Although the people generally believe that King Yong's contribution to quelling the rebellion was not rewarded and he was treated unfairly by the court, this matter will not cause actual turmoil.
All the common people can do is tell some "unfounded" stories, recite poems and poems written by the people in the stories, and complain.
The palace's response to this kind of public opinion was insensitive, and could even be said to be very slow.
The concept of "loyal minister" between the people and the court is also completely different. In the eyes of the common people, an official who does practical things and benefits the people is a loyal minister; but in the eyes of the court, an official who has merit but is disrespectful is a great official.
The treacherous minister.
Our positions are different and our ideas are far apart, so naturally we cannot resonate with each other.
Dou Wenyang reported to Li Cong the impact of the prisoner sacrifice, saying in a very happy tone, "Your Majesty's reputation has been greatly enhanced, and the world has returned to its heart!"
Li Cong stood high that day and was far away, but he still felt that the scene of thousands of people singing lyrics and watching the execution was out of admiration for him. Although his lyrics were generous and sad, when he thought about it carefully, it seemed to fit the situation.
He couldn't help but feel a little complacent, constantly weighing his contribution to the Tang Dynasty in his mind. He put his hands behind his hands and asked Dou Wenyang: "I have been working hard and sleeping night and day since I came to the throne. I have finally achieved some results, but I don't know how they compare with previous generations."
Compared to an emperor."
Dou Wenyang responded: "Your Majesty has surveyed the four seas, and in terms of martial arts, he is not inferior to the founding emperor; in terms of governance, your majesty will revitalize the Tang Dynasty, and is even better than the founding emperor. I privately believe that your majesty's achievements are comparable to those of Emperor Taizong."
Taking advantage of this time, Li Cong awarded him the rank of Weiweiqing from the third rank, and he began to call himself a "chen", trying to get rid of the courtiers' prejudice against him as a eunuch.
"No no no."
Li Cong waved his hands humbly, not daring to admit on the surface that he succeeded Emperor Taizong.
Regardless of whether he can be pursued or not, he is definitely wiser than the emperor. However, the emperors compared themselves to Yao and Shun. They recorded the years in the same way as Yao and Shun, and changed the year into a year. If he did not make corresponding changes, how could he let the world know about his achievements?
Along the way, he has suffered so much and sacrificed so much. Li Cong also hopes that his efforts can be seen by others.
He considered it and expressed this idea to Dou Wenyang, who immediately thought about it.
It is a pity that the emperor has not yet taken control of the government, cannot be granted the title of Zen, and does not have the financial resources.
In this way, the only thing that can equal the credit of changing the year is changing the year.
"Change the beginning of the year?"
"Yes, your majesty was born as a direct descendant and re-established the Tang Dynasty. He is the righteous person of the world. He is a saint through the ages. It is natural for your majesty to come and establish the righteous person."
The eldest son has no doubt that the first thing Li Cong did after he ascended the throne was to posthumously confer his biological mother, Concubine Liu Hua, as Queen Yuanxian, establishing his orthodox title.
As for "Zhengshuo", "Zhengshuo" is the beginning of the year, and "Shuo" is the beginning of January.
Fuxi created the Taichu calendar of the Shangyuan Dynasty, using January as the first month; Shennong improved the calendar and used December as the first month; Huangdi used November as the first month.
The three emperors created the calendar based on the agricultural time, benefiting future generations, and their contributions will last for thousands of years, so they are called "sages".
When later generations changed dynasties, they all followed the saints in changing the calendar. Emperor Yu inherited the ancestral line from Fuxi, and he worshiped Bai, and regarded January as the first month;
November is the first month.
In the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shanghei was ingenious and created the tenth month as the first month. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty summoned famous ministers to revise the calendar. In the first year of Taichu, the first month was changed to the first month of the year, which was called "Mengchun".
The tradition of "Spring" has been fixed.
