Chapter 944: The most powerful official in the dynasty
"Your Majesty is joking, we in Lishan don't dare to cut people into pieces."
Li Shimin glanced at Li Yue and warned: "Yue'er, I know those people in the clan are unreliable, whether it's Li You or Li Yuanchang. It's thanks to Lishan that he can preside over these things and prevent them from making the same mistakes again and again."
Li Yue bowed and said: "The father is the daughter's relative, and these are the things that the daughter should do."
"Relatives..." Li Shimin smiled bitterly, "I have experienced too much, and you are still young. Sometimes I don't know who among these relatives can be relied upon. Now that I think about it, it's just you and Zhang Yang."
Patting Zhang Yang on the shoulder, he said again: "You are a good boy."
Meals brought by several palace maids.
Li Shimin sat down and said, "I have been taking medicine these days. Sun Simiao said that you should not drink alcohol while taking medicine. This is a taboo. I want to live a few more years without drinking. You can try the dishes. I don't know the skills of the palace cooks."
What's wrong? You always disliked me before."
Zhang Qingqing, regardless of etiquette, took the chopsticks and took a bite, "Yeah, it's delicious."
Li Shimin ate the dishes with a bloodless mouth and nodded with satisfaction, "It's much better."
Li Yue was silent again while eating her meal.
Zhang Yang took three or two bites and put down the chopsticks in his hand, "How can Your Majesty go to Lishan to recuperate?"
"hold on."
"How long?"
"Wait until I can feel relieved."
Zhang Yang simply sat next to the emperor and looked at him, "If you don't let go of what you are seeing, your Majesty will never be relieved."
Realizing that the atmosphere at the moment was not good, Zhang Qingqing looked a little more nervous, and his father was probably going to be angry.
"You said I went to Lishan, what should I do with so many state affairs?"
"Leave it to the prince, to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty."
"The current prince is not mature enough, and his experience and ability to deal with the world are not enough."
"You insist blindly, and in the end no one in this world can meet the requirements of you, the Khan of Heaven!" Zhang Yang's tone was a little higher, and he continued: "Everyone has shortcomings in ability. Not everyone in this world is capable.
Make Tian Khan feel perfect."
Listening to Zhang Yang's aggressive words, Li Shimin said calmly: "Zhang Yang, you are very good."
"The prince is not me, and I am not the prince."
Li Shimin took a deep breath and coughed lightly, "Yes, you are not the prince, and the prince will not become a person like you."
"Prince, if there are any shortcomings, you can correct them. Besides, you are only going to Lishan to recuperate. If your condition is relieved, you can come back."
Li Shimin whispered: "You can help me with something."
Zhang Yang asked back: "After doing this for Your Majesty, can I go to Lishan to recuperate?"
Li Shimin nodded slowly, "You will serve as the crown prince's young master, lead the clan's chief minister, and help me purge the clan."
"keep your word."
"I keep my word."
Zhang Yang talked a lot with the emperor again, and his family stayed with the emperor until the night before leaving.
The decree came out that night, and the Marquis of Lishan County was appointed the Prince's Young Master and the Minister of the Zongzong Temple.
As soon as the decree came out, the government and the public were shocked. As soon as Zhang Yang came to Chang'an City, he was appointed as the Prince's Young Master. Now that His Majesty is seriously ill, the Prince is in charge of state affairs.
Does His Majesty want Zhang Yang to be the next Crown Prince and Assistant Minister?
It's okay to say that this kind of thing fell on Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, but it happened to Zhang Yang.
When I learned that His Majesty was seriously ill, looking at the current prince, the prince's status is still unbreakable.
Not to mention that King Li Zhi of Jin was traveling at this juncture, King Li Tai of Wei was still in Lishan Mountain, and he was not in Chang'an City either.
In fact, it had been expected that when Zhang Yang became Shangshu Zuocheng, he would be very close to him.
There is also a Zhongcheng in Zhongshu Province in the DPRK.
At that time, on Zhang Yang's head were Zheng Gong, Fang Xuanling, and Changsun Wuji, who were on an equal footing with Cen Wenwen.
The previous prince's young master, Zheng Gong, has passed away.
The position is vacant, and many people think that the next Prince's Young Master will probably be Fang Xuanling or Changsun Wuji.
Unexpectedly, at this juncture, His Majesty would hand over this position to Zhang Yang. What kind of trust is this?
Once the prince ascends the throne, Lishan's status will be even higher, and Zhang Yang will be close to becoming the most powerful minister.
At night in Chang'an City, the children were still familiar with this courtyard.
After returning from the palace, Li Yue's mood has not been high.
Zhang Yang whispered to her: "I will help your father one more time."
Li Yue whispered: "My father needs someone to stand up. The prince is not good at it. He is not good at making decisions."
"This Tang Dynasty must be doing well."
Li Yue held a toothbrush made of cow bones in her hand and whispered: "It turns out it has always been on the windowsill."
