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

Chapter 61: I don’t want to be a marquis, but I hope the sea is peaceful
The palace eunuch was very powerful and went straight to Sun Fujia's residence in Daningfang.

"Li Yi, the founding father of Qianshui County, received the order,"

Li Yi was a little confused. Why did he have to receive imperial decrees every few days? He was just a country farmer.

He was granted the title of proofreader in the Ministry of Rites and appointed as an attendant.

Li Yi thanked the emperor and accepted the imperial edict, and was given another official position, a higher rank than the last one. Last time he was a scribe, this time he was a proofreader, and he was also transferred to the Secretariat, but he didn't understand what it meant to be a waiter for the imperial edict.

After the eunuch finished reading the decree, he brought in a small bamboo basket of grapes.

"These are mare's milk grapes sent as tribute by the Gaochang Kingdom in the Western Regions. Your Majesty specially gifted them to Li Daizhao."

Sun Fujia was filled with amazement at the good luck of this junior brother. After being amazed, he quickly called the housekeeper to take out some money to send him off.

The messenger accepted the gift with a smile and left with satisfaction.

Li Yi plucked a grape. It was shaped like mare's milk, bluish-white, long and oval, the size of a thumb, and tasted sweet and crisp.

"It tastes good, Senior Brother, try some too." Li Yi smiled and gave him a bunch of them. Then he pointed to the rest and said to the housekeeper of the Sun Mansion, "Send these to my sister-in-law and the others in the inner courtyard."

Sun Fujia said, "These are mare's milk grapes from Gaochang in the Western Regions. They have thin skins and brittle stems, making them extremely difficult to transport. Now there's Li Gui in Hexi and Xue Ju in Longyou. I wonder how difficult it must have been to transport these Gaochang grapes."

This is a tribute.

Even rarer.

Each one is estimated to be worth dozens of coins.
"Who cares about that? If we don't eat them, do we have to offer them as a sacrifice?" Li Yi left two strings and handed the rest along with the basket to the housekeeper to be taken into the inner courtyard.

"You keep some to take home and eat. I'll just take a bunch to try."

"Brother, why are you being so polite to me?"

To Li Yi, these mare's milk grapes were just average. After all, they had been shipped thousands of miles from Gaochang State, so they were no longer fresh. Furthermore, in terms of sweetness, they weren't as sweet as the popular grapes of later generations, such as Sunshine Rose, Kyoho, Beauty Finger, and Summer Black.

Sun Fujia waved his hands repeatedly, "I'll just take two strings. Don't you have friends in Chang'an? You can send them to them."

Li Yi originally thought it was unnecessary and only gave a few bunches of grapes, but seeing that Sun Fujia said they were so precious, he gave a few bunches each to Du Ruhui and Wang Lingshi.

He only had three acquaintances in Chang'an: Sun Fujia, Du Ruhui, and Wang Lingshi. Sun Fujia asked Li Yi to write a note, and then he sent his servants to deliver it to his door.

"In fact, you should go to the Du residence in person."

"It's just a few bunches of grapes. There's no need to be so attentive." Li Yi smiled and said that he would stay at his senior brother's house tonight and eat grilled lamb skewers.

"Du Ruhui is a man of great talent and real ability. Fang Xuanling, the secretary of the Prince of Qin's Palace, is also remarkable." Sun Fujia said frankly that Fang and Du of the Prince of Qin's Palace were remarkable.

"Fang's plan and Du's decision," Li Yi said casually.

Sun Fujia's eyes lit up. "Excellent comments. One is good at drawing up strategies, the other is good at making decisions on trivial matters. These two are the right-hand men of the King of Qin. If they had temporarily taken over military duties during the Battle of Qianshuiyuan last time, we wouldn't have suffered such a disastrous defeat there."

"I heard that Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan were both highly trusted by the King of Qin. He repeatedly warned them not to go to war, so why didn't they listen? I've heard some rumors. Some say that the King of Qin wasn't ill at all, and that he was the one who commanded the Battle of Qianshuiyuan. He underestimated the enemy and was defeated. Afterwards, in order to avoid responsibility for the defeat, the King of Qin let Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan take the blame for his poor command."

