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

Chapter 671 The East Wind Prevails Over the West Wind

"Your Majesty, I am of limited talent and learning. Having spent a long time in the provinces, I am new to the central government and lack experience. I dare not presume to be solely in charge of the writings." Li Yi put down his chopsticks and continued Chen Shuda's words, "I think Prime Minister Xiao is right. According to custom, it is better for the prime ministers to take turns writing the documents."

Li Yi was humble, and Xiao Yu nodded slightly to him.

I had long heard that Xiao Yu was stubborn, even a bit rigid and extreme, and had poor relationships with his colleagues and subordinates. He often argued with his colleagues until they were red in the face, and berated his subordinates mercilessly. It was said that sometimes, when the arguments got heated, he would even roll up his sleeves and get physical.

It's hard to imagine that this prime minister was once a prince of the Western Liang Dynasty.

This old man was a devout Buddhist, almost as devout as his ancestor, Emperor Wu of Liang. So devout was that even though he was a high-ranking prime minister and duke, he sent all three of his daughters to become nuns, even though he couldn't become one himself.

His eldest daughter, who was only three years old, was sent by him to become a nun, with the Dharma name Fale.

Then, when the third daughter was born, he vowed to worship Buddha and raise her until she was thirteen years old, so that she could become a nun with the Dharma name Fayuan.

Xiao Yu's fifth daughter, born in the fourth year of the Wude era, is only three years old this year. He has already made a vow before the Buddha that he will send her to become a nun in the future.

He not only sent his three daughters to become nuns, but Xiao Yu even sent one of his sons to a temple to become a monk as well.

They weren't the kind of lay practitioners who kept their hair while practicing; they actually made all four siblings become nuns.

After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty,
In the imperial court, Buddhism and Taoism were locked in a struggle, and Xiao Yu was a staunch supporter of Buddhism.

Fu Yi, the Grand Astrologer, was originally a Taoist priest. He submitted a memorial pointing out that Buddhism was rife with corruption and illegal activities, and requested that the illegal activities be rectified and monks and nuns be expelled. Xiao Yu then had a fierce argument with Fu Yi in the court, and even called Fu Yi a devil.

A cold snort reached Li Yi's ears.

That was the voice of Chen Shuda, a descendant of the imperial family, the son of Emperor Xuan of the Southern Chen Dynasty, the younger brother of Emperor Houzhu of the Southern Chen Dynasty, and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Yiyang in his youth.

During the Sui Dynasty, he and Xiao Yu worked together in the Secretariat. He was the Inner Secretary and Xiao Yu was the Inner Secretary Vice Minister. It is said that the two were not on good terms at that time.

After returning to the Tang Dynasty, Xiao Yu was appointed Grand Secretary, in charge of all government affairs, while Chen Shuda was appointed Grand Councilor. It is said that the edicts drafted by Xiao Yu could never pass through Chen Shuda's Secretariat, and the two often quarreled in court.

The two were about the same age, Chen Shuda was fifty-one and Xiao Yu was forty-eight. They had been rivals since the Sui Dynasty and into the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin smiled slightly.
“In that case, let’s have the Council of State take turns as the head of the Secretariat,” he said, his gaze sweeping over the six prime ministers. “I’ll add another person to the Council of State.”

Yuwen Shi, the Vice Director of the Chancellery and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, and concurrently the Acting Grand Chamberlain.

A department under the Chancellery

Three attendants,

This is the first time this has ever happened.

The number of prime ministers increased to seven, leaving only Xiao Yu, Feng Lun, and Chen Shuda from the old system. Li Shimin then added four new prime ministers.

The East Wind prevailed over the West Wind, giving them an absolute advantage in numbers.

Chen Shuda's expression was rather unpleasant.
Li Yi instantly understood that this old Chen must be feeling the pressure. He must think that the new crown prince appointed Yuwen Shiji as the acting head of the palace, which was aimed at replacing him.

After Prime Ministers Pei Ji and Yang Gongren were removed from the central government, he became the third.

