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

Chapter 665 Entering the Eastern Palace
The cicadas chirping in the trees in the courtyard outside the government building stopped.

The minor officials of the Secretariat used sticky poles to catch these annoying cicadas.

In the Hall of State Affairs,

All five prime ministers looked at Li Yi, who was seated at the lower end of the table.
This young Prince of Dai, who was also the Minister of Works and the Grand Councilor, had been serving as a military commander in the field for a long time. Now he finally came to the Hall of State Affairs, but he represented not only himself, but also the Second Prince who had already gained the highest actual control over the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yi put down his teacup and glanced at the group of five prime ministers. They were all shrewd and capable individuals, but their performance today was not bad.

They are all pragmatic people.

The government office will still reserve a place for them.

"The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi rebelled, but fortunately the Prince of Qin discovered and quelled the rebellion in time. Now that His Majesty has been disturbed, he needs to rest for a period of time. An edict has been issued that from now on, all military and state affairs shall be handled by the Crown Prince and then reported to the Emperor."

"Therefore, in order not to disturb His Majesty's rest, starting tomorrow, the Inner Secretariat and the Central Secretariat will temporarily move to the Eastern Palace."
This way, His Majesty won't be disturbed, and military and administrative matters can be reported to the Crown Prince in a timely manner.

Pei Ji opened his mouth, but in the end, he kept it closed.

This is to be expected.

Today, the King of Qin's coup has succeeded.

It wasn't just about deposing the crown prince; it was about seizing the emperor's supreme power.

Pei Ji understood that this meant closing down the Taiji Palace and imprisoning the emperor, but this outcome was already quite good.

Can we still fantasize that the emperor will continue to hold that supreme power?
Feng Deyi smiled and said, "That's how it should be, that's how it should be."

"As prime ministers of the imperial court, with such a great upheaval occurring in the court, our task is to ensure stability."
"We must ensure that the King of Qin smoothly and successfully enters the Eastern Palace."

"Since the King of Qin has resigned his position as crown prince today, we must take the lead in persuading him."

Xiao Yu and the others all understood that Li Shimin's resignation as crown prince in front of the emperor today was not because he truly did not want to be crown prince, but merely a gesture made according to custom.
He finally accepted after three attempts.

Li Yi is sitting here representing the King of Qin.

Some things need to be said by him, and some things need to be urged by him.

"Three days from now, on the seventh day of the sixth month, will be an auspicious day, just right for the King of Qin to be formally appointed as the Crown Prince. We must persuade the King of Qin to accept the title of Crown Prince before the day after tomorrow."

Feng Deyi said, "King Qin is benevolent and filial, yet he still repeatedly declines. However, a country cannot be without a crown prince for even a day. The crown prince is the foundation of the state. We must persuade King Qin to accept him as soon as possible, preferably today."

"The auspicious day of the day after tomorrow cannot be missed, and the position of heir cannot remain vacant indefinitely. We should discuss this matter as soon as possible so that we can quickly prepare for the investiture ceremony."

Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, and Yang Gongren naturally had no objections, and Pei Ji could only nod in agreement.

Actually, in Xianchi Hall

The imperial edicts issued on the spot included: the edict deposing Crown Prince Jian as a commoner, the edict deposing Prince Qi Yuanji as a commoner, the edict establishing Prince Qin as Crown Prince, and the edict granting amnesty to the entire realm.

It's already a done deal, a done deal.

right now,

It's just that the central government takes the lead and implements these measures.

Rather than the prime ministers discussing matters in the Hall of State Affairs, it would be more accurate to say that Li Yi was informing everyone here.

"Let's go to the East Palace and ask the King of Qin to accept the investiture."

Li Yi stood up.
Pei Ji and the others were still a little confused. He had just been scolding the minor official for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but Li Yi had finished the meeting in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

He held the political pen in his hand, but hadn't written a single word yet.

Li Yi said, "Let's hand over the minutes of the meeting to Ma Zhou and Liu Shiche. We need to go to the East Palace now; this matter cannot be delayed."

Feng Deyi took the lead in agreeing and got up to come to Li Yi's side.

The other four prime ministers also had no choice but to get up.

Then,
Li Yi, accompanied by five prime ministers, left the south gate of Taiji Palace and headed straight for the East Palace.

As soon as they left the Hall of State Affairs

The four generals, Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, Luo Shixin, and Duan Zhixuan, entered the Hall of State Affairs.

They led the Qin Prince's guards, who were clad in armor and armed with spears, and notified the officials of the Hall of State Affairs, the Secretariat, and the Chancellery to leave immediately.

From this day forward, they will work in the Eastern Palace, while some will return to the Imperial Secretariat and the Chancellery to work.

Get rid of all these palace officials.
The four generals began to take full control of the defense of Taiji Palace. Without the Qin King's order, no one was allowed to enter or leave Taiji Palace at will.

