My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 377: Capture Chu Suiliang

Chu Suiliang's Counselor was a fifth-rank official.

Theoretically, the Dali Temple can also deal with it directly.

Li Shimin's oral order only mentioned officials of the third rank.

However, there are huge differences between officials of the fifth rank.

Although Chu Suiliang was only a fifth-rank official, he was indeed an important official in the court and could directly participate in central government affairs.

Li Chengqian asked someone to deliver the case file, but he didn't want Su Tan to arrest anyone directly.

Instead, we should bring this case to the Taiji Temple.

The next day.

Tai Chi Hall, court meeting.

Su Tan took a deep breath and took a step forward: "Your Majesty, I have a report!"

Li Shimin's eyes flashed.

Su Tan worked for the crown prince, so naturally the matters he reported to him were about the crown prince.

However, he could not help but let Su Tan make a report.

"Accurate."

Su Tan took a deep breath and said loudly: "I impeach the censor Chu Suiliang for forcibly buying the mansion of the Sogdian merchant Shi Hedan at a price far below the market price."

As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of whispers in the hall. Chu Suiliang's face instantly turned red. He stepped out of the class and pointed directly at Su Tan: "Su Tan! You are slandering me! Shi Hedan is a Hu merchant and a lowly person. How could my family covet his property?"

Su Tan was not in a hurry and took out a scroll of documents from his sleeve: "Doctor Chu, do you know why Shi Hedan dared to sue until today?"

"In the 16th year of Zhenguan, you were promoted to the position of Imperial Counselor by His Majesty. Shi Hedan went to Dengwen Drum Court to file a complaint, but the case was rejected by the Dali Temple on the grounds that 'Hu merchants are not allowed to interfere in government affairs.' It was not until last month that I found a clue when I was looking through the old files and re-examined the case, only then did I know the injustice involved."

Li Shimin tapped the imperial desk with his fingers: "Dengwen Drum Court rejected it? Who approved it?"

Su Tan said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, it was Wang Mingde, the then-Secretary of the Dali Temple."

"This man was imprisoned for corruption in the 17th year of Zhenguan. In his confession, he mentioned that he was instructed by 'a certain new noble' to suppress the petition filed by the Hu merchants."

Chu Suiliang's forehead was bulging with veins: "Empty words are not enough! Su Tan, bring me the land deed!"

However, since we have already taken action, we are naturally well prepared.

"Here is the deed." Su Tan handed the document to the eunuch, who then presented it to the imperial case. "The deed presented by Shi Hedan has the seal of Chang'an County and there are witnesses."

Chu Suiliang shouted: "This is revenge!"

Su Tan sneered: "In your eyes, anyone who has had a dispute with you is seeking revenge? Shi Hedan worked for the court, but you occupied his house and allowed your slaves to beat his wife and daughter. How is this evil different from that of a robber?"

Chu Suiliang shouted sternly: "Su Shaoqing, you are the prince's father-in-law, so you are on his side. This is clearly a frame-up by the prince."

"Since the crown prince took over as regent, he has purged more than 200 ministers personally selected by His Majesty. Now he is targeting the censors. He deserves death!"

Before Su Tan could reply, Wei Zheng stepped forward.

"Shut up!" Wei Zheng stepped forward. "Chu Suiliang, do you know that 'bullying and dominating the market' is considered 'taking bribes' in the Tang Law Commentary? Shi Hedan has a high rank, and you forcibly occupied his house. According to the law, you should be punished with a second-level crime!"

Chu Suiliang simply tore his face off: "Duke Wei has been the Prince's Junior Tutor for a long time, so it's natural that he and the Prince are of the same mind!"

"If Your Majesty continues to indulge the Crown Prince, you may repeat the mistake of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty who deposed the eldest son and enthroned the youngest son!"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed, and Li Shimin's face instantly became as gloomy as water.

Emperor Wen of Sui deposed Yang Yong and enthroned Yang Guang, which eventually led to the demise of the second generation of the Sui Dynasty. This was the biggest taboo for the Li Tang royal family.

Li Shimin's voice was as cold as an ice cellar: "Chu Suiliang, do you know what crime you should be punished for making irresponsible remarks about the crown prince?"

