A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1321 Removal
Pingkangfang, south of the west gate.

Prime Minister Chu’s residence.

Chu Yanfu returned to the mansion with a gloomy face, and the cart of gifts he had carefully brought with him was also brought back.

Hall,

The Minister of the Interior Chu Suiliang was playing chess with his second son Yan Chong, while his third son Yan Ji was watching the game beside them.

He was a little surprised to see his eldest son Yanfu coming back, "Why are you back so soon?"

"We were blocked outside by the hunchback of the Wu family. Not only did we not get to see Wu Huaiyu, but we didn't even receive the gift."

Chu Suiliang looked up, his eyes full of surprise, "Didn't you tell Wu Tuozi about those authentic works of Wang Xizhi that I carefully prepared for Prime Minister Wu?"

There is a hunchbacked manager at the gate of the Wu family. Many people in the capital know that this hunchback used to be a servant of the Wu family, but his son later passed the imperial examination and is now the sixth-rank Sima of Xizhou.

"Wu Huaiyu said he was very tired after returning to Beijing and wanted to rest for a while. He said he would visit Aye another day."

Chu Yanchong, a sixth-rank city gate officer, was furious when he heard this. "This Wu Huaiyu is too disrespectful,"

"Shut up! Do you think you can call Prime Minister Wu by his name?" Chu Suiliang scolded his son, but he was also furious inside. Wu Huaiyu was really too disrespectful to him.

"Da Lang, please go visit Zhang Ruice, the Junior Official of the Dali Temple, and bring him the Thousand Characters Essay from my study."

Chu Dalang had no choice but to give the gift again. He did not dare to be negligent. He also knew that after the land purchase was exposed by the Beijing newspaper, public opinion would be very unfavorable to Aye.

Now that the emperor has asked the Dali Temple to investigate this case, we have to make arrangements in advance.

It would be best to resolve a big issue and a small issue as quickly as possible.

Chu Songliang held a chess piece in his hand but was unable to make a move. Today he asked his son to visit Wu Huaiyu, and he spent a lot of money and took out several authentic works of Wang Xizhi that he had treasured.

But Wu Huaiyu actually refused.

Chu Suiliang and Wu Huaiyu are both the most famous calligraphers of the time. After the death of Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan, they are the most famous in calligraphy today.

No one who loves calligraphy can refuse the authentic works of Wang Xizhi.
Back then, Emperor Taizong was obsessed with Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and searched all over the world for it, willing to pay any price. Once, a monk had a masterpiece of Wang Xizhi, but the emperor tried to obtain it several times but failed, so he even asked someone to trick him into giving it to him.

How could Wu Huaiyu not like the authentic works of Wang Xizhi, especially since the ones he picked were all famous works.

Just to illustrate one issue,
Wu Huaiyu was unwilling to make friends with him, and he had originally planned to form an alliance with the Wu family, although the Wu Party and their Guanlong faction were drifting apart.

However, Chu Suiliang was still willing to marry into the Wu family. His eldest son, Chu Yanfu, had just been promoted to secretary, which was also a very noble position. If he could marry Wu Huaiyu's daughter to him, it would undoubtedly be the best choice.

But Wu Huaiyu refused mercilessly.

I don't feel like playing chess anymore.

Chu Suiliang returned to the study. He picked up the Beijing newspaper on the table and frowned.

Jing Bao has always been a newspaper under the name of the Eastern Palace. It has a large circulation and is extremely influential. Several editors-in-chief of Jing Bao are famous, including Wu Huaiyu, Xu Jingzong, Lai Ji, Lai Heng, Shangguan Yi, and Li Yifu.

The current editor-in-chief is Ma Zai, the eldest son of Ma Zhou and the stepbrother of Han, who is about to be crowned as queen.

He couldn't help but suspect that Ma Zai had obtained the new emperor's consent to expose the matter that he had already suppressed in the Beijing newspaper. If this was the case, it would be dangerous.

Things like buying land are not allowed to be made public, but which noble minister would not use the power at hand to seek personal gain?

In fact, Chu Suiliang was a bit wronged in the matter of buying the territory at a low price. It was not done by him, but by his wife, Xue.

