Chapter 98 Father Recommends Son
"Can such a thing be done out of necessity?"

Li Xuan did not find Le'an Ling Jiang Hong's begging pitiful.

As the magistrate of a county, how could Sun Liu’s death have nothing to do with him?

"I was acting on orders. The Le'an Wei was a member of the Qian family, a prominent family in Le'an. He beat Sun Liu to death, and I was too late to stop him?"

Jiang Hong told Li Xuan frankly.

The order he was following was obviously from Huang Wangheng, the governor of Linhai.

"What kind of aristocratic family? They must be powerful!"

Li Xuan said disdainfully: "How can a powerful person become a county lieutenant?"

"Recommended by the previous governor."

Jiang Hong replied.

Before the state was changed into a county, the governor of Taizhou had colluded with powerful people.

Although the Tang Dynasty held imperial examinations to recruit scholars, the imperial examination was only a small part of the way to become an official.

A considerable number of others entered the officialdom through family connections and became ministers.

There were also children of noble families who were recommended by the powerful to become officials through visiting the powerful.

Another example is Le'an County, which, like the "selection of filial and honest officials" in the Han Dynasty, selects local talents with both moral character and ability to serve as formal officials.

In this situation, it is easy for the powerful to manipulate. First, they let their own children serve as non-official officials in the county government, that is, non-official positions other than the ninth rank, such as the various Caos in the county.

After his qualifications have been improved, he will pass the assessment in the county, be reported as "excellent", and be praised for his "morality and talent", and then it will be natural for him to be promoted to the position of chancellor or lieutenant.

Even the children of powerful families can use various means to reach a higher position.

But the real gentry looked down on the powerful, believing that they were only the middle and lower classes who stabilized the counties and villages, making it difficult for the children of the powerful to enter the court as officials.

"Since you have repented, then tell me what Sun Liu said and why you killed him! If you can confess everything to me, I will consider giving you a lighter sentence."

Seeing that Jiang Hong looked expressionless, Li Xuan tried to get any useful information out of him.

"Qian Yong believed that Sun Liu had informed the general that the government had collected five strings of cash from the people and that the county soldiers had not resisted the pirates. He also cursed the government for colluding with the pirates, so Qian Yong beat him to death in anger."

Jiang Hong dared not hide it any longer.

"Why did the government tolerate pirates for eight years?"

Li Xuan said to Jiang Hongdao.

“They want more land…”

Jiang Hong hesitated for a long time, his fists tightened and unclenched, and finally he told Li Xuan the whole story.

Just as Li Xuan had inferred, the powerful tyrants annexed land and, together with the government, allowed pirates to drive out the people.

It's not just Linhai County. Yuyao County is not much worse than Linhai. Although Yuhang County was not plundered by pirates, it also had this phenomenon.

"Do you know which powerful people and officials are involved in this?" Li Xuan asked this most crucial question.

"I only know the officials and powerful people in Linhai County..."

At this point, Jiang Hong no longer had any reservations and only hoped that he could save his life when the saint's messenger arrived.

"Write down the list and you can go back."

Li Xuan finally gave instructions to Jiang Hong.

"May I ask how the Le'an Wei is doing?"

Jiang Hong did not want to save Qian Yong, but needed to give an explanation to his superiors.

"Le An Wei tried to assassinate this general."

Li Xuan dropped these words.

……

The powerful people in Linhai County are now in chaos.

Because the Qianniu Guards were stationed in Mingxi Town for several days and did not leave.

The pirate Wu Lingguang has been destroyed, but the imperial army is stationed in Linhai County. What does this mean?

The key point is that a member of the Qian family was captured by Li Xuan, and no one could see it.

The powerful people asked Huang Wangheng to get Qian Yong back, but Huang Wangheng was extremely worried at this time. He knew that Li Xuan would not listen to him and might even refuse to see him.

Although Huang Wangheng hated Li Xuan as he was in danger, he hated the powerful people who dragged him into trouble even more.

