My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 431 The Decline of Li Shimin's Rule by Doing Nothing

Changsun Wuji stared at the graphic on the high platform and suddenly gasped: "The Crown Prince wants to weave the whole world into a net! The counties are the meshes, the prefectures are the ropes, the court is the main rope, and the emperor holds the main rope of the main rope—if he moves it, the whole world will feel it."

“It’s not just about the internet.” Fang Xuanling pointed to the “Assessment and Promotion” section: “Look at this: a county official who has performed well in three years of assessment can be promoted to a prefectural official; a prefectural official who has performed well in five years of assessment can be appointed as a principal officer in the Ministry of Personnel of the Imperial Court.”

"This paves a path for all officials, a path that leads only upwards and leaves no room for deviation. In the past, promotions for officials relied on recommendations and family connections; in the future, they will be based on performance evaluations, political achievements, and the 'rules' of this system."

His finger slammed down on the clause that "sons of powerful clans are not allowed to directly serve as local officials": "This is a fatal blow! Those nobles from Guanzhong and Shandong want their sons to go to the provinces to gain experience and build up power? That will be difficult. What the Crown Prince wants is 'a system of officials that changes hands frequently but remains constant'."

Changsun Wuji's expression gradually became serious: "Lord Xuanling, what do you think this system will look like when it's in operation?"

“Let’s start with the benefits,” Fang Xuanling said thoughtfully. “First, efficiency. In the past, a prefectural magistrate held multiple positions, including civil administration and justice, and often neglected one for another. Now, the six ministries of the prefecture each have their own responsibilities. Those who collect taxes can focus on collecting taxes, and those who adjudicate cases can focus on adjudicating cases, which can at least reduce shirking of responsibility. County officials keep accounts daily, and prefectural magistrates conduct regular audits, which will also reduce the space for corruption and embezzlement.”

"Second, centralization of power," he continued. "Local officials no longer have military power, and judicial power is tightened at each level. Even if someone wants to make a move, the six ministries at the county level check and balance each other, the prefectures can detect it immediately, and the imperial court can quickly mobilize troops—this system itself is a powerful tool to prevent rebellion."

“Third, talent.” Fang Xuanling looked at the “Imperial Examination Reform” scroll: “The practical examinations in mathematics and engineering mean that more people who know arithmetic and can build water conservancy facilities will enter the officialdom, instead of pedantic scholars who only talk about the classics. Clerks can be promoted to officials, which means that those veteran clerks who are familiar with local affairs will have hope. They will no longer be errand boys for the ‘officials’, and their experience can be truly used in governance.”

Changsun Wuji nodded: "What you've said are all advantages. But what about the disadvantages?"

Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, then said in a heavy tone, "First, money."

"With the number of officials increasing from 10,000 to 50,000, their salaries, government offices, paper and pens, post stations... will require at least two to three million strings of cash more in expenditure each year. Although the national treasury is currently full, there is still war in the Western Regions, and Lingnan has just been pacified. Where will this money come from?"

"Second, resistance." He continued, "The powerful clans and noble families will not sit idly by and watch their power be weakened, the local officials who hold multiple positions will not be willing to have their powers divided, and even the veteran ministers in the court may not be able to accept this 'anti-traditional' system."

“The Crown Prince killing a few remonstrating officials may deter them for a while, but it cannot deter the deeply entrenched forces. They will outwardly comply but inwardly resist, secretly obstruct, and even join forces to oppose the new policies.”

“Third, the risks,” Fang Xuanling added. “This system is too sophisticated, so sophisticated that it cannot tolerate even the slightest error.”

“If a clerk in the county’s six ministries makes a mistake in writing down a single number, it could cause chaos in the accounts of the entire prefecture; if a senior official in the prefecture’s ministries abuses his power for personal gain, it could distort the performance evaluation of a county. Once a problem occurs in any link, it will inevitably lead to disaster.”

"However, the Tang Dynasty's territory spans thousands of miles, with diverse customs and cultures. In some remote counties, even literate people are scarce. How could such regulations be strictly enforced?"

He picked up the scroll on "Border County System" and frowned: "Look here, it requires each county in the four towns of Anxi to set up a 'County Military Department' to be responsible for post stations and corvée labor—but Anxi is mostly a military town with few civilians and a mix of tribes. Where will we find so many officials? Forcibly implementing this will only incite public resentment."

