The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 258: Discussion on the Temple (I)

October 20th, the second year of Qianning, Taiji Palace.

The dark sky poured down slanting rain, like stars falling into the East China Sea. The heavy rain that had been falling in Guanzhong for almost a month was still drizzling. In the pavilion by the sea, the sage, wearing a green bamboo hat and a green raincoat, sat on a small stool, holding a fishing rod, quietly gazing at the vast foggy East China Sea. The surging lake wind rolled up the damp raindrops and hit his face again and again.

During this time, the saint was very busy.

On September 23, he visited Jian Mausoleum. The next day, he visited An Mausoleum. "He took off his hat and shoes and cried at the gate. When he saw the empress dowager's clothes, he prostrated himself and sobbed, and everyone around him sighed." It was misty and rainy at dusk, but after the visit, a rainbow appeared. The ministers and spectators discussed it secretly, and they all thought it was due to filial piety. Wei Shuo, Zhao Jia and others asked Hong Dao to pray for blessings.

The emperor followed his advice.

He then ordained Lady Zhang Hui of the State of Wei as a female Taoist priest, with the Taoist name "Eternal Heavenly Immortal Yuanjun".

Shi Yuan, Zhang Yueyi, Zhu Lingya and Zhu Lingrou entered Taoism together.

We will move to the Sanqing Temple today, and move to the Taoist temple after the Zhenxian Temple and Fanyunfuyu Tower are completed.

There were more than a dozen Taoist priests in the palace. The men were ordered out of the palace to study for "lack of skills" by the sage, leaving only the eight female priests: Shen Miao, Yuan Che, Wei Xia, Xiao Xiang, Xin Jing, Xue Yue, Ling Zhu, and You You. Two were sisters-in-law, and six were proper Taoist nuns.

But there is no difference, she is almost the same as a concubine.

Often travel to the Jiangyuan, and communicate with Xiaoxiang, you can know its depth. The mirror of the heart is stained with dust and sad. Shen Miao is very wonderful, the snow and the moon melt into water, the spirit pearls and cherry blossoms... On the Double Ninth Festival, Concubine Shu went to invite the eldest sister-in-law and the second sister-in-law to the family banquet, but both of them said they were sick and did not show up. The real reason was that the belly was showing, and it could not be hidden in front of people. After checking the time of several visits, it should be the midnight before the Eastern Expedition that she was conceived, and it hit her heart at once.

Ahem, that’s too far off topic.

There are only a few people in such a huge Sanqing Temple, so it can easily accommodate the immortals and Yuanjun.

On September 25, Li Zaiji, the King of Dai, was appointed to lead the Yiwu Army remotely, with Chu Zhi as his deputy.

Li Jingshen, the Prince of De, led Eyue remotely. Wu Tao was demoted to the post of Governor and Deputy Envoy of Ezhou as a warning.

Liang Wang Li Zhengyang remotely commanded the Zhenhai Army.

King Li Fei of Lu ruled Qianzhong remotely.

Qianzhong is the majority of Guizhou and a small part of Hubei. It is a barbarian country that even beast soldiers would not dare to approach. Only a few years ago, a group of Cai thieves rushed in, but when they looked around, they saw barbarians everywhere, so they had to hide in a corner of Qianzhou. In such a small place, the imperial court also ingeniously established the Wutai Army, with Wang Jianzhao as the commander.

On the 27th, it was decreed that Li Zhirou, the successor to Prince Xue, would be appointed as the governor of Guangzhou, and Li Jiepi, the successor to Prince Yan, would be appointed as the governor of Jiaozhou.

Cui Yi's position was also confirmed: the governor of Chengdu and the governor of Chengdu, and the governor of Sanchuan. Duan Wensheng, a subordinate recommended by Cui Anqian, was appointed the governor of Jialing, covering the Meishan and Leshan areas. Many other generals who entered Shu also received official positions, but they had to find their own territory. Wei Zhaodu returned without success, and it remained to be seen whether the Cui family would follow suit.

