Without an emperor, Chang'an is no longer the capital.

The people were once demoralized by Li Longji's escape, the princes and nobles were all in danger, the palace maids and eunuchs tried every means to escape, and the prisoners in the prison were left unattended.

Li Xuan did not allow anyone to conceal Li Longji's "march to the southwest with thousands of chariots and horses."

The story of the sage's hasty escape after the rebel An Lushan broke through Tongguan was circulated among the people in the market.

An Lushan's rebels committed all sorts of evil wherever they went, including murder, rape, and looting.

The people who fled from Henan to Guanzhong told stories of the misery they experienced under the occupation by the rebels.

This made Tongguan a line of defense in the hearts of the people of Chang'an.

After Tongguan was breached, it was inevitable that the people would flee to Mount Zhongnan.

When the people lose their emperor, they lose their backbone.

The sky is covered with dark clouds, evil wolves from the northeast are about to invade the pass, the Wei River will turn blood red, countless graves will be dug up, and neither the living nor the dead can rest in peace.

In this despair, Tianshui King Li Xuan descended from the sky like dawn.

Even though the imperial court had previously defined Li Xuan as "Thief Li".

But the prestige he had built up over the past decade or so made countless people place their will on Li Xuan.

Especially after the news of Li Xuan's annihilation of the rebel vanguard spread, the faith of the people of Jingzhao was further strengthened.

There is a sense of "If you don't come out of the mountains, what will happen to the people?" People think that only the King of Tianshui can put down the brutal rebellion.

The people's hearts were stable, and the people of Jingzhao stopped fleeing and returned to Chang'an.

More importantly, the incompetent Yang Guozhong and the extravagant "Five Yangs" were arrested by Li Xuan in an attempt to "clear the court."

The Yang family is extremely distinguished and prestigious.

When they are in favor, they not only bully the people, but also bully the powerful.

Even if they received a bribe of 100 taels of gold, they still thought that the other party was trying to curry favor with them and treated them like pigs and dogs, ordering them around.

Princesses, prince consorts, grandsons of the emperor, royal family members, ministers, gentry, nobles, eunuchs, and wealthy merchants.

From Xiuzhenfang in the northwest to Quchi in the southeast; from Shiliuwangzhai in the northeast to Yongyangfang in the southwest.

People of all classes, rich and poor, were jealous of the Yang family.

The Yang family fell into poverty and was punished, and all the people in Chang'an applauded and rejoiced.

There is no harm without comparison.

An Lushan advocated purging the court of corrupt officials, but less than two months later, when he saw the dragon throne in the palace, he could not help but proclaim himself emperor.

His wolfish ambition was clearly revealed, confirming the charge of treason.

Li Xuan also wanted to purge the court of evildoers, but he arrested Yang Guozhong and the Five Yangs and was not in a hurry to become emperor.

No matter what the future holds, Li Xuan is now the hope of the people and many scholars.

But at the same time, some people feel dissatisfied and fearful, and the fire of change may burn again and be extremely fierce.

People's hearts are wavering, there will always be extremes, and they will always be rampant.

Mingde Gate, Zhuque Street.

As the imperial guards entered, warm cheers were heard; they had finally waited for something.

Young and strong people, the old, the weak, women and children were standing on both sides of the street. There were so many people that they were shoulder to shoulder. They looked at Mingde Gate with hope.

Months of tension were finally eased with the news that Prince Tianshui had returned to the capital, and the faces of the people in Chang'an were filled with reverence and joy.

Under their gaze, the Imperial Guards slowly moved forward.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the emperor's dragon chariot, driven by six horses of different colors, gradually appeared in people's sight.

The body of the carriage is carved with dragon and phoenix patterns and inlaid with pearls and gems, highlighting the emperor's majesty.

What was different from the past was that in addition to the Yu Lin Lang driving the dragon chariot, there were two people sitting under the red canopy.

Li Longji, Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

And Li Xuan wearing golden armor.

He is extraordinary and heroic, with an unchanged face and the same smile as always, like a spring breeze.

Who said he was a traitor?
"My young husband..."

"saint……"

The people on both sides shouted and worshipped one after another, extremely excited.

