First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 525

...

Seeing that Gao Zhengye was in such a mess, Gao Jifu was instantly sullen, "I asked you to treat my brother so well, why did I get muddy and so rude, how could I...".

Gao Chong already realized that something was wrong, and hurriedly stepped forward to pull Gao Jifu away, "Brother is happy and angry, there may be a misunderstanding in this."

After comforting Gao Jifu, Gao Chong's face darkened, and he shouted: "Gao Yanzhang, get out of here."

Sure enough, Gao Yanzhang lowered his head, and walked cautiously from the wall, "Aye...".

"What's going on?" Gao Chong asked in a deep voice, he had roughly guessed it, but he needed this kid to tell the truth.

"I didn't expect... I didn't expect this brother to be so irresistible..." Gao Yanzhang lowered his head and said timidly, as if he was wronged.

Gao Chong was out of breath, took a deep breath, and squeezed out two words from between his teeth, "Apologize".

"I don't want...I don't want to play with him", Gao Zhengye hid behind Gao Jifu in fear, "Aye, he said he taught me martial arts, just, just beat me...".

Gao Jifu was stunned.

"Brother, I'm really sorry, this kid is too stubborn, I will definitely punish him severely." Gao Chong immediately scolded in a deep voice, "Aren't you apologizing?"

With tears in his eyes, Gao Yanzhang said aggrievedly: "Brother Zhengye, I, I was wrong, I didn't know that you were not resistant to beating, but my uncle was very resistant to beating...".

Gao Chong's eyes widened, his breathing was no longer steady.

Gao Jifu didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard the words, he lifted Gao Yanzhang up, and said with a loud smile: "Good boy, he has been so good at martial arts since he was a child, and from then on our Gao family's guns will have successors."

Hearing this, Gao Yanzhang raised his head and asked, "Gao's spear? What is that? Is it powerful? Is it as powerful as my fist? My uncle and my brother can't beat me...".

Gao Chong covered his face and couldn't bear to look directly at him, he said with a wry smile: "This guy is very aggressive, he only knows how to beat people with his hands, it's because I was negligent in discipline, I made my brother laugh at me."

"Hey, Youzhi's words are too serious."

Gao Jifu shook his head and smiled, "The child is young and doesn't know right from wrong. He will understand when he grows up, but I think Yanzhang's muscles and bones are really good. His frame is strong and his arms are thick and long. He is a martial artist. What a seedling."

Gao Jifu was not a weak scholar, he studied martial arts diligently since he was a child, and he was quite courageous.

In the last years of Daye, his elder brother Gao Yuandao served as the county magistrate of Ji County, and died at the hands of bandits. Gao Jifu, who was only in his early twenties, gathered soldiers from the county government, chased them out of the city, killed his enemies, and sacrificed them in front of his elder brother's tomb. , that is quite brave.

Later, he participated in the Yan Wang Geqian Uprising in Hebei, and then joined Wagang Li Mi, and fought against the enemy many times. Although he was not a fierce general like Yuchi Chengqin, he was also a brave general.

Hearing this, Gao Chong agreed quite a bit. Looking at Gao Yanzhang who was still struggling in Gao Jifu's hands, he nodded and sighed: "He has been very active since he was a child, and he is bold and reckless. When he grows up, I intend to let him practice martial arts and join the army." .

"My kid has a weak personality, so he can only study literature in the future," Gao Jifu said looking at the timid Gao Zhengye.

"I think Zhengye has been well-behaved since he was young, and he will be successful in the future," Gao Chong looked at Gao Zhengye and praised him sincerely.

Gao Zhengye is what his parents said was someone else's child, well-educated, well-behaved and sensible, Gao Chong admired it very much.

Originally thinking that Gao Chong was just talking politely, Gao Jifu smiled humbly, but seeing Gao Chong's face was serious, not like joking, Gao Jifu couldn't help but shudder.