Even the emperor wouldn't do it.

Some chaos is inevitable.
But it's long past the point where it can cause any more trouble.

East Palace,

It's even more chaotic.
In the morning, Crown Prince Jiancheng had just left the East Palace for the Taiji Palace when Wen Daya, the Yellow Gate Attendant, suddenly came to the East Palace to request an audience with Pei Shiju, the Crown Prince's Chamberlain.

After a private meeting between the two,

Pei Shiju summoned the officials of the Eastern Palace and read out a piece of news that struck them like a bolt from the blue.

The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi plotted a rebellion and have now been captured and imprisoned by the Emperor.

The emperor issued an edict to depose the crown prince.

All the officials in the Eastern Palace were stunned. They had previously thought that being in the Eastern Palace meant that when the Crown Prince ascended the throne, they would all rise to power.

Who would have thought,
He was made crown prince at the founding of the dynasty and had been the crown prince for six years when he was suddenly deposed.

Fortunately, Pei Shiju then announced that the emperor would only punish Jiancheng and Yuanji, and would not pursue the others.

However, some officials who were loyal to the Crown Prince expressed their doubts.

However, compared to the edicts signed by the prime ministers of the three provinces and affixed with the imperial seal, these doubts seemed so pale and powerless.

Most importantly, Crown Prince Jiancheng has been imprisoned in the palace.

Even if some in the Crown Prince's palace were dissatisfied with the outcome, there was nothing they could do about it.

The Crown Prince's confidants, such as Wang Gui, Xue Wanche, Tang Lin, Li Anyan, and Feng Li, were all exiled last time, and Yang Wengan's family was even wiped out.

Although Zheng Shanguo, the Right Vice Minister, was a cousin of the Crown Princess, he also held important positions in the court, such as Minister of Civil Affairs and Minister of Justice.
But he is working in the Imperial City today, not in the Eastern Palace.

Even if he were in the Eastern Palace, what could a civil official like him do?
Previously, two thousand elite Changlin soldiers were stationed outside the Changlin Gate on both sides of the East Palace.

However, the emperor dismissed all two thousand elite soldiers last time. Even the guards who were on duty in the Eastern Palace, such as the Imperial Guards of the Three Guards, were completely replaced last time, and were basically replaced by the Imperial Guards of the Left and Right Garrison Camps.

at this time,

The highest-ranking official in the Eastern Palace was Pei Shiju, the Crown Prince's tutor. Yet, Pei Shiju did not hesitate and readily joined Wen Daya in reading the imperial edict.

This morning,

Chaos broke out in the Eastern Palace.

The emperor decreed that the troops stationed at the Eastern Palace be relieved of their duties and transferred to military camps in the suburbs of the capital.

Hou Junji and Xu Luoren from the Qin Prince's Palace led the Qin Prince's soldiers to the East Palace to take over the defense.

The Eastern Palace's harem was also in complete chaos.

Upon hearing the news, Crown Princess Zheng Guanyin, Crown Prince Chengwei Yang Sheniang, and others were terrified and panicked, completely at a loss.

What can a woman do in this situation?

Fortunately, Pei Shiju and Wen Daya invited the Crown Princess to meet them and informed her of the King of Qin's order that the crime would only be committed against the Crown Prince and Yuanji, and that the rest would not be questioned.

The crown prince's wives, concubines, and children were not implicated or punished.

but,
Like the crown prince, they were all demoted to commoners, or even expelled from the imperial family.

Even his status as a member of the imperial family was revoked.

The Eastern Palace could no longer be occupied, and in the midst of the chaotic tidying up, there were bound to be people crying and sobbing.

Li Shimin arrived at the East Palace at noon.
He arrived surrounded by a large group of people, including Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, Gao Shilian, Changsun Shunde, and Liu Hongji.
Hearing that things were being tidied up and were a bit messy, Li Shimin simply nodded without going over. "Give them some time; there's no need to rush or panic."
Send some soldiers to protect them, just in case anything unexpected happens.

Since he had decided not to kill the crown prince, Li Shimin naturally would not make things difficult for the crown prince's wives, concubines, and children.

"Send more people to Tongyi Palace as well."

The Crown Prince's wives, concubines, and children will be temporarily housed in Tongyi Palace, west of Zhuque Street.

Tongyi Palace was originally Tongyi Ward, which was Li Yuan's old residence in Chang'an during the Sui Dynasty. After he became emperor, he expanded and renovated it, and it became Tongyi Palace.

It's quite suitable to temporarily house the wives, concubines, and children of the deposed crown prince.

Li Shimin entered the Eastern Palace
They then began their official business and discussions in the Xiande Hall.

The coup succeeded.
But there are still too many things to do.

Fortunately, despite the many complexities, capable assistants such as Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were able to help.

