Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 409 Promotion Whirlpool
Chen Qingsi confessed Guo Guangjing without hesitation.

This does not mean selling him out, but rather seeking truth from facts, acting appropriately, doing things right, and having nothing to hide.

This is also Chen Qingsi's experience as an official for many years. When it comes to his superiors, as long as it doesn't involve himself, he can say whatever he wants.

Don't feel verbose or unnecessary.

Many times, you deliberately don't say anything about a trivial matter, and when your boss accidentally finds out about it at a certain point in time, you can't save it with a hundred words of truth.

In short, don’t say what you shouldn’t say.

You can say what you don't want to say, and you have to say what you shouldn't say.

Especially when faced with a suspicious boss.

Chen Qingsi told every word what Guo Guangjing asked for today, including Shangguan Yi's request.

"I have been away from Beijing for nearly three years and I don't know much about the situation in Beijing. I don't dare to make any guarantees. I just promise to do my best within my ability."

Li Zhi listened very seriously until Chen Qingsi finished speaking, and then said: "Shangguanyi failed my expectations, and I don't regret the crime. The son in Zheng's womb is innocent. I am not a cruel king, and I don't want to see Shangguan's family die. Well, now that you have agreed to Guo Guangjing, I will also sell you your favor. After the birth of Zheng’s unborn baby, I will not care whether you raise it yourself or give it to others to raise.”

Chen Qingsi said without thinking, "Your Majesty is kind. If the baby is a boy, I plan to send him to the south of the Yangtze River to have a good life. If it is a girl, I will keep him by my side to raise him, so that I can give Mrs. Zheng something to think about."

Li Zhi nodded, quite satisfied with Chen Qingsi's arrangement.

Now, Li Zhi has actually come back to his senses. Shangguan Yi is stupid and will misunderstand what he means. He does not intend to cooperate with the undercurrent.

Since Li Zhi defeated Changsun Wuji, he has been using Shangguan Yi to fight with another force.

This time I came to Luoyang with the intention of subduing the Guandong family in the territory of Guandong.

The two sides have been fighting for more than a year. On the surface, the five surnames of Guandong are tired of coping. However, Li Zhi knows that the nobles of Guandong have been planning to steal their families, starting with the imperial examination.

The implementation of the imperial examination must be impartial. Without impartiality, it will be nothing.

In the palace examination, Li Zhi could make some small moves based on his preferences and favor some poor people. After all, it was not easy for those who could pass the provincial examination. However, you cannot interfere in the provincial examinations. If you really act rashly, it will shake the foundation of the country.

The problem arises here. Children from poor families have life pressures. Not to mention that educational resources cannot be compared with those of wealthy families, and even the most basic study time cannot be compared.

Knowledge requires time to accumulate and is built up through learning and inquiry.

How many people are there who are truly self-taught, have a photographic memory, know everything, and know everything?

As the imperial examination model was gradually understood, aristocratic families began to study the imperial examination and arranged for their children to participate in the imperial examination.

It is not easy for an ordinary commoner from a poor family to pass the exam of an elite trained by a wealthy family.

This is true even for a poor man, let alone ordinary people.

Li Zhi had a headache over this, but there was nothing he could do.

They cooperated with the court system uprightly, so what if Li Zhi was the emperor above tens of thousands of people?

This is also the most difficult place for the Guandong family to deal with.

How old was the Li Tang Dynasty?
The oldest Guandong family can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

They rarely have serious conflicts with the court, and if the situation is not right, they will avoid fighting.

If this emperor is not good to them, then they will wait for the next emperor, or even secretly support another emperor. Just like when he supported his brother Li Tai...

Li Zhi was obviously unwell and met the young prince, which was an opportunity that could be used.

The existence of Li Zhong is a big threat. As the former crown prince, Li Zhong was adopted by the former Queen Wang.

This was also the reason why he was eager to depose the crown prince in the first place. He could not give Li Zhong a chance to win over people. He deposed Li Zhong and established Li Hong when Li Hong was only three years old. It's not because he loves Li Hong more, but because he doesn't want to give Li Zhong a chance.

As a result, there are still people who interact with Li Zhong...

At this time, Shangguan Yi suddenly made a move to depose Queen Wu, which immediately made Li Zhi think that Shangguan Yi had ulterior motives, especially after knowing that he had a relationship with Li Zhong, he felt this even more.

But with the investigation in the past few days, Li Zhi also figured out that Shangguan Yi was not Li Zhong's person, nor was he cooperating with the Guandong nobles, but he simply misunderstood what he meant.

At this point, even if Li Zhi understood that Shangguan Yi was wronged, he had no intention of sparing him.

