A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 958 Ruling
"When I was in Guangzhou, I missed the pasta made by my eldest sister."

Wu Huaiyu was very satisfied with the steaming bowl.

Wu Yu'e smiled and said, "It's an old custom to eat Yanyue wontons when you get on the bus and not to ask for them when you get off. When you get home, you have to eat a bowl first without asking for help. Don't despise simplicity."

This bowl of noodles is simple and plain, but has strong chewy texture and a light fragrance.

In later generations, it was difficult to taste this wheat flavor in noodles, even wheat core flour did not have this flavor.

The flour is the wheat produced in the Wu family manor. The flour ground in the own windmill has a light yellow color, and the fine flour that has been sifted still retains the aroma of wheat.

And, roll, cut, stretch, pull,

Boil the water in the pot, cut the stretched noodles into thumb-sized pieces, throw them into the pot and cook. After cooking, add some lard and chopped green onion, and it will be delicious.

"Sister, it's so delicious. Have another bowl."

The prince also enjoyed the meal very happily. He smiled and asked his mother-in-law to give him another bowl.
Watching Wu Yu'e make pasta is also very pleasing to the eye. Her movements are quick and smooth, without any sloppiness. She rolls, cuts, stretches and pulls the noodles in one go.
The dough seemed to be alive in her hands,
"You are hungry. It's thousands of miles all the way from Guangzhou to Chang'an. The best food is hunger," the eldest sister said, feeling sorry for her brother.

Fan Xing is Wu Huaiyu's father-in-law, and he is also a fierce military general. His official status and qualifications are also well-known in the military. What he committed this time is not that extraordinary.

Wu Yu'e laughed and said, "I must have offended someone now."

The fourth case is the meritorious case between Xue Wanjun and Qibi He.

"really?"

night,

Li Jing, Fan Xing, Niu Jinda,

What he cared about was Fan Xing and Niu Jinda, who had the same father-in-law and the same uncle.

Huaiyu chuckled, "I'm telling the truth here. Although my wife is good at riding and shooting, and is good at wielding a horse-killing sword, when it comes to cooking, she can only do barbecue at best."

Third, after Niu Jinda and Gao Zhengsheng were punished by Li Jing for missing their deadlines, Gao Zhengsheng refused to accept it and reported Li Jing to the court for treason.

Fan Xuanfu was not happy when he heard this, "It's all our fault. We can't even make a bowl of noodles. Alang is so miserable in Lingnan."

Wu Huaiyu felt that nothing would happen to Li Jing this time, but it was very likely that after this incident, Li Jing would bid farewell to the court completely and truly go into seclusion. From now on, he could only hide at home like Li Xiaogong, not even daring to see guests.

He is very close to Wu Huaiyu and can be considered a princeling.

And Li Jing,

There are still some things that need to be avoided.

Now these four cases, including the case of Xue Wanjun and Qi Bi Heli competing for merit, have been handled by the emperor himself, and all are rewarded but not punished after investigation.

Therefore, although many people knew that Wu Huaiyu had returned to Beijing, it was difficult for them to come. Even his brother-in-law Ma Zhousan did not come. Wu Huaiyi also went home after knowing that the prince had arrived.

She hugged Wu Huaiyu from behind, "I hope Aye can get through this difficulty."

The first was that Murong Shun was killed and Liangzhou Governor Fan Xing failed in his duties. The second was that Minzhou Governor Li Daoyan broke his promise and attacked Tuoba Dangxiang, which caused the Dangxiang tribes to rebel against the Tang Dynasty. They ambushed and defeated Li Daoyan, occupied the road, intercepted Niu Jinda, Gao Zhengsheng's march route caused the two of them to miss the deadline, lose their equipment, and Gao Zhengsheng also lost a lot of soldiers and horses.

So, Lady Wu Yu'e of the State of Yan led a group of noble ladies including Princess Yang Muyun of Huainan, Lord Li Qing of Yongle County, Lady Fan Xuanfu of the State of Jin, Prince Liangyuan and Han Yingsu to make noodles by themselves.

Wu Huaiyu and Fan Xuanfu were lying on the couch together. She was still worried about her father.
"Don't worry, the prince also said today that he will protect our Aye."