After breakfast,

Li Shimin then pulled several prime ministers aside to continue the discussion.

Court discussion.

The first task, naturally, was to fulfill the wishes of the Crown Prince who was overseeing the state and draft an edict appointing him as prime minister.

Whether Li Shimin wanted to appoint Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian as Grand Secretaries, or to appoint Yuwen Shiji as Acting Grand Councilor, or to let Pei Ji retire and live out his days, or to send Yang Gongren to govern Yangzhou,
There was no room for negotiation on these matters; the new crown prince simply gave the order, and the prime ministers were responsible for drafting the edict.

The court meeting went exceptionally smoothly.
No controversy

Without struggle,

In front of the Crown Prince, no struggle can break out.

So it only took the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

A new central authority has been established.

Xuan Ma pays homage to the prime minister,

He dismissed two prime ministers in one day and paid homage to three prime ministers.

The court meeting concluded.

Li Shimin invited several prime ministers for tea.

"Let's hold the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony in the Eastern Palace's Xiande Hall the day after tomorrow."

Xiao Yu asked, "Then should we invite His Majesty to personally bestow the title?"

Normally, the emperor would be involved in the appointment of the crown prince.

Moreover, the grand ceremony would definitely be held in the Taiji Hall. First, an auspicious day would be chosen, and then the Taiji Hall would be prepared. The emperor would sit in the imperial tent under the north wall of the Taiji Hall, facing south. This was the position prepared for the emperor.

Then a seat was set up on the north side of the East Court Hall, facing west; this was the seat arranged for the newly appointed Crown Prince.

Secondly, there were the courtiers participating in the ceremony, located in the two courts on the east and west sides.

The day before the investiture ceremony, the positions, locations, ceremonial guards, and musical instruments of the court officials must be prepared, and even a backup contingency plan must be prepared.

On the day of the investiture, the Crown Prince and the officials of the Eastern Palace must be ready two quarters of an hour before dawn, while the illegitimate sons are responsible for the "central solemnity" and "external arrangements" of the ceremony.

With all officials present, the ceremony was finally presided over by the Chamberlain.

Finally, the emperor, adorned in his imperial robes and ceremonial regalia, makes his appearance.

After the Grand Secretary presided over a set of ceremonies, the Grand Secretary and the Vice Grand Secretary presented the Crown Prince with the imperial edict and seal.
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel read the imperial edict on behalf of the Emperor.

The ceremony for appointing the crown prince was very elaborate and complex, but it could not be taken lightly. Fortunately, Li Shimin was not the first crown prince of the Tang Dynasty; Jiancheng had already been appointed crown prince once before him.

It's only been six years, and all the rituals are still familiar.

Even the crown prince's seal and ribbon were readily available.

Li Shimin actually wanted to receive the investiture at the Taiji Hall as well, and asked the emperor to come and bestow the title upon him personally.

but,

The emperor has refused to see anyone these past two days.
Given the emperor's condition, Li Shimin couldn't force him to change his mind. He was even worried that Li Yuan might say something inappropriate to the officials during the ceremony of appointing the crown prince in the Taiji Hall.

After much deliberation, they decided not to hold the investiture ceremony in the Taiji Hall, but rather in the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace, without inviting the emperor.

Let the prime ministers preside over the ceremony.

Xiao Yu's expression changed slightly, and he hesitated before asking, "Is the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony really not going to be held in the Taiji Hall? Is the Emperor really not going to be invited?"

“The Emperor was disturbed last time and has been unwell recently. He needs to rest and recuperate,” Li Shimin said, waving his hand.

Feng Deyi quickly smiled and said, "Then I won't disturb Your Majesty."

Six years ago, Li Jiancheng's ceremony for becoming crown prince was also very grand, with the emperor personally attending the ceremony.

Six years later, at Li Shimin's grand ceremony to confer the title of Crown Prince, no emperor would be present, but what did it matter?

Six years ago, the emperor appointed Jiancheng as the crown prince, but he still failed to secure the position. The current crown prince, on the other hand, has the substance of a crown prince before he is given the title.

