First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

Hedong, Fenyin City.

In an old house, a young man with a withered face was lying on the bed, "My son, remember, remember...".

The young man's eyes gradually lost their sparkle, and he raised his arms and stretched them to one side, but in the end they hung down weakly.

"Aye..." A four- or five-year-old child next to him burst into tears, grabbing the arm of the man on the couch and shaking him.

"Langjun", a woman walked to the door, heard the cry of the child, dropped the medicine bowl in her hand to the ground, and lay on the bed crying in grief.

Xue Yuanjing in the courtyard trembled when he heard the voice, closed his eyes and looked up to the sky, tears already dripping from the corners of his eyes, "Uncle... go well."

Xue Shou, the first general of the Wei Feng Guard in the Tang Dynasty and Duke of Pu, died of illness at the age of 35.

Chang'an City, Taiji Palace, Ganlu Palace.

Li Shimin was furious, banging the desk and roaring, "What does he want to do? How dare he betray the country?"

Seeing Li Shimin's anger, all the ministers in the palace lowered their heads and lowered their eyebrows, not daring to speak for fear of offending the young emperor.

It's just that as Gao Junya is the Prime Minister, others can remain silent, but he cannot.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

Gao Junya's tone was calm and he said slowly: "King Changle has been in a remote place in Liangzhou for a long time. Because he is from a noble family and has no one to control him, disaster will inevitably occur over time. Maybe he can send an important minister to the northwest to investigate the real situation, and then It’s not too late to deal with it.”

This is also a pertinent statement. After all, the situation in the northwest is still unclear and cannot be dealt with hastily.

It turned out that early this morning, Li Shimin received a secret report: Li Youliang, the governor of Liangzhou and the king of Changle, was secretly raising dead soldiers, and was trading with the Qiang and Hu without authorization, including salt, iron and other prohibited items, and was suspected of liaison with foreign countries.

After Li Shimin saw the news, he was furious. This was something he could not tolerate because Li Youliang's identity was extremely special.

Li Youliang's father is Li Yuan's sixth uncle, King Xun Li Yi. According to his seniority, Li Youliang is Li Shimin's cousin.

Li Yi gave birth to six sons, five of whom were crowned kings during the Wude period.

The eldest son Li Boliang was named King of Wuling, the second son Li Shuliang was named King of Changping, the third son Li Zhongliang was named King of Zhongshan, the fourth son Li Jiliang died in infancy, the fifth son Li Deliang was named King of Xinxing, and the sixth son Li Youliang was named King of Changle.

Among them, only the second son, King Li Shuliang of Changping, had the greatest achievements. He pacified Chang'an, conquered the Western Qin Dynasty, and defended the city in the Battle of Qianshuiyuan. He made great achievements. It was a pity that when he resisted the Turkic invasion in the fourth year of Wude, he took the lead and lost his body. And die.

What makes Li Shimin furious now is his sixth son, Changle King Li Youliang.

Perhaps because of being the youngest son, Li Youliang was favored by his father and brother since childhood, but he developed an arrogant and domineering character.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Li Youliang transformed into a member of the royal family. He became more and more arrogant. He rode a Western-style horse through the streets and swaggered through the city. In the eyes of an interested person, his famous horse was stolen overnight.

Li Youliang was furious, and relied on his power to continuously put pressure on the yamen, and soon arrested the horse thief. However, Li Youliang had a violent temper and killed the horse thief without waiting for a trial and conviction.

Li Yuan was furious after hearing the news. He summoned Li Gang, the Minister of Rites, and Zong Zhengqing to arrest Li Youliang. Li Yuan angrily said: "It is guilty of stealing horses. Does the king have the right to kill him?" So he ordered Li Youliang to be punished with a stick in court to show the majesty of the law.

On the other hand, not long after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, people's hearts were unstable and public security was unstable. Li Yuan achieved surprising results by punishing the clan member Li Youliang.

Later, Li Yuan granted various titles to the clan kings to guard the various states, such as Li Xiaogong, the governor of Yangzhou, Li Daozong, the governor of Lingzhou, Li Xiaochang, the governor of Lizhou, etc. Li Youliang was also granted the title of governor of Liangzhou because of his clan origin.