Some of them bowed to Li Longji and Li Xuan in the carriage; some old men could not suppress their emotions and knelt on the ground; some wiped their tears with their hands; some stopped and watched, feeling deeply moved.

The elderly, children, and women would all look at Li Xuan first, rather than Li Longji who was next to Li Xuan.

It was not until this moment that many people felt at ease.

"That's great. The Saint has returned to the capital safely. With the young minister's assistance, there is no need to worry about the bandits. Sooner or later, we can recapture Luoyang and bring peace to the world."

"I thought the Saint and the young master were at odds, but unexpectedly they were in harmony. The civil and military officials protected the Saint and the young master. Yang was eliminated, and the court was finally united."

"The birth of a young husband is a blessing to the country and the people."

"If the young minister had not been dismissed nine years ago, how could An Lushan's rebellion have taken place? Yang Guozhong has brought disaster upon the country and the people, and he deserves death."

"Yes! If my young master were here, we wouldn't have starved to death during the thirteen years of heavy rain."

"And the battle of Nanzhao. It was that bastard Yang Guozhong who killed my son."

"I hope that God will bless you, my young master, to quell the rebellion as soon as possible and bring peace to the country."

When the people of Chang'an saw this scene, they thought of "harmony between the ruler and his subjects."

The sage invited the young prime minister who had cleared the court and put down the rebellion to ride on the dragon chariot with him, which meant that he would definitely appoint the young prime minister as the chief prime minister again to restore order.

There were also some knowledgeable people who discovered the invisible flashes of swords and shadows from the expressions of Li Xuan, Li Longji and the civil and military officials.

Li Longji always liked the feeling of being cheered on by the people. He believed that this would show his majesty.

Therefore, Li Longji would host a banquet for the elderly people over 70 in Chang'an during the Tianchang Festival to celebrate with the people.

When going to Qujiang and Daming Palace, Li Longji would sometimes go beyond Jiacheng and accept greetings from the people of Chang'an.

But at this moment Li Longji was not in the mood at all.

The cheers he heard were mostly from "young husband". He, the former "saint", had merely returned to Chang'an.

People placed their hopes on Li Xuan.

Civil and military officials felt complicated when they saw that Li Xuan was deeply loved by the people.

This is not the attitude that a powerful official who is trying to seize power should have!

Looking back, it all seemed so natural.

When An Lushan rebelled, Li Xuan entered the capital as if it were a natural thing.

But the reality is that the entire Chang'an's Flying Dragon Imperial Guards, Longwu Army, Yulin Army, and Jinwu Guards were all incorporated by Li Xuan.

All the original imperial guards generals were dismissed.

Li Xuan then promoted soldiers who had served in the border army, such as Zhang Xiaojing, to become the commander-in-chief of the Flying Dragon Imperial Guard.

The people who guarded the emperor all became Li Xuan's personal guards, Tian Ce, which seemed to replace the original Yulin and Longwu.

An Lushan's rebels wiped out the main force of the Tang Dynasty's imperial guards, leaving the entire Guanzhong region without any cavalry, allowing Li Xuan to move freely.

"The traitor Yang Guozhong, beat him to death..."

Behind the team of civil and military officials was Yang Guozhong sitting in the prison cart.

The heavy rain in Guanzhong made the people of Chang'an hate Yang Guozhong to the core.

It’s such a relief to see a treacherous prime minister being arrested by the King of Tianshui!
The people of Chang'an took out the stones they had prepared from their pockets and threw them at Yang Guozhong's prison car.

Even the Jinwu Guards can't stop it!
They could only step forward to protect the dragon chariot and the team of civil and military officials to avoid accidental injuries.

"Dangdang..."

The stones hit the prison van and fell to the ground.

Some of them hit Yang Guozhong directly. Although the bullets were not big, they were very painful. If he was not careful, he would suffer a bloody head.

"How dare you! I am the Prime Minister..."

Yang Guozhong was furious and shouted at these untouchables.

He did not forget to cover his face with his wide official robe to avoid further pain.

At this time, Yang Guozhong appeared to be powerful but was actually weak. His words had no deterrent effect and instead aroused the anger of the people.

