Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 564 Old Fox

Dai's residence in Chang'an.

Dai Zhide was at home enjoying his grandchildren.

The great victory in the Western Regions lightened the burden of this court minister, and he took some time out from his busy schedule to play with his grandson Dai Xijin.

But sitting in this position, how could he have any free time? Before he could play around for a while, he received the news that his subordinate Xu Taixuan wanted to see him.

Dai Zhide reluctantly handed his grandson in his arms to his wife and met Xu Taixuan in the reception room.

Xu Taixuan was a scholar who had just turned 40. His eyes were filled with anger. "Mr. Dai, do you know that Chen Qingsi promoted Huan Yanfan again? It has only been a short time, and within a year, he was promoted twice. Chen Qingsi's intention of promoting his own people through nepotism should not be too obvious."

Xu Taixuan's attitude at the moment was somewhat exasperated. Huan Yanfan's promotion this time was a great stimulus to him.

Xu Taixuan was a member of the former crown prince's party, and now belongs to the Li Hong emperor's party. However, the current emperor's party members are in an awkward situation. According to the old rules, the crown prince's party will be the cornerstone of the crown prince's ascension to the throne and the establishment of a new dynasty. As long as these crown prince's party members become wives, they will be close ministers in the palace, and their future will be limitless.

Xu Taixuan has been looking forward to this day since he joined the Prince's Party.

However, when that day finally came, the situation was not as they expected.

Because of the turmoil created by Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan, more than half of their close ministers were purged, and only a small number of people who had little contact with them survived.

The case of Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan's forged will involved quite a lot of involvement, leaving a big gap.

These remaining ministers in the palace did not gain much advantage. Now that the war in the Western Region was over and it was time to reward people according to their merits, Xu Taixuan suddenly discovered that most of those who were promoted were capable officials promoted by Chen Qingsi.

Many rising stars who were originally of lower status than him and came after him have now climbed up to his feet.

Especially this Huan Yanfan.

When Xu Taixuan served as a military officer in Hangzhou in his early years, Huan Yanfan, who came from a prominent family in Jiangnan, had not yet entered officialdom, and the two sides had some unpleasantness.

But now Huan Yanfan had come from behind and surpassed him, and the sense of contrast filled his heart.

Xu Taixuan knew that the reason for everything was Chen Qingsi. If it weren't for Chen Qingsi, how could they, the close ministers in the palace, be so miserable.

"I know!" Dai Zhide nodded and said, "Huan Yanfan is a talented person. He has made great achievements in his life. He has done everything that Chen Xianggong has assigned to him. This war in the Western Regions is complicated and it is the time for capable officials to show their talents. Huan Yanfan's performance is amazing, so it is reasonable for him to be promoted."

Dai Zhide's words left Xu Taixuan speechless.

Dai Zhide shook his head and sighed. He knew very well that the people promoted by Chen Qingsi were now all over the government, but you couldn't find any fault with them.

This decisive battle with the Arab Empire involved a large number of soldiers, took a long time, and cost a lot of money. It was the first time in the Tang Dynasty that such a large number of soldiers were mobilized.

In order to supply the needs of this war, the entire court is like a high-speed running machine. And talents are the driving force to maintain the machine...

Because Li Zhi died suddenly, Pei Yan and Li Jingxuan forged a will, causing the machine to malfunction. Chen Qingsi turned the tide and promoted many grassroots officials out of turn, making the machine run more smoothly, and ultimately winning the East-West war for the Tang Dynasty.

No one can deny that these people promoted by Chen Qingsi performed outstandingly in the operations of the rear during this war.

They deserved to be promoted, but it was this deservedness that made these people spread throughout the court and consolidated Chen Qingsi's position.

When Li Zhi was alive, he did not allow anyone who was particularly powerful to exist.

Even though Chen Qingsi had obtained the position of assistant minister, second only to the emperor, he was far from being able to dominate the government because of his unstable foundation. Now, with this war, Chen Qingsi had consolidated his foundation in a short period of time. Dai Zhide was also troubled by this, but he could do nothing about it.

Chen Qingsi never restricted the performance of these close ministers in the palace. This is the credit, whoever has the ability can take the position.

As a result, the gap between these so-called elites gathered in the East Palace and those officials promoted arbitrarily by Chen Qingsi was completely unreasonable.

Not to mention Zhang Jianzhi and Yao Chong who have already shown their talent as prime ministers, even Wei Zhigu, Huan Yanfan, and Jing Hui are not as good as them...

Chen Qingsi did not use any means of exclusion or suppression. Instead, he placed the right people in the right positions in order to win this long-lasting battle. That was all.

Prime Minister Dai Zhide had no way to resist this blatant tactic and could only watch Chen Qingsi take control of the entire government.

Now Chen Qingsi's power can be said to have surpassed Huo Guang in the Han Dynasty.

When Huo Guang was at his peak, he only controlled the political situation in the court, but Chen Qingsi controlled more than just the court. With his military achievements, he had great influence in Haidong and Qinghai. Even in the Western Regions, Wang Fangyi, Heichi Changzhi, and Lou Shide, who he promoted, also gained important positions.

"Mr. Dai, we can't wait any longer. Although Chen Qingsi has no real intention of disobeying us, he has the power to do so. Your Majesty is ill now. If you don't do something, I'm afraid that Wang Mang's past incident will happen again."

Dai Zhide was undecided.

Xu Taixuan advised earnestly: "Mr. Dai, Li Sikong will be back soon. He is the only one who can punish Mr. Chen. He is old and has been through such a fierce battle. How many years does he have left? If we don't take advantage of the opportunity, we will regret it later."
-
The junction of Qin and Long.

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

Li Ji got off his horse and stamped his feet heavily on the ground, feeling the firm ground under his feet. He smiled and said to those around him, "The land in Guanzhong is still comfortable to step on."

Pei Xingjian beside him also looked at the plants and trees with nostalgia, saying, "I feel homesick when I'm close to home! It's a different feeling."

At the beginning, because he opposed Li Zhi's establishment of Wu, he even went to find Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang to discuss the matter, and was driven to the Western Regions by Li Zhi. During the more than ten years since he left, the world has changed dramatically.

When I set foot on Guanzhong land again, the situation had completely changed.

Empress Wu and Zhangsun Wuji no longer exist...

The current emperor is the new emperor lying on his sickbed, and the one in charge of the entire temple is Chen Qingsi, who has never met but is well-known.

Pei Xingjian had heard about Chen Qingsi from his mentor Su Dingfang many times, and he also knew what Chen Qingsi had done to give Su Dingfang justice. Even when he was in the Western Regions, he had received a lot of favors from the other party, and he was full of gratitude to Chen Qingsi...

But along the way, I heard some strange sounds.

"Mr. Ying, Mr. Chen, what kind of person is he?"

Li Ji chuckled and said, "He is a wonderful man, a strange man, you will know it when you meet him."

"Ugh……"

He suddenly sighed and said, "I'm old and useless."

As he spoke, his body tilted and he fell straight onto Pei Xingjian.

"Mr. Ying, Mr. Ying..."

Pei Xingjian was panicked at first, then he remembered the deliberate words he had heard these days, and understood. He cursed inwardly, "Old fox," but he yelled in agreement, "Come here, call the military doctor."

(End of this chapter)