Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 332: Kaitian’s “Prosperity”

"The humble minister Yang Qixuan invited the saint to present the portraits of Fang Youde, the military governor of the Xuanwu Army, Li Linfu, the right minister, Zhang Jiuling, the former prime minister, and Guo Zhiyun, the former military governor of Longyou, to the Lingyan Pavilion!

Please give me permission from the saints! "

In the Zichen Hall of the Daming Palace, Yang Qixuan, the admonishing official, came out and asked loudly. He put his official hat on the ground, knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

If Brother Dayouji disapproves, he will kneel here until the end of time!

No one in the civil and military circles of the dynasty stepped forward to agree, and no one stood up to object, because this was just a formality, and everything had been arranged in advance. Even the portraits of these four people had been hung on Ling Yan Went inside the pavilion.

At this time, even Li Linfu's political opponent, Left Prime Minister Li Shizhi, stood in the court with an indifferent expression and said nothing.

This is a "good thing". To be fair, this thing is good for everyone. It means that the unspoken rule "after Zhenguan, ministers are not allowed to enter Lingyan Pavilion" has been broken. In the future, as long as you can make meritorious deeds, you can His portrait was sent to Lingyan Pavilion and will be immortalized forever!
If he is not in this batch, will it be his turn in the next batch?

Li Shizhi also had some small thoughts in his heart, so he would not stand up to hurt Brother Ji, let alone slap people like Li Linfu and Fang Youde in the face.

If he doesn't even stand up, no one will stand up.

Brother Ji is an emperor, not a gangster leader! To be an emperor, you must have a political framework that belongs to the emperor! If there is a political framework, there will be corresponding political rules. You can’t just play whatever you want!
Because the emperor not only needs someone to help him make money, but also needs someone to praise him! Since this is the case, then Zhang Jiuling, as a "model project" for the literati to become prime minister, has to stand up and stand upright and cannot fall down!
As for why Du Fu came out to make a fuss, it was of course to promote his "favorite minister" Li Linfu who had been given the green light to rise to the top!
If it weren't for Li Linfu's extraordinary promotion, it would have been impossible for him to become a Jinshi the next year after breaking his leg! Not to mention that it was Li Linfu who secretly helped him become a Jinshi not long after, and before the election date, he became the school secretary, and then he was promoted one level a year and finally became the imperial censor.

In terms of political factions, Du Fu is indeed offending people, even the emperor.

Du Fu had already thought it through before today's court meeting. This is a necessary sacrifice in order to realize one's political ambitions.

Will he offend some people in the government by being so reckless?

Weichen remonstrates with death! Zhang Jiuling cannot enter Lingyan Pavilion! "

So why not choose big guys like Yao Chong and Zhang Shuo?
Because these people's experiences in the first half of their lives came from the "previous dynasty", with profound imprints of Wu Zhou. Letting them in will make future generations think that Brother Ji is like "the predecessors planted trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade."

But in terms of official ethics, his position is very clear and he has outstanding political credibility.

"Sage, among the four new people who entered Lingyan Pavilion, three are worthy of their names, but Zhang Jiuling is not worthy. He is a remonstrator, but he has no great achievements. If he enters Lingyan Pavilion, it will be a humiliation to the ancestors.

Even the four newly added people were carefully considered by Brother Ji and were not chosen randomly.

Without Li Linfu to lead Du Fu to a higher level, how would he have the chance to appear in the Zichen Palace? If he doesn't speak for Li Linfu, will he still speak for the dead Zhang Jiuling?
Du Fu's ability to do things is average, and his emotional intelligence is not high, but why should Li Linfu pay attention to him?

Brother Ji said with a smile, his smile was very gentle and indifferent.

He spent a lot of thought on this matter in the early stage.

If the first two "dead people" were added to "carry on the past", then the portraits of these two still living people entered Lingyan Pavilion to "carry on the future" and to show the world that the emperor is thirsty for talents and has great ambitions. Reminiscing about the old friendship, not only will you be a high-ranking official with a generous salary, but you will also be famous in history. Why don't you quickly become loyal to me?
Who would stand up and object to such a court meeting where all the agencies are exhausted?

