Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 324 Aiming to win people from Jiangnan

Chang'an, court meeting.

Chen Qingsi listened to the performances of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Personnel as always.

The main focus of the imperial court this year is recuperation. How much wasteland has been reclaimed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, how many canals have been built by the Ministry of Works, and how well the county magistrates and officials in various places have performed have become top priorities.

The Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Personnel are responsible for these important tasks, and these are the main issues in the temple.

Chen Qingsi listened attentively, but rarely spoke, maintaining a cautious attitude in words and deeds.

I thought the meeting would end peacefully like before.

Unexpectedly, on the eve of his retreat from the imperial court, Yuan Sijing, the admonishing doctor, stepped forward and said loudly: "I have something to report."

Chen Qingsi glanced slightly, then glanced at Xu Jingzong at the top, thinking: "Did he take action?"

Sima Yongzhou is already in their possession, and among the remaining ministers of the Ministry of Rites, Gao Zhizhou of the Qing school has the highest voice so far.

But calling is not the same as getting...

Chen Qingsi would never look down on anyone in the temple. Whether it was Xu Yushi, who was honest and honest like an elder, or Xu Jingzong, who was good at catering and being hypocritical and loyal.

Qingliu, headed by Chen Qingsi, recommended Gao Zhizhou.

Xu Jingzong recommended Yuan Sijing, the admonishing doctor.

Li Zhi signaled Yuan Sijing to tell him what was going on.

Yuan Sijing said: "I impeached King Teng for his excessive taxation, extravagance and indulgence. For his own selfish interests, he carried out large-scale construction projects, which caused great anger among the people. He also took advantage of the busy farming season to ride horses and play with the people for fun. Relying on his royal status, he despised the laws of heaven. , the wife of an adulterous subject. Your Majesty is kind and unwilling to punish your uncle severely. However, King Teng refused to change despite repeated admonitions and completely ignored your Majesty’s painstaking efforts. He should be severely punished and reported to the world."

Yuan Sijing looked upright and spoke loudly, echoing in the hall.

Yuan Sijing said that it was indeed true, but the reaction of the officials in the palace was mediocre.

The matter of Prince Teng Li Yuanying is well known to everyone in the world, not to mention the officials in the temple.

The late emperor Li Shimin came to the throne in a shady way. It is unknown whether it was out of revenge or something else. Li Yuan left his second son with more than a dozen younger brothers and sisters who needed to be taken care of.

Li Yuanying is the youngest one.

As the "eldest brother", Li Shimin took great care of Li Yuanying in order to show that he was like a father. But Li Yuanying was a naughty boy. Not only did he impose excessive taxes to build Prince Teng's Pavilion, he also refused to follow the law. He often led a group of staff to enjoy acrobatic dance music in the palace, ignored the curfew system, and allowed his generals to go out hunting at night.

What a bastard...

Li Shimin had nothing to do with the younger brother whom his father had entrusted to him before his death. He severely punished him for being unfilial and unkind.

After Li Shimin's death, Li Zhi had no special solution for his youngest uncle.

Both Li Shimin and Li Zhi remembered Li Yuan's dying instructions to take good care of Li Yuanying, and used the method of making peace to drive him to the south of the Yangtze River, out of sight but out of mind.

Therefore, for Li Yuanying, it is not that the courtiers have never impeached him, but impeachment will make things difficult for the emperor.

Gradually, no one mentioned it anymore.

This was also the case when the officials in the palace saw that no one responded to Yuan Sijing's mention, so they all thought they would settle the matter hastily as before.

But Chen Qingsi shouted "No!"

If impeachment is really useless, Xu Jingzong cannot let Yuan Sijing create obstacles for Li Zhi at this critical moment.

There is only one explanation. Li Zhi's patience with his uncle was exhausted.

It's just that no one impeaches it, so it's not easy to deal with.

Yuan Sijing spoke uprightly and spoke directly to the Sacred Heart.

Sure enough, Li Zhi looked at the booklet handed over by Yuan Sijing, turned it over repeatedly, and threw it on the royal table angrily: "This is unreasonable, lawless. I am diligent and frugal for the world. Prince Teng is a direct relative of the royal family. I don't think about frugality. I Don’t blame him, but he still drags down the people and taints the wives and concubines of his subordinates. It’s really abominable!”

Regarding Li Yuanying, Li Zhi was originally as conniving as his father.

But some time ago, he got news that his brother-in-law Li Yuanying had been beaten.

Li Yuanying's Tengwang Mansion had an official named Cui Jian, and his wife, Zheng, was a pretty girl.

Li Yuanying relied on his status as a royal relative and used the name of the princess to summon Zheng's daughter into the mansion for a chat.

Zheng's daughter did not dare to disobey and entered the palace.

Li Yuanying wanted to use force, but Zheng's daughter was brave and fierce, shouting, "How can the prince do such a dirty thing? This person must be a slave in the palace!" He shouted at Li Yuanying. beat……

Li Yuanying, a dignified man, was beaten to the point where he was unable to fight back, and there were several blood marks on his face.