Since he raised the head, it would end with him. Li Zhi followed the trend and removed all those who had contact with Li Zhong, including his eldest son Li Zhong.

For the sake of the foundation of the Tang Dynasty and the country, in the eyes of emperors like Li Zhi, the unjust death of a lot of people was nothing at all.

However, Li Zhi is indeed not the kind of murderous king, and he still keeps a line.

He didn't know that Shangguan Yi's daughter-in-law was pregnant. When Chen Qingsi mentioned it, he felt a little sympathy and complied with Shangguan Yi's wish.

Li Zhi is also very satisfied with Chen Qingsi's attitude.

The reason why Li Zhi discussed the matter with Chen Qingsi straight to the point was because he didn't want Chen Qingsi to get involved.

After all, Chen Qingsi still has some contact with Guan Yi, especially in the literary world, where they have frequent contact.

Now that I see Chen Qingsi advancing and retreating in a controlled manner, he is quite an old loach in the officialdom and does not talk much about this issue. Instead, he talks about the problems encountered in the imperial examination.

"Since the reform of the imperial examination system, the imperial court has opened the door to convenience for poor people, but now the local nobles have closed the door to half of them. But I can't do anything to them. It's really hateful..."

Regarding the problem Li Zhi mentioned, Chen Qingsi had no better solution.

This is the inevitable result.

The political accumulation of thousands and hundreds of years by everyone in the family cannot be easily defeated.

Although the imperial examination is a killer move, it must be planned slowly and slowly. It is not a panacea that can cure the disease.

If we really want to cut through the mess quickly, we have to launch a Huangchao uprising, trample all the bones of the ministers in Tianjie, and burn the inner treasury to ashes.

This strong medicine is too high.

Chen Qingsi said: "Your Majesty, this matter is not in a hurry. It is normal for a common man from a poor family to fail to pass the exam for the elite of a wealthy family. Don't worry too much. In fact, from another perspective, this is also a good thing."

"The elites of aristocratic families are also His Majesty's ministers. The better their performance is, it means that the court has an additional talent, which is also something to be happy about."

"Compared to the past, aristocratic families were free to choose official positions among their descendants, but now it is the court that gives them official opportunities. In the past, they needed to be selected by the family, but now as long as they have the ability, they can still get opportunities even if they leave the family. ”

"The meanings between the two are completely different. As long as Your Majesty does not favor one over the other, it may not be impossible to differentiate between them. So what if the imperial examinations and provincial examinations are all children of noble families? All the choices are in the hands of the imperial court, which is a great benefit. If this continues, truly talented people will still have a bright future even if they leave the Five Surnames, but it will be fatal to them."

"As for the poor people... what they are asking for is hope. As long as you give them hope, they will be rewarded sooner or later." "What exactly is going on depends on the strength of the court's support."

Li Zhi also knew that what Chen Qingsi said was true. He nodded slightly and asked casually: "Tell me in detail."

Chen Qingsi said: "It goes without saying that we should open more schools and establish education. As long as the court has the conditions, it is not a bad thing to make more people literate and literate. In addition, I think we can start from two directions. Improve printing technology, improve papermaking technology, and completely reduce the price of books. As long as people can afford books and read books, all problems will be solved. "

Li Zhi rubbed his forehead and said no more.

If we continue talking, it will involve an unavoidable topic: "money."

Li Zhi felt guilty. There had been no major wars in the court in recent years, and all the money he had saved would be spent on the title of Zen, so he did not dare to mention it more.

Chen Qingsi also understands that enough is enough.

If the person in front of him was Li Shimin, he wouldn't mind imitating Wei Zheng.

But Li Zhi, forget it.

Why bother with yourself?

Li Zhi smiled and said: "It must be Aiqing. I talked about state affairs with Aiqing, and I felt much better. Aiqing went to Baekje this time to pacify the Japanese country, pacify Baekje, suppress Silla, and rebel against Goguryeo. He is both wise and brave. Just like Marquis Wu, who conquered the barbarians and solved great problems for the court, what kind of reward does Aiqing want?"

Chen Qingsi said hurriedly: "I don't ask for rewards for serving the imperial court. Besides, I am a man in white. I can achieve such an achievement because of your majesty's respect and trust. I really don't dare to think too much about it."

Li Zhi said seriously: "I never wrong people who have done meritorious service. It just so happens that there is a vacancy in the Ministry of War. With your merits, it is more than enough to fill this position. As for the title, it is Yixing County Duke. As for Ling's wife Xiao, she has also been promoted to County Lady. …”

Chen Qingsi's eyes shone. Sure enough, in this era of the Tang Dynasty, no merit could compare to military merit.