Zhang Yang said: "I looked for it several times. I thought it was lost in Lishan, but I didn't expect it to be at home all the time."
The next day, before dawn, Zhang Yang woke up and put on his long-lost official uniform.
Zhang Qingqing and his younger brother were brushing their teeth and asked curiously: "Is dad going to court?"
"Um."
Zhang Xin'an said happily: "Can children also go?"
As soon as he said the words, his sister glared back at him.
As soon as a ray of morning light appeared on the horizon, Zhang Yang left the house.
It was still quiet in the early morning in Chang'an City, and the air here was not as good as on Lishan Mountain.
Three or two pedestrians could be seen sporadically on the street. Zhang Yang walked all the way to Zhuque Gate and saw Xu Jingzong.
Seeing Zhang Yang, he stepped forward with a smile and said, "County Marquis, I really can't remember the last time I saw you."
Zhang Yang saw Li Yifu, Yuan Gongyu, Shangguan Yi and Di Zhisun in the rear.
Zhuque Gate is still the same, nothing has changed here.
Standing in front of the door, he noticed that there were many eyes looking at him from all around.
Cen Wenwen arrived late just in time for the Suzaku Gate to open and kept up, "I didn't expect that the county prince is now the prince's junior master."
Zhang Yang said: "I just want to retire. I always feel that the later I retire, the closer I will be to the day when my head falls to the ground."
Cen Wenwen asked in confusion: "The head fell to the ground?"
"As my official position gets higher and higher, I feel more and more uneasy. I'm afraid I won't be able to control my righteousness."
"The speech of the county magistrate is really interesting."
When everyone walked into Chengtian Gate, Zhang Yang also noticed Changsun Wuji and smiled at him from a distance.
Today's morning court is still in Taiji Hall, and the morning court is presided over by the prince and the prime minister.
"Brother Wenwen, where do I, the Prince's Young Master, stand?"
Before Cen Wenwen could say anything, Changsun Wuji said: "I'm standing next to you."
"Thank you Duke Zhao for your advice. I haven't been to the court for many years, and I have almost forgotten the rules of the court."
Changsun Wuji held the wat board in his hand and stood with his eyes closed without speaking.
Seeing that he ignored him, Zhang Yang stopped talking.
Not long after, the prince arrived, and the ministers saluted and today's morning court began.
As each ministry reported the matter, someone came forward and said, "Your Highness, I impeach the Marquis of Lishan County for instigating Shangguan Yi of the Jingzhao Prefecture to arrest the county ministers of three counties on the pretext of occupying acres of land. He has no royal laws and is extremely powerful!"
"You fart!" Li Yifu said angrily: "It is a fact to invade the land!"
"First of all, there are no complaints from the villagers, and secondly, the county captain is not corrupt, so how can we invade."
Yuan Gongyu stood up and said to the class: "His Royal Highness, this guy is clearly a false accusation. Who said that the government can't investigate it unless the people bring it to justice?"
"you!"
Li Yifu said: "If such a bastard is still in the court, God is blind!"
The impeachment official said angrily: "Who are you calling a bastard?"
Li Yifu said again: "You are the one being scolded!"
"I will fight with you!"
In the Tai Chi Hall, the three people immediately started beating each other.
Li Yifu and Yuan Gongyu were also outliers in the court. They behaved fairly uprightly, but their tempers were not very good.
They are famous for their fierce fighting in the court. This year, the two of them were promoted to ministers of the Ministry of Rites. This is one of the rare cases where the higher the official position is, the higher they get.
Among civil servants, it is rare that the better they are at fighting, the more appreciated they are by His Majesty.
Li Chengqian finally couldn't bear it anymore and shouted: "Stop!"
After His Highness finished speaking, Li Yifu added another compliment, and then bowed and said respectfully: "Your Highness, I am a sweetheart, and I have always been forthright. If you don't control your own hands, please punish me for your disobedience in front of the palace."
Li Chengqian said in a deep voice: "I will be punished with a salary of three months, and I will be punished with a staff of twenty."
"Here."
The government began to discuss endlessly because of the business of going out to teach.
"Actually, there is no need for our two families to get into too much trouble."
Changsun Wuji, who had been silent all this time, suddenly whispered.
Zhang Yang replied: "What Duke Zhao Guo said is that everyone goes to work."
"Why did His Majesty appoint you as Minister of Zongzheng Temple?"
"Purge the clan."
"This is to make you an enemy of the clan."
Zhang Yang put his hands in his hands and said with a smile: "For relatives like us, the fewer friends the better, and the more enemies the better."
"Well, you are more courageous than me."
"you flatter me."
The title of Prince and Young Master is a false title to show status, while the title of Minister of Zongzheng Temple is the power.
His Majesty is seriously ill and cannot handle government affairs. The position of Prince's Young Master will be the future prime minister, which is a position that many people are worried about.
