A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1251 It’s not a gentleman to not avenge one’s grudges

Send the emperor away,

Wu Huaiyu returned to the study and his eyes fell on the calendar on the table.

"On the 25th day of the first lunar month, the Waking of Insects, the Year of Renyin, the 16th year of Zhenguan, it is suitable for offering sacrifices and cleaning the house, but not for getting married or burying..."

Huaiyu picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote a line on this page of the calendar.

'Xue Wanche plotted rebellion and was beheaded at Goujiling.'

He paused with his pen in hand and added another line of words, "Zheng Renji and Zheng Xuanxu plotted rebellion and were ordered to commit suicide at home."

After thinking for a while, he added another line, "Tomorrow I will accompany the emperor on his eastern tour."

Putting down the pen, Wu Huaiyu looked at the calendar and became distracted.

This calendar was a collaboration between the Wu family's woodblock printing workshop and the Imperial Astronomy Bureau. Li Chunfeng of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau was responsible for compiling the calendar. After the emperor reviewed it, the manuscript was handed over to the Wu family, who engraved it and printed it, and then distributed it throughout the country.

This almanac not only records the solar terms, the length of the month, the date, but also the yin and yang, the five elements, good and bad luck, taboos, etc., as well as dream interpretation and house physiognomy, and even provides monthly farming activities, and detailed introductions to the knowledge of agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, animal husbandry, etc.
There are even some mathematical knowledge such as chickens and rabbits in the same cage, two horses chasing each other, sparrows gathering together, and Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.

There are also enlightenment contents such as Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames, and Thousand Character Classic.

It can be said that the calendar that the Wu family cooperated with the Taishi Bureau is not only an official calendar, known as the Imperial Calendar by the people, but it is also rich in content and can be called a small encyclopedia.

Many of the above contents are very popular among scholars and people, and they have been printed more and more in recent years.
Last year, the almanac sold nearly a million copies.

This little thing is printed by woodblock printing, so the cost is relatively low and there are many official purchases. In addition, the Tang Dynasty is now powerful and the surrounding vassal states all regard it as the legitimate dynasty, so naturally they have to use the Tang Dynasty's imperial calendar.

Wu Huaiyu sometimes likes to use this calendar as a notebook or memorandum.
A thunderclap awakens all the hibernating people.

This is the most imposing of the 24 solar terms, marking the beginning of mid-spring.

A burst of rain to hasten the blooming of flowers, and a few thunders of awakening insects,

When the Jingzhe Festival comes, the hoes never stop working and the busy spring plowing is about to begin.

Wu Huaiyu asked someone to call his concubine Zheng Liwan,

She was dressed in plain clothes and there were still traces of tears on her face.

"Go back to your mother's house and see your father off."

Zheng Renji, a doctor in the Ministry of Personnel, is Zheng Liwan's father. He was involved in this rebellion and was ordered to commit suicide today. As Zheng Liwan's daughter, she still has to go even though their relationship has not been good over the years.

"Sir, can you help me at home?"

Zheng Liwan begged, she had been engaged to Lu Shuang, but later the emperor entered the palace, and the Zheng family regretted the engagement for the sake of wealth, and Lu Shuang did not dare to mention it. Later, it was exposed by Wei Zheng, and the incident became a big deal. The emperor withdrew his order for the sake of his reputation, and the Zheng family lost face in public, so he made her become a nun.

It can be said that she had long lost any feelings for the Zheng family and her father. Later, she was given to Wu Huaiyu as a concubine, and she seldom went back. She never responded when her brothers and nephews asked her husband to help her.

She hated the Zheng family and her father.

But now her father was to be sentenced to death, and her mother, aunt, brothers, nephews and unmarried sisters were to be exiled thousands of miles away, and she felt a little bit reluctant.

"The Crown Prince has pleaded for mercy, and the Saint has been merciful enough. Your father was guilty of a crime that should have been punished by beheading, and then the father and son would be strangled, and the brothers, wives, daughters, and sons under the age of fifteen would be exiled, and all of their property would be confiscated.