Changsun Wuji sighed: "The Crown Prince is thinking of an 'ideal country,' but reality is a 'quagmire.'"

“But you have to admit,” Fang Xuanling suddenly said, “this system is superior to any system of the former Sui Dynasty or any system of our current dynasty.”

He couldn't find a more suitable word, so he could only use the word "excellent".

“Yes, excellent.” Changsun Wuji smiled wryly. “So advanced that even those of us who have been immersed in officialdom for decades find it unfamiliar.”

“Look at this ‘official avoidance system’: people from this county are not allowed to serve as officials in this county, brothers and direct relatives are not allowed to serve in the same prefecture, and even examiners and candidates must avoid kinship. This cuts off the path of ‘nepotism’ from the root. It’s unprecedented.”

He suddenly remembered that when Li Chengqian was a child, he had taught him to read the Book of Han. At that time, the crown prince, though intelligent, was also unconventional and liked to tinker with novelties. Who could have imagined that, many years later, he would come up with such a world-shaking plan?

"Lord Xuanling," Changsun Wuji's gaze deepened, "Why do you think the Crown Prince did these things?"

Fang Xuanling pondered and said, “Consolidating imperial power is certain. But it doesn’t stop there. He wrote ‘the people are the foundation of the state’ in the regulations, requiring each county to report the number of ‘refugees’, ‘reclaimed land’, and ‘disasters’ every quarter. He also stipulated that the county rites department should set up ‘schools to encourage learning’ and the prefectural rites department should build ‘medical clinics’—he was thinking about ‘governing the people’, not ‘governing the people’.”

“Governing the people…” Changsun Wuji pondered these two words and suddenly understood something: “What he wanted was not a dynasty that relied on military force, but a dynasty that operated through a system. It’s like… like a carriage. In the past, it relied on the strength of the driver, but now it relies on the horse’s strength. Even if the driver changes, the carriage can still keep running.”

This is the most terrifying place.

Li Shimin created the Zhenguan era of prosperity through his personal charisma and ruthless methods, but once a new ruler took over, he might not have been able to continue this glorious reign.

What Li Chengqian wanted to do was to create a system that would allow the Tang Dynasty to "operate automatically," so that no matter who sat in that position, as long as they acted according to the system, the country could operate stably.

“But that’s too difficult.” Fang Xuanling shook his head: “The Sui Dynasty tried to reform the official system, and what was the result? The country was in chaos.”

"In the early years of this dynasty, Emperor Gaozu wanted to restore the Zhou rites, but it came to nothing. Systems are like this; changing one thing affects the whole system. If you change them too hastily, you will break the backbone."

“The Crown Prince is not afraid.” Changsun Wuji said in a complicated tone: “He dared to use cannons to bombard Xuanwu Gate, and he dared to use thunderous means to promote new policies. You can tell he’s not joking by how ruthlessly he deals with the remonstrating officials.”

The two fell silent again, with only the rustling sound of the case files being turned.

They knew that once this charter was implemented, the fate of the Tang Dynasty would change drastically.

Old powerful clans will decline, and new bureaucrats will rise.

Vague responsibilities and powers will become clear, and loose management will become strict. The emperor's power will be unprecedentedly centralized, yet he will still be able to "rule by doing nothing" through this system.

This is a high-stakes gamble, with the future of the Tang Dynasty at stake.

Li Chengqian was the gambler who bet his entire fortune.

"Let's go." Fang Xuanling stood up and tidied up the files one by one. "It's time to go back and prepare. The Crown Prince gave us a month, but in my opinion, even if we had a year, we might not be able to put these regulations into practice."

Changsun Wuji also stood up, gazing at the sky outside the window, dyed red by the setting sun: "It has to be done, even if it's difficult. You and I are both regents; having received the emperor's salary, we must shoulder this responsibility. However..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid the days ahead won't be peaceful."

Fang Xuanling nodded, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but also a hint of expectation.

He had lived for over sixty years, witnessing the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the prosperity of the Zhenguan era, but he had never seen such a top-down transformation.

Perhaps, this really can allow the Tang Dynasty to go further?

The two walked out of the council chamber side by side, and the servants carefully put away the files behind them, as if they were putting away a secret that was about to change the times.

The imperial city bells rang out in the twilight, heavy and far-reaching, as if tolling the end of an old era and ushering in a new one.

