Chapter 883 Luo Su's second sermon, enlightened politics! (8400 words, a little rekindled!)
The hall was a little cramped, no wonder Li Shimin always wanted to move to the Taiji Hall.
The two spoke directly and directly, without any beating around the bush.
For Luo Xuanye, there was no problem in helping Li Shimin. It was indeed unreasonable for the emperor to stay in Taiji Hall.
Such a large palace complex was used to handle state affairs. Now there are only Li Yuan, palace maids and some concubines. Li Yuan drinks and enjoys himself there every day, or gives Li Shimin a group of younger brothers and sisters.
These younger brothers and sisters would later be conferred titles of kings and princesses, and would also be given fiefs. Just thinking about it gave Li Shimin a headache.
It is only right for him to occupy such an important place and not do his job to make room for Li Shimin.
However, he is the retired emperor after all, and Luo Xuanye has called him father-in-law and father for more than ten years.
Luo Xuanye was not so cold in front of Li Shimin, he sighed slowly and said: "Your Majesty.
The Supreme Emperor is his father after all. Even if he is asked to leave the Taiji Palace, he will not be allowed to go to the West Palace.
The temple was hot and humid in the summer and cold in the winter. He was old and it was really a torture for him to stay there.
In this way, some people may accuse Your Majesty of not being filial.
I think it would be better to build a villa for the retired emperor, where he can see some mountains and rivers, which is worse than the West Palace.
The retired emperor likes drinking and hunting, and it is better to keep Your Majesty away from the retired emperor.
Although the emperor made mistakes before, we still need to let him spend his old age in peace."
Li Yuan was still very good to Luo Xuanye. As for the late Wude period, even Li Shimin had become like that.
Li Yuan also gave Luo Xuanye the position of King of Lingnan, allowing him to leave Chang'an with dignity. Considering Li Yuan's habit of killing people at any time, this was already considered good.
If Li Shimin had not to take the throne and Li Yuan was not too partial to Li Jiancheng, Luo Xuanye would not have participated in the action against Li Yuan.
Moreover, a very crucial point is that Princess Pingyang has always been concerned about Li Yuan.
Luo Xuanye had seen his wife crying secretly many times, but Princess Pingyang could not tell Li Shimin.
Now it’s up to Luo Xuanye to say it.
If someone else had said this, Li Shimin might have smiled and said nothing.
But Luo Xuanye seldom asked for anything. Li Shimin pondered for a moment, and although he still felt a little uncomfortable, he sighed and said, "Just do as you said, Qingyang, and let my father take refuge in the palace.
However, the hunting matter will be discussed later. No one should be allowed to contact the emperor casually, so as to avoid being seduced by evil people. "
Now Li Shimin has not been able to completely eliminate Li Yuan's influence, and now is not possible for Li Yuan to get in touch with old people again.
Otherwise, something bad may happen.
Luo Xuanye knew that this was already quite difficult, so he bowed and took his leave, leaving Li Shimin sitting alone in the hall.
The curtains in the hall were half-drawn, so the sunlight outside could not shine in completely. Even at noon, the light that passed through the threshold only fell in front of Li Shimin's feet.
Bright light makes darkness seem even darker.
After Luo Xuanye left, the palace suddenly seemed a little empty. Or perhaps it was because Li Shimin's heart felt a little empty. Li Shimin actually felt quite deserted and depressed when he was in it.
Changsun walked out of the back hall and came to Li Shimin. When she saw Li Shimin's condition, she knew that he was sad again.
She didn't say anything, but just walked forward and hugged Li Shimin gently, just like the time they spent in the Prince of Qin's Mansion.
Li Shimin remained silent and then lay on Changsun's legs.
Something was surging in his chest. He wanted to establish some achievements immediately, and then let Li Yuan see it and tell him how wrong his choice was.
