The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 308 The Five Provinces of the Capital Region and the Minister of Education
Tang palaces and buildings are often grand yet gloomy, creating a sense of inexplicable oppression and unease.

Therefore, the Holy Emperor often held audiences outdoors, such as at the Yintai Square, which was called the East Gate Audience by his ministers, the East Sea, and Mount Penglai.

Today, we arrived at Fangzhang Island in Taiye Pond again.

Fangzhang Island was renovated last year and has been put into use.

The island is shaded by green trees and features artificial hills, wells, small stone pools, and other scenic spots. Large bamboo groves and peach orchards are planted along the island's shore.

Amidst blooming flowers and verdant willows, pavilions and corridors connect, winding paths lead to secluded spots, the melodious sound of bells echoes, and the beauty of the lake and mountains unfolds before your eyes.

The water flows smoothly and meanders, with ministers seated on both sides.

In the bamboo forest, the Holy Emperor, with his long hair flowing down his shoulders, reclines on a lotus throne.

Prince De and Prince Liang were seated respectfully behind the Holy Emperor. They were not there to participate in or discuss politics, but rather to listen to the proceedings and be influenced by what they saw and heard.

The music had been playing for a while now.

"The Three Auxiliary Regions are designated as the Upper Capital Circuit, Hanzhong, Xicheng, and Wudang are designated as the Southern Capital Circuit, and Beidi, Xinqin, Qingyang, Shangjun, and Yulin are designated as the Northern Capital Circuit. Qingyang and Xinqin are too large, so each is divided into a prefecture. Qinfeng and Qingyang are divided into prefectures, Yin Prefecture, Jincheng, Liangzhou, and Shancheng, which are designated as the Western Capital Circuit."

The Holy Emperor spoke eloquently and fluently.

"The former territory of Shangzhou was the abolished Shangluo Commandery, and its counties were assigned to the Jingzhao Yin and incorporated into Shangjing Circuit."

"Each circuit shall be staffed with an Education Commissioner, Militia Commissioner, Transport Commissioner, Expedition Commissioner, Warehouse Commissioner, Observation Commissioner, Prison Commissioner, Salt and Iron Commissioner, Mining Commissioner, Bandit Suppression Commissioner, and Barbarian Control Commissioner. The corresponding affairs shall be uniformly under the jurisdiction of the commissioner or department."

"Issue one more minister among the Nine Ministers, called the Minister of Education. The Minister of Education will be responsible to the Minister of Education. The Minister of Education will be in charge of the Temple of Education. The Temple of Education will be further divided into the Department of Tribute Students, the Department of Examinations, and the Department of National Studies. From now on, the selection of scholars, teaching, registration, grading, ranking, and announcement of results in the Imperial Academy will all be the responsibility of the Minister of Education. This is my preliminary plan. Go down and provide a detailed design and nominate candidates."

The ugliness of the Tang Dynasty's imperial examination system stemmed from the lack of a governing body and a supervising minister. When the exams approached, a few people were simply appointed as "examiners," and the success or failure was determined by a few simple strokes of the pen – it was far too frivolous.

By doing so now, the status of education affairs has been elevated institutionally, granting it political and discursive power, making it a separate system. While a vice minister might not dare to argue with a minister or prime minister, the nine high-ranking officials certainly would.

Some ministers looked displeased and hesitated to speak, but the Holy Emperor clearly had no intention of discussing it with them.

"Who will take responsibility for this?" the Holy Emperor asked.

"The Minister of Ceremonies, Su Rong, is upright and incorruptible, and possesses profound learning; he is suitable," Zheng Yanchang recommended.

"Master Su is too old."

"How is Xiao Kuan, the Minister of the Imperial Guard?"

"Xiao Kuan..." The Holy Emperor didn't have a deep impression of him, and apart from Li Qun and Su Rong, he had little contact with the other Nine Ministers.

“Wu Gongdu is skilled in official duties and well-versed in classical texts, so he can be appointed to design the Ministry of Education.” Zheng Yanchang added, “Han Yi, the Commandant of the Capital Region, and Su Rong and Kong Wei are of similar temperament, so they can be dismissed and appointed as the first Minister of Education.”

"Who will fill the vacancy of the Censor-in-Chief?" The Holy Emperor glanced around.

“Niu Hui, the Supervising Secretary,” Wang Tuan said, bowing. “He has been working in the Secretariat and the Chancellery for a long time, and I have observed him closely. He is more than capable of handling this role.”

“Appropriate.” The Holy Emperor nodded and added, “As for the rest, the prison warden is responsible to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.”

