Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 483 It’s not too late for an unexpected surprise
Listening to Li Zhi's arrangements, Xu Jingzong and Liu Xiangdao both showed some regret.

The two were old ministers of Li Zhi's dynasty, and they were accustomed to the originally relaxed lifestyle.

After Zhang Wenguan took charge of the administration of officials, the atmosphere of the entire government changed. It became tense, and officials no longer handled government affairs in a relaxed and leisurely manner, but began to roll back in order to avoid being eliminated by lazy officials.

Xu Jingzong and Liu Xiangdao are both old and cannot adapt to this change.

However, all decision-making power lay with Li Zhi, and even Xu Jingzong had to acquiesce in all of Zhang Wenguan's actions.

It would be great if this matter could hurt Zhang Wenguan.

Li Zhi's punishment alone represents his attitude.

The emperor in front of him obviously didn't want the matter to continue to ferment, and the two beatings were a signal that enough was enough.

The way has been pointed out to you, you must listen.

Both of them knew Li Zhi's temper. At this point, if they didn't listen, they would be punished.

Li Zhi did not have a strong murderous intent, but he had many ways of punishing people.

The two knew that this was the end of the matter.

"As for Lord Su Xing..." Li Zhi said with a sad face, "Lord Su Xing was a pillar of our dynasty. His reputation spread all over the country. He expanded the territory for the court and eliminated countless villains. Now he has passed away on the front line of our Tang Dynasty. I am deeply saddened..."

As he spoke, he wiped away his tears and said, "Mr. Su Xing has made great contributions to the court. His funeral cannot be hasty. The Ministry of Rites will personally set up a mourning hall, confer him the title of Sikong and Grand Commander of Youzhou, and posthumously name him 'Zhuangwu'. The civil and military officials in the capital will be ordered to offer sacrifices, and he will be buried with him in Zhaoling Mausoleum, and will be temporarily enshrined in the temple of Emperor Taizong."

Li Zhi had not yet built a mausoleum for himself at this time, but the location had already been chosen, which was Liangshan, located in the north of Qian County, Xianyang.

According to Li Shimin's custom of using mountains as mausoleums, the entire Liangshan Mountain will be a mausoleum.

However, due to insufficient funds in the national treasury, the construction of the mausoleum had not yet begun and it was only in the planning stage.

Therefore, Li Zhi let Su Dingfang be buried with him in Zhaoling Mausoleum and temporarily enjoy the temple of Emperor Taizong. His purpose was obviously to let Su Dingfang enjoy his own temple after a hundred years.

Su Dingfang was indeed a person of the late Sui Dynasty, but his real glory came during the reign of Li Zhi. There was no way he would seek to take advantage of Emperor Taizong's incense.

Li Zhi wiped away his tears, his eyes slightly red, and said: "Xu Aiqing, please write an obituary for me to express my condolences."

"Sir, obey!"

Soon, Li Zhi's treatment of Chen Qingsi and Zhang Wenguan was publicized within the court and became known to everyone.

The news reached Zhang Wenguan's ears immediately. The Shangshu Province where he was located was closest to the imperial palace, so he naturally received the news much faster than Chen Qingsi who was in the Ministry of War.

Upon hearing that he and Chen Qingsi would each be given fifty lashes, Zhang Wenguan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that at least he was not punished unilaterally.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to continue as prime minister.

Li Zhi was not a reasonable emperor. His favoritism towards Li Yifu was still fresh in people’s memory.

Li Yifu's problems were much more serious than Chen Qingsi's, but he was forcibly protected by Li Zhi, who instead drove the righteous Wang Yifang out of the court.

Zhang Wenguan did not think he was wrong, but he was worried that Li Zhi would favor Chen Qingsi.

Li Zhi's favor towards Chen Qingsi was no less than that towards Li Yifu.

Now that they are each punished, it at least shows that Li Zhi recognizes himself.

As for the enthronement of Su Dingfang, Zhang Wenguan no longer cared about it. It was not that he really didn't care, but that he was powerless to change the situation.

Ever since Chen Qingsi made a big deal about this matter, Su Dingfang's funeral will not be small.

This concerns the court's attitude towards a meritorious official. If Li Zhi does not express his attitude, then he as an emperor will make people feel disheartened.

Zhang Wenguan suppressed the news of Su Dingfang's death because he wanted to take the blame on himself. After he had suppressed the extreme martial spirit in the world, he would find a time to tell Li Zhi about it.

At that time, it would be better to provide Su Dingfang with corresponding treatment.

In this way, people would not accuse Emperor Li Zhi of mistreating his meritorious officials because he was not aware of it.

Now that Chen Qingsi has made a big deal out of this matter, no matter who of them is punished, Su Dingfang will get the treatment he deserves.

After all, it is understandable that they are not aware of the situation, but it is really disheartening if they know about it and do nothing about it.

