Chapter 254: The Debate in the Court, and the Three Envoys
"Your Majesty, I think relocating the people should be carefully considered. The arable land in Hebei and Henan is enough for the people to cultivate. If a large number of people are relocated, many good fields will become wasteland. The new counties established by the Tianshui King are all bitter and cold places, and the food is not prosperous. Why should we lose sight of the main thing and pursue the trivial?"

Li Yan, the Minister of Rites, could not help but make a report to Li Longji, and his intention of persuasion was obvious.

"Your Majesty, what Minister Li said is correct. Carrying the elderly and children for thousands of miles has caused more harm to the people than anything else."

"…the five counties have not yet been converted to barbarian customs, so it is not appropriate to relocate the people."

"Can't move..."

"Your Majesty, please think again."

Sure enough, Li Xuan's proposal was obstructed.

These people may not get along well with Li Linfu at ordinary times and claim to be upright.

If a treacherous official loses power, they will immediately criticize him. If their own interests are touched, they will jump up as if their tails have been stepped on.

Some ministers were thinking about the pros and cons of relocating the people as Li Xuan suggested.

Some people also think that what Li Xuan said is right.

Li Longji certainly favored Li Xuan, but he could not withstand so many people's opposition.

"Prince Tianshui, what do you think of Minister Li's words?"

Li Longji threw the words to Li Xuan, wanting to see how Li Xuan would respond.

"Your Majesty, Minister Li's talk is pure nonsense."

After Li Xuan bowed to Li Longji, he started to attack directly.

He turned to face Li Yan and said, "Minister Li, have you been to Jiuqu and Qinghai? Do you know what Baihai looks like?"

“Never been there!”

Although Li Yan was afraid of Li Xuan's power, since it concerned his own interests, he would never let Li Xuan do whatever he wanted.

Even Li Linfu didn't dare to offend the powerful families in the world, so why would Li Xuan dare to do so?

"The land of Jiuqu is flat and fertile, with tens of thousands of hectares of good farmland that can be reclaimed. The area around Qinghai is also fertile, and when Tubo fled, they left behind countless fields. Even though Jiuqu and Qinghai are not as fertile as the Central Plains, the Five Commanderies are large enough to feed millions of people with food. Moreover, it was the homeland of Tuyuhun, and there are excellent pastures everywhere. After expelling Tubo, there are millions of livestock in the Five Commanderies, large and small, and they will be distributed to the people. In the future, there will be more and more livestock. Will the people live worse than when they were tenants?"

Li Xuan told the ministers about Jiuqu and Qinghai with reason and evidence, and he put the people first.

"If the tenant farmers leave Henan and Hebei, who will farm the good fields there? We can't let the fertile land in the Central Plains be overgrown with weeds, can we?"

Li Yan felt a little nervous when he saw Li Xuan's aggressive attitude, but he finally gritted his teeth and retorted.

"Then we have to ask the people of the world, do you want to farm for the powerful families, or do you want to move to a new county?"

"The peace and prosperity of the world does not depend on the prosperity of one family, but on the happiness and sorrow of all the people. Do you think the country is more prosperous when the people are tenants? Or is it more prosperous when the people have surplus food?"

"When the great way is practiced, the world is for all. Don't you understand what you read from the books of the sages?"

"Also, are you a minister of state or a powerful person? Why do you care if the powerful people's land is left barren?"

Li Xuan questioned Li Yan repeatedly, and then he bowed to Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, every inch of land is stained with blood. The five counties were won by the soldiers with their swords and guns. The snow was heavy and the breath turned into frost. The ice in Qinghai was several feet thick. The brave soldiers braved the wind and snow for thousands of miles. The blood of the soldiers was everywhere in the five counties, and some of their bodies have not been found so far. The acquisition of such a territory is to move more people to prosperity. I think anyone who hinders the migration has evil intentions. Please understand, Your Majesty!"

His voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the palace.

Every word spoken can echo in the empty hall.

"me……"

Li Yan was so shocked by what he heard that he hesitated to speak.

He was the chief examiner of the Dinghai exam this year, and Li Xuan's words did not leave any face at all.

Li Xuan quoted famous sayings from later generations, which made the ministers feel uneasy.

The order or chaos of the world does not depend on the rise and fall of one family, but on the happiness and sorrow of all the people.

The "one surname" Li Xuan mentioned obviously refers to a powerful family.

In the minds of ministers, the powerful are thorns in Li Xuan's eyes and thorns in his flesh. No matter what he does, he will hit the powerful a few times.

This time it’s even more ruthless, directly cutting off the source of the problem.

Li Xuan was calm and composed, what did this have to do with anything?
After the Qingmiao Law came into being, it became difficult for powerful families to annex land.

