A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 104 Blood Splattered in the Golden Palace

September 1st,

New Moon Meeting,
The emperor summoned civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above in the capital to attend court.

Li Yi was not an official in the capital, and was not even qualified to attend the court meetings on the first and fifteenth days of each month. However, today he received an imperial decree to attend as a soldier who had returned victoriously from the Western Expedition and had made meritorious contributions.

It is obvious that today's court meeting is about the last expedition.

Li Yi also got up early, bathed, and changed into his official uniform, donning a Liang Jinxian crown and a gold-plated sash. For court attendance, he couldn't wear his regular attire of a round-necked official robe with a futou.

Ji was even more excited than Li Yi. She ironed his clothes in the early morning and even made some incense for him. She also helped him wash his face and trim his beard in the morning.

"Ah Lang, this red bath bean smells so good. It's clean and pure, and the fragrance lingers. Where did you buy it in the East and West Market?"

"This is not bought in the East and West Market,"

"Is it a reward from the court?"

"This is something my master made himself some time ago. It's called soap. I'm planning to try making it when I have time. What do you think?"

"If Alang can really make something like this, then this soap will surely become popular in Chang'an, attracting countless noble ladies and wealthy women to buy it. The bath bean and flour medicines in the East and West Markets, even those used in the palace, may not be as good as Alang's."

"Well, that gives me a boost of confidence. I'll try making it when I have time."

Ji was born into a prominent family. His grandfather was granted the title of Duke of Fenyuan and served as Minister of Agriculture. His father was also a general of Yingyang. His father-in-law was the Minister of Civil Affairs and a general. He had a good understanding of court etiquette and carefully reminded Li Yi,
"There are too many rules. You're not even allowed to fart? What should I do if I want to fart?"

Ji's face flushed. "Hold it, and release it slowly. Don't make any noise, or you'll be impeached by the Imperial Censor for being disrespectful. You could lose your job or even be fined."

Ji reminded him that it would be best not to drink water or eat food before attending the morning court session, otherwise if he wanted to go to the toilet during the meeting, it would be very rude.

"Attending a court meeting this early in the morning without eating, wouldn't you feel hungry?"

"There's nothing I can do about being hungry. It's better than having to pee or poop in the court."

"That's right." Li Yi thought about it and felt that it made sense. There were so many officials crowded in the hall for a court meeting. If you fart and I poop, how could the meeting go on?

"Fortunately, I am not qualified to attend court normally."

During the Tang Dynasty's ordinary court meetings, only civil officials of the fifth rank and above, as well as officials from the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel, the Censors, the Doctors of the Ministry of Rites, and the Deputy Directors were qualified to attend.

Non-official officials, honorary officials, titled officials, and military officers are not eligible.

Only on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month, all civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above in the capital are required to attend court meetings.

Li Yi is not an official, and if he had not made meritorious contributions in the camp this time, he would not be qualified.

Ji dressed Li Yi and checked him carefully several times.

Li Yi's stomach suddenly growled.

"It's better to eat something, otherwise my stomach will keep rumbling during the court meeting, which would be very rude."

"Then Alang, eat less and try to eat dry food."

Finally, Li Yi asked Yu Shu to put a small bag of fried rice in his pocket so that he could chew it when he was really hungry.

It was still dark outside, only around four o'clock in the morning.

But Ji had already urged him to leave, "All officials must wait at the palace gate. We will also need to check the family registration fish token. You can't be late."

Li Yi had no choice but to go to court in the dark.

Liu Heizi and Chen Liang each carried a lantern and accompanied them, and all three of them went on horseback.

His bodyguards Zhang Yiquan and Cao Daxing left after returning to Beijing. He was dismissed from his post as a military officer in the camp, and the benefits of his bodyguards were gone.

Without an official position, there is no treatment given to followers by officials such as common servants or attendants.

Just got on the horse,
Li Jing from the opposite door also came out,

This man is now a formal fifth-rank Right Marquis of Wu and the chief minister of Wei Yi Mansion. He is wearing a red robe, which is much better looking than the green robe worn by Li Yi.

Others are fans of the show, but he is a green toad.

"Good morning, Mr. Li."