…
Luo Xuanye hurried back to the princess's mansion. As soon as he entered the mansion, he saw his eldest son Luo Juncheng dancing with a horse lance, slashing in the air with a series of whip-slashing sounds. He was really powerful. Although he was only ten years old, he already had some skills. It seemed that he had inherited Luo Xuanye's martial arts advantage. He asked curiously, "Juncheng, why don't you go to the backyard to practice martial arts?"
Before he finished speaking, a little girl about six or seven years old ran out from the hall. She was wearing gorgeous brocade palace clothes, her face was like the bright moon, her small nose was straight and beautiful, her lips were full and rosy, and when she smiled, her milk teeth were fine and dense, just like pearls inlaid in corals. Her skin was delicate and fair, her big eyes were like autumn water with smoke, her eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly's wings, very smart, and her black and shiny hair fell like a waterfall to her waist.
She walked out of the hall holding a cup of herbal tea in both hands, with a childish smile on her face, "Cousin, have some tea.
Huh.
Uncle is back. I've met you. I hope you are doing well."
When Luo Xuanye saw this, he immediately smiled. No wonder his son was practicing these fancy moves in the front yard. It turned out that Princess Changle had come. "Did the princess come by herself?"
Princess Changle Li Lizhi, the eldest daughter of Li Shimin, was especially favored by Li Shimin because she was born to Empress Changsun.
As early as not long after she was born, she was promised to Luo Juncheng. In Li Shimin's view, marrying Luo Juncheng would make Li Lizhi happy for the rest of her life.
Although Li Lizhi was young, she was taught by the Empress Changsun and was quite decent and generous. When Luo Xuanye asked her, she handed the herbal tea to Luo Xuanye and stood beside Luo Juncheng, saying with a little childishness: "Uncle, a palace maid brought me here."
Luo Xuanye smiled and said, "Princess, please stay out of the palace less often in the future. After all, it's not safe outside. If you miss your aunt, send a letter and let your aunt bring Jun Cheng to the palace to see you.
You guys go play, your uncle still has some things to do."
Luo Juncheng bowed, Li Lizhi performed the blessing ceremony, Luo Xuanye smiled slightly, and thought to himself: "In a few years, I should ask the Suwang Patriarch to grant me the holy marriage, otherwise I can't get married yet."
Li Xiuning and Li Shimin are siblings from the same father and mother, while Luo Juncheng and Li Lizhi are cousins. They cannot get married without a holy marriage ceremony.
The purpose of the holy marriage blessing is to eliminate the adverse consequences such as genetic diseases caused by marriage between close relatives.
In fact, Luo Juncheng and Li Lizhi did not need a holy marriage, because Luo Juncheng was a direct descendant of the Luo family who was blessed by his ancestors.
The ancestral blessing can eliminate genetic diseases and protect children. During the thousand years of ancestral blessing, the Luo family has never had a baby die from illness. They only get sick after they reach adulthood.
It is impossible for Luo Juncheng's child to have genetic diseases or something like that.
Ancestors’ blessing is not just a talent-supporting mechanism, there are many other real effects, and they are all very important. So many luck points are not wasted.
After the ancestral blessing was withdrawn, the heads of the Luo family were all medical saints in order to try their best to prevent infant deaths. However, over the past few hundred years, many direct descendants still died. After all, Winter City was indeed too cold.
Now, because of Luo Xuanye's status, Luo Xuanye's lineage has regained the blessing of their ancestors, but outsiders don't know about it, so the holy marriage ceremony must still be held to set an example for others.
…
Luo Xuanye walked into the hall and told Li Xiuning what Li Shimin meant. Li Xiuning was silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "Well, let's go to the palace."
After all, Li Xiuning is not a woman who only has family affection in her heart. She is also a person with Li blood. Faced with the current situation, she knows what is the best way to deal with it.
The two returned to the palace together, and Luo Juncheng and Li Lizhi were also brought into the palace with them.
After entering the Taiji Hall, the two heard Concubine Zhang losing her temper in the hall. Because of Li Yuan's protection, she was still alive, and Li Shimin was too lazy to make the relationship with Li Yuan more tense because of her. But Li Xiuning was immediately dissatisfied. She walked in in a palace dress and said in a veiled way: "Who is making a noise in the Taiji Hall? It's so rude. Do you think this is a market? Do you think you are a hawker?"