"What is the opinion of the Right Prime Minister?"

When the atmosphere became tense, Li Longji asked Li Linfu.

In his heart, he agreed with Li Xuan's relocation of the people. If he could completely bring the five counties under the control of China, he would have achieved more than Emperor Wu of Han.

If there are too few Han people in the five counties, something unexpected will happen in the future.

Moreover, Li Longji was also moved by Li Xuan's famous saying that only a king who can understand the joys and sorrows of the people is a well-deserved sage king.

If the powerful people make trouble, Li Xuan will be responsible for dealing with them.

"call!"

Li Linfu let out a sigh of relief and left the class. As he walked towards the desk, he subconsciously looked at Li Xuan.

And at this moment, Li Xuan happened to stare at him.

When their eyes met, Li Linfu's heart skipped a beat.

Is the little thief going to come up with some new tricks?
Therefore, Li Linfu felt very uneasy. He bowed to Li Longji before going to the case and said, "Your Majesty, I think that the five counties newly opened by Li Dafu need to be relocated to make the new land prosperous."

Li Linfu, who was trying to figure out the emperor's intentions, guessed that Li Longji also wanted to move.

He simply agreed to avoid any complications.

"I agree too!"

Pei Kuan has a broad mind and will not oppose policies that benefit the country and the people.

"Your Majesty..."

"Get back!"

Li Yan and others wanted to argue, but as soon as they opened their mouths, they were driven back to their seats by Li Longji.

The emperor and the prime minister all agreed, and even if some ministers were dissatisfied, they did not dare to speak out.

"King Tianshui, I order you to be the ambassador of relocation of the whole country. You can recommend two judges for relocation, four prosecutors, and four chief clerks to me. You can appoint subordinates to remotely control the relocation of the people. Local counties must cooperate. Those who disobey the imperial order will be dismissed and investigated."

Li Longji nodded slightly and asked Li Xuan to serve as an ambassador concurrently.

The civil and military officials were moved. This arrangement seemed to allow Li Xuan to stay in Chang'an. The sage also specifically suggested "remote control", which meant that Li Xuan should promote capable officials.

This made the court ministers even more nervous.

They always felt that Li Xuan was different this time and was extremely tough in the court.

Unlike Li Linfu's subtle calculations, Li Xuan directly confronted the enemy head-on.

The key is that a group of ministers support Li Xuan, and when the news spreads to the people, the common people will all support Li Xuan.

"I accept the decree!"

Li Xuan took the order.

This was a new mission, and he had to fulfill the responsibilities of the mission and then report the specific matters to Li Longji.

The two judges of the National Migration Ambassadors have relatively great power and can concurrently serve as officials of the fifth or sixth rank.

"At the banquet yesterday, Prince Tianshui proposed to me a decree to reduce infant mortality. I think this is a top priority for the country, and I would like to discuss it with you now..."

"King Tianshui, repeat what you said yesterday so that the ministers can hear it."

Speaking of wasteland, Li Longji simply put this matter on the agenda.

He thought carefully last night about the issue of infant mortality.

While eating, he also told it specifically to Gao Lishi and Yang Yuhuan.

Gao Lishi felt sympathy for Li Xuan because of his childhood hardships, and because of Li Xuan's respect and help for him, he naturally thought that what Li Xuan said made sense.

Yang Yuhuan cried with tears in her eyes, thinking that Li Xuan's speculation must be true.

Li Longji thought Yang Yuhuan was crying because she had no children, and he felt extremely distressed.

So when this issue is brought up again, there are already plans to reform in this area.

It depends on whether Li Xuan can convince the ministers.

At least the prime minister and most of the third-rank ministers must agree.

Li Xuan presented to the ministers the five points made yesterday regarding the high infant mortality rate.

Just the first one caused a huge stir.

Li Linfu's face changed drastically.

Before the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, women in the Tang Dynasty got married at the age of 15 and men got married at the age of 20.

At that time, Li Linfu was still the Yellow Gate Minister, and was only one step away from being appointed as prime minister.

He knew that Li Longji wanted to increase the country's population, so he proposed to Li Longji that the marriage age be changed to fifteen for men and thirteen for women.

He thought Li Xuan said this specifically to target him and deny his political achievements.

In the first year of Tianbao, the population of the Tang Dynasty exceeded that of the peak period of the Sui Dynasty.

How can I tolerate this?

However, Li Linfu still endured and listened to Li Xuan finish his words.

"It is clear to all that giving birth to a child under the age of 18 causes physical damage. Ask yourselves, are children born to women over 18 more likely to survive?"

Li Xuan knew what kind of people the ministers were like, so he added a sentence at the end. Many ministers kept cursing Li Xuan in their hearts.

