Chapter 29 The twenty-ninth episode of Prime Minister Frequency Yi's walking lantern wins mourning for Jiuling and returns to the capital

Time flies, time flies, and years pass before you know it.Li Longji's policy of governing the country is still the same. God seems to continue to favor Li Longji and his people. Every year, the weather is good and the crops are bumper. Seeing that everything is going well, Li Longji is in a good mood. An obvious example is that the number of times he has been in the opera garden has increased day by day.At the beginning of Kaiyuan, in order to concentrate on governing the country, Li Longji hid his beloved music in his heart, and basically did not go around the Liyuan.Now that things have changed with the times, he has changed his mind a little bit.

However, there is one thing that has haunted Li Longji for several years, and it has not changed, which has made him very distressed.This matter is by no means a trivial matter, that is, the candidate for the prime minister has not been able to meet his wishes. After Zhang said that he was dismissed as prime minister, Zhongshuling remained vacant, Yuan Qianyao served as his servant, and Li Yuanhong exercised the power of prime minister in the name of Pingzhangshi.Li Longji didn't fully agree with the two of them. In addition to feeling that they were incapable of serving as Zhongshu Ling, he also believed that they had no military capabilities, so he granted Anxi's deputy governor to protect Du Siam as a matter of peace, so there were three chancellors at the same time. In court.According to Li Longji's considerations, among the three, Yuan Qianyao is the main one, and under them there are two prime ministers, one literary and one military, so that they can learn from each other's strengths and make up for their weaknesses, so that government affairs can move forward smoothly.

However, after Li Yuanhong and Du Xian worked together, it took only a few days for them to confront each other, and their quarrels were nothing more than a few times, and they even had to fight with each other several times. Li Yuanhong is famous all over the world in the name of justice. Like Lu Huaishen, he did not manage his family property and distributed his salary to his relatives. He has a reputation of incorruptibility; and the reason why Du Siam was able to enter the court as a prime minister, Li Longji also recognized him in addition to his military ability. Du Siam's reputation for incorruptibility.

When Du Xianxi joined the army for Wuzhou and left his post, his subordinate officials gave him 10,000 pieces of paper left over from official business.At that time, papermaking was all done by hand, the output was very small, and the price of paper was very expensive, so paper, like silk brocade at that time, had the function of currency.When an official leaves office, it is common practice for his subordinates to present paper as a gift.At that time, Du Siam only took a hundred pieces, and returned the rest of the originals, so it was named Qing at the beginning.As his position was gradually promoted, it was inevitable for relatives to ask him to do business, but Du Xian refused all of them, and finally the relatives stopped communicating with him.

The reason why Li Longji promoted two incorruptible people as ministers was also to punish his predecessor Zhang Shuo for being unclean, and wanted them to set an example for the world with their incorruptible names. But what Li Longji didn't expect was that they all relied on their Qing name and held their own opinions, and they have been noisy ever since.Instead of arguing face to face, they each went to the emperor to speak ill of each other. In this way, in June of the seventeenth year of Kaiyuan, Li Longji was finally disappointed with them.Its subordinate system said: "Although the Qing Dynasty is based on self-herding, the Tao is not grand, and it cannot work together to only wear the emperor. Instead, it is short-sighted to tarnish the dynasty. ” So Li Yuanhong was demoted to be the governor of Caozhou, and Du Xian was the governor of Jingzhou;

Although Li Longji quit Yuan Qianyao's position as servant, he still retained his vacant position as Minister Zuo Prime Minister, and allowed him to attend once every five days, as a matter of utmost courtesy.Since all the prime ministers were dismissed, Li Longji asked Yuan Qianyao to recommend him. Yuan Qianyao recommended Li Linfu as his prime minister. Li Linfu was the Minister of the Ministry of Officials at that time, which was not only due to Yuan Qianyao's contribution, but also Wu Hui'er's secret contribution. However, Li Longji did not value Li Linfu. After a while, he appointed Xiao Song, the envoy of Anxi Jiedu, as the order of Zhongshu, and Yu Wenrong and Pei Guangting were the underlings of Zhongshu, thus becoming the new troika of prime ministers.

Li Longji wanted to grant Xiao Song the order of Zhongshu, so he sent someone to consult Song Jing's opinion.Song Jing didn't say much, just smiled and said: "Xiao Song has a beautiful beard." Li Longji also smiled slightly when he heard Song Jing's evaluation of Xiao Song, and understood that Song Jing's disapproval of Xiao Song was due to Xiao Song's lack of writing. When Xiao Song was a member of Zhongshushe, Li Longji ordered him to draft a book.Xiao Song rushed back to Zhongshu Province, found similar books that had been made before, and put together a piece of paper.After reading it, Li Longji felt that the "treasure of the country" was used improperly and ordered him to modify it. Xiao Song made a gesture to leave, but Li Longji called him back and said, "Why leave only one word? There are pens and ink behind the screen. You can change it." Just do it."

