Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 554 Prime Minister Team
Yan Zhenqing dipped the wolf-hair brush into ink and wrote quickly, writing a few words about the country's recruitment of talents, waiting for Guo Ziyi to say his name.

"Du Youlin."

The brush stopped and Yan Zhenqing was a little surprised.

Chen Xilie saw this expression and couldn't help but wonder, Guo Ziyi didn't tell Yan Zhenqing in advance? It seems that there is still a chance to object.

"Hahaha, Mr. Guo is joking. Du Youlin is mediocre in ability. How can he be appointed as prime minister?"

Chen Xilie waved his hand in a nonchalant manner, trying to treat today's meeting in the Council of State as a casual chat rather than writing memorials to the emperor.

Otherwise, if the prime ministers submit memorials and His Highness approves them, the situation will be irreversible.

On the other hand, he was also somewhat puzzled, because he knew that Guo Ziyi was not from Xue Bai's faction, so why did he suddenly come to work so hard for Xue Bai today? Moreover, it was such a serious matter, wasn't he afraid that Xue Bai would make the final decision?
"Don't worry, just listen to me."

Guo Ziyi paused for a while before speaking slowly and gave another name.

"Li Xian."

Hearing the name, Yan Zhenqing nodded, and Chen Xilie looked thoughtful.

Who was Li Xian? A minister of the imperial clan, the great-great-grandson of Emperor Taizong and the third son of Prince Xin'an.

He had been a envoy to Hedong and had agreed with Xue Bai to send troops to support Hebei. Later, he was transferred back to Chang'an to serve as Jingzhao Yin. He offended Yang Guozhong and was demoted. His official career was bumpy, but he is still considered one of the most outstanding ministers of the royal family today.

It is worth mentioning that the current Henan Province Transport Commissioner Li He is Li Xian’s elder brother.

All in all, this is a man who has a good relationship with Xue Bai, is loyal to the royal family, and is upright and virtuous. He is a candidate for prime minister that all parties can be satisfied with.

"Li Xian can be made the Minister of the Imperial Court and co-prime minister," Guo Ziyi said. "What do you think?"

Chen Xilie quickly calculated that if this was the case, among the five prime ministers, he and Wei Jiansu would form an alliance, while Yan Zhenqing and Du Youlin would be in the same party. If they encountered any undecided issues, they would have to each win the support of Li Xian.

Fair enough.

This is certainly not as good as the current situation of three people in power, but it is not a result he cannot accept. Therefore, he did not answer immediately, wanting to see the attitudes of others.

"can."

Yan Zhenqing's way of expressing his opinion was very simple. He simply wrote the names of Du Youlin and Li Xian on the memorial.

Chen Xilie thought, what's the point of just writing it? This memorial may not even be approved by the Secretariat.

It depends on what conditions can be negotiated.

"There is one more person."

However, unexpectedly, the next moment, Guo Ziyi called out another name.

"Li Mi."

"What?" Chen Xilie was most surprised.

What surprised him was not that someone recommended Li Mi to be the prime minister. Although Li Mi was young, he was indeed qualified, so there was nothing surprising about it.

The problem is numbers.

Although there is no fixed number of prime ministers, there are usually three or five. Five is considered a good number. If one more person is added, it would be six, which seems a bit redundant.

There is no rule for this kind of redundancy, it is just a kind of intuition. Chen Xilie intuitively feels that the Prince Regent wants to appoint five prime ministers.

"can."

Yan Zhenqing did not hesitate and continued to write Li Mi's name.

Chen Xilie looked at this scene and had made up his mind that he would never agree. With Li Mi, the Council of State would be too crowded and could not accommodate so many people.

"Thank you Mr. Guo for your recommendation. They are all good candidates for prime ministers."

Yan Zhenqing wrote the memorial and read it again. He felt that even though Du Youlin was a little mediocre, the prime minister's team was still very good.

He took out his official seal and stamped it solemnly.

Upon seeing this, Guo Ziyi smiled, took out his official seal, blew on it, and stamped it on the memorial.

Chen Xilie's eyelids twitched, and he stroked his beard and said, "Excuse me for being frank, but I'm afraid this is inappropriate."

Guo Ziyi asked with a smile: "What's wrong?"

Chen Xilie thought about it and did not mention the most mediocre Du Youlin to avoid a direct conflict with Xue Bai. Instead, he pointed to Li Mi's name and said that Li Mi had participated in the Rebellion of Prince Zhong, was a criminal minister, and had no qualification to be a prime minister.

Guo Ziyi then said that he did not know that Li Mi assisted His Highness in suppressing the rebellion and also established farming in Fanyang, making great contributions to the country.

