Chapter 307 Li Xuan's Crisis, Gao Xianzhi Returns to Beijing to Surrender Prisoners

"grown ups……"

"Grandpa..."

After hearing Zhang Taoguang's decree, Li Linfu could not bear such a blow. He rolled his eyes and fell to the ground.

In the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, he was appointed as the Minister of Rites and the co-director of the Secretariat, and in the 24th year of Kaiyuan, he was appointed as the Minister of the Secretariat and became the chief prime minister. Until today, it has been exactly 17 years.

In the first ten years of his appointment as prime minister, Li Linfu held power and had the final say.

But after Li Xuan came out of nowhere, Li Linfu failed repeatedly, his power was weakened time and time again, he lost his important position, and his close colleagues died.

Now he was suddenly dismissed from his position as prime minister, and Li Xuan came in person.

It was obvious that this was Li Xuan's doing. Li Linfu didn't even have a chance to explain to the saint.

The struggle between Li Linfu and Li Xuan ended thus, and he was completely defeated.

In Li Linfu's mind, he thought that Li Xuan was arrogant and the new law would definitely fail.

But Li Linfu could not stay in the position of prime minister and wait for the day when Li Xuan failed.

Over the past decade, Li Linfu has offended too many people.

Li Linfu's eldest son, Li Xiu, was the Chief of Works, a third-rank official position, but what was the use of that?
"Li Jian, please accept the order on behalf of your father!"

Li Xuan saw that Li Linfu had fainted and it didn't seem like a fake, so he said to Li Xiu.

Li Linfu's dismissal from office represented the decline of their branch.

After suffering such a blow, Li Linfu didn't know how long he could live.

You may even die!
"I accept your order on behalf of my father!"

Li Xiu suppressed the grief in his heart and bent over to take the imperial edict.

In the fourth year of Tianbao, Li Xiu saw that his father's power was overwhelming and he was worried that it would cause trouble, so he was very anxious.

Once, Li Xiu was visiting a garden with his father. When he saw a servant pulling a heavy cart, he took the opportunity to kneel down and cried to his father, "Your Excellency has been in office for a long time and has made many enemies, so your future is full of thorns. Once disaster strikes, it will be impossible for you to be like him."

Li Linfu was unhappy and sighed: "The situation is already like this, what else can we do?"

The initial worries have become reality.

Now that my father has been dismissed from his position as prime minister, it is definitely not the end of their family.

Do you hate Li Xuan?
How could I not feel resentment?

But Li Xiu was still rational and knew the cause and effect. Li Yi, Li Qi, Li Xun, Li Yu and others glared at Li Xuan.

Especially for Li Yi, the whip marks on his face became his permanent mark. This was given by Li Xuan, and he will never forget it for the rest of his life.

They wanted to beat Li Xuan to vent their anger, but they also knew that they were overestimating their abilities, not to mention that the courtyard was full of imperial guards.

Li Linfu's daughters were horrified and they also hated Li Xuan because Li Linfu had always loved his daughters and obeyed them in everything. He even allowed his daughters to freely choose their ideal husbands without having to arrange marriages.

Only Li Tengkong was able to comfort Li Linfu.

She believes in Taoism and attaches great importance to cause and effect. She knows that the moment her grandfather eliminates dissidents, the wheel of cause and effect will turn around.

Since ancient times, even if a powerful official dies peacefully, his family will never rest in peace.

Maybe this is fate!
She could go into exile with her family soon, and perhaps atone for the sins her grandfather had committed.

Seeing the panic in the room, Li Xuan turned around and left without staying any longer.

All able-bodied servants in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion were arrested, even the grooms were not spared.

Only a few good people were able to find refuge.

"General, we only found five sets of iron armor, two crossbows, one horn crossbow, and dozens of halberds, spears and other long-handled weapons."

In the yard, General Jinwuwei reported to Li Xuan.

"These weapons are not enough to prove Li Linfu's rebellion. Forget it, just take away the servants in Li Linfu's house."

Li Xuan said slowly.

