First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

...

After leaving Xue Mansion, Li Shimin suppressed his excitement and went straight back to Chang'an.

As soon as they returned to the palace, Gao Junya and others came hand in hand with excitement.

Li Shimin's heart trembled. He thought it was bad news coming from somewhere. In the past six months, he had been walking on thin ice. But when he looked up, Gao Junya and others were all smiling, and Gao Junya, who was leading the way, was walking on thin ice. Briskly, with a proud look on his face.

"Your Majesty, a letter from Lingnan." Gao Junya took out Gao Chong's memorial from his arms and presented it with both hands.

Li Shimin was immediately overjoyed. Without waiting for Zhang Anan to step forward to take over, he personally went to his majesty and strode forward to get it.

After reading the report from beginning to end, Li Shimin applauded loudly.

"It's a blessing that Youzhi's move to divide and disintegrate", Li Shimin laughed loudly, and then snorted coldly, "When Ning Changzhen enters the court, he will defend himself. I'll wait and see how he defends himself."

"Your Majesty, Ning Daoming has been executed, and Ning Changzhen is on his way to the court. We need to decide as soon as possible on the rewards and punishments for Ning Chun, Pang Xiaotai and others," Gao Junya said bluntly after Li Shimin calmed down.

Li Shimin returned to his seat with the memorial in hand, nodded slightly when he heard the words, and said thoughtfully, "What do you think it should be?"

Gao Junya looked at the other three people and said bluntly: "Ning Chun, the governor of Nanhe Prefecture, is loyal to the country and should be heavily rewarded. There are also Shi Lu Deyong, the governor of Nanyin Prefecture, Lu Nan, the magistrate of Dongluo County, and others. You should also be rewarded as appropriate."

"What about the Baizhou Pang family?" Li Shimin asked with raised eyebrows.

Hearing Li Shimin ask about the Pang family in Baizhou, before Gao Junya could reply, Xiao Yu snorted coldly, "Pang Xiaotai is afraid of Ning's thief's power and obeys the thief, so he should be punished."

"But he woke up in time and didn't cause any losses and got a lot of help. So what?" Gao Shilian said slowly.

Xiao Yunzhi moved his face to the side and ignored it. In his opinion, those who were submissive to thieves must be severely punished. His temper was so stubborn.

Li Shimin was noncommittal and did not express his position. He looked at Fang Xuanling who was silent and asked, "What do you think Xuanling?"

"If you have merit, you will be rewarded. If you make mistakes, you will be punished. Whether you are punished or not, your Majesty will make your own decision." Fang Xuanling bowed slightly and said with a smile.

It is naturally up to the emperor to decide how to award the reward. Li Shimin glanced helplessly at Gao Junya and Fang Xuanling. These two people were very clear-minded, but they were not as sharp as Xiao Yu, a stubborn person. Xiao Yu could not care less. Many, speak your mind directly, without fear.

Li Shimin stopped asking, thought for a long time, and then said: "Xuan Ling has drafted a decree."

"Promote Ning Chun, the governor of Nanhezhou, to be the governor of Qinzhou, Lu Nan, the magistrate of Dongluo County, to be the governor of Jiangzhou, Shi Lude, the governor of Nanyinzhou, to be granted the title of male in Dongluo County, a hundred households in Shishi, and the governor of Hepu in Yuezhou. Mo Zhongwen of the army was given the official title of general Xuanwei, Pang Xiaotai, the governor of Baizhou, was given the official title of general official, and Pang Xiaojie, the soldier cao of Baizhou who joined the army, was the commander of the Panyu military government...

There is a department in the Ministry of Personnel, and we will immediately select the governors of Jiangzhou and Nanhezhou."

After Fang Xuanling drafted the decree, Li Shimin paused, turned around and took out an album from the desk. After thinking for a moment, he continued to wave his hand and said: "If you plan again, Nanting and Yushan, the governor's palace of Qinzhou, will be withdrawn, and the two prefectures of Qinzhou will be merged. After entering Jiangzhou and Lianzhou, Jiang and Lianzhou were incorporated into the Governor's Office of Nankang Prefecture, and a decree was sent to Feng Li, the Governor of Nankang Prefecture, to take over the two prefectures immediately and register their households."