Chen Xilie also said that Li Mi was still young and needed more training, but there were already many prime ministers in the court, so it would still be time for Li Mi to be appointed prime minister later.

At this time, he was able to accept Du Youlin and Li Xian as prime ministers.

However, Yan Zhenqing and Guo Ziyi, one with a strong character and the other with a natural intimidating presence, pressed him face to face, making it difficult for him to reject the memorial, so he had no choice but to look to Wei Jiansu.

After several visits, I finally got some help from the retired officials, and now it's time for them to come out and play.

Wei Jiansu was also looking at Chen Xilie, and the two of them looked at each other.

Afterwards, Wei Jiansu nodded, took out his seal from his sleeve, and stamped it on Yan Zhenqing's memorial with a "snap".

"you!"

Chen Xilie stood up suddenly and stared at the scene in amazement, unable to believe it.

"you?"

"We are all old." Wei Jiansu patted Chen Xilie on the back and said, "We have to make way for these young and capable officials."

"Give Way?"

Chen Xilie keenly captured the key words.

They were both people who had been scheming for power all their lives, so how could he not understand Wei Jiansu's thoughts? When he said "we" gave way, he actually wanted him, Chen Xilie, to give way.

In this case, if the prime minister team seems redundant with the addition of Li Mi, then it would be just right if Chen Xilie was removed?

"Do not."

Chen Xilie finally understood.

From the beginning, Wei Jiansu was not on his side, but was in the same group as Guo Ziyi. They were not Xue Bai's people, but neutrals in the court, who thought it was worthwhile to let Li Xian and Li Mi serve as prime ministers in exchange for Du Youlin.

Even if it means losing an experienced and senior minister like him, it would not matter.

In short, he was abandoned by them.

"I don't agree to this memorial!" Chen Xilie was furious. "I am the prime minister. It was me who proposed that Your Highness be made regent!"

"Mr. Chen," Wei Jiansu sighed, and said, "Your Highness is the regent, which is what the subjects hope for. Is this just your achievement?"

This was what Chen Xilie had said to Wei Jiansu before. Now that the original words were repeated, Chen Xilie felt indescribably sad.

In short, the matter was no longer up to him.

After Xue Bai reviews the memorials, the next step will be to kick him out.

~~
Xuanzheng Hall.

The busy Xue Bai seemed a little ruthless.

Chen Xilie completely recovered from the weakness and incompetence he had when he was under Li Linfu.

"Your Highness, even if I have no merit, I have worked hard!"

"Get up and talk."

"Even if I haven't worked hard, I still have a bond with Your Highness!" Chen Xilie refused to get up, and fell to the ground, tears in his eyes, and said, "When Your Highness first entered the official career, his first official position was in the Secretariat. I have a lot of affection for Your Highness."

"I remember."

Xue Bai's eyes were always on the document, not looking at Chen Xilie, but his tone was still very warm, saying: "It is precisely because I remember our fate. Now you are still a high-ranking official, and I have not said that I will punish you. Why do this?"

"What I seek is not a high position or noble title, but I hope to be able to contribute to Your Highness..."

"Still pretending?"

Xue Bai's tone became a little stern.

There was no one else in the hall, so he didn't bother to be polite with Chen Xilie and directly said, "What you want is not effort, but power. But do you have the ability and courage?"

"Your Highness, I am a loyal minister."

"That's enough!" Xue Bai scolded, "If you keep on talking, you'll be exposed as an ugly person."

His tone suddenly became fierce and murderous.

Chen Xilie was frightened and his face turned pale, then he became dejected.

In fact, he also knew that he had held high positions and obtained too many things beyond his ability. The reason why he was obsessed with power was that he had endured it for too long and it had become an obsession in his heart.

"I, your old servant, beg for my remains." Chen Xilie murmured in despair.

Xue Bai finally put down the documents in his hand and helped him up personally.

Chen Xilie seemed to have taken good care of himself over the years and had a rosy complexion, but when Xue Bai supported him, he could feel that his body had a withered feeling. He was old after all.

"I have seen your qualifications and your hard work. But what the Tang Dynasty needs right now is not a prime minister who tries to please everyone, but hardworking officials who are determined and enterprising. Make room for them... and give them a good living."

When Chen Xilie heard the word "honor and care", he burst into tears.

He really couldn't bear to leave the power field, and wished to hold on to power until his death. But when he met Xue Bai's eyes at this moment, the last glimmer of hope in his heart also dissipated.

But in the end, he still held Xue Bai's hand tightly and gave him another warning.

"I am in Chang'an. If Your Highness needs me, I will be at your service at any time."

Just hearing these words is quite touching.