As the prime minister, it was normal for Li Linfu to have some iron armor, powerful crossbows and long weapons at home.

He also wanted to train his son to see if he had the talent to be a general.

Just like Li Xuan’s Tianshui Palace, there are also some controlled weapons.

As long as there are no more than ten pieces of armor, it is impossible to conclude that Li Linfu has hidden weapons.

In criminal law, the definitions of dignitaries and ordinary people are different.

"As ordered!"

After receiving the order, the general of Jinwu Guard arrested all the arrogant and evil slaves who usually followed their masters.

Because Li Linfu was seriously ill, his sons did not dare to go out for fun, so almost all the servants stayed at home.

These slaves of Li Linfu will first be escorted to the imperial guards camp outside the city.

Then, the soldiers of Jingzhao Yin sent him to Longyou to serve as laborers in the border areas.

Such a big change in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion naturally could not be concealed from the powerful people in Chang'an.

The fact that Li Linfu did not attend court due to illness had already caused people to think too much.

And now Li Xuan led the Jinwu Guards to capture so many slaves in Li Linfu's mansion, which clearly showed that Li Linfu had completely lost his power.

Sure enough, not long after, the news that Li Linfu was removed from his position as Right Prime Minister spread in Chang'an.

Li Linfu had been prime minister for too long, which was shocking news to Chang'an.

Although Li Linfu no longer has power, many people still think that Li Linfu is a centipede that will not die even after its death.

It was not until this moment that people felt that Li Linfu's fate could be judged.

The conservatives were not sad about Li Linfu's dismissal. They gathered together to discuss what to do in the future.

They did not break up because Li Xuan was tolerant and did not eliminate dissidents like Li Linfu did.

No matter how happily they danced in front of Li Xuan, or even if they questioned and insulted Li Xuan, he could tolerate it as long as there was no evidence to prove that they had broken the law.

Little did they know that the court was about to undergo a major change, and not everyone would be like Li Xuan and tolerate dissenting voices.

Only Li Linfu's close associates felt a little sad. Once Li Linfu fell, they lost their support.

Because they had followed Li Linfu, they were destined to be despised by the powerful.

Yang Guozhong was shocked when he learned that Li Linfu had been dismissed from his position as prime minister and that Li Xuan had led his troops to arrest all his slaves.

After dancing around for a while, he calmed down, frightened by Li Xuan's methods.

Li Linfu had escaped yesterday, and he could see that the saint did not want to interfere in Li Linfu's affairs anymore.

Unexpectedly, Li Linfu suffered a disaster in just one day.

It was more serious than he had planned!
Thinking back to the advice given to him by Li Xuan's former subordinate Geshu Han, he felt that he was once again being used as Li Xuan's pawn.

He couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.

If he became the prime minister, he could not confront Li Xuan head-on for the time being, otherwise he would suffer a great loss.

……

Li Linfu's residence.

At dusk, Li Linfu, who was lying on the couch, slowly woke up.

"Grandpa is awake..."

When he opened his eyes, the faces of his children around him lit up with joy.

After Li Linfu calmed down for a while, he spoke slowly and intermittently: "Bring the imperial edict... here, I will read it again."

"Yes, my lord..."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Xiu took the imperial edict of dismissal from the position of prime minister to Li Linfu and slowly unfolded it.

At this time, Li Linfu's mind was very clear.

Judging from the imperial edict to dismiss him, the saint thought he was guilty!

Otherwise, the imperial edict to dismiss the prime minister would not be written like this.

"Li Qilang, I still couldn't beat you after all!" Li Linfu sighed.

"What else happened?"

While his children were sobbing with their heads down, Li Linfu spoke again.

"More than 400 strong and mature servants in the family were all captured by Li Qilang. Now, apart from the elderly, only the women are left in the family."

Li Xiu did not hide this matter, his father would know it sooner or later.

"So that's how it is. The Saint suspects me of treason!"

Li Linfu was very smart. He immediately figured this out from the arrest of his slaves.

Although he never held military power, he was suspected of colluding with border generals.

