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

Chapter 662 Cutting out the roots
Li Yi received the imperial edict from the emperor, which granted the King of Qin command over all the armies, both inside and outside the capital. After taking his leave, he headed to the Linhu Palace.

Along the way, guards from the Prince of Qin's residence were stationed every five steps and sentries every ten steps.

With great strides and high spirits.

Everyone's face was filled with joy and excitement. The great undertaking was accomplished, and they all knew how rich the rewards would be.

Linhu Palace is located right next to the lake.

Li Shimin stood at the palace gate to personally greet Li Yi.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has issued an edict ordering all armies, both within and outside the capital, to be subject to the Qin King's punishment," Li Yi announced loudly, holding up the imperial edict.

Li Shimin, beaming with pride, strode into the hall, arm in arm with Li Yi.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and other strategists and generals from the Prince of Qin's mansion gathered around.

"Please read aloud the decree of the Sage!"

Li Yi walked to the head of the table, stood facing south, and held up the imperial edict, saying: "This edict was drafted by the Grand Secretary Feng Deyi, and co-signed by the Grand Secretary Yang Gongren. It was reviewed by the Attendant-in-Ordinary Chen Shuda and myself. After it was approved, it was presented to His Majesty for approval, and then handed over to the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Pei Ji and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Xiao Yu for signing and issuance as a formal edict."
"King of Qin, please receive this edict!"

Li Shimin stepped forward and said, "Your subject, Li Shimin, receives the imperial edict!"

"The Way of Heaven governs all, and civilization thus governs the calendar; the Great Treasure is the position, and the Imperial Palace is the place of supreme honor..."

Although Feng Deyi drafted this edict on the dragon boat, it demonstrated his excellent writing skills, as it was completed almost in one go without any revisions.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and other civil and military officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion stood solemnly on both sides, listening attentively to the imperial edict.

"Qin King Shimin, whose reign was long blessed with auspicious signs, was born with extraordinary talent and martial prowess, and possessed profound wisdom and strategic acumen."

Since the founding of Yunlei and the beginning of his hegemony, his righteous banner-raising campaign set a precedent, and the pacification of the capital was all due to his efforts.

The imperial system has been established, but the path to heaven is still arduous. Internal plans are devised, and external calamities are quelled. His brilliant strategies surpass the world, and his ingenious calculations are beyond divine intervention. He punishes the tyrannical and eliminates the wicked, and none dare disobey him.

Xue Ju led the Western Rong troops, and Wu Zhou led the Northern Di descendants…

In his edict, Feng Deyi listed Li Shimin's achievements one by one, as if he knew them by heart, making it sound as if the Tang Dynasty was entirely won by Li Shimin alone.

"His merits reached the heavens, his virtues spread throughout the universe; his extraordinary talent and grand strategy inspired unparalleled talents; the creation of our great Tang Dynasty is all thanks to him."

He then took the position of prime minister, assuming high office and holding high rank, overseeing all affairs of state and bringing order to the three ranks.

······
The King of Qin ordered all armies, both inside and outside the capital, to submit to his command.
From this day forward, all matters of state and military affairs, regardless of their importance, shall be decided by the King of Qin, and then spring shall be heard!

When Li Yi read this aloud...
A cheer erupted from inside the hall.

become,

It's truly done.

They not only infiltrated the palace with eight hundred warriors, taking control of the emperor, the crown prince, and the Prince of Qi, but also successfully seized control of the central government, forcing the emperor and prime ministers to issue the edict transferring power.

For a renowned prince like Li Shimin, who had achieved great merit and prestige

It is not too difficult to launch a palace coup.

But the most difficult thing is to control the situation with the least cost and in the shortest time, or even to smoothly hand over central power.

And now,
Every step was like walking on thin ice.
They all passed smoothly, and all achieved the best results with minimal cost.

If Li Shimin had raised his army in Daibei or Luoyang, it would have been classified as a rebellion. With the emperor still alive, a single edict would have mobilized troops from across the land to quell the rebellion.
Even if Li Shimin wins,
But the cost will be extremely high.