Xiao Song reluctantly stepped behind the screen and stayed there for a long time without coming out.Li Longji thought that he would rewrite the book and rewrite it, which would take a lot of time, so he waited patiently there. However, after waiting left and right, Xiao Song still did not come out, Li Longji felt strange, so he paced over to see what happened.Seeing this immediately made Li Longji angry from his heart, evil from his guts, he stretched out his hand and pulled the book and threw it to the ground, stepped on his feet again, and cursed: "You are really the 'treasure of the country', Get out now."

It turned out that Xiao Song spent a lot of time changing only one word, that is, changing "treasure of the country" to "treasure of the country". .This matter was later spread, and people called Xiao Song "the treasure of the country" in private. Xiao Song's achievements as governor of Xuanzhou are not bad, and the officials' evaluations over the years have been very good.When he took office in Anxi, he also made great achievements. First, he used Wang Zhongsi to win a great victory, and then used countermeasures against Tubo, so that Tubo Zanpu killed the most threatening general in the Tang Dynasty, Xin Nuoluo Gonglu, and his reputation was greatly shaken. .

Li Longji didn't listen to Song Jing's suggestion, and resolutely appointed Xiao Song as Zhongshuling, and also knew Anxi Jiedu envoy. He also married his daughter to Xiao Song's son, and they became relatives. Yu Wenrong was suddenly promoted to prime minister, and his former enemies suddenly opened their eyes wide.Yu Wenrong thought he was successful, and said big words: "Let me live here for a few months, and the concubine will make nothing happen in the country." Come to impeach countless.At this time, Li Longji also believed that Yu Wenrong was "outstanding in public opinion, and not sincere in making friends", and was not suitable for the position of the center. Yu Wenrong was named the governor of Ruzhou after he was less than a hundred days old.

Pei Guangting was originally the Minister of the Ministry of War. Before Fengchan Taishan, he reminded Li Longji to guard against foreign invasion during the grand ceremony. Zhang said that he proposed to invite the princes of the four directions to watch the ceremony at that time, thinking that it would be a restraint.Pei Guangting and Li Longji also had a relationship. Pei Guangting married Wu Sansi's daughter as his wife, and Li Longji called Wu Sansi his uncle, so the two were also in-laws. Li Longji and Xiao Song are relatives of children, and Pei Guangting is relative by marriage, so the three have a personal friendship. It is said that Xiao and Pei are colleagues and have a personal friendship, so they can be harmonious and happy.However, after a while, the two began to quarrel again, and they often made trouble in front of the emperor. The focus of the dispute between the two lies in the appointment of personnel. For Li Longji's current matchmaking considerations, Xiao Song is good at military affairs, so let him know the Minister of the Ministry of War and the envoy of Anxi Jiedu as a Zhongshu Ling; while Pei Guangting is good at official affairs, let him know the Ministry of Officials as a servant Shangshu (Li Linfu was transferred to be the minister of the province at that time).Such two cultures and one martial arts can be said to complement each other. However, Pei Guangting extremely despised Xiao Song's lack of literature, and called him "treasure" in private.He makes decisions on matters under his command alone, and does not discuss with Xiao Song at all.Xiao Song thinks that he is the order of Zhongshu, and he is the main prime minister, so everything must go through himself. Pei Guangting didn't listen to greetings at all, and still went his own way.For example, when it comes to employing personnel, Pei Guangting is in charge of the Ministry of Officials and insists on selecting candidates "according to qualifications". There is no chance for Xiao Song to intervene. Xiao Song was furious and reported the incident to Li Longji.However, Pei Guangting didn't do nepotism when he handled it, and everything was done in order, and there was really no fault.Xiao Song had no choice but to quarrel. When the two were fighting more and more fiercely, they were about to lose control. In March of the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan, Pei Guangting died of illness suddenly, and the quarrel between the two just stopped. During this period, several major events occurred in the DPRK and China. In the eighteenth year of Kaiyuan, Zhang said he died of a long illness and died at the age of sixty-four. Not long after Zhang Shuo became an official, Li Longji resumed his post as a book repair envoy, and then he was awarded the title of Shangshu Youxiang, and finally the third division of Kaifu Yitong.From the beginning of Kaiyuan to this time, only Wang Renjiao, Yao Chong, Song Jing, and Wang Maozhong were awarded the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi. This shows Zhang Shuo's position in Li Longji's heart. During Zhang Shuo's illness, Li Longji sent envoys to inquire every day, and personally wrote prescriptions for Zhang Shuo.After Zhang Shuo's death, Li Longji was very sad. He gave him the name of Taishi and the posthumous title "Wenzhen" with the imperial pen, and wrote Shinto inscriptions for him.Zhang said that his life was full of twists and turns. His literary fame spread far and wide.Li Longji treated Zhang Shuo like