Although the Jin'an Huang family was a small clan, they were a group of scholars. Now they were likely to be ruined.

If the imperial edict came, he would have almost no hope of survival, so how could he possibly listen to the words of the powerful?
Huang Wangheng thought about running away with his whole family, but the world is so big, where could he escape to?

If you bring your family with you, you will soon be stopped by the prefecture!

……

Li Xuan had been waiting for the imperial edict to arrive in Mingxi Township.

One day, He Qun came to visit Li Xuan.

He is the grandson of He Zhizhang and accompanied He Zhizhang back to his hometown.

"Jiulang, how is He Jian's health?"

After Li Xuan invited He Qun into the military camp, he asked him questions.

He Qun was the ninth child in his generation and was affectionately called by Li Xuan.

Historically, He Zhizhang died in this year, but Li Xuan even forgot the exact month.

He Hai was thinking about meeting He Zhizhang for the last time when he passed by Yuhang on his way back.

As the oldest poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, He Zhizhang made an indelible contribution to the prosperity of Tang poetry.

One flower leads to thousands of flowers blooming.

Quatrains and regulated verse did not appear out of thin air; they required poets to get together and discuss them frequently.

Moreover, the style and character of poetry need healthy guidance from predecessors. Otherwise, like in the Southern Dynasties, most of the poetry will satisfy the sensual pleasures of the upper class and be gorgeous and exaggerated.

Most of He Zhizhang's poems have been lost in history, and only about twenty poems have been passed down to later generations. In fact, Li Xuan knew that He Zhizhang's collection of poems recorded thousands of works, and Li Xuan had the opportunity to read them.

A similar case is that of Wang Wei, whose works are also very rich, and not just the 400 poems that have been passed down to later generations.

Another example is Du Fu. It seems that he has more than a thousand poems handed down to later generations, but there are only a few poems he wrote before he was forty years old.

Du Fu was a man who "had a strong mind at the age of seven and could chant about the phoenix. He could write in large characters at the age of nine, and he could write like a god after reading thousands of books." In his twenties, he wrote "I will climb to the top of the mountain and look down on all the other mountains", "When will I shoot down ordinary birds and scatter their feathers and blood on the plains"; in his thirties, he wrote "Floating clouds connect the sea and the mountains, and the plains extend to Qingxu", "Drinking and singing wildly to pass the time, being arrogant and domineering for whom", all of which are masterpieces that will be passed down through the ages. How could he have left behind these poems when he was young? Li Linfu
Not to mention Li Bai, he wrote so many poems, I guess he forgot all of them after getting drunk.

"Aung is old, and his health is not as good as it was when he was young."

He Qun said sadly that since returning to Yongxing (now Xiaoshan, Hangzhou), his grandfather's health has been getting worse day by day.

"It's been a long journey, you just need to rest for a while."

Li Xuan comforted He Qun.

"Ah Weng wrote two poems despite his illness. No one appreciates my old friend's poems in Chang'an. After learning that the general has pacified the pirates, he asked me to say hello. Fortunately, the general has not left Linhai!"

He Qun initially went to Linhai City, but after learning that Li Xuan was stationed in Le'an County, he rushed there without stopping.

As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper, hoping that Li Xuan could comment on the two poems and let him tell his grandfather.

Li Xuan already knew which two poems they were. The popular "Occasional Poems on Returning Hometown".

The first one, "I left home when I was young and returned when I was old, my accent is still hard to change and my hair is graying", is well known to women and children. The second one, "Only the mirror-like lake water in front of the door, the spring breeze does not change the old waves", is also an immortal quatrain.

"Writing is a natural creation, created by a skilled hand. These two poems are simple and plain, and the scenes are vivid, like the sounds of nature, and will be passed down through the ages!"

Li Xuan read them again and felt the same way and was touched, so he made his comments on these two poems.

He Qun wrote down Li Xuan's evaluation on a piece of paper. Aung must be happy to receive such an evaluation from Li Xuan.