Whether the emperor personally presided over the investiture ceremony or not is no longer important; the investiture edict is enough.

At tomorrow's ceremony,
It should be presided over by the Chamberlain.

Li Shimin glanced at Chen Shuda, but then specifically asked Li Yi to preside over the meeting, with Chen Shuda assisting. This made the Prime Minister Chen so angry that his beard trembled.

His qualifications and prestige far surpass those of Li Yi.
But now the emperor first puts Li Yi in charge of all political affairs, and then has him preside over the grand ceremony, which undoubtedly puts Li Yi, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, above him.

Later, the three Attendants of the Secretariat,
Yuwen Shiji, the Inspector-in-Chief, should certainly be ranked after the two official Inspectors-in-Chief.
Now Li Yi, this junior, is ranking ahead of him.

Chen Shuda couldn't save face.

He simply put on a stern face.
He rose and asked Li Shimin for his leave.

“Pei Ji resigned at the age of fifty-one. Chen Xiang is the same age as Pei Ji. Why does he also want to resign?” Li Shimin’s voice was cold, clearly showing his dissatisfaction.

“His Highness has already appointed Yuwen Shiji as the Acting Attendant-in-Ordinary, and with Li Sikong concurrently serving as Attendant-in-Ordinary, the Secretariat no longer needs this old fellow,” Chen Shuda said frankly.

"Wu Yi is the Minister of Works, the Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, the Governor of Yongzhou, the General of the Left Guard, and the Attendant-in-Ordinary—holding multiple positions in one person."
The affairs of the Secretariat are certainly too busy, which is why I appointed Yuwen Shi and the Acting Attendant-in-Ordinary to assist Wu Yi.”

But once Chen Shuda got into a fit of stubbornness, no matter what Li Shimin said, he insisted on resigning.

“My mother passed away earlier, and Your Majesty only observed three months of mourning before resuming his post. Now I beg Your Highness to allow me to return to continue observing the mourning period and fulfill my filial duty as a son.”

The young crown prince,
Staring at this elder,
Their eyes met, neither willing to back down.

None of the other prime ministers offered any advice.

Li Shimin nodded, "Our Great Tang governs with filial piety in mind, so Prime Minister Chen's filial piety is certainly worthy of support. Prime Minister Chen, go back and continue your mourning period for your mother."

He will be reinstated as prime minister after the mourning period for his father has ended.

One wants to resign,
I didn't intend to keep any of them.

Originally, Li Shimin did not want to rush to remove several prime ministers. As long as they were willing to cooperate, it would be good to keep them.

But it's only been one day.
Pei Ji stepped forward to resign.
Chen Shuda then stepped forward to resign.

Since that's the case, then so be it.

Even if Li Shimin couldn't do without them, he could still get by even if all the veterans retired.

Chen Shuda immediately untied his turban and then tried to take off his purple round-necked robe, but Li Yi reached out and stopped him.

Old Chen, you still want to run naked?

"Prime Minister Chen, if you want to go home to fulfill your filial duties, His Highness certainly cannot stop you. You can come back after the three-year mourning period is over."

As Li Yi spoke, he turned to Li Shimin and said, "Prime Minister Chen's filial piety deserves to be commended by the court, and Your Highness should bestow upon him a generous reward!"

The Yangtze River's waves push the previous waves forward, and a new generation replaces the old.

Chen Shuda was quite astute; he could tell from this situation that Li Shimin was unlikely to give these old guys any important positions.
I simply went home voluntarily.

Chen Shuda's retreat

The Council of State Affairs was left with only six prime ministers.
Two from each of the three provinces.
Of the former prime ministers, only two remained: Xiao Yu, the Left Minister, and Feng Lun, the Right Minister.
The four prime ministers of the Secretariat and the Chancellery were all Li Shimin's confidants.

The Secretariat and the Chancellery—these were the departments that controlled decision-making.