At this time, the Ministry of Justice was merely a figurehead. Mid- to high-ranking officials and nobles had no authority to question or punish them. These officials were primarily supervised by the Secretariat and the Censorate; their power lay only with minor officials and commoners.

"The Transport Commissioner and the Expedition Commissioner are responsible to the Three Departments, and the Warehouse is responsible to the Commissioner of the Depository and the Imperial Treasury."

"The militia commander and the bandit arrest officer are under the Ministry of War."

"........."

"All local affairs are handled by various envoys and departments, and the matter is ultimately attributed to the superior official. The central government and the Privy Council are responsible for overall coordination."

The Emperor said, and his ministers took notes.

The Holy Emperor only provided a blueprint; the specifics still need to be studied and refined according to the main principles. Of course, once the territory is secured and there are no interference from various unsavory forces, these things are not difficult; manipulating power is their specialty.

"Your Highness, what did you just talk about?" The sage suddenly turned around and asked Your Highness.

The Prince of De was in a daze when he heard this and hesitated for a moment: "Adjust the prefectures and counties, and allocate the powers of foreign officials."

"Which prefectures and counties were adjusted, and what powers were allocated?"

“The Three Auxiliary Regions and the Western Regions of the Capital Region govern Qinfeng, Qingyang, and Jincheng… The Northern Regions of the Capital Region govern Beidi and Xinqin, and have appointed an Education Minister…” Prince De stammered, “Forgive me, there are some I haven’t remembered.”

"King Liang?" The Holy Emperor looked at little Li Zhengyang.

Li Zhengyang spread out his notebook and read aloud: "Each circuit is generally established with... the Three Offices Chief Officials oversee all circuits... the Treasury and the Imperial Treasury oversee the warehouse commissioners. In the Holy Tang Dynasty, the Prime Minister oversees the Treasury, which is actually a joint management of the Treasury by the Prime Minister and the Nine Ministers. The Censorate manages the Circuit Inspectors, and the Ministry of War manages... Niu Hui, the Supervising Secretary, is changed to Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Han Yi, the Commandant of the Capital Region, is changed to Minister of Education..."

Han Wo sighed inwardly and glared fiercely at Xu Yanruo, who was sitting on the opposite bank.

Prince De blushed and quickly spread out his pen and ink to recall and record.

"That's enough." The Holy Emperor interrupted Li Zhengyang's reading.

"Your subject respectfully obeys." King Liang straightened his sleeves, clenched his fist, and sat down again.

"In Lingwu and Tongwan, we suffered heavy losses in the previous battle. Although they have now surrendered, I fear that people are still suspicious. We still need to send important officials to the two places to pacify the people and stabilize their hearts, so as to prepare for the reform of the native chieftain system and the registration of the people as commoners," said Zhao Jia, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat.

Who is qualified?

"Lu Yi, Vice Minister of the Chancellery, and Dugu Sun, Director of the Ministry of Rites," Wang Tuan suggested. "The envoy will select them from the various departments of the Ministry of Rites, and I will submit the list tomorrow."

"Granted." The Holy Emperor replied without hesitation.

Having said that, Wei said again, “The Guiyi Army and Suzhou cannot be delayed any longer. I request that you select a distinguished person to go to Dunhuang and Suzhou as soon as possible to issue an ultimatum to Zhang Chengfeng and Long Bu, to show your credibility and urge them to come to court.”

“I don’t see how that’s going to work,” Xu Yanruo interjected. “When I was in charge of Hexi, I repeatedly wrote letters and sent my staff to persuade them to surrender their territory. Although both sides treated me with courtesy and spoke respectfully, they would change the subject whenever the topic of surrendering their territory to the court came up. If I were to issue an ultimatum, I fear they would immediately conspire to rebel. The rebel Li has just retreated, and the rebel Zhu has recaptured Tokyo. It is not advisable to have any trouble in the west. Even if something did happen, we would be too far away to intervene. Are we really going to launch a western expedition?”

"No." The Holy Emperor shook his head and said, "Send an envoy with an ultimatum within the next few days. I am willing to offer the titles of Minister and Marquis to them as the greatest show of sincerity. If they refuse to obey, then the only option is to kill them. Make my intentions clear to them. It is true that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, but it is not a hundred thousand miles away, and I can reach it. If they cannot let go of this, then think of Li Hongdao and Gao Zongyi."

Xu Yanruo sighed.

