Tibet.

Chapter 1305 Lao Ji Fufeng
This time Li Ye did not give Li Xian the opportunity to resign. Resigning and going home was a luxury.

Li Ye dismissed Li Xian from his posts as Minister of Rites and Co-Prime Minister on the grounds that Li Xian had a corrupt official career and raised an illegitimate child. He also removed him from his official position of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, stripped him of his title of Duke of Yuguo, and demoted him to Sima of Duanzhou in Lingnan.

In name, he was sent to a remote state to serve as a Sima, but in essence he was exiled to Lingnan and there was no chance of coming back in this life.

At the same time, the twenty-three members of the royal family who signed the declaration were all stripped of their royal status, demoted to commoners, and deprived of all their benefits.

These minor clan members were originally princes, dukes, or county dukes, but were later affected by the decree to remove titles, and were all demoted to earls and viscounts, with the highest rank being only county dukes.

They were all extremely dissatisfied and responded to the call to oppose the Abolition of Slavery and signed the statement against it. They did not know that the Abolition of Slavery was a sharp knife and how could they be spared if they bumped into it?
Now that was bad, he was expelled from the Zongzheng Temple and lost all the benefits of the royal family. He was demoted to a commoner, which meant that he also lost his title and the public housing he lived in. He had to be kicked out and rent a house on his own.

This is just the first step. If they have ever done something illegal or harmful to others, such as robbing other people's wives, daughters, and property, without the protection of their royal family status, they will easily be sued by their enemies and will then have to be brought to court for trial. Once the charges are proven, they will definitely be exiled to the frontier.

Because the abolition of slavery had not yet been issued, his wife and children might also be enslaved by the government.

This is the biggest irony: he opposed the abolition of slavery, but in the end his wife and children became slaves.

This happened when there was less than a month left before Li Ye ascended the throne. Li Ye showed his sword by issuing the abolition order. This was actually a clear signal. At this critical moment, anyone who opposed the abolition order was tantamount to opposing his ascension to the throne. Anyone who opposed the abolition order would be his enemy, and he would suppress and strike them mercilessly, and kill the chicken to scare the monkey, in order to deter others.

But to his staunch supporters, Li Ye's care is as caring as spring breeze and rain.

The next afternoon, Li Ye met with veteran general Guo Ziyi who had returned to the capital to report on his work.

After the Youzhou Campaign ended, Guo Ziyi voluntarily handed over military power and was appointed by Li Ye as the Inspector of the Ministry of War, the Grand Master of the Three Departments, and the title of Imperial Censor, and was appointed as the Pacifier of Henan Province.

Before taking up the new post, Guo Ziyi had to return to the capital to report on his work, summarize and sort out his previous post as deputy marshal of the Northern Expedition, go through the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, the Privy Council and the Censorate, and fill out some statements to explain whether he had employed private individuals, embezzled military salaries and rations, misappropriated spoils of war, disobeyed the emperor's orders, killed women and children, etc. during his tenure as deputy marshal.

Of course, it was just a formality. If he had done the above, he would have been impeached by the Censor and the Military Inspector long ago.

Moreover, Guo Ziyi did not need to go through the formalities of various departments himself. His son or his staff could do it for him and then bring it home for him to sign.

To some extent, Guo Ziyi's return home to report on his work was actually a kind of vacation.

"Old minister Guo Ziyi pays respect to Your Highness!"

Li Ye quickly smiled and said, "General Guo, please don't be polite. Please take a seat!"

Li Ye asked Guo Ziyi to sit down, and then asked with a smile: "You can enjoy the family happiness during this period of time with your family, right?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have been very happy these past two years. Thinking back to the battle of Xiangzhou, I feel like I have aged ten years. Thanks to Your Highness's efforts in turning the tide, I have been able to win battles in a row. I am getting younger and younger, and I feel happy!"

Although there was suspicion of disguised flattery, Guo Ziyi spoke very sincerely and supported it with facts, so Li Ye felt very comfortable.

"I heard that the Guo family is also abolishing slavery recently. How is the progress?"

Guo Ziyi nodded, "I happen to be at home with nothing to do, so I will personally handle the matter of abolishing slavery in the Guo family. The Guo family has more than 1,200 slaves, most of whom work in the manor, and a small number of them work as servants in the mansion. The slaves in the mansion are a little simpler. They go directly to the county government to restore their civilian status, sign a labor contract, and are paid monthly. They return home at the end of their term, but they still encounter some problems. I wonder if other families have encountered them."

"Tell me, old general, what's the problem?"

