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

Chapter 692 Conferring the Title of King of Shu

Just because Dou Gui killed Wei Ting, Li Yi had to protect him.

East Palace,

They are trying on the emperor's crown.

The emperor's attire consisted of fourteen types, with the gunmian being the second most formal ceremonial robe after the daqiumian.

When the emperor ascends the throne, he must wear the imperial robes and crown.

The crown has twelve pearl tassels, and the robe has twelve symbols.

Shouldering the sun and moon, bearing the stars on their backs!
Black robe, crimson skirt,
A black top with reddish undertones, and a yellowish-red skirt.

It wasn't a bright yellow dragon robe.
Of the twelve symbols, eight are on the robe and four on the skirt.

The ceremonial robe was adorned with gold, with twelve white pearl tassels hanging down.

It is paired with a plain gauze undershirt, a white silk sash, a yellow knee-covering, and red shoes.

In addition, there are large and small ribbons in six colors: yellow, white, red, black, light blue, and green, as well as jade hooks, jade pendants, gold hooks, and jade rings.

"Wu Yi, do you think this outfit suits me well?" Li Shimin asked Li Yi while looking at himself in the mirror.

Looking at Li Shimin, Li Yi noticed that compared to his usual yellow or purple round-necked robes, Li Shimin looked truly majestic, imposing, and exuded a refined air.

These are indeed imperial garments that have been passed down since the pre-Qin period.

It is full of the beauty of Chinese etiquette.

China is known for its great etiquette, hence the name Xia; and for its beautiful clothing, hence the name Hua. Li Shimin was truly the best model for this outfit.

"Your Majesty possesses the bearing of a dragon and the appearance of the sun and moon, and with this imperial robe and crown, you are truly the emperor chosen by the Jade Emperor for the hundreds of millions of people of China."

Li Shimin at the age of twenty-four

This was the most brilliant and outstanding time of his life.

"Hahaha." Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh when he heard the praise. Everyone likes to hear good words, and besides, he also felt that the imperial robes fit him very well.

The six crowns of the emperor were designed by the Zhou rites for the emperor to use on different ceremonial occasions.

The imperial robe and crown were the most magnificent, but they were not suitable for wearing in the summer.

The emperor wore the imperial robes and crown on important occasions such as offering sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain, reporting to the ancestral temple, sending generals on expeditions, the emperor personally leading expeditions, ascending the throne, coming of age ceremony, marriage, and the grand court ceremony on New Year's Day.

"I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't even recognize myself."

Li Yi smiled and reminded him, "From now on, Your Majesty should refer to yourself as '朕' (Zhen) instead of '孤' (Gu). From this day forward, you are the emperor of this vast land, the supreme ruler of the Tang Dynasty!"

"From now on, we, your humble servants, will also address Your Majesty as Your Majesty instead of Your Highness."

Li Shimin smiled and said, "It's not too late to change your address after the coronation ceremony. Have you tried on your formal attire yet?"

The officials of the Tang Dynasty wore more types of clothing than the emperor, totaling twenty-two.

Among them, sacrificial robes and ceremonial robes are both considered formal attire.

Li Yi held the rank of first-grade official, and he also had a ceremonial robe to match the emperor's crown and robe, also called a crown and robe. However, his crown had nine tassels and his robe had nine patterns.

The clothing colors should not be black on top and crimson on the bottom, but rather a blue top and a crimson skirt, paired with a white gauze undershirt, a crimson gauze knee cover, white socks and black boots.

Second-rank officials wore a pheasant-shaped crown; third-rank officials wore a feathered crown; fourth-rank officials wore an embroidered crown; and fifth-rank officials wore a black crown.

From the emperor down, the emperor wore robes with nine, seven, five, or three tassels; those below that wore robes without tassels.

Officials wear formal attire on important occasions.
These gowns are dignified and exquisite in design, with harmonious color combinations, showcasing nobility and majesty, but they can only be worn on grand ceremonies.

Purchasing such a formal dress is quite troublesome and expensive.

Li Yi, a high-ranking official holding the positions of First Rank Duke, Prince, and Prime Minister, naturally did not need to purchase this formal attire himself.

But for ordinary officials,
That was just like obtaining a formal appointment certificate; you had to pay money, and the fees weren't low. Some officials from ordinary backgrounds sometimes even had to borrow money to pay it.