"My husband, I told you long ago that as long as Chen Qingsi is here, it will be difficult to implement our policies. For the sake of the Tang Dynasty, we cannot be soft-hearted."

Li Jingxuan's eyes were burning and full of high morale.

Zhang Wenguan remained silent, but his eyes showed the decision.

When the news reached the Ministry of War, Chen Qingsi was discussing some details of the Ministry of War with Zhang Ming, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and a group of colleagues in the Ministry of War. When he heard that he was only demoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, he did not have much emotion, but just said to Zhang Ming: "Now, you and I are on the same level."

Zhang Ming stood up and bowed, saying, "In my heart, Mr. Chen will always be my superior. This is true no matter what position Mr. Chen holds."

Zhang Ming's father was Zhang Liang, one of the twenty-four heroes in the Lingyan Pavilion, and was originally from a family of military honors. He hated Zhang Wenguan's empty talk, and Chen Qingsi stood up for Su Dingfang today, disregarding his own interests to ridicule Zhang Wenguan, and even brought the matter to the palace.

Finally, Su Dingfang won the treatment he deserved...

Zhang Ming was deeply moved by this sincerity and bowed in worship.

The same is true for other military officials. Some of them were transferred to civil service positions based on their military achievements, so they know the cruelty of the battlefield.

Although some of them are civilians, they are exposed to military intelligence from all over the country. Even if they have not personally participated in or witnessed it, they know how difficult it is.

Su Dingfang was the general who made the greatest contribution to the emperor's reign. If he could not get justice, then what kind of justice is there?

They stood up one by one, from the head of the Ministry of War to the doctor and deputy doctor of the Ministry of War, from top to bottom, more than ten people in charge of the Ministry of War bowed in unison.

Chen Qingsi didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise, so he went down the pole and said, "I have experienced the dangers of the battlefield and I know how difficult it is for generals to fight for the country. If even the soldiers and generals who put their heads on their waistbands can't be respected, who will be willing to protect him? Anyway, we can't count on those who talk big..."

Zhang Ming said: "I agree with you, sir. We should not mistreat anyone, nor the soldiers who are guarding the border for the country. Zhang Ming is willing to stand together with you..."

The rest of the people were like this: "We are willing to advance and retreat with you, sir."

Chen Qingsi was also moved when he looked at his colleagues in the Ministry of War.

Life is like this, I am so happy. After finishing the work of the Ministry of War, I returned home early this morning.

With such a big thing happening, the turbulent Chang'an will certainly become even more turbulent.

Chen Qingsi returned home and called Zhou Kui to the study.

"For some time to come, the relationship between me and Prime Minister Zhang will reach a freezing point. Although His Majesty has stepped in to suppress this matter, the discord between the two sides is a foregone conclusion. Friction between us at work will be inevitable and will happen from time to time. Go inform Yin Ming and ask his bad men to pay attention to the wind direction in the capital. See if anyone is stirring up trouble..."
-
Yongpingfang.

Wan Guojun made sure that there was no one around and slipped into the quiet and secluded hut.

"Sir, you are amazing."

Wan Guojun was full of admiration. "It's just as you said. His Majesty punished Zhang Wenguan and Chen Qingsi. One of them was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel as the Yellow Gate Assistant Minister, and the other was demoted to the Ministry of War Assistant Minister, but he still led the affairs of the Minister of War."

"You can know everything in the world without leaving your house. I'm talking about you, sir."

A gloomy and hoarse voice came from inside the house: "I just know the current emperor too well. He is the most cold-blooded person. He can be open-hearted to those who are useful to him. He can kick away those who are useless to him and treat them like grass and ants."

"Now Chen Qingsi and Zhang Wenguan are both very useful to him, and he is reluctant to kick them out. Just give them a beating, teach them a lesson, and show his attitude."

Wan Guojun thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Sir, I have something to ask you."

"Say!"

Wan Guojun said: "Teacher often said that Chen Qingsi was far-sighted and scheming, no less than Fang Xuanling of this dynasty. But who was Fang Xuanling? He was the first prime minister of our dynasty, and even Emperor Taizong admired him highly. He served as prime minister for 20 years, managing general affairs, participating in the formulation of laws and regulations, presiding over laws and decrees, supervising the revision of national history, and being omnipresent without any mistakes. But I think Chen Qingsi is like a fledgling calf, rushing around blindly, without any rules, and completely not understanding the rules of officialdom. As the leader of the Qingliu Party, a hidden prime minister of the dynasty, and the Minister of War, he personally went down to confront the prime minister head-on..."

"Sir, you didn't see the embarrassing situation at the court meeting. Almost everyone was dumbfounded."

The gentleman in the room laughed and said, "What do you call this? Everyone is drunk, but only a few are sober. You only think about the rules of officialdom, but you don't know that there is someone who controls the rules. This person is your majesty."