this, and he was honored and favored at that time, and there is no comparison. Li Longji also visited Zhang Shuo's house several times in person. At that time, Li Longji was troubled by the disputes between the prime ministers and asked Zhang Shuo to recommend him.Zhang Shuo sighed: "I have recommended Zhang Jiuling to Your Majesty many times, but His Majesty left him in the wilderness, unfortunately it is not available. I still recommend Zhang Jiuling today." Li Longji asked: "What are the strengths of Zhang Jiuling?" "To be a prime minister, one must have the way of a prime minister. Taking Yao Gong, Song Gong and his ministers as examples, the three of us all have our own faults, but there is one thing in common, that is, it is necessary to govern the country with heart and affection, and to have a far-sighted vision. Disadvantages of the times. Forgive me for saying a big word, none of the posthumous ministers have such a vision, but Zhang Jiuling does." Li Longji smiled and said nothing, he is not optimistic about Zhang Jiuling now. In the first month of the 19th year of Kaiyuan, Yin Yan Tingzhi, Shaoyin of the Taiyuan Mansion reported to Li Longji, saying that Wang Maozhong transferred a letter to the Taiyuan Mansion to ask for a battle armor, and he really had the heart of disobedience. In fact, Wang Maozhong has visited Youzhou, Taiyuan, and Shuofang many times before, so it is normal for various places to supply armored battles.Yan Tingzhi was originally a Beijing official, and he was known for his outspokenness and good advice. Wang Maozhong came here to ask for a battle. Yan Tingzhi believed that this was owed in the past, and now there is no military incident, so he resolutely refused to grant it. At the same time, he heard the emperor's reasons .This Yan Tingzhi was originally a speech official, and he had heard quite a lot about Wang Maozhong's deeds in controlling the imperial army, so he further pointed out that Wang Maozhong was so authoritarian and prone to disasters, so Li Longji asked Li Longji to take precautions. There are a lot of memorials written by the courtiers every day, and many of them contain biased theories. Li Longji just read them once and ignored them, but he took Yan Tingzhi's memorials to heart.He was silent for a long time after reading, and finally made up his mind. Li Longji ordered Gao Lishi to pass the decree, and in the evening he would give a banquet in the "Huae Xianghui Building". After Haishi, the invited people entered the "Huae Xianghui Building" together, with Wang Maozhong at the head, followed by Ge Fushun, Chen Xuanli, Li Yide, Li Xianfu and others. After everyone entered the room, they found that there was no trace of the emperor, and some of the tables were empty and there was no food or drink, which did not look like the emperor gave a banquet.When everyone was in astonishment, they only heard the sound of footsteps outside the door, and saw two rows of people in the costumes of the Flying Dragon Army rushing in, surrounding Wang Maozhong and others. Gao Lishi entered the room in uniform, stood still and said in a deep voice, "Wang Maozhong accepts the order." Wang Maozhong didn't know what he meant, so he knelt down hastily. Gao Lishi unfolded the volume and read aloud: "Wang Maozhong, the third division of the Kaifu Yitong and the assistant general Huo Guogong, the supervisor of the idle stables inside and outside the country, is only a small thing, not a meritorious service. He is a minister of his own family, and he is promoted to the imperial position. There is no favor Second, appoint Si Chong. There is no benefit in the dust, and the pride is full. The past is difficult, and I fled. Effectiveness, there are often many words of resentment and hope. If you trace its deep guilt, it will be combined into death. Forgive it for its mediocrity. Judgment." This imperial edict was written by Li Longji himself. He angrily remembered the old account of Wang Maozhong leaving without saying goodbye when the incident happened, and then bitterly said that Wang Maozhong didn't know good and bad, and he wanted to ask for the post of minister of the Ministry of War because of his failure. word.In this edict, there is no mention of Wang Maozhong's request for Jiazhang at all. It seems that Li Longji also thinks that it is too far-fetched to question Wang Maozhong for this reason. Ge Fushun was also demoted to be a member of Bizhou, Li Yide was a member of Yezhou, Li Xianfu was a member of Daozhou, and other people who were close to Wang Maozhong were Zuojianmen General Lu Longzi, Tang Diwen, and Right Weiwei General Wang Jingyao , Gao Guangji and others were demoted, and a total of dozens of people were affected or demoted or exiled.Wang Maozhong's six sons were all deprived of office. Li Longji's edict also specifically specified three points: first, everyone was not allowed to go home after being demoted, and was strictly guarded by the Feilong Army and sent to the place where they were demoted; second, they were not allowed to leave the station after taking office; Third, the official is called a false name, and he is not allowed to ask questions after taking office. Among the people who entered the room, only Chen Xuanli was not mentioned. When he was panicking, Gao Lishi smiled and said: "General Chen, please follow our house." Chen Xuanli was led to the "Government Affairs Building", where he saw the emperor holding a candle and reading a book. Chen Xuanli hurriedly knelt down and said: "The sinful minister kowtows to Your Majesty..." Li