There are so many slaves in the mansion. If the saint believes something, he will not care so much.

At the beginning, the sage suspected that Crown Prince Li Ying was plotting a rebellion, so he killed three of his sons in one day.

Li Ying has no military power!

He was not executed directly, but was removed from his position as prime minister and asked to reflect on his actions, which was considered as "letting him off the hook".

"How could your Excellency do such a treasonous thing? Tomorrow I will kneel in Xingqing Palace and defend my father!"

Li Xiu told Li Linfu that he knew his father had no intention of rebelling and he was determined to seek justice.

"It's useless! If you try to persuade the saint, it will only make our family more miserable."

Li Linfu knew Li Longji too well. Sometimes, he had a heart of stone and would never thoroughly investigate the details just because of Li Xiu's plea.

Li Longji had already given up on Li Linfu, and would not pick him up again even for the sake of his own face.

Not knowing one’s mistakes, not admitting them, and not correcting them.

This is the saint of the Tang Dynasty at this moment!

"If I take off my purple robe, my family can keep what they have now. I am willing to do that. Without my father, everything seems like a castle in the air. What should I do?"

Li Xiu knelt in front of Li Linfu's bed and buried his head in Li Linfu.

"Not long ago, I told Li Qilang that I had no regrets. Now I feel extremely regretful. I now know how much disaster I have brought upon you."

Li Linfu was full of regret and began to question his glorious life.

He has worked hard for most of his life, and it would be extremely foolish if he made his descendants suffer just for a moment of power.

The more he enjoyed his power in the past, the more miserable he is now.

"Don't say that, sir. We are rich and prosperous because of you. We all have luxury and pleasure. Even if we die without a burial place in the future, we will not regret it."

Li Xiu held Li Linfu's withered hand and comforted him.

What he said made all the children present bow their heads. Who could accept such an outcome?
"I, your father, now hope that Li Qilang will always be the prime minister. Although Li Qilang has been vigorous and powerful in recent years, he has never killed or demoted anyone indiscriminately. Why didn't your father do the same as Li Qilang?"

When Li Linfu was in power, he either killed or demoted his opponents, often implicating entire families and exiling them thousands of miles away, causing countless casualties.

Li Xuan was born a military general, and he should have been "decisive and ruthless" and "extremely violent". Li Xuan did kill, but he would not kill innocent people just because he liked it.

Therefore, Li Xuan received rave reviews from both the court and the public.

Comparing the two generations of prime ministers, the difference is obvious.

So Li Linfu believed that if Li Xuan was the prime minister, his children and grandchildren could have temporary peace.

If Li Xuan were dismissed from his post, it would be hard to say.

"Your Excellency has your own way of governing, and you are great!"

Li Xiu couldn't say anything bad for fear of hurting his father.

"It's good for me to take a break. From now on, you all should support Li Qilang's new method."

Li Linfu just said this.

Although these words may seem embarrassing, they actually mean that they want their offspring to live well.

Because they no longer have the capital to confront Li Xuan.

At this time, the atmosphere in the room became even sadder.

……

"Report..."

"Reporting to Prime Minister Li, the King of Yunnan, Ge Luofeng, sent an imperial edict..."

While Chang'an was in constant turmoil, Li Xuan remained firmly on the throne.

A few days later, a memorial was delivered to the Secretariat on express horseback.

Li Xuan first opened the memorial sent by Ge Luofeng.

Not surprisingly, it was Geluofeng who sued Yunnan Governor Zhang Qiantuo.

Since Zhang Qiantuo took office as governor of Yunnan last year, Geluofeng often visited him with his wife Bai according to etiquette.

However, Zhang Qiantuo relied on the power of the Tang Dynasty and its reputation of conquering Tubo to make many requests and demands of Geluofeng. As the monarch of Nanzhao, Geluofeng would naturally not always agree to the requests of a prefect.

So Zhang Qiantuo insulted Geluofeng, but Geluofeng was afraid of the Tang Dynasty and could only swallow his anger.

