A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1317: Emperor of Civil and Martial Arts

The emperor died.

The prince kept the death a secret.

In Luzon Port, inside the Red Fort, Wu Huaiyu fell into deep thought.

Kunlun slaves silently boiled water and made tea for him.

The water in the silver kettle boiled, making a buzzing sound, which brought Wu Huaiyu back to his senses.

Seven days.
It is estimated that Cheng Qian had returned to Chang'an long ago and read the emperor's will to all officials in the Taiji Hall, and then the prime ministers supported the prince to ascend the throne and become emperor.

Under normal circumstances, this news would be announced to the world very quickly.
National mourning,

Then, the governors, provincial governors, and princes of all realms were summoned back to the capital to mourn the late emperor. Officials, soldiers, and civilians from all over the country mourned for the late emperor.

Seven days is enough time for Cheng Qian to make arrangements.

In fact, keeping the death secret is a common practice. Throughout the dynasties, when an old emperor dies, especially when he dies outside the capital, the death is generally kept secret.

Because the period before the new emperor ascends the throne is the time when accidents are most likely to happen, in order to prevent accidents, the death is usually kept secret until the situation is under control, and then announced.

From this aspect,
Prime ministers such as Zhang Xingcheng, Yu Zhining, Chu Suiliang and Gao Jifu also did things in an organized manner.

At the critical moment, the death was kept secret, and then Cheng Yaojin was transferred to lead the imperial guards, and the palace soldiers near Jiucheng Palace were urgently summoned to escort the prince back to the capital first.

Kunlun Slave brewed two cups of green tea.

The aroma of tea overflows.

Wu Huaiyu took the cup and took two sips. He was estimating the current situation in Chang'an in his mind.

It has been seven days, and the transfer of supreme power should have been completed.

No one can hinder this handover.

Li Tai, Li Ke, Li Yuanjing, Li Yuanchang and other princes and brothers were all banished from the capital by Zhangsun Wuji for several treason cases. They were exiled to the Hezhong and Tocharian regions in the Western Regions thousands of miles away.

The distance was so long that even if someone notified them as quickly as possible, it would take half a month for them to receive the news.
Even if they had ideas, they couldn't get back.

They were not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict, and by the time Cheng Qian took control of the situation and announced the emperor's death, they no longer had a chance.

The prince gave him a secret letter on his clothes belt. He was probably a little panicked because of this sudden incident, but he should be fine.

"Ah Lang, when are we leaving?"

Wu Huaiyu shook his head.

Kunlun Slave was stunned for a moment.
"The prince asked Alang to go to Chang'an to take charge of the situation, but Alang refused to go?"

Wu Huaiyu held the teacup and said slowly, "He is the new emperor now."

"Why not go?"

"It's not that I won't go, it's just that I won't go now."

Kunlun slaves were puzzled.

"hold on."

"Can·······"

Wu Huaiyu made this decision after careful consideration. The prince sent him a private letter to summon him back to the capital, but he planned to wait until the official imperial edict from the court reached Luzon before leaving.

"I am now the envoy of the South China Sea and the governor of Luzon. How can I enter the capital without an imperial decree?"

You have to go to Beijing.
The new emperor ascended the throne and was still his student, so as the Grand Marshal he had to go and congratulate and support him.

"I will not go to Beijing for the time being. You should return to Chang'an immediately and pay close attention to the situation in the capital." Wu Huaiyu said to Kunlun Nu.

Kunlun slaves left quietly,
No one in Luzon knew he had come and gone.
Wu Huaiyu did not tell anyone the news of the emperor's death, not even Fan Xuanfu and Wu Chengzhi.

A few more days passed,
Finally, news reached Luzon Port.
This time, the Governor of Guangzhou and the Guangzhou Maritime Customs sent ships and people to escort the envoy from Chang'an to convey the imperial edict.

The messenger was an acquaintance, Zhang Ananda’s godson, Zhang Xian.

A brave eunuch who had led troops into battle several times.

"General, the emperor is dead."

