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

Chapter 694 Rewarding Meritorious Officials and Granting Official Titles
In Xiande Hall,

Li Yi stepped forward from his rank, but instead of expressing gratitude and accepting the imperial edict, he firmly declined the additional titles of Minister of Works and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in the palace.

"Your Majesty, since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat has been held by Your Majesty. Your Majesty rose from Minister of the Imperial Secretariat to General of the Heavenly Strategy, then to Crown Prince, and finally to Emperor."
This position is no longer suitable for a subject.

Your subject suggests that Prince Chengqian of Zhongshan be appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat!

Li Shimin sat on the throne, stroking his beard.
He smiled and said, "How can Chengqian, a five-year-old child, be entrusted with such a great responsibility?"

Feng Deyi secretly sized up Li Yi, then stole a glance at the emperor. After some thought, he spoke up: "Your Majesty, I agree with what the Prince of Dai said."

The Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was the head of all officials, and his power was too great. Moreover, this was a position held by His Majesty when he was still a prince. After Yang Su of the Sui Dynasty held this position, it was no longer granted to his subjects.

The Prince of Zhongshan is His Majesty's eldest son and is qualified to hold the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Xiao Yu immediately objected, "The Prince of Zhongshan is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, so naturally he should be appointed as the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, how can he concurrently hold the position of a minister? This violates the national system."

Li Yi also declined the offer again, saying, "Your Majesty, the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat has only been held by Your Majesty in this dynasty. I should avoid the taboo. The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and it is also unsuitable for him to hold this position. I believe the title should be left vacant, as it is not granted lightly according to precedent."
From now on, the Ministry of Personnel can be headed by the Left and Right Vice Ministers.

The young emperor,
Stroking his beard, he softly repeated Li Yi's words.
"What do you dear ladies think?"

Several prime ministers unanimously declared, "Your Majesty, we have no objection!"

The emperor eventually agreed to withdraw the edict appointing Li Yi as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, but the edict appointing Jin as Minister of Works was not revoked.

“Our Great Tang Dynasty values ​​military merit the most, and your military merit is second only to mine.”

Li Yi's merits were not only military, but more importantly, he played a crucial role in supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne, but this need not be discussed publicly.

If Pei Ji could be appointed Minister of Works, it would be only natural for Li Yi to be promoted to Minister of Education.

Li Yi felt that his greatest contribution to the Tang Dynasty was not his campaigns in the east and west over the past few years, nor his support for Li Shimin's ascension to the throne, but rather the potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, peppers, and other agricultural products he brought to the Tang Dynasty.
Especially crops like corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and pumpkins, which can be used as both grains and vegetables, and whose high yields and adaptability can greatly increase grain production.
This is the real achievement.
It brings not only good fortune, but also a truly priceless treasure.

Over the past five or six years, these auspicious crops have been widely promoted, and they have saved countless starving people.

From this perspective, his promotion to Grand Minister of Works was only natural.

In fact, although the title of Minister of Works was one of the Three Dukes, it was just a nominal title with no real responsibilities.

Compared to the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, the Minister of Works is nothing.

Seeing how readily Li Shimin accepted advice and withdrew the edict appointing him as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in the palace, Li Yi realized that Li Shimin did not truly intend for him to become Minister of the Imperial Secretariat today.

But this process of granting, resigning, and accepting...
But they made a show of it.
They gave Li Yi plenty of face.

This also solidified his status as the most meritorious official and the most important minister during the Zhenguan era.

Xiao Yu, the Left Vice Minister, was not appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Similarly, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Gao Shilian and Changsun Wuji, Li Shimin's brother-in-law and brother-in-law, were also not appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.
The fact that it was exclusively awarded to Li Yi naturally made him stand out even more.

Even if he refuses the offer now, he will still stand out from the crowd.

at night,

As is customary, a grand court banquet was held.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel remonstrated against the excessively grand and extravagant palace banquet, and consequently impeached the Left Vice Minister Xiao Yu and the Right Vice Minister Feng Deyi.
But Li Yi smiled and persuaded his senior brother Wei Zheng.

"Even ordinary people in the countryside make a big fuss about weddings and other happy occasions. His Majesty's ascension to the throne..."
This is fantastic news! A lively palace banquet is certainly in order.

Changsun Wuji didn't like Wei Zheng, who always disagreed with him. "Governor of Julu County, what Minister Li said makes a lot of sense. The emperor's ascension to the throne is such a momentous event!"