Not only the people of Chang'an were killed on Zhuque Street, but so many people died in the rainstorm in Guanzhong because of Yang Guozhong.

Those people whose husbands, fathers, and sons died in Nanzhao were filled with uncontrollable anger.

They believed that the battle against Nanzhao was not a sacrifice for the country, but Yang Guozhong's personal desire.

Even the families of some flying cavalry, 彍骑, and soldiers who had lost contact in Tongguan blamed Yang Guozhong for this.

Not to mention other things, such as selling official positions and titles, indulging slaves, eliminating dissidents, nepotism, embezzlement, etc.

To the extent that people would make up songs to satirize Yang Guozhong from time to time, and even made up anecdotes such as the story of Yang Guozhong's wife Pei Rou becoming pregnant in a dream, which were very detailed and true.

The Yang family members who followed Yang Guozhong, including Lady Guoguo, Yang Jian, Lady Hanguo, and Yang Qi, also had a hard time. They were also the targets of the people's anger.

The Lady of Guo was tied up and her mouth was sealed.

She is also a typical example, and she has been hit by as many stones as Yang Guozhong.

His head was broken and he kept struggling.

She finally felt unprecedented humiliation, and blood and tears flowed together.

She is not afraid of death. The pain in her body is not as great as the trauma in her heart.

She is the noble Lady of Guo State and should not appear on Zhuque Street like this.

Her slaves and her well-dressed attendants are worthy to follow her.

Under this blow, Lady Guo rolled her eyes and fainted.

Only then did Li Xuan order the Tiance Guards to protect the prison car.

Otherwise, you would definitely be stoned to death along the way.

"The bamboos of Nanshan Mountain are filled with inscriptions of crimes, and the waves of the East China Sea are filled with evil. The people are full of resentment, so why did the sage keep using Yang Guozhong?"

The scene looked messy, but it was actually under control.

Li Xuan asked Li Longji amid the noise that broke through the sky.

"..."

Li Longji remained silent, his face flushed.

It was not because he could not respond to this sentence, but because listening to Yang Guozhong's screams, it was as if the people were hitting him.

Why does Yang Guozhong have his current status?

In addition to being Yang Yuhuan's distant cousin, he was also Li Longji's confidant.

The reason why a king is wise is that he listens to all sides; the reason why a king is foolish is that he trusts only one side.

Li Longji always thought he was better than his great-grandfather Li Shimin.

If we were to make a final judgment now, he would be far from being good enough.

"It is never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have been lost. I will assist the saint to quell the rebellion."

Li Xuan waved to the people while chatting and laughing with Li Longji.

On the way from Xianyang, Li Xuan and Li Longji hardly spoke a word.

In order to show the harmony between the monarch and his subjects in public, he had to keep talking to Li Longji.

Li Longji was about to respond.

If Li Longji remained silent, the atmosphere would be wrong.

So Li Xuan's expression changed, and he said to Li Longji: "Since the Saint ascended the throne, I am probably the only one who can use a famous prime minister!"

"Yao Chong and Zhang Shuo are no worse than you."

Li Longji was unhappy when he heard this. After decades of prosperity, there was not even a famous prime minister. Doesn't this mean that he was blind?

"Besides being good at governing officials, what other outstanding qualities does Yao Chong have?"

Li Xuan asked Li Longji.

"When Yao Chong was over sixty years old, he could still ride a horse and draw a bow in Mount Li, just like a young man. If Yao Chong were still alive, the bandits would not be easily defeated!" Li Longji answered Li Xuan ambiguously.

The "thief" he refers to could be An Lushan or Li Xuan.

"Let's just say that! People at that time put Song Jing on the same level as Yao Chong. He was honest and capable. Like Wei Zheng, he spoke out against the emperor and made the government more clean. Did he have the ability to destroy the bandits?"

Li Xuan smiled and used Yao Chong to introduce Song Jing.

The prime minister who saved the time was Jiao Yangchun. In the glorious Kaiyuan Era, Yao and Song were a combination that could never be avoided.

Although Yao and Song served as the chief prime minister for three years and four years respectively, which was not a big deal in the long Kaiyuan Prosperity, the foundation of the skyscrapers was built under the leadership of these two men.