Wan Guojun was confused and didn't understand anything, but he heard the person in the room ask, "If you were Chen Qingsi, would you do this?"

Wan Guojun thought for a moment and said, "This is simple. Just explain the situation directly to His Majesty. Chen Qingsi has the privilege of being able to hear directly from the emperor. With this privilege, why not use it?"

"Zhang Wenguan used his power as prime minister to suppress the news of Su Dingfang's death. As long as the news of Su Dingfang's death is known to Your Majesty, all Zhang Wenguan's calculations will be in vain. This will not only avoid a direct conflict with Zhang Wenguan, but also prevent the incident from reaching the imperial court and causing such embarrassment. It will make both sides lose face."

The gentleman in the room laughed mockingly, his voice was particularly creepy: "You are treating the present emperor as the late emperor? The late emperor might consider the old relationship, but the present emperor? In his eyes, there are only interests, nothing else. A living Su Dingfang is far more valuable than Zhang Wenguan. But how can a dead Su Dingfang be compared with Zhang Wenguan?"

"If Chen Qingsi goes to see His Majesty in private, there will be only one result. His Majesty will deliberately remain unaware of this matter and will also make Chen Qingsi unaware of this matter..."

"The dead Su Dingfang is no match for the living Zhang Wenguan."

"This is where Chen Qingsi is so powerful. He is one of the few people who understands your majesty's temperament. Su Dingfang is not qualified to be compared with Zhang Wenguan, but Chen Qingsi can..."

"Chen Qingsi personally stepped in and made such a big fuss, just to use himself as a bargaining chip to suppress Zhang Wenguan together with him."

"Your Majesty cannot do without Zhang Wenguan, but even more so, Chen Qingsi. That's why they both got punished..."

"You think Chen Qingsi is reckless, but in my opinion, he made the most correct decision."

Wan Guojun suddenly realized: "So that's it... I just felt something was wrong. How could Chen Qingsi be so reckless? It turns out he had this in mind..."

The gentleman in the room continued, "What you said is not wrong. It is indeed a bit stupid to offend a prime minister for the sake of a dead Su Dingfang. On the surface, both of them suffered losses, but in fact, Chen Qingsi's goal has been achieved, and Su Dingfang has received the dignity and treatment he deserves. I'm afraid Zhang Wenguan will not let it go..."

Wan Guojun's eyes lit up when he heard this and he smiled, "This is the best. Dogs bite dogs and both get fur in their mouths. We are happy to see it happen... Sir, how about we do something bad in the process?"

The gentleman in the room asked, "How did you do that?"

Wan Guojun said with a sinister look in his eyes: "Chen Qingsi must not be kept, he is the biggest obstacle in front of us. Zhang Wenguan is not a good guy either. It is because of his instigation that the Crown Prince is not close to Empress Wu. Now they have corrupted him. Even if the Crown Prince ascends the throne, we may not be able to succeed."

"Those people in the Eastern Palace are more opposed to Empress Wu ruling from behind the curtain than Chen Qingsi... If the Crown Prince does not listen to the Empress, those of us who support the Empress will have a bleak future. I'm afraid we will end up like Lao Ai and Zhao Ji."

Lao Ai and Zhao Ji originally planned to use Ying Zheng to strengthen themselves, but Ying Zheng didn't listen to them at all and instead destroyed them in one fell swoop.

Now, Crown Prince Li Hong still respected Empress Wu, and his filial piety remained unchanged. However, when it came to state affairs, he avoided Empress Wu at every turn, and after repeated persuasion, he had begun to be wary of his in-laws.

Such a situation made people like Wan Guojun, who regarded Empress Wu as their master, very frightened.

Seeing that Zhang Wenguan and Chen Qingsi were hostile to each other, he couldn't help but add insult to injury.

"In my opinion, we should take advantage of the current situation where both sides are at loggerheads and instigate the conflict. Let them fight each other while we sit back and watch the fight."

"No matter who wins or loses in the end, we are the final winners."

He looked expectant, as if waiting for praise.

Who knew that what came back was a “idiot!”

"Smug guy."

"Don't act recklessly..."

Wan Guojun was startled and said quickly: "I dare not!"

A voice came faintly from inside the house: "Still sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight. If you don't have certain abilities, do you have the qualifications to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight?"

"Chen Qingsi is a tiger, Zhang Wenguan is a tiger, what are you?"

"A mouse, a mouse that has been hiding in the stinking ditch. Do you want to stir up trouble between the two tigers? Do you have the qualifications?"

"No matter who they are, as long as they look at you, someone will come out and trample you to death without them having to do anything."

"People should know themselves and not be self-righteous."

The voice inside paused and said, "At the beginning, I lost because of my self-righteousness. By the time I realized this, it was too late."

Wan Guojun immediately said: "It's not too late."

"That's right, it's just a little late, but not too late."

"It's not too late..."

(End of this chapter)