"Didn't Wei Zuo Cheng also receive a first-rank title and be granted the title of Baron of Julu County because of His Majesty's ascension to the throne?"

It's still early before the evening palace banquet.
Li Shimin summoned the six ministers who had made great plans and invited them to eat duck.

"In our folk tradition, we eat duck on the day of the Autumnal Equinox. Old duck is sweet and cool in nature, so eating duck is good for you."

Today, the eldest grandson specially prepared several duck dishes, including poached duck, duck with ginger, duck wrapped in lotus leaves, duck with walnuts, duck with lily bulbs, roast duck, and old duck soup with codonopsis root.

"These ducks were all sent from Wuyi Manor. They were raised in Hama Beach on the Shili Hao River and are very plump."

After a busy day,
Li Yi had also been hungry all day.
Running back and forth between the city and the countryside, Li Yi got hungry.

The duck dishes prepared by Empress Zhangsun were indeed very good, with a variety of styles, and they looked delicious and appealing.

Let's start with a bowl of Codonopsis pilosula and old duck soup.
This Codonopsis pilosula is from Shangdang, and it is different from the Codonopsis pilosula of later generations. The top-grade Codonopsis pilosula presented as tribute is very valuable, much more valuable than Liaoning Codonopsis pilosula.

The Li family's three-year-old duck, paired with this codonopsis root, is used to make soup.
It was stewed early in the morning, and it tasted delicious as expected.

"I intend to reorganize the Council of State Affairs, appointing Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi as governors in the provinces, and appointing Wu Yi as Left Minister and Wu Ji as Right Minister."

With this remark,
Li Yi caught a glimpse of Changsun Wuji drinking old duck soup, with soup dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Your Majesty," Li Yi said directly, "the Ministry of Personnel is in charge of all administrative affairs. I have no experience or background in this position and am truly unqualified for such an important post."
Changsun Wuji remained silent, clearly indicating that he desired the position of Right Minister.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui remained silent, while Gao Shilian hesitated to speak.

Only Wei Zheng stood up to oppose it.

"His Majesty has just ascended the throne and has already dismissed the retired emperor and prime minister. Regardless of the reasons, this will inevitably arouse suspicion in the court and among the people."

This is suspected of being a purge of former officials from the Wude era, which inevitably causes unrest among the people.
Absolutely not.

Moreover, although Minister Li is indeed highly accomplished, he has long served in the provinces and is skilled in military affairs. He is not suitable to assume the position of Left Minister of Works upon entering the court.

There's also Minister Changsun. Although he has always served His Majesty, his past official rank was not high. It would be somewhat inappropriate for him to co-manage the Ministry of Personnel with Wuyi now.

Changsun Wuji's expression turned grim.

Wei Zheng, however, paid no attention to him and continued to offer his advice.

The poached duck was also good, though not as delicious as Li Yi's, but the dipping sauce was quite good.

Li Yi lowered his head and ate the duck.

Wei Zheng believed that Li Yi and Changsun Wuji were too young, and that the two prime ministers, Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi, had not committed any major offenses.

It's really unreasonable to dismiss him as prime minister and replace him with Li Yi and Changsun Wuji.

They were even more worried that the two of them would not be able to handle the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel.

After all, the Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the administration, which was a complex and tedious department, and it was a pragmatic one.

"Change,"

"We must replace Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi. Xiao Yu is stubborn, intolerant, and difficult to get along with his colleagues. His partnership with Feng Deyi also leads to constant conflicts."

Feng Deyi, however, was in fact a treacherous and deceitful man.

Li Shimin told a few trusted confidants about Feng Deyi's two-faced nature, saying, "Now that I have seen through such a person, how can I still let him serve as prime minister in the central government?"

"Wu Yi, I believe you are absolutely capable of serving as the Left Minister. Originally, I wanted you to be the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat to oversee all government affairs," Li Shimin said.

Li Yi put down the duck.
“Your Majesty, I am indeed afraid of failing Your Majesty’s trust.” Li Yi declined again. “I recommend Lord Fang as Left Minister and Lord Changsun as Right Minister. They have always been Your Majesty’s right-hand men and are very familiar with government affairs.”

Li Shimin held the soup bowl, deep in thought.

a long time,

"Xuanling was appointed Left Minister, Wuji was appointed Right Minister, Yuwen was promoted to Grand Secretary, and together with Gao Tong, they were put in charge of the Secretariat. Keming was appointed Acting Grand Secretary and concurrently Minister of Personnel, and also in charge of the Eastern Palace's troops."