Li Linfu came out of the queue, crossed his hands and saluted Brother Ji and said, the anger between his brows flashed across his face!

"Sage, Du Fu has behaved inappropriately in front of the Palace. We recommend that he be driven out of the Zichen Palace."

What Brother Ji wanted to do this time was to highlight his own achievements, not to praise his grandmother Wu Zetian.

After saying that, he directly put his official hat on the ground and knelt on the ground, maintaining the same posture as Yang Qixuan!
Damn, you are really stupid!
All the civil and military officials in the Zichen Palace were shocked, and Li Linfu, who was standing at the forefront, was the most anxious... because this person was a chess piece that he had finally placed in the Yushitai, Ma Zai, who was good at writing poems and had a good reputation!

Brother Ji sat on the dragon chair with a smile and said nothing.

Of course, Zhang Jiuling still has many disciples and former officials, and Zhang Shuo's lineage is full of talents all over the world. For example, Yan Wu, the son of Zhang Jiuling's good friend Yan Tingzhi, is serving as the governor of Shu!

Guo Zhiyun, the former military governor of Longyou, was a key figure in regaining Longyou and reversing the strategic situation between Tang Dynasty and Tubo. He was also the person who established the "border town faction" in the northwest.

Former prime minister Zhang Jiuling was a representative figure of the "Wenwen School", and he studied under Zhang Shuo and was quite well-connected in this school.

These four people include almost all the factions in the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that they are the greatest common denominator created by Ji Ge taking into account all parties.

It can even be said that people make the best use of them!
But before that, Li Linfu didn't tell Du Fu to come out and cause trouble! When he makes a fuss like this, it's a lot of fun. This is a slap in the face of the emperor without thinking!

Brother Ji waved his hand and said to Li Linfu: "You don't need to say more, Prime Minister, Du Yushi, please continue talking."

So it was naturally impossible for him to add people like Yao Chong and Zhang Shuo.

Du Fu knelt on the ground and said.

Before Brother Ji, who was sitting on the dragon chair, could finish speaking, he saw a young official stand up and shouted to Brother Ji: "Saint! The ministers thought that Zhang Jiuling had no great achievements in the country and was not worthy to be compared with other Ling Yan." The heroes of the pavilion are among the same, please ask the saint to take back his orders!"

Zhang Jiuling is not worthy, but Li Linfu is. Isn't this tantamount to flattering Li Linfu in disguise? He also flattered Fang Youde by the way. After all, his son Fang Chongyong was a big help when he passed the imperial examination.

Without Guo Zhiyun, there would be no current situation of Longyou's dominance over Tubo, as well as various military deployments in border towns.

I like your song very much. "

But it won’t work without adding Zhang Jiuling.

This is much smarter than blindly praising Li Linfu!

In fact, the reason is very simple, just like Brother Ji promoted Zhang Jiuling. For Li Linfu, Du Fu is "the inferior Zhang Jiuling". It is the right time for this kind of "clean figure" to enter the Yushitai as a thug.

How could he run out without saying hello?
"I remember you, you are Du Fu, right.

Fang Youde was an old minister of the Long Qian Dynasty and had great military exploits; Li Linfu was a member of the Li Tang clan and had been the right prime minister for so many years.

But as Du Fu is a peripheral member of Li Linfu's party, if he wants to be promoted, he must express his loyalty to the right prime minister and enter the inner circle!
Impeaching a "dead man" is the least risky way. Even if you fail, your reputation will not be ruined.

These two people can be regarded as outstanding figures in the center of the Tang Dynasty during the Kaiyuan period.

In fact, he also felt that adding Zhang Jiuling was very embarrassing, because Zhang Jiuling had repeatedly embarrassed him back then.

If you have to struggle, how can it be possible without sacrifice!

Including but not limited to obtaining a "jade auspicious stele" from elsewhere to prove that the Tang Dynasty was a "land of heaven and earth treasures" and that the prosperity of the world was comparable to Taizong's Zhenguan rule.

