Chapter 8 The eighth chapter, after hearing the surprise, the ministers were transferred and the generals were given to the yamen to show love and benevolence

Something happened to the Northwest. Mo Chuo is worthy of being an old fox trained in the desert. He galloped his horse around Shuofang Road and fought a moderate encounter with Xie Wan's troops. He immediately realized that he could not get any advantage here, so he Lead the soldiers and escape. Xue Na heard that Mochuo's soldiers had committed an attack on Shuofang, so he dared not neglect, so he prepared his troops for battle.Unexpectedly, he waited on the left and right in Luntai, and it was rare to see any Turkic people, and several months passed before he knew it.Compared with the middle land in the Western Regions, the climate changes are severe and cold. The sky is sunny during the day, and it will suddenly change in the middle of the night. The wind roars like thunder, and it seems to uproot the soldiers' residences. There was a series of noises, and it was the strong wind that rolled up the gravel all over the river and whizzed towards it.After the gust of wind passed, the strong wind still did not stop. At this time, a large amount of snowflakes were scattered in the dark night sky. When the soldiers got up at dawn and pushed open the door, they saw that the threshold had been covered by snow. It is silvery white, and the earth seems to be solidified. Occasionally, there are wild camels and wild horses looking for food in the river, so we know that there is still life in this world.

Luntai was the administrative seat of Beiting Duhufu, and 20,000 soldiers were stationed around it; further west, there were also 20,000 soldiers stationed in the four towns of Anxi.After the Beiting Duhufu and Anxi Duhufu were established, the commercial routes between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions were kept unimpeded. There were Turkic forces in the north and west, and there was a Tubo in the southeast. Thousands of soldiers actually maintained the stability of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty. The garrison soldiers were transferred from the Zhechong Mansion in Guanzhong, and they were on duty at the border for three years as usual before they could be replaced.Every year in midsummer, for example, it is the period when the soldiers are replaced.When Xue Na first arrived in Luntai, because of the military situation of Mo Chuu's invasion of the invaders, he asked the Ministry of War to postpone the date of troop deployment. After several months, Xue Na saw Mo Chuu's silence and the sudden change of the weather, so he thought that Mo Chuu In this bad weather, they would definitely hide in the desert, so 10,000 soldiers were allowed to go home.

10,000 guards go home, but the new guards on duty have not yet arrived, and there are only 10,000 guards left on duty. On a windy and snowy night, Mo Chuan led 30,000 soldiers to rush across the ground, using the light of the snow to attack the Luntai Tang barracks, and then massacred.Of the poor 10,000 Tang soldiers, only more than 1,000 scattered and fled, and Xue Na also died in the chaos. This military situation was reported to Chang'an, just after the New Year, when the monarchs and ministers read the news, mixed feelings arose in their hearts for a while. Li Longji sighed: "Yao Qing, it seems that your worries at the beginning are still justified. After all, Xue Na is immature, and he is definitely not a silent opponent. Alas, after Xue Na became Xue Rengui, he has fallen into the prestige of his ancestors. Now Now that the wheel platform is broken, the four towns of Anxi are really in danger. Is there any movement from the Tubo people?"

Yao Chong said with relief: "Mochuu has now become an old fox who doesn't want to lose money. He didn't get any bargains from Shuofang Road first, so he saw the right time to go to Luntai to grab a big one. The four towns of Anxi are strong, and Mochuo understands It is difficult to crack this hard bone with my own strength, and I have already turned back and withdrew my teeth. The Tubo people have no chance when they see Mo Chuai coming and going like the wind." Li Longji asked: "I remember that there were 50,000 troops stationed in Guazhou, where are they now?"

"At that time, I saw that there was no war in the Western Regions, and I have gradually withdrawn 30,000 troops, leaving only 20,000 troops. After hearing this shocking change, I have ordered them to go to Luntai together with the guards on duty to take defense." Li Longji closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, then said: "Yao Qing, if the tens of thousands of troops in the Western Regions do not have a capable person to preside over them, it will be like a mess. If so, let Guo Qianquan be transferred back to the Western Regions, and let him serve as the guardian of the Northern Court. "

"I respectfully listen to His Majesty's order." "Guo Qianquan is also doing well in Yingzhou recently. Now that the troops have left Yuguan, the arrogance of the Khitan people and Xi people has been greatly restrained. If Guo Qianquan is transferred back, there must be competent people in Yingzhou to preside over it." "Your Majesty, do you still remember Zhang Jiazhen who was admonished by the palace a few days ago? This person has a good knowledge and talent, which can be used. I think that he can be appointed as the governor of Yingzhou, and he can experience it."

Li Longji pondered and said: "Although Zhang Jiazhen has talent, after all, he has not practiced in battle with real swords and guns. Any important position must be carefully granted, and the story of Xue Na must not be reproduced. Yao Qing, you also know the Minister of the Ministry of War. You have to be very careful and choose carefully.” "Your Majesty understands. Your Majesty, just after the new year, everything is different. Last year, the exchanges between internal and external officials benefited a lot. However, there is still a shortage of people who are experienced in official affairs in the urgent government office. Take the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Households as examples. It is related to the overall situation of the court. Then the selection of ministers will be selected. For a while now, there are no competent people in the second department, and a lot of energy has been spent on ministers and others."