Thinking back on the years they had spent together, Xue Bai couldn't help but feel a little emotional and nodded.

Just a few days later, he issued an edict to promote Chen Xilie to be the Prince's Grand Tutor and confer him the title of Duke of Xu. At the same time, he allowed him to retire and enjoy honor, and dismissed him from his position as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Chen Xilie cried again, but he knew in his heart that he was lucky to meet Xue Bai in this life. Otherwise, he might not be able to turn danger into safety every time he encountered chaos.

Afterwards, Xue Bai frequently transferred a group of officials.

Xue Bai replaced Du Youlin with Yuan Zai as the governor of Luoyang and recalled Du Youlin.

In fact, he originally wanted to send Yuan Zai to Luoyang, but he felt that Yuan Zai was too impatient, so he demoted him and gave him a warning. Now that he had learned his lesson, he reappointed him.

In addition, he sent Li Qiyun, Cen Shen, Pei Chen and other young and outstanding officials to Hebei to serve as military envoys in various states, and sent people to bring back Li Mi. Li Mi was the maker of the strategy, and he hoped that the officials he selected could implement the military settlement strategy in Hebei well.

In this way, within two months, the team of prime ministers after Xue Bai became regent was complete.

Wei Jiansu, Yan Zhenqing, Du Youlin, Li Xian, and Li Mi. Among them, Wei Jiansu was promoted to Shizhong, known as the left prime minister, and Yan Zhenqing was appointed Zhongshu Ling, known as the right prime minister.

In this series of appointments, it seemed that the neutral faction got two positions and gained the most. But Xue Bai also felt that he had won and had obtained many wise ministers.

If we ignore Du Youlin, they are all famous ministers of the time...

~~
The weather was getting hotter, and on this day, Du Wulang rarely came to the palace to see Xue Bai.

Others say that he is not ambitious and is still only a minor official like Dali Pingshi. But if you ignore his connections and only look at his age and qualifications, he is actually very ambitious.

In the side hall of Xuanzheng Hall, Du Wulang sat on the ground as soon as he came in, with his arms and legs spread out. He was probably the most relaxed person who had ever been here. He didn't care whether Xue Bai was busy or not, and just kept talking to himself.

"I never thought that I would become a descendant of a prime minister. In the early years, if we only looked at my grandfather's appearance, who would have thought of it?"

"Your grandfather can be a good prime minister." Xue Bai said.

Although everyone in the court said that Du Youlin was the only mediocre person among the five prime ministers, and that perhaps all he could do was to agree with Yan Zhenqing and safeguard Xue Bai's interests, Xue Bai actually had high hopes for him.

After all, Du Youlin is not alone, but has the support of the sisters Du Yan and Du Jin, and perhaps Du Wulang. The Du sisters control Xue Bai's influence among the people, which should not be underestimated.

In addition, Du Youlin acted cautiously, treading on thin ice, and rarely made mistakes.

"Okay." Du Wulang did not have much confidence in his grandfather, and said, "As long as people don't compare me with other sons of prime ministers, it will be fine."

Recently, there have been voices saying that Du Youlin is the most mediocre, and his son is also the most mediocre among all the sons of prime ministers, which makes Du Wulang quite helpless.

"I asked you to come here to give you a chance to make a splash."

"I really don't want to." Du Wulang sighed, "You want me to do something again?"

He had done a lot for Xue Bai, and they were often big things, but unfortunately they were all Xue Bai's private affairs, and there was no obvious credit. Of course, he didn't care about these, he was just lazy.

"Cui Youfu suggested dismissing opera actors, but I think it would be a pity to do so. Besides, most of these people are ignorant of the ways of the world and will have difficulty finding a job. They may starve to death on the streets or be bullied."

Xue Bai spoke slowly and only Du Wulang dared to interrupt him, saying, "I know that you have deep feelings for the Liyuan."

"You know a lot."

"hey-hey."

"I intend to let the opera house and the music studio run their own business and be responsible for their own profits and losses. However, those who engage in singing and dancing are not good at business, so I will leave this matter to you."

Du Wulang thought about it, then sighed and said, "Thinking back to the past, every performance at the Wansui Qianqiu Festival was a great display of the Tang Dynasty's grandeur. Will we never see this again in the future?"

Xue Bai had been thinking about promoting frugality and cutting down expenses in recent days, so he found these remarks new and could not help but glance at him.

Du Wulang said: "Of course I know that sensual pleasures are not good. I mean those performances, the dancing horses holding cups, showing the glorious times... What a pity."

"The country is poor and the people are exhausted. There is nothing we can do about it."

Xue Bai said, then changed the subject and said, "The prosperous times will definitely happen again."