Zhang Xian was tall and strong, and apart from his beardlessness, he didn't look like a eunuch at all. As soon as they met, Zhang Xian didn't care about the fatigue from the journey, and announced the death to him with a sad face.

Wu Huaiyu asked him about the current situation in the capital.

Zhang Xian also told the truth.

all the best.

Cheng Yaojin led 8,000 soldiers to escort the prince back to Chang'an. Cheng Yaojin personally guarded the Xuanwu Gate and sent imperial guards to control the gates of the capital.
After everything is arranged,

Morning next day,

The prince announced the emperor's death in Taiji Hall.

Then, Zuo Pushe Zhang Xingcheng immediately read out the late emperor's will and took the lead in supporting the prince to ascend the throne and become emperor.

The funeral was held in Taiji Hall, the will was announced, the crown prince ascended the throne, all military and national affairs could not be delayed, and the usual minor matters were entrusted to the relevant officials.

All the kings who were governors or provincial governors were allowed to rush to the funeral, except for Prince Li Tai and Li Ke, who were not allowed to come.

All the kings who were enfeoffed outside the capital could return to the capital to attend the funeral, but kings such as Li Tai who had been demoted for treason were not allowed to return to the capital.

Crown Prince Cheng Qian ascended the throne on the first day of June.

Today is June 13th, and the new emperor has been on the throne for almost half a month.

The new emperor is thirty-three years old this year and has been the crown prince for twenty-five years.

Having rich experience in serving as regent, when the emperor suddenly passed away, Cheng Qian succeeded to the throne and everything went smoothly.

Zhang Xian came not only to inform the emperor of his death but also to inform him of the news of the new emperor's ascension to the throne.
There is also an imperial edict of enthronement.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, he changed the Minister of Civil Affairs to the Minister of Revenue.

The emperor ordered the governor of Diezhou, Duke of Yingguo, Li Ji, to be appointed as special advance officer and acting governor of Luozhou, and to stay in the Luoyang Palace.

The emperor ordered the Grand Commandant, the Governor of Luzon, and the Duke of Chu, Huaiyu, to concurrently serve as the Inspector of the Secretariat and the Director of the two ministries of the Secretariat, and the rest of the people remained the same, and gave them gifts of 3,000 pieces.

The emperor ordered the Minister of the Interior, the Governor of Yangzhou, and the Duke of Zhao, Wu Ji, to be the Inspector of the Palace Attendants, and gave him gifts of three thousand pieces.

The new emperor's edict said that the late emperor had left the whole world, and the pain was deep in his heart. If he were put into boiling water or fire, he would not dare to kill himself out of filial piety. He would mourn for the deceased forever, but what could he do?

Be respectful and obedient, be innovative, look up to the virtues of your ancestors, and spread your blessings to hundreds of millions of people.

A general amnesty was declared throughout the country. The civil and military officials inside and outside the country were given honorary titles. Those who were eighty years old and above were given grain and silk. Yongzhou and other states that had provided the most military labor in recent years were given another year's leave.

Among the prime ministers who were demoted from the central government by Li Shimin, Xiao Yu had passed away, but Yang Shidao was still the Minister of Works.

The three giants, Wu Huaiyu, Zhangsun Wuji and Li Ji, were finally summoned back to the court by the new emperor.

Wu Huaiyu and Zhangsun Wuji were both promoted to prime ministers in one go, especially Wu Huaiyu, who was the acting secretary-general and also in charge of the two ministries of the Shangshu.

This means that one person is in charge of three provinces, which shows the new emperor's greatest trust and reliance on his teacher.

As the new emperor's uncle, Changsun Wuji was only the Inspector of the Palace Attendants.

Li Ji finally left the post of governor of Diezhou, where he had served for eight years, but did not return to the central government to serve as prime minister. Instead, he was transferred to Luoyang to serve as governor.

But anyone with eyes can see that,
As soon as the new emperor ascended the throne, he transferred Li Ji from Diezhou to Luoyang. It was inevitable that he would return to the court to resume his position as prime minister in the next step.

Li Zhi, the governor of Qiongzhou and Prince of Jin, was granted the title of Sikong.

