A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 878 Suspension

Li Shimin came down from the polo field, put on the Yishan crown and the regimental dragon robe, and returned to the palace.

Ma Zhou, the assistant minister of Zhongshu, came to welcome him and presented him with several memorials.

There is a memorial written by Li Jing, Wu Huaiyu, and Qin Qiong, which talks about the Shi Feng policy.

This is not a secret message sent directly to Tianting, but sent through normal procedures.

Li Shimin read carefully.

It can be seen that this memorial was written by Wu Huaiyu himself. Li Jing and Qin Qiong were just invited by Wu Huaiyu to join in the support, and they were still opposed to Shi Feng as the governor.

However, the reasons for opposition this time are more pragmatic.

Taking the Huanghuai Flood as an example, many states including Pubian, Zheng, Song, Chen Qingxu, etc. have been granted the title of princes and ministers, but these governors basically only hold concurrent posts.

Either the king is too young and has not yet become a vassal, or those who have already become a vassal are not yet able to handle state affairs personally, and those ministers have all performed great services and hold important positions, and no one has time to actually serve as governor of the state. .

When such a huge flood occurred this time, the imperial court had already prepared early warning, but the disaster relief work was still heavy. The governor of the state was granted the title of governor, and the chief minister could only preside over it.

However, these long historians were not of sufficient rank and prestige. In the face of this sudden disaster, they became even more inadequate, seriously affecting disaster relief and peace of mind.

The emperor's appointment as governor was originally intended to reward meritorious officials and give preferential treatment to the clan, but now it affects local stability and so on.

There was a conflict,

Still very serious.

The problem is huge and must be taken seriously.

Wu Huaiyu raised the problem and proposed a solution. He gave the emperor a suggestion.

In some prefectures, a sergeant such as Biejia was added, second only to the governor and above Sima, the chief governor.

Discipline all affairs, pass judgment on all the officials, and assist the governor in sharing the administrative affairs of the prefecture.

At the end of the year, he was included in the calculation. At the end of the year, he served as an envoy to the imperial court and went to Beijing to pay homage to the imperial court.

Of course, although this official has a respectable taste, he has no specific position. It can be regarded as a high-level local sinecure, but it is not entirely a sinecure. For example, when the governor or governor is vacant, he can take over the affairs of the prefecture.

For another example, if there are special circumstances, as long as the court authorizes it, the governor can replace the governor and preside over it on his behalf.

Although he is a junior officer, he is also the same officer.

In fact, the official position of Biejia has gone through many dynasties and is very complicated. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, all states have Biejia to govern the central government, and the governors often have generals.

In the Sui Dynasty, when the emperor was established, he changed his post from Bie Jia and Zhi Zhong to Chang Shi and Sima.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the county was changed into a state, and one person each was appointed as governor, Biejia, and Zhizhong. Later, Biejia was renamed Changshi, and Zhizhong was renamed Sima.

In fact, in the early Tang Dynasty, Biejiazhizhong and Changshi Sima were two officials of the same name.

But now Wu Huaiyu proposed to set up Biejia, not to change Changshi to Biejia, but to set up another Biejia above Changshi Sima.

This is not a repetition,

Instead, it was specially given to the clan and honorable ministers.

Important positions such as governor cannot be used to confer world titles, but adding individual governors can be used to place clan members and meritorious officials.

In the past, Wu Huaiyu insisted that the prince should be enfeoffed to the border to serve as a barrier for the country, but the emperor was reluctant to part with it.

So he changed his path now,

Not to mention enfeoffing the princes and grandsons in the frontier wilderness, instead enfeoffing them as governors of the prefectures and governors.

The status is very high, but there is no specific job.

but,

When really needed, it can be picked up and used immediately.

For example, if a treacherous official usurps the throne in the dynasty, the Li Tang clan and the meritorious officials can immediately get permission to preside over the affairs of the state and lead troops to fight against the thieves.

Of course, this special situation must have special conditions to trigger it, and this can be agreed upon.

The title of Shifeng Cishi was changed to Shifeng Biejia, and the power was much less. Anyway, under normal circumstances, Bijiashi could not preside over the affairs of the prefecture.