Li Longji had only two prime ministers, and he was very strict in the selection of the important ministers of each ministry. Recently, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Officials have no ministers to serve, so all affairs are brought together to Yao Chong and Lu Huaishen to act as their agents, making them both busy and tired. haggard.Witnessing this scene, Li Longji was afraid that the two of them would be exhausted, and he had been thinking about matching the three parts.Now that Yao Chong proposed it on his own initiative, Li Longji of course agreed, and said, "Okay, this matter should have been done long ago. Yao Qing, do you have anyone to choose?"

Yao Chongdao: "The matter of the Ministry of War is urgent, so I will hold it for a while. The other two departments must be filled by talented persons. I think that Song Jing can be appointed as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Wei Zhigu as Minister of the Ministry of Households." Li Longji said with a smile: "Song Jing is famous for his virtues and talents. Let him be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, which can be said to be a man; as for Wei Zhigu, I heard that you are ashamed of his background and disdainful. Why do you mention it again?" ?” "Your Majesty, although Wei Zhigu was born as a small official, he is rigorous in planning, good at calculating, and has a disciplined advance and stop. He is really talented. The head of the household department is in charge of the military. In addition, the selection of the Eastern Capital is the most important, Wei Zhigu, in addition to being in charge of the household department, can let him assist Song Jing, and he will be in charge of the selection of the Eastern Capital, which will also complement each other."

Li Longji saw that Yao Chong did not choose people based on personal good or bad, he was fair and just, and he was very happy, so he smiled and said: "Well, I will give you the appointment immediately according to Qing's play. Yao Qing, now the imperial examinations are among the officials in the court. Lord, there are also some petty officials who have accumulated meritorious service and are promoted. As a person who was born in the imperial examination, you are not limited to selecting people by your own kind. I am very happy." Yao Chongdao: "Those who came from imperial examinations gradually have the ideal of helping the world and governing because of their long-term bad reading of scriptures. When such people govern, although they often have ancient and pedantic actions, after all, they have the teachings of saints in their hearts, so that the military and the country can govern well. It tends to be on the right track. The reason why the country sets up imperial examinations to promote people is because of this. As for those who have accumulated meritorious service since they were young officials, they are often short-sighted, limited in thinking about gains and losses, and have difficulty in having lofty aspirations in their hearts, such as Wei Zhigu Absolutely for the outstanding person among them, it is a kind of auxiliary method to promote him to assist the official affairs."

Hearing this grand theory, Li Longji couldn't help asking with a smile: "Although Yao Qing was born in a cute job, after all, he is eager to learn to read, so he classifies himself as a scholar. Is it unfair to you to deny people who came from petty officials? If they have grudges in their hearts, will they blame Yao Qing as the prime minister, so acting like this is suspected of being a clique?" Yao Chong's father was the governor of Shangzhou in Zhenguan, and was posthumously the governor of Youzhou after his death. Chong was qualified to be a shady official, and he was awarded as a filial man at the beginning. Yao Chongzheng said: "What I think and think is in line with the way of the country's interpretation and selection. Throughout the ages, the country's official system has undergone changes, and finally returned to the imperial examination selection, which is the right way. If they have any grievances, they can be included in the study A man of integrity should not complain about the difficulty of studying. As for the theory of cronyism, it is really not on the stage. If the scholars in the world care about the country and practice the words of Confucius and Mencius to become one, the cronyism formed in this way is really the world’s best. Fortunately, for His Majesty!" Li Longji sighed: "It's a pity, it is really difficult for scholars all over the world to abide by the words of Confucius and Mencius. In the past, Chu Ke, Cui Shi, Song Zhiwen and Shen Quanqi were all Jinshi, and they all had beautiful articles in their chests. What he thinks and does, which one of them obeys the teachings of Confucius and Mencius? Yao Qing, there are all kinds of people's hearts, and you can't do it by force." "Your Majesty follows the story of Zhenguan, which is to teach the world like Emperor Taizong. This method seems to be profound, but it actually has an immediate effect. For example, it has the role of a benchmark for regulating people's hearts. If people have the same mind, it is far better than With strict laws and strict decrees." Li Longji suddenly asked with a smile: "Yao Qing has made drastic moves recently, which can be said to revive the administration of officials. As a result, some people have rumored that Yao Qing has lost the way of honesty. Don't be surprised, Yao Qing, I know that in extraordinary times, heavy codes must be used. Procrastination will harm the country and the people. What you do