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

Chapter 687 The Crown Prince's Wrath

Li Shimin looked at the memorial before him, his face ashen.

"I summon Imperial Censor Huangfu Wuyi, Acting Chief Justice Zheng Shanguo, and Minister of Justice Liu Dewei to see me."

"Please invite the six prime ministers of the State Affairs Hall to come to the court for a joint discussion."

In Xiande Hall,

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had a stern look in his eyes.

Lu Kuan, the palace attendant, stood to one side, secretly observing the Crown Prince who was overseeing the country. Lu Kuan's original surname was Doulu, and he was a member of the Murong clan of the Xianbei. After Murong Chang, the Prince of Beidi of the Later Wei, surrendered to the Northern Wei, he was appointed as the governor of Changle County and given the surname Doulu, which in Xianbei means submission.

He was the nephew of Emperor Wen of Sui. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he served as the magistrate of Liangquan County. He surrendered to the Tang Dynasty along with Prefect Xiao Yu. Because he was an old friend of Li Yuan, he was granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace. Later, he was ordered to change his surname to Lu and was appointed as the Prefect of Qizhou and then the Palace Attendant. His second son was even chosen by the emperor to be his son-in-law, making him a relative by marriage.

He had always been a confidant of the emperor.

Although I am still standing in this hall now
But he knew in his heart that with each new emperor came a new court, and he could no longer hold this important position as a palace attendant.

Doulu Kuan served Emperor Wen of Sui and Emperor Yang of Sui, and now serves Emperor Wude of Tang and the current Crown Prince Regent.

He silently compared the two pairs of fathers and sons in his mind.

They were all from noble families in the Guanzhong region and were proficient in both literature and martial arts.

Li Yuan and his son were more skilled in martial arts than Yang Jian and his son.
Yang Guang was more talented in literature than Li Shimin, but he was also more stubborn and self-willed.

The crown prince's gaze swept over.

"What kind of person does Lord Doulu think the Prince of Dai is?"

Doulu Kuan's expression shifted, and he replied solemnly, "The Prince of Dai is a man of extraordinary talent, especially in military affairs, second only to Your Highness. He can be called a peerless general."

Your Highness favors risky tactics in warfare, while the Prince of Dai excels at unconventional methods. Those who employ risky tactics are considered invincible by military strategists; those who employ unconventional methods are considered unbeatable.

Li Shimin laughed and said, "It seems that in your mind, Li Yi's ability to fight is still superior to mine."

“Each has its own merits, but his military tactics are more stable, while His Highness’s military tactics are unparalleled.”

Li Shimin nodded. "Anything else?"

“The Prince of Dai was wise and knew when to advance and retreat. Despite his great achievements, he was not arrogant and was always cautious. This was very rare for someone his age.”

Few would emulate his decision to sell land this time.

Li Shimin nodded, "Yes, they sold off more than half of the land in one go, five or six thousand hectares! And some people, for just a few dozen hectares, would take their lawsuits all the way to the Emperor's bedside."
Some people, even for just a few hundred acres of land, will disregard the law and resort to all sorts of tricks and coercion.

Doulu Kuan realized that among the people mentioned were Consorts Yin and Zhang, but now there was no news of them and their whereabouts were unknown.

When Li Shimin conquered Luoyang, Consorts Yin and Zhang requested permission from the emperor to investigate the inventory of items and personnel in the Luoyang palace. They also asked Li Shimin for land in Luoyang, eyeing several thousand acres of prime land. However, Li Shimin had already bestowed that land upon Li Shentong, the Prince of Huai'an.
The struggle for this land caused quite a stir, and in the end, the two concubines even complained to the emperor, saying that the King of Qin's teachings were more effective than the emperor's edicts.

Even now, Li Shimin still seems to hold a grudge about this.

"Li Yi has served in the imperial court for several years and has made numerous contributions, but now someone has filed a complaint against him, listing twenty-one major crimes."
Accuse him of embezzlement, or even treason!

"Isn't this outrageous?"

Doulu thought to himself, "No wonder the Crown Prince looked so grim, and even summoned the heads of the Three Departments and the prime ministers."
That whistleblower was really stupid.