Now, if Li Cong can change "Zhengshuo" again, he will be able to follow the destiny of heaven and create a new calendar. Not only will his achievements be comparable to those of the Three Emperors Saints, but he will also be comparable to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Li Cong was fascinated when he thought that future generations would all change their own "Zhengshuo" to celebrate the New Year.
"Kaizheshuo?"
He only hesitated for a moment. After swallowing his breath, he made a decision and asked Dou Wenyang, "Is it true?"
"But, it's just..."
Dou Wenyang hesitated in his tone.
Li Cong suddenly became nervous, fearing that this good idea would not be realized in the end. He stared at Dou Wenyang eagerly and listened to him say: "It's just that we have to change 'Zi' to years, then it will be logical."
Since it is an innovation and a re-creation, it is natural to start a whole series of changes. Changing the name to year is a denial of the achievements of the Supreme Emperor.
Only by denying the Supreme Emperor can we affirm the greater achievements of today's saints.
Li Cong nodded repeatedly in his mind, his face stiffened for a moment and then he showed a helpless expression, sighing: "This is the only way."
"I accept the decree." Dou Wenyang said: "I will definitely handle it."
The day he received the decree, he separated Si Tiantai from the Secretariat Department.
The Secretariat Department was where Xue Bai once worked. Many eminent scholars served in it because Xue Bai took the lead in compiling books. Many of them were Xue Bai's teachers when he was studying in the Imperial College, and they greatly hindered Dou Wenyang's work.
Taking advantage of Xue Bai's absence from the court, the first thing Dou Wenyang tested was these literary and historical officials.
Sure enough, there is nothing a scholar can do against a powerful official like him.
After Si Tiantai became independent, Dou Wenyang replaced all the officials with his own people.
He did not dare to go too far and promoted all Xue Bai's original party members. Anyway, there are many officials promoted in the imperial court due to their merit. Xue Bai also transferred many people in Fan Yang. There were many transfers and enough positions. This move did not cause any problems.
Too much opposition.
Dou Wenyang immediately felt the control he had over the court in Xue Bai's absence, so in addition to Si Tiantai's original responsibilities of observing astronomical phenomena, revising the calendar, and keeping time day and night, he added the sacrificial power of Jianxing disaster relief.
This move is to highlight the responsibilities of Si Tiantai, emphasize the role of astronomical phenomena in orthodoxy, and increase the impression that Li Cong is responsible for the destiny of heaven.
After doing this, Dou Wenyang went to the palace and paid 30,000 yuan to Li Cong, claiming that it was used to bribe officials.
Li Cong had no financial power. After saving for so long, the emperor's internal funds only had some treasures originally left by Li Longji, which were worth more than 100,000 yuan. Of course, he was very reluctant to give up after hearing this, but in order to seek power, he gritted his teeth and paid it.
Dou Wenyang.
It's night, the moon and stars are sparse, and Chang'an is peaceful.
But the next day, Si Tiantai made a statement, saying that at night, "the comet came out of the east and was about four feet long between Louwei."
Li Cong then summoned the ministers and asked Si Tiantai what this celestial phenomenon meant. He replied that when heaven teaches people, a saint needs to announce Zhengshuo.
"Your Majesty, this horoscope belongs to the celestial beings. The scene is written down, and the relationship follows the old code. The contract is the new destiny. The righteousness remains and the new beginning, the common people are in accordance with the heart of heaven!"
The words were so profound that others either did not know astronomy and did not dare to say anything, or they knew that the saint meant to emphasize that he had created a new prosperous age.
Li Cong was greatly surprised when he heard this. After exchanging a look with Dou Wenyang, he ordered Si Tiantai to observe the celestial phenomena carefully and make changes to the calendar in line with the farming season.
Things are progressing very smoothly. After all, the emperor has established his authority without harming the people of the country, and the officials have no reason to object. This matter is not directed at the Xue Party, which is the most powerful party in the court today. Even the Xue Party officials turned a blind eye.
One eye.
The matter had been agreed upon, but suddenly an old voice sounded.
"His Majesty."