is to act on my behalf. They say you are actually talking about me. We don’t need to think about it. I ask you today, what you did in the previous paragraph, is it a policy of enlightenment on you? Is there more, or is there more bureaucratic tactics?" It was difficult for Yao Chong to answer for a while. After all, what he did in this paragraph was more scheming. If he told the truth, wouldn't it violate the national policy of enlightenment?Moreover, most of these tricks were honed by officials for many years. It is actually the official way of people like Wei Zhigu. I use it a lot. figure? Yao Chong quickly bowed and replied: "The policy of enlightenment is a big policy, and the art of political maneuvering is a means. As long as the heart is bright, you can use some of it. I often confuse the boundaries between the two when administering government, and even use it unconsciously." He used some tricks. Ran Chen thought to himself, as long as the country can gradually walk on the right path, this is a small matter." Li Longji couldn't help smiling, feeling very satisfied.One must know that Li Longji came fighting all the way, and recently demoted heroes and released brothers, which is not what the sages taught.Yao Chong's answer in this way really relieved himself, and he felt very relieved. When Guo Qianquan heard that he had summoned his servants to rush back to Chang'an, he first went to Zhongshu Province to see Yao Chong. Guo Qianquan had already heard about what happened in the northwest, so he said to Yao Chong with a smile: "It seems that I was ordered to run, and the situation in the northeast was urgent, so I was transferred from the northwest to this place. Now that the army in the northwest has been defeated, Yao Chong Grandpa remembered me again." Although Yao Chong treated Guo Qianquan with courtesy, there was no smile on his face.Yao Chong knew that Guo Qianquan was now in charge of a military force, wielding the power of life and death within the scope of his jurisdiction. His authority was growing day by day, and his subordinates often dared not look up to him when they saw him.Guo Qianquan's words in this way are really self-proclaimed, and of course Yao Chong can't follow suit to help him.Yao Chong snorted, and said coldly: "You have been stationed in Luntai for a long time, and you are familiar with the surrounding situation. Now that something is happening in Beiting, the Holy Majesty will of course think of you. When you were transferred to the Northeast, it was due to the situation at that time. Now you are going to the Northwest , is also necessary. Governor Guo, don’t you want to go?” "I don't dare. Mr. Yao, after gathering thousands of accompanying soldiers, I immediately set off for the northwest." Guo Qianquan knew that Yao Chong was well-versed in the world, and at the moment he was in a position of authority, so of course he didn't dare to neglect. "Well, I heard that after you left office, you have some complaints about Liu Zhengwei, the deputy governor of the imperial court, acting as the acting governor of Yingzhou. Is that true?" "That's right, when Mr. Yao asked, the lower officials didn't dare to hide anything. Liu Zhengwei has been with the lower officials for many years. This person assists the military, or supervises the transportation of grain and grass. He is safe and diligent, and he is quite competent. If he is asked to preside over a military force, he has no dominance. It is really forced to be unable to make a decision when things happen. The lower officials privately think that Liu Zhengwei is a bit inappropriate." "Yes, we all know that Liu Zhengwei's talent is still lacking. However, the military situation in the Northwest is urgent. Let you get out first, and then securely look for the post of governor of Yingzhou." "Mr. Yao, since I have been in charge of the military affairs in the Northeast, it is not because I have boasted that the Khitan and Xi people's arrogance has been greatly restrained in the past, and the army of the Tang Dynasty has been fighting steadily. It must be presided over by capable people, otherwise there will be more variables and it will be detrimental to the country.” "Well, you can go to the northwest to take up your post with peace of mind. Regarding matters in the northeast, the Holy Majesty has his own will." Yao Chong's voice was even colder, which obviously made Guo Qianquan needless to say more, it was best to shut up immediately.Of course Guo Qianquan understood what he meant, but he felt unwilling, and continued, "Mr. Yao, I would like to protect one person, so that the Northeast region will be stable." Since Guo Qianquan was familiar with the defense of the Northeast, Yao Chong certainly attached great importance to the successor he recommended, and he immediately asked seriously, "Okay, what is this person's name?" "This person's name is Zhang Shougui, and he is currently Sima of the Governor's Mansion of Yingzhou." Yingzhou is Xiazhou, and Sima of the Governor's Mansion is a fifth-rank official. Yao Chong smiled slightly when he heard this, and said: "In less than two years, this person has been promoted from a general with no rank to a fifth-rank official. Governor Guo, the imperial court has its own regulations. Although Zhang Shougui has little merit, he was promoted to a fifth-rank official at the beginning. , has already broken the rules, the Holy One cherishes talents, and you have asked for this job. The governor of Yingzhou is a third-rank official of the imperial court. Wouldn't it be unbelievable for a boy in his twenties to take up the post?" "Yao Gong, the