During this period, Zhang Qiantuo made many memorials to the court, accusing the Nanzhao King Geluofeng of having ulterior motives and being suspected of being disloyal.

He also said that under the leadership of Geluofeng, Nanzhao expanded to surrounding countries and became increasingly powerful, and would sooner or later become another Tubo.

At the same time, Zhang Qiantuo wanted Chengjie, who was in exile in the Tang Dynasty, to replace Geluofeng as the King of Nanzhao.

Chengjie was another son of the former King of Nanzhao, Piloge.

This is an act of humiliation for Geluofeng, and no country can tolerate it.

So the quarrel between Geluofeng and Zhang Qiantuo became more and more intense.

After discussing with Pei Kuan, Li Xuan decided to transfer Zhang Qiantuo back to Chang'an. At the same time, he promoted a Beijia with good moral character to the position of governor of Yunnan.

Li Xuan, who knew history, stood on the side of Nanzhao.

Avoid war with Nanzhao as much as possible.

He knew that Li Longji was concerned about the expansion of Nanzhao.

But if Nanzhao expanded further, it would be southward and eastward, and it would not be possible to expand towards the Tang Dynasty.

Li Xuan hoped that Nanzhao would expand to the Indian Ocean.

However, he knew that Nanzhao was restricted by geographical factors and it was impossible for it to become a giant like Tubo.

Wait until the situation stabilizes and then find a way to integrate Nanzhao.

In history, facing the insults of Zhang Qiantuo and the Tang Dynasty's desire to make his brother king, Geluofeng directly launched an attack on the Tang Dynasty, defected to Tubo, and became the brother of the Zamp.

This caused the Tang Dynasty to return with disastrous defeat in its two southern expeditions, resulting in the suffering described in "The March of the Chariots".

In this life, no matter how wronged Geluofeng suffered, he would not dare to attack the Tang Dynasty.

Because Tubo had already surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, Li Xuan was the prime minister. Ge Luofeng had come into contact with Li Xuan and he was afraid of him.

I also hope that Li Xuan can do justice.

In the court, Li Xuan petitioned to divorce Zhang Qiantuo, and Li Longji agreed.

The ministers did not refuse.

Only Yang Guozhong's eyes flickered, as if he was thinking about something.

He seemed to have discovered something different. In order for the prime minister to gain a foothold, did he need some military merit?

With the strength of the Tang Dynasty, it would be easy to gain some military merits from Nanzhao!
Although Yang Guozhong had served in the army, he did not know how to fight and relied entirely on his imagination.

Not long after, the King of Nanzhao breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Zhang Qiantuo had been transferred.

With a person like Li Xiang in charge, the Tang Dynasty court was able to distinguish right from wrong.

Geluofeng was a man of great talent. After sending people to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty, he began to attack Dongcuan and Xicuan, preparing to make Nanzhao more powerful.

……

In early June, Shuang'er was finally about to give birth. After Li Xuan got the news, he took a vacation and waited.

With a burst of crying, Li Xuan's eldest daughter was born.

The mother and daughter were safe, which made Li Xuan feel relieved.

Li Xuan treated Shuang'er very well, taking good care of her without being affected by external factors.

During this period, Li Longji hinted to Li Xuan more than once that as long as Yang Jian could be released, he would appoint Li Xuan as the right prime minister.

But Li Xuan turned a deaf ear to it, and sometimes used the excuse that the crime was too serious to be tolerated.

This made Li Longji somewhat annoyed, and was also the reason why the position of right prime minister remained unresolved.

Civil and military officials also speculated that the emperor might be unhappy with the Yang Rui case, which was why Li Xiang had not yet become the right prime minister.

Li Longji recognized those ministers who punished evil and eliminated evil, but when it came to his own people, he failed to do so.

The ministers who were close to Li Xuan all knew that Li Xuan was sticking to his bottom line.

Even when faced with the position of right prime minister which was within his grasp.

No one does not admire Li Xuan's behavior.

But Li Xian, Pei Zunqing and others were also worried about this.