It's just that Li Youliang has always been a shameless guy. After arriving in Liangzhou, he was like a wild horse running off the reins, acting wantonly and gathering hundreds of gangsters to hunt and feast every day, making the people miserable.

Li Yuan was also angry about this, so when he was sending the four governors abroad, he appointed Yang Gongren as the governor of Liang to assist Li Youliang.

At that time, affected by the Changlin Gate Incident, Li Yuan sent his old ministers abroad, Gao Junya, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was the governor of Yi, Shi Zhongyu, the scribe, and the governor of You, Yang Gongren, the general of Zuowei, was the governor of Liang, and Yongzhou was governed. Zhonggao Shilian was the governor of the state.

Later people called them the Four Long Historians of Wude, and all these four long officials served as prime ministers.

Li Shimin nodded slightly when he heard this, "What Mr. Gao said is reasonable and should not be acted upon hastily. It's just that this candidate...".

Important ministers, since they are important ministers, can only be selected from the central committee, and all of these people here meet the criteria.

"Previously, Gongrengong was appointed to Liangzhou and achieved remarkable achievements. However, it is not appropriate for Gongrengong to be transferred now," Li Shimin frowned and thought.

Gongren Gong is Guan Guogong Yang Wen, named Gongren. Yang Gongren is currently serving as the pastor of Yongzhou. It is an important area in the capital and the government affairs are complicated and cannot be easily transferred.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Yu Wenren," Gao Junya said again.

Li Shimin's eyes lit up when he heard this and he looked at Fang Xuanling, "What do you think of Xuanling?"

Yuwen Shiji, courtesy name Renren, is currently the Minister of Zhongshu, and is the assistant official of Zhongshu Province.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Gao Junya calmly, thought for a moment, then nodded directly and said: "Yes", and then had no other opinions.

The attendant Gao Shilian nodded in agreement and said: "Yuwen, the father of Renren, has been guarding the northwest for many years and is quite graceful. The Yuwen family will live up to the divine grace by stationed in Liangzhou."

Yuwenshiji's father, Yuwenshu, served as General Zuowei in the pre-Sui Dynasty and was based in Liangzhou. He accompanied Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty on his northern tour of Yulin and his western tour of Zhangye. He defeated Tuyuhun invasions many times and had considerable military exploits.

And now Changle King Li Youliang is secretly selling salt and iron to Tuguhun.

"Okay", Li Shimin did not hesitate and directly ordered: "Xuanling wrote and appointed Yu Wenshi, the minister of Zhongshu, and the governor of Liangzhou. He immediately went to his post to inspect King Changle."

The people here are all scheming people. As the prime minister, Gao Junya recommended Yu Wenshi and appointed him as the governor of Liangzhou out of public motives. The relationship between them is also tortuous in detail.

Yuwenshiji has been famous for a long time and has deep qualifications. He served as prime minister as early as the Wude period. When the brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were fighting, Yuwenshiji strongly supported Li Shimin.

It's just that official positions are limited, and no matter how close or distant they are, there is always a sequence.

There are only four prime ministers in the Zhengshitang. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Gao Junya, as a neutral veteran, loyal and perseverant, and a founding father of the country, had his own place in the Zhengshitang. Li Shimin could not expel all the veterans from the Zhengshitang. He also needed Showing open-mindedness and magnanimity, Gao Junya was appointed as the prime minister, and his official title was Shangshu Zuopushe.

Then there is Xiao Yu, who represents the Jiangnan clan. He contributed a lot during the abdication, so he was ranked second prime minister and was worshiped by Shangshu Youpushe.

Gao Shilian and Fang Xuanling were Li Shimin's real direct descendants, and they were respectively worshiped as Shizhong and Zhongshuling.

The candidates for the four prime ministers have been decided. Even if they are Yuwen scholars and have high achievements, they can only be ranked below them. Then they will be appointed as the Minister of Zhongshu and assist in the affairs of Zhongshu Province.

There is no doubt that Yu Wenshi's salary is actually a bit low, so it is reasonable to serve as the governor of Liangzhou now and guard one side. Later, when the affairs of Liangzhou are decided, he can be called back to the court and worshiped as the prime minister. This is The grace given by Li Shimin.