The army was renamed Zhennan Army, and Liu Shouzhen, the governor of Jiangzhou, was appointed as the governor of Jiangxi, with Wei Quanfeng, the governor of Qianzhou, as his deputy.

On the first day of October, the emperor ordered Ma Yin to attack the five prefectures of Hunan.

There were so many things to say that it was too much to mention. The adjustment of the vassal states was only secondary, the main matter was to discuss the temple. After the resolution was issued, Li Xi, the etiquette envoy, quickly led the officials to come up with a version of the plan, but the emperor was not satisfied with it and sent it back to be redone.

The wind and rain were howling. Li Xi, Su Rong, Dugu Sun, Li Chao, and Lu Qian walked quickly into the Wanghai Pavilion. They closed their umbrellas, patted the raindrops on their bodies, and bowed, "Madam."

Luo Fu sat on the railing by the sea, listening to the rain and looking at the sea.

The two maids, Zhao Baolian and Zhao Ruyi, were sitting on small stools, picking up baits and chatting with their brother-in-law who had his back to them. Occasionally, they would shout and complain, "He's hooked! He's so bad!" Although the two sisters were usually shy ladies, Zhao Baolian was 18 years old and Zhao Ruyi was only 15. When they met someone like Emperor Li, it was inevitable that they would be teased and lose their composure from time to time.

"Madam?" The two sisters turned around and looked at the group of old men, smiling at each other: "We are the cousins of the Privy Councilor, and we are not married yet."

Li Xi was embarrassed. There were too many women in the Saint's life to remember.

"No need for formalities." Luo Fu turned around and gave a wink, and the female attendants beside him began to get busy, distributing futons to them, spreading blankets in the inner room of the pavilion, adding desks and utensils, and starting to brew new tea.

Luo Fu took off her veil and hung it by the stove: "Sir, please sit down. What brings you here in such a heavy rain?"

"Discuss the temple." Li Xi and the others sat down carefully, looked at the motionless back, and handed over the file: "Your Majesty, how long will it take to catch this?"

Luo Fu shook his head.

Zhao Baolian said: "The Saint is very upset now, so the Prime Minister should not make things unhappy."

"Yes, yes." Zhao Ruyu agreed.

"Zai, Zai." Li Xi said with a smile: "Sheng Tang has no prime minister."

He frowned secretly, wondering whether he should take the initiative to call out, when someone in front of him called out, "Master Li, come here."

Zhao Baolian and Zhao Ruyu glanced at Li Xi, then moved to the left and right with their small stools, and moved the fish bucket and other sundries to their feet.

Li Xi hurriedly came to the back with the file: "The second version has been discussed, please take a look, Your Majesty."

Just as he was about to hand it over, the saint pressed down his bamboo hat to block the corrosive wind and rain: "Just read it directly, sit down."

Li Xi then spread out the files and reported to him in person.

"Your Highness, we have moved Emperor Zhongzong to Fangling where he was plagued by malaria, and Qi Kuo was imprisoned. It was only after Di Gong's report that he was able to survive, which was not his own effort. He was unable to blame himself and apologize to the people when he started the revolution, and he allowed his beautiful wife to incite the party and trusted the witch to undermine his power. He blocked the loyal and good people and filled them with slander. The law was abused and bribery was rampant. There were many scandals in the palace, and the court often sang ghost songs. The king's way was in danger, and the whole country was complaining. Although he was better than Ying and Zhong... He was really a man of confused mind and close acquaintances, with no clear plan in his mind, and he did not know the difficulty of starting a business, but only enjoyed the pleasure of the past... He has committed many crimes!"

"So he was stripped of his temple name, and given the title of Emperor Huang, he was considered to be following the internal rebellion." The sage nodded and said, "This evaluation is appropriate. Continue."