But now I have given you enough face, allowing only your father to commit suicide, and the rest to be exiled, and those who are over 60 and under 6 years old can be exempted from exile, and some land is specially returned for living, which is already very good. "

The Tang Dynasty did not have laws to exterminate nine clans or three clans, nor would there be any whole family execution. However, for serious crimes such as treason, the sentence could not be reduced through eight discussions, and even if there was amnesty, it would not be pardoned. However, only the father and son would be implicated and hanged, and the rest of the wife and daughters would lose their official positions and become slaves, and the brothers would be exiled.

Zheng Renji, Zheng Xuanxu and Li Anyan conspired to assassinate him, so how could Wu Huaiyu save him?

Originally, the real crime of Zheng Renji and Zheng Xuanxu was the assassination of Wu Huaiyu, and they did not participate in the rebellion, but Zhangsun Wuji still took the opportunity to list them as Li Anyan's accomplices in the rebellion. Li Shimin certainly knew the inside story, but was also willing to take the opportunity to kill the chicken to scare the monkey and severely punish the five surnames and seven families.

However, some leeway was still left, as only two people were sentenced to death. The rest of the sons who should have been hanged, and the wives and daughters who were slaves without official positions were all exiled, but those who were over 60 and under 6 were exempted.

All property including land, houses, money and silk will be confiscated by the government.

As a married woman, Zheng Liwan would not be implicated in enslavement or exile according to the law. A married daughter's fate is with her husband's family, and she would only be implicated if her husband's family committed a crime.

If a daughter is unmarried and her parents die, she must observe mourning for three years, but if she is married, she only needs to observe mourning for one year.

Even at the husband's home, one cannot wear mourning clothes and can only wear plain clothes.

Zheng Liwan was not dissatisfied with being rejected by Wu Huaiyu. In fact, she had no feelings for that family and her father. But when the Zheng family suffered a devastating disaster, she felt compassion.

But after her husband refused, she could understand. After all, her father ended up like this because he murdered her husband, so it was normal for her husband not to save him.

"Go and see your father off. The Zheng family will be in chaos. If you can help, please do so."

The emperor pardoned all members of the Zheng family who were over 60 years old and under 60 years old from exile, but their property was confiscated, and their houses, fields, money, slaves, etc. were all lost. Even if he left a few old servants for them, it would be difficult for the old and young to make a living in the future.

"Tell your wife to bring some housekeepers from home to help take care of your father's affairs and bury him in peace.
Then you should place the elderly and children in your family who have been spared from exile in a farm in the suburbs and arrange for someone to take care of them."

Wu Huaiyu is not a pushover.

However, Zheng Renji was sentenced to death, and the Zheng family was confiscated and exiled. After all, the concubine Zheng Liwan was also a daughter of the Zheng family and had given birth to a child for him.

At this time, he asked Zheng to help with the aftermath, and others would say that he was magnanimous.

In fact, there are so many branches of Zheng family in Xingyang, it doesn’t matter whether he helps or not, because his own family can take care of them.

"Thank you, sir."

Zheng Liwan was very grateful.

"I'm not forgiving your father, but because of you. After all, you are the daughter of the Zheng family. Now is the time for you to take care of the aftermath."

Zheng Liwan raised her head and turned away. She didn't want her husband to see the tears in her eyes. She was heartbroken when she was in the Zheng family. After marrying into the Wu family, although there were many wives and concubines here and she was separated from her husband for a long time, she could often feel his care and warmth. "Bring more people with you and ask them to do things. Don't be too sad. Remember to come back early."

"Ah."

Tears kept flowing out, Zheng Liwan hurried away as she was afraid she would cry out loud.

Not long after she left,

Yang Muyun came and brought a plate of pears.

"Today is the Waking of Insects, it is a good time to eat pears."

"Why?"

"It is said that eating pears during the Waking of Insects will help you get rid of pests."

Wu Huaiyu laughed and said, "Only the rich and powerful can eat pears in this season. Ordinary farmers can't eat pears."

Only wealthy families can still eat last year's pears at this time.

"Let's get some bamboo shoots. Now is the time when spring bamboo shoots are on the market. Braised bamboo shoots in oil or steamed bamboo shoots with sauce and meat are both good. The spring bamboo shoots in this season are fresh, tender, smooth and delicious."

Ordinary people cannot eat pears at this time, but they still have the custom of eating insects. Of course, if there are no insects, you can also fry soybeans and eat them, commonly known as fried insects. It can be regarded as eating insects, and it is also a wish for good weather and no insect pests.

