Chapter 4915: Demotion to Prince of Wei

Li Ji glanced at Fang Jun and had no interest in his suggestion that he should come forward to give the ministers a way out.

In other words, he was not sure if there were other pitfalls, so it was better to just stand aside and watch...

Seeing Li Ji's cautious look, Fang Jun suppressed his laughter and said, "Mr. Ying, you are judging others by your own standards."

Li Ji ignored him completely.

Fang Jun personally stepped forward, bowed, and then said: "Your Majesty, it is clear that although the King of Wei made a mistake, and the nature of it is bad, it is after all for a reason and excusable. Your Majesty has always been friendly to brothers, and even the King of Jin made a big mistake and could not bear to blame him, let alone the King of Wei who caused trouble by his momentary recklessness. The title of King of Wei was bestowed by the late emperor, and it should not be revoked in any case."

Li Chengqian was furious: "It is because I love my brothers and am magnanimous that they have no fear and are committing treasonous acts one by one! I really can't bear to kill them, but I can still strip them of their titles and demote them to commoners!"

Which minister who can stand in the palace is not a master at observing words and expressions and guessing people's hearts? Seeing that His Majesty was still furious, there was already room for maneuver in his words. Moreover, Fang Jun took the initiative to "build a ladder" for everyone, so naturally he had to go down the stairs.

Otherwise, can you still fight to the end?

Liu Li said: "The King of Wei has indeed violated the way of a minister, disregarded the etiquette and laws, and disrespected Your Majesty, but after all, he is Your Majesty's brother, so perhaps he can be forgiven."

Liu Xiangdao was helped up, he covered his face and said nothing. Although he was extremely angry, he knew that this was not the time to express his feelings or seek justice. If he forced His Majesty to deprive him of the title of King of Wei, he would surely regret it afterwards and deeply hate the person who "forced him to abdicate" today.

Ma Zhou took two steps forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty's intention to protect us is known to all of us. However, offering sacrifices to the late emperor's mausoleum without permission is a serious crime. It will soon spread throughout the world. If Your Majesty turns a blind eye, it will damage the imperial prestige. We should punish him severely, rectify the etiquette and laws, and enforce the government!"

"What the Minister said makes sense. If such rebellious behavior is let off lightly, where is the etiquette and moral principles?"

"It is better to make him stay in seclusion in the mansion and not go out without permission."

"Deprive yourself of all assignments and apologize behind closed doors!"

As long as it does not involve deprivation of the title, any other punishment is acceptable, the heavier the better. It would be best to deprive him of his assignments to the "Cultural Promotion Association" and "Construction of the Eastern Capital". These two are good assignments, and countless people are jealous and drooling over them.

Li Chengqian waved his hand to stop the civil servants from arguing, looked at Fang Jun and asked, "What does the public of Yue think should be done?"

Fang Jun looked embarrassed and said, "It is reasonable to say that the King of Wei should be imprisoned and deprived of his duties. However, the problem is that the two duties the King of Wei currently holds are extremely important. If we rashly replace him, it will be difficult for him to take over smoothly."

"Duke Yue is exaggerating, isn't he? The whole court is full of outstanding talents, both civil and military. Even if they are not as talented as the King of Wei, they can still follow the rules of Xiao and Cao."

Whether it is the "Cultural Revitalization Association" or the "Construction of the Eastern Capital", the King of Wei has already created a situation, and his successor does not need to start from scratch, so it is naturally not difficult.

"Oh, you are really bragging."

Fang Jun sneered and said, "Your Majesty, the Cultural Revitalization Association is responsible for building county and township schools across the country. It spends millions of guan of money every year and mobilizes more than 100,000 people for corvée labor. The money needed is basically collected by the King of Wei, and the corvée labor is paid according to the local wages. No matter who takes over, please make a written guarantee and sign a military order on the day of succession. If this feat that benefits the people and enlightens the people is aborted halfway or even large-scale corruption occurs, you will be fully responsible!"

No one answered.

This "Cultural Revitalization Association" has a great influence and indirectly shoulders the important task of promoting the "Imperial Examination System". If it succeeds, it will be an extremely dazzling political achievement. However, if it requires a huge amount of money and manpower to complete, it is not worth it.

Besides, who can come up with the huge sum of millions of strings of cash every year to support this project?
The King of Wei, as a prince, "begged for alms" everywhere, and received a huge amount of "donations" extorted from the royal family by Fang Jun, so that he could implement it smoothly. Others don't have that ability...

"As for the construction of the Eastern Capital, Luoyang City has been through war and is in ruins. Most of the palaces built by Emperor Yang of Sui have been abandoned. Repairing and rebuilding it is an extremely huge project. A huge amount of money and manpower has been invested in the design, planning, construction, and other aspects. The huge trees shipped from overseas alone are countless. Whoever succeeds him must also make a written guarantee that he will take the initiative to take responsibility if there is any corruption."

The civil servants looked at each other in bewilderment.

The more money that is handled, the greater the probability of corruption. The chief officer can control corruption, but it is difficult to control hundreds of subordinates not to take bribes, not to mention that they are obedient. Since Fang Jun said so, it means that no matter who takes over these two tasks, he will send people to keep a close eye on them, and will not let go of any slightest mistake...

For such a huge project, who can guarantee that everyone from top to bottom is clean as ice?

Some people were dissatisfied: "Didn't corruption occur during the reign of King Wei?"