As we all know, Gao Chong is very knowledgeable about people, and all the people he recommends are outstanding people. Not to mention Fang Du and others, we only take Ma Zhou, who has risen this year, as an example.

Ma Zhou, who was originally just an assistant teacher in Bozhou, was repeatedly reprimanded by Bozhou governor Da Xishu. He should have been dismissed from office, but under the recommendation of Gao Chong, Ma Zhou was appreciated by Li Shimin, and quickly entered the center with his extraordinary talent. There are dozens of history, all of which are in the light of the current disadvantages. Not long ago, Li Shimin even ignored the opposition of his courtiers and promoted Ma Zhou to Shizhong.

Gishizhong belongs to Menxia Province, second only to Huangmen Shilang. He is in charge of reading and reading memorials, and ranks in the fifth grade. In terms of courtiers' memorials, if there is any objection in the matter, they can be directly corrected and rejected, and the official memorials can be dismissed for violations, and the power and responsibility are extremely heavy.

Gao Jifu had no choice but to say: "I hope this son will not disappoint You's high expectations."

Gao Zhengye, who had been hiding behind and was a little timid, immediately stretched out his head and said, "Aye, I will definitely achieve something."

Gao Chong and the two looked at each other in surprise.

Gao Jifu was even more overjoyed, he hugged Gao Zhengye and said with a loud smile, "Well, wait and see."

On the original trajectory, Gao Zhengye had a brilliant literary talent. He was an official in Zhongshusheren, in charge of drafting edicts, and participated in secrets.

It's a pity that Gao Zhengye made friends carelessly. He made friends with Shangguanyi, another member of Zhongshushe. Shangguanyi was framed for treason, and then sentenced to death.

Therefore, Li Ji warned his descendants, "I see that Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Gao Jifu have worked so hard to build a family. I also hope that they will be rich in the future, and they will be ruined by idiots."

Unaware of the passage of time, it was approaching evening, so Gao Jifu directly accompanied Gao Chong back to the mansion.

Seeing Gao Junya, Gao Chong couldn't wait to ask out his doubts. After Gao Junya was a little surprised, he smiled and said: "It seems that you have already guessed it. Not bad, you have made some progress."

Gao Jifu replied respectfully: "If it weren't for Youzhi's reminder, I still don't know, and I hope my uncle can give me some pointers."

"No hurry, there is still one important thing that I haven't got," Gao Junya said with a smile, as usual, as calm and breezy, as if everything was under control.

Gao Chong was very curious, and was about to ask, when Men Ding came to report: Mr. Xue Jialang sent someone to send a letter.

Mr. Xue Jialang...

Gao Chong's eyes narrowed, and he asked in surprise, "But Xue Bobao?"

Gao Junya nodded and smiled, and ordered his followers to fetch Xue's letter.

"The left and right are only one square apart. Why do you still write letters? Why don't you ask him to come to the banquet with you?" Gao Chong said with a smile: "I may not have seen him for a long time, and we just got together."

Gao Junya's expression darkened when she heard this, and she directly reprimanded her: "Stupid".

Gao Chong was stunned.

Gao Jifu coughed, and whispered in his ear: "Xue Bobao is well known to control the fine work, and it is not appropriate to have too much contact with the courtiers, not to mention that the two of you are relatives by marriage."

"The prince is about to be crowned emperor, and his status is already very different. If you continue to be so lazy and unruly, you will be in trouble sooner or later," Gao Junya taught with a cold face.

"What Aye said is true, you must keep it in mind." Gao Chong took a deep breath and solemnly responded. People persuade, eat enough, Gao Chong has never been arrogant.

Gao Junya opened the letter that Xue Shou had sealed with sealant, looked at ten lines at a glance, and after reading it, threw the first piece of paper into the fire, burned it to ashes, and handed the second piece of paper to Gao Jifu.

"Ji Fu, plan carefully and see how to deal with it most properly," Gao Junya picked up the teacup and said slowly.

Gao Jifu frowned after reading it, handed the paper to Gao Chong, and asked hesitantly, "Is this what the prince means? Or is it what uncle means to Xue Bobao?"