Just as Concubine Zhang was about to retort, she saw that it was Li Xiuning and Luo Xuanye. She immediately shut her mouth awkwardly, and without even greeting them, she went to the back hall to look for Li Yuan.
"Princess Pingyang and Prince Zhou request an audience!"
The eunuch's voice was raised high, with a long tail tone, "Announce!"
Following Li Yuan's voice, the two men walked into the hall. Taiji Hall was originally the main hall of the imperial palace, where political affairs were discussed and imperial edicts were read. It was magnificent and golden, so Li Shimin had always wanted to move here.
But the scene that Li Xiuning saw now was not like this. The appearance might not have changed much, but because of the owner Li Yuan, it seemed to be shrouded in an lingering haze.
The faint sunlight shines through the gaps between the numerous palaces and falls sparsely in the corners of the courtyard. The supplies here are no longer as abundant as before, so most of the palaces are dim. The huge palace is very quiet, and the flickering candlelight illuminates the empty halls and corridors.
The two of them saw Li Yuan, whose hair and beard were a little scraggly. His originally dignified face was now engraved with traces of time, perhaps the helplessness of losing power.
Li Xiuning stepped forward, kowtowed in front of Li Yuan, and cried, "Father, your daughter is here to see you. You have lost weight."
This was quite similar to the way ordinary people address each other, which touched Li Yuan. He stepped forward to help Li Xiuning up, then stroked her head and said, "Xiuning, I am very happy that you can come to see me. I am very happy. Erlang and Sanlang have not come for a long time."
Li Xiuning consoled him, "Sanlang is on guard duty outside, and your majesty is busy with many things. I guess he doesn't have time."
Li Xiuning and Luo Xuanye sat opposite Li Yuan, chatting about some small things and telling Li Yuan about the current situation outside. When he heard that Luo Su had also come out to help Li Shimin, Li Yuan's already no longer tall body became hunched even more in an instant.
After chatting for a while, Luo Xuanye and Li Xiuning stayed in Taiji Hall for dinner. Luo Xuanye dismissed his attendants and finally stated the purpose of his trip. Li Yuan was immediately shocked and angry and said, "It's ok that I can't keep the throne, but now I can't even keep a palace? Why is it so?"
Luo Xuanye said in a deep voice: "Father, Taiji Hall is not a palace. If you want a palace, Your Majesty can build you a palace that is more magnificent than Taiji Hall. Taiji Hall is the symbol of the empire. It represents the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty and represents Your Majesty's rightful position. Now that you live here, Your Majesty can't face south as the king. Is this what Father wants to see?"
Li Xiuning also advised: "Father, at your age, all you want is to be with your children. Now, Your Majesty, Sanlang and I are your only children.
Don't you want Erlang to achieve great things?
No matter how great his achievements are, this is still the Tang Dynasty, the country you established.
How can parents not think about their children but fight with each other? "
Luo Xuanye continued, "Father, you have always loved Pingyang and have been very kind to me. So, even though we are living in the Zhenguan era, Pingyang and I have always thought of you. Half of the treasures and tributes in the palace were donated from our fiefdoms.
If it is not beneficial to the country and the world, why would we be here? Father, please think about it."
One talked about reason, the other played the emotional card, this is why Li Shimin asked Luo Xuanye to come. Li Yuan listened to what Luo Xuanye said, and looked at Li Xiuning's pretty face with tears on it, and felt sad.
He could have enjoyed the happiness of family life, but now it is all ruined. At least Pingyang is still here, so he should not let Pingyang be sad. He sighed and said, "Alas, go and report to Erlang that I agree to move out of Taiji Hall and let Erlang govern the Tang Dynasty well."
"Father is wise and intelligent."
