Chapter 27: The Retired Emperor Rebels? This Is No Small Matter! [New Book, Please Add to Your Library]

Although the words Li Chengqian relayed on behalf of Li Yuan had eased the knot in Li Shimin’s heart, it did not mean he would abandon his struggle for power against his father. As long as the old officials from the Wude era remained in the imperial court, he felt he could not fully unleash his talents for governing the state. Now, with veterans like Pei Ji jumping out one after another to oppose the revision of the Wude Code, he felt even more obstructed.

Although he could exercise his imperial authority to purge all these Wude-era officials from the court, it was clearly impossible for a ruler who aspired to be a wise monarch through the ages. Therefore, even though he was furious and struggling to suppress his inner rage, he forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

"This..." The ministers looked at one another in silence.

Right Director of the Secretariat Feng Deyi then spoke up: "Your Majesty, I believe this issue is not about whether to revise the law, but whether, after a period of great chaos, we should continue to use harsh penalties to govern the world!"

"The Right Director is mistaken!" Before Feng Deyi’s voice had even faded, Remonstrance Grand Master Wei Zheng countered: "Before the Zhenguan era, the Great Tang was constantly at war because it needed to unify the realm. But once the world is unified, we must comfort the people with tranquility and allow them to recuperate! If we continue to use harsh penalties, how can we foster such recovery?"

"This..." Feng Deyi hesitated, then asked, "If we do not use harsh penalties, those who commit crimes will be everywhere. How can we comfort the people and ensure they live in peace?"

"The Qin Dynasty had draconian laws; were there fewer criminals? Were the people at peace?" Fang Xuanling sneered. Feng Deyi was once again left speechless.

Wei Zheng continued, "In this new Zhenguan era, the people's strength is insufficient and the national power is not yet robust. Your Majesty wishes to govern through civil virtue; the laws must naturally be lenient, benevolent, and simple. I believe that after great turmoil, the primary task is education!" He paused, glanced at Zhangsun Wuji, and added coolly, "As for the laws, they only need to be upright and moderate!"

Zhangsun Wuji was speechless, thinking to himself that the idea of "upright and moderate" was one he had proposed—why did it sound like it came from Wei Zheng? However, Emperor Li Er was very satisfied with Wei Zheng’s remarks and nodded with a smile: "In our Zhenguan era, we emphasize moderation and uprightness; naturally, the laws must also be upright!"

"Ha!" Pei Ji scoffed mockingly, "Since the Three Dynasties, people have become increasingly cold-hearted. That is why the Qin relied solely on law to rule the country. As for the Han, although they spoke of the Kingly Way, they supplemented it with the Hegemon’s Way. It seems they intended to use education, but in the end, it failed, and they suffered for it!"

"Indeed! Some things cannot be achieved just because one wishes them to be!" Feng Deyi sneered in agreement. "So-called education is nothing more than an ideal. People like Wei Zheng seem loyal and forthright, but they are actually treacherous; if Your Majesty trusts him, he will surely ruin the nation. Therefore, I still insist on strict laws and harsh penalties!"

"Good! Very good..." As soon as Feng Deyi finished, Pei Ji began to clap and laugh. The other Wude-era veterans joined in, praising Feng Deyi. The atmosphere in the hall fell back into silence.

Just then, a youthful voice rang out from outside the hall: "Are you people hoping that our Great Tang will perish soon?"

A commotion erupted. Some were stunned, others were furious and indignant. Many turned to look toward the source of the voice, including Li Chengqian.

"What are you doing?" Li Chengqian whispered, pulling at the chubby boy.

"Didn't you barge into the hall like this before, brother?" the boy replied with a grin.

"Are you sick? You're copying that?" Li Chengqian sighed, feeling as if the boy was possessed.

The next moment, Emperor Li Er’s voice boomed from within: "Who is so bold as to interrupt the court’s discussion?" He recognized the voice as that of his son, Li Tai, but he did not know his objective.

