A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1228: Either a Loyal Person or a Treasonous Person

One dynasty played nine times in the sky, and eight thousand on Chaozhou Road in the evening.

Before entering the palace,
He was still the prime minister who had returned triumphantly and was admired by the whole world, but after a meeting in the Yanying court, Wu Huaiyu was demoted to the outer side of the Great Wall.

The official who was demoted to the left should immediately take up his post by express train, and should travel at least ten express trains a day.

Wu Huaiyu bid farewell to the emperor in the hall, and Li Shimin turned his back to him and waved his hand.

Before the court meeting was over, Wu Huaiyu was urged to leave by the imperial envoy.

Not even allowed to go home.

In front of the Yanying Gate, it was Zhang Ananda who brought him here again who escorted him out of the palace.

The old man had no expression on his face.

The ease they had felt before was gone, and both of them remained silent.

At this time, Wu Huaiyu was demoted and banished to a remote area, so it was not convenient for him to talk to Zhang Ananda again, for fear of being impeached again. He himself did not care, but Zhang Ananda was already eighty years old, so it was not convenient to implicate him.

Delivered to the palace gate,
Zhang Ananda finally spoke up, "Go to the post immediately, and don't worry about your family."

Wu Huaiyu nodded and said, "I said before that I would go and ask for a couple of drinks on your birthday in a few days, but now it seems that I can't go to celebrate your birthday."

The old man waved his hand and turned away.

Standing in front of the palace gate,
Wu Huaiyu let out a long breath.

Every day is like a roller coaster.

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. It is really lonely at the top and I am afraid of frightening the people in heaven.

The two eunuchs were still following him, wanting to escort him directly out of the Chang'an city gate, and behind them was a team of a hundred cavalrymen from the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards.

This team of one hundred imperial guards was to escort him to Liaoxi to take up his post immediately. Although Wu Huaiyu called it escort, he felt that perhaps the words care or surveillance might be more appropriate.

"Let's go."

Wu Huaiyu did not ask to return to Beijing to say goodbye to his wife and children. Since the emperor had said in the palace that he would take up the post immediately, these people did not dare to disobey his order.

A bit inhumane.

But Wu Huaiyu thought that he should just go with the flow. He had already prepared himself mentally for returning to Chang'an this time. He just had to walk on thin ice at every step. It was always better to be cautious.

Even Ma Zhou, the emperor's top secretary, guessed the emperor's thoughts wrongly.

There was something strange and unusual about today's court meeting.

He vaguely grasped something, but he couldn't be completely sure.

Just be careful.

From the Danfeng Gate of Daming Palace, go out of the city through the Tonghua Gate, the upper east gate.

"Stay!"

Suddenly, someone shouted from inside Tonghua Gate, and a young guard came running over on horseback.

"Please stay, Wu Situ,"

The captain of the Hundred Cavalry Guards who was escorting him turned his head.

"I am the Prince Qianniu of the Eastern Palace. I am following the order of the Crown Prince. Please wait for a moment, Wu Situ."

When the Captain of Hundred Riders saw that the young man was actually a Prince's assistant, whose rank was much higher than his, and who came on the orders of the Prince, he nodded and agreed to help him.

Prince Chengqian rode over quickly.

He came in a hurry, without even putting on a cloak, and his face was slightly sweaty as he ran all the way.

When he came close, he jumped off his horse with a swift somersault.

"teacher,"

"Your Highness."

Cheng Qian came up to him and looked at Wu Huaiyu, feeling a little guilty.

"I suddenly heard that you were sent to Liaoxi to take up your post, so I hurried over. You should follow me back to see the sage. I will certainly plead for you.

"Teacher, you destroyed a country and captured a king in the Western Regions, expanded the territory by thousands of miles, and newly established five protectorates and more than 300 governorates. How can the saint punish you like this just because of some people's impeachment? This is unfair."

Wu Huaiyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern. I am loyal to the Tang Dynasty and Your Majesty, and I have a clear conscience. However, I did fail to discipline the army strictly in the Western Regions, and I also made some other mistakes.
If you make a mistake, you must admit it. Your Majesty has praised my merits, so it is only right that I should be punished for my mistakes."

"No, compared with the teacher's merits, that little mistake is nothing. The flaws do not outweigh the merits, and the faults do not outweigh the merits. Teacher, please don't leave. I will go to see the saint now..."

"Your Highness, the Saint has already made his decision, and I have accepted it. Your Highness does not need to cause the Saint's displeasure because of me.