"Since all my dear friends have no objections, then..."

In addition, Du Fu also had the urge to "disdain each other". To put it simply, Zhang Jiuling, who was also outstanding in poetry and prose, was the role model for Du Fu to hold his head to the ceiling in the court in the future!

Du Fu thinks so.

Zhang Jiuling is Du Fu after his meteoric rise, and Du Fu is Zhang Jiuling who has not yet made his fortune!
For Du Fu, stepping on Zhang Jiuling was not just a "routine matter", but also stepping on the other person's reputation to rise to the top! Publicly and privately, he has the desire to cause trouble at this juncture.

To admonish ministers to enter Lingyan Pavilion, Du Fu is enough. He does not need Zhang Jiuling, and he does not want to be called "Zhang Jiuling second" in the future.

"If Zhang Jiuling is not worthy, then who does Aiqing think is more suitable?"

Brother Ji asked with squinted eyes, seemingly noncommittal.

In fact, according to the "selection criteria", many veterans from the Kaiyuan period are suitable. It's just that the first batch is not suitable for too many people to join. Brother Ji himself has an attitude of "testing the waters" this time.

Zichen Palace is full of civil and military officials, and no one can understand what Brother Ji is thinking now.

"Wei Chen doesn't know, I only know that Zhang Jiuling is not suitable."

Du Fu said bravely.

After being filled with blood, he now only felt cold all over his body. He was extremely frightened and did not dare to continue talking.

"Zhang Jiuling repeatedly violated Yan Zhijian, which is why he criticized the officials.

Although he has passed away, I still miss him very much.

We can't chill the enemy's heart. Aren't you also an enemy? Get up. I don't blame you. "

Brother Ji was in a particularly good mood today. He raised the board high and then put it down gently.

For Brother Ji, Zhang Jiuling is good at everything, but he hasn't accomplished anything practical and is the kind of person who is "practical but not pragmatic." He alone couldn't hold the situation together, and it would be almost useless without him playing the drums.

You can call this kind of person important. After Zhang Jiuling arrived at the center, he didn't accomplish anything specific. He also participated in party disputes and formed a clique with Yan Tingzhi and others. He didn't look good.

But you can say that Zhang Jiuling is not important. He often makes suggestions and proposes some practical plans, and he is not trying to fish in the court.

There is no shortage of such ministers. Regardless of whether Brother Ji likes or dislikes him, he must set such an example to inspire future generations.

This is politics!
Du Fu didn't understand it, but Brother Ji had already understood it thoroughly, and he knew the rules of political operation like the back of his hand!

Seeing that Du Fu was let go, Li Linfu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He complained about Du Fu's recklessness and wondered what the intention of Brother Ji's behavior was. He was a little distracted for a moment!

"Yang Qixuan, I have appointed you as the Minister of Rites, specifically responsible for this matter. My dear friends, if you are busy with official duties and have nothing to do, then please dismiss the court."

Brother Ji said slightly tiredly.

"If there is something going on, go ahead and leave if there is nothing going on!"

Gao Lishi shouted.

After waiting for a moment, all the officials in Zichen Hall said in unison:
"Farewell to the saint!"

Brother Ji slowly stood up and left the Zichen Palace accompanied by the eunuch.

Fang Youde, who was standing in an inconspicuous place, couldn't help but glance at Du Fu who looked nervous, then sighed softly, ignored anyone, and just walked out of the Zichen Palace.

After leaving the Daming Palace, Fang Youde walked along the wide Zhuque Street and found many small vendors setting up stalls along the square wall. The Jinwu Guards did not arrest these "violators". They just drew lines with white ash along the walls of the square and drew a small area on the ground for merchants to set up stalls in such a place and charge regular fees.

Fang Youde was in a trance, as if he had returned to his previous life at the end of the Tang Dynasty. The lively market in the city has lost the order of the city, but has a lot of human fireworks.

"Now is indeed a prosperous era."