The person who stood up was Wei Shu, who knew the history and official affairs, was also the Imperial College's imperial eunuch, was appointed as the prince's concubine, and was a doctor named Yinqing Guanglu.
Wei Shu was old and had inconvenient legs and feet, and his body was trembling when he stood up. He glanced at the officials in Sitiantai, and finally his eyes fell on Dou Wenyang.
He was in the Secretariat, watching helplessly as Si Tiantai was separated, his knowledgeable disciples and subordinates were removed and relegated, while those greedy people without talent and knowledge were promoted. Therefore, he knew this best.
Behind the scenes, I knew Dou Wenyang was behind the scenes.
"Si Tiantai said that a comet came out of the east last night, but I was enjoying the cool air in the courtyard and did not see any strange phenomena all night long. I went to court today and there was no discussion among the people about the celestial phenomenon."
When Wei Shu said this, his old face became solemn and he said: "If the celestial phenomenon does not appear today, the world will not be able to witness it. Once your majesty issues an order, I am afraid that it will not uphold the dignity of the imperial court, but will become the laughing stock of the world!"
Li Cong felt guilty and subconsciously shrank his neck.
Dou Wenyang rushed to stand up, raised his hand and shouted: "There is clearly a celestial phenomenon, how can Wei Gong open his eyes and tell lies?!"
Wei Shu was furious, blowing his beard and glaring, saying, "I'm telling you lies? How dare you complain first!"
"It's late at night, everyone in the world is asleep, but Wei Gong is the only one who doesn't sleep? Why don't you stay up all night?"
"Si Tiantai said that at three o'clock in the afternoon, I didn't see him at that time, so why did he say that he was up all night?"
Dou Wenyang hurriedly shouted: "Are you missing something and can't observe the stars? If Si Tiantai can see it, can you definitely see it with your eyes?!"
Wei Shu scolded: "If there is no celestial phenomenon, there is nothing. You treacherous eunuch, you want to call a deer a horse?!"
This was a very serious accusation. With this sentence, the original dignity of each other was torn apart. Dou Wenyang no longer had any scruples, and showed off the curse skills he had gained from fighting among the slaves, and shouted sharply.
"That's because you are old and confused!"
Wei Shu was indeed old, but his academic status was high and he was highly respected by others. Everyone was shocked when he was scolded so openly.
Yan Zhenqing also looked serious. He stepped out and shouted at Dou Wenyang: "What a shame!"
Dou Wenyang was so angry that he couldn't even pay attention to him. He quickly rushed to the palace and pointed at Wei Shu and continued to scold him.
"Your old eyes are muddier than urine. What can you see? A comet flashes past faster than you can blink, and you can see nothing!"
"You are an eunuch, how can you be allowed to speak obscenely in court?!"
"When God teaches people, the scene is written down. This is God's sign that the saint has vigorously innovated and created a prosperous age. How can you allow you to slander it?!"
"If His Majesty can really innovate and create a prosperous age, how can it be ruined by the words of an old minister?!"
The hall fell silent.
Dou Wenyang finally got Wei Shu's fatal flaw, and became more and more excited. He stood on tiptoe a few times, not knowing how to move. He shook his fingers a few times, saliva flew everywhere, and he couldn't wait to shout out the sentence "Dou Wen Yang"
Wei Shu’s words——
"Are saints useless? Wei Shu! How dare you criticize Cheng Yu?!"
No one can answer.
Yan Zhenqing was about to speak for Wei Shu, but he opened his mouth halfway and fell silent.
Wei Shu's beard trembled, and his eyes gradually turned red.
He knelt down slowly and hard, put down the wat tablet in his hand, and uttered a few words in a mournful voice.
"I beg for the bones."
Li Cong never said a word. Only then did he stand up and said with relief: "Why is Wei Qing doing this? It's just that he didn't see the comet. It's not like this. It's not like this."
"May the saint be gracious to me to retire and return to my hometown."
However, Wei Shu knew very well that because of those words he said in public, his official career was over. If he did not resign, he would be dead.