"Because many people have lived in the Guo family for generations. Although they were slaves, the Guo family provided them with housing and helped them marry and have children. But once they are free, they have nowhere to go. They have no house of their own and even have to face a new world. It's okay for young people, but older people will feel scared. They are used to living in the Guo family and can't face a new life. What should they do?" Li Ye nodded, "This is indeed a problem. Many elderly people have lived in the wall all their lives. If you give them freedom and drive them out, you are actually abandoning them and discarding their burden!"

"Your Highness is absolutely right, that's exactly what happened!"

Li Ye smiled and said, "The Taiji Palace still has thousands of white-haired palace maids, all of whom are in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and homeless. I let them continue to live in the Taiji Palace, and give them some money and food every month so that they can support themselves. When they die, I hold a funeral and bury them. This is an employer's responsibility. Since I have employed them throughout their youth, I have to be responsible for their old age. I think every family should have this awareness. This is our traditional morality!"

Guo Ziyi sighed and said, "Your Highness is kind and benevolent, and everyone can see it, but in fact not every family can do it, so this old minister has repeatedly considered whether this situation can be guaranteed by law."

"Does the old general have any good suggestions?"

Guo Ziyi nodded and said, "I have talked to hundreds of slaves and found that not every slave is willing to be free, especially the elderly who have been slaves all their lives. It would be too cruel to suddenly give them freedom and drive them away.

Therefore, this old minister suggests that the abolition order can be divided into two types, one is mandatory abolition, and the other is voluntary abolition. The age of 40 should be the dividing line. People under the age of 40 must be abolished, and they can start over. Slaves over the age of 40 should be able to choose whether they are willing to be free or maintain the status quo. After another 20 years, when this group of people pass away, there will be no slaves in the Tang Dynasty. This old minister does not agree with a one-size-fits-all approach, which is too cruel to the elderly.

The court must also consider carefully the property arrangements for the slaves. For example, the houses they currently live in cannot be taken away and must be left to them. These must be clearly stipulated!"

Li Ye nodded. "It's not that I don't accept suggestions. I hate opposition just for the sake of opposition. But suggestions like the old general's are meaningful and hit the pros and cons. Of course I can accept them. The old general can write a memorial and I will let the Political Affairs Hall discuss it carefully."

Guo Ziyi smiled sheepishly and took out a memorial from his sleeve, "I have already written it!"

Li Ye laughed, took the memorial and said, "General, you are thoughtful. I will read it carefully and then discuss it with everyone!"

"Thank you for your tolerance, Your Highness!"

Li Ye put the memorial aside, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "It's actually meaningless to ask the old general to go to Henan Province as a pacification envoy. It just so happens that Li Xian is leaving his post. Are you willing to take over Li Xian's position and serve as an assistant prime minister in the Political Affairs Hall?"

After Li Xian was dismissed, Li Ye was considering a new assistant prime minister. Although Wei Jiansu recommended Zhang Hao, Li Ye valued Guo Ziyi more.

Guo Ziyi pondered for a moment, then stood up and saluted, saying, "First of all, thank you for your trust and love for me, but I came to see you today because I have a request."

"What do you think, old general? Just tell me."

Guo Ziyi sighed, "My biggest wish in this life is to expand the territory for the Tang Dynasty, but I have never had the chance to realize it. The Liaodong War will begin next year. This is the opportunity I have been waiting for all my life. I am willing to be an old soldier and go to Liaodong to charge into battle and expand the territory for the Tang Dynasty to fulfill my lifelong wish!"

Li Ye was really moved. He nodded and said, "I can deeply understand the old general's righteousness. I am willing to let the old general fight in Liaodong, but the old general is old and I can't bear it!"

Guo Ziyi knelt on one knee and said with emotion: "There was Lian Po in the Warring States Period and Ma Yuan in the Han Dynasty. Is there no old general in the Tang Dynasty? If I can die on the battlefield, it will be the greatest honor of my life."

Li Ye looked at him for a moment, and finally nodded, "Okay! I promise, old general."

That evening, Li Ye issued a regent order, appointing Zhang Hao, the governor of Jiannan Road, as the Minister of Rites, co-director of the Secretariat, and entering the Cabinet.

Immediately afterwards, he issued a second regent order, removing Guo Ziyi from his post as pacification commissioner of Henan Province and appointing him as deputy marshal of the Eastern Expedition and Grand Protector of Andong, and establishing the Marshal's Office of the Eastern Expedition in Pinglu.

He then issued a preparatory order, instructing the Privy Council to mobilize an army of 200,000, one million dan of grain, a thousand warships, 40,000 camels, and a large amount of supplies, and to rush to Pingzhou after the beginning of next spring.

(End of this chapter)