He knew perfectly well what these two families were thinking. They were thinking that the imperial court couldn't possibly travel thousands of miles to attack Suzhou and Dunhuang. If they issued an ultimatum, they would inevitably face war.

Go ahead and fight. These people won't give up until they see blood.

"And then there's Bashu." Zheng Yanchang said calmly, looking around. "Although Cui Yi has controlled several prefectures, including Mian and Sui, and has advanced to the outskirts of Chengdu, he has been unable to deal with Zhang Qianyu and his ilk. I request that Cui Yi be appointed as the military governor of Dongchuan, and that Zhang Qianyu and the other traitors be reinstated to their posts. Let's stop here and settle things peacefully. Otherwise, if this chaotic fighting continues, by the time the world is at peace, the people of Shu will be wiped out."

The Holy Emperor remained silent.

Reason told him it was possible. After all, he had captured several states, and although they were in Cui Yi's hands, he was still better off than the other military leaders. But a glimmer of hope made him want to wait a little longer, in case Cui Yi were to march into Chengdu one day.

"For the sake of the people, I second that proposal." Li Yan, a scribe in the Imperial Secretariat, agreed: "Since the beginning of the crisis, the people of Shu have made the greatest sacrifices and shown the utmost loyalty to the country. Let them live in peace for a few years. If they are occupied by the rebels, so be it. We will gradually recover them later. Bashu is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but the terrain also makes it extremely difficult for the Shu military leaders to fight their way out. The threat is negligible, so it is not a problem to let them off the hook."

"Very well!" The Holy Emperor slapped his lotus throne.

Compared to the later situation where Wang Jianquan occupied the entire region, the current situation in Shu is actually quite good. Asking for more would probably be against even Heaven's will.

After discussing these matters, the emperor and his ministers took a break.

Seeing that no one was bringing up the main topic, Zhao Jia chimed in, "The Holy Son and Holy Daughter have all reached their first birthdays. May they live long and prosper. I request that a date be chosen to bestow titles upon the princes and princesses who do not yet have official titles."

Wang Tuan also said, "The princes who have already been enfeoffed are getting older, and it is not in accordance with the rules for them to stay in the palace any longer. They should go to the residences of the ten princes. In addition, Prince De is of marriageable age, and it is time to prepare for his wedding."

The Holy Emperor's heart stirred, and he smiled, "It's time to bestow titles... How should we assign them?"

“That’s how it is.” Wang Tuan took a sip of tea and said, “In terms of the national system, any king can be appointed without any taboos, but due to various realities, there are unspoken rules and regulations.”

"Explain in detail." The Holy Emperor raised his chin.

“First, fathers and sons should not be given different titles or names,” Wang Tuan explained. “For example, could the title of Prince Shou, who was a prince in the emperor’s pre-imperial residence, be given to his son? Yes. But why not? Because of the name. The implications are too strong. There are plenty of fools and scheming people in the court and the countryside who would surely harbor resentment upon seeing such a title.” “Second, titles should not be bestowed lightly. Why? Because a son’s status depends on his mother, and a mother’s status depends on her son. The title must be appropriate to the mother’s background.”

Wang Tuan spoke eloquently: "Our dynasty's conferment of titles is roughly divided into five categories. The first is the great states, such as Lu, Wei, Zheng, Chu, Qi, Jin, Wu, and Song. These are either high-ranking feudal lords of the Zhou dynasty with the surname Ji, or guests of the sage king and meritorious officials. This is the most prestigious category."

"Secondly, there are smaller states, such as Xu, Xiao, Sui, Deng, Cai, Zeng, and Liang."

King Liang glanced at Wang Tuan. "Little Bang, does this mean you didn't think much of your mother when you bestowed her title?" Hmm, although your mother held a high position in the Privy Council and was greatly favored, her status was merely that of a Lady-in-Waiting, a palace official in the Penglai Palace. Without the Holy Emperor, she would probably have died an obscure death in the inner palace…

"Our dynasty's royal family is so numerous that the ancient country names are not enough to grant titles, so we have prefecture names. For example, the Prince of De is named after Dezhou, and the Prince of Yan, Li Jiepi, is named after Yanzhou."

"Then there are states like Han, Zhao, Wei, Dai, Xia, Chen, and Yan. These states either produce many usurpers or many troublemakers, bringing bad luck to people. The court doesn't bestow many titles upon them."

"Finally, there's the King of Qin," Wang Tuan concluded. "He could be granted the title, but like the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Emperor Taizong's reputation for overthrowing his superiors was associated with this, which carries a negative connotation..." Wang Tuan hesitated, "Therefore, past emperors were wary of this and dared not grant such a title arbitrarily."

