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

Chapter 646 The Crown Prince's Confidant
When he heard that Yuanji would replace him and be enfeoffed in Rinan, Jiaozhi...
Li Shimin was calculating the number of troops he could use in Chang'an.

He, the Grand General of the Heavenly Strategy, the Commander of the Twelve Guards, the Grand Commandant and Minister of Works, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and the Governor of Yongzhou, upon reviewing his records, found that he only had eight hundred guards who were truly usable in Chang'an.

His six military governorates, with over 30,000 troops, are scattered throughout Guanzhong and Henan. The imperial court now strictly manages these military governorates; even the dozens of military governorates under the Qin Prince's six governorates cannot be mobilized without an imperial order or military tally.

Even if they rebelled, it would be too late to solve their immediate problem.

Eight hundred people is still too few.

"Erlang, good news."

Changsun Wuji rushed over excitedly, “His Majesty has issued an edict, changing the title of Prince of Qi to Prince of Rinan, and enfeoffing him in Rinan, Jiaozhi.”

The imperial court ordered the Ministry of Works and the Directorate of Imperial Works to send officials to Rinan to construct the royal city and palace for Li Yuanji, who would formally assume his fiefdom the following year.

Li Shimin did not feel much joy upon hearing this news.

"Where is the prince?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head, having not heard any news of the emperor's punishment of the crown prince. "Today, His Majesty summoned Yuanji and the crown prince in succession at the Wude Hall."

"The Right Guard of the Eastern Palace, led by Ke Dazhi, secretly mobilized three hundred elite cavalry from Youzhou to enter the capital and hid in the neighborhoods near the Eastern Palace. Such a serious matter, are we only going to exile one Ke Dazhi?" Li Shimin no longer concealed his dissatisfaction when facing his brother-in-law.

This could be considered treason and rebellion.

"And the Crown Prince has stationed two thousand Changlin soldiers at Changlin Gate. Why does His Majesty turn a blind eye to this?"

The two thousand Changlin soldiers were also elite border troops selected by the Crown Prince.

Although he went through several procedures, he first transferred the elite troops under Li Yi and others to the Eastern Palace's Guard Commandery through normal procedures, and then transferred them from the Guard Commandery to the Eastern Palace to serve as guards.

However, the crown prince's actions were not in accordance with regulations.

These two thousand elite Changlin soldiers are now a major obstacle to Li Shimin's plan to stage a coup.

He not only had to deal with the palace guards, but also with the two thousand elite Eastern Palace Guards.

He had only eight hundred guards under his command.
These two thousand Changlin soldiers posed a great threat to him.

The emperor has dealt with the three hundred Youzhou cavalry, but he still needs to find a way to get rid of the two thousand Changlin soldiers.

Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.

The fact that Yuanji was enfeoffed in Rinan was not good news for Li Shimin. It not only meant that the emperor still favored Jiancheng and Yuanji, but also that he didn't have much time left.

It seems the emperor still intends to implement the enfeoffment system.
He'll be next.

He was originally supposed to go to Rinan, but Li Yi's self-inflicted injury bought him some time, though not much.

Perhaps after some time, the emperor will bestow upon him a fiefdom in the south.

The barren land south of Sichuan and Chongqing was controlled by the Cuan clan for hundreds of years.

Once he leaves, how can he possibly have a chance to turn things around?

Enfeoffment is tantamount to exile.

"How is Pei Xuanyan's health?" Li Shimin asked.

"She's mostly recovered."

“Send someone to send him some ginseng, donkey-hide gelatin, silk, and silver. He has been implicated by me this time. Let him rest at home and recuperate until he is better.”

Changsun Wuji said, "He should thank you, Erlang. If Wuyi hadn't gotten the news early and made arrangements in advance, Pei Xuanyan's entire family would have been wiped out by Yuanji. He was able to escape this calamity because the Huangjing he was eating had been replaced by us. Otherwise, it wouldn't have just been a servant who died."

Li Shimin sighed, "Give Pei Xuanyan four more servants as a reward."

"If only Wu Yi were in Chang'an."