Li Yuanying did not dare to make a big deal out of this matter, and he lost all face. He was so angry that he cowered and ignored political affairs. Even when Cui Jian came to apologize, he was too embarrassed to go out to meet Cui Jian.

Cui Jian and Zheng's daughters were the descendants of the Cui family in Qinghe and the Zheng family in Xingyang respectively. This incident naturally became a joke and spread among scholars.

Li Zhi didn't like the extravagant and arrogant Li Yuanying at all, especially since he was short of money now. The court needed money everywhere and the national treasury was rich. He wanted to break a copper into two and spend it.

As a result, his brother-in-law just spent extravagantly and embarrassed the royal family, which he couldn't bear.

Now Yuan Sijing is impeaching Li Yuanying in the temple, which is exactly what he wants. He said angrily: "Depose King Teng from the post of governor of Hongzhou, demote Wuzhou governor, and reduce the number of households by 300. If he does this again, I will never give him mercy."

As he spoke, he looked at Yuan Sijing approvingly and said, "I am very happy that you can speak out and impartially. I will give you a plaque as a reward."

Li Zhi liked the kind of courtiers who could help him solve problems in advance when he needed them. He praised Yuan Sijing's performance very much.

Chen Qingsi secretly said: "Awesome!"

Xu Jingzong was able to accurately grasp Li Zhi's quietly changing thoughts. His ability to figure out what was going on was truly remarkable.

Chen Qingsi didn't know that because of Queen Wu's reminder, she only thought that Xu Jingzong relied on his own abilities.

After going down to court, Xu Jingzong stopped Chen Qingsi.

"Shilang Chen!"

"Xu Xianggong!"

Chen Qingsi bowed and saluted.

Xu Jingzong asked: "You and I are on the same journey, and we will be on duty together?"

Chen Qingsi made an invitation gesture and said that we were traveling together, but it was just the distance from the palace to the imperial city.

"Xu accepted today's matter."

Chen Qingsi sighed in admiration: "Even if we know that Mr. Xu is very capable, seeing Mr. Xu take action still makes people admire him."

Xu Jingzong narrowed his eyes and smiled and said: "Both of us, we can't let Chen Shilang be more beautiful than the former." What he wanted to win most this time was Yongzhou Sima. As the oldest minister in the temple, he had no one to control the temple. comparable. If you can let your cronies obtain the position of Sima of Yongzhou, control the military princes and bad people in the capital, and control the direction of the people outside the temple, and cultivate both internally and externally, you will be in an invincible position.

Xu Jingzong has always focused on Ren Yaxiang and Lu Chengqing, treating them as opponents.

It’s not that I underestimate Chen Qingsi, but Chen Qingsi really has no one on hand...

Unexpectedly, he directly attracted Zhang Daan, pushed Zhang Daan up, and caught him off guard.

Sima Yongzhou lost a piece of cake, and the Minister of Rites naturally did not want to lose.

Chen Qingsi said politely: "We are all working for His Majesty, so there is no difference between us."

Xu Jingzong nodded and said: "It makes sense, they are all working for His Majesty, they are all the same."

The two left the palace without saying a few words.

Xu Jingzong went to his meeting hall, while Chen Qingsi walked to the Ministry of War.

Chen Qingsi obviously knew what Xu Jingzong meant, and he revealed to himself that he was destined to win the title of Minister of Rites.

“It’s still unclear who will win!”

Chen Qingsi recited something silently, returned to the Ministry of War, and settled the matters at hand.

No matter how complicated things outside are, Chen Qingsi always adheres to the same attitude. Regardless of the priority of the matter, he must complete what he is doing before doing other things.

The affairs of the Ministry of War have not been completed. Even if the sky falls, a tall person will have to hold it up.

Chen Qingsi was immersed in dealing with the things at hand, when suddenly the guard outside the house came to report: "I am asking for an audience with Captain Xi Junmai."

Chen Qingsi put down the pen in her hand, laughed and walked out of the lobby quickly. Sure enough, standing outside the room was Xi Junmai, who had not been away for many years.

Xi Junmai is still the same as before, with a body as strong as an ox. It is already a cold winter, but he is only wearing two layers of autumn clothes. His rough face is covered with dark and stiff short beards, and his piercing tiger eyes are full of excitement. Fortunately.

"I've met Mr. Chen!"

Xi Junmai didn't know what to say, so he just shouted five words and then bowed deeply.

He was transferred to Jiangnan in the 18th year of Zhenguan, and now it is the end of the 5th year of Xianqing. There is a gap of 16 years between the two...

How many sixteen years are there in life?

If it weren't for Chen Qingsi's appearance, Xi Junmai even thought that he would live the rest of his life in Jiangnan and die in depression.

Who would have thought that a miracle would actually happen.

Sixteen years later, he actually came to Chang'an again and was able to go into battle to kill the enemy and show his value on the battlefield.