Sun Fujia sneered,
"You can believe this kind of nonsense? The person who spread it is either stupid and knows nothing, or evil and deliberately trying to smear the King of Qin.

The court won’t investigate such a big thing?
With so many generals on the front line, were they all concealed by the King of Qin?
How could such a thing be concealed and deceived? A simple investigation would reveal the truth. The King of Qin had malaria, which was a confirmed fact. In fact, it was not that Yin Kaishan and Liu Wenjing underestimated the enemy.

It was because the court was too hasty, especially Gao Shujing who went to announce the decree, who urged repeatedly, which led to the defeat at Qianshuiyuan.

In the end, it was His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin who, despite being ill, fought back and turned the tide, saving the country from collapse."

Sun Fujia admired His Royal Highness the King of Qin very much, especially after the battle of Changwu.

He actually knew that the defeat at Qianshuiyuan was caused by the emperor being the one who was most responsible. The emperor was worried about the situation in the Central Plains and was eager to defeat Xue Ju, so he repeatedly urged the troops to be dispatched, which led to the defeat.

But who dared to blame the emperor for such a thing? Therefore, in the end, Liu Wenjing and Yin Kaishan were the ones who took the blame. They were both dismissed from office and stripped of their titles.

Of course, everyone knows that these two people have only been temporarily dismissed from their posts and will definitely be reinstated in no time.

Eating mare's milk grapes,

Li Yi talked with Sun Fujia about the new official position given to him by the emperor, and he had a clearer understanding of it.

An official of the ninth rank.

Seconded to the Ministry of Personnel as a secretary, he was exposed to the core matters such as imperial edicts and memorials.

The official was still a ninth-rank official, but his authority and status were greatly improved.

The Menxia Province was one of the highest central agencies that shared the responsibility of handling confidential matters with the Zhongshu Province, discussing state affairs, and reviewing imperial edicts, with the power to approve or reject them.

The chief official was the Nanyi, the deputy chief official was the Huangmen Shilang, there were also the third-rank Palace Attendant, the fifth-rank Jianyi Dafu, Jieshizhong, as well as the Shiyi, Buque, Jiujiulang, Chengmenlang, Fubaolang, Lushi, Zhushi and other officials.

"You, a disciple of the Imperial Court, are probably an assistant to the Imperial Secretary."

Jieshizhong, also known as Jieshilang, is a fifth-rank official with a staff of four. He holds great power in the Menxia Province and controls the power to review and reject matters.
The greatest power of the Jieshizhong is the power to seal and refute.

He was responsible for reviewing memorials, rejecting imperial edicts, hearing cases, evaluating officials, submitting memorials to the emperor, etc. He had the characteristics of a censor, a constitutional official, and a judge.

Whether it was an imperial edict from the Secretariat or an imperial decree from the Emperor, if there was anything inappropriate, the Imperial Secretary could directly reject it. Wei Zheng held this position during the Zhenguan period and rejected Li Shimin's edicts several times.

"Brother, now that you've said that, I feel I can't accept this appointment. I have no experience at all, and it's not appropriate for me to serve directly in a core organization like the Menxia Province, let alone as an assistant to the Jieshizhong." Sun Fujia looked at Li Yi quietly.
"Last time you complained that the position of Crown Prince Zhengzi was too low, and now you complain that the power of the Tai Zhao Men is too heavy?"

"I don't think I'm up to it,"

Sun Fujia hesitated to speak. He admitted that he really couldn't understand his junior brother's thoughts. He opened a school in the countryside, obviously with the intention of building up his reputation and gaining fame.
But now that he had gained fame, and was strongly recommended by the King of Qin and the Crown Prince, the Emperor also recognized him and offered him an official position, but he repeatedly refused.

What exactly are you thinking?

"How do you know it won't work if you haven't tried it? Why don't you take up the post for a while first? Besides, His Majesty has repeatedly given you official positions, but you are so ungrateful, which is not a good thing."