Faced with a complex situation, Li Shimin felt as if he were walking on thin ice.

···
Chang He, a lieutenant general in the Left Guard Commandery, had been on duty at Xuanwu Gate for the past few days. After his shift, he invited his officers, including captains, brigade commanders, and squad leaders, to drink together.
"I recently took a new concubine, and tonight I'll set up a few tables at home for everyone to drink together."

"Everyone come, but no gifts are allowed."

The officers under his command readily accepted the invitation from their new superior. General Chang was a generous and magnanimous man who treated his subordinates very well.

He frequently invites people for drinks, and he is always generous in helping anyone who is in financial difficulty or facing family troubles.

Last time, Captain Qiao Gongshan lost money gambling and borrowed a large sum of money at a gambling den. He couldn't pay it back immediately and was being pressured by his creditors. When Chang He found out, he paid off the 100,000-coin gambling debt for him without saying a word.

When Yang Yu's mother suddenly fell seriously ill, Chang He immediately helped him invite the old doctor from the famous Qianjintang Medical Clinic in Chang'an to come to his home. Since Yang Yu was short of money, Chang He paid for the consultation and medicine in advance.

"Hong Yi!"

Chang He beckoned to the deputy team leader, Hong Yi.

"Chief Chang, what are your orders?"

Chang He took out two small gold ingots and said, "Go to Li's Wine Shop in the east of the city and buy some liquor for me. Remember to buy some persimmon liquor that has been aged for more than three years."

"Boss Chang, last time my son accidentally offended someone from the Ren family, it was you who helped me mediate. I'll pay for the drinks, Boss Chang, please keep the money," Hong Yi said with a smile.

“I’m hosting a banquet to welcome my new concubine, so why would I let you pay? Take this. Your son caused trouble last time and had to pay for a fine horse. He probably hasn’t been eating meat lately. Keep one of these two ingots for your new wife’s expenses.”

"You can't entirely blame your son for what happened last time."

Hong Yi declined several times, but Chang He still made him accept it. "Why are you being so polite with me? Just take it. You can pay me back when you have more money in the future. I won't charge you interest."

Chang He's new concubine
She was originally a bar girl from the West Market, with blonde hair and blue eyes, exuding exotic charm. Chang He, a rough and uncultured man, agreed to come to the West Market for drinks, and it was because he took a liking to her at first sight.

Several ingots of gold were auctioned off.
The Sogdian owner of the tavern smiled and agreed to sell the wine-selling woman to Chang He.

Chang He took this Hu woman home and grew to like her more and more as they spent time together. Now he simply decided to release her from prison and formally take her as a concubine.

West of the city

Inside Huaiyuanfang,
The Leize County Duke's residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers.
When General Chang He took a concubine, many people came to congratulate him.

After all, it is said that this person is now highly regarded by the Crown Prince and has a bright future.

All the colleagues from the Left Guard and the Garrison came, and the Crown Prince also specially sent Ren Can, the Imperial Kitchen Attendant, to deliver gifts and offer congratulations.

One hundred bolts of silk and one fine Turkic horse.

"Congratulations, Lord Lei Ze!"

"You're too kind, Mr. Ren. Please come inside."

Fine wine and delicious food
Finally, Chang He made his appearance with his newly acquired Western Region beauty, drawing envy from all the officers and soldiers.

The next day,

Chang He's rotation rest

Early in the morning, Chang He pushed away the Western Region beauty from his arms.

"Ah Lang, don't go." The Hu woman reached out and put her arm around his waist.

Chang He clapped his hands with a smile, "I still have important business to attend to. I'll have another three hundred rounds with you tonight."

Wash up and change clothes.

Chang He took the carefully selected gifts and rode his horse to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.

Stepping through the gates of the East Palace.

Chang He gazed at the magnificent palace, slightly lost in thought.

Ren Can came to greet him and led him to see Crown Prince Jiancheng.

Jiancheng looked somewhat haggard.

Upon seeing Chang He get up, she rose to greet him, took his hand, and said with a smile, "I heard that the new Hu woman you took as your concubine yesterday is a great beauty?"