Because some unfavorable news about the Single Whip Law and the Performance Evaluation Law had reached Chang'an, the Yang Rui case made matters worse.

The Performance Evaluation Law and the Single Whip Law are currently being drafted but have not yet been implemented.

It can be seen that these two methods are not easy to implement in places with complex and complicated networks.

Li Xian, Pei Zunqing, Lu Sigong and others visited Li Xuan at the Tianshui Palace privately many times and persuaded Li Xuan to suspend the Single Whip System and the Performance Evaluation System.

But Li Xuan did not accept their opinions, but only explained the reason and appealed to their emotions.

Worry about the world before you worry about yourself, and be happy after the world is happy. This is not just talk!
Many ministers believed that Li Xuan had to accomplish great things within a limited time and fulfill the political concept of "the way of the great road is to make the world public".

The wise minister understood that Li Heng would definitely not use Li Xuan.

Thinking in this way, they could also understand Li Xuan's difficulties and persistence.

Ten years, a hundred years, who else but Li Xuan could have promulgated the Kaocheng Law and the Tiaobian Law?

Under this kind of contradiction, we celebrate the Tianchang Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival...

At these banquets, people's interest was not as high as before, as if a storm was about to come.

At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Wu Daozi got drunk and asked for a poem, and also threatened to paint a picture for Li Xuan, breaking the rule of "no painting without an imperial edict".

Li Xuan immediately wrote down a new poem.

The mica screen has a deep candle shadow, and the long river gradually falls and the sun sinks.

Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, the blue sky and the blue sky and the heart of every night.

Obviously, this poem alludes to Wu Daozi's youthful impulsiveness and his desire for fame, fortune and status led him to become a court painter.

Just like Chang'e who stole the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West, thinking that immortality would be wonderful.

Unexpectedly, his body became light and flew up to the moon.

The Moon Palace is cold and lonely, and the long years are filled with loneliness and solitude.

I want to go back to the past, but I can't. I can only look up at the sky and look down at the moon, day after day, year after year.

This is exactly what Wu Daozi said: "No painting is allowed without an imperial edict."

Although this poem was a mockery of Wu Daozi, it made Li Longji very unhappy.

It was as if he was saying that he trapped Wu Daozi in the "Moon Palace".

This was indeed the case. Wu Daozi had requested to resign many times but was always rejected, and Li Longji had no idea what to say.

However, Yang Yuhuan's heart trembled.

She kept reciting the poem in her mind, and she felt that the poem was written for her.

Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, the blue sky and the blue sky and the heart of every night.

For the sake of wealth and glory, she threw herself into the arms of Li Longji, thinking that all the glory in the world lay there.

Now she regrets it so much that she can only cry late at night...

……

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, a convoy drove into Chang'an City from Shangluo County.

This caravan contained gold embezzled by the former governor of Shangluo and the manager of the Longsha River gold mine.

A total of 1,500 taels of gold, as well as some jewelry and silk money.

The former Shangluo prefect also confessed that, as Yang Rui had said, he bribed Yang Jian with three hundred gold coins.

Regardless of the dynasty, this is a serious crime.

"Your Majesty, the case of Yang Rui has been investigated. Please review it."

On this day, Li Xuan took advantage of Li Longji's court session to step out and hold up the memorial.

Gao Lishi took the memorial and presented it to Li Longji.

After seeing the memorial, Li Longji frowned slightly. Let's not talk about Yang Jian's crime of blocking the official road and trying to rob Yang Rui.

Yang Jian successively accepted bribes from Yang Rui, the former governor of Shangluo, and officials of the Longsha River gold mine, with a value of more than 500 gold, and was also charged with sheltering them.

Furthermore, his gold mine was embezzled so much money, it's outrageous!

"A dignified official of the imperial court actually became a thief and stole the country's gold. In total, I'm afraid the amount is more than two thousand gold. This is intolerable. The corrupt officials of Longsha River Gold Mine, the former Shangluo prefect, Yang Rui, Anye Cheng, Anye Wei, etc. should all be executed to serve as a warning to others!"