Therefore, by the end of his words, his voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes were filled with tears and he couldn't help himself.
He is not begging for help, he is begging for a job.
He has been studying history all his life and has almost never participated in political disputes. Today, his life is in danger because of a word of truth. Why is this?
Li Cong didn't feel much about this matter at this time. He thought he was not a jealous and suspicious king like Li Longji, and he didn't want to appear narrow-minded in front of his ministers, so he refused to approve Wei Shu's resignation.
Anyway, a historian wouldn't have much influence on this matter.
After leaving the court, he even mildly scolded Dou Wenyang.
"Why do you have to scold Wei Shu and other virtuous and respected people?"
Dou Wenyang no longer admitted his mistake as quickly as before, but said: "I couldn't see Wei Shu forming a clique for personal gain, so in desperation, I had no choice but to speak out to stop him, lest he damage the prestige of the saint."
Li Cong was slightly stunned and asked: "You mean, he did it on purpose?"
"Have the saints forgotten that Wei Shu was once the teacher of King Yong?" Dou Wenyang said, "The night is so long, who can confirm that there is no comet passing through the night? Si Tiantai has just presented the report, but Wei Shu denied it immediately without investigating. Why?
?It’s nothing more than fear of saints establishing their authority.”
Li Cong was surprised. Only then did he realize that Wei Shu turned out to be this kind of person. He looked loyal on the surface, but secretly formed a clique and acted as Xue Bai's lackey. He was insidious.
A feeling of disgust suddenly rose in his heart, and Wei Shu's good impression in his heart suddenly collapsed.
Dou Wenyang continued: "The saint is merciful, but King Yong is as powerful as a tiger or a wolf. If we don't eradicate his gang members while he is away from the court, he will definitely harm the saint in the future."
Li Cong was horrified and asked: "Then, should I allow him to become an official?"
Dou Wenyang's eyes flashed with murderous intent and said: "If we don't kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, and Wei Shu criticizes the public and denigrates the saint's achievements without being punished, all the officials will despise the saint and turn to King Yong. What will the saint do then? Prince
What should we do?”
Li Cong unconsciously stroked his knees with his hands, his eyes showing deep thought. After a long time, he slowly said: "But Wei Shu is famous in this world. If I kill him, how will the people in the world look at me?"
"Then please ask the saint to release him, so as not to hinder the saint from correcting Shuo's major issues." Dou Wenyang did not force it.
Li Cong said: "Don't wrong Wei Shu."
In fact, both of them knew that no matter where Wei Shu was moved, Dou Wenyang would definitely send someone to kill him.
In this way, no one can fault it on the surface, but anyone with a discerning eye will know that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was responsible for the achievement of quelling chaos and calming down the rebellion, and they know that they should be loyal to the emperor.
~~
Zhongshu Menxiasheng.
After Yan Zhenqing unfolded the edict issued by the sage and read it, his expression became serious and he became more upright and awe-inspiring.
He turned to Dou Wenyang, did not talk nonsense with the eunuch, and gave a neat and serious answer.
"No approval."
Dou Wenyang could not help but feel angry after standing there waiting for so long and only getting these two words.
In the past, the safety of the world depended on Xue Bai, the military marshal, and he was still afraid of Yan Zhenqing. Now that Xue Bai is away and the saint's prestige is growing, he feels that Yan Zhenqing is a lonely tree in Chang'an.
Dou Wenyang also hoped that one day he would get rid of Yan Zhenqing and become prime minister himself. He immediately said with a cold face and a sinister tone: "Mr. Yan, are you going to refuse and disobey?!"
Yan Zhenqing had already made a clear decision as to whether there was a celestial phenomenon at night, but it was hard for a castrate to say whether it was right or wrong.
"Yes, there is something wrong with the saint's will. As the prime minister, it is his duty to criticize and remonstrate."
"snort!"
Now that his face was broken, Dou Wenyang no longer showed mercy and said with a stern voice: "I think you don't want to be the prime minister anymore."