Historically,
By the mid-Tang Dynasty, officials no longer wore this type of formal attire to avoid confusion between superiors and inferiors. In addition, it was only worn a few times a year. Therefore, they basically wore court attire or everyday clothes to participate in sacrifices and ceremonies.

Just like how, starting with Emperor Gaozong of Tang, people basically stopped wearing the large fur robe and hat, and wore the imperial robe and hat for important occasions.

"I tried it on, and it fits perfectly."

"Hahaha."

The future emperor smiled broadly, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"Dou Gui killed Wei Yunqi and Guo Xingfang, and also killed many of Wei and Guo's sons, including Wei Ting, who was on his way back to the capital after being pardoned in Xizhou and passing through Yizhou."

"What?" Li Shimin thought he had misheard.

After Li Yi repeated himself, Dou Gui frowned and asked, "What is Dou Gui trying to do?"

Dou Gui had always supported Li Shimin.

Dou Gui is now killing members of the former crown prince's faction.

Although Li Shimin was dissatisfied, he didn't know how to deal with it for the time being.

Li Yi told him about the proceedings of the Council of State, "Let Dou Gui stay in Yizhou for the time being to stabilize the situation. Your Majesty will send officials there, and once the situation is stable, you can recall Dou Gui to the court."

"That's all it can do."

Li Shimin sighed, "I'm afraid the old guard in the palace will think that Dou Gui was one of the people like Wei Guo who were killed on my orders."

This accusation has been dumped on my head, and I can't clear my name now.

"In fact, Your Majesty need not worry too much. The overall situation is now settled, and a few setbacks will not affect the overall situation."

Despite this, Li Shimin was still very uncomfortable. He requested a general amnesty, sparing the remaining followers of Jiancheng and Yuanji.

They made such a grand gesture that even Xue Wanche, Wei Ting, and Wang Gui were recalled and given important positions, and Li Yi and Li Youliang were even promoted.

They still wanted to minimize the impact of the palace coup.

He was well aware that his position was indeed illegitimate.
That's why I'm so forgiving.

But Dou Gui's indiscriminate hacking...
Half of his painstaking efforts were wasted.

"Who do you think is the most suitable person to send to Yizhou to take over as Grand Commander?"

The Yizhou Grand General's Office was originally the Yizhou General Administration Office, and was later upgraded to a regional administration. At its peak, the regional administration had jurisdiction over six general administration offices, covering not only Bashu, but also the former Huizhou prefectures west of Chang'an, making it a major military region in the west.

When the General Administration Office was first established in the fourth year of the Wude era, it governed seventeen prefectures including Yi and Mian, while Yi prefecture governed thirteen counties including Chengdu.

Now, the Xingtai (military administrative offices) have been abolished, and the Dudufu (military governorate) has been established to oversee ten prefectures including Yi and Mian, as well as the Dudufu of Xi, Nanning, Hui, Li, and Sui prefectures, and concurrently the Dudufu of Rong and Nanjin prefectures.

In reality, the Yizhou Grand General's Office oversees the military and political affairs of thirty-eight prefectures.

The largest administrative region in the Northwest.

Although the prefectures and counties of Longyou and Jingxi are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Yizhou Grand General's Office, they are still a Grand General's Office with extremely large territory and great power.

The region of Sichuan was rich and prosperous, but its transportation to the outside world was inconvenient, resulting in relative isolation, and it was also inhabited by many barbarian tribes.
Most difficult to control

If you're not careful, things could get out of control at any moment.

This Grand Commander is of high rank, holding a substantive position of the second rank.

"How about you concurrently serve as the Grand General of Yizhou? You also served as the Assistant Minister of the Yizhou Prefecture before," Li Shimin said.

Li Yi didn't know if this was a test from the emperor, or if he genuinely thought so, but he had no intention of going to Shu.
Part-time work and remote employment are even more pointless, so I immediately refused.

"I believe Your Majesty should appoint a prince as Grand Commander, holding this position remotely. Then, select several capable ministers and officials to go there."

Furthermore, although the Yizhou Regional Military Commission has been abolished, the current Grand Military Commission is still somewhat too large. I suggest that the Lizhou and Suizhou Military Commissions be separated from it.
The Governor-General's Offices of Xizhou, Nanning, and Huizhou, as well as Rongzhou and Nanjinzhou, could actually no longer be concurrently administered by the Grand Governor-General's Office of Yizhou.