Nowadays, the power of the Ministry of Personnel is being diminished, while the Secretariat and the Chancellery are becoming increasingly powerful.

Now, both the Secretariat and the Chancellery have been completely replaced by Li Shimin's people.

Xiao Yu frowned involuntarily.

"Tomorrow is the investiture ceremony, and all officials will attend in full regalia."

Li Shimin beckoned.
The eunuchs brought up several sets of crowns and robes.
They are all brand new.

It wasn't the usual attire of a turban and round-necked robe, but rather a full-length suit.

Also known as court dress, it is a very formal set of official attire.

The robes worn during grand assemblies and ceremonies, though not as solemn as the sacrificial robes worn during sacrifices, are still ceremonial robes and are also called legal robes.

The headdress worn with court robes varied depending on the official's position.

For example, the Grand Secretary and the Attendant-in-Ordinary wore court robes with a military cap and a turban, along with a sable tail and a jade cicada.

The Grand Secretary wore a sable tail on the right side of his hat, while the Attendant-in-Ordinary wore a sable tail on the left side. Civil officials also had to insert a white pen into their hats.

In the earliest days, only officials who wore sable hats adorned with cicadas were called Attendants.

The Attendant-in-Ordinary was a close attendant of the emperor.

Starting from the Sui Dynasty, the Grand Secretary also began to wear a sable crown.

The Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, as well as other officials, mainly wore the Jinxian Crown, also known as the Liang Crown.

Officials of the Censorate wore hats adorned with the mythical beast Xie Zhi.

Li Shimin opened the chest, took out the Diao Chan crown, and gave it to Li Yi.
"The mink fur is smooth and lustrous, with a pure and bright color that is not ostentatious; it is soft on the outside but strong on the inside."
Cicadas are born in mud. After shedding their shells, they fly to high branches, drink dew, and eat only clean things. They sing without mouths, and are clear and ethereal, able to perceive change.

Both of these are noble and pure things.

This Diao Chan crown, when worn, embodies a refined yet unassuming nature, a martial yet unassuming spirit; it is radiant without being ostentatious, powerful without being showy, reflecting a sense of propriety, noble character, adaptability to changing times, and humility in cultivating virtue.

Li Yi received the Diao Chan crown from the Crown Prince.
This crown, adorned with gold ornaments, jade cicadas, and a sable tail, exudes an air of distinction.

The Diaochan Crown was something only close officials of the Secretariat and the Chan Hall could wear.

In particular, only officials of the rank of Grand Secretary and Attendant-in-Ordinary could wear the gold-embroidered jade cicada and purple sable.

Seeing this crown of Li Yi reminds me of the idiom "to add a dog's tail to a sable coat." At the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, Sima Lun succeeded to the throne and indiscriminately conferred titles and bestowed rewards. Anyone who followed him, even servants and laborers, was granted a title. He even conferred more than seventy titles of Attendant-in-Ordinary in one go.

As a result, as many as half of them wore sable tails in their hair when attending court.

There were too many high-ranking officials appointed, and not enough sable tails were used to make Diao Chan's crown, so dog tails had to be used instead.
When Sima Lun held court in the Golden Hall, the hall was filled with people wearing sable tails and dog tails, a huge, swarming crowd.

His reign lasted less than three months before he was forced to abdicate.

Later, all the way up to the Northern and Southern Dynasties,
Even close attendants like the Grand Master of the Palace and the Gentleman Attendant would be bestowed with sable hairpins.

Diao Chan's crown was paired with a crimson robe with wide sleeves and a front opening, over which was a white gauze undershirt and a white long skirt, along with matching sashes and a jade-hilted sword.

"Wuyi, you've worked hard these past two days. Go home early today."

"You'll be the one to preside over the grand ceremony the day after tomorrow," Li Shimin said to Li Yi with a smile.

Originally, three sets of court robes for the Attendant-in-Ordinary had been prepared, but now that Chen Shuda had resigned, there was an extra set. Li Shimin simply bestowed the newly made set upon Li Yi as well.

(End of this chapter)