Fang Youde put his hands behind his back, walked to a stall selling Hu cakes, took out a Chang'an Jiaozi with the denomination "Guan" from his arms, and handed it to the person to buy Hu cakes.

"Two mutton-filled biscuits, they should be hot, freshly baked."

Fang Youde said calmly.

"My lord, do you... have any copper coins? A hundred copper coins will do!"

The middle-aged man in front of him had dark skin and wrinkles on his forehead. He looked less than forty years old, but his actual age might be much younger. He asked with a troubled expression.

He dared to speak because Fang Youde was a reasonable official.

This is easy to judge, because those who are unreasonable will not spend money to buy things at all. The people at the bottom have their own survival wisdom.

"Buy a few more so you don't have to look for them."

Fang Youde waved his hand and said. "It's ten cents each, but you can't buy a hundred of them?"

The vendor looked surprised and asked, "Even if I buy a hundred pieces, Fang Youde can't take them."

"I'll buy two of them, and I'll ask you about the others."

Fang Youde took the biscuits handed over by the vendor and said in a low voice.

Seeing a windfall in hand, the middle-aged hawker calmly took the jiaozi, looked at it again and again, then put it in his arms and put it close to his body.

He came closer and said with a mysterious smile on his face: "Hey, sir, please ask me. I know everything and can tell you everything. I have been living together in Chang'an for many years, so I know a lot about the family's shortcomings."

After saying that, he gave Fang Youde a look that said, "Every man understands."

Seeing that the other party was very cooperative, Fang Youde couldn't help but nodded slightly.

"Now everyone in Chang'an is talking about Jiaozi. What do you think of Jiaozi?"

Fang Youde asked in a low voice, pretending to be bargaining with the vendor.

"Go back to the official, this is convenient, but... it's not easy to exchange the cloth. If you want to exchange the cloth, you have to make an appointment at the Yamen in advance, and you have to queue up. There is a limit to the amount of cloth one person can exchange every month. Um, if it exceeds the limit, we won’t change it.”

The hawker said with a troubled face.

Fang Youde nodded slightly and said nothing. After all, in his previous life, the Tang Dynasty had already suffered a disaster, but Jiaozi had not been popularized. How these things work and what impact they will have in the end, he, who was born in Qiu Ba, doesn't know.

"But, sir, if you have a Jiaozi from Hexi, why not exchange it with the younger one for a Jiaozi from Hexi. Although Hexi is far away, you can exchange this Jiaozi if you want, and there will be no problem in its circulation in the market."

The hawker licked his face and asked him to take out the usual jiaozi from his arms, and eagerly handed it to Fang Youde.

If it were any other bureaucrat, even Li Linfu, he might not be able to produce Hexi's Jiaozi on the spot. But what kind of person is Fang Youde? It can be said that there are many Jiaozi from Hexi in his family. The smallest denomination is ten strings.

Fang Youde took out a ten-guan Hexi Jiaozi card from his arms, handed it to the Hu cake vendor and said, "You can just take it to find money."

I met a noble person today!

The dark-skinned vendor was overjoyed, took the ten-string Hexi Jiaozi, then turned around and came back, and gave Fang Youde a ten-guan Chang'an Jiaozi.

They didn’t even confiscate the money for the biscuits!
Fang Youde looked at the other party with a strange look on his face and asked, "Didn't I just say that I would give you the money to buy Hu cakes? Why don't you want it?"

"This Hexi Jiaozi can be changed at any time, eliminating the need to queue up. Of course you can't appreciate this wonderful feature. Hahahahaha, I'm treating you to this biscuit!"

The Hu Cake vendor laughed.

"Hexi is 1,800 miles away from Chang'an. How can I exchange money? How can it be convenient?"

Fang Youde asked in confusion, he was not a fool, and no one's money came from the strong wind! Even if it can be exchanged for 1,800 miles, is it really just a matter of walking 1,800 miles?
The vendor was about to roll his eyes in disdain, but then remembered the identity of the other party, quickly composed himself and explained:
“My lord, you are such a noble person and you forget things so much.