reason why Yingzhou is in today's situation is due to Zhang Shougui's strategy of dividing. He also went deep into the enemy's rear alone, and he has a good understanding of the enemy's situation. Only by knowing himself and the enemy like this can he have the way to win. How can he be so insignificant? A job?" Yao Chong was a little annoyed in his heart, but his face was as cold as usual, and he said in a deep voice: "In terms of experience and knowledge, isn't Xue Na better than Zhang Shougui? What happened? The loss of teachers and the earth shook the capital! After all, Zhang Shougui is a Maotou Boy, wouldn’t it be dangerous if you let him preside over important border affairs? Dudu Guo, I know that you have always loved your subordinates, but state affairs are not trivial, so stop talking about them.” Guo Qianquan was obviously not convinced, and continued: "Mr. Yao's remarks, the lower officials do not agree with. The former Emperor Taizong was only in his twenties when he fought in battle. All things that matter in the battle must have a natural aura. , if there is no spirituality, no matter how much experience you have, it will be useless after all.” Yao Chong was furious when he heard the words, and reprimanded him: "Guo Qianquan, do you want to teach me a lesson because you rely on some minor achievements? Tell you, you can't take credit for being a human being. If you keep doing this, you will only ruin yourself! I am a great Tang Dynasty!" In a big country, talents come forth in large numbers, and some of your contributions are nothing but the use of you by the country. Hehe, is it possible that the country will have no one to do things without you?" At this time, someone outside suddenly said: "Why is Yao Qing so angry? Have you forgotten the so-called humility?" Yao Chong and Guo Qianquan heard the words and knew that the emperor was coming, so they greeted him out of the door in panic, bowed their heads and bowed.Yao Chong kowtowed and said, "It's a serious crime for a humble official to not know His Majesty is coming." Li Longji said with a smile: "Today, I wanted to see what Yao Qing was up to, so I came here in a low-key manner. After entering the door, I made the disciples unable to report. What is your fault?" Li Longji only brought Gao Lishi behind him, so Not much movement. Li Longji was welcomed into the hall and sat down. He asked with a smile: "I just listened to a few sentences outside the door, but I don't know the details. Of course it's not good for Yao Qing to be humble. Guo Qing, I think you offended the Shangguan." , and why it shouldn't be." Hearing this, Yao Chong thought that the emperor would also make peace with each other, which is very interesting. Guo Qianquan bowed and replied: "The minister lost his manners in front of Yao Gong on a whim just now. I made a mistake, please punish him by your majesty, and ask Yao Gong to forgive me." Li Longji said with a smile: "Guo Qing has been the governor of the town for a long time. I think he is used to everyone looking up to him. He forgot that Zhongshu Province is the center of the country, so he wanted to debate with Yao Qing. Okay, what are you arguing about?" ?tell me the story." Guo Qianquan felt a little perplexed, and hastily kowtowed to the ground to apologize. Yao Chong recounted the process of the conversation just now. After listening to Li Longji, he was silent for a moment, then smiled and said: "Guo Qing's words are reasonable. If a person has the spirituality to lead troops, how can he judge a person by age? The former Emperor Taizong led troops into Chang'an, and since he was in the Central Plains, it was only two years. More than ten years old. If Emperor Gaozu doesn't let Emperor Taizong show his talents, the Tang Dynasty will definitely be able to unify the country later. Yao Qing, your thinking is too cautious." The emperor said everything he said, and Yao Chong of course said yes again and again. Li Longji went on to say: "People are most ambitious when they are in their twenties. If they are talented, they will definitely do something. This Zhang Shougui can see the effect of differentiation and governance, which proves that his vision is not bad. You might as well let him have a try! It's just that he lost a few battles at first, as long as it doesn't get out of hand, it doesn't matter. Yao Qing, if he can train a famous general through this, I think it should be worth it." Guo Qianquan bowed and said: "Your Majesty's kindness is immense, and it is indeed extremely wise." Li Longji said: "Yao Qing, we have followed Guo Qing's play this time. Zhang Shougui can be appointed as the governor of Yingzhou, and he can preside over the affairs of Yingzhou. As for Liu Zhengwei, he can supervise the army as a deputy governor. Reality." Yao Chong bowed and agreed. Li Longji looked at Guo Qianquan and said: "Guo Qing, the matter of Yingzhou is as you wish. Now that the Northwest Army is in a hurry, you should not stay in Beijing. I will look forward to your good news every day in Beijing. .” Guo Qianquan replied: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will go to Luntai, and I will be a horse and a soldier. The discipline will come and go. I will leave Beijing in the afternoon, and now I will resign from Your Majesty." "Well, you step back." Guo Qianquan bid farewell to Yao Chong again, and then walked out the door.Yao Chong looked at Guo Qianquan's back, turned to Li Longji and said: "Your Majesty, frontier generals should always be arrogant and arrogant, and they can't do everything they want. Guo Qianquan's talents and knowledge are first-class, but