Meanwhile, in the study of the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian was looking at the reform charter and adding a stroke to the blank space: "Each prefecture should set up a 'Statistics Bureau' to be in charge of data collection and report to the court every month..." He knew that the road ahead would be difficult, but he never hesitated.

What he wants is not a fleeting golden age, but a system that can last for a thousand years, even if that path is paved with blood and controversy.

In the side courtyard of the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace, the fallen leaves had piled up to half a foot thick. When Zhang Anan stepped into the courtyard, he saw Li Shimin staring blankly at a game of chess with a broken end.

The black and white pieces on the chessboard were tangled like a tangled mess, just like his state of mind at that moment.

"Your Majesty, this is the regulation that the Crown Prince just submitted to the Secretariat. This old servant had someone make a copy." Zhang Anan placed a roll of yellowed hemp paper on the table, his voice extremely low.

He served Li Shimin for over thirty years, from his time as a prince to his ascension to the throne, and now to his house arrest. He had long since figured out the emperor's temperament and knew which messages to send and which words to say.

Li Shimin's gaze shifted from the chessboard to the scroll of white paper. The scroll was bound with thin hemp rope and stamped with the vermilion seal of the Eastern Palace. The ink was fresh, indicating that it had just been copied.

He didn't go to get it immediately, but said indifferently, "Is this another new policy of the Crown Prince? I heard a few days ago that he wanted to set up six ministries in counties and six ministries in prefectures. Everyone in the court and the public is cursing him for making a fool of himself."

“There are many who criticize, but there are also those who praise.” Zhang Anan stood with his hands at his sides: “The Chancellor Fang and Minister Changsun have been playing chess behind closed doors in the Ministry of Personnel these past few days, saying they want to draft detailed rules according to the regulations.”

Li Shimin then reached out and untied the hemp rope, unfolding the white paper.

The opening section is the general outline for the reform of the prefectural and county official system.

He glanced down casually, but the more he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

"The county is divided into six departments, corresponding to the powers and responsibilities of the imperial court... Each department has four ranks of officials, and performance is evaluated daily..."

Li Shimin murmured, his voice trembling with disbelief: "Prefectures and counties are required to inspect their subordinate counties every quarter, and the six ministries of the imperial court are under vertical jurisdiction... This... this is going to dismantle the entire empire and put it back together!"

Seeing his rapid breathing, Zhang Anan quickly handed him a cup of warm tea: "Your Majesty, please look carefully. There are also regulations for the imperial examination and the assessment of merits at the end."

Li Shimin waved his hand, his eyes fixed on the section on "the stratification of judicial power".

When he saw the words "Death penalty requires joint trial by the three judicial departments of the imperial court" and "Local officials are not allowed to establish private prisons," he slammed the scroll on the table, causing the chess pieces on the board to scatter: "How dare he! Since the Qin Dynasty, local officials have held the power of life and death, which is the imperial court's trust in these officials! But he's doing this, even a county magistrate's sentencing to caning requires reporting through multiple levels. This isn't governing officials, it's imprisoning them!"

Zhang Anan whispered, "His Highness the Crown Prince said that the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty was largely due to the excessive power of local officials, who then became independent and self-reliant. He wants to... nip the source of the disaster in the bud."

"Cut off the source of the trouble?" Li Shimin suddenly laughed, his laughter tinged with desolation. "Does he know that if officials are tied up, who will deal with emergencies in the localities? If the Li people in Lingnan cause trouble, by the time the news reaches the court, it will be too late!"

Li Shimin rose and paced back and forth, the hem of his dragon robe brushing against the fallen leaves on the ground, making a rustling sound. "But look here..."

He pointed to the "Establishment of Schools for Encouraging Education by the Ministry of Rites in the County" and the "Annual Assessment of the Number of Reclaimed Fields by the Ministry of Revenue in the Prefecture": "He even thought about how many mulberry and hemp should be planted and how many schools should be opened in each county... His thinking is much more meticulous than mine was back then."

Zhang Anan said softly, "This old servant heard from the clerk outside that His Highness the Crown Prince's regulations even specify how much bean feed the horses at the post station should receive each day, saying that 'everything should be used to its fullest potential and officials should not neglect their duties.'"

Li Shimin stopped and turned to look at Zhang Anan, a complex light flashing in his eyes: "Tell me, where did he learn all this? I taught him 'the ruler should do nothing, but the ministers should do something'; Fang Xuanling taught him the *Book of Han*, 'to allow the people to rest and recuperate.' But his approach... it's layered upon layered, airtight."

