Chapter 32: The Zhenguan Era Should Look Like the Zhenguan Era

"Charge! Charge for me!"

"You there, charge as well! Kill them!"

"Hey, General Xue, slow down, slow down!"

"Great General, we are about to take down Li Yi!"

"Haha, General Xue is indeed a commander worthy of my nephew's eye!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanche felt as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He immediately spurred his horse and shouted, "Get out of the way, all you damn idiots! Let me handle this—"

Li Yi’s rebellion was nothing more than a farce. It was quickly crushed by Zhangsun Wuji and Xue Wanche, and even his head was presented to Zhangsun Wuji by his subordinates.

In this suppression of the rebellion, the greatest beneficiary was naturally Zhangsun Wuji, followed by Xue Wanche. In truth, Xue Wanche knew he had performed no real feat of merit by defecting to the winning side; Li Shimin had simply been sparing a talent. Therefore, ever since the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he had been cautious and discreet, fearful of making a mistake and being impeached by those with ulterior motives.

Yet, no matter how careful he was, he had been rattled when he heard of the rebellion of his former commander, Luo Yi, terrified that it might implicate him. It was precisely at that moment that Zhangsun Wuji’s appointment felt like a ray of light in the darkness, filling him with immense joy. When he heard that it was Li Chengqian, the Prince of Zhongshan, who had recommended him to Zhangsun Wuji, he was moved beyond words.

It is said that a scholar will die for one who truly understands him. He felt that Li Chengqian was his confidant, the one who had recognized his worth. Consequently, the moment he returned, he wanted to pay a visit to Li Chengqian, but was stopped by Zhangsun Wuji, as Li Shimin did not allow his sons to associate with external officials. Even Zhangsun Wuji, the boy’s uncle, could only see his nephew with the Empress's consent.

During the period following the failure of Luo Yi’s rebellion, Chang'an remained relatively calm.

"Empress! I am going to kill Wei Zheng! I must kill Wei Zheng this time!"

While Chang'an was calm, the palace was another matter. Li Shimin was currently storming from the Taiji Palace toward the Lizheng Hall, searching for his sword to go on a killing spree. Empress Zhangsun, Li Chengqian, and Li Tai, seemingly accustomed to such scenes, sat there holding bowls of pork rib soup, sipping away while watching his performance.

It had to be said, Emperor Li's performance was quite entertaining, especially those drooping mustaches that twitched whenever he was angry. If he were given a few skewers of mutton, he could easily pass for an uncle from Xinjiang.

*“Hey, passersby, don’t miss it, hot-off-the-grill lamb skewers~”*

"Pfft—"

Thinking of the Xinjiang uncle who sold lamb skewers in his previous life, Li Chengqian couldn't help but burst out laughing.

At that laugh, Emperor Li’s fury shifted instantly onto him. He glared and demanded, "What are you laughing at?"

"Ah?" Li Chengqian was startled and quickly threw a pitiful look toward Empress Zhangsun.

The Empress shot him a look, then set down her bowl, wiped her mouth, and walked gracefully to the Emperor. With dignified poise, she bowed and said, "Your subject congratulates Your Majesty, and rejoices for Your Majesty!"

"???"

Emperor Li was full of confusion, wondering what was going on. He hesitated, "Empress, what are you congratulating me for?"

"Should I not congratulate you that the Great Tang possesses a loyal official such as Wei Zheng?" the Empress said with a smile.

Li Shimin paused, then muttered to himself, "That’s right. He is a loyal official. If I kill him, he will be remembered for all time, and I will be the villain of history. Yes, yes, I cannot kill him, I cannot..."

As he spoke, he paced the room a few times to calm his emotions. Once settled, he looked at the Empress with resignation, "With people like you around, it’s impossible for me to be a tyrant!"

"How could Your Majesty ever want to be a tyrant? You wish to be a wise ruler for all time, to set an example for your children!"

"This..."

Hearing this, Li Shimin realized how ridiculous he must have looked pacing the room with his sword. He felt awkward and said, "Well, Empress, I still have matters to attend to. You all continue eating..."

With that, he dropped his sword and hurried off as quickly as he had come, leaving the two brothers stunned.

"Mother is truly impressive!" Li Chengqian said, giving a thumbs-up to the Empress after watching Li Shimin depart.