he has enough momentum. Your Majesty must be careful." Li Longji smiled and said: "I know. However, you are too cautious about Zhang Shougui. Guo Qianquan has been fighting in battle for a long time, and his ability to understand soldiers is far better than ours. Well, sometimes I feel strange, everyone is a parent Born, why is there a difference in his talent and thinking after he was born? Like Zhao Kuo, after he became a famous general, he was well-read in military books and could talk about wars, but when he was defeated in a real war, he might not be as good as Zhang Shougui. It seems that human spirituality is really impossible." Yao Chong's thoughts turned, thinking that the emperor was boasting when he said this?Li Longji also began to have different ambitions when he was in his twenties. He became the emperor of the Tang Dynasty in an unknown body as the king of the county.Yao Chong wanted to take this opportunity to compliment Li Longji, but felt that his demeanor was too obvious, so it would be better not to say anything, so he said: "I have respectfully obeyed the holy order, and I have asked the Ministry of War to handle Zhang Shougui's affairs, and his letter of appointment should be able to do it today." issue." Li Longji agreed, then suddenly smiled and said: "Yao Qing, you have been busy with political affairs recently. It can be said that you have been working day and night. I heard that you have not yet had a house after returning to Beijing, and you are still living in a rented house, and it is far away from the government office. How is this so?" Is it possible? You are an important minister, and these daily things are so simple, I don't feel sorry for you." Yao Chong suddenly had a sudden bump in his heart. He has been an official for many years, so of course he can see the subtleties.The emperor's silent visit to the Yamen today is indeed a bit strange. Ever since Li Longji entered the Yamen, Yao Chong has been guessing the emperor's intentions. Now that the emperor asked about his residence, it must not be a general question.Yao Chong paused for a while, and immediately replied: "After I returned to Beijing, I had a lot of business affairs in the court, so I didn't have time to check the land and buy a house. It happened that someone introduced a house that could be rented. I felt that it was so worry-free and labor-saving, so I moved in. Wait. Afterwards, when I have free time, I will slowly visit and purchase the house. Your Majesty cares about the daily life of this humble minister, and I am very grateful." Li Longji said: "You are an important minister of mine, but you have no tiles and trees of your own in Beijing. If this matter is spread, outsiders will definitely say that I only want people to do things, and don't ask about their lives. Yao Qing, do you have money? Some are not rich? How about this, you go to choose a house in the next few days, and I will allocate the construction fee, so you should have a house of your own at least." Yao Chong bowed and thanked: "The accumulations accumulated by the officials over the years can be used to build houses. Please don't worry about it. And the treasury's wealth belongs to the state and cannot be used by meritorious officials. I would like to thank Your Majesty for your grace." "I don't use the money from the national treasury, so can I reward you with the money from the internal treasury?" "Your Majesty wants to act according to the story of Zhenguan, so he must treat his subjects equally, and he must not treat one person too harshly. If Your Majesty rewards a lowly minister, the others must have a lack of heart, which is not good for Your Majesty." Li Longji shook his head and sighed: "It seems that it is too difficult to be a good emperor, and you can't even give away your own belongings at will. Well, it's just what you want, and I can save money because of it. But you must Hurry up and buy a house, or you will lose my face." Yao Chong bowed and agreed. Li Longji asked again: "Yao Qing, how many sons do you have? Alas, I often urge you to do things, but I don't care enough about your family affairs. This is my loss, and it's not kind." The emperor took the initiative to ask about Yao Chong's son, and Yao Chong's mind flashed like lightning and flint, and he finally figured out some clues.He already had a conclusion in his mind at this time, the emperor's coming today must have something to do with his son, but what important matter does his son have to reach the emperor?He pondered and replied: "I have three sons, the eldest son Yi and the second son Yi have received the grace of the sage, and are now working in Dongdu to contribute to the country; the third son Yi is still young, and has been with me all the time." Li Longji said with a smile: "the so-called tiger son of the general family, Yao Qing is all-rounder in civil and military affairs, so his son is not bad. Yao Qing, you must promote talents and not avoid relatives. If they are outstanding, you can't stop the officials from making suggestions and reuse them. .” The emperor mentioned the Ministry of Officials, and finally made Yao Chong understand the ins and outs of the matter. He sighed heavily and said, "Oh, I feel a little sad when I mention them. I have been in office for many years, and sometimes the eldest son and the second If you leave your children elsewhere, you will be negligent in discipline. Although they have been blessed by the Holy Grace to serve the country, their behavior is greedy and cautious. Every time I think of this festival, I am afraid that they will cause trouble and act