Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 241 Begging for mercy
In fact, Zhang Shuo was extremely unwilling to appoint Wang Maozhong as Minister of Works; in fact, he was the most opposed to it.

Even setting aside his background and education, Wang Maozhong's arrogant personality and status as a favored minister were actually very detrimental to the prime minister's governance.

But now that things have come to this, his thoughts on the issue have changed.

He is the Grand Chancellor, the first prime minister of the court. Since the Grand Chancellery has already approved this matter, if you object again, it means you are opposing me, the prime minister.

Furthermore, he had already reached a tacit understanding with the emperor, and if he were to renege on this agreement due to pressure from these people, what would the emperor think?

Therefore, he had to suppress it; otherwise, would his decrees still be able to reach the three provinces, and would he still be able to gain the emperor's trust?

Only a foolish prime minister would think of using this matter to put pressure on the emperor.

They didn't even consider that if they were allowed to pressure the emperor, what would be the point of having him as the Grand Secretary? All six ministries could directly deal with the emperor in all matters.

Of course, this is also related to the current prime minister system, because the prime minister of today is extremely authoritative, especially since Li Longji has delegated power. Zhang Shuo also has to be mindful of his own authority. Once a decision has been made, there is no room for change.

Changing policies frequently is a major taboo in governing a country, and even more so in ruling a state.

This is also where Zhang Shuo is stronger than Zhang Jiazhen. Both Zhangs possess grand strategies and know how to govern the country in the present moment. However, Zhang Jiazhen gets very competitive when faced with minor issues, while Zhang Shuo also gets competitive about some things, but he will not easily disregard the overall situation for the sake of trivial matters.

Ultimately, Zhang Shuo's strong stance temporarily suppressed this opposing force.

This won Li Longji's favor, proving that he had not chosen the wrong person. As the prime minister, if you don't even have this much courage, then why should I delegate power to you?

I'm giving you authority so you can do good things, not so you can use that power to oppose me every day.

In fact, almost all the prime ministers he chose were very decisive and there wasn't a single coward among them. If it had been Zhang Jiazhen in the past, he would probably have been even more irritable.

This matter is basically settled.

Wang Maozhong also heard about it, but he would not thank Zhang Shuo, because he knew very well that Zhang Shuo looked down on him and that it was Li Longji who gave him the opportunity.

Therefore, he never considered restraining himself or giving Zhang any face.

Zhang Shuo never expected that Wang Maozhong was preparing his first three moves upon taking office, which was actually just one: to send all the officials of the Ministry of Works to the Wuming Academy to study Taoist thought.

However, something surprised him: Wang Xi suddenly asked him to investigate Pei Zhouxian's case.

Although surprised, Wang Maozhong readily agreed.

They've helped you so much, so what's a little favor like this? After all, they only asked him to gather information, not to help Pei Zhou overturn his case.

So he immediately asked someone to find out the details.

As Madam Pei said, Pei Zhouxian only pitied the soldiers who were serving, so he found them jobs. There was no sign of any rebellion involved.

Unfortunately, it just so happened that Li Longji was reorganizing the military and government, especially the phenomenon of powerful officials enslaving soldiers.

After receiving the information from Wang Maozhong, Wang Xi was basically certain that what Ashina Mi said was true. After discussing it with Huangfu Sengnian and the others, they finally decided to save Pei Zhouxian.

Although they valued Pei Zhouxian's abilities, Ashina Mi played a decisive role. Without this connection, Wang Xi certainly wouldn't have gone to rescue him. Since they weren't family, who could guarantee that if they rescued him, he would help them in return?

After all, helping each other is a two-way street.

After the agreement was reached, Wang Xi immediately went to the palace. In fact, the emperor was not someone you could see whenever you wanted, and neither could the ministers. They usually had to go to the prime minister, who in turn was responsible to the emperor.

However, Wang Xi was different. Gao Lishi had already given instructions both inside and outside the palace that as long as Wang Xi requested an audience, they should be notified immediately. If Wang Xi stayed even a moment longer, they would all be guilty.

In fact, Gao Lishi knew best what Wang Xi's position was in Li Longji's heart.

Zichen Palace.

Li Longji asked with a hint of curiosity, "Why is Que'er so eager to see her uncle?"

Wang Xi feigned nervousness and said hesitantly, "Nephew has something he would like to ask Uncle for help with."

Upon hearing this, Li Longji was somewhat displeased and said, "There's no need to be afraid to ask your uncle for a favor. Just say it."

Wang Xi said, "I want to plead for the Governor of Guangzhou, Pei Zhouxian."

"Xian Pei Pei Min?"

Li Longji was taken aback and asked curiously, "Why did you plead for Pei Zhou first?"

Wang Xi sighed, "It was Mi'er who asked her nephew for help. Pei Zhouxian's wife is Mi'er's eldest aunt."

"So that's it."

Li Longji nodded, then glanced at Wang Xi and said earnestly, "Que'er, this country has its laws, and this family has its rules. Although your uncle is the emperor, he cannot act arbitrarily."

In fact, Zhang Shuo was already pleading for Pei Zhouxian's life. This was because Zhang Shuo had argued with Zhang Jiazhen about this case. Regardless of their original intentions, the words had already been spoken, so Zhang Shuo naturally wanted to do everything he could to protect Pei Zhouxian.

Because he must ensure that what he says is the golden rule, so that everyone can believe him.

However, Li Longji did not tell Wang Xi this, but instead gave him some advice, which was actually a form of cultivation, to make him understand these principles.