Most of them have teenage concubines in their families.

If children cannot be born under the age of 18, doesn't that mean sexual intercourse is not allowed under the age of 18?

Although Li Xuan has a high position, he cannot go too far and bully others.

If this brat wants to become prime minister, there will never be peace in the court.

But the first one is really hard to refute, because there has always been a saying that "it is easier to raise children if you remarry."

However, there was no shortage of people who made specious arguments. One minister stepped forward to refute Li Xuan: "The strength and prosperity of a country depends on its population. Under the current system, the population of the Tang Dynasty is increasing rapidly, and so was the case with previous emperors. What's the problem with this?"

"How dare you compare the emperors of ancient times with the saints of today? Although the world is vast, it is not as broad as the mind of a saint; although the sea is deep, it is not as profound as the words and deeds of a saint. A saint should make up for the shortcomings of the past, establish laws for a hundred generations, and spread them for eternity."

"Women under 18 have underdeveloped bones. The chances of mother and child suffering together increase. Do you want your daughter to suffer the same fate? Do you still have any mercy?"

"Are you so sure that if women get married over 18, the country's population will grow slowly?"

Li Xuan is never afraid of confronting others.

But when Li Xuan was arguing with others, he did not forget to flatter Li Longji.

Li Longji felt very comfortable hearing this. Anyway, he would never visit concubines under the age of eighteen again.

If this matter can be reformed, it will truly be a benevolent policy that will last for generations.

"King Tianshui, since you have raised the question, I believe there must be a solution. For example, how do we solve the problem of abandoned babies?"

A minister stepped out and questioned Li Xuan.

“Establish government-run Salesian churches in counties to raise abandoned babies.”

Li Xuan said without hesitation.

There were no official orphanages in the Tang Dynasty. There were only some institutions that cared for the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled, but they were very rare.

However, a large number of babies were adopted by temples.

Some people picked up babies and sent them to temples.

But the temples at that time were not like the temples of later generations, which were extremely rich.

There is always a limit to what babies can accept.

"Many of the abandoned babies are sick, deaf and blind, and some cannot even walk when they grow up. Many are abandoned because of this."

The minister said again.

"The people are the most important, the emperor is the least important, and the country is the second most important. As long as you are born on the land of the Tang Dynasty, you are a citizen of the Tang Dynasty. Being born with a defect is unfortunate. If you raise him to adulthood, isn't it what the "Historical Records" says: the benevolent are invincible and the virtuous are boundless?"

"Yao and Shun ruled the country just to make people well fed and clothed; Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty treated the people well, but many of them were still lacking in happiness. The sage changed the era name to Tianbao according to the instructions of Taishang Laojun. It was to make Tianbao more prosperous than Kaiyuan. Respecting the elderly as well as the elderly of others, and caring for the young as well as the young of others, and establishing the Ciyou Hall, isn't that progress?"

"If you despise disabled people, there are hundreds and thousands of disabled people in every major battle of our border troops. Aren't they pitiful?"

"The Han dynasty used the recommendation system, the Wei and Jin dynasties used the Nine-Rank System, and our dynasty uses the imperial examination system. History is constantly moving forward. There are some things that the Tang Dynasty cannot do, but it is unwilling to do them due to conflicts of interest."

"But I believe that no one would reject the Salesian Church that adopted a baby, only animals would reject it,"

While Li Xuan was speaking with great emotion, he did not forget to make a remark of irony.

See who will prevent the building of the Salesian Church.

"Clap clap clap..."

The Minister of Rites Xi Yu clapped his hands with his tablet.

Although Xi Yu was very old, he was moved by Li Xuan's words.

Xi Yu was a rare poet who was able to become a third-rank official.

Xi Yu was an honest and upright official. He had no extravagant desires and was not swayed by power in what he did.

Even Li Longji praised Xi Yu as "the crown of poets", but that was in the early Kaiyuan period...

Immediately, Li Xuan's brothers, subordinates, close ministers, and ministers who recognized Li Xuan struck the tablets one after another.

Because they were not qualified to take the lead in striking the tablets, even if they agreed with what Li Xuan said, without a prestigious minister to take the lead, they could only watch helplessly.

Sparse sounds of clapping hands could be heard in the court.

The left prime minister Pei Kuan also clapped his hands, and then asked most of the ministers to clap their hands with their tablets.

"I agree with the King of Tianshui's proposal to set up charity halls in the counties, but I don't understand why the King of Tianshui said that he observed that many babies and women died because of midwives. Did the King of Tianshui also observe midwives?"

After the applause stopped, at Li Linfu's signal, Chen Xilie stood up and accused Li Xuan.

To stop the establishment of the Salesian Church now would be a huge offense. But he could question what Li Xuan said about the midwife.