"Jingyun succeeded to the throne and cleaned up the corrupt customs. However, he had no self-control and indulged in peace, causing chaos in the country, thus disappointing the world. Although he had the merit of restoring the style of Zhenguan and Yonghui, it was short-lived and chaos recurred three times. Zhongzong lost it, and Xuanzhen did not gain it either. Although he had a virtuous heart, he had no ability. His reign was short-lived and there was nothing to praise."

The meaning is very clear. Li Dan has made achievements, but he is destined to have his temple name revoked and be criticized.

"If such a monarch can be given a beautiful posthumous title and temple name, then the temple rituals, Taizong, and Xianzong will become a joke. Remember the past and learn from it. And it is appropriate to judge the Li Emperor as the last one. But -" Li Xi observed the saint's expression: "But Xuanzhen is your majesty's lineage, and we dare not dictate."

Li Yuan, Li Shimin, Li Zhi, Li Dan, Li Longji, Li Heng, Li Yu, Li Shi, Li Song, Li Chun, Li Chen and Li Yi, this is the lineage of saints, so Li Dan should be given a bad posthumous title in principle. But he is your ancestor after all, do you have to be so ruthless?

"I would like to ask your Majesty, is the purpose of discussing temples to criticize merits and demerits or to prepare for the nine temples?" Li Xi asked.

To put it simply, one can enter the Taimiao only if one has made merits. Outside the five generations, except for the ancestors, you have to move no matter how great your merits are, because there are only seven positions.

Li Shimin of the Ming Dynasty broke the rules. He was listed as a "Zong" together with Li Hu and Li Yuan as "not to be moved for a hundred generations". That is, no matter who the descendants are, the three of him must be in the Taimiao. So the Tang Dynasty's special Taimiao was created - the Nine Temples.

After the middle Tang Dynasty, the imperial court was in chaos and the Nine Temples were turned into a shelter. For example, Jingzong, Wenzong, Wuzong and Muzong had no genealogical relationship with Li and were all dead, but they were still sitting in the Taimiao. Moreover, the four fathers and sons were listed in the same order of seniority, which was a weird thing.

It is these chaos that the sages want to rectify. Those who should not sit in the Taimiao should be stripped of their titles and moved to the side rooms or independent temples where they should be, and then worshipped separately. Those who change their positions should be punished, so as to serve as a warning to their descendants and those who come after them.

And this is not called ancestor worship.

There is a long-standing consensus in politics: "Respect the elders, not the relatives."

Filial piety? Is there a higher filial piety than maintaining rule? For the emperor, there are three thousand major crimes, and the worst crime is to destroy the country, the race, and the temple.

Therefore, the discussion on the temple was reasonable and legal. Li was not afraid to debate with the court and was confident that he could win the debate. Li Xi and others also knew this, so they cooperated and did it boldly. But Li Xi was not clear about the purpose of the sage's discussion on the temple. Was it to rectify the Taimiao, relocate people, or to punish the past and warn the future?
If it was just the former, then it would be enough. But if it also involves punishment, then things would be difficult to handle.

For example, dictators and traitors to the people.

The Book of History and Mencius called Zhou a tyrant, and the destruction of the Shang Dynasty was called "replacing his life and beheading him" - "I have never heard of killing a king, but I have heard of killing a man." The sage called his father a tyrant and cursed the Xiantong Dynasty as follows: "My present situation is really the fault of the tyrant, and the blame lies with the ministers and the emperor!"

But what is a dictator? Confucian classics do not have a clear definition.

For example, Li Dan is right to be said to be guilty, but many people will disagree. It is difficult to reach a consensus because everyone has their own opinions.

"If we just want to repair the nine temples, we can move the relatives according to their age, and the temple name and posthumous title can remain unchanged." Li Xi suggested: "If there is punishment, those outside the lineage can be severely punished. Within the lineage, we can just deal with them symbolically. Those with bad posthumous titles will be given a neutral posthumous title, and those with neutral posthumous titles will be given a beautiful posthumous title. Forget about the Li Emperor, as it does not bring good reputation to Your Majesty."