Longji got up and came in front of Chen Xuanli, leaned over to help Chen Xuanli up, and said with a smile: "You are fine, why have you become a criminal minister again? You are never arrogant and presumptuous, and you are simple and self-examined daily, which is very different from Wang Maozhong and the others. " Only now did Chen Xuanli feel relieved, knowing that he had completely escaped this catastrophe.On the spot, Li Longji appointed Chen Xuanli as the General of the Auxiliary State, and also the Superintendent of the Internal and External Stables. In this way, Chen Xuanli replaced Wang Maozhong and took control of the Forbidden Army from then on. The Flying Dragon Forbidden Army led by Gao Lishi just now is an independent force, its number is not large, less than a thousand, and it is not under the control of the North Gate Forbidden Army. Since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor has owned horses in the inner and outer stables, a total of twelve stables, for example, the supervisors and pastors of the inner and outer stables are in charge; when the Empress Zetian added the forbidden Zhongfeilong stables, they were in charge of eunuchs.Li Longji detained Wang Maozhong and others today, of course they could not be dispatched from the Forbidden Army they commanded, so the Feilong Forbidden Army led by Gao Lishi played a key role. Wang Maozhong was escorted all the way by the Feilong Forbidden Army. When he reached the ground of Yongzhou, Li Longji's imperial edict followed him.The content of the imperial edict is very brief, that is, to bestow death on Wang Maozhong. Wang Maozhong's death was actually the same as Shangguan Wan'er being killed on the spot, that is, Li Longji simply killed them immediately to prevent future troubles. In the 20th year of Kaiyuan, Song Jing felt weak, so he asked Li Longji to retire and return to Luoyang.Li Longji still gave him Quanlu and allowed him to return home.From then on, Song Jing lived in Luoyang for the elderly, and never cared about the affairs of the court. After Pei Guangting's death, Li Longji had long been tired of the unnecessary quarrels between the prime ministers, and said to Xiao Song today: "If I arrange a minister for you, you will argue if you are not good at it. Well, you can choose a prime minister yourself. No more quarrels in the future." Xiao Song was overjoyed when he heard the words, and immediately announced that he wanted to choose Wang Qiu as his prime minister.When Li Longji enshrined Mount Tai, Wang Qiu served as the governor of Huaizhou. Li Longji praised Wang Qiu at the banquet in Songzhou. However, Wang Qiude heard the news, but he didn't want to go to Beijing to be a prime minister. He thought that he was competent as a local governor, but he was not talented as a prime minister, so he declined the favor to Li Longji and Xiao Song. Wang Qiu didn't want to take the post of chancellor, but recommended someone to Xiao Song.This person's name is Han Xiu, and he is currently Shangshu Youcheng.Wang Qiu said to Xiao Song, although Han Xiu is unknown now, his talents are all above his own, if he can be a prime minister, he will surely be able to make a good story.Xiao Song thought to himself that most of the minister's officials are gentle people, so they can be easily restrained, so he recommended to Li Longji according to Wang Qiu's words. With Han Xiu as the prime minister, a good story was indeed achieved, but it was contrary to Xiao Song's original wish. Han Xiu has the style of Wei Zheng in Zhenguan, he is upright and upright, and he doesn't beat around the bush.Within ten days of being acquainted, he argued with Xiao Song about the rights and wrongs, which became fraught, and then became more and more violent. Even when Han Xiu came to the emperor, he denounced Xiao Song's mistake face to face, making Xiao Song regret it. Han Xiu treated Xiao Song like this, even if he saw the emperor, he would not be polite.One day, Wannian county lieutenant Li Meiyu was found guilty, and Li Longji wanted to exile her to Lingnan.Han Xiu came forward to stop him at this time, and said: "The county lieutenant is a small official, and the crime he committed is not a big evil. There is a big villain in the court, please deal with it first." Li Longji immediately asked who the big traitor was. Han Xiudao: "Great General Cheng Boxian of the Jin Dynasty is greedy for his kindness. The scale of his residence and the use of horses are beyond the court's regulations. Please punish Cheng Boxian first, and then talk about Li Meiyu's matter." After Wang Maozhong was demoted, the generals of the Forbidden Army underwent a large number of changes. Cheng Boxian was in charge of the Jinwu Army, and he was actually Li Longji's confidant.Cheng Boxian was recommended by Gao Lishi. Last year Gao Lishi's mother passed away. Cheng Boxian cried bitterly on the spot, even more mournful than Gao Lishi.Li Longji is quite lenient towards those who are in important positions. Li Longji thinks that Cheng Boxian's crimes like Han Xiu's are really not worth mentioning.Now Han Xiu threatened him with Li Meiyu's affairs, but Li Longji of course refused. Han Xiu's next words were even stronger: "Your Majesty will not allow Li Meiyu's small crimes, but ignores the big treacherous crimes. If Your Majesty does not punish Cheng Boxian's crimes, I dare not obey the imperial edict." Li Longji had nothing to do when he encountered such a stubborn person, so he had to punish Cheng Boxian to silence Han Xiu.In those days, Han Xiu seemed to focus