"Ha ha……"

As soon as Chen Xilie finished speaking, the whole room burst into laughter.

When a woman gives birth, men should stay away.

Even if Li Xuan was just asking about such things, he would appear to be ungentlemanly.

"I have never seen a midwife deliver a baby. But if I meet a pregnant woman giving birth on the road, I will definitely help her. I don't agree with the saying that a gentleman does not see blood. Mencius said, 'If the whole world is drowning, help them with morality; if your sister-in-law is drowning, help her with your hands.' If I don't help her, how is I different from the jackals Mencius talked about?"

Li Xuan even openly said things that were more embarrassing for men and refuted them with classics.

During the Warring States Period, there was a man named Chunyu Kun who was good at speaking. He heard that Mencius was good at speaking, so he went to Mencius to debate.

Chunyu Kun first asked: Men and women should not touch each other, is this a rule in "Li"?
Mencius replied: Yes!

Chunyu Kun asked again: If my sister-in-law falls into the water, can my brother-in-law go down and rescue her?

Mencius replied: If you don't save your sister-in-law when she falls into the water, you are as inhuman as a wolf. It is a rule in the Book of Rites that men and women should not touch each other, but saving people at a critical moment is a way of adapting to the changing world.

Li Xuan's meaning was very clear. In order to save his life, he was trying to change.

This is something that all the ancient sages would do, but you, who claim to be nobles and gentlemen, are indifferent to it. How are you different from jackals?
This made Chen Xilie's question fall apart.

"Clap clap..."

This time Pei Kuan nodded, and there was another sound of clapping hands.

Seeing this, Chen Xilie could only bow to Li Longji and retreat.

He knew that since Li Xuan raised this question, there must be a way to solve it.

Li Xuan's words were so sharp that the ministers in the court dared not refute him for fear of embarrassment.

Many ministers also looked at Li Linfu, wanting him to take action.

The traitor in their eyes before is now their lifeline.

It would be inappropriate for Li Linfu to come out or not.

Although he was angry that Li Xuan was looking for trouble, after weighing the pros and cons, he chose to be a coward.

Li Xuan's decision to raise the marriage age of women by five years not only offended the ministers in the court.

Even if it is implemented from next year, many powerful people and wealthy families will be unhappy because many people like it this way.

"For matters like coal fire poisoning, the county magistrate and county magistrate should summon the village assistants and make sure the news reaches every household..."

"Once the imperial edict arrives, marriage between cousins ​​must be prohibited..."

"The regulations on matters to be handled by midwives are also to be notified to every household in the county, and supervised by family members. If a midwife does not follow the regulations, it is equivalent to manslaughter and will be punished severely. There will definitely be midwives who are afraid of punishment and dare not deliver babies again. Therefore, the issuance of this policy will be postponed for two years, during which time the counties will train more professional midwives..."

"Men and women can only get married when they are 18 years old. No one will pursue them before the order is issued. After the order is issued, they will be strictly investigated..."

"A Salesian Hall will be set up in each county. According to the number of babies adopted by the Salesian Hall, land will be distributed to the Salesian Hall. Village residents will be hired to recruit babies on behalf of the Salesian Hall. The county will bear the silk money of the Salesian Hall..."

Li Xuan informed Li Longji of his final suggestion.

Due to the heavy burden on the people, the population growth becomes slow after reaching this level.

If people are well fed and clothed, have adequate nutrition, and have fewer burdens, the population will naturally grow rapidly.

So even if what Li Xuan proposed could be approved, it would only be the beginning of his goal.

I will innovate, overcome all difficulties, and dare to be the first. I don't know how many people I will offend.

Especially the two words "slave" and "servant", it is extremely difficult to get rid of them, and even Li Xuan sees no hope.

Born a slave, living a slave, and dying a slave...

Li Xuan spoke for half an hour, and in the entire hall, only Li Xuan's voice was heard.

He said things that made many people uncomfortable, but no one dared to stand up and refute him.

He was not a prime minister, but a civil servant who served as the Chief Censor.

But all the civil and military officials looked at Li Xuan standing in the center of the hall, and his behavior and speech were like those of a prime minister.

At this moment, all the civil and military officials felt that no one could stop Li Xuan from becoming prime minister.

"The King of Tianshui also served as the Envoy of the Salesian Hall and the Envoy for Correcting Marriages. He recommended judges and officials, established the Salesian Hall, and corrected marriages throughout the country."

Seeing that no one spoke, Li Longji thought that the prime minister was silent, so he directly let Li Xuan serve as two envoys.

The court meeting ended at noon and Li Longji ordered the court to be adjourned.

Li Longji did not mention the Qingmiao Law, which had a greater impact than the relocation of the people.

(End of this chapter)