First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 628
...

Lu Mansion, only the residences of aristocratic princes are qualified to be called mansions. People without titles are generally called residences. Lu Zushang was young and was given the title of Yiyang County Duke. The Lu family is even more powerful in Guangzhou. Even if there is a large house with three entrances, many poor people will have a hard time living in poverty, and it is difficult to have a house of this size in Chang'an.

It was mid-autumn, and the autumn air was crisp. Lu Zushang ordered his people to move the bed into the courtyard. He leaned on the back of the couch, holding a miscellaneous book and reading leisurely. There were beautiful maids on the left and right, pouring tea and peeling nuts. He, Lu Zushang, was born. Wealthy and famous at a young age, he is born to be a husband who knows how to enjoy.

At this time, the steward came in a hurry, and Lu Zushang frowned, "Why are you so alarmed?"

"Lang Jun, Madam's brother is here." The steward comes from a collateral line of the Lu family and has a close relationship. He calls the head of the family, Lu Zushang, Lang Jun, and the hostess, Zhou, calls her Madam.

"Brother-in-law is here?" Lu Zushang was startled, then hurriedly stood up, "Quickly, open the middle door to welcome us."

Lu Zushang still has great respect for Zhou Shaofan, his uncle. Although the Guangzhou Lu family is a branch of the Fanyang Lu family, they are at best wealthy and powerful. They are rich, but their reputation is far less than that of the Yuzhou Zhou family.

Yuzhou, the former Runan County of the Sui Dynasty, is not far from Guangzhou. The Zhou family is famous in the world. Zhou Shaofan's father, Zhou Fashang, was the former Sui Zuowuwei general and was given the title of Duke of Qiao. His uncle Zhou Faseng was appointed the governor of Dingzhou and was granted the title of Duke of Wuchang. The second uncle Zhou Faming became the governor of Huangzhou, his grandfather Zhou Jiong became the general of Chen Pingbei and the governor of Dingzhou, and was granted the title of Duke of Wuchang. The great-grandfather Zhou Ling became the governor of Guizhou in Nanliang and was granted the title of Marquis of Baocheng County...

Counting three or four generations back, all of them are high-ranking officials with two thousand stones, and all of them have achieved something. The prestige of the Zhou family in Yuzhou can be said to be quite resounding in the Central Plains, especially in recent decades, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Zhou Faseng, Zhou Fashang, Zhou Faming The three brothers are even more famous.

Lu Zushang was born in a powerful family. To a certain extent, marrying a wife from the Zhou family was considered a high ranking. This was only after he became famous, became a governor, and became a county prince before he was eligible to marry the Zhou family.

"No need." As soon as Lu Zushang finished his words, he heard a cold snort from the door, "I can't bear for Duke Yiyang to welcome him in person. A certain family can't bear it."

Lu Zushang took a look and saw that it was his uncle Zhou Shaofan who strode in and stared at him with an unkind expression.

"Brother, these words are serious." Lu Zushang grinned, "You are the elder brother, and I should welcome you as a younger brother. Please take a seat."

After all, he is also a third-grade official. Zhou Shaofan's rank is one level lower than him. Seeing Lu Zushang's smiling face, Zhou Shaofan didn't want to be too disrespectful. He grunted and sat aside, looking at the two maids beside him. Zhou Shaofan He was so angry that when he thought of his sister who was far away in Henan, he gritted his teeth and said with a smile: "Ji Liang, you are really enjoying yourself."

"Brother, it's funny. It's just a moment of leisure." Lu Zushang poured tea for Zhou Shaofan himself, then waved his hand to send the maid away.

"Counting the days, I haven't seen him for more than a year. I just arrived in the capital yesterday and was trying to find time to visit my brother. Since my brother is here today, let's not rush back. We brothers can have a good time together."

Zhou Shaofan's expression softened slightly. It had to be said that Lu Zushang had achieved such a high position at such a young age. Whether it was his military and political talents or his way of dealing with people, he really couldn't be picky, otherwise he wouldn't have won such praise from Changsun Wuji.

"Put the food and drink later." Zhou Shaofan nodded, looked straight at Lu Zushang and asked, "Have you regretted your betrayal of the saint?"