After the imperial edict was sealed and filed, Xiao Yu, who said nothing, came out and said: "Liangzhou is thousands of miles away. Your Majesty can grant Yu Wenren the right to make decisions on the fly to prevent King Changle from taking risks."

Hearing this, Li Shimin was a little hesitant at first, but thinking of Li Youliang's violent and unruly temper, he immediately agreed.

The right to make decisions on the spur of the moment, if he is not careful, Li Youliang will lose his life. It is not that Li Shimin prefers the clan, but that Li Shimin has always had a good reputation and is unwilling to raise the butcher's knife against his relatives.

As if he had read Li Shimin's mind, Xiao Yu continued expressionlessly: "In recent years, the clan has become more arrogant and indulgent. Your Majesty should face up to this problem."

Li Shimin's face darkened and he responded in a muffled voice, but made no further statement.

"Come back, gentlemen," Li Shimin frowned and sighed, "By the way, if you have news from Lingnan, you don't need to tell me about it, just come to see me directly."Everyone responded.

Xiao Yu showed an unhappy look on his face and resigned without saying a word.

The clan members have been petitioned several times to reduce their titles, but no one can be ruthless. Those clan members are all uncles and brothers of Li Shimin. Now that Li Shimin has just ascended the throne, his mentality is not that decisive yet, and he still has some emotions.

For example, it can be seen from the case of Gao Chong that the Lingnan Economic Envoy, commonly known as the King of Lingnan, was opposed by everyone, including Gao Chong himself, but Li Shimin still insisted on going his own way. After all, he was 27 years old and had only been on the throne for half a year. No one could stop this. A high-spirited young emperor.

Just as the announcers were leaving, the attendants at the palace gate came in a hurry and shouted anxiously: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the east of the river. Pu Guogong... has passed away."

"What?" Li Shimin's expression suddenly changed, "Bo Bao...", and then he stumbled and fell down on the couch.

Zhang Anan was busy helping him, but Li Shimin pushed him away. He calmed down for a long time, looked at the heavy-faced Gao Junya and others, and said slowly: "Thanks sir, I have a secretary in the Ministry of Ceremonies... to attend to the funeral."

Gao Junya and others responded in a deep voice.

The world doesn't know much about Xue Shou's achievements, but the people in the Manna Palace know very well that Xue Shou is Li Shimin's eyes and ears, and his status is extraordinary.

Xue Shou's death shocked the court.

Only half a day later, the Zhengshitang decided on the posthumous title and then left it to Li Shimin to choose it himself.

Xue Shou was posthumously given the title of General Wei Fengwei and Taichang Qing. His posthumous title was Jing, which was Pu Jinggong.

Being in public all day long is called "Jing"; being direct and diligent in administration is called "Jing"; responding to things without hesitation is called "Jing"; being ordered not to move is called "Jing".

Jing can be said to be a high-quality posthumous title, which shows Li Shimin's respect for Xue Shou.

In fact, Xue Shou can also bear this posthumous title. For many years, Xue Shou has been unknown, always fighting on the hidden front, and never complains.

This is also the reason why Xue Shou was granted the title of Duke of Pu, which caused a lot of discussion in the government and the public. They did not know Xue Shou's achievements at all.

Li Shimin issued an order to abstain from court for three days to express his condolences, and personally went to Xue's house in Fenyin to pay homage to Xue Shou. Even if the officials tried to dissuade him, they could not stop him.

Since ancient times, no emperor has traveled hundreds of miles to express condolences to his ministers. Pu Jinggong is really a man of life and death.

In Fenyin, the whole city welcomed the emperor. Li Shimin rushed straight to Xue's house without stopping. After expressing condolences, Li Shimin summoned Xue Yuanjing in the side courtyard. Without saying much, he just asked: "Does Bo Bao have any unfulfilled wishes?"

Xue Yuanjing wore sackcloth and mourning, and shook his head sadly, "Uncle passed away peacefully."

The look in Li Shimin's eyes darkened, and he nodded silently, "Bo Bao's urination depends on Zicheng, but if you need anything, just tell me directly."

Xue Yuanjing burst into tears of gratitude and promised with red eyes, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

Li Shimin sighed and was about to get up when suddenly the guards at the courtyard gate came to report: "Your Majesty, Pu Jinggong's son wishes to see you."