Jieduzhi entered the memorial hall in Chang'an.

The imperial court had a policy that these Hexi Jiaozi could be exchanged for cloth at the Jinzouyuan of Hexi Jiedushi without having to go to Hexi.

You can redeem it at any time in Hexi Jinzouyuan, first come first served. If you don’t have it yet, you have to wait two days. They have a good reputation. Anyway, if you are late, just wait for the next batch. There is always cloth that can be exchanged for Hexi Jiaozi when you go to Jinzouyuan. But they refused to accept Chang'an Jiaozi. "

The vendor saw that Fang Youde was easy to talk to, so he also poured him a lot of dry goods.

Can Hexi Jiaozi redeem cloth at Jinzouyuan in Chang'an?

The answer is not only that it can, but the court has special policies.

Hexi Jiaozi exchanged "Hexi cloth" for "Hexi cloth", and "Hexi cloth" was the cloth shipped from Hexi Jiedu mansion. Or to put it directly, it was a reward from the imperial court to the Hexi Jiedushi envoy. It should be shipped to Hexi, but it has not been delivered yet. Cloth from Hexi.

In order to save transportation costs, the imperial court simply handed over these silks to Jinzouyuan for disposal.

The cloth was originally intended for Hexi, but now that Hexi Jinzouyuan has obtained it, it supports the exchange of Hexi Jiaozi in Chang'an.

This... seems reasonable, and it also saves the freight of transporting the cloth back and forth.

But Fang Youde always felt that there was something inappropriate here, but he couldn't quite explain why.

In short, Hexi Jiaozi can now exchange money in Chang'an without any problems and has an excellent reputation. There is no problem with this.

When redeeming, there is no need to queue, make an appointment, or show identification. Regardless of whether you are a Hu merchant or a Han citizen, you can exchange it freely.

Of course, for larger amounts, reservations must be made ten days in advance.

This can be understood as the Hexi Jiedushi envoy taking the cloth rewarded by the court to Chang'an to support Hexi Jiaozi's independent exchange, and then using the Hexi Jiaozi's unimpeded circulation to purchase properties. Finally, the products produced by these industries are used to support the circulation of Jiaozi, forming an economic closed loop.

Anyway, the imperial court has relaxed its control over this area. Because in any case, this is tantamount to loosening the financial constraints of the central government. To put it another way, the central government also saves the freight for allocating cloth.

Making money or saving money is not a problem for Brother Ji. It can be said that there are no taboos.

After leaving the Hu Pancake stall, Fang Youde picked up the Hu Pancake in his hand and took a bite. The aroma of black beans and mutton went straight to his brain, making him want to take another bite.

Delicious and cheap food, always in the folk. Working people always use their wisdom to make the limited ingredients in their hands as delicious as possible.

Fang Youde was filled with emotions.

But when he calmed down and recalled what the vendor had just said, he still felt that the Tang Dynasty now seemed to be on a different path than in his previous life.

Another road of no return...an unknown road of no return that has never been experienced in previous lives.

Although I don’t know where it will go, the end point must be purgatory on earth!

This made Fang Youde feel inexplicably panicked.

Because the lessons learned in the previous life are basically of little use now. There are not many enemies left above the water, but the enemies lurking underwater are unknown.

There is no clear answer anymore about the opponents, subordinates or friends he will face, who is "loyal" and who is "treacherous".

Faced with different situations and different people, they will make different choices.

Many times, whether he is a Buddha or a demon can happen in a matter of seconds. Who dares to say that someone is born a bad person?
People's hearts are separated from each other, and from now on the truth will be in other people's heads. You can only judge by listening to their words and observing their actions.

Fang Youde's "prophet" advantage has basically disappeared.

Today, he has officially entered the "Lingyan Pavilion" and achieved great achievements that a minister can achieve. In the eyes of the world, Fang Youde has achieved success in his life and can enjoy his old age while lying down and fishing.

Only he knew that things would not be so simple.