Just thinking about this, Xi Junmai couldn't help but burst into tears.

A fierce general like him is not afraid of death at all, but is afraid of dying ineffectively. It is an honor to be able to die vigorously on the battlefield.

"No need to be polite!"

Chen Qingsi helped Xi Junmai up, and was about to take him into the house to reminisce about old times, when something suddenly occurred to her and she asked, "Can I visit Jiang Shangshu?"

Xi Junmai shook his head and said, "Not yet. After entering the capital, I went straight to Minister Chen and didn't care about anything else."

Xi Junmai can clearly tell who speaks for him.

Chen Qingsi pulled him and said, "In order, let's go visit Jiang Shangshu first, and then sit down and talk in detail."

What Xi Junmai listened to most now was Chen Qingsi's words, and he agreed without hesitation.

The two met Jiang Ke together.

Jiang Ke already knew the news that Xi Junmai came from Jiangnan, and he was still a little bit critical of Xi Junmai going directly to see Chen Qingsi.

Although in the Ministry of War, Chen Qingsi has outstanding talents and can speak a little more easily, he is still the Minister of the Ministry of War.

He has no intention of fighting for power at the moment, but what he wants is dignity.

If you are so messed up that you don't even have dignity, then what's the point?

But as Chen Qingsi brought Xi Jun to buy it for a visit, the dignity was gained, and the criticism in her heart dissipated, and she enthusiastically allowed the two of them to take a seat.

After exchanging pleasantries with each other, Jiang Ke asked Chen Qingsi to entertain Xi Junmai, as if he was very busy and could not stay with him for long.

Chen Qingsi then led Xi Junmai back to his office to talk with him in detail.

Xi Junmai was extremely grateful to Chen Qingsi. The situation was explained in the official document from the Ministry of War. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Minister Chen. Xi has lived on the border of Tuyuhun since he was a child. At that time, Tuyuhun had no relationship with the court. The border is not peaceful, and life is poor. It is difficult to survive on meager military pay. My relatives and friends like me want to go into Tuyuhun territory to kill thieves, so as to gain military merit and support ourselves. We know the terrain of Tuyuhun very well. Regardless of Whether it is to defend the territory or to kill the thief, Xi is confident that the thief will never come back."

Xi Junmai was so excited that he banged his chest.

Chen Qingsi lowered the fire for him and said: "Captain Xi, don't get too happy yet. The matter has not yet been decided."

Xi Jun's face fell instantly and he was a little sluggish.

Chen Qingsi did not tease him and said: "Our Ministry of War jointly recommended the captain, but there are some generals in the court who also have this intention. This matter is of great importance, and the final choice of the first general stationed abroad must be decided by His Majesty himself. .”

Xi Junmai immediately said: "I see, I'm not afraid of this. I have confidence in my ability. In the past sixteen years, I have never neglected my skills. I have the confidence to prove myself in front of His Majesty and win the position of general."

Chen Qingsi has no doubt about this.

He knew the names of most of the powerful generals of this era, and there were only a few who could compete with Xi Junmai: Xue Rengui, Pei Xingjian, Wang Fangyi and others. However, Pei Xingjian was in the Western Regions, Xue Rengui was in Liaodong, and Wang Fangyi was not qualified now.

Unless there really is a pearl hidden in the center of the earth, ordinary talents who are covered in dust are really not as good as Xi Jun.

"Just do your best, don't force it!"

Chen Qingsi knew that as long as Xi Junmai performed normally, there was a high probability that he would not be able to get the position of general this time. He was afraid that he would be too excited and nervous and perform abnormally. He said: "Since the imperial court has transferred you back from Jiangnan, it is impossible for you to go back again. Even if this matter fails, a good person like you will not be tarnished again."

Xi Jun wasted sixteen years on his purchase because the world had forgotten him.

Otherwise, with the martial arts of the Tang Dynasty, how could such a general disappear directly?

Xi Junmai nodded vigorously and said, "This is an opportunity that Shilang Chen specially asked for for me. No matter what, I can't let the Shilang get the stigma of improper recommendation."

Chen Qingsi stopped talking, knowing that Xi Junmai needed this opportunity to prove himself.

Chen Qingsi thought of the people in Qingxi County and asked, "How is the situation in Qingxi County?"

Xi Jun said: "Everything is good in Qingxi County, and it is very lively now. If Chen Shilang returns to Qingxi County, he may not recognize what Qingxi County looks like. Except for the county government office, the people will still help to repair it. That hasn't changed, everything else has changed." He said and smiled: "I learned that a certain person was promoted to Beijing, and the people of Qingxi County asked him to bring a lot of good things and said they would give you a try. People They were too enthusiastic, so I really had no choice but to buy one or two carriages to load them. There were rice, oil, fish, cloth, tea, and dozens of other things."

Chen Qingsi was moved and amused at the same time and said: "How can you... be so embarrassed to accept it?"

(End of this chapter)