Lu Zushang's face looked a little unnatural, "Brother, you also know? It can't be called regret."

"Why isn't it called regret?" Zhou Shaofan's eyes widened. "As the saying goes, a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Ordinary people cannot go back on their promises at will. What's more, this is an imperial edict and an appointment by an important minister of the country. How can it be a child's play?"

Lu Zushang pondered for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "I understand, Du Ming just left, you were called to be a lobbyist."

"The saint asked me to come." Zhou Shaofan picked up the teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and said angrily: "The imperial edict has been promulgated, and you regret it now. It's too late. What you are doing is more serious than resisting and disobeying the edict."

The smile on Lu Zushang's face slowly disappeared and he said softly: "Brother, there is no need to panic, the emperor will definitely understand."

Zhou Shaofan became even more angry when he heard this, "You have refuted the saint's face, do you still expect his forgiveness?"

"Do you have to let me go to that barbaric place where birds don't poop?" Lu Zushang was already a little depressed, but now he was also angry, "Brother, you have been to that ghost place, where poisonous insects are miasma, and wild beasts are rampant, so you just Do you have to push me to such a dangerous place?"

"My grandma is old, Cong'er is still young, and my wife is in frail health. If I go to Jiaozhou, how can I feel at ease?"

"Who told you that Jiaozhou is so ferocious?" Zhou Shaofan's eyes widened, "I have been in Jiaozhou for more than seven years, how can I lie to you? There is indeed poisonous insect miasma, but it is in the deep mountains and old forests. You guard Jiaozhou, I sit in Songping City and never leave the city once for three to five years. How does it affect you?"

"Although Songping City is not as prosperous as Zhongyuan Prefecture City, it is still a big city in Jiaozhou. It also has mansions with high walls and courtyards, and there are many brothels and restaurants. Do you think it is teaching you to live in that hot and humid old forest?"

Hearing Zhou Shaofan's words, Lu Zushang was a little surprised, "Really, really?"

"I am your brother-in-law, how can I still lie to you?" Zhou Shaofan slapped the desk and reprimanded.

But soon Lu Zushang shook his head, "No, no, even though the living conditions are not as harsh as I thought, I can't adapt to the climate." After finishing speaking, he subconsciously touched his smooth cheeks.

When Zhou Shaofan saw that he refused to accept his offer, he was helpless and said, "Ji Liang, you are playing with fire."

"No," Lu Zushang shook his head and said with a smile, "After all, I have made great contributions to the court, how can the saint be angry with me because of such a trivial matter?"

"A trivial matter?" Zhou Shaofan's teeth itched with hatred, "Again, you are insulting the saint's face. Is this a trivial matter?"

"So what", Lu Zushang naturally didn't take it seriously, "I heard that a few days ago, Wei Xuancheng, the minister Zuocheng, pointed at the saint and reprimanded him. He was still an old minister of the deposed prince. Even so, I am offering my merits. The responsibility should not be reduced."

Zhou Shaofan was really helpless towards his brother-in-law, but he couldn't beat him, scold him, or get angry. He didn't even attend the night banquet at the Lu Mansion, and didn't dare to delay, so he directly went to Du Ruhui to report the situation.

Hearing that Lu Zushang was so stubborn, Du Ruhui had no choice but to tell Li Shimin truthfully.

Li Shimin did not get angry, but said in a deep voice: "In ancient times, the late Lord Ji Han invited Marquis Wu three times. Lu Zushang asked me to imitate Liu Bei."

"Ananda," Li Shimin said in a tone that contained no emotion or anger, "pass on my oral instructions."

Zhang Ananda bowed and listened.

"Ji Liang, you promised me face to face that you would be loyal to Lingnan. Now that the imperial edict has been issued by the three provinces, why are you going back on your word? It is better to set off as soon as possible. Jiaozhou cannot be delayed. I promise that I will recall you in three years at most. I have already I’ve asked you three times, don’t refuse anymore.”

"Go ahead," Li Shimin waved his hand, "I'm afraid he won't dare to refuse this time."

Du Ruhui frowned, feeling slightly uneasy.