"Ah, Wuyi, you're up so early too."

When Li Jing traveled, his ceremony was much more grand than his, with eight servants accompanying him and four lanterns in front and behind.

But everyone rides horses.
Officials of the Tang Dynasty did not ride in sedan chairs when going to court. In other words, military officers rode horses and civil officials rode in cars, so there were no sedan chairs.

It is only available in the palace, but the one carried by people is called a sedan chair.

The ministers are not qualified to use it.

The two of them rode and chatted as they walked, and when they reached the cross street in the center of the town, several more groups of people going to court arrived.

"Li Kaifu, Li Canjun!"

Someone called them up and asked them to come up and say hello.

"My name is Chu Liang, and this is my son Chu Suiliang."

"It turns out to be Mr. Chu from the west side of the street."

Chu Suiliang's family also lived in Pingkangfang, in the southwest of the block, while Li Yi and Li Jing lived in the southeast of the block.

At the end of the Daye period, the father and son of the Chu family were demoted to Longyou, and then became officials of Xue Ju. Chu Liang was also a high-ranking official, being the Minister of the Imperial Household. In Jingzhou, after Xue Rengao surrendered, the father and son of the Chu family actively approached Li Shimin.

Li Yi met with them many times in the camp, and Li Shimin also brought them with him when he came back this time.

Chu Liang was recruited by Li Shimin as a sixth-rank literary official in the Qin Palace, while Chu Suiliang was an eighth-rank military officer in the armor department.

Today I went to court as an official of the Tang Dynasty, but I was still a little nervous.
Li Yi didn't know much about Chu Liang before, but he knew Chu Suiliang in his previous life. Chu Suiliang would definitely appear in any TV drama related to Wu Zetian. He was once Li Shimin's confidant and later became the prime minister of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi. He was also a political accomplice of the emperor's uncle Zhangsun Wuji.

Of course, Chu Suiliang also has another identity, one of the four great calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty.

In history, the "Slender Gold" style of calligraphy actually originated from the calligraphy of Chu Suiliang.

At that time, Chu Suiliang was still a young man. Although he was good at calligraphy, he had not yet reached the stage of establishing his own school. Instead, he particularly liked Li Yi's thin muscle style. In Jingzhou and on the way back, Chu Suiliang always took the initiative to find Li Yi to learn.

Along the way, new officials continued to join the team going to court.

There are many nobles and officials in the East City, and when we were almost at the Imperial City, the road was actually a bit congested.

When we arrived at the palace gate,

There were people everywhere.
There are so many officials.

You really don't know how many officials there are until you go to the capital.

There is also a waiting room for the prime minister and other high-ranking officials to rest and wait.
Li Yi and other little kalami could only wait in line outside the door.

Around five o'clock,

The palace gates opened,

The guards on duty at the gate, the city gate bureau, the left and right guards, the inner three guards and the five government offices, a group of people began to cooperate in checking identities.
Everyone's identity must be verified.
Li Yi did not have the fish token to enter and leave the palace, and there was no file on him in the clan register.
As a temporary participant, he could only present his official notice and wait for the palace gate officials to verify it.
Wait till daybreak,

Finally the court meeting began,
Li Yi's rank was too low, so he stood directly in the square outside the palace.

Fortunately, it was September and it didn't rain, just a little bit cold wind.

Just when he thought he would stand in the square forever, seeing nothing and hearing nothing, and then go home after standing for two hours,

A eunuch came and read out a list.
Let them enter the temple.

Li Yi's name was also on the list, and they were all officials in the expeditionary camp.

up the stairs,

Successfully entered the Golden Throne Hall,
Li Yi then paid his respects to the emperor and sat down at the entrance of the palace.

The hall was covered with wooden floors, which were very smooth. He tried to kneel down, but it felt a bit uncomfortable. Since it was of low quality, there wasn't even a cushion.

Li Yuan sat on the high imperial throne, and Li Yi was too far away to see clearly.

But he looked not very young, with many wrinkles. It is said that Yang Guang once mocked his cousin as a mother-in-law. There are also historical records that Li Yuan was very special. He had three breasts.

Later, Li Shimin killed his brother in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. After the incident, he ran to see Li Yuan, knelt down and sucked his breast.