“They’re just barbarians; they can’t even speak Chinese fluently,” Chang He said.

"Ren Can, bring me a cake of fine tea, specifically the Mengding Shihua tea that was newly presented as tribute from Sichuan this year."

Chang He quickly said, "Your Highness, I am just a rough man and have no idea about the quality of tea. Please don't waste it."

Bring the tea cake.

Li Jiancheng personally opened the package and used a tea needle to pry open the tea cake.

Roast, grind, fry...
The prince's tea-brewing technique was very skillful.

The tea has a very strong aroma.
Once the tea is brewed, it is ready to be served.

The tea was very fragrant, and the tea set was exquisite.

"Is that batch of armor alright?" Jiancheng asked.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I have hidden the three hundred sets of armor in batches. However, in Chang'an, the capital city, these things still need to be disposed of properly as soon as possible, otherwise it will be troublesome if they are discovered."

Jiancheng nodded.

He picked up his teacup and sipped slowly. Those three hundred sets of armor were secretly transported to the capital by the Crown Prince. They were originally intended for the three hundred Youzhou cavalrymen who were secretly transferred to the capital.

Three hundred elite cavalrymen from Youzhou were transferred from Li Yi, the Prince of Yan in Jingzhou.

The Right Guard Commander, Ke Dazhi, handled everything single-handedly.
But who would have thought that the plot would be exposed because of the banquet at the Qi King's house, and the three hundred cavalrymen who were hiding in the wards east of the East Palace were all surrounded by the imperial guards sent by the emperor.

Fortunately, those three hundred sets of armor were separate from the soldiers, and Kezhi remained stubborn and never revealed it.

Possessing three hundred sets of armor is no less serious than the crime of illegally summoning three hundred elite soldiers to the capital.

Jiancheng looked at Chang He and became more and more satisfied with him.

He sent someone to deliver three hundred sets of armor to Chang He for safekeeping, and Chang He agreed without hesitation, and the matter was handled very reliably.

According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, anyone who privately possesses one set of armor or three crossbows shall be exiled two thousand li away; if there are three or more sets of armor or crossbows, the offender shall be hanged.

Having three hundred sets of armor in private possession is a capital offense, and could even lead to the execution of the entire family!
But Chang He accepted the task without hesitation.

"What do you suggest?"

The emperor wiped out three hundred elite cavalrymen from Youzhou. He learned from Feng Deyi that the emperor might exile all three hundred of them to Shazhou and Dunhuang.

Chang He thought for a moment and said, "I believe it is very unsafe to leave these armors in Chang'an now. We should find an opportunity to transport them out of the capital as soon as possible."

Jiancheng frowned.

Transporting this batch of armor from Jingzhou to Chang'an was extremely difficult.

They're in the spotlight right now, so getting them out won't be easy either.

But Chang He is right; if they stay in the capital, they will be easily found.

"Where are they being transported to?" Jiancheng asked.

"Why don't we transport them back to Jingzhou? These armors were taken from the Prince of Yan in Jingzhou. I'm afraid His Majesty might trace them back to the Prince of Yan through those three hundred elite cavalry. Transporting them back secretly now would be a precaution," Chang He suggested.

Li Jiancheng shook his head, "There's no need to worry about that. This batch of armor is not registered in the Jingzhou Armor Depot, so it can't be found."

Transporting the armor back to Jingzhou now might actually lead to its discovery. I suspect His Majesty has already sent people to keep an eye on Jingzhou; sending it back would be like walking into a trap.

"How about we change locations? This place needs to be close to Chang'an, not too far, otherwise it's not safe to travel for a long time."

Moreover, the person in charge must be absolutely loyal and reliable. Even if this batch of armor is discovered, they must be able to withstand the blame like Keda Yuhou, without uttering a single word. "Chang He said.

Imagine someone in your mind who can meet these conditions.

Many names flashed through his mind.

Finally, it stopped at a name.

Yang Wengan, the governor of Qingzhou, was originally my personal guard, and is absolutely loyal and reliable. And now he is the governor of Qingzhou, which is only a few hundred miles north of Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)