He picked up the scroll again and flipped through it page by page. His fingertips traced the entries such as "the addition of a practical subject to the imperial examination" and "officials can be promoted to inner court officials." His breathing gradually became steady: "He's trying to bring poor scholars and lowly clerks into the court... The powerful clans and nobles must hate him to death."

His tone carried a hint of sarcasm, yet also a subtle undercurrent of admiration.

Back then, he vigorously promoted the imperial examination system in order to break the monopoly of powerful clans. Now, Li Chengqian has gone even further, even wanting to allow clerks to become officials. This move is more risky and ruthless than his previous one.

“Your Majesty,” Zhang Anan hesitated for a moment before speaking, “After His Highness the Crown Prince dealt with the remonstrating officials, no one in the court dared to openly oppose him anymore. Chancellor Fang said that if this system were implemented, the number of officials in the Tang Dynasty would be five times greater than it is now…”

"Five times?" Li Shimin frowned. "Can the national treasury handle it?"

He immediately realized the crux of the problem: officials' salaries, government office expenses, post station costs... none of these cost money.

The wealth accumulated during the Zhenguan era is likely to be emptied by this reform.

"His Highness the Crown Prince said, 'While increasing the number of officials costs money, corruption costs the country even more.'"

Zhang Anan recounted what he had heard: "The Crown Prince wants to send newly appointed remonstrance officials to investigate the accounts of various prefectures, saying that they can extract more money from corruption."

Li Shimin fell silent. He recalled how, when he sent imperial censors to inspect the local areas, the amount of corrupt funds uncovered often reached hundreds of thousands of strings of cash. If that money could be collected into the national treasury, it would indeed be enough to support a considerable number of officials.

But he knew even better that corruption was like a malignant tumor that was deeply ingrained, and that simply adding a few more remonstrating officials could not eradicate it.
“He’s still too hasty.” Li Shimin walked to the window and looked at the old locust tree outside the wall. “Back then, when I implemented the equal-field system, it took a full ten years to bring peace to the country. When I campaigned against the Turks, it took three years to seize the opportunity. But he, having just secured his position as the Crown Prince, wants to shake up the entire bureaucracy. He’s trying to push all his opponents to the opposite side.”

His tone was full of worry, but when his gaze fell on the eight characters on the scroll, "The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace," his tone softened slightly.

"Ananda," Li Shimin suddenly said, "Do you think he... might do a better job than me?"

Zhang Anan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly bowed: "Your Majesty created the prosperous reign of Zhenguan, and all nations came to pay tribute. Your Highness the Crown Prince stands on Your Majesty's shoulders, and naturally you will be able to go even further."

Li Shimin smiled, a smile that contained both relief and melancholy: "Standing on my shoulders... Yes, he climbed up the Xuanwu Gate on the blood of blood, so naturally he is more ruthless and decisive than I am."

He picked up the scroll and gently stroked it: "This set of regulations is airtight and watertight, even stronger than the Great Wall. But the Great Wall can stop external enemies, but it can't stop internal collapse. It prevented local rebellions and the usurpation of power by powerful clans, but it forgot that people's hearts are not made of wood, and officials are not chess pieces."

Li Shimin placed the scroll back on the table, sat down again to tidy up the messy chess pieces, black and white pieces rising and falling between his fingers, gradually returning to their places: "Tell the outside world not to let him be too hasty. Test the waters with the Guannei Road first, let Fang Xuanling settle the accounts, and let Changsun Wuji smooth out the rough edges of the regulations..."

He paused abruptly, then laughed self-deprecatingly: "What's the use of me saying all this now? He dared to breach my city gates, so why would he listen to me?"

Zhang Anan lowered his head, not daring to reply.

The setting sun shone through the window lattice onto Li Shimin's face. He looked at the chess pieces that had been put back in their places and suddenly said in a low voice, "Very well... let him try. The empire I conquered needs someone to stir things up. Perhaps... he can really stir up a different Tang Dynasty."

With the last piece placed, the game ended, but no one could determine the winner.

Zhang Anan quietly withdrew, leaving the scroll containing the future of the Tang Dynasty on the table, where it, along with the black and white pieces on the chessboard, was bathed in the gradually sinking twilight.

(End of this chapter)