People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1745: Prince's Secretary, Prince's Chief Secretary, Di Renjie

Lu Yuanfang glanced at Li Xuan, who raised his hand slightly. Lu Yuanfang then continued, "...Appoint Wang Yinke as Shangshu Youcheng, Yangqu County Earl, and Inspector of the Crown Prince's Zuo Shuzi..."

Wang Yinke was slightly stunned, then he bowed and stood up, knelt in the hall and said: "I accept your order and thank your majesty for your grace."

The ministers' eyes couldn't help but flicker. Wang Yinke used to be the chief secretary of King Peng and taught the crown prince. It was reasonable for him to be the inspector of the crown prince's left minister now.

However, the Prince's Secretary was Lu Yuanfang, the Prince's Right Secretary was Wang Dezhen, and the other prime ministers were all guests of the Prince.

The fact that Wang Yinke was able to bypass Feng Yuanchang and become the Prince's Left Secretary, who was in charge of all affairs of the Eastern Palace, was enough to prove that he was destined to become prime minister in the future.

But if you think about it carefully, it is still understandable.

The prince is only seven years old now, and it is impossible to give him a special position as the prince's left assistant. It is normal for him to be an inspector.

"... Appoint Di Renjie, the governor of Yingzhou, a man from Ruyang County, as the inspector of the crown prince's secretary..."

All the ministers bowed their heads in silence. They could hear that the officials to the Eastern Palace appointed by Li Xuan for Li Zhizhao were all people who had a great chance of becoming prime ministers in the future.

Wang Yinke and Di Renjie are all like this.

But now Di Renjie is not in the court, but serving as the governor of Yingzhou. Does that mean that he can also serve as an official in the Eastern Palace while living in other places? The emperor has a long-term vision.

But then again, Di Renjie is really a smart man. After the emperor took Luoyang last year, he asked to be transferred to Yingzhou, just in time to avoid the current turmoil.

Not only was he not involved in anything he shouldn't have been involved in, he even served as the Inspector General of the Crown Prince's Secretariat.

The Prince's Secretary, the Prince's Chief Clerk!

I don’t know whether to say he is lucky or that he is really smart.

"…Promote Xing Wenwei, Junior Minister of the Imperial Household, to be Junior Secretary of the Crown Prince."

Xing Wenwei stood up with his hands clasped, then knelt heavily on the ground.

Li Xuan's gaze fell on Xing Wenwei. Xing Wenwei was originally the Prince's Chief Steward of Li Hong. Li Hong's health had been poor for a long time. It was only after Xing Wenwei's strict discipline for several years that his health improved a lot. But unfortunately, later on, Xing Wenwei was transferred to the position of Li Hong's attendant and his health deteriorated again.

Later, Xing Wenwei was favored by Empress Wu and transferred to be the Sima of Fanzhou under Li Xuan. Later, he was transferred back to the court by Empress Wu and was reused.

But after Wu Zetian proclaimed herself emperor, he and Gong Siye and others rebelled in time, so not only were they not held accountable later, they were also gradually used by Li Xuan.

"…Li Jiao, the Imperial Censor, was transferred to be the Inspector of the Crown Prince's Secretary; Zhang Jianzhi, the Imperial Censor, was transferred to be the Inspector of the Crown Prince's Secretary; Gao Chongwen, the Left Guard Sima, was transferred to be the Crown Prince's Secretary; Yin Zhongrong, the Longzhou Clerk, was transferred to be the Crown Prince's Secretary…"

Lu Yuanfang read out the names one by one, and when he read out Yin Zhongrong's name, Yao Lingzhang suddenly looked up.

Few people remember the name Yin Zhongrong, but Yao Lingzhang could never forget it.

Yin Zhongrong started his career as Taizong's "Wanlang", served as Li Xian's legal officer, Li Dan's advisor to the Prince of Xiang's palace, and eventually became the Junior Secretary and the Senior Counselor. Unfortunately, he offended Empress Wu and was demoted to the Chief Clerk of Longzhou.

But this person has another important identity. He is the nephew of Yin Kaishan, one of the twenty-four heroes in the Lingyan Pavilion.

He is from the Henan Yin family, a person who really has the potential to become prime minister. Unexpectedly, he is still being remembered by Li Xuan.

In particular, according to rumors, Yin Kaishan is the grandfather of Master Xuanzang.

Just this one character is enough to implicate many people, and after several ups and downs, Yin Zhongrong had no good feelings towards Empress Wu, Li Dan, and Li Xian.