Fan Xing and Niu Jinda were both founding heroes, and both of them were actual meritorious officials. Fan Xing was the governor of Liangzhou and the general of the Youjian Gate Guard, while Niu Jinda was the governor of Songzhou and the general of the Zuowuwei.

Xuan Fu said angrily, "Nonsense, I also learned a few dishes in Lingnan. Boiled prawns, steamed crabs, and fish breasts are all good."

But now the imperial court has sentenced four generals, Fan Xing, Niu Jinda, Li Daoyan, and Gao Zhengsheng, to death.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they heard this. You can do these things with your hands.

"That can still be a lie."

Of course, they can all discuss it, but if they are really sentenced to death, then they will most likely be demoted to common people and exiled to the frontier.

After everyone had eaten, a few jokes made the atmosphere good.

"Do not worry."

Wu Huaiyu definitely didn't want to see this result. He would not care about Gao Zeng's life and death. Li Daoyan was the son of the late Huai'an King Li Shentong and Li Shimin's cousin. Of course, Wu Huaiyu didn't need to care about it.

See the essence through the appearance,
This incident happened after Tuyuhun destroyed the country and involved several generals, but it can generally be divided into several cases.

Wu Yu'e continued to make noodles.

These three people have high prestige in the military, and they also have high positions now.

Wu Huaiyu ate three large bowls in a row.
My whole body felt warm and I finally felt full.

Cheng Qian came forward to protect Fan Xing, so he had to sell favors to Fan Xing and take advantage of the opportunity to get closer. The prince is now seventeen years old and has become a father. How could he not know the benefits of this?

That night, Wu Huaiyu slept very late, but Fan Xuanfu held him and slept soundly. He had been frightened along the way, but now he had to get a guarantee that he could finally sleep peacefully.

Because the Crown Prince, Crown Prince Liangyuan and the Crown Prince came to visit,

Fan Xuanfu, Li Qing, Yang Muyun, Chen Runniang and the others were not hungry at all. They said they would wait until dinner, but they were the group of children they brought back.
Seeing how delicious his father's food was, he clamored to eat it too.

"Chang'an's noodles are still delicious, especially those made by eldest sister are the best." Wu Huaiyu said with satisfaction.

Cheng Qian stayed at Wu's house for about two hours and did not leave until after the dinner.

But Wu Huaiyu couldn't sleep.

Originally, one of them was the official right servant, the official of Kaifu Yitong and the third division, and the unparalleled top boss in the army after destroying Tuyuhun.

If something happens at this time, it’s not easy no matter how you look at it.
Especially since the dispute between Xue Wanjun and Qi Bi Heli was so big, Li Shimin, who said he had nothing to do with state affairs, personally stepped in to resolve the matter, but the two still received rewards instead of punishment.

However, the emperor has not said a word about Li Jing and Fan Xing until now.

Wu Huaiyu could only guess from the worst angle. The emperor might want to take this opportunity to make Li Jing, the military god, completely retire, and then demote Fan Xing and Niu Jinda to refrigeration for a few years.

There is a reason for such speculation,

After all, after Tuyuhun was destroyed this time, several people gained both fame and fortune, such as Jiangxia King Li Daozong. After this battle, he became a commander with sufficient qualifications and prestige that the imperial court could take action against. Now, with such In fact, there are not many people in the DPRK who can take command due to their qualifications and merits.

Li Jing, Li Ji, Li Xiaogong, Chai Shao, Qin Qiong, Wu Huaiyu, and Li Daozong can now be counted as one, while Xue Wanche, Xue Wanjun, Hou Junji, and Cheng Yaojin can only be counted as half.
As for Zhusi Weili, Qibi Heli, Li Sheer, and Li Simo, they can be counted as half, but they are all Hu generals.

Among these commander-level generals,

Li Jing is undoubtedly the most promising one, Chai Shao and Li Xiaogong are also able to stand alone, Qin Qiong and Li Ji have also fought many battles all the way, Li Daozong has a lot of qualifications but less merit, and Wu Huaiyu has high merit but qualifications. relatively shallow,
The generals Xuehou and Cheng lacked experience and qualifications in commanding operations.

It can be said that Li Jing is the only one who can compare with the emperor in terms of command, and the rest are undoubtedly worse than the emperor. Even Li Jing was good at planning and commanding, but after all, he was older and was not as good as the emperor in charging into battle.