Li Longji was furious and issued an edict.

He also had his own little thoughts, and those involved in the case were all executed.

The only thing he did not mention was Yang Jian, who took bribes and committed crimes.

Civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment. The sage was obviously protecting Yang Jian. What should they do?

"The saint is wise..."

Only a very small number of officials responded to these four words.

Most of them remained silent, causing a stalemate in the hall.

Everyone turned their eyes to Li Xuan.

"Your Majesty, I think that Yang Jian, who was involved in the case, beat up the censor in public, disrespected the law and tried to kidnap Yang Rui. This is a bad behavior and is more serious than corruption and bribery. Please punish him!"

Just when Li Xuan was about to speak, Zhao Fengzhang, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward and reported to Li Longji.

"You are only a fourth-rank official, do you still want to question the crimes of a third-rank official?"

Li Longji looked displeased. He thought it was Li Xuan, but he didn't expect that even Zhao Fengzhang dared to contradict him.

"An eighth-rank official can interrogate the crimes of a first-rank official. What's more, I am the Minister of Personnel."

Zhao Fengzhang retorted very firmly.

This sentence hit Li Longji's throat directly, making him feel very embarrassed, and he said sternly: "What if there is no rank?"

This was a threat to remove Zhao Fengzhang from his official position.

"Su Anheng was just a commoner in Jizhou before, but he risked his life to advise the Empress three times. I think even without a rank, I can correct your Majesty's mistakes."

Zhao Fengzhang said bluntly.

All the ministers were sweating for Zhao Fengzhang.

When facing Li Longji, many ministers would prioritize preserving themselves before doing big things.

No one is like Zhao Fengzhang, who is tough to the end.

Too rigid will easily break. Is there anyone who doesn't understand this?

As expected, when Li Longji's face was twisted and he was about to explode in anger, Li Xuan immediately bowed to Li Longji and said, "Your Majesty, Yang Jian has accepted many bribes. If he is not punished, it will damage the prestige of the court. Local officials will follow suit. I suggest that Yang Jian be convicted."

This time, Li Xuan successfully directed Li Longji's dissatisfaction towards himself.

These are the words of the prime minister, different from those of Zhao Fengzhang.

Li Longji could not use the words he used to ridicule Zhao Fengzhang to ridicule Li Xuan.

Everyone knew that Li Xuan was right, but Li Longji was unwilling to hold Yang Jian accountable.

If there is something good on the top, it will be great on the bottom.

The evidence is solid, but the criminal is not prosecuted. Won't the Yang family be so proud of themselves in the future?

"Your Majesty, I ask you to convict Yang Jian!"

Li Xian, Pei Zunqing and other civil and military ministers stood up at the same time and spoke in unison.

This is to intimidate Li Longji and convict Yang Jian!
Li Longji was very surprised when he saw this. It seemed as if he had returned to the era of Han Xiu and Zhang Jiuling, when the court officials forced him to do things he didn't like.

"Humph! Yang Jian is guilty, but I am the emperor. I will now order Yang Jian to be pardoned and demoted to the position of Guanglu Shaoqing. Is that not enough?"

Li Longji blew his beard and glared, then snorted coldly.

It seems that Li Xuan has really become like Zhang Jiuling, forcing him for such a small matter.

Although Li Longji also thought that Yang Jian was a bit of a bastard, Yang Jian could not die, otherwise Lady Yuhuan would definitely be sad.

"I am afraid that Your Majesty will lose prestige, and it is not worthwhile to grant Yang Jian a special pardon!" Li Xuan said to Li Longji.

"You guys forced me to do this..."

Li Longji said angrily.

"Yang Jian committed a crime. If we do not advocate for his punishment, we would be disloyal. Since ancient times, when royal relatives commit crimes, it is most likely to affect the people's hearts. We, the ministers, are loyal and speak frankly without any selfish motives. The reason why the king is wise is that he listens to all sides; the reason why the king is foolish is that he only believes in one side. Please judge by the saint..."