He's been slacking off here.

The court meeting begins over there.
Li Yuan was talking about Liu Gan, praising his loyalty and righteousness, so he posthumously awarded Liu Gan the title of Duke of Pingyuan County, bestowed upon him the posthumous title of Zhongzhuang, and specially decreed that his eldest son inherit the title of Duke of Pingyuan County.

He also praised the Governor of Longzhou, Chang Da, saying, "Your loyalty and integrity are even more sought after among the ancients." He then mentioned the name of the attendant, Linghu Defen, saying, "Liu Gan and Chang Da must be recorded in the annals of history."

Li Yi pricked up his ears and listened.
Li Yuan spoke in a very stylish and rhythmic manner. He even talked about his relationship with Chang Da in the palace.

It turns out that Chang Da was an old subordinate of Li Yuan and had followed him on several campaigns. Later, at the end of the Daye period, Chang Da was under the command of Song Laosheng of Huoyi. When Li Yuan led his army south, Song Laosheng resisted, but Chang Da did not defect because of his old relationship with Li Yuan. He still followed Song Laosheng and refused to fight.

After the defeat, Li Yuan thought Chang Da was dead and offered a large reward for his body. He was eventually found alive. Li Yuan did not blame Chang Da, but was happy that his old subordinate was still alive. He appointed him as the commander of the army and later the governor of Longzhou.

When Chang Da was kidnapped this time, Li Yuan thought that this old subordinate would not survive, but he did not expect that he could jump out under the city of Zhecheng and surrender with many Longyou troops.

What made Li Yuan admire him even more was that when Chang Da was brought before Xue Ju, Xue Ju pointed at his wife and asked if she knew the queen. Chang Da said she was a sick and ugly woman. The Longyou general Zhang Gui asked if he knew me, and Chang Da scolded him as a runaway slave.

Li Yuan was deeply moved by this expression of loyalty and determination to die.

The emperor bestowed upon this old subordinate three hundred pieces of miscellaneous silk and promoted him to the rank of Duke of a county.

"Drag up the coroner Zheng who pretended to surrender, kidnapped my general, and seized Longzhou from me!" Li Yuan shouted.

The coroner was dragged up.
This man had originally surrendered to the Tang Dynasty with Xue Rengao, but now Li Yuan wanted to settle accounts with him.

"Beat this beast to death with clubs!"

Several imperial guards came forward with sticks in hand.

Right in the Golden Palace, he killed this Longyou warrior with one blow after another.

Blood splattered in the Golden Palace.

Li Yi was shocked when he saw this scene and was beaten to death.

At least you should be dragged outside the Meridian Gate and beaten to death.
You killed him in front of all the civil and military officials. Are you killing the chicken to scare the monkeys and warn the officials of the Tang Dynasty?
Li Yi could only vaguely see a little bit of the back of Qin Wang Li Shimin's head. He was thinking that perhaps Li Yuan was warning Li Shimin and all the surrendered officials in Longyou.

After all, Wu Shizheng surrendered to Chang Da, the governor of Longzhou, who generously accepted him and treated him well. However, this guy pretended to surrender and looked for opportunities to rob people, seize the city and rebel.

Now that so many people in Longyou have surrendered, will there be anyone who will become fickle in the future?

So today, Jindian beat them to death with clubs and issued a stern warning.

The means were a bit rough.

The body was dragged away,
The emperor issued several more decrees.

Zhang Gui, who was called a fugitive slave by Chang Da, was a fierce general under Xue Rengao. However, he was extremely vicious and cruel. It was he and Xue Rengao who roasted and ate Yu Xin's son alive.

"Drag Zhang Gui to Dog Ridge and chop him in half!"

Xue Rengao, his brother Xue Renyue, and more than a dozen male members of the Xue family were dragged to the downtown area and beheaded.

Hao Yuan, Zong Luohou, Mou Juncai and others were also executed.

Fortunately, Li Shimin saved some people including Zhai Changsun and Zhu Liang.

Li Yuan stood up and stood in the hall with his hands behind his back.
"All of you must support each other to accomplish the imperial cause. If the world remains at peace, we can all enjoy prosperity and honor. If Wang Shichong and his ilk succeed, how can you survive?"