It's good to go to Liaoxi to atone for your mistakes."

"It's cold and windy today. Your Highness, please return to the East Palace immediately to avoid catching a cold."

As he spoke, Wu Huaiyu took off his sable coat and put it on Cheng Qian.

Although Cheng Qian was only ten years younger than him, he had watched him grow up, and even taught him. When he was young, he studied with Wu Huaiyu, not only learning the classics of sages, but Wu Huaiyu also taught him many useful things in life.
The two can even be said to be both teachers and friends. During Cheng Qian's rebellious teenage years when he had a bad relationship with his father, Wu Huaiyu was even both a teacher and a father.

It was Wu Huaiyu who cured his broken leg, it was Wu Huaiyu who cured him of poisoning, and it was Wu Huaiyu who saved him from his position as crown prince when he had a bad relationship with his father.

Wu Huaiyu really put a lot of effort into Cheng Qian.

Although it wasn't so pure in the beginning, and there was also the intention of taking sides in advance for political reasons, but after so many years of getting along, the relationship between the two is really good.

Wu Huaiyu wanted to retreat, but still hoped to maintain a good relationship with the prince.

The Wu family still has to stand behind the prince.

No matter what the emperor's plan is this time, Wu Huaiyu does not want to involve the prince.

Over the years, he has worked hard to help Cheng Qian secure the position of crown prince, and he really doesn't want any more complications.

"Teacher, I have a few words to say to you alone."

The two men walked to the side of the road, and the guards consciously stood far away.

Cheng Qian put on the mink coat that Huaiyu gave him, feeling windproof and warm. He held Wu Huaiyu's hand and said, "Teacher, you have made great contributions, but you were demoted when you returned to the court. Do you feel resentful?"

Wu Huaiyu shook his head.

“I have written a ten thousand word letter to the Saint before, and I have also said that the first credit for conquering the Western Regions was the Saint’s planning, the support from all sides of the court headed by the Prime Ministers in the Political Affairs Hall, and the soldiers’ hard work.

I haven't made much contribution, and I know this clearly.

When we conquered the various countries in the Western Regions, many problems were indeed exposed, and I should bear the main responsibility."

"In fact, when I met the emperor yesterday, I confessed to him that I had failed to discipline the army and the tribesmen, and I also took the initiative to request to go outside the Great Wall to manage Liaodong and help the court in its upcoming northern expedition against Xueyantuo."

"I have no complaints about today's treatment. The Saint has been very lenient towards me, otherwise Zhang Liang would have said that I deserved death." They chatted for a while.

Another group of people came into Tonghua Gate.

However, the emperor sent another envoy, urging Wu Huaiyu to leave for his post as soon as possible, and asked the prince to go to the Purple Palace as soon as possible.

The emperor already knows what's happening here.

"Your Highness, please hurry up. I should also set off. According to the rules, the left-handed official must travel at least ten post stations a day. We must hurry up and travel."

Each post station was thirty miles long, and the left-handed official had to travel more than three hundred miles a day.

If you delay, you will be held accountable.

Wu Huaiyu's situation was a little different from that of ordinary officials who were demoted. After all, he still held the titles of Si Tu and Taizi Tai Fu, and he was demoted to the posts of Governor of Yingzhou and Protector of Andong.

Even if the governor of Yingzhou was a lower governor, he was still a third-rank official. And the governor of Andong was a third-rank official.

But with the emperor's words in the palace that he should ride the express post immediately, Wu Huaiyu still had to travel hard, but the post stations along the way would also provide him with food and other guarantees such as horses.

Cheng Qian took off his cloak and tied it on Wu Huaiyu himself.

"It will get colder and colder as we head northeast. Please take care of yourself, teacher."

"Well, Your Highness, please take care of yourself too."

Cheng Qian turned around, mounted his horse, and hurried to the Daming Palace at the urging of the envoy.

"Situ, it's getting late. We should hurry on. We have to catch five post stations today. We can't delay."

"Let's go."

Wu Huaiyu tightened his cloak and mounted his horse.

He immediately rushed to take up his post, and was not even allowed to bring any retainers with him. He was surrounded by this team of a hundred imperial guards.

The cold wind whistles,

Wu Huaiyu walked eastward in confusion. The Chang'an City behind him became farther and farther away until it disappeared.

On Longshouyuan is the Daming Palace.

Prince Chengqian walked into the Purple Palace with a chill in his aura.

The temple is very warm.

The emperor, wearing a bright yellow robe with a dragon pattern, was waiting for him in the hall.