Zhang Sun Wuji took the opportunity to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, Chu Suiliang has repeatedly violated the holy taboos and made irresponsible comments on the crown prince. According to the law, he should be punished three levels higher!"

"Wait a minute."

Fang Xuanling finally spoke, his voice as deep as the morning bell or the evening drum.

"Your Majesty, since the crown prince took over the state, there have indeed been moves to clean up the administration, but the matter is so wide-ranging that it is inevitable that it may be seen as too hasty. Although Chu Suiliang is a censor, he should not have made irresponsible comments about the crown prince in court. This trend should not be allowed to continue. However, Su Shaoqing's impeachment also needs to be thoroughly investigated - if it is true, he should be punished according to the law; if it is a false accusation, Doctor Chu must be cleared of all charges."

Yang Shidao quickly agreed: "What Prime Minister Fang said is absolutely right. Your Majesty, I request that this case be handed over to the Censorate and the Dali Temple for joint trial to ensure fairness."

Wei Zheng shook his head and said, "No. The Dali Temple has already intervened in this case. If we transfer it to the Censorate, there may be shirking of responsibility. In my opinion, Your Majesty can personally lead the three provincial governors to jointly review the case, which will show your wisdom."

Li Shimin's eyes swept over the faces of the ministers: "What you said makes sense. But I suddenly remembered that in the third year of Zhenguan, when Chu Suiliang was the recorder, he recorded in the "Qijuzhu" that I angrily smashed Wei Zheng's memorial. At that time, I asked him, "Can the Qijuzhu be modified?" He said, "The ruler should fear the will of heaven, fear the words of others, and fear the Qijuzhu." Now that he himself has become a person recorded, I wonder if he can still maintain this reverence?"

Chu Suiliang trembled all over, and beads of cold sweat fell from his forehead.

The hall fell into silence again, with only the dripping sound of the clepsydra being clearly audible.

"Pass on my order," Li Shimin said calmly, "Chu Suiliang will be temporarily dismissed from his post as a counselor and will be detained in the Dali Temple pending trial. His case of occupying land will be tried by Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Wei Zheng, and the case must be concluded within ten days."

Chu Suiliang kowtowed in despair: "Your Majesty!"

"I am innocent! Your Majesty cannot believe the prince's one-sided words!"

Li Shimin stood up suddenly: "Enough!"

"If you are innocent, you will be given justice; if you are guilty, even I cannot save you. Withdraw from the court!"
-
Prince Wei's Mansion.

Prince Li Tai of Wei stared at the secret report on his desk, his fingertips rubbing over the four words "Chu Suiliang was imprisoned" repeatedly. The candlelight made his shadow on the screen shattered.

Chai Lingwu walked into the study: "Is the King of Wei worried about Doctor Chu?" Li Tai's eyes flashed with anxiety: "Chu Suiliang is my eyes and ears among the censors. If he falls, the public opinion in the court will only be the voice of the prince."

Chai Lingwu said: "The most urgent task is how to rescue him from prison."

"The prince is behind Su Tan, and your majesty has handed the case over to Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Wei Zheng for joint trial. Among these three people, Zhangsun Wuji is the prince's uncle, Wei Zheng is the prince's tutor, and only Fang Xuanling..."

Li Tai sneered: "Prime Minister Fang has always been indecisive."

"The Crown Prince is very powerful now, he may not be willing to offend the Crown Prince for Chu Suiliang."

Chai Lingwu thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. Although Prime Minister Fang is cautious, he attaches the most importance to laws and regulations. Su Tan's impeachment this time seems to be based on solid evidence, but there is a flaw. Shi Hedan is a Sogdian. According to the Tang Law, Hu merchants suing officials must first be registered with the Honglu Temple. Why did Dengwen Drum Court accept it directly?"

Li Tai's eyes lit up: "You mean, Su Tan exceeded his authority?"

"That's right." Chai Lingwu took out a volume of "Official Order" from his sleeve.

"When the Dengwen Drum Court accepts a petition, it must first verify the identity of the plaintiff. Although Shi Hedan has an honorary title, he is still from the 'Nine Zhaowu Clans'. According to the rules, he should be accompanied by the translator of the Honglu Temple to submit the petition. Su Tan bypassed this step, which is against the law."