However, Wu Huaiyu proposed that this Biejia could be given a new authority, that is, to supervise prefectural officials and be responsible for the administration of justice.

Similar to the Ming Dynasty's imperial envoys, they were in charge of punishment and impeachment matters. Specifically, they were to correct official corruption, punish rape and violence, rectify lawsuits and jails, avenge injustices, and clarify the governance of officials in order to uplift their demeanor.

This is similar to a supervisor in a company,

The governor is in charge of things, and this person is the one who supervises.

The governor is a transient official, and Biejia is hereditary. Even if there are more hereditary Biejia in the future, they will only be limited to supervision. At most, they can be regarded as members of the aristocratic Senate.

Li Shimin handed the memorial to Ma Zhou, "Take a look."

"Here."

Li Shimin closed his eyes, thinking about Wu Huaiyu's proposal in his mind.

The kings of the royal family are on their way to the governor's office, and the distinguished ministers are on their way to the state. Their positions are respected and their positions are idle.

Even if he can't hold office, it won't matter.

For example, if the kings are young and inexperienced, they can be assisted by their royal palace chief Shi Sima. If the ministers have other important duties in the court, their adult children can also take care of the farewell matters. "Your Majesty, I think that from the long-term perspective of the imperial court, the country, the country, and the country, this memorial by the Duke of Jin and others is meaningful and more reasonable.

Even if the princes and ministers of the clan are granted many titles in the future, they will not affect the local operations of the prefecture. Instead, they can strengthen the supervision of local officials for the imperial court.

On the other hand, it is also a good way to reward and care for the king and ministers of the sect by giving special status to the prefecture. "

Li Shimin nodded and did not rush to a conclusion.

On the same day, the emperor summoned Fang Xuanling, Wen Yanbo, Wei Zhengchang, Sun Wuji and other court officials to discuss this matter.

Recently, Changsun Wuji and other ministers have been opposing the idea of ​​being granted the title of Governor. Ministers like Li Baiyao and Wei Zheng who have not received the title have been opposing it. Changsun Wuji and Gao Shilian, who have been granted the title, have been opposing it.

This made Li Shimin very annoyed.

Even confused,

Why are there so many opponents?

He had to reflect seriously.

In particular, Changsun Wuji was very loud during this period, and he seemed to be using the subject as an excuse. The brother-in-law asked the emperor over and over again, what did he do wrong, so that he should be expelled from the capital like Long Gongchen?

My brother-in-law had been idle for several years, and he was holding back his anger a lot. This time he shouted very loudly.

And Li Xiaogong, the king of Hejian, who raised hundreds of karaoke and dancers at home, indulged in wine and sex all day long and ignored what was going on outside the window. After the emperor asked him to be granted the title of governor of Guanzhou, he first hurriedly asked the emperor to confer the title of Zen Taishan Shu. After being agreed,

He immediately sent his son to the hospital because he was ill.

Very ill,

The sick person cannot go out, let alone go to Guanzhou to serve as governor.

Guanzhou, in Hebei, was once merged into Cangzhou, and is now divided from Cangzhou. It is close to De, Ji, and Ying. The Grand Canal and Zhangshui pass through the state. It governs Gonggao, and governs Dongguang, Jingcheng, and Fu. Cheng and Anling counties,

A very wealthy state, it was established in the year of Emperor Kaihuang, but was abolished at the beginning of the great cause, reestablished at the beginning of Wude, abolished at the beginning of Zhenguan, and now it is reestablished.

But Li Xiaogong didn't dare to go and sealed it.

He still remembers how in the eighth year of Wude, when he was the governor of Yangzhou, Li Yuan arrested him from Yangzhou and sent him to Chang'an for interrogation for a long time based on a letter falsely accusing him of treason.

Although he was eventually acquitted without any solid evidence, he was transferred back to Chang'an from Yangzhou to serve as a casualty. After those beatings, he clearly understood his identity and position.

From then on, he only indulged in singing and dancing beauties and no longer interfered with political affairs.

He felt a little frightened. Li Shimin wanted to make him the governor of Guanzhou. He always felt that the flash of swords behind him was very scary.