Zhang Xingcheng, the left servant, was concurrently the Prince's Junior Tutor and Minister of Rites, while Yu Zhining, the right servant, was concurrently the Prince's Junior Tutor and Minister of Punishments, and was promoted to the Duke of Liyang County.

The Minister of the Central Secretariat Gao Ji Fu also served as the Prince's Guardian and the Inspector of the Ministry of Personnel.

Shizhong Chu Suiliang was promoted to Duke of Henan County and concurrently Prince Chancellor.

The Minister of Rites Xu Jingzong also served as the Prince's Left Secretary.

"Your Majesty, please ask the general to return to the court immediately." Zhang Xian said.

Wu Huaiyu was not surprised to receive the imperial edict. Cheng Qian and he had a time-tested relationship of both teacher and friend. Now that Cheng Qian had just ascended the throne, he must have hoped that he could help.

"I will set off to the north right away." Wu Huaiyu was very happy. This trip must be made.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he immediately called several elders back to the court. This was the right thing to do, but he felt it was necessary to remind Cheng Qian after returning to the court.
It’s okay to let Changsun Wuji, Li Ji and others come back to support us, but we can’t really trust them too much, especially Changsun Wuji.

This fat guy is an old coin with a strong desire for power. If he is really allowed to return to the court, he will definitely use the old tricks again, carry the banner of the Guanlong Group, and unite with his party to fight against dissidents.

However, it is possible to use Wuji to purge those elements that are unstable to the new dynasty.

Just use him as a tool, and then sideline Changsun Wuji, or simply kick him out of the court. If Changsun Wuji is smart, he can have a good beginning and a good end. If he is not smart, he may inevitably follow the old path of history and end up being exiled and killed in a foreign land.

On the same day,

Wu Huaiyu sent people to notify officials from all over Luzon to come to Luzon Port.

Convey the imperial edict and hold funerals for the late emperor.

Officials, soldiers and civilians mourned for the late emperor for 27 days.
Taoist temples and Buddhist bells rang 30,000 times.

Officials and all the people are forbidden to have fun for 100 days, and are forbidden to slaughter animals for 49 days.
Marriage is prohibited within one month.

However, this time period is calculated from the day the emperor passed away. Now the emperor has been dead for half a month, so it is only necessary to mourn for another twelve days before removing the mourning period, and the ban on slaughtering only needs another month.

"Sanlang will come back to Beijing with me, and the rest of you will stay at home."

Wu Huaiyu had no plans to take his wives, concubines and other children north, because he had no plans to stay in Chang'an for long.

He didn't want to give people the impression that Wu Huaiyu had returned to Chang'an and would never leave.

at night,

Fan Xuanfu, Li Qing, Yang Muyun and other wives and concubines were helping Huaiyu and his son pack their luggage.

Wu Huaiyu was sitting there in plain clothes and talking to Chengzhi.

"Why didn't Aye bring A Niang and the others back to Beijing?"

"I don't plan to stay in Beijing for long this time. I'll probably stay for three to five months at the shortest, or a year or two at the longest, and then I'll be back. I won't bother your mother and the others to travel back and forth." Huaiyu said frankly.

Wu Chengzhi was puzzled.
"Your Majesty, you are appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and you are also in charge of the two ministries of Shangshu Menxia. This means you are in charge of the three ministries and the Prime Minister's Office."

Wu Huaiyu just smiled faintly.

"It is my duty as an old minister to help the new emperor ascend the throne, but I cannot rely on my seniority to stay here and not leave."

Cheng Qian has been the crown prince for 25 years. Now he is 33 years old. He must want to roll up his sleeves and do something big. He really needs Wu Huaiyu, a veteran, to return to the court to assist him in governing. However, Wu Huaiyu is also very clear that even with his close relationship with Cheng Qian,

In fact, it smells good from a distance.

Once everything is back on track, it would be better for him to leave on his own initiative, which would be better for everyone.

Otherwise, conflicts will arise sooner or later.