on the emperor's faults, ranging from state affairs to small details of life.Han Xiu's memorials are available every day, making Li Longji silent.When Li Longji was free, he went to the Forbidden Garden or went hunting or watched singing and dancing. At this time, he looked around and said, "Don't make too much noise. If Han Xiu finds out about it, he will come to remonstrate." The chapter has arrived, so Li Longji had no choice but to drive back to the palace. Song Jing heard Han Xiu's deeds, and felt a sense of bosom friend, and praised: "Unexpectedly, Han Xiu is like this, the courage of a benevolent man." Li Longji was tormented by Han Xiu to the point where he could not enjoy himself to the fullest, nor could he reprimand him, so he became haggard day by day.One day, Li Longji took a look in the mirror and saw his haggard face, he couldn't help sighing.Wu Hui'er was at the side at the time, and said distressedly: "Since Han Xiu entered the court as chancellor, Your Majesty has not been happy for a day, and he is so haggard and thinner day by day. I think that Your Majesty doesn't have to be so forbearing, just expel Han Xiu from the position of chancellor." Li Longji shook his head and said a famous saying: "Although I am thin, the world is fat. Every time Xiao Song plays, he will play according to his wishes. I retreat and think about the world again, but it is difficult to sleep. Han Xiu Fu Chen Zhidao, many To put it bluntly, I retreated to think about the world, but I was able to sleep peacefully. Huier, I use Han Xiu as my prime minister, not for myself, but for the great plan of the society." Li Longji has such a heart to tolerate Han Xiu, but Xiao Song is like a dumb man who eats coptis, unable to express his suffering.The emperor trusted himself at the beginning, and asked him to choose someone to avoid disputes, but who knew he would choose such a person.During this time, he had met Wang Qiu, and immediately scolded Wang Qiu until he was bloody. Xiao Song couldn't bear it, and he couldn't open his mouth to speak ill of Han Xiu. After much deliberation, he finally came up with a bitter plan.He found Li Longji pitifully, and said: "I have suddenly felt in a trance recently, and I am deeply afraid that if this continues, I will miss the important affairs of the country. I ask your majesty to be merciful, and let me resign from my post and become an official." Xiao Song understood that the emperor was extremely intelligent, and he said that he was in a trance, which must be caused by Han Xiu.Or the emperor couldn't bear to give up on himself, and would definitely give up on Han Xiu, so he could choose someone else to succeed him. At that time, Han Xiu had only been prime minister for six months. With Han Xiu's personality and inexperienced qualifications, it would be difficult for him to succeed Zhongshu Ling as the central position.The reason why Xiao Song did this bitter trick is precisely based on this point. Unexpectedly, Li Longji replied without hesitation: "Okay, Xiao Qing doesn't want to be reluctant, and I will accept it. There is no need to become an official. After Zhang Shuo's death, the Prime Minister of Shangshu You has been vacant, and Qing can take over." Unexpectedly, the emperor readily agreed, Xiao Song was dumbfounded. Li Longji's following words gave Xiao Song some comfort, and he said: "Han Xiu has a bad personality, and it is not suitable for him to continue to be the prime minister. You should dismiss the prime minister together. You can appoint Han Xiu as the minister of the Ministry of Industry." It was December in the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan, and Li Longji could no longer tolerate the prime ministers continuing to quarrel in front of him, so he decided to completely change this situation. When Xiao Song and Han Xiu were arguing, Li Longji was already considering the candidate for the next chancellor, and now Xiao Song offered to resign, even though he did a bitter strategy, after all, he gave Li Longji a reason to dismiss him. The reason why Xiao Song and Han Xiu quarreled was not because of personal grievances, but because they had different views on political affairs.Xiao Song's behavior is rough and often considers the world's sophistication, while Han Xiu is based on Confucian justice and is strong, so the two collide.The reason why Li Longji tolerated them was that their quarrel did not harm the court affairs, and after the quarrel, Han Xiu's opinion often prevailed, which was actually beneficial to current affairs. Thinking of Song Jing and Zhang Shuo's recommendation, Li Longji decided to appoint Zhang Jiuling as Zhongshu Ling, and Jing Zhaoyin Pei Yaoqing was awarded as servant. When Li Longji enshrined Mount Tai in the east, Pei Yaoqing was the governor of Jeju. He suggested to the emperor that Jeju was barren and unable to support it. Therefore, the Fengshan team only passed through the territory without staying.From this, Li Longji attached great importance to Pei Yaoqing, and praised him greatly during the banquet in Songzhou. Shortly thereafter, Pei Yaoqing was renamed Jing Zhaoyin. Pei Yaoqing was appointed as a servant this time because he wanted to completely solve the problem of grain transportation in Chang'an. Li Longji also appointed him as the transfer envoy of Jianghuai and Henan for this purpose. Since Emperor Gaozong, if Guanzhong encountered a natural disaster, the problem of food shortage suddenly became prominent.During the reign of Zhenguan, there were more than 320,000 households in