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

Chapter 41 Entering the East Palace

The next day,

It was already daybreak when Li Yi woke up. Although he was sixteen years old and strong, he had neglected his sleep due to his indulgence in pleasure at night.

Luzhu was no longer in the room.

Li Yi sat there for a long time before he was sure that last night was not a dream.

When he got dressed and went to the courtyard, Township Chief Wang was chatting with Wang Dalang. Seeing him come out, he jokingly said, "You fanned a few pots last night, and you can't even get up this morning?"

Li Yi laughed, "Probably three or four pots."

"Youth is fierce, but you must also exercise moderation and avoid excessive pleasure. As the old saying goes, 'Young people don't know the value of gold, and they shed tears for nothing when they are old.'"

Wang Dalang smiled and continued, "Uncle Wang is an experienced person, so we have to listen."

The uncle and nephew made dirty jokes about Li Yi, saying that the three men had no good words for each other, and the three women were older than him.

Li Yi was not a real virgin, so he was not afraid. Instead, he told two fresh dirty jokes, which opened the eyes of the two.

We chatted and had breakfast.

The breakfast that Wang Dalang asked his wives and concubines to prepare today was still very rich, including millet stew, sesame cakes, and meatballs.

Laowan is a kind of dumpling. Today I ate one with leek and egg filling, which tasted very delicious.

Wang Dalang did not go to work at the Ministry of Revenue today.

"I'll accompany you to the Shaofu Temple's Weaving and Dyeing Office to get your clothes and hat, and then go to the Eastern Palace?"

"How can I ask my brother to accompany me? He has to go to the government office to work."

Wang Dalang laughed and said, "Although I work at the Ministry of Revenue, as a clerk, I'm only responsible for collecting government funds. I don't have to deal with government affairs. It's actually quite easy. I just have to lend out government funds and collect the interest on time. I go to the government office just to drink tea and have a free lunch when I have nothing to do."

He was the clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, actually the Ministry of Revenue Division of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. There were nine clerks in their division, all of whom were responsible for issuing government loans.

The practice of lending public funds was already a practice in the previous dynasty. The original intention of setting it up was because the court's finances were insufficient. A sum of capital was given to each government office and they were allowed to lend it. The interest collected was used for public office expenses and to subsidize the welfare of officials.

At the end of the Kaihuang period, the Sui Dynasty banned the use of public funds for lending and collecting interest, but allowed the use of public funds for business and transactions. However, compared with direct lending and collecting interest, operating with public funds would be more troublesome and difficult to manage, so it was later changed to direct lending.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the results.

The imperial court could neither afford more public expenses nor official welfare, nor was willing to levy additional taxes directly, so it resorted to lending with public funds, which was still exploitation in essence, except that public funds were generally used to exploit merchants and wealthy families, and were not directly levied on ordinary people.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has four departments under its jurisdiction, each of which has nine official money-collecting officials, each with a capital of 50 strings of cash. These are all formal officials.

Wang Dalang had been collecting bribes at the Ministry of Revenue since the previous dynasty. For ten years, he had been exempt from taxes and labor service, and his personal gains had been included in the government account. He lived a very comfortable life. Thanks to his merits in collecting bribes, he even got himself a casual job.

He had a house in Chang'an, a wife and four concubines, a dozen servants, carriages and horses, and farms outside the city. Although he was not a well-known official in Chang'an, he had many connections in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The salary, food money, and even the annual festival benefits of the government office were all earned by them.

Even the officials and relatives of the government used their private money to pay for the government's capital and make a profit by riding on the bus.
In fact, Wang Dalang had the opportunity to be promoted a long time ago, but he did not move out for ten years and just kept sticking to this lucrative job. He thought it was very lucrative, so even if he was promoted to a Lingshi or even sent to a county clerk, he would not be happy.

Li Yi also believed that listening to Jun's words was better than reading for ten years. He didn't expect that there were so many things in it.

"Actually, I don't want to be an official,"

"What do you mean?"

Both Township Chief Wang and Wang Lingshi were stunned. How could an ordinary person not want to be an official? And not just an ordinary art official, but a noble official like the Crown Prince's Official?

"Why?" asked Village Chief Wang in surprise.