The Yizhou Grand General's Office only governs ten prefectures.

The remaining middle and lower governorates each govern their own prefectures.

The Yizhou Grand Protectorate and other middle and lower-level Protectorates were no longer in a hierarchical relationship.

The prince was appointed Grand Commander in a remote manner.
In reality, the affairs of the Grand General's Office were jointly managed by the Chief Clerk and the Military Advisor. Former Imperial Censor Huangfu Wuyi has now gone to Yizhou to assume his post as Chief Clerk.
We're still missing Sima.

Of course, Li Yi suggested that the Yizhou Grand Protectorate be split up and reduced in size, only governing the ten directly administered prefectures, while the remaining middle and lower-level protectorates should no longer be involved.
Let each governor manage it themselves.

Thus,
Breaking up the entire Yizhou region will make it easier to manage, and if something really goes wrong, the damage won't be as severe.

The various governorates can check and balance each other.

"Recommend a few people," Li Shimin said, finding Li Yi's suggestion quite good.

"Li Xiyu, the Minister of the Imperial Treasury, is from Hanzhong and has a relatively good understanding of the situation in Shu. He has also served as the Governor-General of Luzhou and can serve as the Chief Military Advisor of the Grand General's Office, or the Governor-General of Sui, Li, Hui and other places."

Are there any other candidates?

"Then Liu Dewei, the former Minister of Justice and now the Minister of the Imperial Stud, is also suitable."

Liu Dewei was born into the Liu clan of Pengcheng. He was a general of the Sui Dynasty. At the end of the Daye era, he followed Pei Renji to Wagang. He was an old comrade-in-arms with Qin Qiong. Later, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan even married his niece to him. He also married the Princess of Pingshou County as his second wife. He also served as the Sima of the Bingzhou General Administration Office under Li Yuanji.

Later, he entered the imperial court and became the Minister of Justice. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and was also the nephew-in-law of the Li family.

"Li Ke, the Prince of Changsha, born to Lady Yang, is five years old now. He is brave and courageous. After I ascend the throne, I will promote him to the title of Prince of Shu and appoint him as the Grand General of Yizhou."

Li Yi remembered that Li Ke in history had some tragic experiences.
I've heard he's a pretty good and virtuous prince, but his birth mother was the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui, and he was only the third son born out of wedlock.

He was no match for the eldest son, Li Chengqian, and the fourth son, Li Tai, and was eventually framed for treason by Changsun Wuji, the maternal uncle of Li Chengqian and Li Tai, and was killed.

He's only five years old now, about the same age as Li Yi's eldest son, Li Cong.

At this age,

Whether it was being granted the title of King of Shu or appointed Grand General of Yizhou, it didn't really have any real significance.

He occupied this position of second rank.

Li Yi naturally did not object.

"Then Huangfu Wuyi will be the Chief Secretary of the Grand General's Office, and Liu Dewei will be the Military Advisor of the Grand General's Office."

Li Xiyu was appointed Governor of Suizhou, and Li Shou was appointed Governor of Lizhou.

"As for Dou Gui,"

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then said, "Summon him back to court and appoint him as the Right Guard General."

The Right Guard General is a third-rank official, while the Grand Commander of Yizhou is a second-rank official. Most importantly, the generals of the Twelve Guards in the capital often have no real power.

But they are still one of our own.

Even though he was brutal in Shu, and even this time he directly killed Wei Yunqi and Guo Xingfang, Li Shimin did not think about how to deal with him.

After all,
Dou Gui killed the two men because of long-standing conflicts, but the reason for this execution was that they were Jiancheng's henchmen and disobeyed imperial orders.

"Someone, summon the eunuch Wei Qingzhi."

Wei Qingzhi, formerly the Sima of the Prince of Qin's Palace, is now the Director of the Inner Palace. He is the son of Wei Cheng, the former Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and a cousin of Wei Yunqi, sharing the same grandfather.

Wei Yunqi was killed just like that.
This is certainly unacceptable to the Wei family of Jingzhao, especially the Pengcheng branch.

They need to be appeased.

(End of this chapter)