In truth, Li Tai’s goal was simple: he wanted to emulate Li Chengqian. He believed that the reason his uncle Zhangsun Wuji valued Li Chengqian was because Li Chengqian had demonstrated his abilities in court, and he had not been favored because he hadn't shown his own strength.

"It is I, your son, Li Tai," the boy said, shaking off Li Chengqian’s hand and stepping into the hall to bow respectfully.

"Oh?" Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise: "So it is Qingque!" He then turned stern. "What did you mean by your remark earlier?"

"Reporting to Father, I heard the discussion between the Right Director and the Remonstrance Grand Master outside, and I have some thoughts I wish to debate with the Right Director!"

"Debate? Debate what?" Li Shimin frowned. He caught a glimpse of a sneaky figure outside and realized Li Tai had been corrupted by his "rebellious son" Chengqian.

"Humph!" Li Shimin snorted with dissatisfaction, then looked at Feng Deyi. "Right Director, what do you think?"

Though annoyed, Feng Deyi smiled: "Your Majesty is hosting a banquet today; while we touched upon state affairs, it is not a formal court session. If the Prince of Wei wishes to debate, I am happy to oblige."

The hall fell silent. Li Tai sneered: "The Minister of Works mentioned the Qin and Han, which are dynasties of the past. As the saying goes, 'past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.' If our Great Tang wishes to create a new golden age, we must summarize the experiences of our predecessors and learn from their failures!"

"And what is your summary, Prince of Wei?"

"May I ask, Right Director, the Qin used strict laws and perished in less than twenty years. The Han used both the Hegemon’s and Kingly ways and lasted over two hundred years. Are you suggesting that our Great Tang should emulate the Qin?"

Feng Deyi chuckled: "Although I advocate for strict laws, they are far more lenient than those of the Qin. Furthermore, our Emperor is brilliant and martial, far surpassing the tyrant of the Qin. Even with strict laws, we will not perish!" He looked at Li Tai with a smirk: "Or does the Prince of Wei believe that our current Emperor is no different from that tyrant?"

Li Tai was rendered speechless, caught off guard. Li Shimin, who had initially been optimistic, showed a look of disappointment and prepared to signal for him to leave.

At that moment, the chubby boy had a flash of inspiration and shouted toward the entrance: "Brother! What you taught me wasn't right!"

"What?!" The entire court was shocked. Even Li Chengqian was stunned. *Damn it! This kid is truly malicious!*

Li Shimin barked, "Rebellious son! Get in here!"

Li Chengqian twitched but had no choice but to enter. "Your son pays his respects to Father!"

"Humph!" Li Shimin scowled. "Did you teach Qingque those words?"

"I..." Before Li Chengqian could explain, Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I believe Chengqian was only speaking casually; I didn't expect Qingque to be so reckless. Please investigate, Your Majesty!"

"That's not true, Father, I didn't..." Li Tai started to protest, but Fang Xuanling cut him off: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhongshan must have spoken without intent. Please investigate!"

*You... you all...* Li Tai was stunned. He never expected that, besides his uncle Zhangsun Wuji, the influential Fang Xuanling would also step forward to support Li Chengqian.

Just as Li Tai was reeling, Li Chengqian spoke: "My brother Qingque said I taught him, but perhaps he didn't hear me finish. I also said that the Yellow Emperor conquered Chi You, Gaoyang conquered the Jiuli, Shang Tang exiled Jie of Xia, and King Wu of Zhou conquered King Zhou of Shang. After these conquests, they all brought peace to the world. The people remained the same, but the result was peace! Did not the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors achieve this through education after great chaos? What is there to argue about?"

The court erupted. Even Pei Ji and Feng Deyi were shaken. This boy had elevated Emperor Li Er to a higher plane. If one discusses the Qin or Han, there are always flaws, but if one discusses the Three Dynasties or those before, it is different. Emperor Li Er wanted to be a wise monarch, and what is a wise monarch if not one who aligns himself with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? This was a masterstroke by Li Chengqian.

