Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 200 Power Tactics
Wang Shouyi had never left the capital region, and upon receiving the news, he immediately rushed back to Chang'an.

"Husband, is this matter related to you?"

Upon seeing Wang Shouyi, Princess Xue immediately asked him questions.

When she heard the news, she was also shocked because there were so many rumors circulating outside, and she didn't know if they were true or false. She didn't get much rest that night.

Because of Empress Wang, the Wang family has become very sensitive.

Wang Shouyi quickly denied it, saying, "It was Zhang Jiayou who took the bribe, how could that have anything to do with me?"

Princess Xue said, "But now there are rumors outside that you already knew about this matter, but you kept it a secret. They even say that you secretly told Prime Minister Zhang and colluded with him."

Wang Shouyi said, "Madam, don't overthink it. Our Anye Bureau doesn't handle land investigations; it's all Yuwen Rong who does the investigations. How could I possibly know beforehand?"

Princess Xue nodded slightly, then asked curiously, "If that's the case, why did my husband rush back in such a hurry?"

Wang Shouyi's gaze darted away slightly as he said, "I rushed back for two reasons. First, I was worried that something might have happened to Master Zhang. Second, I had to come back to prove my innocence because of these rumors."

Princess Xue looked Wang Shouyi up and down, her eyes still filled with suspicion.

Wang Shouyi asked anxiously, "Madam, what is the situation now?"

Princess Xue gently shook her head and said, "The current situation is very unfavorable for Prime Minister Zhang, because many ministers have submitted memorials impeaching him."

Wang Shouyi cursed fiercely, "Those despicable people."

Princess Xue said, "You are in dire straits yourself, so don't worry about Minister Zhang. That General Zhang is really foolish. If he had handed over the land voluntarily back then, there wouldn't be this disaster today."

"Ugh!"

Wang Shouyi sat down and said uneasily, "What's the point of saying all this now?"

He was very flustered, feeling guilty as a thief, but he dared not tell Princess Xue openly.

"Mother! Your child is back."

Hearing a shout, Wang Xi led Ashina Mi into the hall. "Oh? Father is back."

Ashina Mi also obediently bowed to Wang Shouyi.

Wang Shouyi was already very annoyed, and seeing Wang Xina only made him angrier. But since Ashina Mi was also there, he forced a smile and said, "You're back from school."

"Um,"

Wang Xi sat down casually and asked with a gossipy look, "Father, did you secretly help Master Zhang cover it up?"

Wang Shouyi shuddered. "Where did you hear these rumors?"

Wang Xi tossed his head away and said, "People outside are all talking about it."

"Nonsense!" Wang Shouyi said, "How could Father do such a thing as favoritism and corruption?"

Wang Xi replied, "Father always taught me to value relationships and loyalty. I thought that if Father knew, he would definitely help Zhang Xianggong cover it up. So, I do believe those rumors."

"You brat!"

Wang Shouyi slammed his hand on the table, about to draw his sword, when he suddenly looked at Ashina Mi and said, "Mi'er, go back to your room first. Father has something to say to this boy."

"No, Mi'er, I'll go back to the house with you."

Wang Xi quickly got up, grabbed Ashina Mi, and ran away.

From behind came Wang Shouyi's roar, "You little brat, you think you can run away forever? If it weren't for Mi'er, I would have killed you."

"My lord, are those rumors outside true?" Princess Xue suddenly asked again.

Wang Shouyi said, "Of course not."

"Really?"

Princess Xue said, "If you even hide this from me, and something really happens, no one can save you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouyi felt a little flustered and stammered without saying a word.

Princess Xue, her face full of anger, said, "You...you really helped Prime Minister Zhang cover it up."

Wang Shouyi nodded and said, "I... I was just informing Minister Zhang about this matter; I didn't intend to help him cover it up."

"What's the difference?"