Fan Xing is actually the one between the commander-in-chief and the fierce general. His qualifications and achievements are astonishing. However, although Fan Xing leads the troops fiercely and has some strategies, Fan Xing has had many defeats. This is the most deducting point. As for Niu Jin Dama, he is worse than Xue Houcheng and others. He used to be Cheng Yaojin's deputy, but he has gained experience through many years of fighting. At his level, there are Feng Li, Xie Shufang, Liu Lancheng, Qiu Xinggong, Liu Shilima Sanbao and so on.

As I thought about it, the rooster crowed.

At dawn, Wu Huaiyu's face was still a little haggard.

"Are you going to the palace today?"

"Wait!"

Wu Huaiyu is now a local official, and his visit to Beijing this time is not a normal court meeting. He does not need to attend the court meeting. Of course, if you look closely, Wu Huaiyu is not a real local official.

The positions of Lingnan Observer and Six-Prefecture Manager were still temporary special envoys sent by the imperial court. They were a kind of envoy, not an official local official. Even his Annan Protector was part-time.

Then when he returns to the capital, he, the acting Sikong and Duke of Jin, should also attend the court meeting.

breakfast,

The Yanyue wontons made by my eldest sister are actually dumplings. The eldest sister came early in the morning and made five kinds of fillings: leek and egg stuffing, shrimp and three delicacies stuffing, celery and beef stuffing, pork stuffing, spinach vegetarian stuffing.

Fresh,

Very fresh,
All the pasta made by my eldest sister is of excellent quality.

The three fresh dumplings are fresh and tender, and the pork stuffing is also juicy.
In addition to cooking, the eldest sister even made a pot of fried dumplings and pot stickers.

Brother-in-law Ma Zhou was the prime minister and had to attend the daily morning court. He got up very early to go to court.

Although Fang Xuanling also asked for a court meeting every three days, and some prime ministers asked for a court meeting every other day, this kind of daily court meeting could not really discuss and discuss state affairs, but was also very cumbersome and tiring. The palace gates did not open until around five o'clock in the morning. , the court officials had to get up at the fourth watch and rush to the palace gate to wait.
After a long time of tossing, it was just a formality in the end. Therefore, in the past few years of Zhenguan, the court mainly paid more attention to the strictness of Shuo Wang and Chao Shen. As for Japan and Korea, it has always been relatively chaotic.

Even the regular staff members who participated in Japan and Korea changed frequently.

"Brother-in-law, it's been really hard." Wu Huaiyu sighed as he ate the dumplings. He was an official in the court before and also served as a Chang Shen official. He rushed to the court every day. It was really dark to get up in the dark, hold up the lamp and rush on the road. He had to wait outside the palace gate. I work on it for several hours every day, but actually don’t do anything serious.
Just like the company morning meeting in later generations, it is purely formal.

"Are you going to visit your teacher or your father-in-law today?" the eldest sister asked,

"I just returned to Beijing. Let's take a rest at home." Wu Huaiyu couldn't go to see Li Jing, Fan Xing, and Niu Jinda at this time. He still wanted to see the emperor first.
But the emperor is not someone he can see whenever he wants.

"When you come back to Beijing this time, you won't go back to Lingnan until after the Chinese New Year, right?"

"Well, sure. I'll have someone go to Sanyuan Longqiao later to pick up Aye and Aniang. They are coming to Beijing to stay for a few days. I'll also pick up all those younger brothers and sisters. I haven't been home for so long. I guess they don't know each other anymore."

Yu'e couldn't help but laugh. In the past few years, Lao Wu was obsessed with taking in concubines and having children. He took in so many concubines and so many maids at a young age, and gave birth to dozens of children. Fortunately, now I figured it out and started to maintain my health.

"Don't tell me that you haven't known each other for several years abroad. I often go back to visit relatives, but I can't recognize them all. There are too many."

Yu'e sighed, that is to say, the Wu family has a big business now, especially the Wu family also has big medical industries such as Qianjintang and Huiren Institute, otherwise it would not be able to support so many children.

It can be said that Lao Wu gave birth to so many children, but few died in infancy. He was stronger than the royal family. This really depends on the Wu family's medicine.