Chong is good at adapting to changes in order to accomplish things, Jing is good at upholding traditions in order to maintain integrity.

Logically speaking, when Li Longji recalled Yao Chong, he would definitely admire Song Jing, but Li Longji snorted: "Song Jing is just a person who sells his integrity for fame. How can he compare to Yao Chong?"

"What kind of achievements did Lu Huaishen and Yuan Qianyao have?"

Li Xuan knew that Li Longji had always been unhappy with Song Jing.

This kind of minister who speaks out against the emperor's will is really a thorn in one's side.

How can it be pleasing when the fig leaf is torn off?

In fact, even when Song Jing was dismissed from his position as prime minister, Li Longji still trusted Song Jing very much.

When Li Longji was offering sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, Song Jing stayed behind in Chang'an.

Before setting off, Li Longji thought that Song Jing was a veteran of three dynasties and his close associates, so he humbly asked Song Jing for advice and suggestions.

Song Jing spoke directly to him, his words were profound and heartfelt.

Li Longji was deeply touched by this advice, and he wrote down Song Jing's words and kept them on his desk, reading them every time he went out and reflecting on them, as a warning for the rest of his life.

Due to his failure in governing, Li Longji had long forgotten this "motto".

Li Longji once admired "Zhang Jiuling's demeanor" and regarded Li Xuan as such a prime minister.

Now he must feel that Zhang Jiuling, who also dared to speak out against the emperor, is unpopular.

Because Zhang Jiuling once directly advised to kill An Lushan, saying that he would definitely rebel.

Li Longji did not do so. He would scold Zhang Jiuling just like he scolded Song Jing for "selling his integrity for fame".

"Lu Huaishen's Yuan Qianyao can at best be regarded as a prime minister who follows the rules of Xiao and Cao."

Li Longji's evaluation of the two prime ministers Lu Huaishen and Yuan Qianyao was relatively fair.

The two prime ministers did not have the overall control like Yao Chong and Song Jing, but they were strict with themselves and were able to implement the rules of Yao and Song.

Li Xuan then asked Li Longji about his evaluation of Su Yan and Zhang Jiazhen. Li Longji felt sorry for Su Yan.

But Li Longji had a very bad impression of Zhang Jiazhen.

Because Zhang Jiazhen brought back unpleasant memories for Li Longji, he was very dedicated to his duties before he became prime minister, but played power games after becoming the chief prime minister.

"The saint appointed Zhang Shuo as prime minister again. Does he value his status as a great scholar and think he is a prime minister in a prosperous era?"

Li Xuan implicitly said that Li Longji appointed Zhang Shuo as prime minister in order to embellish the prosperous times and whitewash the peace.

Prime Minister Zhang Shuo and Prime Minister Su Yan were known as the "great writers of Yan and Zhao" and were the masters of the literary world.

Li Longji liked to promote such ministers to the highest positions during prosperous times.

"I've said before that Zhang Shuo is no less powerful than Yao Chong. He can put down a Hu people's rebellion with just a dozen cavalrymen. He is much more powerful than you think."

The person Li Longji admired most was Zhang Shuo. Not only did he personally write an epitaph for Zhang Shuo after his death, he also betrothed his daughter to Zhang Shuo's son Zhang Yi.

The sons of Yao Chong and Song Jing did not have a good end, but Zhang Shuo's son remained strong.

The brothers Zhang Yi and Zhang Jun went against Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, but are still alive and well.

"Zhang Shuo has great governance capabilities and decisive military talent..."

I won’t comment too much on other aspects of Li Xuan.

Zhang's policies are well-known.

Since he was appointed prime minister in the 11th year of Kaiyuan, he assisted Li Longji in establishing Lizheng Academy and served as its editor.

Lizheng Academy, which attracted talented people, was the first government-run academy in history and had great significance.

In the twelfth year, Zhang Shuo changed the system of local soldiers to the system of recruiting soldiers.

In the thirteenth year, he proposed to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai.

These "political achievements" are subject to different opinions.

The biggest flaw was that Zhang Shuo was corrupt and took bribes, and appointed people based on personal connections. He used Mount Tai as a pretext to promote the emperor and gave his son-in-law a promotion by three ranks, thus forcibly turning his father-in-law into "Mount Tai".