"Wu Yi, you will concurrently serve as Minister of War, in addition to your position as Attendant-in-Ordinary."

Xiao Yu was demoted to Prefect of Qizhou, while Feng Deyi was demoted to Prefect of Jiangzhou.

Pei Shiju was appointed Minister of Civil Affairs.

Liu Linfu and Yan Shigu were appointed as Vice Directors of the Secretariat, while Wen Yanbo and Tang Jian were appointed as Vice Directors of the Imperial Secretariat.

Wei Zheng opposed the emperor's eagerness to replace the two prime ministers, Xiao Feng and Li Shimin, but Li Shimin's mind was made up.

"I am very satisfied with Wei Gong's proactive advice. You are promoted from Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel to Director of the Imperial Library."

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was a fourth-rank official, while the Director of the Imperial Library was a third-rank official. After Wei Zheng offered some advice, he was promoted.

Dai Zhou was appointed as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Yang Zuan as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Changsun Wuji excitedly expressed his gratitude.
His appetite then whetted, and he devoured one roast duck roll after another. Li Yi remained quite calm.

He tried every way of cooking duck, but he still liked the old duck soup the most.

After the duck feast,
It was still early, so Li Shimin decided to rest for a while.

"Kemin, Fuji, you two go and talk to Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi."

Let's talk.
It means getting them to resign voluntarily.
This would save face for both sides, especially for Feng Deyi, whose opportunistic behavior Li Shimin greatly disliked.

Out of consideration for past relationships, we will let it slide and not investigate further; we are still willing to send him to serve as a prefect.

But if he is not pragmatic and refuses to leave the capital readily,

Then the consequences would be serious.

The emperor was unwilling to talk to them personally, so he sent the two new prime ministers, who were also the former and current ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, to do so.

Night came,

The palace banquet begins.

Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui both fulfilled their mission successfully. After a conversation, Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi both understood the emperor's meaning.
He submitted his resignation very readily.

The new emperor, in the shortest possible time, made three attempts to persuade the two veteran ministers of the Wude era to stay before they finally agreed to resign.

A banquet was held at Xiande Hall.

As soon as the banquet began,
The Palace Attendant Pei Huaijie then announced this news to the assembled officials at the banquet.

Xiao Yu and Feng Deyi resigned as prime ministers.

Fang Xuanling was appointed Left Minister of Works, Changsun Wuji was appointed Right Minister of Works, Gao Shilian and Yuwen Shiji were appointed Chancellors, and Li Yi and Du Ruhui were appointed Attendants-in-Ordinary.
Wei Zheng was promoted to Secretary-General.

This result,

Surprisingly,
No one expected that on the day the emperor ascended the throne,

Let's also dismiss the last two prime ministers from the time of the retired emperor.

A true case of "a new emperor, a new court."

The emperor changed into casual clothes for the banquet: a bright yellow round-necked robe and a black soft-brimmed turban. Compared to the twelve-tassel, twelve-symbol imperial robe he wore during the day, this outfit appeared much more approachable and friendly.

"Duke of Ying,"

Yuwen Shiji stepped forward and said, "Your subject is here."

"I have drafted a list of meritorious officials to be rewarded. Your Highness, please read out the names."

After speaking, the emperor addressed the ministers in the hall: "As I reward you for your merits and honors, if there is anything inappropriate, you may each explain it!"

Yuwen Shiji stepped forward and read the list of rewards.

All the officials pricked up their ears to listen.

"Li Yi, the Prince of Dai, was promoted to Minister of Works and granted a fief of 1,800 households."

The Minister of Works, Pei Ji, was granted a fief of 1,500 households.

Changsun Wuji was granted the title of Duke of Qi, with a fief of 1,300 households, and appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Fang Xuanling was granted the title of Duke of Xing, with a fief of 1,300 households, and was appointed Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Du Ruhui was granted the title of Duke of Cai, with a fief of 1,300 households, and was appointed as Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently Minister of Personnel.

Yuchi Jingde was promoted to Duke of Wu, with a fief of 1,300 households, and appointed Right General of the Martial Guard.

······
Changshun, Shunde, Chai Shao, Li Yi, Li Xiaogong, Li Daoxuan, and Li Daozong were granted fiefs of 1,200 households.