Since He Qun came all the way to visit, Li Xuan couldn't just entertain him in the military camp, as that would be too rude.

The next day, Li Xuan brought his personal guards and hundreds of Qianniu Guards following several miles away. He and He Qun traveled to Linhai County. During the trip, some literati from Wu were invited to join them.

They went to the prosperous Linhai City and the surrounding landscapes, and saw the Jiangnan water town in Li Xuan's mind.

This prosperous place, the misty Jiangnan, does have a unique charm.

The scholars were honored to receive Li Xuan's invitation and presented poems to him one after another.

Li Xuan also quoted a poem called "Spring in Jiangnan".

Thousands of miles of warblers sing, green reflects red, water villages and mountain towns have wine flags fluttering in the wind. There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, and many pavilions are in the mist and rain.

This sense of vastness, depth and mystery depicts a vivid and vigorous picture of the spring scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, which astonished many scholars and literati.

No one does not admire Li Xuan's talent.

He Qun copied down this famous poem and brought it to He Zhizhang for him to read.

Later, Du Mu wrote this poem to use the past to satirize the present. Li Xuan also has a moral, but in accordance with the environment and current situation, it is no longer a satire on the court.

Because most of Li Xuan's poems from then on had implications, when Li Xuan left, people speculated about the meaning of these poems. Some said they were alluding to the powerful, some said they were satirizing local officials, some said they were using the past to satirize the present, and some said it was purely an impromptu work based on the beautiful spring day in the south of the Yangtze River.

Two days later, Li Xuan sent He Qun away.

……

Mid-March, Chang'an.

Li Xuan's memorial was delivered to Xingqing Palace. Gao Lishi saw that it was an urgent message from Li Xuan and immediately presented it to Li Longji.

When Li Longji saw the memorial in front of the Chenxiang Pavilion, he became furious. He threw the golden cup into the Dragon Pond, and the palace maids and eunuchs all trembled.

After his anger subsided a little, Li Longji immediately summoned the two prime ministers to the Qinzhengwuben Building.

Li Shizhi had received Li Xuan's letter and he knew what to do!

"I thought Wu Lingguang had extraordinary talents to stir up trouble on the sea for eight years, but I didn't expect that this thief was a coward and a talentless person, making the county officials look like good-for-nothings. Isn't this ridiculous?"

When Li Longji saw Li Linfu and Li Shi, he slammed the jade table and scolded them.

"Saint, calm down!"

Li Linfu and Li Shizhi bowed their heads and saluted.

At the same time, Li Linfu knew that when the saint mentioned pirates, it must be because of this kid Li Xuan who was causing some trouble.

"Take a look! This is the ten thousand-word memorial submitted by Qilang..."

Li Longji signaled the two prime ministers to look at the contents of the memorial.

Li Shizhi and Li Linfu picked up the memorial, spread it out and looked at it together.

It took him a while to finish reading the memorial.

Li Shizhi thought to himself, no wonder Qilang wanted more privileges.

However, if you take action against the powerful in one region, you will inevitably be hostile to the powerful in the whole country. Even if you become the prime minister in the future, it will be very difficult to issue government orders.

As prime minister, Li Shizhi knew clearly that governing counties and towns depended on the powerful.

But since my beloved son said so, he must have his own considerations. As a father, I will support him unconditionally and wait for him to come back and ask him for clarification.

Li Linfu also had many thoughts when reading the memorial.

These bastards are so good at playing that they can fool the saint, the prime minister, and all the civil and military officials in the court.

If this continues, problems will arise in the Wu and Yue regions sooner or later.

But Li Xuan's request to punish the "powerful and powerful bandits" made Li Linfu alert.

Could it be that this kid is confused? He should just kill the pirates and return to the court. Why bother to fight with the local tyrants?

This does not involve just one or two families, but most of the powerful people in Yuyao County and Linhai County.

However, thinking of Li Xuan's cunning, Li Linfu felt that he could not let Li Xuan get his wish.