Not only Yin Zhongrong, but also the Bohai Gao family behind Gao Chongwen, the Zhaojun Li family behind Li Jiao, and Su Weidao, who was from the Wugong Su family and was as famous as Li Jiao, was already a secretary of the Secretariat.

All these signs mean that Li Xuan has completed the cleansing and control of the top families in the Tang Dynasty, and is now turning his attention to the second-tier families.

These aristocratic families have at least three officials of the third rank or above in office in every generation.

Moreover, with the abilities of these people, they can replace all the current prime ministers in the Council of State at any time.

Not to mention, there are people like Pei Judao, Li Zhaode, and Wang Fangyi.

Not only them, but the families behind them are connected with more than one or two people, and they often have great influence together.

King Peng, no, the emperor’s control over the world has become even deeper.

……

"Promote the Pacifier of Luoxi Road, the Governor of Fanzhou, and the Imperial Guard General Heichi Changzhi to the Imperial Guard General, and grant him the title of Duke of Pingguo; grant the Right Guard General Li Duozuo the title of Duke of Youguo, and appoint him as the General Manager of Jilin Road and the Protector of Andong Protectorate; grant the Right Guard General Su Baotong the title of Duke of Longgang County..."

The ministers pricked up their ears and listened, their faces becoming solemn.

Su Baotong is the Duke of Longgang County, which is not a strange thing. His grandfather Su Dingfang is the Duke of Xingguo. If the current Duke of Xingguo is not Duan Baoxuan, the emperor might have given the title of Duke of Xingguo to the Right Guard General who has followed him in battles for many years and now leads his most trusted army.

It is not surprising that Heichi Changzhi was promoted to the rank of General of the Imperial Guards. After all, he has been Li Xuan's deputy for many years.

But what really attracted people's attention was Li Duozuo's appointment as the Grand Administrator of Gyerim Province and the Protector General of Andong Protectorate, which indicated that the imperial court was going to send troops against Silla.

The Silla envoy Qin Dunjiaogan stood further back, out of sight of the public, his legs trembling slightly.

Li Xuan had already assembled his troops in Luoyang some time ago because Silla suddenly sent a letter to the Tang Dynasty saying that Li Chongzhao was in their hands and they wanted to let Silla pass through to send Li Chongzhao back to Chang'an.

If you just want to send someone off, then there is no need to borrow a passage. You can just hand the person over to the Tang Dynasty directly.

It is obvious that the Silla people have ulterior motives.

The Tang Dynasty did not bother to argue with them at all and directly prepared for war.

When Li Xuan was about to send troops to Silla, Qin Dunjiaogan immediately wanted to visit Li Xuan, but unfortunately, Li Xuan refused to see him. After Li Xuan finally stopped going, he proclaimed himself emperor, but in the blink of an eye, he transferred Li Duozuo to Andong.

You know, Li Duozuo himself came from Andong.

With Li Xuan controlling it remotely, Qin Dunjiaogan could imagine that even if Li Xuan did not go to Silla, Silla would inevitably be in a bloody storm.

However, compared to him, the officials of the Tang Dynasty paid more attention to the details.

Li Duozuo served as the Grand Administrator of Jilin Road and the Protector General of Andong Protectorate, but apart from a deputy, Gao Chongli, the General of the Left Guard, there were no other people.

They immediately understood that it would not be so easy for their invincible emperor to attack Silla this time.

……

"…All officials will receive a one-month salary increase, the people of Yongzhou will be exempted from land tax for three years, the people of Luozhou will be exempted from land tax for one year, and all elders will be given additional titles according to the imperial decree. This will be announced to the public at home and abroad. I decree this." Lu Yuanfang read out the imperial edict, then turned around, knelt down, and kowtowed deeply to Li Xuan.

"Your Majesty, we thank you for your grace. May your Majesty live forever, long live long, long live long!" All the ministers inside and outside the court kowtowed.

Li Xuan glanced at Liu Jinyu and they smiled at each other.

This reward list was finalized after the couple discussed for two days and two nights, and there were even some unknown hidden plots in it.

Of course, you can’t see it now.

Li Xuan turned his head and looked forward, raised his hand and said, "Everyone, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers then slowly stood up, each with a look of joy on their faces.

All the officials of the Tang Dynasty in the court were rewarded, and even the worst one received a one-month salary increase.

For this, Li Xuan drew some grain from the inner storehouse to make up for it.