Li Tai slammed the table and said, "What an illegal act! As long as we grasp this point, we can impeach Su Tan for 'violating the law and regulations', and then question the entire case. Once the case is retried, delaying it for some time can buy Chu Suiliang a chance to survive."

Chai Lingwu shook his head: "This is just a minor case. Your Highness, do you know why Su Tan was so anxious to bring this case to court?"

"Chu Suiliang repeatedly speaks for the King of Wei in the court. The prince is cutting off the King of Wei's arm."

Li Tai's fingertips repeatedly stroked the corner of the Official Order, and the candlelight illuminated the calculations in his eyes: "If Su Tan is impeached for 'non-procedural violations', the cooperation of the censors is required. The Censorate..."

"We have contacted the Imperial Censor Zhang Xuanling." Chai Lingwu took out a secret letter from his sleeve. "This man has always been at odds with Su Tan, and he once refuted Wei Zheng in court because the Dali Temple exceeded its authority in handling a case. If he impeaches, there will be disputes in the court."

Li Tai raised his eyebrows: "Zhang Xuanling is from a Shandong noble family, why would he be willing to serve me?"

"Because his brother Zhang Xuanling is serving as a night watchman under the Crown Prince." Chai Lingwu smiled slightly, "Brotherly feuds are the easiest to take advantage of. If Zhang Xuanling can overthrow Su Tan, he will not only show his integrity, but also overshadow his brother."

"Great." Li Tai suddenly stood up and paced around the study. "But the procedural loophole alone may not be enough to save Chu Suiliang. Although my father values ​​the law, he values ​​the result more. If Chu Suiliang's occupation of the house is true, the procedural flaw is just a minor offense."

Chai Lingwu was silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Your Highness, do you know that Shi Hedan's wife's family is An Fubiyan, the leader of the Hu merchants in the West Market?"

"An?" Li Tai's pupils shrank suddenly, "That's not..."

"That's right." Chai Lingwu nodded, "Anfu Piyan once presented three hundred rolls of Persian brocade to the prince."

Li Tai stopped abruptly and said, "Are you saying that the Crown Prince already knew about Shi Hedan's complaint?"

"Otherwise, why did it wait until today to happen?" Chai Lingwu tapped the table with his fingertips.

"When Su Tan was re-examining the old case, An Fu Pi Yan had secretly warned the crown prince, but the crown prince instructed him to kill with a borrowed knife, not only to get rid of Chu Suiliang, but also to cut off our eyes and ears."

Li Tai's face darkened instantly: "What a great way to kill two birds with one stone! If I save Chu Suiliang, I will be directly against the prince; if I don't save him, there will be no more censors in the court who dare to challenge the prince."

"So we have to take the initiative." Chai Lingwu took "Tang Law Commentary on Litigation" from the bookshelf and turned to the "Yue Su" entry.

"After Shi Hedan's initial complaint was rejected, if he was to be punished as a 'cross-appeal' according to the law, his testimony should not have been accepted. Su Tan knowingly committed the crime and violated the law."

Li Tai frowned: "But Shi Hedan has a high rank, according to the law he can directly appeal to the emperor."

"The honorary title was granted by your majesty, but the identity of the 'Nine Zhaowu Clans' as Hu merchants was innate." Chai Lingwu's fingertips traced the annotation "Miscellaneous households are not allowed to sue good people." "If your majesty protects Su Tan, it means that Hu merchants are favored over the nobles; if Su Tan is punished, the prince will lose his left and right arms."

Li Tai suddenly smiled: "You mean, use the 'Chinese-barbarian distinction' to stir up controversy in the court, so that father will have a hard time choosing between 'law' and 'public opinion'?"

"That's right." Chai Lingwu took out a scroll from his arms and unfolded it, which turned out to be "Chang'an Hu Merchants Picture". In the painting, Sogdian merchants rode tall horses and paraded through the city in brocade clothes.