And now,
The hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Chang'an woke up one night, completely unaware of what had happened.
The highest power in the Tang Empire has been smoothly transferred.

In this transfer of supreme power, only a few dozen people were killed or injured.

With this edict,

The capital city of Chang'an has been completely captured.

Given Li Shimin's military achievements and prestige, there would be no obstacles in the local areas, so who would dare to stand up against him?
Moreover, the emperor had just issued an edict not long ago, summoning several generals to the capital.

The Crown Prince's personal governors, including Li Yi, the governor of Jingzhou, Li Youliang, the governor of Liangzhou, Li Xiaogong, the grand governor of Yangzhou, and his brother Li Gui, the acting grand governor of Jingzhou, were all summoned back to the capital.
This saved Li Shimin a lot of trouble.

Excited heart, shaking hands,

When Li Yi finished reading the imperial edict and handed it to Li Shimin, Li Shimin's hand was trembling.

This invincible general finally got his wish.

"Thank you, Wu Yi." Li Shimin nodded to Li Yi, his eyes even glistening with tears.

Li Yi nodded, everything was understood without words.

"His Majesty summons the King to meet him."

Li Shimin carefully put away the imperial edict, took Li Yi's hand, and said, "To be honest, I don't know how to face Your Majesty at this moment."

Since everyone in the hall was one of his own, Li Shimin didn't feel like a stranger.

Changsun Wuji blushed and said, "Your Majesty, what's done is done. Now that we've succeeded, what is there left to worry about? If you ask me, the most important thing now is to press our advantage, eliminate any potential threats, and leave no loose ends."

"Jiancheng and Yuanji are currently in the backyard of Linhu Palace. These two must not be allowed to live; they should be executed immediately to prevent future troubles!"

Hou Junji, emboldened by his great achievements the previous night, raised his voice, "Yes, we must nip this in the bud and eliminate all future troubles! Not only must we execute the two villains, Jiancheng and Yuanji, but we must also not let those people from the Eastern Palace and the Qi Prince's residence go! Zheng Shanguo, Xue Wanche, Li Yi, Li Yuan, Li Youliang, Li Anyan, Feng Li, Xie Shufang, Tang Lin... all these palace and government cronies must be wiped out!" Changsun Wuji and Hou Junji shouted fiercely.
However, their words did not receive the support of many people in the hall.

Although things have been accomplished today,
But everyone was risking their families' property being confiscated and their clans wiped out, putting their lives on the line. If they were the ones to lose today, they would all lose their heads, and their wives and daughters would be enslaved in the brothels and the inner palace.

Just in case, they all wanted to nip it in the bud to prevent future troubles.

Li Shimin pulled Li Yi to sit down.
"Wu Yi, you deserve the most credit today."

"Given the current situation, what do you think we should do?"

What to do? First and foremost, we need to figure out how to deal with Li Jiancheng and Yuanji, especially the Crown Prince.

Actually, the fact that Li Shimin didn't kill Jiancheng directly inside Xuanwu Gate, but instead captured him and imprisoned him in the backyard of Linhu Palace reveals some of Li Shimin's thoughts.

Although today's event is a rebellion, a palace coup,

But Li Shimin still wanted fame.
He did not want to bear the name of murdering his brother to seize the throne.

But there must still be some concerns in their hearts, fearing that there might be future troubles.

The historical Xuanwu Palace Incident occurred three years later, when the struggle was even more intense. Li Shimin and Jiancheng and Yuanji clashed openly and covertly many times, each employing their own tactics.

Poisoned wine, assassins, and even arranging wild horses were all attempts to kill Li Shimin.

On the day of the palace coup, blood was spilled at Xuanwu Gate, with thousands fighting each other there. Li Shimin's Qin Prince's residence was also attacked and nearly breached.
Numerous casualties were reported.

Given the circumstances that day, Li Shimin didn't care about leaving any room for maneuver. They fought to the death as soon as they met. Jiancheng was shot and killed, and Yuanji was stabbed to death. Too much blood was lost.

In the end, Li Shimin had no choice but to kill all of Jiancheng and Yuanji's sons as well.

But today,
The situation is much better.