"it is good."

Du Wulang actually wanted to say, "This is what we want to achieve by entering the officialdom," but he knew his own limitations and immediately swallowed the words back.

"Since you feel sorry for the performances, just do your job well."

As he spoke, Xue Bai threw over several documents, including a letter of appointment. Du Wulang saw that he had been promoted, so he first took the letter of appointment and saw that it was asking him to concurrently serve as the Minister of Music.

Wang Wei and Xue Bai both held the post of Taiyue Cheng. However, if the Pear Garden and the Jiaofang were run independently, they actually had little to do with the Taichang Temple. Giving Du Wulang a concurrent post was nothing more than giving him more background in this area.

"This position is good, it's leisurely." Du Wulang said, "Why not give me my position as Dali judge? I'm really not suitable to send people to jail. I..."

He wanted to chat, but Xue Bai waved his hand and said, "Time is up, leave."

"Ha, you and I count the time."

Du Wulang was speechless and stood up to leave.

As soon as he walked out of the side hall, his relaxed and casual attitude was put away. He straightened his back and looked solemn, just like all the officials who were sitting upright. He could be said to be blending in with the crowd, or even looking a little less spirited than everyone else.

The eunuch then entered the Xuan Zheng Hall, turned over the hourglass on the table, and led the next official to see him.

Most of the people Xue Bai is going to meet every day are arranged in advance, and everything is in order.

"Your Highness."

"Sit down." Xue Bai said, "State affairs are more important, there is no need to be too particular."

The person who came this time was the newly appointed Prime Minister Li Xian.

In terms of seniority, Li Xian is one generation older than Xue Bai, and since Xue Bai said it doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter what generation it is.

Xue Bai doesn't care about seniority in many things.

"I have been away from the court for a long time. Now that I have been promoted by Your Highness, I will do my best to serve you."

Li Xian bowed first before sitting down, his back straight with only a little touch of the chair.

This is a young and energetic man with a strong style.

"I asked you to come here for two things." Xue Bai said, "First, I intend to reduce the power of the Jiedushi in various places. There are precedents for this method, such as the previous reform of Henan Province, which divided its power into four parts. Later, I will find an opportunity to delegate power to various prefectures and counties. However, the situation in each place is different. Reducing the power of the vassal states is a big deal, and I need a strong order..."

Li Xian listened very carefully.

He is a member of the royal family and has a strong personality, so he is indeed the most suitable person to preside over this matter.

Xue Bai also emphasized that he did not want any chaos or impact on border defense due to the reduction of the power of the vassal states, so Li Xian would need to make long-term preparations, investigate the details of each vassal state, the thoughts of each governor, and which of their generals were loyal and useful and which were rebellious.

As the two were talking about this, the hourglass on the table beside them began to leak sand little by little until it reached the bottom.

There were no palace servants serving in the hall. Xue Bai glanced at the hourglass and turned it over himself.

By the time they had finally reached an agreement on the reduction of the power of the feudal lords, the hourglass had turned over five times.

Compared with Du Wulang, Xue Bai's attitude towards Li Xian is obviously very different.

Having discussed the issue of reducing the power of the feudal lords, there is a second matter to discuss.

"The second is the selection of Jingzhao Yin. The previous Jingzhao Yin was a mediocre person selected by Dou Wenyang. He fled during the Yongwang Rebellion and his whereabouts are unknown. Now all affairs in Chang'an are temporarily managed by Lord Yan. Do you have any recommendations?"

Jingzhao Yin is a very important position, which is related to the stability of the capital. Xue Bai must have a confidant. Therefore, Li Xian did not expect that he would ask him. He was greatly surprised and quickly promised to consider it carefully.

Regardless of whether he could choose the right person, Xue Bai's question had an immediate effect, which was to instantly bring him and Li Xian closer.

Li Xian felt Xue Bai's trust, and his eyes suddenly changed.

The hourglass on the side ran out again. This time Xue Bai did not turn it over, but said a few words other than business.

"I am young and inexperienced, and I rose to a high position suddenly. There are all kinds of opinions in the court, some doubting my identity, some questioning my loyalty, and even worse, slandering me with some false and shocking rumors. But my loyalty to the Tang Dynasty is witnessed by heaven and earth."

After hearing this, Li Xian knew it was his turn to express himself, and said, "Others may have doubts about your Highness's identity, but I can confirm it."

Back then in Hedong, it was Li Xian who found out about Xue Bai's identity and his intention to usurp the throne from Yang Guanghui.

At that time, the emperor's grandson did not have a bright future, but was sentenced to death. Moreover, it was not Xue Bai who took the initiative to claim him. Therefore, Li Xian did not question Xue Bai's identity from the beginning.