Fortunately, there are only officials in Chang'an and Luoyang. If they are spread all over the country, the number would be much larger.

Li Xuan exempted Yongzhou's land tax for three years. If things went wrong, the autumn grain would not arrive next year and the court would immediately face the crisis of owing salaries.

"Pass the order." Li Xuan turned to look at Lu Yuanfang and said, "I will hold the enthronement ceremony on the first day of the first lunar month next year. All the chief secretaries of the four major military governorates will return to the court to pay homage. All the governors of the central provinces will return to the court to pay homage. Forget about the governors of the upper provinces. I have already met with them all at the beginning of the year."

"I obey your order." Lu Yuanfang immediately bowed, his eyes filled with thought. Why didn't he let the governor of Shangzhou come back, but let the governor of Zhongzhou come back? What was the plan behind this?
"Let Duke Ping and Duke Xue come back as well. They have been in the west for a long time. It's time for them to come back and rest." Li Xuan made a special instruction.

"Yes!" Lu Yuanfang immediately bowed and asked for a break. These three words might have other intentions.

Li Xuan raised his head and looked at the ministers. He did not say anything, but just glanced lightly at the ministers in the hall.

The entire hall was extremely quiet for a moment.

Finally, Li Xuan slowly spoke: "My dear ministers, today is a happy day, and we shouldn't say anything unpleasant, but since I have ascended the throne, I have to say some ugly things in advance."

"We respectfully accept the imperial edict." All the ministers bowed solemnly.

"Some of you have been with me for a long time, and some of you have had a lot of contact with me." Li Xuan raised his eyes from the imperial seal in front of him, looked outside the palace, and said calmly: "I have never been a very lenient person, and now I will naturally not be a very lenient emperor."

When Li Xuan said this, the hearts of the ministers suddenly tightened.

What is the emperor planning to do?
"What I have always followed is nothing more than the word rules." Li Xuan looked at the ministers, his eyes gradually becoming colder: "When you act, there are court rules and regulations above and Yonghui laws below. If you follow the rules and laws, then there will naturally be no other problems. But if you violate the court system and the law, then don't blame me for being harsh."

"Your Majesty, we will follow your instructions." The ministers bowed solemnly, but they couldn't help but feel a little relieved in their hearts. What did they think it was? Things should be done according to rules and laws.

"Pass the decree." Li Xuan said, looking at the officials in the hall, and said in a cold voice: "The Censorate will appoint an inspector to inspect the streets, markets, restaurants, and music schools in Chang'an City. If any official or official's children disturb the local people, they can be impeached upon hearing rumors."

"I obey your order." Imperial Censor Wang Jishan stood up and bowed solemnly.

"The Censorate will have an additional Palace Censor, who can inspect the various departments of the Taiji Palace at will. If there are any who are negligent, derelict in their duties, or embezzle money, they can be impeached upon hearing of the rumors." Li Xuan continued to issue decrees.

"I obey your order." Chief Censor Zhang Hongyu bowed and stood up.

"The Censorate will add an assistant censor to inspect the sixteen guards in Chang'an. If any military officer humiliates soldiers, kills people at will, or embezzles military equipment and food, he can be impeached upon hearing of the news." Li Xuan looked directly at the generals, lieutenant generals and others of the sixteen guards.

"We obey your orders." All the generals bowed.

Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and continued, "Of course, my lords, I am not a very demanding emperor. As long as you have made contributions, you can get an official position, a noble title, a private position, a title for your wife and children, and I will allow you to do anything."

At this point, Li Xuan paused for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "Prosperous times, prosperous times. As long as you keep these four words firmly in your hearts and do your best for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, I will never let you down."

"Your Majesty, I obey your command and am willing to die for you!" A resounding voice echoed in the hall, and all the ministers were excited.

Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, saying, "Okay, today's court session ends here. All the ministers and I will go outside the palace to enjoy the Qin King's Battle Formation Dance. Let the Queen arrange a banquet in the palace. After all, the Taiji Palace has been destroyed, so we can only hold the court session in the Liangyi Palace."

"I'm waiting for the order!"

……

Swords and shields clashed, and hundreds of Qianniu Guards with their left arms exposed waved sharp swords and shields, advancing and retreating in a measured manner and shouting.

Countless officials in the court watched with great interest, and the foreign envoys around them had a hint of fear in their eyes.

At this moment, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds came from the direction of Tai Chi Gate.

"Good news, good news, great victory in Yunnan."

(End of this chapter)