As the mastermind behind today's success, Li Shimin is now both grateful to and trusts Li Yi, and he wants to hear Li Yi's opinion.

"I can understand Lord Changsun and General Hou's idea of ​​eliminating all threats. Today's victory may seem easy, but it was hard-won. Everyone took risks and walked on thin ice."
They risked their lives and fortunes.
Now that they've succeeded, they certainly don't want to give their opponent another chance to turn the tables.

Li Shimin listened quietly.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, and others were also looking at him.

"But,"

Li Yi changed the subject.

"If Your Majesty is worried that the situation is out of control, then you should be willing to bear the infamy and strike first to eliminate any future troubles."

"If Your Majesty is confident that you can control the situation, then there is no need for a thorough purge that could cause turmoil. You can simply grant amnesty first and then make adjustments later. This way, the turmoil will be minimized."

Li Yi stated bluntly: "Your Majesty is fully capable of controlling the situation and there is no need to worry about any further setbacks. Jiancheng and Yuanji do not need to be killed; they should both be demoted to commoners and placed under house arrest in the capital for a few years."
In the future, they will be demoted to Jiaozhi or Nanzhong and placed under house arrest; they won't be able to cause any trouble at all.

Killing Jiancheng and Yuanji was to prevent them from turning the tables again, but Li Yi believed that they simply didn't have the ability.

Even with Li Yuan protecting him so much, Jiancheng still failed. Does that mean he can use the title of a deposed crown prince to command the world to rebel against Li Shimin?
Even Li Yuan didn't have that ability.

Historically, Li Yuan was forced to abdicate, but he still served as the retired emperor for nine years.

At the beginning of Li Shimin's reign, Li Xiaochang, Li Youliang, Li Yi, Li Yuan and others plotted a rebellion, but it was quelled in no time.

Historically, Li Shimin had no choice in that situation; there was no room for mercy on the battlefield. But now, Jiancheng and Yuanji have both become prisoners.

Li Shimin listened to Li Yi's words,
I'm thinking about it carefully.

Can a crown prince who has been deposed and reduced to a commoner still threaten him?
After today,

Naturally, Jiancheng was deposed, and he was made crown prince.

Would a new crown prince who could seize the throne through a palace coup and has great prestige be afraid of a deposed crown prince?

Most importantly, Li Shimin understood that even if he did not declare himself emperor for the time being, the emperor was no longer the one who truly ruled the world.

There's no need to bear the eternal infamy of fratricide.

A surge of pride welled up within him, and Li Shimin laughed heartily, finally free from his worries. "Wu Yi is right," he said.

"When Jiancheng was the crown prince, I had no fear; now that he has been deposed and reduced to a commoner, what do I have to fear?"

Wei Zheng also took the opportunity to advise Li Shimin, hoping that he could be tolerant and inclusive, and not to purge and investigate the factions of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi. "Your Majesty is a sage king who will establish a foundation for ten thousand generations. How can you not be tolerant?"
Zheng Shanguo, Wang Gui, Xue Wanche, Li Anyan, and others were formerly loyalists of the palace, but as long as Your Majesty can forgive past grievances, they can naturally become Your Majesty's allies.

Li Shimin asked Li Yi, "Are you really not going to pursue this at all? Jiancheng's current success is inseparable from the attempts by officials and bureaucrats to sow discord among us."

"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty should issue a general amnesty, extending the punishment to Jiancheng and Yuanji, stripping them of their titles and reducing them to commoners. As for the rest of their associates..."

Only by setting aside all past grievances and granting complete forgiveness can stability be restored quickly, preventing some from becoming anxious and then resorting to desperate measures that could lead to chaos.

"Your Majesty, in the past you were the Prince of Qin, the Grand General of the Heavenly Strategy, and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, but now you will be the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, about to take control of the entire world."

"Things are completely different now. Before, Wang Gui and his ilk were rivals among the Crown Prince's officials, but from now on, they are merely officials of the Tang Dynasty, subjects of the King!"

Li Shimin paced back and forth in the palace.

After spinning around for more than a dozen times, he pulled Li Yi up and said, "Wu Yi, come with me to meet the Sage."

(End of this chapter)