After Zhang Ananda accepted the order, his face was solemn. Du Ruhui and Zhou Shaofan in front of him hit the wall one after another. He could probably guess Lu Zushang's reaction now that he was here. Couldn't Li Shimin guess it?
Upon hearing the arrival of the eunuch, Lu Zushang still felt that it was not a big deal and he just received the guests according to etiquette. Zhang Anan stood up and straightened his clothes without waiting for Lu Zushang to say hello.

"The Holy Sage", Zhang Ananda's voice was not sharp, on the contrary, it was very heavy.

Lu Zushang was startled, and hurriedly stood up and listened solemnly. Although he was a little arrogant, he was still in awe of Li Shimin. The reason why he regretted after receiving the order was because he felt that Li Shimin would not do anything to him.

Zhang Ananda immediately repeated Li Shimin's oral instructions exactly, imitating almost the same tone.

Li Shimin's tone was not harsh, on the contrary, he was very friendly. After hearing this, Lu Zushang not only did not feel guilty, but felt relieved in his heart: It seems that the saint is still close to him as always. In this case, he has the confidence to decline again.

"Superintendent Zhang", Lu Zushang looked embarrassed after hearing this, "It's not that I don't want to obey the order. Look, Superintendent, when I attacked Xuanzhou, my leg was hit by a stray arrow, and it hurts to the bone when the weather is wet. "The humidity and heat in Lingnan are unbearable. Once I leave, I will never come back. I hope the eunuch will understand me and explain it to the saint. I am very grateful."

Zhang Anan glanced at Lu Zushang's so-called injured leg and stood up directly, "In that case, Lu Shijun will take good care of his injury." "Thank you, Director Zhang." Lu Zushang was overjoyed and was about to say thank you.

Zhang Anan walked to the door, paused, and said in a cold voice: "I want to take care of my affairs behind my back."

Lu Zushang was stunned for a moment, then stared and shouted: "Does the emperor really want his ministers to drag their sick legs to their posts? Why are they so cold and ruthless!"

Zhang Anan's eyes narrowed, he took a deep look at Lu Zushang, and then strode away.

"Cold and ruthless...", in the Manlu Hall, Li Shimin laughed loudly when he heard Zhang Ananda's retelling, "What a cold and ruthless person."

Then he ignored it, lowered his head, wrote, and continued working on the memorial.

The next day, at the Chang Dynasty, Zongzheng Temple and officials from the three provinces continued to have heated discussions on the issue of "cutting down vassals and demoting nobles." Among them, Li Shenfu, the king of Xiangyi County, asked to be demoted. Li Shimin respectfully addressed him as uncle and described Li Shenfu. His achievements back then were not granted, and then Li Shenfu once again requested that his seven sons be demoted.

This time Li Shimin reluctantly agreed and demoted all seven of his sons to the rank of Duke. Later, only two of Li Shenfu's seven sons were quite famous, namely the second son Li Demao, Duke of Linchuan, and the seventh son Li Wenxun, Duke of Wei.

Seeing Li Shenfu being so cooperative with the emperor, the other clan members cursed in their hearts and had no choice but to respond in silence.

Li Shimin was also merciless towards his other cousin, Li Shentong, Prince of Huai'an County. Originally, Li Shentong was arrogant about his merits. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he gave him the false title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi and allowed him to retire in peace in Chang'an.

This reduction of vassal status and nobility had a great impact on the lineage of Huai'an County Prince Li Shentong.

After Li Yuan founded the country, he enfeoffed people on a large scale and was not stingy with his cousin Li Shentong. He made all seven of his adult sons kings.

The eldest son Li Daoyan was granted the title of King of Jiaodong.

The second son, Li Xiaocha, was granted the title of King of Gaomi.

The third son, Li Xiaotong, was granted the title of King of Zichuan.

The fourth son, Li Xiaoci, was granted the title of King Guangping.

The fifth son, Li Xiaoyou, was granted the title of King of Hejian.

The sixth son, Li Xiaojie, was granted the title of King of Qinghe.

The seventh son, Li Xiaoyi, was granted the title of King of Jiaoxi.