To be honest, wouldn't it be nice to be the King of Hejian in Chang'an who doesn't care about worldly affairs?

Wu Huaiyu's proposal to change the title of Biejia aroused heated discussion in the palace.

This time Wei Zheng, Wen Yanbo and others relented.

And Changsun Wuji rarely objected any more fiercely.

The key here is that the change to Biejia mentioned by Wu Huaiyu is actually completely different from the original title of Shifengshi.

After changing the title of prefecture to biejia, as long as the ministers have their own errands, they do not need to serve in this biejia, and their descendants can do it for them.

For example, if Changsun Wuji becomes an official in the future, he can stay in the capital without returning to Zhaozhou, and the Changsun family does not need to go to Zhaozhou at all.

But this Zhaozhou Biejia was inherited by generations of descendants of the Changsun family. This Biejia was from the fourth grade, which was three levels higher than Chang Shi's from the fifth grade.

Since there is no need for the eldest son's family to move to Zhaozhou, and there is no need for his eldest son Wuji to go to Zhaozhou, then the Zhaozhou Biezhi is just a concurrent title. Changsun Wuji naturally doesn't care. He is opposed to being granted the title of governor. The most important thing is It was because he had never had a real job, and he was afraid that Li Shimin would take the opportunity to drive him out of the capital and go to the local government, which would be far away from the center of power and marginalized.

As for Wu Huaiyu now proposes to change the title of Biejia, cancel the Hujun Prefecture, and even change the original one-third of the state tax to three-thirds of the prefecture tax, and then use the one-third of the remaining state tax. One-third of the portion was given to Shi Feng Biejia,

In fact, it changed from one-third to one-ninth.

But for a state with 20,000 to 30,000 households, even if it is one-ninth, that is the actual tax for 2,000 to 3,000 households. This is not only the regular tax for local households, but also includes various industrial and commercial miscellaneous taxes and other taxes in other states. , compared to two-thirds of the food tax of 1,300 households in the highest level of the feudal meritorious officials,

That's still several times more.

From the kings to the honored ministers, the guardianship of the military palace was abolished in the world's bestowal, but the marriage affairs and the inner palace were retained. After all, if they were sealed in the mainland, why would they need the soldiers and horses of the military palace.

Of course, the princes can also choose not to keep the money in the wedding account, but to use the money for the tuition and fees, or part of the money and some of the people, whatever you choose.

Everyone had a lively discussion,

Wei Zheng asked about a key point of concern,

If the kings also changed their title to Biejia, would the positions of governor, governor, etc. held by the kings be cancelled?

Li Shimin thought for a while, "The title of Biejia is a hereditary reward, while the governor and governor are official positions. Kings who are capable can also grant the post of governor and governor, but this position is not hereditary, only Biejia is hereditary."

The kings will bid farewell to their hereditary mansions, and the honorable ministers will bid farewell to their hereditary prefectures.

The Great Governor's Mansion is of the third rank, the Middle Governor's Mansion is of the fourth rank, and the Lower Governor's Mansion is of the fourth rank.

Don't drive in Shangzhou and go down from the fourth rank, don't drive in Zhongzhou and go down from the fifth rank, and don't drive in Xiazhou and go from the fifth rank.

If the hereditary princes and princes are busy with their duties, they will be inspected by the chief historian, Sima or the disciples of the prince's palace or the prince's palace.

From now on, all prefectures and prefectures will only be used to confer royal titles and honored ministers.

The emperor sat on the royal couch,

Looking at the heated discussion among the ministers,

The ministers only discussed some details, but generally speaking, most of them supported Wu Huaiyu's Shifeng governor's change to Shifeng Biejia.

Li Shimin also felt a little helpless when he thought about the fact that the imperial edicts of conferring titles on kings, honoring ministers, and governors had not been issued for half a year. However, he was not the kind of headstrong emperor who insisted on going his own way to the end.

Since everyone is opposed to Shi Feng's appointment as governor and is willing to accept Shi Feng's bid, then he should follow Ruliu's advice.

All the recipients were willing, so why should he force it?

(End of this chapter)