"Oh?" The Holy Emperor smiled. "Not to avoid any taboo?"

“Not so,” Zheng Yanchang said slowly. “Emperor Ling ascended the throne as the Prince of Sui, and the Prince of Sui was enfeoffed. Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne as the Prince of Jin, and Emperor Ai’s son, Pu, was also enfeoffed as the Prince of Jin. However, there was indeed an impact. The title of Prince of Qin, unless it is given to a certain prince as a pretext for establishing a crown prince, is also a big problem in terms of implications.”

"As for the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, avoiding the taboo name is secondary; the main reason is the power and influence, so the name is omitted. The 'Collected Statutes' states: 'The affairs of state and the Privy Council are all entrusted to the eight officials of the Secretariat, who are only responsible for accomplishing tasks.' If we're talking about avoiding the taboo name, Emperor Taizong held too many positions and had already avoided them all. Before Emperor Sheng ascended the throne, he also served as the military governor of Youzhou. Did he also avoid the taboo name?"

"Excellent talent!" the Holy Emperor said with delight. "If I were to be granted a royal title, how should this be handled properly?"

As soon as the Emperor opened his mouth, Zheng Yanchang knew what nonsense he was going to spout. He said something completely irrelevant: "The sons of Consort He and Consort Zhao are only the names of a prefecture or a small state. The nine consorts below cannot be granted the titles of great states."

“If it’s about bestowing titles upon concubines, it’s actually quite simple,” Li Xi said, stroking his beard. “If a concubine’s son is given a duplicate title, then at least one son of the other nine concubines can also be given a duplicate title. For example, if a concubine’s son is Wang Chu, then the Prince of De can be renamed the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Liang can be renamed the Prince of Qi.”

The Holy Emperor was displeased.

For an emperor like himself who was willing to abide by the rules, it was still too difficult to seek personal gain within the system.

Oh well, let's just accept the status quo.

The Holy Emperor did not want to fan the flames of this dilapidated house, nor did he want to see a bunch of Chu Kings and Qi Kings emerge.

Just thinking about it, the court's fear of internal strife is enough to show that the harem is also ruthless. If you infringe on their interests, they might just as easily harbor resentment and kill you. I may be hypocritical, but aren't Consort Shu and other women just as hypocritical?

But there's no way around it. When you're in the political arena, you're constantly hitting walls, compromising, and exchanging sweet words while harboring daggers in your hearts.

From now on, let's focus on business and uphold the law, without letting emotions cloud our judgment.

"Prepare for the matters discussed as soon as possible." The Holy Emperor sat up and said in a deep voice, "A series of internal and external reforms are related to the future appearance of the Holy Tang Dynasty and the structure of the court and the people. Do not let them down."

"We dare not be careless!" the crowd replied, straightening their backs.

"Your Majesty, the envoy from Hedong has entered the pass and will arrive in the capital soon," Wei Shuo reminded him. "We still need to make preparations as soon as possible."

“I remember.” The Holy Emperor nodded.

The group that came was led by Li Miaowei, Li Cunxu, and Guo Chongtao.

Clearly, Guo Chongtao was in charge of the actual negotiations, while the sister-in-law and brother-in-law were there to play the emotional card. After all, everyone knew that the Emperor had a good impression of them and had shown them exceptional favor.

Let's see what conditions Li Keyong can offer.

After everyone left, the Holy Emperor sat cross-legged on the lotus throne, gazing at his two sons.

"What do you think?"

The Prince replied, “It seems easy, but it’s actually difficult. I don’t even know the place names and geography. Whether the ministers will seriously implement the reforms and to what extent they can implement them also requires long-term attention. Then there’s the matter of personnel. I’ve noticed that most personnel appointments are made through ministers’ recommendations. A monarch doesn’t need to know every minister, but must be familiar with those who are qualified to sit here. If you’re not familiar with them, it’s easy to mess things up and be deceived.”

"Not only that." The Holy Emperor nodded slightly: "The first art of governance is to understand everyone around you, from the prime minister's wives and concubines to the grooms. Secondly, do not bring personal emotions into your interactions with people. If you like Zhang San, you will like to listen to his things because you like him. If you dislike Li Si, you will be annoyed by him and not want to hear a word from him. This is wrong. Emotions and feelings will distort your judgment."

"As a monarch, you can trust everyone: you should be more concerned with the consequences of your ministers' words and actions than with their motives."

"Your subject will remember this." The Prince of De nodded.