recklessly, and my heart will burn." Li Longji said: "I think Yao Qing is very strict in choosing people, especially for his own son. How many people are there in the world who are as talented as Yao Qing? Yao Qing can't use his own strength to judge things, it would be unfair." Yao Chong shook his head and said: "I've been a little worried recently, and I just want to call the two sons to give some instructions. Your Majesty, Wei Zhigu is the new Minister of the Household Department, and also knows about the selection of Dongdu. I am afraid that these two sons will think that I have favored Wei Zhi. Gu, so he went to Wei Zhigu under the banner of a minister to intercede for others, which violated the court system." Yao Chong vaguely guessed at this time, maybe his son really found Wei Zhigu to work, where did they go? Knowing that Wei Zhigu had a grudge against him, maybe Wei Zhigu decided to report the entrustment to the emperor, so as to show that Yao Chong was not strict with his son and allowed his son to accept bribes, so he took the opportunity to suppress Yao Chong. Li Longji's face did not change, and he still smiled and said: "How can Yao Qing think so? You are very strict in politics, how dare your sons go against your father's will? By the way, when your youngest son is in his weaker years, if he has talent, he must When reused." Yao Chong bowed and thanked: "Your Majesty cares about my family, and I respectfully thank the emperor for his kindness." After Yao Chong returned home, he sent his family to Luoyang to ask whether his son had asked Wei Zhigu for entrustment.After his family members returned to Beijing and explained the process to Yao Chong in detail, Yao Chong couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat after listening to it, and secretly rejoiced in his heart that he had not predicted the foresight and thus escaped a catastrophe. Wei Zhigu, who was in charge of Dongdu election affairs, came to Luoyang on this day, and two days later Yao Chong's two sons came to visit hand in hand.When Wei Zhigu saw them, he felt mixed emotions.After Yao Chong was worshiped as prime minister, he murdered all the former heroes, and all of them were driven out of the capital.Although I was allowed to return to Beijing this time to serve as Minister of the Household Department, and to be in charge of the election of the Eastern Capital, it seems that I have been entrusted with a heavy responsibility, but compared with the former prime minister, it is really a world of difference.Wei Zhigu felt uncomfortable, but when he saw Yao Chong's son, he had a smiling face, and praised Yao Chong for being very kind to him.How could Yao Chong's son know Wei Zhigu's true thoughts, his face turned pale when he heard the words, and he took it for granted. The three of them exchanged greetings, Yao Yi took out a roster from his body, handed it to Wei Zhigu, and said, "Master Wei is here to preside over the election of the Eastern Capital. People who know my nephew know that Master Wei has a very close relationship with my father." They all came to ask their nephews to ask Mr. Wei to take care of them. The nephews wanted to ignore it, but they couldn’t get rid of their feelings, so they had to come to see Mr. Wei. If Mr. Wei could take care of him for a while, my nephew would be very grateful." Wei Zhigu looked down and saw dozens of people's names written on the book, thinking how could this be an acquaintance?It's clearly taking money from people and doing things for them!His face was still bright, and he said with a smile: "Our two families are really one, so why bother to speak politely. If I don't help you, how will we talk when we see Mr. Yao?" After Wei Zhigu returned to Beijing, he still had the opportunity to meet the emperor alone.Wei Zhigu went to Luoyang for official business in Beijing, Li Longji knew of course, and it was necessary to ask. Wei Zhigu sighed at this time and said: "My minister is going to preside over the election, and everything is going well. They are the two young masters of Yao Gong. Coming here to ask for care, Rangchen is really in trouble." Li Longji asked urgently what was going on, Wei Zhigu explained the process lightly, and took out the roster for Li Longji to watch. After watching it, Li Longji's face was cloudy, and he asked: "You preside over the election, it's normal for someone to ask you, the key depends on how you respond." Wei Zhigu bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, stop 'inclining officials' and advocate the interpretation and selection according to the system, and the officials dare not exceed the system. If the names on the roster meet the conditions stipulated by the court, the officials dare not omit them; It is not enough, and the minister dare not favoritism." Li Longji nodded and said: "Okay, let's do it like this. Wei Qing, this is the end of this roster, and you are not allowed to talk to others." "I understand." Wei Zhigu replied with a bow. Li Longji was offended by this, if Yao Chong instigated Yao Chong's son's entrustment, the matter was indeed very serious.The country has just entered the right path under the leadership of Yao Chong, which proves that it was appropriate to worship Yao Chong as a minister at the beginning. If he starts to bend the law for personal gain, this matter must be guarded against. Li Longji decided to test it out, and when he learned that Yao Chong didn't know about his son's entrustment, he let go of his worries and turned to Wei Zhigu's secret report.Thinking back to the eve of the extermination of Princess Taiping, Wei Zhigu suddenly came to