Hou Junji was enfeoffed as Duke of Lu, and given the additional title of Right General of the Guard, with a fief of one thousand households.

Zhang Gongjin, Liu Shili, and Zheng Rentai were granted fiefs of one thousand households.

Li Shiji and Liu Hongji, nine hundred households
Gao Shilian, Yuwen Shiji, Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, Luo Shixin, and Wei Zheng, totaling seven hundred households.

An Xinggui, An Xiuren, Tang Jian, Dou Gui, Qu Tutong, Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi, and Liu Yijie, totaling six hundred households.
Qian Jiulong, Fan Shixing, Gongsun Wuda, Li Mengchang, Duan Zhixuan, Pang Qingyun, Zhang Liang, Li Yaoshi, Li Daliang, and Yuan Zhongwen, a total of four hundred households.
Zhang Changxun, Zhang Pinggao, Li Anyuan, Li Zihe, Qin Xingshi, Ma Sanbao, and Chang He, three hundred households.

The list of those awarded is very long.
Not only were there the six ministers who were the architects of Li Shimin's successful usurpation of the throne, but also generals such as Yuchi Gong, Hou Junji, Zheng Rentai, Zhang Gongjin, and Chang He who made great contributions to the palace coup on that day.

There were also retired ministers like Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and Feng Deyi.

This time, it was not only a reward for the meritorious officials who supported the emperor, but also a great appeasement of the various factions in the court.

They sat in a row and ate fruit.

All parties involved have been taken care of.

Of course, the new emperor's direct confidants will definitely receive more preferential treatment.

There are ten tiers in total.
The highest tier is Li Yi, who stands alone in the top tier, while Pei Ji ranks second, also standing alone in the top tier.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Yuchi Gong were only ranked in the third tier, while Hou Junji, who was initially considered to have the greatest merit, had slipped to the fourth tier.

This time,
The most important thing is actually this food seal.

Those who were on the list were not only granted a title, but also a real fief. In general, a title and fief are only nominal; this real fief means that the person can receive two-thirds of the rent and taxes paid by the enfeoffed people.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Changsun Wuji, Hou Junji, Yuchi Gong, and others, who previously held low or no titles, were all granted the title of Duke this time, receiving a real fief of over a thousand households.

The list of meritorious officials is very long, and the new emperor has also taken into account the various factions, including both new and old officials.

However, it still sparked a lot of controversy.

There was a great deal of discussion in the hall.

Amidst this discussion,
One person stepped forward.

Beneath the turban were gray hair and beard.

"Your Majesty, I raised troops in Guanzhong, responding to the call of righteousness. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, I have also led troops in campaigns to the east and west."

Now, in determining the rewards for meritorious service, I am convinced that Li Yi's merit is ranked first, and I am also convinced that Pei Ji's merit is ranked second.

However, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and others specialized in warfare, yet their achievements surpassed those of other officials.
"I, your humble servant, disagree!"

"Why is my name not on such a long list of rewards? Could it be that my achievements are not even as great as those of Ma Sanbao and Chang He?"

These words immediately drew countless glances.

Li Shimin, sitting on the throne, was already mentally prepared.

Li Yi also looked over upon hearing the sound.

Hmm, speaking to the emperor with such arrogance,

It turns out to be Li Shentong, the Prince of Huai'an. Li Shentong's given name was Shou and his courtesy name was Shentong. He was Li Yuan's cousin and the current emperor's uncle.

He and his younger brother Li Shenfu were both granted the title of Prince. One had eight sons and the other had seven sons, all of whom were also granted the title of Prince.

His family alone had seventeen princes.

He was arguably the member of the royal family who received the most titles of king.

In terms of seniority, Li Shentong was indeed quite senior, but in terms of merit, Li Shimin didn't think he had much to show for it.

Although Li Shentong had always been biased towards him.

But on a day like today, Li Shentong shouldn't be the first to stand up and claim credit, opposing his list of rewards.
Therefore, Li Shimin said quite bluntly,
"When the banner of righteousness first rose, although my uncle was the first to raise an army, it was only to escape disaster for himself. When Dou Jiande conquered Shandong, my uncle's entire army was wiped out, and Shandong was regrouped. My uncle fled north at the mere sight of the enemy."

Xuanling and others, who strategized and managed the country with ease, should rightfully be ranked before their uncle in terms of merit and reward.

"My uncle is a close relative of the state, but I cannot bestow the same rewards upon meritorious officials based on personal favors!"

(End of this chapter)