You can't easily ask someone for something like this, or easily agree to something they don't want to do.

Wang Xi said, "I know these principles. I just didn't want to deceive you, so I told you the reason. But I didn't mean to ask you to spare Pei Zhouxian for my sake. I have another reason to plead with you."

As he spoke, his eyes darted around.

"is it?"

After hearing this, Li Longji couldn't help but feel interested and said, "Then tell me what you have to say. If it makes sense, then your uncle will agree to let you off the hook." If you have a plan and are prepared, then it's possible.

"Uncle, you must keep your word." Wang Xi said as if his wicked scheme had succeeded.

Li Longji chuckled and said, "Absolutely."

Wang Xi said: "First of all, judging from Pei Zhouxian's case, his actions are understandable, mainly because the court's arrangements were inappropriate."

This situation resulted in soldiers not receiving land but still having to serve in the military, leaving them without money to support their families. To maintain morale, the only solution was to find them work to supplement their income; otherwise, a mutiny might occur.

Li Longji said, “What you say makes sense, but the law stipulates that he cannot do such a thing. If he is not punished, everyone will follow suit in the future and use this reason to absolve themselves. How will my uncle govern the country then?”

That's actually correct. Although your initial intention was good, it doesn't mean you have to break the law. It's just a matter of how you handle it.

Wang Xi chuckled and said, "Uncle, don't be in such a hurry, I haven't finished yet."

Li Longji smiled and said, "Go on."

Wang Xi continued, "The reason I decided to protect Pei Zhouxian is because I believe that Pei Zhouxian is the talent that the court needs most right now. He will surely become a high-ranking official and become my uncle's right-hand man."

Li Longji chuckled and said, "I didn't expect Que'er to have such insight. Come, come, tell me why Pei Zhou is the talent that the court needs most right now, and what makes you so sure that he can become a general and prime minister in the future."

Wang Xi said, "This all starts with the current military and political reforms."

Li Longji asked in surprise, "You're also concerned about military and political reforms?"

Wang Xi chuckled憨厚ly, "Actually, I was just cramming at the last minute; I hadn't paid much attention beforehand. Hehe."

Seeing his nephew's honesty, Li Longji couldn't help but laugh and said, "Alright, go ahead and tell me. As long as what you say makes sense, your uncle will still agree to it."

"Hey!"

Wang Xi nodded and said, "The current military and political reforms include one change: to ensure that the army can still improve its combat effectiveness after leaving the Fubing system and the equal-field system."

Li Longji nodded and said, "That's true. It seems you have indeed put in the effort."

"That's right, otherwise I wouldn't dare to ask my uncle for help, since he's so busy."

Wang Xi shook his head smugly, then continued, "But this will bring up a problem: if we abandon the equal-field system, what will happen to the army's finances? Especially in Anxi and Beiting, which are too far from the Central Plains, and where the people are mainly nomadic with little arable land, the finances of the Central Plains will be unsustainable."

Li Longji nodded and then asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Wang Xi said, "Of course, it's through commerce."

"Business?"

"Ah."

Wang Xi said in a low voice, "Uncle, I have inquired about it. Those border generals all make money through business to make up for the army's financial expenditures."

Li Longji knew perfectly well what was going on, but to play along with Wang Xi, he feigned surprise and asked, "Really?"

"really."

Wang Xi raised his hand and said, "I can swear to Heaven."

Li Longji then asked, "What does that have to do with this matter?"

Wang Xi said, "Uncle, if those generals are in charge of both finance and military affairs, meaning they manage everything, there's a saying that goes, 'The mountains are high and the emperor is far away,' which could be dangerous."

Li Longji nodded and said, "Que'er is right. So how should we deal with this?"

Wang Xi said, "Since the generals all rely on commerce to make money, then it's simple. As long as Uncle keeps the business under his control, he will know about any slight movement they make and will be able to check and balance them. Without finances, they can't do anything."

Li Longji, who had been pretending to cooperate with Wang Xi, fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

After a while, Li Longji suddenly noticed that Wang Xi was silent, and hurriedly said, "Why don't you continue speaking!"

Wang Xi then asked hesitantly, "Why did Uncle suddenly stop talking? Did I say something wrong?"

Li Longji was stunned for a moment before he realized what he meant and laughed, "You are not only right, but you are absolutely right. That's why I'm thinking about this."

"is it?"

Wang Xi said excitedly, "Uncle didn't lie to his nephew."

Li Longji chuckled and said, "How could your uncle lie to you? Continue, continue, tell me how your uncle should take control of the business."

Wang Xi said, "Pei Zhouxian."

Li Longji laughed and said, "You've finally managed to get to him."

Wang Xi chuckled and then said with feigned seriousness, "I heard that Pei Zhou was exiled to Beiting back then, but as a convict, he became the richest man in Beiting and even married a wealthy woman, who is also Mi'er's aunt."

In my opinion, Pei Zhouxian became the richest man in Beiting because Beiting was a trading hub between the Central Plains and various tribes in the Western Regions.

In that case, why doesn't Uncle send Pei Zhou to Beiting to oversee trade between the Central Plains and various tribes, which is to say, to manage finances? With his abilities, he will surely be able to keep a firm grip on commerce.

In this way, my uncle could use this trade official to check and balance the local generals. While it wasn't about depriving them of their finances, their main income came from merchants, and now that there was an official specifically in charge of commerce, wouldn't that be equivalent to controlling their finances?

Li Longji nodded slightly and then asked, "What if the two of them are colluding?"

(End of this chapter)