Chang'an and Guanzhong, with a population of more than 1,438,000; by now, there were more than 540,000 households with a population of more than 3,150,000.The population is increasing rapidly, coupled with the large number of officials in the capital, the supply of the royal family is increasing, and there is also a huge supply of military rations. The self-produced food in Guanzhong is not enough for use, and there is a shortage of more than one million shi every year. Such a large gap requires food to be transferred from other places, but the transshipment is difficult, and there is no corresponding storage space. The best way to solve this problem is to have all the government offices of the court and central government work in Luoyang, the eastern capital, so as to solve the supply pressure in Chang'an. Emperor Gaozong, Empress Zetian, Emperor Zhongzong and even Li Longji frequently led all officials to the Eastern Capital because of this reason.People at that time ridiculed them and called them "Zhuliang Emperor". Eating food in the eastern capital of Luoyang, although there is a thought of sympathizing with the hardships of the people, is ultimately a disgraceful thing. Pei Yaoqing believes that in order to solve the problem of food shortage in Guanzhong, water transport must be improved so that grain from the south of the Yangtze River can be transported to Guanzhong.Specifically, it is necessary to change land transportation to water transportation, and use the old warehouses along the way, and then transfer them in sections.Li Longji was eager to solve this worrying matter, so he praised Pei Yaoqing's words and asked him to order the whole country as a servant to speed up the improvement of water transportation. Zhang Jiuling served as the governor of Hongzhou for two years, and then was transferred to the governor of Guizhou, and also served as a supplementary envoy for Lingnan inspection.Not long after Zhang Shuo's death, Li Longji recalled Zhang Jiuling's words, and recalled Zhang Jiuling to Beijing, and appointed him as secretary, young supervisor, and academician of Jixian Hall.At this time, the Bohai Kingdom sent envoys to Beijing to pay tribute, and the imperial court wanted to issue an imperial edict, but no one could understand the Bohai language. Li Longji thought of Zhang Jiuling and summoned him. Zhang Jiuling's mother was old and frail, and she took office with Zhang Jiuling in these years, and passed away without breathing in winter.Zhang Jiuling returned home to bury his mother, and kept filial piety at home. Li Longji seized his affection and granted Zhang Jiuling the order of Zhongshu, but Zhang Jiuling refused to accept the call at first.However, Li Longji sent several groups of people to ask for manpower, and urged him strongly, so Zhang Jiuling had no choice but to return to Beijing to join the job. It was the fifth day of the first lunar month in the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, and it was still in the seven-day holiday stipulated by the court.In the afternoon, the sky was cloudy, and then there were snowflakes. Li Longji was very happy to see it, and ordered Gao Lishi to say: "In the evening, I will have a small table in this hall, and I will invite Zhang Jiuling and Pei Yaoqing to come over. I want to surround myself with them." Watch the snow from the furnace, drink wine and have a conversation." Gao Lishi knew very well that the previous prime ministers had constant disputes, and the emperor was very troubled by it, and rarely showed his face.Now that the new prime minister was appointed not long ago, and one day later, he will go to the court to watch affairs, so the emperor has a lot of hopes for him.This small banquet seemed simple, but the emperor must have had a lot of deep meaning. After he agreed, he hurriedly arranged it meticulously. Zhang Jiuling and Pei Yaoqing entered the hall to meet on time, Li Longji called him to sit down, and said with a smile: "Zhang Qing is handsome and tidy, today is not the time for serious court meetings, your attire is still meticulous, it really revives my spirit. " Zhang Jiuling is rigorous and dignified, which is reflected in the details of his clothing and physical appearance. They are all well-organized and well-behaved. When he is in court, his demeanor is different from that of all officials.When Li Longji was appointed as an official, he regarded Zhang Jiuling as a benchmark in the section of demeanor, and often asked: "Is the demeanor like Jiuling?" When appointing officials in the Tang Dynasty, the four criteria of "body, speech, writing, and judgment" were often used as the selection criteria.Among them, the "body" item means that the characters should be handsome and graceful, and the handsome people in later generations will take advantage of it in the officialdom, and it will always start from this. Zhang Jiuling respectfully replied: "It is a solemn matter to face the saint. No matter what the occasion is, I dare not slack off in the slightest." Hearing this, Pei Yaoqing looked at her attire, and saw that there were creases and stains on the corners of the robe, which was indeed quite different from Zhang Jiuling's.This habit was probably formed when he was the governor of Jeju. He thought to himself: Just do things well, why care about these details? Li Longji said again: "Zhang Qing, you have not yet finished mourning, but you have been robbed of your love. You have refused many times, and I firmly believe so. You must know that keeping filial piety is a personal