He and Yan Zhenqing had nothing to say, so he let go of the harsh words, turned around and left.
Recently, he has accepted money from many capable ministers and officials, promised them some positions, and has gathered a group of cronies around him. He can instruct the censor to impeach Yan Zhenqing and remove him from the position.
At this moment, he had made up his mind to use this matter to get rid of Yan Zhenqing and take back the power of the government.
Looking at Dou Wenyang's leaving figure, Yan Zhenqing's eyes showed no sadness and anger, only deep sadness.
He sighed, stepped out of Zhongshu's door, and walked towards the Imperial College.
After leaving the imperial city and entering Wubenfang, it was time for school to end. The students were pouring out of the school, walking in twos and threes, or meeting to go to the brothel Chu Pavilion. Some people were talking loudly about the most fashionable thing in Chang'an City today.
In the story, there were also people chasing and running, laughing and playing.
Yan Zhenqing stopped and looked at the young man running and jumping, envious of his vigorous vitality.
Recalling that when I was young, I had... It turned out that I had never been in such a situation. When I was young, I was as old as now, reading "at midnight and the lights on, and at five o'clock."
He really hoped that Datang was still a vigorous young man, instead of a middle-aged and elderly person who was depressed after a serious illness.
Walk past Lu Shengren Palace and go around to Taixue Hall.
In a small room, Wei Shu was sitting upright, chatting with Zheng Qian and Su Mingyuan.
As soon as Yan Zhenqing entered the door, he looked at Wei Shu for a while without saying anything, but when Wei Shu saw his expression, he knew that he was in danger.
"I'm asking them if there have been any celestial phenomena." Wei Shu spoke up and said slowly: "The sky is huge, and the affairs of the heaven must not be controlled by eunuchs. Whether comets appear or not, how can we trust the truth?"
Now that things have happened, the first thing he talks about is not his personal future and life, but right and wrong.
He is a historian who records the affairs of the world, but he seeks to be factual.
"No one in the Imperial Academy saw the comet last night. It can be seen that Quan Jun is unscrupulous in his work. If things go on like this, the imperial court will be ruined..."
Yan Zhenqing just listened silently.
Wei Shu was worried about state affairs, and after talking for a long time, he asked: "You are the Prime Minister, how come you don't say a word?"
"What can I say?" Yan Zhenqing said with emotion, "The sage reused eunuchs to correct Shuo. His intention was to revive the power of Heaven, and more importantly, to seize power. From whom?"
He didn't say the word "I", but the answer was very clear. The first thing Li Cong wanted to seize was his power as prime minister.
"Everyone in the court said that King Yong was planning to usurp. As his father-in-law, I must be his party member and handle the government affairs to help him. In fact, I have never heard him talk about usurping, so I even argued
Chu, I have never talked with him."
Speaking of this, Yan Zhenqing let out a long sigh.
"I am a loyal minister of the Emperor, not a member of King Yong's party... Do you believe it when I say this?"
Zheng Qian first replied: "I am a doctor of Taixue and the teacher of King Yong. If King Yong has the intention to usurp us, we should be the first to support him. If we seize the throne, we will become the ministers of the East Palace.
Ranked among the three nobles."
He smiled, raised his arms, and continued, "But now we are still just a minor official, a minor official."
Su Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh.
This is a smile with a clear conscience.
Yan Zhenqing was busy dealing with state affairs every day and taking good care of the Tang Dynasty, which was recovering from a serious illness. He was so busy and exhausted that he had not laughed so heartily for a long time.
The four of them laughed and laughed. Gradually, the laughter subsided. No one spoke for a long time, and sadness came to their eyes again.
"Since Chang'an was besieged, I have been busy defending the city, suppressing rebellions, and holding great power. I have failed to take into account the wishes of the saint, and I have accidentally become a powerful minister. I have petitioned the saint several times to invite the saint to show his respect to the virtuous ministers, Yuan Xiaoren,
On the contrary, the saint regards me as his great enemy. In this case, how can I exhort the saint?"