Hearing this, Gao Junya smiled, "Is there any difference? In short, it is to follow the general trend, not to mention, the evidence is convincing, isn't this exactly your duty?"

Gao Jifu closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time, took a deep breath, bowed and said: "Gao Feng has been taught, thank you uncle for reminding me."

After reading it, Gao Chong also felt a little interesting, and said with a light smile, "Zhang Pinggao? I haven't heard this name for many years, and he is already the Duke of the state. Why should he?"

"Why?" Gao Jifu said in a deep voice, "It's just because of the grace, another vegetarian."

"After all, from the minister of the dragon, the old minister of Yuanmou in Taiyuan, and the sage as his confidant, it is expected to have this honor, so there is no need to be resentful." Gao Junya seemed to understand very well, and did not have the indignation of the two Gao Chong , just said lightly.

In May of the first year of Wude, Li Yuan announced that the 19 meritorious officials of Yuanmou in Taiyuan, that is, the [-] ministers who had attached themselves to Li Yuan before the Jinyang uprising, all gave Danshu Iron Coupons to avoid death once in a lifetime.

For this list, Li Yuan was extremely cautious and ordered people to strictly screen, because Gao Chong was only 19 years old, and his father Gao Junya was already on the list, so Yousi excluded Gao Chong.

As a result, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin saw that Gao Chong was not among them, so they jointly recommended them. In addition, Gao Chong had already married Li Yuan's sixth daughter, Princess Wanchun, Li Xiuwan, who was a relative of the emperor.

There are 19 meritorious officials in Taiyuan Yuanmou, namely: Shangshuling Li Shimin, Shangshu Zuopushe Pei Ji, Nayan (later called Shizhong) Gao Junya, Neishi Shilang (later called Zhongshu Shilang) Liu Wenjing, General Zuo Xiaowei Sun Shunde, General Liu Hongji of Youxiaowei, General Dou Cong of Youtunwei, General Chai Shao of Zuoyiwei, Tang Jian, Minister of Internal History, Yin Kaishan, Minister of Officials, Liu Shilong, Minister of Honglu, Liu Zhenghui, Shaoqing of Wei Wei, Zhao Wenke, Supervisor of Dushui, The samurai Xun, the doctor of the Ministry of the Treasury, Shi Xu Shixu, the head of Zuotunwei, Gao Chong, Zhang Pinggao, Li Sixing, and Li Gaoqian, the generals of Hussars.

Zhang Pinggao is a native of Suizhou. He joined the army at the end of the Sui Dynasty and served as the school lieutenant of Yingyang Mansion in Taiyuan. After Li Yuan went to stay in Taiyuan, he took control of Taiyuan's military.

When Li Yuan raised his army, he appointed Zhang Pinggao as the head of the army, that is, General Ying Yanglang, later called General Hussars, Commander, and Captain Zhechong...

It's just that Zhang Pinggao was mediocre. He had neither strategy nor courage. He did not make any outstanding achievements in several national wars such as pacifying Hedong and stationing in Chang'an. Li Yuan bestowed him with his loyalty to Li Yuan and his long time following Li Yuan. A high-ranking official with a generous salary, promoted from General Hussars to General of the Left Leading Army, and entered Duke Xiao Guogong, this is the charm of Conglong Zhigong.

People like Zhang Pinggao didn't have any outstanding achievements at all, but he served under Li Yuan's command during the former Sui Daye years, and he obeyed Li Yuan's words. This alone is his capital.

With this capital, Zhang Pinggao, who is only a middle-class man, has become the top honorable person on the spot.

"Brother, what are you going to do?" Seeing that Gao Jifu was filled with indignation, Gao Chong couldn't help asking curiously.

Gao Jifu said without hesitation: "I will report the truth to the procuratorate. If there is no result, I will impeach him in court just like last year."

Hearing this, Gao Junya nodded in satisfaction, "That's right, that's how I should abide by the rules."