matter, but compared with state affairs, it is a small matter after all. You can know me Is that what you want?" "Your Majesty understands this festival, and Fang followed the holy will to return to Beijing with sorrow. Your Majesty, I have little talent and wisdom, and I am afraid that I will fail Your Majesty's great trust by occupying the position of the center." Li Longji stared at the two, and said slowly: "Jiu Ling's articles are famous in Tang Dynasty, and they are all like that. After Zhang Shuo's death, you are really a handsome man in the literary field. How can you talk about lack of wisdom? As for Pei Qing, his virtue is high and compassionate to the people. , Good at economics, this important task of transporting grain to Guanzhong is none other than you. The two of you complement each other, as long as you don't quarrel for no reason with your predecessor, you will be able to handle the political affairs well." Li Longji praised the two so highly, and they were greatly moved when they heard the words.It mentioned that disputes are not allowed, which shows Li Longji's extreme expectations for them. Zhang Jiuling said: "I will discuss with Pei Shizhong in advance whenever I encounter important matters, and I dare not act arbitrarily. Moreover, Pei Shizhong has been the governor for many years and is familiar with the details of official affairs. Most of the ministers live in the capital. This is my shortcoming, so I just ask Pei Shizhong for advice." Pei Yaoqing also hurriedly confessed: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Zhang Ling is the commander in chief of the literary field, and he has lived in the central place for a long time and can understand the great and the small. I have always admired him. Although both Zhang Ling and the minister are prime ministers, Zhang Ling is the master. , the minister is the assistant, the minister dare not assume the position and exceed the power, and must stick to the position." Li Longji saw the humility of these two people, and they were not hypocritical. He thought that he had finally chosen the right person. This is why I forgot the rules of the imperial court and strived to be a good person. Han Xiu competed with Xiao Song and complained to me at every turn. I was burdened by it, but it was of great benefit to the world, so I valued him the most. You will be prime ministers in the future. If you quarrel frequently over small details like your predecessor, you must be tolerant; however, when it comes to major matters, I allow you to quarrel, and if I have made mistakes, you can also point them out in person." Li Longji's words were heartfelt, and Zhang Jiuling and Zhang Jiuling were deeply moved when they heard the words.Since ancient times, there are very few emperors who can sincerely accept the advice of their ministers and practice it.Both of them were born in imperial examinations, and they listened more to the words of sages. The principle of "remonstrating to the death, fighting to the death" is actually the ultimate ideal of this group of scribes. In an enlightened era, there must be an emperor who is as good as admonishment, except for the previous Taizong Apart from the emperor, the emperor in front of him is actually an excellent person to carry their ideals.Because they don't need to die to remonstrate, they just need to work faithfully and use their ingenuity. They think it's their own great luck when the time is right. Zhang Jiuling said: "Your Majesty, please don't worry. In the face of big right and wrong, I will act in accordance with the principles of sages and the laws of the country. Although I am in front of Your Majesty, I will not hide my thoughts. I hope that Your Majesty will be more tolerant in the future." Li Longji smiled and said: "When Zhang Shuo was alive, he said several times that you have the style of Wei Zheng and Song Jing, which is very good. However, as a prime minister, you must be open-minded and tolerant of small and big matters, and you should not be easily angry because of small details. Rising. The reason why Han Xiu resigned from office is precisely because of this, he can still be competent for a certain book, but he needs to be more calm when he is in the center." This is the emperor's admonition, and the two hurriedly stood up and bowed in agreement. Pei Yaoqing said: "Your Majesty's admonition, I must keep in mind my duty. In fact, Your Majesty need not worry. Since I will spend less time in Beijing and more time out of Beijing for water transportation, Zhang Ling will take care of most of the government affairs in the court. "Your Majesty, I just want to argue with Zhang Ling, but I have no chance." Li Longji was silent when he heard the words, Pei Yaoqing was telling the truth, he also served as the transfer envoy of Jianghuai and Henan, and he didn't know how many big and small things he had to do to completely solve the problem of lack of food in Guanzhong.As a result, Pei Yaoqing did not have much time to stay in Beijing, so his position as a servant was in name only, and Zhang Jiuling had to support the court on his own. Thinking of this, Li Longji shook his head secretly. There are so many things going on in the world. There were several prime ministers in the previous dynasty, so he reduced them to two. If only Zhang Jiuling was left to preside over the overall situation of the court, wouldn't he be too busy? Pass? The monarch and his ministers had been talking for a while, and the night outside had already risen. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open a window that was not closed tightly, and saw the snow rushing in like a torrential rain, and a court lady rushed forward to close the window tightly.At this time, Li Longji remembered that today was actually a banquet, so he laughed at himself and said: "Hey, today's beautiful snow adds to the festive atmosphere. I intend to invite Qing and the other two to come here to enjoy the snow around the stove, and drink and gossip. How do you say that?" The affairs of the government are getting out of hand? Come on, please raise the cup, let's have a drink together." Ever since Li Linfu met Wu Huier in the Peony Garden in Luoyang, the two have established a communication channel since then, and Niu Guier has been passing messages back and forth. Wu Huier's ability to meet Li Linfu was by no means a "chance encounter", it was obviously deliberate and deliberate.Wu Hui'er's failure to succeed as queen was later learned that it was mainly due to the opposition of Zhang Shuo and others. After further investigation, she finally figured out the origin of the inner thoughts of these literati-born people, so she no longer counted on this group of scribes. Scribes can help themselves. Wu Hui'er knew that the reason why they were so vigilant towards her was thanks to her powerful aunt, Empress Zetian. In fact, when Empress Tian was in power, in order to consolidate her throne, she vigorously killed and rejected the royal relatives, nobles and relatives and other prominent people.After Li Longji became emperor, Yao Chong, Song Jing, Zhang Shuo, Wei Zhigu, Guo Yuanzhen, Zhang Jiuling and others contributed a lot to him, and these people happened to be promoted by Empress Zetian. Although they were promoted by Empress Zetian, they uphold the principles of sages and sages, and they hate the "female ruler of the world" extremely, thinking that this is the origin of the chaos in the world.Li Longji was weak at the time, and they stood by Li Longji's side without hesitation. In their hearts, they really didn't want to see Queen Wei and Princess Taiping dominate the world again. Now Wu Huier seems to want to repeat the story of Empress Zetian, how can they allow it? Wu Huier knew that since Zhang Shuo, known as the leader of the Wenzong of the World, had such an attitude, the scholars of the world must follow suit, so she no longer considered selecting people who supported her. Li Linfu is actually the best candidate.This person is not a scholar of literature. He appreciated Kuohu's meritorious service by the emperor, and then accompanied Cui Yinfu and Yu Wenrong to overthrow Zhang Shuo in one fell swoop, which can be described as courageous and insightful. What impressed Wu Huier the most was that among the three, Li Linfu was the youngest, and he immediately chose to retreat after being hit by a blow, and would never entangle Zhang Shuo again.Later, Cui Yinfu returned home to serve his mother, Yu Wenrong was demoted, and Zhang Shuo became an official. From now on, Wu Hui'er had her eyes on Li Linfu. She knew that Li Linfu didn't study much, and he didn't know much about the sages, so her thinking would not be affected by it.Now I take the initiative to show my favor to Li Linfu, the so-called throwing peaches and repaying Qiongju, Li Linfu will be of great use in the future. How clever Li Linfu was, when he met Wu Huier in the Peony Garden, he was overjoyed: If he had the emperor's favorite concubine to help him in the future, he would be several times stronger than Yuan Qianyao? After Yuan Qianyao was dismissed, he told Li Linfu that he had recommended him to the emperor.After Li Linfu heard the words, he was grateful on the surface, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart.He knew that Yuan Qianyao was only mediocre in front of the emperor, so of course the people he recommended would be greatly discounted.In terms of his qualifications and his position in the emperor's heart, he still had to wait patiently. After Li Linfu was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Officials, his mind became more and more active.He knew that Wu Hui'er had said many good things about him in front of the emperor over the years, and his weight was increasing day by day.This time when Xiao Song and Han Xiu were dismissed as ministers, he had high expectations for himself, but unexpectedly the emperor appointed Zhang Jiuling and Pei Yaoqing as ministers, which made him very disappointed. After Pei Yaoqing served as an attendant and became a transshipment envoy of Jianghuai and Henan, Li Linfu was ecstatic when he saw it, and felt that the opportunity had come.This day is the day when Niu Guier agreed to enter the mansion, and Niu Guier came as promised. The two often meet without exchanging pleasantries, and can directly get to the point. Li Linfu said: "Go back quickly and tell Concubine Hui that the Holy Majesty is going to choose a phase again in the daytime?" Niu Gui'er's ugly face was full of doubts: "Did the Holy Majesty really say that?" "The Holy Majesty didn't say it clearly. However, Pei Yaoqing, as a servant, also knows the transshipment envoy of Jianghuai and Henan, so he must focus on the matter of water transportation, so he has no time to stay in the capital every day. In this way, Zhang Jiuling cannot support Zhang Jiuling alone, and the Holy Majesty will choose to do it for him." Auxiliary." Niu Gui'er still didn't believe it: "Master Li's words are serious? Does Master Li have anything else to say?" “没有了。你将此话告知惠妃，她定会明了。”李林甫想不通武惠儿为何选中牛贵儿倚为心腹？此人又丑又笨，与人说上几句话，对方定会生厌。