Unlike now, in the early and middle Kaiyuan period, corruption and bribery were very serious crimes. If subordinates were corrupt, their superiors would be implicated. Prime ministers would be dismissed because of their family members' corruption.

Afterwards, Li Xuan discussed other Kaiyuan prime ministers with Li Longji.

Li Longji also relaxed and spoke vividly, with his raised eyebrows making others see his spirit.

Speaking of Xiao Song, Li Longji scolded him for being all show and no substance.

Speaking of Yuwen Rong, Li Longji cursed the corrupt officials, saying that they were destroying his kingdom like termites.

Speaking of Han Xiu, Li Longji said "he can only fill in the gaps, but it is difficult for him to be a prime minister", which means that Han Xiu is qualified to be a minister of remonstration, but he does not have the talent to be a prime minister.

When mentioning Wang Jun, Du Xian, Li Yuanhong and Pei Guangting, Li Longji's expression became much better.

When Li Longji was about to praise Pei Yaoqing for making him less worried, he suddenly remembered that Pei Yaoqing was the grandfather of Li Xuan's wife, and his face instantly fell.

Sure enough, Li Longji no longer reminisced about Jiu Ling's demeanor. Subconsciously, he did not want to take the blame.

As for Niu Xianke, who was recorded in history books as illiterate, Li Longji praised him too much, saying that Niu Xianke was "diligent and good at making decisions."

Yes, although Niu Xianke followed Li Linfu's orders, the time when he was prime minister until his death was the happiest moment for Li Longji.

At that time, the prime ministers were in harmony and there was no quarrel. The censors dared not speak, as if they were standing on guard horses. He experienced for the first time the joy of "Spring nights are short, the sun rises early, and from now on the king no longer holds court early in the morning."

"When my father was the governor of Henan, he built the three great dams of Shangyang, Jicui and Yuebei on Gushui and Luoshui. He also made many contributions to the frontier in Youzhou. How can his achievements compare?"

When the dragon chariot arrived at Lanlingfang, Li Xuan waved to the people along the way and talked about Li Shizhi with Li Longji.

He wanted to see how Li Longji viewed Li Shizhi.

"… Duke Song is not as good as the best, but better than the worst."

After a moment's silence, Li Longji evaluated Li Shizhi as "average".

Indeed, compared with Kaiyuan Ming, Li Shizhi's temperament was detached and not as good as others.

Li Longji's evaluation was already giving face to Li Shizhi.

However, Li Longji immediately said: "In the first year of Tianbao, when Niu Xianke died, I wanted to use Yang Shenjin or Lu Xuan as the left prime minister!"

After saying this, Li Longji closed his eyes slightly, as if he regretted using Li Shizhi.

He now subconsciously believes that if Li Shizhi had not been appointed as the left prime minister, Li Xuan would not have been able to rise so quickly and gain military power and stage a coup.

"Although Yang Shenjin and Lu Xuan were talented, they were both hidden under Li Linfu's sweet words and sharp swords."

Li Xuan said slowly.

One of Li Linfu's most accomplished achievements was to eliminate Yang Shenjin and Lu Xuan, two political enemies who had the potential to become prime ministers.

Li Xuan knew that Li Longji was speaking in anger.

"That guy is jealous of others' talents. No one can compare to him."

When Li Linfu was finally mentioned, Li Longji became furious.

He disowned those prime ministers who had spoken out against him, but that did not stop him from lashing out at Li Linfu, the prime minister he once trusted and loved the most.

Li Longji was also trying to shirk responsibility.

It was because he misused Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong that the country ended up in this situation.

"If that's the case, why did the sage give him power, set up a horse and a knife? Didn't the sage know anything about Li Linfu's behavior? Why did he use him for 18 years? If a prime minister stays in a position for too long, he will become lazy. Even the most noble people will be blinded by power."

Li Xuan's words at this time were very gentle. When he talked with Li Longji about the Prime Minister of Kaiyuan, he did not use an interrogative tone as he did at Maweiyi.

To be honest, Li Xuan wanted to see Li Longji answer this question in person.