Luo Xuanye and Li Xiuning looked at each other, and then accompanied Li Yuan to eat. However, the atmosphere at the table was already a little bad. After the meal, the two were about to leave together, when suddenly Li Yuan's old voice came from behind, "Xiuning."
The two who had already reached the threshold of the hall stopped in their tracks upon hearing this and turned around. Li Yuan's old face, illuminated by the candlelight, actually had a desolate and lonely feeling. Li Xiuning asked in a low voice, "Father?"
Li Yuan's voice was not loud, even a little low, "Come and see me more often."
Li Xiuning's body trembled, and she cried, "Father, yes, I will come often."
After saying that, he immediately turned around and left. Luo Xuanye bowed and hurriedly followed him out. The two of them got on the carriage. Li Xiuning asked absentmindedly, "Husband, you said that our father..."
Luo Xuanye held her somewhat cold hand and comforted her in a gentle voice: "Xiuning, this is already the best result. You just need to spend more time with your father in the future. As for the rest, there is no way around it. Maybe there will be a chance for reconciliation between father and son in the future."
yes.
This is the best ending.
The two went to the queen first. Li Shimin was there too. Luo Xuanye nodded slightly. A hint of joy flashed in Li Shimin's eyes. Changsun was still gentle and smiled softly, "Changle is a little tired, so I'm going to sleep first."
Princess Changle is still young, so she is naturally different from the energetic Luo Juncheng.
Li Shimin touched Luo Juncheng's head. He was Luo Juncheng's uncle and he loved this only son of his sister very much.
When Luo Juncheng was ten years old, he had already been awarded the rank of fourth-rank military official, General Zhongwu.
Li Shimin planned to transfer him to the Qianniu Guard as a Qianniu attendant after he married Li Lizhi, and when the time was right, he would let him go out to fight and make meritorious deeds.
"My sister is not too old. She only has one son, which is still a little too few. The direct line of the Luo family is dying out, so my sister should have another one. Now the world belongs to me, so there is no need to worry."
Li Shimin's last words were a little sad. Because the fight was too intense, Li Shimin and Zhangsun had no more children after giving birth to Li Chengqian, Li Lizhi and Li Tai. Now they are planning to have more children.
Li Xiuning nodded. This was also her plan. Now she and Luo Xuanye only had one son and one daughter, which was definitely not enough. Luo Su wanted to expand the number of direct descendants and run multiple main branches in parallel, so that they could have more children. Only by having more children could geniuses be born.
Luo Xuanye and the other person did not stay in the palace any longer and left with Luo Juncheng.
…
In the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin finally sat in the position he had longed for, and the officials in the Council of State sat on the left and right according to their ranks.
Luo Su hadn't wanted to come.
Luo Su was very clear about his position in the Tang Dynasty, and he only made major policy plans.
Now that he has determined the general direction for the first few years, he will not get involved in specific affairs unless Li Shimin asks him.
What he had to do was to determine the next plan for the Tang Dynasty, that is, after the kingly way and benevolent government had achieved certain results and the world had recovered to some extent, where should the Tang Dynasty go.
But Li Shimin said that this time they wanted to discuss the system of three provinces and six ministries, which involved the power of the emperor and the power of the prime minister. Luo Su knew that he could not be absent.
Li Shimin knew why Luo Su came, so he didn't waste time and said directly: "All the ministers know that we were supposed to discuss the implementation of policies today. The Imperial Master was unwilling to come for such trivial matters.
I told the Imperial Master that today we are discussing the affairs of the three provinces, so the Imperial Master came to discuss the Dao, and you all should listen to him. "
After saying that, he asked Luo Su to speak.
Luo Su spoke eloquently: "Since ancient times, a country can be governed by the monarch and his ministers. The head of the ministers is the prime minister, who assists the state. If the monarch is virtuous, the country will prosper, and if the monarch is not virtuous, the country will fail.
The most important political system of a dynasty is the prime minister system, so today the emperor invited me here to talk about the prime minister system, and I was happy to come here.