Zhang Yang sighed in his heart, Your Majesty wants to put me on the fire.
He has power and status, he is also the prince's junior master, and the future auxiliary prime minister. Looking at the civil and military officials of the dynasty, who dares to provoke him.
Only with this kind of power can we compete with the clan members.
Changsun Wuji opened his eyes and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Originally, I had no clue." Zhang Yang clicked his tongue and said, "After seeing what happened today, I already had some concerns in my mind."
He closed his eyes again and said slowly: "You are indeed getting closer and closer to the head falling to the ground."
After the morning court, Zhang Yang was stopped by the prince before he could leave the Tai Chi Hall.
"I still have some things that I can't decide on. I hope the teacher can give me some advice?"
Zhang Yang said: "Your Highness, we are of the same age, so we don't need to be called teachers. I would rather be friends with the prince, like we were back then."
Li Chengqian smiled with relief, "Okay."
Zhang Yang folded his hands and said: "Your Majesty asked me to serve as Minister of Zongzheng Temple. There are still many things to be done. Why don't I wait until I finish the things assigned by Your Majesty and then come to the East Palace to assist the prince in political affairs."
"Don't worry, if you need any help, just come and let me know."
After sending the prince off, Zhang Yang just walked out of Chengtian Gate, and Xu Jingzong surrounded him as soon as he answered the call.
"Marquis of the County, we have prepared a banquet, how about drinking together?"
"Old Xu, if I just come to the court and celebrate with you, I will be gossiped about."
Li Yifu, Shangguan Yi, and Di Zhisun were very happy because Zhang Yang was appointed as the Prince's Young Master and would be a very popular figure in the future.
Zhang Yang looked at everyone, thinking that Tian Khan had made all the arrangements with great foresight, and was just waiting to take action.
In order to maintain his own image, the evil Tian Khan could not bear to attack the clan.
So he needs a powerful minister who wants to attack the clan.
Now, these people in front of me all have their due positions.
The emperor is recovering from illness and cannot handle political affairs. It is the time for me, a powerful minister, to show my power.
Good things come from his god, the Khan, and bad things come from his ministers.
Machiavellian tactics are indeed boring.
Zhang Yang said to the people in front of him: "Dizhixun, go to the Ministry of Household Affairs and send all the field records of villages and counties within three hundred miles of Guanzhong, including the fiefdom field records of the clan children in various places, to Zongzheng Temple."
"Here." Di Zhisun left quickly.
"Shangguanyi, how have you been doing with the land inventory over the past few years?"
"The dossier is already available."
Zhang Yang continued to order: "You have the manpower ready to take action at any time. You will be very nervous these days."
"Here."
Looking at Xu Jingzong again, Zhang Yang ordered: "Old Xu, keep an eye on Zhongshu Province and find out how many officials in the court and members of the clan are moving around."
"Here!"
"Li Yifu, Yuan Gongyu!" Zhang Yang waved his sleeves and said with his hands behind his back: "Follow me."
"Here!"
After hearing this, everyone dispersed.
The few officials holding sticks looked troubled at this moment. Originally, they came to punish Li Yifu and Yuan Gongyu, but they saw that the people in front of them had gone far away, and they were still following the prince's young master.
Who is Zhang Yang? Even the prince has to give him some bad treatment. This kind of person must not be provoked. Someone whispered: "Is it better to give up this rod punishment?"
"Yes, if you ask, just say that you have already been beaten."
"Yes, yes, it's still good."
Several people quickly reached a consensus.
Li Yifu and Yuan Gongyu were walking in the imperial city, followed by more and more people. They were all young ministers who had recently been promoted in the imperial examination.
Over the years, they have developed many friends and gained more followers.
Looking from a distance, the number of people following him could be as many as seventy or eighty, if not hundreds.
As soon as Zhang Yang arrived in Chang'an City, he acted like a powerful official.
Zongzheng Temple is a very special existence among the official offices of the six bureaus and nine temples in the imperial court. Those who serve here are all related to the clan.
Zhang Yang came with a group of people, like the evil forces in the court.
Everyone in Zongzheng Temple felt like they were facing a formidable enemy.
This official residence is not big, but the people who come and go are all respectable people.
Zhang Yang swaggered into the official office with his people. He took a sip of tea while sitting in the upper seat, looked at everyone, and said in a deep voice: "You all listen to me. From today on, all the officials who were originally officials at Zongzheng Temple,
All on vacation.”
"Do you know what vacation means? It means that you can all go home. You don't have to come back privately without my permission, Minister Zongzhengji."
"Zhang Yang!" I don't know who stood up and said angrily: "You are so arrogant! Why don't you just take my official clothes and let the government and the public see how domineering you are!"
"After so many years, you are still so bossy." Zhang Yang sat upright with his hands folded and said with a smile: "Everyone, get out."
Seeing that there were people from Zongzheng Temple standing here, Li Yifu shouted: "Still not leaving? Give me a fight!"