Duke of the county, hey, next up is the Duke of the country.

"I thank your Majesty for the reward!"

Li Zhi also saw Chen Qingsi's happy expression and was very satisfied.

At the same time, the back garden of the palace.

Wu Shun lowered his eyebrows and bowed obediently. In front of his sister, he was not as arrogant as before.

Li Zhi had ignored her so far, but now that she was facing Empress Wu, she didn't even dare to speak loudly.

How arrogant he was before, how humble he is now.

"Queen..."

Now she doesn't even dare to call her sister.

"According to the Queen's instructions, I asked people to follow Guo Guangjing. He has been living in seclusion these days and has not made any special movements. Until today, guess what? This morning, he met Chen Qingsi in private..."

"Who? Chen Qingsi is back? When?"

Queen Wu looked at Wu Shun in shock, with a fierce aura in her eyes.

Shangguan Yi's post-abolition memorial completely aroused the emotions that Empress Wu had suppressed for many years.

Empress Wu was bullied since she was a child. After entering the palace, she was given the humiliating word "Mei" without mentioning the word "Mei". She was treated as coldly as if she had been in the cold palace. She finally climbed into Li Zhi's bed and ended up being a nun for several years. . She thought that all the hardships would be rewarded, but she was taken advantage of by the Queen and Queen, and was even targeted and humiliated by Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu. Even when she became the Queen, she was not treated favorably by the ministers. Now she finally has the power, but someone wants to destroy her...

When Empress Wu first heard the news, she was so frightened that she almost fainted. She held on to her fear and found Li Zhi to complain. The moment she confirmed Li Zhi's attitude, her overwhelming hatred almost wiped out her reason. No matter what, she had to let Shangguan Yi Death, not just him, but everyone associated with him must pay the price.

She wanted to take this opportunity to let people know the consequences of offending her...

She, Queen Wu, was definitely not someone to be manipulated.

Over the years, the Wu family has been making money and winning people's hearts, and has also recruited some robbers and thieves.

Empress Wu arranged for the Wu family to investigate Shangguan Yi's accomplices. As long as they had a good relationship with them, no one would be spared.

Guo Guangjing was one of the few people who dared to meet Shangguan Yi through connections at this time.

Empress Wu was wary of Guo Guangjing's connections from Long Yuanxun, and did not do anything to him for the time being. However, she arranged for people who were good at following Guo Guangjing to keep an eye on Guo Guangjing, not only looking for clues about him, but also wanting to see who else was their accomplice.

But she didn't want to follow him and found the Chen family mansion.

"Is there a second Chen Qingsi in the world? As for when he will come back, I don't know. I only found out today that Chen Qingsi is back..."

Wu Shun now hates Chen Qingsi to the core. If it weren't for Xiao Miaochen's slap, if she hadn't made such a fuss, she would still be Li Zhi's woman, so why would she be so low-key and petty now?
People like Wu Shun will never reflect on themselves. She only knows that everything she is experiencing now is related to Xiao Miaochen, but she will not think about why this is the case.

"I just said, either I am targeting Chen Qingsi or Xiao Bitch, or they are constantly working against our Wu family. Look, Chen Qingsi and Guan Yi are in the same group. They are already close, and they are promoting the prosperous Tang Dynasty together. . We have been together for a long time..."

She said angrily.

Empress Wu just glanced sideways.

Wu Shun immediately shut up and did not dare to say anything.

Empress Wu thought about it carefully and said, "Tell me the situation in detail..."

She knew her sister's character and said, "Don't add fuel to the fire."

Wu Shun was angry, but he didn't dare to say anything. He just explained the news he got.

Queen Wu's thoughts were racing and she said to herself: "The two talked for about a quarter of an hour, and finally went out together and separated."

"Go out together and separate!"

Queen Wu repeated these words, but a hint of excitement flashed in her eyes.

Chen Qingsi must have come back yesterday, and it was after dusk.

Otherwise, it is impossible not to enter the palace, and it is impossible not to know...

I don't know anything about it. I think I arrived yesterday and at an inconvenient time to enter the palace.

His Majesty is determined to catch all the people related to Li Zhong to pave the way for the prince.

Wouldn't it be beautiful if Chen Qingsi was also involved?
Empress Wu was already wary of Chen Qingsi, who was at the height of his popularity because of Xiao Miaochen, not to mention that Chen Qingsi was the party leader of Qingliu.

The Qingliu faction has a high self-esteem. Most of them followed Lai Ji in the past to oppose her as empress, and now they have also spoken out many times to oppose the harem's interference in politics.

The group of people he hates the most...

(End of this chapter)