The Zhou Dynasty before the Qin Dynasty was so different from the current system that I will not mention it. From the Qin Dynasty to the later Han Dynasty, the prime minister had great power and was in charge of almost all national affairs. This ensured that when the emperor did not have enough ability, the prime minister could assist in the operation of the state. But the problem is, what if the prime minister also had problems and was incompetent?
The emperor once discussed with me the problem of Emperor Wen of Sui. Do you still remember what you said at the time? "
Li Shimin certainly remembered and said immediately: "Emperor Wen of Sui made almost all decisions by himself. He was very tired, but more and more problems arose. The demise of the Sui Dynasty was certainly the fault of Emperor Yang of Sui, but he also made many mistakes in the process of ruling the country."
This is Li Shimin's evaluation of Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian. Luo Su agreed and said: "Yang Jian is already a very qualified monarch. He is very capable, but even he will make many mistakes. The more diligent he is, the more mistakes he will make. In the end, these mistakes may become the culprits that ruin the empire.
The emperor is the most intelligent, wise and powerful person I have ever seen. You are all close ministers who have followed the emperor all the way. Has the emperor made many mistakes over the years?"
All the ministers were silent after hearing this, only Wei Zheng said loudly: "Although I have never followed Your Majesty to conquer the world, since the late Wude period, in just a few months, the emperor has made three mistakes. Judging from this, he has made many mistakes."
Li Shimin's heart sank when he heard this. Wei Zheng, you are really something.
Forget it, it’s the person I chose.
Luo Su smiled and said that Wei Zheng was indeed a talented person.
He continued aloud: “One person cannot see the whole picture.
The three-province system distributed the power of the prime minister among many people, and all government orders were repeatedly discussed by the heads of the three provinces.
A group of the smartest wise men, namely you, will use your wisdom to give your opinions on every policy.
One person can make mistakes, but if a group of people make mistakes, it becomes a problem that cannot be solved.
The Sui Dynasty had a three-province system, but that system was empty. Yang Jian and Yang Guang did not attach importance to the three provinces. Instead, they acted arbitrarily and failed to make use of this system.
Therefore, the system that the Tang Dynasty should have in the future, whether it is called the Three Provinces or any other name, there is only one principle that must be adhered to.
Gather the wisdom of everyone, rather than just one person, to govern the world.
Unless that person is always right, always right, and never makes a mistake. "
What Luo Su said was an encouragement to almost all the prime ministers present. They had never felt so clearly that their existence and their position were indispensable to the empire.
In the past few hundred years, with the disappearance of the princes who fought in the Jingnan Campaign, that sense of ownership has disappeared, and the prime minister has become a tool of power. Now Luo Su tells the monarch and his ministers that the prime minister and the emperor are the same to some extent, except that the prime minister can be replaced but the emperor cannot.
Li Shimin was very talented. As soon as he heard what Luo Su said, he immediately asked, "Grandmaster, if this is the case, then shouldn't the perspectives of the three ministers of government affairs be the same when looking at the world?"
Luo Su affirmed Li Shimin's sharpness, "Yes, the prime ministers in the Political Affairs Hall can have bad personal relationships, but their concepts must be similar.
The monarch should not promote or demote his prime minister based on his personal preferences.
For example, if the Tang Dynasty wants to implement the kingly way of benevolence, then the prime ministers in the political hall should work together and not let in those who will undermine the policy. "
The ministers were thinking, and Fang Xuanling asked: "Master, as you just said, Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian and Emperor Yang of Sui Yang Guang turned a blind eye to the three provinces. How can our Tang Dynasty avoid this?"
Luo Su replied: “Since ancient times, there has actually been no clear definition of what powers the prime minister has.
There is no clear stipulation about what powers the emperor should have.
In theory, the emperor should have endless power, but in reality, he always causes trouble.
The emperor once told me about this matter, let the emperor tell it himself."
Li Shimin cleared his throat and said solemnly: "I talked with the Imperial Master a few days ago and gained something. From today on, the emperor's edicts that are not approved by the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel and stamped with the seal of the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel will be considered illegal, and the officials below can refuse to execute them.