Fortunately, Wu Huaiyu didn't care.

There are as many younger brothers and sisters as there are, and they won't compete with him for family property anyway. Moreover, Wu Huaiyu has already planned the future arrangements for these brothers and sons. Each has its own use, so there is no need to worry.

The siblings made a pot of tea and chatted in the living room.

"The Duke of Jin, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, summoned him to the East Palace to participate in the court discussion."

Zhang Chengen, the prince of the East Palace's inner palace, personally came to deliver the order and invited Wu Huaiyu to enter the palace.

On the way, Zhang Anan's adopted grandson was very polite to Wu Huaiyu, but Wu Huaiyu directly called him brother, which immediately made him smile and become more cordial.

Without waiting for Wu Huaiyu to ask, he took the initiative and said, "After today's morning court, His Highness summoned the prime minister and the ministers of the three departments to hold a court meeting to discuss matters such as defending the country and running the country."

"Li Daliang, the imperial censor, said at the meeting of the three divisions that it was found that Gao Zhengsheng's accusation of treason against Li Jing was a false accusation. According to Tang law, treason was listed as the second worst crime and was an unpardonable capital crime. Therefore, according to the law of rebellion, Gao Zhensheng should be sentenced to death. .

Now there is a court meeting in the palace. Because of his meritorious service, the judge discussed his crime according to the method of eight meetings and reported it to the prince of the supervisory state for a ruling. "

Wu Huaiyu was surprised that the results came out so quickly.

"What's the result?"

"His Royal Highness gathered together and decided that he should be reduced to death in Liubiandi,"

Zhang Chengen also explained to Wu Huaiyu, "Conspiracy is a crime without pardon, and the eight arguments could not be used to reduce the crime. However, because Gao Zengsheng was not the actual culprit, but was convicted of the crime in reverse, the eight arguments were still carried out, and the result was that the death penalty was reduced. .”

"Do all the prime ministers and ministers agree with this result?"

"The result of the gathering." Zhang Chengen said.

Wu Huaiyu understood, and it was estimated that the relevant personnel in this Tongtian case had received the emperor's instructions.

"The minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the high minister involved in political affairs. The palace said that Gao Zengsheng was an old hero of the Qin Dynasty. Please use this to absolve him of his crime."

"Then how will His Highness reply?"

"The Prime Minister of Wei refuted it loudly. His Highness summoned Duke Wei and Erlang to come into the palace to participate in the court discussion."

"Where are Mr. Fan and Mr. Niu?"

"The judicial department ruled that Fan Xing, Li Daoyan and Niu Jinda should be sentenced to death. According to the method of eight deliberations, the main deliberation was to reduce the crime, and the assembly deliberation tentatively reduced the death penalty to Liu Bian."

Hearing this result, Wu Huaiyu frowned, this was the worst result.

He quickened his pace,

Rush to the East Palace and go to the Palace of Tingyi,

Li Jing did not come because of leg problems.
The ministers in the palace are still debating the crime and punishment of Fan Liniu and the others. The Three Laws Division ruled on the death penalty. According to the procedure, the crime must be reduced after eight discussions.

However, many ministers believe that the judicial conviction is too excessive.

The chamberlain notified Wu Huaiyu to come to court.
When he entered the palace, everyone looked at this Dai Sikong Wu Gong who had never been in court and had no name to praise or worship.

"Wu Sikong, what suggestions do you have for this?"

Wu Huaiyu glanced at all the ministers. Those who can participate in the court meeting today are either prime ministers, or some important ministers with actual duties of third rank or above, or Situ, Kaifu Yitong and Sansi like Changsun Wuji.
"Your Highness, I thought that since the judge has made the decision according to the law, I will report to the saint for the final decision. Whether it is death, demotion or exile, it will be up to your majesty."

Unexpectedly, Wu Huaiyu neither interceded for his father-in-law Fan Xing nor excused Niu Jinda.

The Crown Prince nodded his head,

"Okay, the four generals Fan Xing, Li Daoyan, Niu Jinda, and Gao Zhengsheng were sentenced to death according to the law. However, according to the eight arguments, all four generals were reduced to death. The result will be reported to the saint for the final decision!"

(End of this chapter)