"Furthermore, pay more attention to state affairs in the future." The Holy Emperor said with displeasure, "You forget what you said at the beginning, and forget what you saw at the end. In court sessions at the Zichen Hall, the ministers often report more than a dozen things in a short time. If you can't remember them, are you going to ask, 'So-and-so, what did you just say? Who are you?'"

The last emperor of the Northern Qi dynasty had his ministers write out his speech, which he was then required to memorize and read aloud. However, when he arrived, he stammered and couldn't even finish a few words, drawing laughter from the audience. What authority could this kind of emperor, no matter how sacred he may be, possibly have?

The Prince of De couldn't help but smile.

*Thud!* The Holy Emperor threw a pen in front of him, his face stern. "Don't joke around when we're talking about serious matters. I'm thirty this year. We talked about reviving the nation, but after all that effort, we've only managed to get to Tokyo. If I die halfway through, you'll have to clean up the mess. Each generation can only do the work of its own generation, and even that might not be finished..."

As he spoke, the Holy Emperor sighed with a touch of melancholy. "My life has been like walking on thin ice. Will I ever reach the other side?"
"Your subject has remembered." The Prince of De's expression turned solemn.

"Zhengyang, what about you?" The Holy Emperor then looked at King Liang.

The little figure, dressed in a red round collar and wearing a black turban, sat there upright, looking rather comical.

"It's quite lively and harmonious," said King Liang.

"You!" The Holy Emperor chuckled, not pressing the matter further. King Liang was still too young; his mind was not yet capable of handling complex issues.

It's okay if you don't understand; just let yourself learn gradually.

His posture, demeanor, and speech were all well-trained by A-Zhao.

Ah Zhao's treatment of his children was far superior to that of the Holy Emperor. The Holy Emperor had never hit any of his children, nor had he ever spoken harshly to them. Yet, it wasn't the first or second time that the Prince of Liang had been held in Ah Zhao's arms and beaten until he cried out in pain.

"Once these next two days are over, I will invite two excellent teachers for you." The Holy Emperor jumped off his lotus throne, took the two sons by the hand on each side, and strolled along the bamboo forest stream.

"Who is it?" King Liang asked, tilting his head.

"The historian Zhao Guanwen, and the former Binning general Wu Xiong." The Holy Emperor revealed the answer: "The former will teach you to read and write, and will give you a lecture on the classics every three days; the latter will teach you martial arts and military strategy."

"Then wouldn't I have to leave the palace?"

"No." The Holy Emperor shook his head: "You are still young. I will allow you to live in the palace with your mother and brother for a few more years and study under your mother. She is a very talented woman. She is both talented and accomplished."

"Where is it big?" King Liang asked, puzzled. He nodded and said, "I'll go back and ask my mother where it is big."

"Your Majesty, it's time for lunch~" came the gentle voice of Consort Luo Fu from the bamboo pavilion.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Holy Emperor responded and led the child up the steps.

Behind the bamboo railing, Ah Zhao lay on it, bathed in the sunlight in the forest, the shadows of the trees casting dappled patterns on his face.

Now a Noble Consort, she no longer wore the round-necked robe, the palace attire of the inner palace, or Emperor Li's clothes. Instead, she wore a dark green, floor-length dress that exposed her breasts, with a blue upper garment and a crimson lower garment. Her headdress was changed to a nine-flower hairpin. Her cheeks and brows were also decorated with exquisite jeweled makeup.

The person's complexion, demeanor, temperament, and appearance all changed.

Who doesn't like hierarchy and power?
Actually, it wasn't that the Holy Emperor forbade her to wear these clothes, but rather that she was afraid of gossip from both inside and outside the court, and also afraid of being suspected by the Holy Emperor, so she never overstepped the bounds.

In general, A Zhao is a woman who can endure hardship, withstand pressure, bear loneliness, uphold her principles, see through life and death, and has a sense of propriety.

The imperial concubine smiled as she looked at the father and son, and beckoned to the Prince of Liang: "Eldest son, come here~ I have some candy for you."

"Great!"

"Come on, come inside, and have some of my candy first," the Holy Emperor urged.

The Imperial Concubine casually picked up a bamboo vine, grabbed Prince Liang like a chicken in her palm, and breathed hotly into his ear: "...You go inside and rest. I'll come back later to eat the Holy Emperor's candy, and I guarantee it will make him feel like he's in heaven..."

The Holy Emperor fled in panic: "Go easy on the child! He's still young..."

The imperial concubine shrugged: "The child is still young, it's better to kill him."

(End of this chapter)