inform about Princess Taiping's upcoming actions, and later learned that Yao Chongzhi ordered him to hide in advance.However, if he is in a rare situation and Princess Taiping really controls the government, will Wei Zhigu dare to stand up? Li Longji really had doubts in his heart. Later, Wei Zhigu became Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and his official career gradually narrowed, which had a lot to do with Li Longji's thoughts. Although Lu Huaishen was ridiculed by the people at that time as "the chancellor who accompanied the food", he was just unwilling to make big decisions, but he was very concerned about daily government affairs, and he devoted no less energy than Yao Chong. It is really unfair to have such a nickname .In the blink of an eye, summer turned to autumn, and the weather became colder and colder by day, Lu Huaishen suddenly felt cold and couldn't afford to lie down on the couch.It is thought that he became sick from overwork, and his condition is getting worse and worse due to his advanced age.Li Longji visited the house several times, and urged the imperial medical office to select good doctors for treatment. However, Lu Huaishen was seriously ill. It was just winter, and he died suddenly. Li Longji stopped working for it for a day, and when he learned that Lu Huaishen's family was so poor that he had no funds for the funeral, he couldn't help crying: "There are many people in the world who are selfish, and there are very few people who are selfless and desireless like Lu Huaishen. Lu Huaishen After the Duke passed away, where can I find such a good man?" Li Longji then gave his family a hundred pieces of colored silk and two hundred dendrobiums of millet for the funeral. Its monument. After Lu Huaishen passed away, Yao Chong suddenly felt that his general affairs increased suddenly, and within ten days, he already looked very tired.When Li Longji saw it, he was worried and tired, and asked: "After Lu Gong passed away, someone must be selected to replace him immediately. Yao Gong, my thoughts are a little messy these days, and I don't have a suitable candidate in my mind. If you find someone, you can quickly Quick recommendation." Yao Chong did not refuse, and said: "I think Song Jing can be appointed. I have cooperated with Song Jing for a long time, and they complement each other when governing. They can make up for each other's shortcomings." When the Supreme Emperor was the first emperor, Yao Chong and Song Jing Jing presided over government affairs. Although there was a storm of "slanting officials", the two of them abolished bad governance and promoted discipline simultaneously. It is said in history that there was a legacy of chastity in this period. It is said that such a good match should be Li Longji's first choice, but he pondered for a moment, shook his head resolutely, and said: "Mr. Song is upright and upright, and he is actually a moral model for officials. Now that the world is in peace soon, the Ministry of Officials urgently needs such a minister to keep integrity." Governance, in order to form a moral style of government officials." Yao Chong was a little puzzled, and asked: "If such a man of integrity can be made a prime minister, he can educate the world." Li Longji smiled slightly and said, "Besides Song Gong, can you recommend others?" "I can't." "So, let me slowly find someone else. Mr. Yao, it seems that it is the right thing to transfer Guo Qianquan to Luntai. Guo Qianquan has been in office for more than half a year now. Once he left, he immediately stabilized the situation in the Northwest. Seeing that there is nothing cheap to ask for, Chuu turned to propose again." Yao Chong smiled and said: "Yes, Guo Qianquan is very strict in governing the army. Mochuo has fought against him before, so of course he dare not act rashly. Hehe, Guo Qianquan has a good way of governing the army, and it is not at all to ask for money and food. Unambiguous. Its garrison Luntai has more than double the money and food in the past six months." Li Longji said: "It's okay, he stabilized the situation in the northwest, and also stabilized the overall situation of the country. How much is a little money and food worth? This year's autumn is ripe, and the country's Taicang and other local warehouses are already full. Why is Mr. Yao so stingy? " After Yao Chong left, Li Longji had been thinking about who to appoint as a servant. He asked for the roster of officials in Beijing to look through them one by one, but searched all over to no avail. In fact, Song Jing recommended by Yao Chong was indeed a suitable candidate.The reason why Li Longji did not allow it was because of this consideration: in troubled times, both Yao Chong and Song Jing were geniuses in governing the world, and Xin'er could come together.Now at the time of peace, the two have different personalities. When Yao Chong was in power, he was able to hold the major points, but there were round changes in the minor points, while Song Jing started everything from the words of the sages, so it was hard to avoid sharp edges and corners.The two had similar experiences, if Song Jing were to bow down to Yao Chong, Song Jing would not be as respectful and submissive as Lu Huaishen, and might argue with Yao Chong every time something happened. The reason why Li Longji set up one prime minister and one deputy prime minister is to let the prime minister Qian Gang be arbitrary, which can save a lot of constraints and benefit the country.Li Longji's current selection principle is: the higher the personal morality and talent, the better, but he must obey Yao Chong. Li