"That's enough." Since Emperor Li dared to do it, he would never give in. "This is to repair the Nine Temples, and also as a punishment. King Xuan of Zhou, as the son of King Li, did not shy away from his father's sins. Emperor Ling almost overthrew the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Shao and Emperor Xian did not cover it up. Duke You of Lu, Duke You of Zheng, Duke You of Jin, King You of Chu, King You of Zhao, King Li of Qi, King Ling of Wei... ... What is this for?"

"Warn future generations not to commit their crimes."

"I have fought for my country, and have lived through life and death. I have worked day and night, and have walked on thin ice with fear and trepidation. Is it so that some unworthy predecessors can continue to sit in the imperial temple and be fed and worshipped? Is it so that my descendants can be arrogant and cruel?"

"My Li family has produced many incompetent rulers over the past hundred years. The world has criticized them, not just the 'Fu on Afang Palace'! It has become a laughing stock, causing people to lose heart, national prestige to be destroyed, and the royal government to become increasingly corrupt! This situation must be completely reversed in my hands! Generations of suffering must end with me! This time I am going to deal with these unfilial ancestors and tell the world and future generations that from now on, yin and yang are infinite, my way has laws, and those who commit crimes must be punished!"

"reputation?"

"Is my reputation more important than the rise and fall of Sheng Tang?"

"Isn't it natural for me to bear the infamy for the sake of the country? All the ills, faults and responsibilities in this world are on me. Besides, I am a lonely person and I have nothing... Why should I deliberately protect my reputation and seek beauty? If you are sure that it is right and beneficial, just do it. Even if everyone doubts and ridicules me for this, I don't care."

"It is the Spring and Autumn Annals that know me and judge me."

"You are a great scholar of classics and a prime minister of the country. How can you hide your private interests and abandon the right path for the sake of the emperor's reputation?"

Every word was heart-wrenching. The strong wind made the sage's black hair dance wildly, and his clothes rustled. The thundering lesson seemed to still echo in the wind and rain, but he had regained his immovable state, overlooking the vast ocean, with a fishing rod, floating high in the air.

The men and women in Wanghai Pavilion are all made of clay and wood.

A tingling, electric shock and goose bumps rushed from the calves and coccyx along the back to the back of the neck and to the scalp.

King. This was the first word that came to mind for Luo Fu, Zhao Baolian, Zhao Ruyi, Ashina Laimei, Ranxiang, Luo Wenxuan, and Luo Qian. They all looked at the back of the figure in awe, whispering to each other, their eyes full of admiration.

This is the person I love, always so charming... Luo Fu had a proud smile on his face, his chest heaving, and he really wanted to snuggle into his arms.

Zhao Baolian looked down at the two lotus flowers on her chest, her heart fluttering. A good girl should marry a real man! Brother-in-law, I want to sleep with you tonight!
Luo Qian and Luo Wenxuan looked at each other and smiled gracefully. It's not impossible to stay in Chang'an. It's not impossible for my father to serve in the court. Isn't this a hundred times better than Master Wang?
Li Xi's head was buzzing.

"Finally, I heard that many people were talking about the overall situation and influence... My momentary likes and dislikes are far more important than the so-called overall situation and influence of the court. Just do what I ordered. If you have any opinions, we will talk about them later. Explain my meaning to them clearly."

If being loyal to the emperor and working for him was based on the values of scholars, then now Li Xi, Su Rong, Dugu Sun, Li Chao, Lu Jian, etc., all of these people present, were truly in awe. Upon hearing this, their hearts trembled: "Yes..."

All I can say is that some people are born for the times. This is probably what it means to be born at the right time.

He is the Son of Heaven.

A true king who is blessed by destiny.

(End of this chapter)