"Zuo Zhuan says that if there is a time in life when there is a disaster, then there will be a disaster."

Li Yi said frankly: "Brother, I was a Taoist priest for sixteen years, traveling around the world with my master. Although I learned some things, they were all miscellaneous. I didn't learn about official documents and current affairs, and I don't know how to be an official.

"Now, I am being asked to serve as an official and assist the Imperial Censorate. This is truly beyond my capabilities. I know my own limitations. If I were to covet an official position, I would mess it up and end up in a bad situation."

"You were appointed by His Majesty. Even if you don't understand official documents, you can learn. You are still young, so it's okay even if you make some mistakes." Sun Fujia advised kindly.

"Forget it. I still like the freedom of the countryside. Besides, my Wuji Primary School has recruited new students, over a hundred students, and has opened three classes. I really can't leave."

Sun Fujia's persuasion was fruitless and he could only shake his head.

"Brother, please write me a letter of thanks." Last time, Li Yi simply resigned from his post and left. This time, he planned to write a memorial to Li Yuan, thanking the emperor for his grace and explaining the reasons for his resignation.

"Write it yourself, and I'll show it to you when you're done."

Li Yi had no choice but to write it himself. He didn't understand the format, so he just wrote a thousand words honestly. After Sun Fujia looked at it, he said there was no problem. So he handed it to Sun Fujia to present it to the emperor.

Grilled lamb kebabs in the evening.

Luo Sanniang was arranged to stay in the inner courtyard and was entertained by Madam Sun.

The next day,

Sun Fujia went to court early.

Li Yi and Luo Sanniang were kept by Madam Sun for breakfast before leaving. Li Yi did not care what reaction the resignation letter submitted by Sun Fujia on his behalf would cause.
After breakfast, I left Chang'an and went home.

I have no interest in visiting the East and West Markets. I have to wait until the afternoon to go shopping, and then I won’t be able to make it back to Yushuku Township in time.

But it also returned with a full load,

The emperor gave him gold jars and silver bottles, two horses, four hundred pieces of silk, two boxes of paper, pens, inkstones, and books.
In addition, Li Yi wore a golden belt around his waist.

He also brought a wrought iron sword.

Luo Sanniang rode her mule a little behind, following silently without speaking to Li Yi.

This trip to Chang'an with Li Yi had a great impact on her. It made her see clearly the gap between her and Li Yi. She had been fascinated by him before, but after hearing what her sister-in-law said, she did something stupid in a confused manner, thinking that since the matter was settled, she could become his wife.

Now I understand.
They are too far apart.

They are not from the same world at all.

Wu Yi was a man who could be granted official titles by the emperor again and again. The Crown Prince and the King of Qin both recommended him to be wooed.

Sun Fujia and Du Ruhui, both of the fifth rank, were his friends.

How could I, a country girl, get close to him?

If you figure it out, you'll be dead.

Even feel inferior.

Li Yi talked to her on the way, but she ignored him, so he didn't get close to her. He knew that Sanniang needed some time to adapt.

This is a good situation.

It would be annoying if she couldn't figure it out and kept pestering me, and we wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore.

Now it's fine.

"Will you be with Du Shiniang?"

Luojiawan was right in front of them, and they were almost home when Luo Sanniang suddenly spoke.

"what?"

"Du Qu, Du Shiniang, you are completely worthy of her. You are a talented man and a beautiful woman. I did say before that you were not a good match, but you are no longer the same person as before. You are now a noble and an official with a bright future. You are completely worthy of Du Shiniang."

Li Yi shook his head.
"It's not what you think,"

Mrs. Guo from the Du family had sent Du Sanlang to talk to him a long time ago, and clearly expressed that she did not want Li Yi to have any improper thoughts. Although Li Yi was somewhat disgusted with Mrs. Guo, he could also understand.

Besides, his relationship with Du Shiniang was not that close, far from that level.

"I just returned to secular life and I'm only sixteen this year. It's too early to talk about marriage." Li Yi laughed and passed by.

(End of this chapter)