Yushitai, one of the three divisions, has three courtyards under its jurisdiction.

One is Taiyuan, and the censor is called Shi Yushi, with a fixed number of six people, ranking from the sixth rank, in charge of rectifying and playing hundreds of officials, entering the cabinet and accepting imperial edicts, and ranking first among the three courts;
The second is the Palace Courtyard, where the censor is called the servant censor in the palace, with a fixed number of nine people, ranking from the seventh rank, holding the rectification and playing the palace court, and enshrining the frequency of the court meeting and the Dajialu Boyi Festival;
The third is the Procuratorate, and the imperial censor is called the supervisory censor, with a fixed number of 15 people, ranking in the eighth rank, in charge of the procuratorate, and patrolling the prefectures and counties.

If the supervisory censor has a memorial, it must first be reported to the procuratorate according to the procedure, and then the doctor of the censor will play it. If the procuratorate does not accept it, it can be played in court. This is the privilege of the censor.

Even later, the censor could hear about things, and the censor could participate in the officials based on hearsay news, without having to produce real evidence or sign. Once this case was opened, it would intensify the struggle between the party and the government. A double-edged sword.

"The corpse is a vegetarian meal, and the rumors are deceiving the crowd. Two felony crimes will definitely bring this guy down," Gao Jifu said with clenched fists.

After Xue Shou's secret investigation, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Pinggao has been appointed as the general of the left leader for eight years, and has not participated in any war to pacify the world.

During his tenure, he had no political achievements. Like Zhang Jin, the former general of the left guard, he did not go to the public office for many years, which really fits the four words of a corpse.

The most terrible thing is that this man is over [-] years old, deeply believes in the way of ghosts and gods, and a Taoist priest who claims to be a Qi refiner in Zhongnan Mountain is enshrined in his home.

Zhang Pinggao often entertained his relatives and friends at home, and publicized how brilliant this qi refiner is. He has lived for more than 120 years. If he practices with this master, he will surely live a long and prosperous life.

Li Tang respects Taoism, so it's fine if this kind of thing is not pursued, but if it is more serious, it is inevitable that there will be a crime of deceiving people by lying.

Hearing Gao Jifu's words, Gao Chong shook his head and said with a smile: "The crime is not important. If this person's luck is bad, even an excuse of going in with his left foot can take him down."

Gao Jifu was taken aback when he heard the words, "Yuzhi, what are you talking about, you will be punished for breaking the law. If he keeps his integrity and can't find any evidence of crime, I will not join him."

The implication is very clear, I join him because he is indeed guilty, not because he is a favorite of a saint.

Gao Chong's mouth twitched when he heard this, "There are only three of us in this room, brother, don't be so righteous."

Gao Junya glared at Gao Chong, feeling a little helpless towards this fellow, insisting on tearing off that layer of fig leaf for what purpose.

I saw Gao Jifu grinning, "Yuzhi doesn't know something. Only when you are firm in your heart, you must convince yourself first, then others will be convinced, otherwise it will only be full of flaws."

Gao Junya's expression froze.

Gao Chong gave a thumbs up, "Excellent, this is to deceive others first deceive yourself, and deceive others first deceive yourself."

Gao Jifu's face darkened, and he said with a wry smile, "I always feel like you're cursing."

"Okay, it's time to start the banquet." Gao Junya couldn't stand it anymore, these two young people were too immoral.

At the same time, in Cheng'en Hall, Li Shimin looked at the letter in his hand, with a smile on his lips, "They are all smart people...".

After speaking, realizing that there was another person in front of him, Li Shimin's expression turned worried, and he asked with concern, "Zicheng, how is your uncle?"

In front of him was a scholar of about thirty or forty years of age, elegant and easy-going.

Listening to Li Shimin's question, he raised his head, his face was also full of sorrow, and sighed softly: "After being recuperated by the old fairy Sun, I can get out of bed and walk now, but I am still weak and can't see the wind."

(End of this chapter)