Although Wu Huaiyu is Cheng Qian's teacher, once Cheng Qian becomes emperor, the relationship will be different. No emperor would be willing to be controlled by his subjects, not even his teacher.

In history, the one who inherited the throne was Jin Wang Li Zhi, a famous sage prince. After he ascended the throne, his uncle Zhangsun Wuji also took good care of his nephew.

He also solved several major cases, helped the new emperor eliminate all threats, and managed the government very well, but Li Zhi was not really grateful.

But he was dissatisfied with Zhangsun Wuji's control over the government.
The emperor's power cannot be touched by others, whoever touches it will die.

However, Changsun Wuji was unaware of this and was eventually ruthlessly defeated by Li Zhi and exiled to a foreign land. The Guanlong aristocratic group he led was also badly dealt with by Li Zhi and Wu Mei.

We still have to always put ourselves in the right position and have a clear understanding.

Wu Huaiyu went to Chang'an this time to show his support, not to act like a national master.

Eight years,

It was the first time that Wu Huaiyu left Luzon. Standing on the deck, watching the ship sailing through the waves, he felt a surge of emotion.

The ship departed from Luzon Port, first sailed northward along the west coast of Luzon Island, stopped at Xinjinshan Port for supplies, sailed upstream for a while, then turned westward, passed Dongsha Island and arrived at Xiangdao Port.
The journey was smooth and we arrived in a few days.

At this time, under the management of the Wu family, Xiangdao Port was very prosperous. It had grown from a few small fishing villages with a population of only a few hundred people to a permanent population of over 100,000.

The first stop for spices shipped from Luzon was this port.
There is an excellent harbor here, and the Wu family focuses on its business. The island not only has re-export trade, but also shipbuilding, spice processing, fishery product processing and other industries, as well as prosperous financial industries such as gold and silver processing, money houses, banks, and pawn shops.

Located at the mouth of the Pearl River, close to Guangzhou, the largest trading port in the Tang Dynasty, and run by the Wu family, Hong Kong Port is indeed as prosperous as Guangzhou.

In the past eight years, Wu Huaiyu has never set foot on the Central Plains, but he has been to Hong Kong several times. He has also been to Ryukyu, Linyi, Srivijaya, Funan, Zhenla, Java, Borneo, the Spice Islands and other places.

After arriving in Xiangdao, Wu Huaiyu met some people and learned a lot about the latest situation in Chang'an.

The emperor's uncle, Changsun Wuji, has already arrived in Chang'an, but Li Ji is still on the way.

However, the new emperor had already issued another imperial edict to confer a higher title on Li Ji, making him the Duke of Yingguo, and promoted him to the third rank of Kaifu Yitong Sansi and Tongzhongshu Menxia.

This is to appoint Li Ji as prime minister.

The Duke of Liang was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Marshal Fang Xuanling, the Duke of Shen was posthumously awarded the title of Situ Gao Shilian, the Duke of Wei was posthumously awarded the title of Situ Li Jing, the Duke of Qi was posthumously awarded the title of Situ Qin Qiong, the Duke of Lai was posthumously awarded the title of Sikong Du Ruhui, the Duke of Zheng was posthumously awarded the title of Sikong Wei Zheng, and the Duke of Jiang was posthumously awarded the title of Zuo Pushe Qu Tutong, and they were allowed to be enshrined in the Taimiao.

Yuwen Jie, the Imperial Court Assistant Minister, was promoted to the rank of Silver and Green Guanglu Doctor, Duke of Pingchang County, and given the rank of Tongzhongshu Menxia Sanrank, and was appointed Prime Minister.

Xu Jingzong, the Minister of Rites and Right Minister, was promoted to the third rank of Zhongshu Menxia and appointed as prime minister.

Two more prime ministers, Yuwen Jie and Xu Jingzong, were appointed.

There are more than a dozen prime ministers in the court.

After a day's rest in Xiangdao, we headed to Guangzhou, then passed through Shaozhou, crossed Meiling Mountain, and sailed down the Ganjiang River to Jiangzhou.
From the Yangtze River to Hankou, then enter the Han River and go upstream to Xiangyang, then enter Shangzhou via Danjiang, pass Wuguan and enter Lantian.