Fang Xuanling was stunned when he heard this, and then he was busy drafting the order.

"As for Youzhi..." Li Shimin paused.

Gao Junya hurriedly came out and said, "Your Majesty, Gao Chong has not yet taken up his post. He should not be given any more rewards. He should be ordered to take up his post immediately."

Li Shimin waved his hand and smiled, signaling Gao Junya to calm down, and Gao Junya retreated without insisting.

Xiao Yu's mouth twitched when he saw it, and he cursed the hypocrisy in his heart.

"Youzhi should have been Dr. Yinqing Guanglu before. Now that he has been transferred to the Governor of Guangzhou, let's increase the number of military and official officials." Li Shimin frowned and thought: "Pass the decree, add the Chief Governor of Guangzhou and Yan Guogong Gaochong Champion General Sanguan." title".

Gao Junya raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

Fang Xuanling splashed ink again.

Li Shimin really took great pains to award this reward.

Others were okay, such as Ning Chun and Lu Nan, who were directly promoted, and Lu Deyong was also directly knighted. He was the only one among this group of people who was knighted. This shows that Li Shimin attaches great importance to the title, but others are a little uncomfortable. Easy to handle.

Li Shimin already knew the cause and effect in Gao Chong's report, and it was also a blow to Li Guanglue, the governor of Nanyin Prefecture, for choosing to ignore it.

As for Baizhou Pang, he had both merits and demerits, so it was understandable that Li Shimin dismissed him from office and questioned him. After all, Pang Xiaotai had responded to Ning Daoming, but Gao Chong showed his merits. After all, Li Shimin chose to reward Pang Xiaotai and give Pang Xiaotai four positive years. The general of the rank agreed on the official title of Dafu Wensan, and promoted Pang Xiaojie to the fourth rank of military commander.

The same goes for Mo Zhongwen. Originally, when Ning Daoming occupied Hepu, Yuezhou, and rebelled, Mo Zhongwen, who was the commander of the Hepu army, did not stop him. Instead, he wisely protected himself and allowed Ning Daoming to seize military power. He should have been severely punished.

But later, Mo Zhongwen woke up in time and cooperated with Gao Chong to seize the city. In addition to his status as a local chieftain, Li Shimin also put past the past and gave him the rank of General Xuanwei, from the fourth rank.

When the imperial edict spread, the Chang'an officialdom was once again in an uproar. Unexpectedly, Gao Chong's fellow was doing a great job thousands of miles away in Lingnan.

As for Ning Chun's pacification of Ning Daoming, Gao Chong happened to be in time for the end. The government and the public naturally thought that it was Gao Chong who was preventing the rebellion and successfully eradicated the Ning family in Qinzhou without bloodshed.

The whole day, the smile on Gao Junya's face did not disappear. She accepted the praises of others without any scruples. After returning to the house, she immediately went to share her joy with her wife.

Mrs. Xue was very happy after hearing this. Just when Gao Junya was about to tell Li Xiuwan the news, Mrs. Xue suddenly stopped him.

"Mr. Lang, I have two things to tell you," Xue said with a serious face.

Gao Junya was a little surprised to see Xue's rare formality, "It's okay to say it, ma'am."

"The first thing is that the princess's delivery date is approaching. Do you still remember what Chong'er told us at that time?" Ms. Xue asked, staring at Gao Junya's face.

Gao Junya paused, then nodded, "I remember that if she is a daughter, she will be betrothed to a boy from the Xue family."

Hearing this, Ms.

Gao Junya slowly put down the tea cup he was holding, nodded slightly and said: "Then you must fulfill your promise. The boy of the Xue family is only five years old now, and it is too early to get married. And I have also seen that boy, who is smart and smart, and will definitely have something in the future." Achievement".After hearing this, Ms. Xue didn't know what to say, so she just nodded silently.