After hearing this, Wei Shu said worriedly: "Hui Yixiao is generous, Yixiao is generous!"
What they wanted to stop was not Gai Zhe Shuo, but the behavior of saints who listened to eunuchs and talked nonsense in order to establish their authority.
This is like the Emperor who continued to create auspiciousness in the past, and changed the year for the future. Never forgetting the past will serve as a guide for future generations. But in just a short time, the saint will make the same mistake again, how can he not be heartbroken.
No one knows that what these superficial followers of King Yong did was all because of their loyalty to the saint.
Of course, their loyalty was not to Li Cong, but to the saint.
"The saint wants to move Duke Wei to be the governor of Lianzhou." Yan Zhenqing began to talk about the business, saying: "I have rejected the imperial edict, but Duke Wei made a mistake in public, so his demotion is inevitable at this time..."
Su Mingyuan said quickly: "It's just a matter of being demoted, but looking at the intention of the powerful eunuch, it is clear that he wants to harm Duke Wei!"
Wei Shu knew that he was going to die, so he burst into tears. He opened his mouth to explain his funeral arrangements and asked his friends to take good care of his family.
However, Yan Zhenqing comforted him and said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to Mr. Wei. Lianzhou is too far away. Guangling Prefect Li Ao is appointed as the envoy to Changping in Henan Province. Guangling County has quite a lot of problems. How about asking Mr. Wei to temporarily serve as the governor of Yangzhou?"
"Yangzhou Governor?"
"We must protect Mr. Wei carefully."
When Wei Shu heard this, he felt as if he had escaped from death, and he quickly agreed, sighing endlessly.
After a while, he couldn't help but ask: "Can the saint agree?"
Yan Zhenqing stroked his beard and said nothing.
Before coming, he had already thought about it. In fact, whether the saint agreed or not, the source of his power was not actually the official position of prime minister.
But it was Xue Bai who was far away in Fan Yang.
~~
Dou Wenyang couldn't wait to go to Li Cong and file a complaint against Yan Zhenqing.
This time, not only did they want to get rid of Wei Shu, but they also wanted to suppress Yan Zhenqing.
He had already thought about it on the way here. It would be difficult to remove him as prime minister, but he could take back most of Yan Zhenqing's power and set up another prime minister to approve decrees.
"Can it really be done?"
Li Cong was very confused when he heard this.
Dou Wenyang immediately made an impassioned speech, saying: "When King Yong first arrived in Fan Yang, his foothold was not yet stable. At this time, even if the saint suppressed his followers, he would never raise an army."
This is a psychological game. He can be sure that Xue Bai will not resort to force just because Yan Zhenqing's power is taken away.
Then dare to do it.
He analyzed the reasoning behind this to Li Cong. Li Cong suddenly realized it, rubbed his hands, and looked happy.
"I will appoint another prime minister. Is there any candidate?"
With longing, the two of them were still discussing, but a chamberlain hurried over and handed over a memorial.
Li Cong rarely saw this situation and asked: "What's the matter?!"
"Returning to the saint is a memorial to Yan Xiang."
"He wants to remonstrate with me again?"
"Yan Xiang...please resign."
When Li Cong heard this, his expression immediately changed.
He took a look at the memorial and saw that Yan Zhenqing's memorial was more like a letter. It said ordinary things, saying that he was going to Yangzhou to pick up his family and send his daughter to Fanyang to reunite with his son-in-law.
Li Cong couldn't see the beautiful handwriting and the hidden emotions, he only felt threatened.
He wished Yan Zhenqing could become an official.
But this letter is not about getting an official position at all, it is about provoking and intimidating.
A minister dared to frighten the king.
"I already knew that Yan Zhenqing had ulterior motives." Dou Wenyang read the memorial and immediately jumped to his feet and said sharply: "As a minister, he can be so domineering. Now he is even more blatant!"
"What should I do?" Li Cong asked: "I can't approve his resignation, right?"
Dou Wenyang was stunned, opened his mouth, and felt guilty.