"Hahaha! Good! Well said!" Zhangsun Wuji was the first to laugh and applaud. Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with complex emotions, remaining silent. Truthfully, he was increasingly recognizing his eldest son's worth, but the memory of Li Chengqian requesting to be deposed still rankled. Thus, even though the words pleased him, he did not offer a single word of praise, instead surveying the ministers: "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

The ministers looked at each other, then toward Feng Deyi and Pei Ji. As Feng Deyi prepared to speak, a glance from Pei Ji silenced him. Consequently, the ministers began to shower Li Chengqian with praise.

"The Prince of Zhongshan's argument is admirable!"
"With the Prince of Zhongshan, the Great Tang will flourish!"
"Heaven protects our Great Tang, Heaven protects the Prince of Zhongshan!"

Listening to the praise, Li Tai felt miserable, thinking, *I was the one who came first, how did it end up like this!*

"Enough. Since no one opposes, issue the decree!" Li Shimin waved his hand. An attendant took the edict and read aloud: "By order of the Emperor, Minister of Personnel Zhangsun Wuji, Secretariat Chancellor Fang Xuanling, and Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Dai Zhou are to immediately discuss the revision of the Wude Code!"

"We obey the decree!" The three men stepped forward.

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction. "In short, the laws must be lenient and simple; that is consistent with our new policies of benevolence! Ensure you produce a satisfactory draft!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

...

Meanwhile, at a tavern outside Chang'an, music and dancing filled the air. Zhangsun Anye was drinking with Li Xiaochang, the Prince of Yi'an.

At the start of the Zhenguan era, Li Shimin had heavily rewarded his meritorious officials, but some were satisfied while others were not—Li Xiaochang was among the latter.

He took a gloomy drink and complained: "You are a relative of the imperial family and live comfortably, but my good days are likely over!"

"Heh, what's wrong?" Zhangsun Anye asked, knowing the answer.

"The new Zhenguan era has no rewards for me; it's quite a loss of face!"

"Indeed, you have been treated unfairly!"

"Not just me. What about Li Shentong, the Prince of Huai'an? He is the cousin of the Retired Emperor, fought many battles, and suffered many wounds, yet he received no rewards either!"

Zhangsun Anye smiled noncommittally. Watching the dancers, he said meaningfully: "What if the Retired Emperor... were not the Retired Emperor?"

"Hmm?" Li Xiaochang paused. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing much. Just thinking, he wasn't always the Retired Emperor. If he were not, would you still face such injustice?"

"Oh, I see!"

"Heh!" Zhangsun Anye gestured to Li Xiaochang with his cup. "Come, drink!"

Soon, both were flushed with wine. Zhangsun Anye sighed: "Lady Zhang wanted to be Empress but never succeeded; now she is the Retired Empress, and she is unwilling to accept it."

"The matter of the Empress is not something we can meddle in!"

"However, those who want to appoint an Empress can meddle in many things!"

Li Xiaochang suddenly understood. "I heard Lady Zhang has a good relationship with the former Crown Prince and the former Prince of Qi. Recently, my men told me that Li Yi, who was under the former Crown Prince, has been making moves. I wonder if something is afoot?"

"Ah?" Zhangsun Anye was startled. "The Prince of Yan is making moves? Is that true? If so, that is no small matter!"

"The Hebei region has always been unstable; who knows if it's true!" Li Xiaochang replied carelessly.

Zhangsun Anye’s brow furrowed. Lady Zhang had previously asked him to represent the Retired Emperor Li Yuan in sending gifts to Li Yi. If Li Yi were truly rebelling, it would be difficult for him not to be implicated. Thinking of the Retired Emperor colluding with rebels made his scalp tingle.

"No, I must inform the Retired Emperor!" He stood up, hurriedly bade farewell to Li Xiaochang, and left.