Fang Jun said with disdain: "How can you say such stupid things? If you have doubts, you can apply for supervision. The censors in the Censorate have nothing to do all day, so you can send them out to various places to investigate and verify. If you find any corruption, you can immediately hold the King of Wei accountable. You can't just speak nonsense without any evidence."

Imperial Censor Liu Xiangdao covered his face and said nothing.

Be it the "Cultural Promotion Association" or the "Construction of the Eastern Capital", both things are at the strategic level of the empire. Unless there is solid evidence and the impact is huge, how can they be investigated just like that?

Etiquette and law are rules, and officialdom also has rules. You can't accuse the King of Wei of breaking the rules now and then turn around and not follow the rules yourself?

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shenfu, who was hunched over and silent, and said gently, "Come here, give the prince a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch brought a brocade cushion and placed it in the hall. Li Shenfu sat on it and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been standing for a long time, but his legs were shaking from exhaustion...

Li Chengqian said: "Uncle Prince is an old man of the royal family, highly respected, can you give me some advice on how to deal with Prince Wei?"

Li Shenfu shook his head: "I came here only to hear that someone was violating the moral code and causing chaos between the nobles and the humble. This concerns the dignity of the royal family, so I am concerned. As for how to deal with the King of Wei... Your Majesty is the monarch of the King of Wei and his elder brother. You can make the decision on your own. Why do you need to ask for other people's opinions?"

Li Chengqian smiled and said with emotion: "I am also very confused now. If the punishment is too light, it will not teach him a lesson, nor can it give an explanation to the people of the world. If the punishment is too heavy, I will not be able to bear the stigma of being cruel to my brothers. Uncle Wang, please express your opinions freely, and I will consider them and make decisions."

Isn't it just to show your presence that you come to the court eagerly?
I will give you a chance to show yourself well.

Li Shenfu raised his head and glanced at His Majesty, thinking to himself, you don't want to offend anyone so you let me stand out and be the bad guy?

However, since he came to the court, it was just to show his "highly respected" status, so it was just a matter of going with the flow.

Besides, His Majesty is very aggressive, and he will not stop until he gives a suggestion for punishment today...

After thinking for a while, Li Shenfu sighed and said, "The King of Wei is deeply loved by Emperor Taizong and has made many contributions to the Tang Dynasty over the years. Logically, he should not be blamed. However, the country has its own laws and the clan has its own etiquette, which must not be trampled upon! The King of Wei sacrificed to the ancestral tomb without authorization, which is intolerable for the country and the family. He should be demoted to the Prince of Wei County and is not allowed to sacrifice to the ancestral tomb within three years!"

There was a buzzing sound in the hall, and the ministers began to talk among themselves and were all surprised.

Doing so is tantamount to giving the King of Wei a "serious warning" and committing a crime against the country and the clan. His nominal status as "successor to the throne of the empire" is completely stripped away. Even if something unexpected happens to Your Majesty and his descendants, the King of Wei will not be able to succeed as king... It is very serious.

Li Shenfu was helpless. The King of Wei was originally a good target for wooing. Although he now claimed that he would not participate in the fight for the throne, who didn't covet that position? As long as the situation developed to that stage, the King of Wei would naturally take the throne.

But now the King of Wei has committed such a big mistake in his madness and is almost unacceptable to the clan. Who in the clan will support such a person to ascend the throne in the future?

Since you have no choice but to give up, give up completely.

Anyway, Emperor Taizong has many sons and daughters, so he doesn’t need one more... huh?

Li Shenfu's heart suddenly moved, and a thought emerged: Could it be that the King of Wei did this on purpose?

*****
"The south of the mountain and the north of the water are all yang", Xianyang is located just north of the Wei River and south of Jiuyi Mountain, and both the mountains and water are yang, so it is named Xianyang. From here to the north, Jiuyi Mountain stretches and undulates, across the hinterland of the plain, facing the Taibai and Zhongnan peaks in the distance. The mountain is abrupt and handsome, with good feng shui, and was chosen by Emperor Taizong as the location of his mausoleum.

In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Empress Wende was critically ill and requested a simple burial before her death.

Emperor Taizong followed Empress Wende's last wishes and temporarily buried her in a newly carved cave in Jiuyi Mountain after her death. He also decided to make Zhaoling Mausoleum his own final resting place, and named it Zhaoling Mausoleum.

"The holy text is comprehensive and profound, and the one who shows virtue and has made achievements is called Zhao."

A few years later, Emperor Taizong felt that his great achievements were comparable to those of "the greatest emperor of all time" and completely forgot Empress Wende's last wish for "simple burial" and began a massive and complicated construction project, which was not completed until his death. When Li Chengqian succeeded to the throne, he still used countless money and manpower to continue the construction.

Dark clouds hung low, and the abrupt mountain ridge looked like a sharp sword piercing straight into the clouds. Large flakes of snow fluttered, covering the entire mausoleum's ground buildings in a vast expanse. As far as the eye could see, the tall roof of the offering hall was looming in the wind and snow.

Li Tai knelt on the ground, looking up at the statues of Emperor Taizong and Empress Wende. He already knew that he was being demoted to a prince, but his heart was calm and there was no ripple. He even felt a little bit of joy after his "conspiracy succeeded"...

There was the sound of footsteps behind him, and Li Chengqian walked in slowly, wearing a fu hat and a cloak.

献殿
(End of this chapter)