Li Xuan bowed to Li Longji and continued to persuade him.

"I am tired, I will leave..."

Li Longji didn't want to listen and ordered the court to be adjourned.

"Retreat from the court..."

Gao Lishi's face was also full of worry, and he stepped forward and shouted.

"Congratulations to Your Majesty..."

Civil and military officials saluted.

Li Longji was so angry that he withdrew from court. What could they do?

Through this incident, the ministers had to admit that the saint was no longer wise and was no different from the incompetent emperors in history.

It was an obvious case, but they granted amnesty to cover up the crime.

Despite the earnest advice given by the ministers, he actually withdrew from the court.

They don't understand what the saints are thinking.

“Li Xiang….”

The ministers came forward, but were interrupted by Li Xuan: "Stop talking, just do your own thing!"

The ministers could only sigh and leave, returning to their own yamen.

Seeing that Li Xuan repeatedly contradicted the saint, that scene seemed to be about to happen again, making the conservatives feel like they had won without any effort.

In this way, Yang Rui and others were sentenced to death.

And Yang Jian saw the light of day again.

He was only demoted to the position of Guanglu Shaoqing, and he was still one of the Five Yangs, so it was no big deal.

Both the government and the opposition were sighing over this matter.

As a result, Li Xuan cannot currently hold the position of Right Prime Minister.

Li Longji even wanted to appoint Yang Guozhong as the right prime minister at one point, but was dissuaded by Yang Yuhuan.

She always spoke well of Li Xuan intentionally or unintentionally.

October is the first month of winter.

The Minister of War Huangfu Weiming did not survive the winter and died with hatred in his heart.

He was a hidden member of the prince's party and was once a good friend of Li Heng. Although he sometimes supported Li Xuan, he always hoped that the prince would ascend the throne so that he would have the opportunity to become prime minister.

But in the end, he did not survive Li Longji.

At the same age, Li Longji can still hunt and play football.

This month, when the new Changping Law and Yitiaobian Law were about to be drafted, backlash from the local areas came.

Dozens of counties, with Mianshui County in Jiannan Road as the center, reported to the court that the granaries in various places were empty and there was no grain available for borrowing.

If disasters occur in the future, greater catastrophes will occur as a result.

At the same time, more than one hundred counties jointly submitted a petition asking the emperor to revoke his decision, saying that the new Changping Law and the Yitiaobian Law were detrimental to the country.

Starting from October, Li Longji received more than ten memorials from local governments every day.

Although Li Longji rarely attended court, he would call Li Xuan to Xingqing Palace to scold him every few days.

Li Xuan spoke righteously and analyzed to Li Longji the feasibility and necessity of the Single Whip System and the Performance Evaluation System.

Mass resistance is an inevitable trend.

As long as you have a firm will, you will be able to see the moon after the clouds have cleared.

Li Xuan first suggested that while there was no fighting in the border areas, 200,000 border troops should be transferred to the Central Plains.

Be ready to suppress at any time to avoid chaos.

Li Longji thought Li Xuan's proposal was extreme and did not adopt it.

This was also what Li Xuan expected.

In this era, if reforms are to succeed, they must be suppressed by the army.

If Li Longji disagreed, he would miss the opportunity.

At the court meeting in early November, Li Xuan again proposed to transfer troops to the Central Plains and Jiangnan to prepare for the implementation of the new law.

Get the support of certain court officials!

But Li Longji continued to deny.

Yang Guozhong also privately told Li Longji that Li Xuan had evil intentions.

But Li Longji didn't believe it.

Because the troops Li Xuan wanted to dispatch included not only the Helong Army, but also a large number of the Hedong Army, the Shuofang Army, and the Fanyang Army and the Pinglu Army.

Li Xuan has no military power now, let alone Fanyang and Pinglu, he can't even control Helong.

By November, more and more places had reported emergencies to the court, and all the granaries in the Changping granary had been emptied.

Although there were many counties and prefectures that supported Li Xuan, these were enough to cause panic throughout the world.