After a long journey of thousands of miles, we finally returned to Chang'an.

The new emperor led all the officials to the Chang'an city gate to welcome him.

It was very grand and impressive.

Zhangsun Wuji, Li Ji, Zhang Xingcheng, Yu Zhining, Gao Jifu, Chu Suiliang, Cui Dunli, Cui Renshi, Han Yuan, Yuwen Jie, Xu Jingzong,

Except Wu Huaiyu, the other eleven new and old prime ministers were all present.

The new emperor Li Chengqian took Wu Huaiyu on the imperial carriage and returned to the Daming Palace together. He was the only one who received this treatment; even his uncle-in-law Changsun Wuji could not enjoy it.

Wu Huaiyu declined several times and finally got in the car. From the corner of his eye he saw Changsun Wuji staring at him.

Li Shimin's coffin was still in the Taiji Hall. Wu Huaiyu went there first to pay homage. His great achievements made him an unparalleled emperor throughout the ages. His departure was a huge loss to Chinese history.

There are still many procedures for the funeral of the late emperor. The most important thing at the moment is to decide on the posthumous title and temple name of the late emperor.

Li Yuan's posthumous title was Emperor Taiwu and his temple name was Gaozu.

Li Shimin was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but he made great contributions to the country. He reigned for twenty-five years, especially creating the Zhenguan era of prosperity.

"Teacher, please come up with a posthumous title for the late emperor."

Cheng Qian was dressed in plain clothes, looking a little haggard but also a little excited. He had lost some weight. Having not seen him for eight years, he looked more calm. He still called Wu Huaiyu "teacher".

The prime ministers discussed Li Shimin's posthumous title for many days, and the initial decision was Emperor Wen.

Emperor Wen is a beautiful posthumous title. Wen means he manages the heaven and earth, is benevolent and loves the people, and is able to establish ceremonies. Wen means he manages the country and wins its reputation, is able to cultivate virtue and gain influence from far and wide, is a constitution for all nations and has a broad imperial virtue. Wen means he is strong and not violent, and is promoted together with the virtuous.

The most famous emperors in history are Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Wen of Sui. Both of them ended the turmoil and created a prosperous era. The period of Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Jing of Han is collectively known as the Reign of Wen and Jing, while Emperor Wen of Sui ended the hundreds of years of division in the Central Plains, re-unified the country, and created the Reign of Kaihuang.

Li Shimin reigned for twenty-five years and also initiated the Zhenguan Reign.

The posthumous title of Emperor Wen is acceptable, but Wu Huaiyu thinks it is not enough.

"The late emperor was both a civil and military ruler, a saintly emperor. I request that you give him the posthumous title of Emperor of Civil and Military Sacredness, and the temple name of Taizong."

The crisscrossing of heaven and earth is called culture, the kindness and love for the people is called culture,
To conquer disasters and chaos is called martial arts, to intimidate and overpower the enemy is called martial arts,
To praise good deeds with simple poems is called a saint; to respect guests with generous gifts is called a saint.

"I have seen that the late emperor had many extraordinary achievements, was intelligent and brave. He promoted people without favoritism, and made full use of their talents. That is why Qu Tu and Yu Chi were willing to be loyal to him from being enemies; Ma Zhou and Liu Li were willing to be equals from being distant...

The talents of the late emperor in both civil and military affairs were superior to those of the ancients. Since the Three Dynasties, China has never been so prosperous.
He was a man of unrivalled valour, and he pacified the four directions with his military power. During the reign of Zhenguan, he displayed his literary virtue. He was a man of great virtue in ruling the world and of great merit in bringing peace to the world for eternity.

"There is only one person who can be praised for thousands of years!"

Wu Huaiyu's words made Li Shimin respect him to the utmost.

The new emperor Li Chengqian could not help but exclaim in praise and applaud loudly.

"What the Grand Commandant said is very true. I will posthumously name the late emperor the Emperor of Civil and Martial Arts!"

(End of this chapter)