"My son, I pay my respects to my father."

Li Shimin turned around and waved to the eunuchs and palace servants waiting in the hall, "All of you get out."

"Gao Ming, come here."

Li Shimin poured a cup of milk tea for his son, "Drink a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up first."

"Huaiyu left the capital?"

"Well, we didn't stop for a moment," Cheng Qian replied, holding the warm teacup.

"Are you feeling a little down?"

"Father, I just feel that the teacher has always been loyal and upright, but we have repeatedly tested him.
He had no complaints about his father's treatment of him. Even though it was inhumane for him to take up the post immediately and not even allow him to say goodbye to his family, he did not feel the slightest bit dissatisfied.

A loyal subject like the teacher should not be treated like this."

Li Shimin was very calm.

He poured himself a cup of milk tea and drank it in a few gulps.

"Gao Ming, you are still young and have little experience. You can't judge many things and people by their appearance. To be honest, Wu Huaiyu's reaction was somewhat within my expectations.

But he accepted it without hesitation, and even showed no complaints.
It makes me a little worried.”

"Why?"

"If it were anyone else who had made such great contributions but only made some minor mistakes, they would be dissatisfied with my treatment. However, Wu Huaiyu was not dissatisfied at all.

What does this mean?
Either they are extremely loyal and virtuous, or they are extremely treacherous and evil.

Wu Huaiyu is only thirty-five. His performance makes me unable to fully believe that he is truly loyal and wise. If he has the slightest dissatisfaction and resentment in his heart, but can hide it so well, it is terrible. "

Cheng Qian was shocked when he heard this, but he didn't think that Wu Huaiyu was a great evildoer for being able to hide the truth. Instead, he was worried about his teacher.

"Father, the teacher has made many contributions over the years. He has been prime minister for five terms and five times dismissed. He has also been stationed outside many times, in Shuofang, Youzhou, Lingnan, and the Western Regions. Whether in the court or in the local areas, the teacher has made remarkable achievements. But the teacher has been the same for more than ten years and has an excellent reputation.

It is impossible for a person to keep a disguise and hide so well for more than ten years. "

Li Shimin held the still warm teacup, and all kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind.

He was only forty-three years old, but he felt that his health and energy were not as good as before. He had been in power for a long time, and the way he considered things was very different from before.

It is easy to conquer a country, but difficult to rule it, and even more difficult to keep it.

"Father, should we issue an order now to recall the teacher?"

Li Shimin pondered for a long time.

"I am increasingly unable to see through Wu Huaiyu. I plan to wait and see and not recall him for now."

"Father, didn't we agree that if the teacher was demoted and willing to take up the post immediately without complaint, you would let me come forward to plead for the teacher, and then your Majesty would withdraw your order and summon the teacher back to the court?"

Li Shimin put down his teacup.

"Let's wait and see when Wang Mang is humble and has not yet usurped the throne. If he is truly loyal and wise, he will surely be able to withstand this test."

"You will take Wu Liangdi and Han Liangyuan with you to the Wu residence to visit Fan and other Wu family members, explain the situation to them, and comfort them."

"I asked Chengsi to go back with you. Remember to bring more gifts."

Today, when Wu Huaiyu denied the impeachment charges of the Censorate in the palace, Li Shimin was actually quite satisfied. Ministers who make mistakes and have selfish motives often make the emperor feel at ease.

But Wu Huaiyu's reaction after being demoted and his performance when he said goodbye to the prince outside the city gate made Li Shimin worried.

He was too obedient and too obviously loyal, which was a bit abnormal.

This kind of behavior, just as he told the prince, is either extremely loyal and virtuous, or extremely treacherous and evil, but the emperor cannot judge which one it is at this time.

If Wu Huaiyu was the same age as Li Jing, then at most he would give him a noble and honorable position and title, and keep him in Chang'an under his watch. He would give him enough honor and glory, but not real power.

But Wu Huaiyu was only thirty-five, not even fifty-three, and this was what worried Li Shimin the most.

Let's wait and see. If one year doesn't work, then three years. If three years doesn't work, then five years. If five years doesn't work, then ten years. If ten years doesn't work, then twenty years. Li Ji was kept in Bingzhou by him for sixteen years, and Zhangsun Wuji had also kept him in the cold. If he couldn't see Wu Huaiyu clearly, then he could have kept him out in the future. He is now the governor of Yingzhou, and next year he could be transferred to the governor of Diezhou, and the year after that he could be the governor of Yinzhou.

(End of this chapter)