Princess Xue stood up excitedly, "Husband, how could you be so foolish? Normally, it wouldn't matter, but now that you're in charge of the Anye Bureau, you're a thorn in the side of many people, and they'll definitely try to target you."

That's not the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part is that this concerns His Majesty's grand reform cause, and His Majesty won't protect you.

Wang Shouyi said hesitantly, "Even if I sent someone to inform Minister Zhang, he wouldn't betray me. Without any evidence, what grounds do they have to accuse me?"

"you."

Princess Xue stomped her foot angrily and walked straight towards the door. But as soon as she reached the door, she turned back and said, "Husband, tell me clearly what you have done."

Forced into a corner, Wang Shouyi had no choice but to tell Princess Xue everything.

Princess Xue fainted upon hearing this. Someone had actually reported her! This was truly a disaster!
I was so frustrated that I didn't even want to talk.

Wang Shouyi said, "Madam, what should we do now?"

Princess Xue glanced at Wang Shouyi with pity for his lack of ambition and sighed softly, "If something really happens, I'm afraid we can only rely on Que'er."

"Sparrow?"

Wang Shouyi asked, "What help can he offer?"

Princess Xue said, "Now that Que'er is deeply favored by His Majesty, perhaps His Majesty will give our family a break for Que'er's sake."

"???"

Wang Shouyi felt that this was no different from sitting and waiting to die.

"Why are you so happy when Father is so angry?"

Ashina Mi sat on the edge of the couch, watching Wang Xi happily eating candied fruit and asked him a question.

Wang Xi took Ashina Mi's hand, placed it to his lips, and kissed it hard. He shook his head and said, "It's all because Father sided with Aunt and even had Uncle Fu help Aunt deal with me. Now that Father is angry, of course I'm happy." Ashina Mi thought for a while, "Are all Han people like this? You even distinguish between father and son so clearly."

Wang Xi hurriedly said, "Mi'er, don't misunderstand. Actually, my father loves me very much, and I love my father very much too. This is just our way of getting along as father and son."

Ashina Mi shook his head and said, "I don't understand."

Wang Xi scratched his chin. "How am I supposed to explain this to you?"

An elderly man and a middle-aged man walked along the street in the East Market.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

The old man looked up and saw a dark cloud drifting in. He couldn't help but say, "It's going to rain."

The middle-aged man sighed, "This turmoil is just like the dark clouds that are gathering now; it came far too suddenly."

"Not suddenly."

The old man chuckled and said, "Actually, it's just like spring rain and autumn frost; it's just that the time has come."

The middle-aged man asked, "Please forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand what you mean by that, Lord Song?"

These two men were none other than former prime ministers Song Jing and Zhang Jiuling.

Song Jing chuckled and said, "Haven't you realized yet? In front of His Majesty, this prime minister can only serve for three to five years at most. When that time comes, he has to leave."

He saw it very clearly, because he was also one of the victims. However, Yao Chong had set a good precedent by recommending him when Yao Chong stepped down, which was a peaceful transfer of power. Therefore, although he felt somewhat wronged when he stepped down, he accepted it gladly.

Zhang Jiuling frowned slightly.

Song Jing smiled again and said, "Actually, this is good. Each prime minister can focus on government affairs without having to think too much."

Zhang Jiuling said, "I'm afraid not everyone is like Lord Song, who can readily accept the temptation of power. How many people can resist it?"

Song Jing stroked his beard. "To say that I would gladly accept it is indeed difficult, but I think His Majesty will handle it properly and will not make things too difficult for Zhang Jiazhen."

Zhang Jiuling nodded slightly.

The term of office for prime ministers was not a written rule or a tacit understanding, but simply Li Longji's personal understanding of power. If Li Longji used a prime minister and then killed him, the prime minister would definitely consolidate his power during his term to avoid repeating the same mistake, making it difficult for him to do his job well, as he would be preoccupied with power struggles. Therefore, Li Longji would definitely not make things difficult for the prime minister. As for power, there was no need to fight for it; he would give it all to him.