Sitting on the dragon chariot together with this emperor who received both great praise and great criticism, countless scholars in later generations have analyzed the reasons for Li Longji's incompetence, but all of them have different opinions.

Some people say that Li Longji had always been balancing power, but he just went too far.

Some people say that Li Longji was purely addicted to pleasure and indulged in depravity.

Some people say that Li Longji was a bad guy himself. He pretended to be a bad guy in the first half of his life, and let himself go in the second half...

Li Xuan had been in contact with Li Longji for many years and had been trying to figure out Li Longji's thoughts.

He may have known the answer in his heart, but he wanted Li Longji to have self-awareness.

"..."

Li Longji was silent again.

In history, Pei Shiyan discussed with Li Longji the prime ministers of the Kaiyuan period. When Li Longji talked about why he reused Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong, he was also silent!

"I was appointed Prime Minister in the sixth year of Tianbao, but was dismissed in the ninth year of Tianbao. How does the saint see me?"

Li Xuan sighed lightly and pointed at himself.

"I have always thought that An Lushan was an uncivilized barbarian, like a loyal dog. If I treat him well, he will be loyal to me with all his strength. But Qilang is a brilliant writer and an unparalleled commander. In Qilang, I see a gentleman from ancient times and a minister who died for his loyalty like Zhuge Liang. In the future, you must never trust the Hu people, military generals, and loyal ministers again, otherwise my today will be your tomorrow."

Li Longji did not forget to mock Li Xuan, saying that the imbalance of yin and yang and the disruption of order would sooner or later lead to the consequences.

"I am still young and live in the present. Who knows what will happen in another thirty years? My heart is big, as big as the world, and as vast as the universe. I hope the saint takes care of himself and can see that day."

Li Xuan answered Li Longji seriously.

He understands the laws of history.

Yang Jian and Li Yuan also came here as betrayers, but that did not prevent them from establishing their own careers and receiving praise.

Even Zhu Di in later generations, whose bad behavior was all smoothed over by the "Yongle Encyclopedia".

And Li Xuan is obviously different from them.

From the moment he first entered Xingqing Palace and met Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan in the pavilion beside the Dragon Pond, he had been planning and taking every step carefully.

Although there were some mistakes along the way and some self-contradictions when he was appointed as prime minister, he still achieved his goal overall. He sat on today's dragon chariot and toured Suzaku Street with Li Longji.

"Qilang, I can appoint you as the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Deputy Marshal of the Army tomorrow. Please save some face for me!"

Li Longji's words suddenly softened.

"The Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Deputy Marshal cannot control the counties and prefectures of the country, and will only cause trouble. I want the Minister of the Chancellery to control the troops of the country."

"It is better to use talents like me early, so as to avoid missing out on me like Emperor Taizong missed out on Ma Zhou."

Li Xuan held Li Longji's hand. How could he not understand Li Longji's thoughts?
The old emperor was unwilling to be lonely.

Li Xuan naturally wanted to block all of Li Longji's paths.

Li Longji felt disheartened and unhappy.

When they arrived at Anrenfang, Li Xuan ordered the team to stop.

He personally helped Li Longji get off the dragon chariot and talked with the people nearby.

The common people were extremely terrified and excited to be able to talk to the young master.

Li Longji next to him could only smile bitterly.

He felt that Li Xuan was hypocritical and pretending.

Little do people know that a politician should pretend to be serious.

If you are too lazy to pretend and act arrogant all day long, it will not last long.

After stopping for a quarter of an hour, at dusk, Li Xuan helped Li Longji board the dragon chariot again.

The line stretched the entire length of the street.

In addition to Yang Guozhong and the Yang family, the thousands of captured rebels were also accused and cursed by the people, with shouts of killing.

Such beasts who rape and plunder should be killed outright.

The rebels were so frightened that they shrank their necks, thinking that Li Xuan would execute them after the parade.

But at this moment their hands were tied, and almost every rebel was guarded by a Longwu Army soldier with a knife. There was no possibility of causing chaos and they could only leave the rest to fate.

In this way, Li Xuan, supported by the people, walked all the way to the Suzaku Gate of the Taiji Palace.

(End of this chapter)