Not to mention that everyone knows Li Yi is a shrewd businessman, a master of financial management, and incredibly wealthy, so he has no need to embezzle.

Even if he embezzled,
But Li Yi was a meritorious official who supported Yuanmou's ascension to the throne.

The crown prince has just been appointed, so why would he punish Li Yi for such a trivial matter?
As for treason,
That's even more impossible.

I wonder which guy could be so stupid.

or,
Is this a test by some of the emperor's trusted former officials who are unwilling to remain silent?

But Doulu Kuan knew that no matter who was behind it, this time they had angered the Crown Prince.

Nowadays,

It seems things won't end well.

quickly,

Huangfu Wuyi, Zheng Shanguo, and Liu Dewei, the three judicial officials, rushed to the scene upon receiving the order.

Six prime ministers were also invited.

Also present were Xiao Jing, the Secretary-General, and Wei Qingzhi, the Palace Attendant.
The six ministers included Changsun Wuji, Minister of Personnel; Doulu Kuan, Minister of War; and Tang Jian, Minister of Civil Affairs.

After Li Yi entered Xiande Hall, he sensed that Li Shimin was very unhappy.
His dissatisfaction was written all over his face.

Once everyone has arrived...

The Crown Prince spoke coldly.
"Someone accused Sikong Li Yi of twenty-one major crimes, including embezzlement and treason."

"I was furious after reading it. I summoned you here not to interrogate whether Wu Yi is guilty or not."
Instead, he ordered the man to be executed immediately.

“This matter will be handled as a special case, without going through the three provinces or the three judicial departments. I will execute him now.”

The Crown Prince's words,
That's surprising.

Xiao Yu frowned, stepped forward, and asked, "Your Highness, who is the one who accused Li Sikong? Is there any evidence for the charges he made?"

"I believe this matter should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for investigation. If it is indeed a false accusation, then the King of Dai can be cleared of any wrongdoing."

Li Shimin snorted coldly.
"The person who reported Wu Yi was named Lu Jie. He joined the rebellion in Taiyuan and served as an assistant in His Majesty's General's Office."

Now retired and enjoying his old age at home, he has suddenly submitted a memorial falsely accusing a meritorious official of the court.
Such an obvious false accusation, why even bother with a trial?
Do you think I don't trust Wu Yi? Does the court doubt Wu Yi?
If this precedent is set, and anyone were to falsely accuse a meritorious official of the court, the court would investigate. Wouldn't that discourage these officials?

Xiao Yu argued, "If someone makes a accusation, it should be investigated. If it is found to be a false accusation, then the perpetrator should be punished accordingly."

But we cannot fail to investigate.

“I trust Wu Yi,” Li Shimin interrupted Xiao Yu loudly, “This kind of indiscriminate slander must be severely punished to make an example of him!”

Li Yi never expected that he would be caught up in the gossip.

His recent land sales have caused a great deal of discussion in Chang'an, which has indeed aroused envy and jealousy among some people, who have even written a letter to report him.

You can sue me all you want, but why accuse me of treason? You're really asking for trouble.

Li Shimin could not possibly accept this case at this time. If he were to allow the Three Judicial Offices to investigate, it would send the wrong signal.
At that time, it will likely attract countless former officials to tear apart the meritorious officials of the new dynasty.

Li Shimin was angry about this.

This person directly attacked the most meritorious official who supported his ascension to the throne, which is slapping the new crown prince in the face.

Absolutely not.

Therefore, Li Shimin didn't even follow the proper procedures and wanted to execute the person directly.

The decision must be announced in person by summoning the prime minister and the three ministers.

Even Xiao Yu's objections were useless.

We must make an example of them; we must use their heads to establish our authority.

Even if Lu Jie was a veteran who joined the emperor's uprising, served as an advisor in the General's Office, and retired as a fourth-rank official, it wouldn't work.

Whether he was originally a follower of the emperor or came from the Lu family of Fanyang.

Right now, he must die, and he must be executed without trial in order to demonstrate the Crown Prince's tough stance.

Li Yi understood.
The other ministers were naturally also confused.

But Xiao Yu refused to back down.
Zheng Shanguo also insisted on initiating an investigation.

Huangfu Wuyi also felt that it was inappropriate to kill Lu Jie directly.