"I just opened the Wuji Primary School, and I've only had classes for a few days. I can't just abandon it now and come to Chang'an to be an official. What should I do with the sixty kids?" Li Yi couldn't tell them that I had rejected Qin Wang Li Shimin, and now it would be difficult for me to accept the official position of Crown Prince Li Jiancheng in the Eastern Palace. I couldn't say that in the future, the Second Prince Li Shimin would inherit the Tang Dynasty, and that would be eight years later.

I can only talk about the school.

But this reason was ridiculous in the eyes of the uncle and nephew of the Wang family.

"What are you talking about? Are you confused after sleeping? Do you know how rare it is to be the Crown Prince's official, even though it is of the ninth rank? This is a noble position. I am a commoner, and I want to go from being a commoner to an official. Do you know how difficult it is? How many families have been unable to make this step for generations?

For most common people in the world, there is only one way to go from being a commoner to an official, and that is to fight on the battlefield and win fame, but this path is also difficult.
The requirements for being able to select a palace soldier are extremely high. You must be wealthy, have many brothers, and be physically strong. Without family wealth, many brothers, and a strong body, you will not have the opportunity to be selected as a palace soldier.

After being selected as a government soldier, if you want to be promoted to an official position based on your military achievements, you still have a long way to go. On the battlefield, swords and guns are merciless. In every battle, there will be 1,800 or even 10,000 people killed.

Not only do you have to survive on the battlefield, you also have to make meritorious contributions. You have to live long enough and make great enough contributions to be awarded a medal. Even if you have accumulated the highest medals to the rank of Shangzhuguo, you can only be selected as a sixth-rank official when you go to the Ministry of War for selection.

From a small soldier to a ninth-rank deputy captain, one has to be picked out of a hundred.

You've easily been given the title of Crown Prince, and you still refuse to go?"

Village Chief Wang was extremely angry, puffing his beard and glaring, he really felt that Li Yi had failed to achieve his goal. This opportunity was beyond the reach of others, and yet Li Yi actually said he didn't want to go.

Is this what people say?
Do you think everyone can be like Liu Yijie, Wu Shigui, Qian Jiulong, or Fan Shixing? Do you think everyone can have the opportunity to follow the emperor, raise an army under him, establish merits in founding a country, and rise to prominence?

If Li Yi was his nephew, he would really smash his head with a hammer.

See if there's shit in there.

Wang Dalang sighed, "Wuyi, don't be confused for a moment. Hurry up and wash up. I will take you to the weaving and dyeing office first, and then to the East Palace."

In the end, Li Yi was dragged out of the house and went to collect his official robe first. Fortunately, he didn't have to pay for it himself.

Then he went to the East Palace.

Li Yi was also very troubled along the way. He really had no idea how to deal with this matter.

But Village Chief Wang advised him that even if he really didn't want to be an official, no matter what the reason, he had to go and pay a visit to the prince first and explain it to the prince in person, otherwise it would be too rude.

You are just a commoner, why do you treat the prince like this? Do you think you are a member of the five surnames?
Li Yi went to the Eastern Palace and revealed his identity.

"Are you Li Yi, the Crown Prince's official appointed by His Majesty?"

East Palace, Zhanshi Mansion,

Li Yi was brought before a white-bearded, purple-robed minister.
Purple robe, this is for ministers of the third rank and above.

"Back to the hall, I am Li Yi."

The old man in a purple robe with a white beard stroked his beard and said, "I have seen your Three Character Classic of Thin Muscles. The handwriting is very good, and the writing is also very good. I didn't expect such a young man. I am Li Gang, the Minister of Rites, the Co-director of the Ministry of Selection, and the Prince's Secretary."

Hearing this name, Li Yi almost shouted out the words "Prince Killer".

This old man assisted three princes in his life, but none of them ascended the throne, so he was nicknamed the Prince Killer. He taught Prince Yang Yong of the Sui Dynasty, Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty, but all of them died or were deposed.

I don't know what Li Yuan was thinking.

After Li Jiancheng was named the crown prince, Li Yuan invited Li Gang, who was almost 71 years old, to come and serve as the Minister of Rites, Co-director of Selections and Crown Prince's Secretary, in charge of the affairs of the Eastern Palace.

Isn't this just setting a trap for his son? Everyone says Li Gang is loyal and upright, but when Yang Yong was deposed, did Li Gang really have no responsibility at all?

(End of this chapter)