In terms of personal relationships, Mrs. Completely tied together.

To put it bluntly, if Xue Yuanchao died midway, it would be very embarrassing for the Gao family.

But since Gao Junya also agreed to fulfill his promise, he naturally followed Gao Chong's wishes. After all, Gao Chong was both his father and the future head of the Gao family.

Seeing Mrs. Xue's expression, Gao Junya also said with a relieved smile: "Madam, don't think so much. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. This promise must be fulfilled. Otherwise, if word spreads, it will mean that our Gao family is dishonest and unrighteous." , that Xue Yuanchao is very smart, even at a young age, he was the Duke of the country, but he would not humiliate our granddaughter."

When Mrs. Xue heard this, she smiled, and then when she mentioned the second thing, her face became serious.

"Lang Jun, have you neglected your other granddaughter?" Mrs. Xue said distressedly, while glaring at Gao Junya complainingly.

Gao Junya was stunned, and then asked: "You mean Ying'er?"

"Well," Mr. Xue glared at him, "I'm telling you, I treat Ying'er as my own granddaughter. After Bing'er got married, fortunately she was with her, and she went to the backyard Buddhist temple to take care of her every day. Auntie, I’m as close as my own biological daughter.”

Gao Junya nodded in response, "This is natural, I also regard her as my granddaughter...".

Before she finished speaking, Ms. "You know, we still have this grandson, so that Ying'er won't be wronged."

Gao Junya smiled bitterly, "I'm only twelve, so it's a little early. Bing'er also got married at eighteen or nineteen."

Ms. Mr. Lang, let’s make an appointment to let people know that we value you. Do you understand now?”

Gao Junya nodded slowly, "It's fine for these ladies to make the decision, and I will pay more attention to them."

Li Ying'er's biological father was Li Min, the son of Li Zixiong, the former Minister of Household Affairs in the Sui Dynasty. Li Zixiong was involved in Yang Xuangan's rebellion, and both father and son were killed by Yang Guang.

Later, when the Tang army conquered Luoyang, Li Shimin rewarded Gao Chong with Wei Gui, who settled in Luoyang, as his concubine.

Because Li Zixiong was also from Xiu County, Bohai, and had only one son, Li Min, Yang Guang had wiped out the Li family in Xiu County. Gao Chong, considering Wei Gui's mood, did not let Li Ying'er change her surname, which could be regarded as continuing the incense of the Li family. .

On the original track, Li Shimin conquered Luoyang and took Wei Gui as his own, but Li Shimin was still very good to Wei Gui. After he ascended the throne, he made Wei Gui a noble concubine, ranking first among the four concubines, and second only to the queen in address in the harem. The eldest grandson is Wugou.

He even named Li Ying'er the lord of Dingxiang County, treated her as his own child, and raised her in the palace. When Li Ying'er grew up, Li Shimin married her to Xue Guogong Ashina Zhong.

Ashina Zhong comes from the Turkic royal family, and his father is the Turkic noble Ashina Sunishi. Ashina Sunishi's status in the Turks is quite high, because he is the younger brother of Qimin Khan, and the current Turkic Grand Councilor Khan Jieli Khan was the third son of Qimin Khan, so Ashina Sunisi was also the uncle of Jieli Khan.

Ashina Zhong is the cousin of Jieli Khan.

Jieli Khan implemented tyranny in his later years and forced Tuli Khan to rebel, causing Tuli Khan to defect to the Tang Dynasty. Jieli Khan appointed his uncle Ashina Suni as junior khan.

It's just that Jieli Khan never expected that when he was defeated, it was his cousin Ashina Zhong who captured him alive and dedicated him to the Tang Dynasty. Then Ashina Suni led his troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin rewarded Ashina Suni's father and son generously. He worshiped Ashina Suni as the right-guard general and the governor of Ningzhou, and was granted the title of Prince of Huaide County. Ashina Zhong was appointed the governor of Changzhou and was granted the title of Xue Guogong. .