"The emperor's uncle was very popular when he was reinstated as prime minister this time, and he solved such a shocking case in a short time." Yang Muyun said, "It's a bit surprising that he only killed five people."

"The saint is merciful." Wu Huaiyu said.

"Erlang, you will accompany the emperor on his tour tomorrow, please take me with you."

"Okay." Wu Huaiyu was very straightforward. He felt that he owed his wives and concubines a lot over the years. They were often separated for long periods of time. Even if they were together, with so many wives and concubines, one man could not spend much time with them.

Anyway, this time we are accompanying the emperor on a tour, just for a leisure vacation. We will stay in the Lishan Hot Spring Palace for a while, and then go to the Luoyang Palace to stay for another period of time. Anyone in the family who is willing to go can be brought along.

"The Xue, Zheng and Li families are so lucky that they dared to murder my husband."

Yang Muyun was so angry with those families that he gritted his teeth. Wu Huaiyu was hit by two poisonous arrows in Luoyang and almost died.

"I think it's not just those few people. There should be others cooperating with them."

"For example, the Zheng family cannot have only Zheng Xuanxu and Zheng Renji."

Wu Huaiyu waved his hand indifferently, "We don't need to care about this matter, let the saint and the court handle it."

This time, Zhangsun Wuji made a big fuss, but the emperor was still in control. As soon as he found a clue, he closed the case.

Do not allow it to continue to expand.

There was a lot of thunder but little rain.

But no matter for the Xue family, the Zheng family, the Li family, as well as the emperor's brothers and princes, and the princes-in-law, their political lives ended there.

Carrying the charge of treason, they could not turn things around in the Zhenguan Dynasty. Even if Chengqian succeeded to the throne in the future, these people would not be able to turn things around.

Even though only five were killed,
But the living people can never turn over. Exile to Suiye is thousands of miles away. There is no way back in this life. Compared with hanging, being imprisoned in the palace, or being exiled three thousand miles away, it is not much better.

In other words,
These people can no longer threaten Wu Huaiyu, and they are no longer qualified to be Wu Huaiyu's enemies.

The Xue family used to be quite powerful. Not to mention the famous aristocratic families in Guanlong, just look at Xue Wanche's generation, which had a number of brothers, two dukes and generals, and seven generals above the fifth rank.

This time it was a complete collapse.

Xue Wanche was beheaded, Xue Wanjun was stripped of his title, dismissed from office and exiled to Suiye, and so were his other brothers and nephews.
From then on, there was no more Xue family in Chang'an.

As for the Zheng family of Xingyang, the two branches of the Duke of Xingyang and the Duke of Xiangcheng are also gone.

The eldest branch of the Li family in Dongqiu is also gone.

It is said that it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge, but it takes a villain from morning to night.

Wu Huaiyu can't wait for ten years. Those people want him dead, so of course he will kill them if he has the chance.

Now, he is very comfortable with the result.
Not only did he kill those guys, but he also uprooted their family. Most importantly, he didn't have to do it himself.
Zhang Sun Wuji rushed to the front.

Li Shimin checked the book of life and death.

Wu Huaiyu was lying in the sun, and he took revenge.

"Ah Lang, the emissary from the palace is here to announce the decree."

The eunuch came forward to read the imperial edict.

The emperor awarded him half of the confiscated properties of Xue Wanche, Li Anyan, Zheng Renji and Zheng Xuanxu.

The other half of Xue Wanche's property was given to Princess Danyang, who had already divorced him.

As for the other half of the property of the three families of Li, Zheng and others, no one held an official position and it went directly into the emperor's inner palace, becoming the emperor's private property.

Half of the property of the four families is also very substantial.

After all, there is one duke, two county dukes, and one county duke, and they are all wealthy families with deep accumulated foundation. Now, all of them have been taken over by Wu Huaiyu and the emperor.

There are villas and mansions in the city of Chang'an, and villas and manors in Fanchuan, Changlepo, Zhongnan Mountain, Lishan Mountain, Wugong, Qizhou and other places outside the capital.
There were naturally many shops, mills, inns and workshops, as well as many slaves and money.

Looking at the thick list of confiscated property, Wu Huaiyu thanked him and accepted it with a smile.

(End of this chapter)