"At the morning court tomorrow, I will have the scholar of the Academy of Literature, Lu Cai, 'accidentally' present this picture to Your Majesty, and attach a copy of the 'Petition to Ban the Extravagance of the Hu Merchants' - by then, Chu Suiliang's act of forcibly occupying the house will be regarded as a helpless act to 'curb the tyranny of the Hu merchants'."

Li Tai clapped his hands and exclaimed: "Lü Cai is Wei Zheng's disciple. If he reports it, some people will think it was the prince's order."

"If this happens, public opinion will turn to 'the crown prince is protecting the foreign merchants and suppressing the upright ministers'. Even if the emperor wants to protect the crown prince, he still has to consider the gossips of the nobles in the world."

Chai Lingwu put away the scroll and suddenly said, "There is still one most crucial step. The King of Wei needs to meet with Your Majesty in person and ask for your "careful punishment and execution to appease public opinion" on the grounds that 'the emperor's brother is worried about the court'. If Your Majesty asks about Chu Suiliang, you should say that 'his talent is comparable to Ban Gu. If he dies because of a dispute over a house, it may chill the hearts of scholars all over the world'."

"Ban Gu?" Li Tai chuckled. "Father has always loved literature and history, so this metaphor is very good. But if I openly speak for Chu Suiliang, I am afraid that Father will be suspicious."

"So you have to bring this." Chai Lingwu took out a copy of the "Daily Records" and turned to the entry "The Book Presented by the King of Wei in the 15th Year of Zhenguan". "When you presented the "Comprehensive Geography" that year, Your Majesty praised 'Tai'er's virtue is comparable to that of the King of Hejian'. Bringing up the past now is to hint to Your Majesty that what the King of Wei wants is only the title of 'virtuous king', not the fight for the throne."

Li Tai took the manuscript and stroked the word "virtuous" with his fingertips. He suddenly remembered what his father had said to him: "Tai'er, if you write books with peace of mind, I will ensure that you will be rich and noble for life."

At that time, he knelt outside the Taiji Hall, looking at the fish symbol on his father's waist, but what he was thinking in his heart was: wealth? If he couldn't ascend to the throne, what was the point of wealth?
Li Tai put the manuscript into his sleeve and said, "I'll do as you say."

"Tomorrow morning, I will go to court to rescue Chu under the name of 'virtuous king'."

As Chai Lingwu bowed and left, he heard Li Tai whispering behind him: "Chu Suiliang, Chu Suiliang, if you can survive these ten days, I will let you know who is the wise leader worthy of loyalty."
-
Daming Palace.

Li Chengqian was determined to get hold of Chu Suiliang.

Although Chu Suiliang was a fifth-rank censor, he became the mouthpiece of public opinion for Prince of Wei Li Tai in the court because of his special authority that allowed him to directly reach the emperor.

As a counselor, Chu Suiliang could impeach political opponents and comment on state affairs at any time in the name of admonition.

He had repeatedly hinted in court meetings that the crown prince's regent policies were competing with the people for profit, impeached local officials for corruption to imply that the crown prince failed to supervise his personnel, and even used the compilation of "Zhenguan Zhengyao" as an excuse to deliberately downplay the crown prince's achievements and highlight the talents and virtues of the King of Wei.

If he was removed, Li Chengqian could directly cut off Li Tai's channel for infiltrating public opinion through the censor system, making the Wei Wang group lose the legal cover to openly question the prince.

During his tenure, Chu Suiliang recommended more than ten censors from humble backgrounds into the Taijian system, forming a small group that used "clear discussion" as its banner but actually spoke for the King of Wei.

Although these people held low positions, they were able to create public pressure by signing petitions and discussing politics on the streets. Eliminating Chu Suiliang could disintegrate the cohesion of this faction, and at the same time deter other potential followers by charging them with the crime of "forming a clique for personal gain," thus avoiding a large-scale public opinion confrontation.

The core logic of Li Tai’s group in seizing power was “replacing the legitimate heir with the virtuous,” and Chu Suiliang was the main builder and disseminator of this theory.

In the court, apart from the diehard followers of the Crown Prince and the King of Wei, there were more fence-sitters who took a wait-and-see attitude. The downfall of Chu Suiliang provided Li Chengqian with an excellent opportunity to win them over.

(End of this chapter)