Little fatty Li Tai, a bit slow to react, ran to the Empress and hugged her, "Mother, I’m scared..."

"Haha, don't be afraid, Qingque, be good~" The Empress patted the little boy's head, comforting him while turning to Xiangling, who was already trembling on the ground, "Why haven't you put the sword away yet?"

"Yes..."

***

Seeing Xiangling carefully put the sword away, Li Chengqian asked, "Mother, the blacksmiths I asked Xiangling to help me find—has there been any progress?"

"Hmm?" The Empress paused, frowning. "I have found them; they are in the Manufacturing Bureau. But why do you need blacksmiths?"

"When I visited the Manufacturing Bureau the other day, I saw the craftsmen struggling to lift large vats, so I thought, perhaps I could make some pulleys to save effort and improve production efficiency. If you could find me a carpenter and a potter as well, that would be even better," Li Chengqian lied without batting an eye.

In truth, the pulleys were secondary; what he really wanted to make were fire-thunder projectiles—something with an effect similar to dynamite.

The Empress was not pleased that Li Chengqian wanted to help; instead, she scolded him sternly, "Chengqian, I know you are gifted, but you are only eight years old. Your focus should be on your studies, not these frivolous gadgets!"

She then touched the little fatty's face, "Look at Qingque; he has been praised by several great scholars recently for his mastery of poetry and literature. Look at yourself—are you setting a good example as an elder brother? How can you..."

"Oh, Mother, I know I was wrong. Please spare me, don't lecture me anymore. I promise you, I will take first place in the next examination!"

Seeing the Empress continuing her lecture, Li Chengqian hurriedly patted his chest to assure her. Li Tai’s small eyebrows twitched at this; he thought to himself, *If you take first place, what about me?* However, he did not interrupt. Having learned from previous lessons, he had become smarter and would not stick his neck out this time. Furthermore, study was his strength; he believed he would not lose to anyone. He intended to soundly defeat Li Chengqian this time.

The Empress, satisfied with Li Chengqian’s promise, nodded and ordered Xiangling, "Xiangling, take my token and arrange for the blacksmith, carpenter, and potter to be stationed in Chengqian's courtyard."

"Yes, Empress."

Xiangling acknowledged and went to carry out the order. Li Chengqian, filled with joy, bowed to the Empress, "Thank you, Mother!" He then rushed back to his courtyard.

***

Elsewhere, in the Taiji Palace, the Liangyi Hall.

Li Shimin, who had left in a rage, returned with a composed expression. He walked up to Wei Zheng and apologized, "Just now, it was my fault. It won't happen again. Go ahead, say whatever you wish to say from now on."

"Your subject..." Wei Zheng was stunned and about to speak, but Li Shimin continued, "We have discussed the matter of reducing the fiefs of the princes many times. Today, regardless, we must reach a conclusion!"

Turning to Pei Ji, he asked calmly, "Does Minister Pei still disagree?"

"Ah? This..." Pei Ji looked hesitant.

At this, Feng Deyi interjected, "As the saying goes, there are many paths to take. Why is Your Majesty so fixated on reducing the fiefs? During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, he adopted the advice of Chao Cuo and resolutely cut down the vassal states, but what was the result? The Rebellion of the Seven States! In fact, the fiefs granted by the Retired Emperor cannot be compared to the vassal states of the Han Dynasty; it is not worth debating the court competing for profit against the princes!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty! Given the current national strength of the Tang, the so-called burden is not worth mentioning!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" The officials chimed in one after another.

Fang Xuanling stepped forward, "If we speak of the current national strength of the Tang, we can naturally bear the burden of the princes!"

"However," he pivoted, looking at Li Shimin, "I believe that what we must discuss is that the world has just settled, and the people have no savings. If we wish to strengthen the court without increasing the burden on the people, we must reduce the fiefs!"

"Correct!" Zhangsun Wuji agreed. "Excessive fiefs are harmful to the court at the top and harmful to the people at the bottom!"

"This..." Feng Deyi looked at Pei Ji. Seeing that Pei Ji was unwilling to exert more effort, he hummed and added, "Mencius said, 'Why must you speak of profit? Benevolence and righteousness are all that matter.' Why must our glorious new dynasty speak of profit? When we discussed this the other day, didn't Your Majesty agree with the benevolence and righteousness that Wei Zheng spoke of?"