Li Yi was also there to keep things under control in the palace.

Li Shimin was so busy that he didn't even have time to eat. He held a cup of strong milk tea and chatted while drinking.

Your Highness,
"The most urgent task now is to immediately mobilize 30,000 troops from the six guards of the Qin Prince's mansion and rush to Chang'an," Du Ruhui suggested.

In this coup, Li Shimin did not have many soldiers at his disposal.

His Qin Prince's Palace had about 30,000 troops on the left and right sides, but they were scattered throughout Guanzhong. Not only were they very dispersed, but without imperial edicts or the Ministry of War's official seals, he, as the Prince of Qin, could not mobilize a single soldier; otherwise, it would be considered treason.

but now,
He is now able to mobilize this elite force.

Although many officers and soldiers in Chang'an also supported the King of Qin, the situation was still quite complex, and none of them were as reliable as his own loyal forces.

"Get this done immediately." Li Shimin nodded. This was part of the original plan. As long as an army was raised in Chang'an, regardless of success, 30,000 troops from the six guards of the Prince of Qin's mansion would be immediately transferred to the capital.

Fang Xuanling also suggested that personnel adjustments should be made immediately in important government offices in the capital.

Even if you can't replace someone immediately, you should at least replace them with your own people as deputies or send someone to supervise them.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Dai and the prime ministers have arrived," Xu Luoren reported.

Li Shimin put down his teacup, got up, and went outside the hall to greet him.

Li Yi arrived.
In front of everyone, the emperor's edict to appoint the Prince of Qin as crown prince was announced again, but Li Shimin refused to accept it.

"Your Highness, I have moved the Secretariat and the Chancellery here, and they will be working in the Eastern Palace from now on."

"it is good."

Li Shimin led Li Yi on a stroll through the Eastern Palace.
The guards followed behind.

When Li Shimin was alone with Li Yi, he finally felt a little more relaxed.

"Wu Yi, I still can't quite believe it, we succeeded."

"I thought it would be a life-or-death situation, but unexpectedly it was quite easy."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Your Highness has made great contributions and is of great prestige. He should have been the Crown Prince. His Majesty has always been confused. Now that the chaos has been set right, everyone is happy to see it and naturally everyone is giving their full support."

Your Highness no longer needs to think about these things. Just focus on how to create a golden age, so that your name will be recorded in history, comparable to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, shining brightly for millennia to come.

Li Shimin gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I'm a bit lost right now. It's like I've suddenly lost my way and don't know which way to go."

I used to dream about this day, but now that it's actually come true, I don't know how to face it.

Li Yi said: "Reduce taxes and levies, allow the people to recuperate and rebuild, restore national unity, and stabilize the borders."

Let officials fulfill their duties, the people exert their strength, and resources be used to their fullest potential; let the elderly be cared for and the young be supported; let us create a prosperous Tang Dynasty where no one picks up lost items and doors are left unlocked at night, where the government is transparent, the people are wealthy, and the nation is strong!

"I believe in Your Highness, you will definitely be able to do it."

Li Shimin stopped in his tracks. “In the past, I conquered the world on horseback and never feared anything. But now I have to take over such a large country, but I cannot govern the world immediately. I don’t know where to start.”

"Your Highness, rest assured. Governing the country is far less difficult than conquering it. If Your Highness can conquer the country immediately, there is even less to worry about in governing it now."

Li Shimin took his hand and said, "Wu Yi, you are the most meritorious minister in stabilizing the country and the state. The Qi Kingdom will reward you with gold, silk, and utensils."

Do you remember what I told you before? If I were to become the Crown Prince, you would be my tutor to the Crown Prince.

From this day forward, you will be the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince and concurrently the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, while your positions as Minister of Works and Attendant-in-Ordinary remain unchanged.

Li Shimin drafted a list,

"Yuwen Shiji was appointed as the Vice Director of the Chancellery and concurrently as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince; Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui were appointed as the Left Vice Directors to the Crown Prince; and Gao Shilian and Fang Xuanling were appointed as the Right Vice Directors to the Crown Prince."
Yuchi Gong was appointed as the Left Guard Commander of the Crown Prince, Cheng Yaojin as the Right Guard Commander of the Crown Prince, and Wei Zheng as the Crown Prince's Tutor.

Qin Qiong was appointed Left General of the Martial Guard, Luo Shixin was appointed Right General of the Martial Guard, Cheng Yaojin was appointed Left General of the Martial Guard, Yuchi Gong was appointed Right General of the Martial Guard…

The list is very long.

None of the Qin king's confidants who participated in the coup were spared; all were given appropriate arrangements.

This is only a preliminary arrangement. When he becomes the crown prince, or even succeeds to the throne as emperor, there will certainly be even more generous rewards.

(End of this chapter)