Chu Suiliang's wife, Xue, came from a famous family in Hedong. She usually managed the family business for Chu Suiliang, buying land and even pawning and borrowing money.

The translator in Menxia Province wanted to marry a girl from a prominent family for his son, but the other party demanded compensation for the family fortune. The translator, whose family had fallen into poverty, had no choice but to sell his land. When Chu Suiliang found out about this, he planned to buy it, which was actually quite normal.

However, when the matter was handed over to Xue, Xue wanted to lower the price, and the pressure was quite severe. The translator did not want to sell it, but it was not up to him. Xue handed the matter over to his brother from her natal family. Xue acted domineeringly, relying on his brother-in-law being the prime minister, and bullied the translator who was just a minor official.

He pushed the price down to an extremely low level, and even the price he reported to his sister Xue was actually much higher than the price he actually paid for the land, and he even made a profit in the middle.

Xue and Chu Suiliang were unaware of the situation and thought that the price they offered was similar to the market price. However, who knew that the half-brother born to Xue's maid would dare to take a huge bite of the money, forcing the translator who was selling the land to find Pei Xingjian.

By now, Chu Suiliang certainly knew the truth. But up to now, it was not as simple as returning the money and land. No one cared who handled it. They only knew that it was you, Prime Minister Chu, who forced the purchase of the land from your subordinates at a bargain price.

And Chu Suiliang was unwilling to bow his head like this.

there,

Chu Dalang personally visited Zhang Ruice, the Shaoqing of Dali. After a conversation, Zhang Ruice accepted the Thousand Characters Essay from Prime Minister Chu and patted his chest to Chu Yanfu, "Please rest assured, Prime Minister Chu, I will take care of these small matters."

The next day,

Zhang Ruice returned to the Dali Temple.

He immediately called the Dali Temple official who was handling the case.

"Has the case been solved?"

This case is causing a stir now, but it is also very easy to investigate. The Dali Temple Secretary not only investigated the case, but also handled it according to the law.

"I have investigated the case. Cui Liulang, the interpreter of the Ministry of Personnel, wanted to marry his son off, and the other party asked for a large dowry. Cui Liulang could not afford it at the moment, so he wanted to sell the land. Prime Minister Chu heard about it in the yamen and wanted to help his subordinates, so he said he was willing to pay for it.

This matter was handled by Prime Minister Chu through his wife's illegitimate brother Xue Jiulang..."

"The fact is that Xue Jiulang profited from it, but Prime Minister Chu paid according to the market price,"

Zhang Hece was also a member of the Guanlong Group, and he was also visited by Master Chu, so he wanted to protect him. "Then how did you make the judgment?"

"Xue Jiulang was given twenty strokes of the cane and fined 100 kilograms of copper.

Prime Minister Chu was fined 20 catties of copper."

"The land has been traded and the deed has been exchanged. Now let Xue Jiulang give the embezzled money to Cui Liulang, who sold the land, and the matter will be settled."

Zhang Ruice stroked his beard,
"Prime Minister Chu bought the land at the estimated price stipulated by the court. Xue Jiulang took some of the money from it, which has nothing to do with Prime Minister Chu. If there is any punishment to be imposed, only Xue Jiulang should be punished. Prime Minister Chu is innocent."

Zhang Ruice asked the Dali Temple Secretary to change it.
Chu Suiliang was found not guilty, but Xue Jiulang was given 20 strokes of the cane and fined 20 catties of copper, and was required to make up the money he had embezzled for the land purchase to the translator.

The case was closed.

"Zhang Shaoqing, this case is a hot topic right now. Would it be inappropriate to sentence it like this?"

"What's inappropriate?" Zhang Ruice glared at the Dali Chancellor, "Change the sentence immediately."

The Dali Temple's verdict was reported to the emperor.

After reading it, Cheng Qian sneered a few times, but did not make any comments. Instead, he asked someone to send the judgment to the Council of State for discussion by the prime ministers.

Twelve Prime Ministers,
Wu Huaiyu, the acting secretary-general, concurrently the minister of state and the minister of the palace, was resting at home.
The other eleven prime ministers were all present.

When the Acting Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Rites Zhangsun Wuji received the judgment of the Dali Temple, he immediately expressed his support, believing that Chu Suiliang was not at fault in this matter.