From the perspective of a royal family, since Xue Bai was a descendant of the Li Tang royal family, it didn't matter whether he was plotting a usurpation. He was eager to have a royal family member who could revitalize the country to succeed to the throne.

Today, Xue Bai trusts him, which in turn strengthens his trust in Xue Bai.

At least for now, Li Xian's position is inclined towards Xue Bai.

~~
Du Wulang received the assignment, but he did not show off his ability at all. After leaving the palace, he went to find Du Jin, intending to ask her how to do this assignment.

He first went to Fenghuihang in the East Market, but learned that Du Jin was not there. He asked Qushui and learned a piece of news.

"Second Mother has recently acquired a new property and has gone there today."

"where?"

"Pingkangfang."

Hearing these three words, Du Wulang first thought of the Three Songs of Pingkangfang, and couldn't help asking, "What? Did Second Sister buy a few brothels?"

"What was Wulang thinking about?" Qu Shui said, "He looked honest in the past, but it turns out he is a regular customer in the entertainment industry."

"I?"

Du Wulang felt very wronged, but he was too lazy to say more about it. After thinking about it again, he immediately guessed what kind of property Du Jin had invested in.

"You don't mean, the Right Prime Minister's Mansion?"

Qu Shui then looked at him with new eyes and asked, "Wu Lang also knew about this?"

This remark was a bit disrespectful, but Du Wulang was not angry and even made a joke.

"After all, he is the son of a prime minister. He is smart and follows my grandfather."

Qu Shui couldn't help but smile and told him the whole story in detail.

Li Linfu's mansion in Pingkangfang occupied nearly a quarter of the area of ​​the block, but it was not that big at first. It was gradually expanded by taking over the surrounding mansions.

Previously, this house was bought by a relative of Dou Wenyang. After the Yongwang Rebellion, someone advised Du Wulang to take it, but later it fell into the hands of Siqi Wang Li Zhen.

Li Zhen originally planned to move there, but recently the imperial court issued an edict banning the trend of comparison in the capital.

This imperial edict was also a reminder. If someone did not listen, the court had many ways to deal with it, such as Lu Qi's implementation of excessive taxation in Shu County.

Li Zhen heard a rumor that the treasury was empty and the court was preparing to implement the inter-frame tax again. If this happened, the mansion in Pingkangfang would become a hot potato. He wanted to get rid of it, but no one dared to take it.

In desperation, Li Zhen had to split the huge mansion into several separate houses and sell them.

Li Linfu's son Li Xiu had returned to the capital and bought the backyard where he used to live.

Du Jin bought the area where Li Linfu met with officials and handled state affairs, for no other reason than that it was the center of power in the Tang Dynasty...

After hearing this, Du Wulang couldn't help but sigh: "I was really wise. I didn't listen to some flattering words and bought that big house."

Qu Shui had no choice but to agree: "Yes, Wu Lang is wise but appears foolish."

"If you are wise, why act foolish?" Du Wulang said, "Then I have to go to Pingkangfang to find my second sister."

"Second Lady may not be here. Maybe she went to the palace after finishing her work."

"Where's the eldest sister?"

"Did you go to Yuzhen Temple to talk to Li Shiqi Niang about the Pingkangfang mansion?"

"Hey, hasn't she moved into the Taoist temple in the palace yet?"

"Why is it so urgent? It will only make people gossip. It will definitely be later. Invite Teng Kongzi to enter the palace in the name of the Crown Princess."

Qu Shui's eyes lit up when he talked about these gossips and anecdotes, but Du Wulang was not a talkative person and immediately changed the subject back.

"Then I'd better go to Pingkangfang."

"If Wu Lang has any questions, you can ask Madam Da Xi. She is here today."

"Ok."

Du Wulang went to see Da Xi Yingying, and as soon as he mentioned the word "Liyuan", she knew why he came.

"It's a good thing that Wulang came to ask me about this matter, otherwise your second sister would not be happy with you."

"Why?" Du Wulang was puzzled.

"It is rumored that His Highness had an affair with Yang Guifei, and you, Wulang, helped to cover it up. Is this true? Otherwise, why would His Highness hand over the Pear Garden to you?"

Du Wulang's eyes rolled and he immediately realized that he had found the wrong person. He should not have asked Du Jin for advice, but should have gone to the Yang family.

He didn't show any emotion on his face, and said, "How can I accomplish such a big thing? The rumors are all false. I don't even know how to run an opera house, so I have to rely on you to give me some advice."

"Wu Lang is really good at talking. Okay, I'll give you some ideas..."

(End of this chapter)