How can we not take Xue Rengao and his ministers today as a warning to others?"

Having said this,
The emperor sat back on the throne and waved.

Cui Dunli, the Tongshi Sheren, stepped forward to announce the imperial edict.

"The Imperial Court issued an edict stating that the Minister of the Chancellery, Governor of Yongzhou, Right Military Marquis, Grand General, and Supreme Pillar of the State, Prince Qin Shimin, is a man of great character, wisdom, and resolution... He may be made Grand Marshal, Envoy, and Envoy to the Shaanxi East Administrative Office, and the Generals of Puzhou, Hebei, and other prefectures, as well as the troops of the Eastern Expedition, shall all be placed under his command. All other officials shall remain as they are."

Liu Wenjing was the Minister of Revenue and the Left Servant of the Eastern Shaanxi Circuit.

Restore Yin Kaishan's official position and title.

Li Yi, who had been to the Prince of Qin's Mansion yesterday, actually knew about this in advance.

He even learned from the conversation between Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui that the emperor's appointment of Li Shimin as Shangshu Ling of the Shaanxi East Administration and General Manager of Puzhou, in charge of all the troops in Guandong, was not as simple as it seemed.
In Fang Xuanling's view, the emperor was demolishing the bridge after crossing it. Longyou had not been completely pacified, there was still Li Gui in Hexi, and even the Hanzhong area had not been pacified.
The emperor immediately sent Li Shimin to Guandong.

In fact, it was to prevent Li Shimin from taking control of the Longyou territory. Even the newly surrendered Longyou soldiers and generals were redistributed by the emperor.

On the surface, the emperor was making preparations to respond to changes in the situation in the Central Plains and to conquer the Central Plains. This was his greatest trust in Li Shimin.

The Longyou that Li Shimin had fought so hard for and the elite troops he recruited from Longyou were now all taken away by the emperor, and many of them were even taken away by the Eastern Palace.

Li Shimin fought hard for it, but he only retained 2,000 Longyou cavalry.

For this cavalry, Li Shimin appointed Zhai Changsun, the former prime minister of Xue Ju, and Zhang Shigui from his own cabinet as the left and right general managers of the Qin Wang Palace cavalry, and formally formed the Black Armor Cavalry, with a total of 2,000 soldiers, 1,000 of which were heavy armored cavalry and 1,000 elite light cavalry.

Yesterday, Li Shimin invited Li Yi again, hoping that he would formally join the Qin Palace.

He was to be appointed as a military officer in the Prince of Qin's Palace, and concurrently as a deputy minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Shaanxi East Circuit.

However, Li Yi still refused. During this trip to the Jingzhou battlefield, Li Yi did not really like or yearn for the military life, nor did he think it was very bloody and romantic.
The rank of the Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Xingtai is several levels lower than that of the Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the imperial court. The Yuwenlang of the imperial court is from the sixth rank, while the Yuwenlang of the Xingtai is only from the seventh rank. However, for Li Yi, this should still be a very high official position.

Xingtai, also known as Xingtai Shangshu Province, was led by Xingtai Shangshu Ling or Xingtai Zuo Pushe, and was a higher-level organization above the general manager.
They are generally temporarily established during wartime, have enormous power, and are managed by both military and civilians.

For example, the Shaanxi East Circuit Grand Secretariat that has been established now includes the entire Hedong, Henan, Hebei and other areas west of Tongguan.
However, the Tang Dynasty currently controls a relatively small area in eastern Shaanxi, namely the Bingzhou General Administration Office and the newly established Puzhou General Administration Office. Luoyang is Wang Shichong's territory, and Yao Junsu has been serving in Luoyang, defending Puzhou City and resisting the attack of Li Tang.

Most of Henan was Li Mi's territory, while Hebei belonged to Dou Jiande, Luo Yi, Gao Kaidao and others.

There is also Zhu Can in the Nanyang area.

Upon returning to Chang'an, Li Yi was not willing to go to eastern Shaanxi to open up wasteland and fight. He also did not think that he was qualified to be the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Xingtai.

　The order of the first two chapters was wrong, sorry, please adjust the order according to the chapter names when reading.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)