However, the Prime Minister and Minister of Rites Xu Jingzong believed that the Dali Temple's verdict was problematic and Chu Suiliang could not escape responsibility.
Chu Suiliang stood up and said, "I'll stay away from this matter for now." Then he walked out.

Zhang Sun Wuji slammed the table and yelled at Xu Jingzong, "What do you want to do?"

Xu Jingzong responded sharply, "I am just doing my job impartially."

"Gentlemen, please express your opinions. I think the Dali Temple's verdict is correct. Who agrees?

Who objects?

After Changsun Wuji finished speaking, Yu Zhining, Han Yuan, Gao Jifu, Yuwen Jie, Cui Dunli, and Cui Renshi all spoke out in agreement with the Dali Temple's decision.

Zuo Pushe Zhang Xingcheng supported Xu Jingzong.

But Li Ji did not express his opinion.

In the government hall, Changsun's faction has an overwhelming advantage.

Zhang Sun Wuji sneered at Xu Jingzong and Zhang Xingcheng, "Of the twelve ministers in the Political Affairs Hall, only the two of you have objections. I think you should reflect on yourselves." "I will always reserve my opinion and will never agree with the judgment of the Dali Temple."

"I'll keep it too." Zhang Xingcheng also said.

Chang Sun sneered, "Okay, okay, I will report the results of today's political meeting truthfully, and leave it to the Sage to decide in the end!"

The results of the meeting were reported.
But it was like a stone sinking into the sea,

The emperor still did not make a decision.

However, the judgment of the Dali Temple and the results of the discussion in the Political Affairs Hall had spread quickly.

Early morning the next day.

"I, the Censor Wei Renyue, would like to impeach Dali Shaoqing Zhang Ruice and Shizhong Chu Suiliang."

A middle-aged official in a green robe stood up.

The Censor-in-Chief was a minor official of the eighth rank who couldn’t even wear the green robe, but his authority was considerable.

Lu's rank was not high but his power was broad. He was in charge of supervising all officials, inspecting prefectures and counties, and being in charge of the left and right wings of the court and the overall affairs of all departments.

Even though they don't even have the qualifications to enter and exit the main gate of the court, they are still feared by all officials.

His voice attracted countless eyes.

Wei Renyue, courtesy name Siqian, was from the Xiaoxiaoyao branch of the Jingzhao Wei family.

Some people also looked at Prime Minister Gao Ji Fu, because everyone knew that Wei Renyue was Gao Ji Fu's man.

Wei Renyue was a Jinshi graduate and served as a county magistrate for several years. However, his performance evaluations were not good and he had never been promoted. It was when Gao Ji Fu was also the Minister of Personnel that he specially promoted him to the position of Censor.

According to old official rules, Wei Siqian was naturally Gao Jifu's man.

Gao Jifu was the cousin of the late Prime Minister Gao Shilian, and Zhangsun Wuji also called him his uncle. It was natural for everyone to think that Wei Siqian should also be a member of the Guanlong clan,

But who would have thought that he would stand up and impeach Chu Suiliang and Zhang Ruice.

Countless eyes fell on him.

But Wei Siqian just took out a book of impeachment documents.

"Impeachment of Zhang Ruice for defending Chu Suiliang's inappropriate judgment",
The impeachment letter was presented to the emperor, and Li Chengqian looked through it directly. Wei Siqian pointed out that Chu Suiliang did not report to the state, set a low price privately, violated regulations to suppress the price, and forced his subordinates to buy land, while Zhang Ruice attached himself to the state and concealed and condoned the crime.

Both of them should be dealt with impartially and in accordance with the law to uphold the laws and regulations of the court.

Li Chengqian took the impeachment letter and said, "Wei Siqian, please read it to the ministers in the palace."

Wei Siqian finished reading aloud,

Everyone in the hall was shocked.

What happened to Wei Siqian?

However, some people also remembered what Wei Siqian said when he was promoted to Supervisory Censor by Gao Jifu, "If the Censor leaves the capital without shaking the mountains and shocking the prefectures and counties, he is truly derelict in his duty."

This is a madman.

"Where is the Dali Shaoqing?"

The emperor said on the throne.