"No wonder Chen Shuozhen rebelled in Yuhang during the Yonghui period. The officials there deceived their superiors and subordinates, and the tyrants were like thieves. How could it not be like this? What do you think we should do?"

After the two prime ministers had finished reading, Li Longji asked again, anger in his voice.

"Your Majesty, the local tyrants in Linhai and Yuyao have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, colluding with officials, taking human lives lightly, and ignoring the law. We should cut the Gordian knot and execute some of the tyrants to deter the restless hearts of the world!"

Li Shizhi responded righteously.

"After all, the powerful have prestige in the county and the village, and they maintain order in the village. I think the local officials should be executed to deter others. In the past, Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han cracked down on the powerful, so the country was poor; Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Taizong appeased the powerful, so the country prospered. We should be cautious about things that involve too many people."

Li Linfu also expressed his opinion.

He also implied that it was because Li Longji did not crack down on the powerful that he was able to create the Kaiyuan Prosperity.

"Your words are wrong, Right Prime Minister. Emperor Guangwu of Han suppressed the powerful, but he also restored the Han Dynasty. Moreover, at the beginning of our dynasty, land annexation was not serious and the powerful were not blinded by greed. Can we generalize the situation now?" Li Shizhi refuted Li Linfu.

During the reign of Emperor Li Shimin, the system was used to appease the powerful. At that time, most officials were honest and cautious. The families of princes and concubines were controlled, and the powerful and cunning people of big families were all afraid of his power and kept away from others, and no one dared to invade or bully the common people.

But after more than a hundred years of prosperity and peace, people's desires changed, and once the trend came, it could not be stopped.

"Left Prime Minister, I remember that Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty not only suppressed the powerful, but also appeased them, using a two-pronged approach."

Li Linfu corrected Li Shizhi's mistakes.

"Right Prime Minister, the tyrants in Linhai County and Yuyao County are clearly already shaking the country of our Great Tang. If they are not punished, they will become even more lawless in the future. Moreover, the crime of deceiving the emperor is enough to execute them. Please judge by your wisdom!"

Li Shizhi firmly believed that Li Xuan was right. He described the situation as extremely critical in accordance with what Li Xuan said in the letter and always took the dignity of the saint into consideration.

"left……"

Li Linfu wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Li Longji: "A governor took out 500 gold as a bribe. The people there can no longer feel the emperor's grace. Tolerating pirates and annexing land is like playing with me like a monkey. Qilang is not afraid of offending the world's powerful and protecting our Tang Dynasty. Such loyalty is rare in ancient and modern times. I am going to send an interview and disposal envoy to Jiangnan to handle this matter with full authority, kill a group of scoundrels, and let them know that even if they are three thousand miles away, I can always punish them. Who is qualified for this position?"

Li Linfu was shocked. How could the saint become so decisive?

If you think about it carefully, this man Li Shizhi deliberately made the saint angry, and Li Xuan's memorial, every word between the lines, was trying to stir up the saint's emotions.

As a result, the sage stopped him because of his remarks, and Li Linfu dared not say anything.

"The Right Prime Minister should have some talented people to recommend!"

Li Shizhi kicked the ball to Li Linfu.

ordinary man!

Li Linfu cursed in his heart. The Jiangnan East Road envoy he recommended had just been questioned, and Li Shizhi asked him to recommend another one.

Isn't this just putting him in an awkward position in front of the saint?

Who would deal with such a thankless task?
"I can't think of a suitable candidate at the moment." Li Linfu evaded the question again.

"Your Majesty, my son Li Xuan is of the third rank. He is upright, well-versed in classics, and quick-witted. He is qualified for great responsibilities. I would like to recommend my son as the Jiangnan East Road Interview and Disposal Envoy, just as Qi Huangyang recommended Qi Wu. After my son has handled this matter, I will return to the capital and resign."

Li Shizhi coughed lightly and recommended him to Li Longji with great righteousness.

(End of this chapter)