prime minister in front of the emperor in the Golden Palace.

Today’s political hall meeting,

It was the turn of the attendant Wei Zheng to take charge.

He first welcomed Wu Huaiyu into the political affairs hall. Everyone was familiar with him and no introduction was needed.

Go directly to the next formal topic,
Disaster relief.

Wei Zheng believed that the imperial court had mobilized to actively provide disaster relief, but that alone was not enough. He believed that the root of the problem must be found.

"Those things in the heaven and earth that change unexpectedly are called differences, and those that are small are called disasters."

Disasters are greater than disasters. Disasters and disasters are all sent by God.
This theory was not invented by Wei Zheng, but was constructed by Dong Zhongshu, a great scholar in the Han Dynasty. It has been passed down ever since, and Confucian scholars all believe in this theory.

Now that there is a cold disaster in February, Wei Zheng thinks it is a strange thing, and strange things are sent by heaven.

Therefore, disasters must be rescued, but why there are disasters sent by God needs to be clarified even more clearly.

Wei Zheng fired out this cannon, and the other seven prime ministers, including Wu Huaiyu, all had serious expressions.

Everyone who can be the prime minister is a human being. It is very clear that Wei Zheng's words are actually aimed at the emperor. Who can be responsible for the disaster?

Only the emperor.

This is a bit of a deep dive. One bad move will have serious consequences.

Although Li Shimin was a very enlightened emperor, there were times when Li Shimin was overbearing and unreasonable.

However, Wei Zheng came well prepared. Taking advantage of his turn to take charge of the political affairs pen, he presided over the political affairs hall meeting and began to talk about disasters and divine dispatches.
Although the emperor issued an edict asking all officials to speak out and point out the emperor's faults, Wei Zheng felt that this was not enough.

Regarding the current disaster, Wei Zheng concluded that he ignored it.

Not being able to know good and evil, being familiar with habits, being familiar with the same kind, being rewarded for meritorious deeds, not killing guilty ones, all officials being ruined and chaotic, and it is said that this is caused by the loss of soothing.

What is Shu?
Knowing the crime but not punishing him, I call him Shu.

Wei Zheng said that just because he didn't see it clearly, God punished him with Heng Ao.

What is Hengao?

Hou Junji was confused after hearing this. Although he had studied with Wei Zheng, he only learned a little bit.

I really don’t understand.

Wu Huaiyu knew it.

This is actually a set of theories summarized by Ban Gu of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Hengao will cause seasonal imbalances such as warm winters and disharmony between spring and summer, which in turn can lead to personal diseases, also known as eye diseases.

Ban Gu said that Li is fire and eyes. He believed that because the color of fire is red, it has red auspiciousness, or it is called Chiyi.

"皚", Shuowen Jiezi said that eye disease produces nebula, which is extended to disaster "皚".

Wei Zheng quoted the theories of Dong Zhongshu, Ban Gu and others, but actually pointed out that today's Chixiang is actually caused by the emperor's ignorance and the relaxation of political punishment.
To put it bluntly, Wei Zheng scolded Li Shimin for being blind.

For example, even though some members of the old clan committed serious crimes, they did not follow the law and killed them, such as Qiu Xinggong, Dang Renhong, etc. Another example is that the Turks are not our race, and the Tang Dynasty finally defeated them and destroyed the country.

Now they are trying to restore their country, and the 200,000 scattered Turks must be gathered in Qinan.

Isn't this crazy?

For another example, the emperor has been wandering in recent years. After fighting the Turks and Tuyuhun, he will fight Xue Yantuo again. The Qiu Ba generals in the Ministry of War and the Twelve Guards have even begun to study the conquest of Goguryeo.

Not to mention, the imperial court has not stopped attacking the internal Rongdi tribes in recent years. There are rebellions by the Rongdi tribes everywhere every year.

Isn't this following Yang Guang's old path?
In addition, Li Shimin has become less and less thrifty in recent years. He spends money lavishly and rewards meritorious officials, nobles, relatives, and princes and princesses in large numbers.

It is also said that the emperor has been in the Cultivation Palace, Jiucheng Palace, Daming Palace, Luoyang Palace, Xianyou Palace, Yuhua Palace, and Cuiwei Palace in recent years, and he has become addicted to practice.

Moreover, the emperor also liked hunting very much and went out hunting almost every month.

Wei Zheng bluntly said that it was the emperor's erratic behavior that caused such disasters.

The only voice in the hall was Wei Zheng's.

The other seven prime ministers were silent.

I really couldn't answer the call.

Especially since the emperor is not here yet, if everyone here points out some of the emperor's faults in person, it can be regarded as remonstrance.

But the emperor is not here, and the topic is not well controlled, making it look like a criticism meeting against the emperor.
So inappropriate.

Wu Huaiyu felt that Li Shimin had indeed drifted a little in recent years, but not much. After all, it took ten years to lead Datang to its current heights, and Li Shimin was qualified to drift a little.

As for the talk of a disaster sent by heaven, he felt that this was simply far-fetched. It was the product of the Confucian literati's perverted emperor's desire for transformation and control.

Wei Zheng lingered for a long time, his mouth was dry and his tongue was dry.

He stopped to drink water,

I wanted to get everyone's support, but found that no one answered the call.

He looked at Wu Huaiyu, as if he wanted to get support from Wu Huaiyu, but Wu Huaiyu just didn't seem to understand and just smiled at him.

It's cold now,
The atmosphere is a bit awkward,

Wei Zheng drank a few large sips of water and felt a little annoyed.
These people are the prime ministers of the country, but when the monarch makes mistakes, they refuse to stand up and point it out.
Thinking of this, Wei Zheng put down his tea cup and stared at Wu Huaiyu, "Your Majesty is becoming more and more like Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. As prime minister, do you want to be like the five nobles of the great cause and only know how to please?"

The Five Nobles of Daye were the five most powerful people in the Yang Guang Dynasty, and were also called traitors. They were Su Wei, Pei Ju, Pei Yun, Yu Shiji and Yu Wenshu.

These five people did not dare to disobey Yang Guang. They only knew how to cater to him. They gained power in the government and the public, but they also harmed the country and the people.

Wei Zheng's accusation was already very serious.

Wu Huaiyu also turned cold, and the other prime ministers looked at Wei Zheng angrily.

If you scold the emperor, scold the emperor, and what will we do with it?
Are you, Wei Zheng, the only one who is so great?
"Prime Minister Wei, please pay attention to your words. Discuss matters as they are discussed and do not attack personally." Wu Huaiyu counterattacked Wei Zheng unceremoniously.

Do you really think it’s your fault that I regained my appearance?
(End of this chapter)