Therefore, whether it was Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Jiuling, Zhang Jiazhen, or even Li Linfu, they all died peacefully.

In the first half of Li Longji's life, the atmosphere in the court was even better than in the Song Dynasty, and there was not even factional strife.

It is evident that Li Longji was exceptionally talented, but perhaps his success was too smooth, which led to his extreme arrogance in his later years. He believed that he was only interested in enjoying himself and could control everything.

As Song Jing had predicted, the turmoil did not last long. Soon, an imperial edict was issued, dismissing Zhang Jiayou and Liu Daoyin from their official posts, confiscating their land, demoting Zhang Jiazhen to the position of governor of Youzhou, and promoting Zhang Yue to the position of Grand Chancellor.

It was done in one go.

As for Wang Shouyi, he wasn't even mentioned, but in fact, many people wanted to drag him down, and that was all because of Empress Wang.

They just wanted to hedge.

Many ministers believed that Yuwen Rong's decision to specifically target the Zhang family to denounce them was clearly an attempt to establish his authority, and that after establishing his authority, he would conduct a more rigorous investigation of the land.

So they thought of dragging the On Yip Department into the mess, because the On Yip Department also played an extremely important role in this reform and was more popular with the people.

However, Li Longji didn't mention it at all in the imperial edict, which frustrated some ministers.

However, on that very day, Li Longji summoned Wang Shouyi alone.

"Shouyi!"

Li Longji said with a smile, "Many people outside are saying that you are protecting Zhang Jiazhen. Now that it's just the two of us here, tell me honestly, did you do that?"

Wang Shouyi turned pale instantly, glancing uneasily at Li Longji. Seeing Li Longji's confidence, his defenses crumbled, and he quickly bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, spare me! I...I did indeed inform Zhang Jiazhen about this matter."

Li Longji laughed heartily, "I knew it. You, Wang Shouyi, are the most sentimental. If you didn't know, that would be fine, but once you did, you would definitely secretly tell Zhang Jiazhen."

Wang Shouyi lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to utter a word.

Li Longji then said, "If I wanted to punish you, why would I summon you alone? Get up now."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life."

Wang Shouyi then sat up.

Li Longji glanced at Wang Shouyi, noticing his face covered in sweat, and smiled slightly: "Shouyi, being sentimental is not a flaw. I befriended you in the first place precisely because I appreciated this trait. However, you now hold an important position and are involved in reform and change, so you should prioritize the overall situation and not act impulsively."

"I know that the Anye Bureau currently enjoys the deep trust of the people, and you have done an excellent job. Their attack on you through this matter is actually an attack on the Anye Bureau. I understand this, and I also hope that you can understand the implications."

Wang Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised his hand to swear, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I guarantee with the lives of my entire family that I will never let you go again."

Li Longji quickly said, "There's no need for that. I value this sparrow's life more than you, its father."

"????"

Wang Shouyi felt as if ten thousand arrows were piercing his heart.

The implication is that you can die if you want, but don't drag Wang Xiaoque into it; to put it another way, even if you die, Wang Xiaoque won't die.

Our friendship of so many years is no match for a brat?

But Wang Shouyi could only say, "What virtue or ability do I, your unfilial son, possess to receive such favor from Your Majesty? I am deeply humbled."

"To be fair, Que'er is far more capable than you!" Li Longji chuckled.

Another heavy blow!
Wang Shouyi was completely speechless. Wang Xiaoque wasn't even here. Why was he making such a fuss? He didn't know whether to be happy or worried. Suddenly, he said, "Your Majesty, I have a request."

Li Longji was silent for a moment, then said, "Do you want to see Zhang Jiazhen off?"

Wang Shouyi said, "Your Majesty is wise; nothing can be hidden from Your Majesty."

Li Longji smiled and nodded: "Actually, even if you hadn't said anything, I would have sent you to deliver it anyway."

There was also a hint of guilt in his tone.

(End of this chapter)