"Ha!" Fang Xuanling laughed. "Mencius not speaking of profit does not mean there is no profit to be had, but rather that he prioritized the greater good over minor gains. What is benevolence and righteousness? In the end, it is for the greater good of the world! Did Mencius not say, 'The people are the most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least'? So, are the princes the ruler? No! Are they the state? No! Our new Tang Dynasty faces strong enemies to the north. To enrich the country and strengthen the people is the greater good of the world; that is where benevolence and righteousness lie. How can asking the princes to give up what they can afford be considered unrighteous?"

"Er..." Feng Deyi’s mouth twitched, momentarily left speechless by Fang Xuanling.

Although Pei Ji had consulted with the old officials from the Wude era, advising them not to confront the Emperor too forcefully, he felt that being constantly suppressed was not a good thing. If they were driven out of the court, they would gain no significant benefits. It might be better to follow Wei Zheng’s example and stand firm; perhaps, to dismiss these troublesome old officials, the Emperor would offer even greater concessions.

After a silence, he turned his gaze back to Pei Ji, "What does Minister Pei think?"

"Hmm?" Pei Ji was startled. *I’m not the Emperor, why are you asking me?* But Feng Deyi’s question shocked not only Pei Ji but also Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling.

"Er, well, I feel that the Right Vice-Chancellor’s words are not entirely wrong. When Xiao He built the Weiyang Palace, it was grand and magnificent. Emperor Gaozu of Han thought it was too luxurious, bordering on the extravagance of the Qin Dynasty. Xiao He replied that without such grandeur, it would not be enough to display the majesty of the Son of Heaven. Emperor Gaozu accepted this happily. The Son of Heaven represents the mandate of heaven; what should be had, must be had..."

"However," Pei Ji added vaguely, "the princes belong to the royal family. How to decide is for Your Majesty to decide!"

Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling looked at each other with strange expressions, wondering what had gotten into the old fox Pei Ji today.

Before Li Shimin could comment, Feng Deyi stepped out decisively, "The princes belong to the royal family and should have distinct treatment; this is the grace of heaven. If you reduce their status, it will inevitably damage Your Majesty's divine prestige!"

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin laughed suddenly, pointing at Feng Deyi, and looked around at the officials, "Damage my prestige? Did you all hear that? The Right Vice-Chancellor's words are worth pondering!"

"Heh..." The officials smiled knowingly.

At this, Wei Zheng’s voice suddenly rang out, "To make the King of Gaochang and the chieftains of the Western Regions show awe for the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of Sui used silk to wrap the trees in the streets of Luoyang, allowing people to take whatever they wanted from the market for free. Any reasonable person knows this is a sham. I believe that self-respect is necessary; without it, one is no different from a beast. However, excessive self-respect is only asking for ridicule!"

"You!" Wei Zheng’s words left Feng Deyi fuming.

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction, "The Imperial Censor is absolutely right. As for today, the royal palaces already exceed those of Emperor Gaozu of Han. As for whether reducing the princes' treatment affects the image of the Son of Heaven? I think..."

He paused, remembering something, and looked at the old officials of the Wude era, "Some time ago, the Retired Emperor said something to me. He said that my merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. I think that is very reasonable. We live in the present, doing present deeds, why worry so much?"

"Furthermore," he continued, "the Imperial Censor once told me that the Son of Heaven is established for the sake of the world, not the world established for the sake of the Son of Heaven. The current situation is that the princes' treatment affects the national strength of the Tang and is not beneficial to the world. As the Son of Heaven, I must consider the world. As the saying goes, 'Share wealth and share adversity.' Since they are princes of the royal family, would having them share in my adversity truly damage my image?"

The room fell into dead silence. Even Feng Deyi was left speechless.

"Good. Since none of you object, let the decree be issued!" Li Shimin decided decisively and waved his hand.

Soon, Wushe brought out an imperial decree and read aloud: "By the order of the Emperor of Tang, all commandery princes shall be demoted by one rank..."

With the decree conveyed, the princes who had remained silent in the hall felt a surge of indignation. The princes stationed at the border were still unaware of this news. If they were to find out, it would trigger a new round of turmoil—a significant pressure for Emperor Li. But Li Shimin had great confidence in himself.

"The Zhenguan era must look like the Zhenguan era..."

Watching the princes in Chang'an depart in a huff, Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, his gaze slowly drifting away.