Only Liu Dewei remained silent.

Li Shimin stood up.
He paced back and forth in the hall, his hands behind his back.

A moment later, he returned to the throne and turned to look at the assembled ministers.

"I am very disappointed in you, especially in Zheng Shanguo and Huangfu Wuyi."

"They can't even distinguish right from wrong anymore. They know it's a false accusation, yet they still want to investigate. What are they investigating?"

"Xuanling!"

Grand Secretary Fang Xuanling stepped forward and said, "Your subject is here."

"Immediately draft an edict to demote Zheng Shanguo to Prefect of Qizhou and Huangfu Wuyi to Chief Administrator of the Grand General's Office of Yizhou."

"Quan Hongshou shall be appointed as the Acting Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Cui Junsu shall be appointed as the Acting Censor-in-Chief!"

The crown prince immediately dismissed the two ministers in purple robes.
Then he glanced at Liu Dewei.

"Liu Dewei was transferred to the position of Grand Master of the Palace, and Li Xiaogong, the Prince of Zhao, was appointed Minister of Justice."

Quan Hongshou and Cui Junsu were both former chief clerks of the Prince of Qin's residence, while Wei Qingzhi, the eunuch supervisor, was once the chief clerk of the Prince of Qin's residence.

Doulu Kuan, the Palace Attendant in the palace today, also served as the Sima of the Prince of Qin's Palace.

"Doulu Kuan was promoted to Minister of Rites and given the title of Right Guard General."

Li Shimin took the opportunity to reshuffle the personnel of the central leadership.

Pei Huaijie was appointed as the Palace Attendant.

Pei Huaijie was once a prefect in the Sui Dynasty, but later surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Before that, he served as a registrar in the Prince of Qin's mansion, a low-ranking official position that was somewhat beneath his talents. However, Pei Huaijie was still diligent and conscientious, which Li Shimin noticed.

He has now been directly promoted to the rank of Third-Rank Palace Supervisor.

The Palace Secretariat, the Imperial Secretariat, and the Palace Attendants' Secretariat were all headed by officials from Li Shimin's own Prince Qin's residence.

The three most important judicial departments

The Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice were all replaced in one fell swoop this time.

"Take Lu Jie to Gouji Ridge and publicly execute him by cutting him in half at the waist. His head will be displayed at the gate of the West Market, and his entire family's property will be confiscated!"

"Lu Jie's family property, fields, houses, money, and his wives, concubines, and daughters who were not enslaved, shall all be bestowed upon the Prince of Dai!"

Li Shimin walked up to Li Yi, took his hand, and sat down on the throne together.

"Wu Yi and Gu are like brothers, and no one can separate them."

The Crown Prince was incredibly domineering today.
It was even a bit unreasonable and domineering.

But even so,
Even the stubborn Prime Minister Xiao Yu was unable to cope with it and found it difficult to solve.

Zheng Shanguo, Huangfu Wuyi, and Liu Dewei were all demoted and transferred away from the central government due to Lu Jie's false accusations.

Changsun Wuji, along with Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and other confidants of the Crown Prince,

Yet, I felt a long-lost sense of familiarity, just like when the Crown Prince used to wage war, he liked to take risks.

It seems risky and shouldn't be done, but it always manages to catch the enemy off guard.

Changsun Wuji felt extremely pleased. These guys should be treated this way; why be so polite with them?

Today, they dare to falsely accuse Li Yi of embezzlement and treason.
So if they dare to impeach me, Changsun Wuji, tomorrow for abusing his power as a relative of the empress, that's unacceptable!
Li Yi sat on the throne with Li Shimin.

Sitting on it,

Stand below,
Different perspectives lead to different feelings.

He was deeply moved by Li Shimin's protection, but he also understood that at this point, they were one, ruler and subject, sharing both glory and fortune.

Although the Xuanwu Gate Incident did not involve much bloodshed, it still cannot change the fact that it was a palace coup to seize power.

Beneath Li Shimin's usual gentle demeanor in court, he was not entirely without vigilance.

His anger today was not an overreaction.

He has to show his claws from time to time, otherwise some people will really forget how he became the crown prince.

(End of this chapter)