Longji's drowsiness surged up at this time, and he suddenly remembered the scene of Zhang Jiazhen's admonishment in court that day, and his heart suddenly became excited, secretly thinking that this person is good and worthy of responsibility.However, he only remembered this person's surname Zhang, but he couldn't remember his name. Li Longji called the eunuch on duty and ordered him to go to the Ministry of Education to summon the officials on duty at this time. Zhongshu Province's official on duty today is Zhongshu Minister Wei Kang, who was dozing off in the yamen at that time. Hearing the emperor's call in the middle of the night, he didn't know what happened, so he hurriedly followed the eunuch into the palace and entered the Taiji Hall. Li Longji asked anxiously: "Wei Qing, I think of someone, but I can't remember his name. Think about it for me. This person is now a general in the north, and his surname has been renamed. Who is this person?" Wei Kang did not hesitate, and immediately replied: "Could it be Zhang Qiqiu that your Majesty is talking about? This person is currently Shuofang's deputy envoy." Li Longji raised his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly replied: "Well, it's him. Wei Qing, please go back to the Zhongshu to draw up an order, appointing this person as the servant of the sect, and we will make peace with the Zhongshu sect." Unexpectedly, the emperor awarded the position of prime minister to a person whose name he could not remember, and his mouth opened wide in surprise.He quickly realized his gaffe, kowtowed to the ground hastily, and quit. After Wei Kang left, Li Longji's fatigue disappeared, so he sat in front of the case and read the memorials from various newspapers.Unknowingly, more than an hour passed, Li Longji suddenly took a few pictures and shouted: "Wrong!" In front of Li Longji, there was a play reported by Zhang Jiazhen. When Li Longji saw Zhang Jiazhen's name, he realized that this person was not Zhang Qiqiu. Wei Kang was called into the Taiji Hall again, and was ordered to correct the imperial edict.At that time, Zhang Jiazhen had been reassigned as the governor of Qinzhou. In this way, Zhang Jiazhen, as the governor of Qinzhou, was promoted to the post of prime minister. Zhang Jiazhen was summoned to Beijing to act as a servant under the door, actually replacing Lu Huaishen's former role.At this time, it was thought that Yao Chong had worked too much and fell ill at home, so Zhang Jiazhen presided over all government affairs, and Zhang Jiazhen reported to Li Longji every major incident. It was a bumper year, and the imperial court's Taicang was full of grain, and the righteous warehouses in various places had also collected grain into the warehouse according to regulations.The so-called righteous warehouse means that no matter how much land they own, regardless of the princes and ordinary people, they pay a land tax of two liters of grain per mu.The "righteousness" in this righteous warehouse not only means equal taxation, but also means that disaster relief is the same as everyone else.Zhang Jiazhen came to see Li Longji this day and reported that all over the country came to report that after the autumn harvest this year, due to the increase in grain and the drop in grain prices, the people's homes have accumulated too much grain. Li Longji laughed and said, "Okay, grain prices have started to drop, which is a good omen. Zhang Qing, what are you worried about?" "I thought that since the free warehouses in various places are not full now, we can take advantage of this good year and increase the tax by one liter per mu." Li Longji lowered his face when he heard the words, and asked, "Have you discussed this tax increase with Mr. Yao beforehand?" "This is my humble minister's idea, and I haven't discussed it with Mr. Yao." "Hmph, why didn't you inform Mr. Yao? If I want to act according to the story of Zhenguan, I must keep quiet with the people and not raise taxes at will. How could you come up with such a bad idea?" Zhang Jiazhen was panicked immediately, and said: "So, Rong Chen will go to Yao's mansion to inquire now." "Well, you go and come back quickly." Yao Chong's house is far away from the imperial city, and it took Zhang Jiazhen more than an hour to go back and forth. When he ran back to the Tai Chi Hall, he didn't know whether it was because he was in a hurry or his pace was too fast. The minister told Lord Yao about the autumn crop conditions in various places. Lord Yao said that the emperor is sympathetic to the people, and that tax increases are absolutely unavoidable. However, food should not be wasted if too much, and too much food price drop will hurt farming, and proper measures must be taken. method." "What is Duke Yao's method?" “姚公以为，义仓之法可为常法，不宜改动。可由朝廷和诸州筹钱，在丰年谷贱时籴进，以刺激谷价浮升；待凶年谷贵时粜出，以平抑粮价。” 李隆基沉吟道：“此法不错，然朝廷须为之拿出好大一笔钱。” “姚公说了，此法主要在初年时耗费一笔钱，若凶年时粜出，朝廷其实不亏。姚公还为之取了一个名字，名为'常平仓法'。” 李隆基闻言，脸上渐渐绽出微笑，说道：“好一个'常平仓法'，此议足显姚公之睿智。张卿，你速与户部议一议，即时开设此法吧。” 张嘉贞躬身答应。 李隆基继而言道：“张卿，你今后遇事须先与姚公一议。非是朕不认可你，实因姚公善处朝政大事，你问一问他就可少走些弯路。” 张嘉贞也为直性之人，其脸露出苦色道：“陛下也看到了，臣此去再回来费时甚多，把时辰都耗在路途上了，非是臣不愿去问询姚公，实怕因此耽误了朝中大事。” 李隆基想想也有道理，朝廷大事甚多，若让张嘉贞来回穿梭，也委实不像话。 张嘉贞此时说道：“姚公住得太远，若其能住得近一些就好了。” 李隆基颔首道：“对呀，你想得很对，为何不早一些让姚公住得近一些呢？张卿，朕看四方馆就挺好，可让姚公全家皆搬入四方馆居住。如此出了朱雀门就可入四方馆，我们前去探视姚公颇为方便。” 四方馆自隋朝时初设，其归属鸿胪寺，馆内设使者四人，分别负责接待东西南北诸国使者。自皇城出了朱雀门即为长安城内贯通南北的最宽街道——朱雀大街，与朱雀门相对的西南角有一处花团锦簇下的建筑群，是为四方馆。 张嘉贞迟疑道：“四方馆接待四方来使，若让姚公家人居于此，是否有碍我朝威仪？” 李隆基斥道：“没有姚公理政，我朝的事儿办不妥当，则更失我朝威仪！你速速传诏让姚公一家迁入此馆，以就近理政。唉，想姚公定有你一样的疑虑，你告诉姚公，若非朝廷规制所限，朕还想让姚公迁入宫内居住，他知道了朕的这番殷切之心，定会迁入此馆。” 姚崇得知李隆基的关爱之心，心中大为感动，遂迁入四方馆居住，此后的日子里，李隆基每日遣高力士代己询问姚崇的饮食起居，宫内尚食尚官与御医相望于道。京城之人看到皇帝待姚崇如此恩遇殊重，心中顿生艳羡之意。