Later, Ashina Zhongzhong conquered the east and west, conquered Goguryeo and Xue Yantuo, and made great achievements many times. After his death, he was awarded the posthumous title of General of the Army and Governor of Jingzhou, with the posthumous title of Zhen. People at that time compared him to Jin Rixi, and he was highly praised.

Seeing that Gao Junya had taken this matter to heart, Mrs. ".

Gao Junya sighed and patted Mrs.

Ms. Xue was not an ignorant woman. Her face paused when she heard this, but she didn't say anything more. She just said softly: "As long as you are safe."

In the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin was summoning a scribe. He saw that this man was about forty years old, and his short beard on his chin was meticulously trimmed. He was sitting upright and quite dignified.

"Monk slave", Li Shimin looked at the scribe with a smile on his face, "last time you watched the Turks leave the country along the way, did you notice anything strange in the Turk formation? Well, that is, something unusual?"

The scribe was sipping tea. He paused when he heard the words. He thought about it carefully, then shook his head and said: "There is nothing abnormal. If there is any abnormality, I will report it in time. The Turks are afraid of being trapped in the pass. They will withdraw from the Great Wall in two days and leave the Great Wall in three days." The retreat to Daibei was very rapid, and nothing unusual was seen."

This person is Lu Kuan, the eunuch of the palace.

The identity of this man is not simple. The name Lu Kuan may not be familiar, but his original name may be better known. His original name was Dou Lu Kuan. After Li Yuan founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor, he decreed that the surname of "Dou" should be changed to "Lu". He was given the Han surname "Lu".

Lu Kuan, also named Sengnu, was a Xianbei native and had served as a minister for generations. His great-grandfather Doulu Chang was the Duke of Fuling County in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, his grandfather Doulu Yongen was the Duke of Woye County in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, his father Doulutong was the former Duke of Chen County in the Southern Sui Dynasty, and his mother was Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty. Princess Changle, Yang Jian's sister.

In the last years of Daye, Lu Kuan became the magistrate of Liangquan County, under the command of Xiao Yu, the prefect of Hechi, and later surrendered to the Tang Dynasty with Xiao Yu. Because of his prominent family background, Li Yuan specially favored him and gave him the surname "Lu". He was worshiped as the governor of Qizhou and granted the title of Duke Rui.

In fact, Lu Kuan basically had no meritorious service during the founding of the Tang Dynasty. However, as a nobleman of the previous dynasty and the direct nephew of Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty, his status was extraordinary. In order to stabilize the new regime, it was reasonable for Li Yuan to focus on rewards.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he summoned Lu Kuan to the court and worshiped him as the eunuch. This was considered an important role.

I always felt that it was not that simple when I arrived at Gaochong. Lu Kuan, the governor of Qizhou, was promoted by Li Yuan. Now Li Yuan lives in seclusion in Renshou Palace in Qizhou, so...

There is another very important reason why Gao Chong pays special attention to Lu Kuan, that is, his wife Li Xiuwan, the Princess of Wanchun, should have married Lu Kuan's son Lu Huairang on the original track, but now Gao Chong has let him Got a head start.

A few months ago, the Turks invaded south and finally retreated at Heshui. At that time, Li Shimin ordered the palace supervisor Lu Kuan and the commander Zhao Chuo to escort the Turk army out of the country along the way.

It's just that Lu Kuan didn't understand why Li Shimin came back to ask him after a few months if there was anything abnormal in the Turkic formation. As Lu Kuan said, if there were any abnormalities, he would have reported it long ago and would not have waited until now. .

After hearing what Lu Kuan said, Li Shimin nodded absently.

"Your Majesty, is it possible that the Turks have made another move?" Lu Kuan didn't understand what he meant, his face suddenly changed, and he asked hurriedly.

Li Shimin just waved his hand and smiled, "Old man, I have too much time to take care of myself, how dare I make any changes?" When he said this, Li Shimin's heart moved.