Zhang Ruice, who was dressed in a red robe, felt very uneasy and quickly stepped out to respond.

"Explain this to Censor Wei."

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Chu bought the land according to the estimated price set by the court and should not be punished. It was Xue Jiulang who deducted and lowered the price, which has nothing to do with Prime Minister Chu." Zhang hurriedly explained.

Wei Siqian immediately said, "The court set up the Three Merchants Market to estimate prices for public transactions. The private transactions of officials should not be estimated by this method.

Moreover, Chu Suiliang asked his brother-in-law to buy the land, which was actually a bullying act. He forced the translator to buy the land at a very low price. Xue Jiulang was working for Chu Suiliang, and he used Chu Suiliang's name to bully others. Chu Suiliang had to bear the responsibility.

According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, any official who used his power to seize other people's land would be punished with 60 strokes of the cane if the land is less than one acre, and the punishment would be increased by one level for every three acres. If the land exceeds 100, the punishment would be increased by one level for every acre, up to a maximum of two and a half years in prison.

Chu Suiliang forced people to buy land, which violated this article. The Dali Temple should sentence Chu Suiliang to two and a half years in prison according to the law. Even if the eight arguments reduce the crime, it will only be reduced by one level, and he will still have to serve two years in prison. "

"Zhang Ruice is a manipulator of the law, acting in his own interests and deceiving his superiors. He deserves death."

"The Dali Temple is the national judicial department. How could Zhang Rui form a clique for personal gain and use public resources for personal gain?"

Wei Shouqian was indeed a ruthless man who once said that as an imperial censor, he had to shake up the prefectures and counties if he left the capital. His words were merciless.

Chu Suiliang did not dare to refute and had to plead guilty in the palace.

However, Xu Jingzong had no intention of letting this fellow from Hangzhou go. He took advantage of the victory and attacked Chu Suiliang, accusing him of being unqualified to be prime minister.

Zuo Pushe Zhang Xingcheng seconded the motion.

Seeing this, Chu Suiliang had no choice but to resign, hoping that by retreating he could advance and the emperor would come out to retain him and calm the matter.

Unexpectedly,

The emperor glanced at him, with undisguised disgust in his eyes.

"Mr. Chu is the regent chosen by Emperor Taizong. How can I bear to be sentenced to two and a half years in prison for this matter?"

In just one sentence, Chu Suiliang's crime was confirmed.

"However, Prime Minister Chu failed to discipline his family, and this matter has a very bad impact. I cannot bend the law for personal gain."

"Taking into account Chu Qing's past hard work and great contributions, I will pardon his sentence, demote him to the title of Henan County Duke, dismiss him from his post as Minister of the Court, and send him to be the Chief Clerk of the Western Province Governor's Office."

"Xue Jiu was exiled to Jiaozhi."

"Mr. Chu forcibly purchased Cui Liulang's land at a low price and ordered him to return the land in full."

"Zhang Ruice, Junior Minister of Dali, was demoted to Sima of Xunzhou."

The emperor made the final decision.

Make the final decision.

Chu Suiliang was in a daze, and he did not expect that the emperor would directly dismiss him from his post and banish him to Xizhou.

He thought of Pei Xingjian. He and Zhangsun Guojiu had originally been planning to demote Pei Xingjian to the position of Chief Clerk of the Western Province Military Governor's Office, but unexpectedly he himself would be demoted to this position.

In a flash,

A face flashed through his mind.
Grand Commandant Wu Huaiyu.

Wei Siqian was clearly Gao Ji Fu's man, so when did he secretly defect to Wu Huaiyu?
Or is it that Gao Ji Fu is actually Wu Huaiyu's man?
The emperor waved his hands.

Retreat from the court.

Wei Siqian impeached and dismissed a prime minister and a junior official of Dali in one fell swoop, and enjoyed great power in the palace.

Chu Suiliang's face was ashen.

Zhang Ruice even fell to the ground. He never expected that this matter would end up like this.

The obese Changsun Wuji also stood in the hall for a long time, unable to come back to his senses.

a long time,

Zhang Sun Wuji walked up to Chu Suiliang and patted his arm, "Don't worry, I will let you return to the court in three to five months at most."

(End of this chapter)