Now Li Shimin issued an imperial edict directly from the county king to the county prince, because Li Shimin really felt that his cousins ​​were not worthy of the title of county prince. They had neither military merit nor political achievements. According to Li Shimin's wishes, they could not be crowned. However, they were of the same clan after all. Brother, it has been the norm for royal family members in the past dynasties to be promoted to official positions, and Li Shimin cannot break the rules.

After passing through the Lujiang King Li Yuan, who was then and now the Lujiang County Duke Li Yuan, the deceased Yi'an King Li Xiaochang and the Changle King Li Youliang, Li Shimin had no resistance in reducing his vassal status and lowering his title.

What's more, Li Shimin actually took out his credit book this time. When faced with Li Daozong, Li Shenfu, Li Xiaogong and others asking for demotion, Li Shimin recounted their past achievements and expressed sincerely that they had obtained the title based on their ability. And those clan members who had no achievements had no choice but to pinch their noses and admit defeat when they saw this. Who said they really had no merits to show off.

Faced with the imprisonment of Wei Xuan, a die-hard loyalist of the Sui Dynasty, Li Shenfu would rather die than surrender. Later, he repelled the Turkic invasions several times in Bingzhou and wiped out more than ten thousand enemies. He then governed Yangzhou, promoted enlightenment, and was ranked first in the evaluation.

Li Daozong conquered Liu Wuzhou and proposed a plan to capture Jiezhou, and conquered Wang Shichong and robbed Hulao Pass. Later, he guarded Lingzhou for the last year, defeated the [-] coalition forces of the Puppet Liang and the Turks, and recaptured the original territory of Wuyuan, so that the Turks did not dare to invade the south.

Li Xiaogong recruited Bashu, conquered Xiaoxian, attacked Sutong, Kai and other places, killed Xiao Jati, the king of Dongping in Xiaoliang, put down the rebellion of Fugong'er, pacified Jianghuai, and came to the border of Wu and Nanmin.

And what do they have?They have been living happily in Chang'an since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. The playboys who fly like eagles and lackeys every day are really not qualified to compete for titles here.

After hearing that Li Shentong's family accepted the order, Li Shimin expressed great satisfaction, and then his face turned cold when he thought of another person who resisted the order.

"The policy of demotion will continue tomorrow, and each family will take turns, so there is no rush," Li Shimin said in a deep voice.

The ministers were a little surprised. The top priority of the imperial court this month was to reduce vassal status and demote nobility. The emperor had always been very concerned about it, but now he took the initiative to interrupt it.

"Declare the decree," Li Shimin waved his hand directly without delay.

Zhang Ananda sighed secretly and stepped forward to take the imperial edict.

"...

Lu Zushang, the governor of Yingzhou and Duke of Yiyang County, refused to obey the decree and was sentenced to death.

…… ”。

The imperial edict was very brief, and then it immediately caused an uproar, and the courtiers suddenly became agitated.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Lu has made great contributions to the land, is good at government, and has a reputation as a virtuous man. How can he die so easily?"

"How can your majesty be so careless as a third-rank official?"

"Resisting and disobeying the order? I don't know what crime Lord Lu was guilty of? Why was he executed so rashly when there were three judges deciding the trial?"

Hearing these people's questions, Li Shimin sneered. Are these people really motivated by public motives?Not necessarily, it’s just a stance.

To put it bluntly, if Lu Zushang died for no reason today, he might die for no reason tomorrow... me!
"Quiet!" The censor said in a deep voice when he saw the chaotic scene in the court.

"Lu Zushang disobeyed orders and refused to serve as the governor of Jiaozhou." Li Shimin looked at the indignant ministers and said slowly: "I arranged for one person to do things, but he didn't obey. If everyone is like this, how will I order the world?"

"Lu Zushang, I will kill him!"

"Obey etiquette".

"I'm here," Li Junxian, the Zuowuwei general who was on duty at the Forbidden Palace, responded.

"Lu Zushang, I will grant you death, and you will supervise the execution!" Li Shimin said slowly, word by word, with a gloomy face.

"I...accept your order," Li Junxian agreed and left.

　I am single, brothers. From now on, I will be alone in an empty room. My mood is a bit complicated. Alas, things often go wrong in life! ! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)