Many powerful people had already given up farming their own land and wrote letters to the emperor, calling Li Xuan a treacherous prime minister.

What's more, some even requested to execute Li Xuan!
Li Longji was overwhelmed by the daily memorials.

He wanted to go to Huaqing Palace, but because of these things, he couldn't leave.

Yang Guozhong has recently been telling Li Longji that the Single Whip System and the Performance Evaluation System were not desirable, which led to the current situation.

The Single Whip System and the Performance Evaluation System should be abolished as soon as possible before they are implemented.

Although Li Xuan said it very beautifully, the One Whip System and the Examination System were indeed beneficial to the country and the people, Li Longji felt that Yang Guozhong was right, and the current Tang Dynasty might not be suitable for the One Whip System and the Examination System.

The blueprint drawn by Li Xuan is too idealistic.

In mid-November, An Lushan of Hebei presented a "Book of All the People" to convey the people's will to Li Longji, saying that the Single Whip Law and the Performance Evaluation Law would cause officials to harass the people and cause public resentment.

Because the Changping Warehouse was short of grain, the government was unable to supply grain, and the merchants took the opportunity to raise prices.

In Shannan, Jiangnan, Lingnan, Hebei and other places, a dou of rice costs 100 coins.

Soared tenfold.

In many places, people could not afford to buy food and turned to stealing.

Once the market was disrupted, even some counties and prefectures that obeyed the imperial court would be unable to control it.

Yang Guozhong took the opportunity to tell Li Longji that Li Xuan was only suitable for fighting, but was too young and had no experience in governing the country.

On December 5, the ninth year of Tianbao, the overwhelmed Li Longji was preparing for a court meeting to ask Li Xuan about his dereliction of duty...

Therefore, the One Whip Law and the Examination Hall Law prevented Li Longji from going to Huaqing Palace this year, and even reduced the time he spent with Lady Yuhuan. His patience had reached its limit...

……

At the same time, a large team has passed through the Hexi Corridor and Longyou...

The person who led this team was the famous general Gao Xianzhi.

He entered Chang'an this time to seek credit and present captives to Li Longji.

Last year, Gao Xianzhi was ordered to attack the Kingdom of Qishi and captured its king, Botumo, and appointed Botumo's brother Sujia as the new King of Qishi.

Afterwards, Gao Xianzhi, who was addicted to war, hurriedly reported to the court over 700 miles away that the Shi Kingdom had no etiquette for foreign countries and was making friends with the Arabs.

Li Longji also agreed to attack Shiguo.

After the imperial edict arrived, he sent people to negotiate peace with the State of Shi, and then secretly passed through Chencang, led his troops over mountains and across rivers, and reached the border of the State of Shi.

When the Shi Kingdom was unprepared, Gao Xianzhi launched a surprise attack. The Shi Kingdom's army was vulnerable to the strong troops of Anxi and was defeated in an instant.

Gao Xianzhi captured the King of Shi State, Chebi Shi, and his followers.

They also massacred the people in Zhezhi City, the capital of the Shi State, and killed all the old and weak.

Gao Xianzhi originally wanted to make the prince of Shi State the new king.

But the prince of Shi State hated the Tang Dynasty and fled to the Arab world.

In this battle, Gao Xianzhi seized all the wealth of Zhezhi City. The gold alone required several camels to transport it.

All of these were embezzled by Gao Xianzhi.

Although greed for money was a common phenomenon among Tang Dynasty generals, there had never been anyone like Gao Xianzhi.

On his way back after the great victory, Gao Xianzhi defeated the Turgesh on the pretext of their betrayal and captured their Khan Yibo.

This ruined the Tang Dynasty's reputation in the Western Regions.

At this time, the Arabs ended their civil strife and the Black Arabs were established.

The countries west of the Pamir Mountains all surrendered to the Black Arabs.

However, Gao Xianzhi was not afraid. He planned to present the King of Qishi, the King of Shiguo, and the Khan of Turgesh to the imperial court, and then compete with the Arabs.

(End of this chapter)