Hearing this, Li Shimin and Li Shimin were a little surprised. Xue Yuanchao, Xue Yuanchao's son, was only five years old. What did he do when he saw the emperor?

Li Shimin said directly: "Please come in," then he stood up and walked towards the courtyard door.

At the entrance of the hospital, a sad-looking woman was hugging five-year-old Xue Yuanchao, "My son is obedient and doesn't want to act nonsense."

"Auntie," Xue Yuancao's eyes were red, "I'm not fooling around. Aye told me that the emperor will definitely come and I must see the emperor."

"I've met your Majesty." Seeing Li Shimin coming out, Xue Shou's widow was busy paying tribute.

"You want to see me?" Li Shimin looked at Xiao Yuanchao kindly, with inexplicable expectation in his eyes.

Xue Yuanjing's eyes widened, "Are you the emperor?" Then he looked at his most trusted mother.

"My son, don't be rude," the woman scolded.

Li Shimin nodded with a smile, "I am the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Do you have anything you want to tell me?"

After hearing this, Xue Yuanchao quickly prostrated himself: "Xue Yuanchao has met the emperor."

Then he looked at the others and scratched his head helplessly, "Aniang, Aye only asked me to speak to the emperor alone."

Li Shimin's eyes flashed with excitement, he stepped forward and picked up Xue Yuanchao, "You guys are waiting here."

When he arrived at the side room, there was no one else around. Facing a five-year-old child, Li Shimin actually showed a calm attitude. He held Xue Yuanchao's shoulders and asked with some urgency: "Yuanchao, what did Aye tell you?"

Xue Yuanchao's face shrank, and his eyes became moist when he thought of his father. He rubbed his eyes and tried not to cry.

"Aye asked me to tell the emperor, 'Outside Hulao Pass, at the foot of Que Mountain, it's done.'"

Xue Yuanchao said with sobs that he didn't know the specific meaning of this sentence, but before his death, Aye asked him to remember this sentence and told him to tell the emperor personally, not to tell anyone else, including his mother-in-law and his wife. Brother.

When Li Shimin heard this, he was stunned at first, and then became ecstatic. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

"It's done, it's really happened. Gao Youzhi, Xue Bobao, and Gonggun are all inferior to you two in terms of merit. God bless the Tang Dynasty, it's really happened..."

Seeing the emperor so excited, Xue Yuanchao looked shocked and a little at a loss.

After a long time, Li Shimin calmed down and picked up Xue Yuanchao.

"Boy, don't mention what you said about Aye to anyone again, remember?"

Xue Yuanchao nodded vigorously, "Aye only asked me to tell the emperor."

Li Shimin was very satisfied. Thinking of the dead Xue Shou, he sighed with emotion: "Well done, Bo Bao. I, Li Shimin, will protect your Xue family's wealth for three generations."

After walking out of the courtyard, Li Shimin nodded slightly to everyone.

Then with a sad look on his face, he said, "Before he left, Bo Bao was still thinking about his children and passed on the decree that Yuan Chao, the legitimate son of Pu Jinggong, would confer the title of Pu Guogong, add [-] households in Shiyi, and confer the title of Mrs. Pu on his mother."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this, and looked at Xue's honor and favor with new eyes again.

Generally speaking, only after the heir is crowned can his father inherit the title of nobility, but this is only the rule, and there are exceptions. For example, Li Yuan was granted the title of Tang Guogong at the age of seven, and Zheng Shanguo was granted the title of Kaifeng County Duke at the age of nine.

But this is also a special situation. Li Yuan's mother Dugu is the fourth sister of Queen Dugu. Queen Dugu loves Li Yuan's nephew very much.

Zheng Shanguo's father, Zheng Cheng, died heroically in battle and sacrificed his life for his country. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty deeply regretted it.

In this special situation, the emperor can grant a title in advance if he expresses grace.

What's more, not only did Xue Yuanchao receive grace, but his mother also became Pu Guotai's wife, which was extremely rare and had a transcendent status.

The key point is the word "tai". Even if Gao Chong's mother Xue was granted the title of Mrs. Zhao, she still had to salute Mrs. Pu Guotai when she saw her.