People are not good for a hundred days, and flowers are not as good as a hundred days. What is supposed to happen will definitely come!
Just like deep-seated hatred will not disappear out of thin air. Either kill the enemy or be killed, or both at the same time, otherwise the hatred will always be there, passed down from generation to generation.

Until people wash it away with blood.

Thinking of this, Fang Youde suddenly felt that the Hu Pancake in his mouth was no longer fragrant, leaving only a faint smell of mutton.

……

"Du Zimei, how do you want me to say good things to you?"

In the study room of Li Linfu's house in Pingkangfang, the Right Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty shook his head and sighed while teaching Du Fu a lesson.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I just have a hot head..."

Du Fu said with some shame. He did have his own selfish motives when he went to court, but generally he stood up for Li Linfu.

Yes, Li Linfu's character is indeed not very good, and his official reputation is not very good. He entered the official position relying on his family's influence and has never participated in the imperial examination.

But others can criticize Li Linfu, and even write articles and poems to criticize him, but Du Fu cannot.

Because he took the imperial examination through Li Linfu's route, and it was not the examination route, but Li Linfu directly sent a message to Du Fu to "spot" him and let him pass the imperial examination.

Du Fu would never be able to finish this kindness of knowing and meeting him in his lifetime, otherwise he would be cast aside by the mainstream of society!

Again, when a person is a down-and-out scholar, he can write poems to denounce social injustice. He can write poems about how rich families are stinking of wine and meat, and how they freeze to death on the road!

When Tianjie tramples all the bones of the prince, you can secretly clap your hands and applaud!

However, once he entered the upper circles of the ruling class, he could no longer maintain this position.

This is what Du Fu is like today. He became a Jinshi because of Li Linfu's promotion, and his official career has been prosperous, so he must serve Li Linfu front and back. You can be more elegant in your posture, but you can't do it face to face!
"I know you are one of our own, but alas, this job at Yushitai is really not suitable for you.

Well, there is still a vacancy for the position of Sima in Xiangzhou. You can be transferred to Xiangzhou as Sima.

I will promote you to the governor of Xiangzhou as soon as possible. "

Li Linfu sighed and said.

It is indeed not easy for him to recruit someone who can write poetry and create public opinion among literati. This is due to the limitations of the circle. The candidate in Li Linfu's mind must be trustworthy and capable of poetry and prose. Now he has no one except Du Fu.

If Du Fu is sent from being a censor at Yushitai to being a Sima in Xiangzhou (Yecheng), is this considered a promotion or a demotion?
On the surface, it was because Du Fu "offended Yan Zhijian" that he was promoted from a sixth-rank official, censor, to a fourth-rank official, Sima of a superior state, but in fact, he was kicked out of the inner circle of officialdom in Chang'an and made He just fends for himself locally.

A typical operation of overt praise and covert derogation.

Of course, without Li Linfu's promotion, Du Fu would probably still be ups and downs in the officialdom, hanging around at the bottom. I can only say that it’s really good to be hugged by my thighs. Even when I’m demoted, I have someone to protect me.

"Thank you, Prime Minister, for your cultivation. I am very grateful to you."

Du Fu saluted Li Linfu respectfully.

He knew that he had paid the price for his impulsiveness. He had stepped down from the fast track to promotion and switched to another track where seniority was gradually gained, with unknown blessings and misfortunes.

"Go ahead, go to the Yushitai to complete the handover tomorrow, and then go to take office in a few days."

Li Linfu said with a somewhat cold tone.

It is a common fault among these bureaucrats who come from literary backgrounds that they do not understand current affairs!
He could see clearly what Du Fu's selfish motives were, but he just didn't want to expose them.

After Du Fu said goodbye to Li Linfu, he walked out of Li's house.

The heavy rain is coming, and the strong wind is blowing up at this moment, causing all kinds of small stalls on the street to fly. People everywhere are rushing to go home to take shelter from the rain, running in an orderly manner.

"The strong wind today is very noisy."

Du Fu couldn't help but sigh, looked back at the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, and couldn't help but sigh sadly.

(End of this chapter)