I hope that this method can prevent the occurrence of chaos and prevent me from making wrong decisions and causing great harm. "
There was a commotion in the hall. Wei Zheng's eyes opened wide and a sentence emerged in his mind: "Prince Jiancheng, your loss is not unfair. Why do you think you can fight against a man who can take the initiative to regulate the power of the monarch for the sake of the world?"
What Li Shimin did was very unusual. To be honest, Luo Su was also shocked by his decision. He was worthy of being his first choice for the Saint King.
If the king really wanted to do something, his ministers would not be able to stop him based solely on this political convention. No system could prevent people like Yang Guang.
But this system is of great help to monarchs of middle level and above.
For example, now Li Shimin is angry and has issued an order. According to past practice, after receiving the order, should the officials do it or not?
Not doing it is disobeying the order, but doing it is obviously disobeying the order.
Now, Li Shimin's angry edict could not pass the Zhongshumenxia. After receiving the edict, the lower-level Shangshu Province could say, "How can it be an edict without the Zhongshumenxia?"
If it has not been approved by the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel, it is not considered an imperial edict. It is an illegal order.
By the time Li Shimin's anger subsided, the matter was over. This is the value of this system. It is a kind of restriction on the power of the emperor by the power of the prime minister.
The prime ministers check and balance each other, the prime minister and the monarch check and balance each other, a group of people supervise each other, and a group of people complement each other.
Stable and effective.
Even with Luo Su's comprehensive perspective of ancient and modern times, he could not find a better prime minister system.
The prime ministers in the hall all bowed in admiration before Li Shimin, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, we have read many history books, but have never seen such a person."
Li Shimin was very happy. He always treated people with sincerity and even wanted to give the generals who followed him hereditary provincial governorships, which was equivalent to the original enfeoffment.
Li Shimin had a clear view of power. He did not have to hold all of it in his own hands. He only took what he could control.
He believed that the surplus and unmanageable things would be distributed, and that this was the only way to govern the country well.
It has to be said that this idea is very advanced. Li Shimin despised Emperor Wen of Sui who took all the power into his hands, but ended up being unable to do anything, made frequent mistakes and ultimately brought disaster to the people of the world.
Li Shimin saw that the prime ministers had calmed down a little, so he said to Luo Su: "Please ask the Imperial Master to continue to explain to you."
Luo Su nodded and said slowly: "Now the Tang Dynasty has the heads of the three ministries, Shangshu Zuo Pushe, Zhongshu Ling, Menxia Shizhong, a total of six people as prime ministers, and the Zhizhengshi, Canzhizhengshi, Tongzhongshu Menxia Sanpin, and Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi as prime ministers.
You should all understand the reason why there are so many species, which is to ensure that no great talents are left out in the wilderness.
There is an old saying that often uses four words: political clarity. So what does political clarity mean?
Do you know?
Zhongshu Ling, please tell me about it."
Luo Su's sudden calling of his name was a bit like when he was suddenly called by the teacher when he was studying. Du Ruhui even trembled a little.
The politics is clear.
There is no need to think too much about this. He said directly: "The so-called clear politics means that the king is wise and the ministers are virtuous, and there are no treacherous villains offering slanderous words. This is the scene that will appear when a sage king governs the country. Three generations later, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Han Dynasty, it can be said that the politics was clear."
Luo Su did not comment upon hearing this, and then asked, "Xuanchen, what do you think?"
Luo Su called out Luo Xuanchen's name, and everyone looked over, wanting to hear what Luo's son had to say. However, Luo Su himself did not have much hope for Luo Xuanchen.
After all, Luo Xuanchen's talent is far inferior to that of top prime ministers like Fang Du. Luo Xuanchen's advantages lie in knowing people and academics. He is also good at numerology and has a dignified and cautious personality, so he can serve as a logistics officer for the army.
Now he is very suitable to be the Minister of Personnel, in charge of selecting officials and conducting the personnel assessment for progress in the imperial examinations. If he were to be the prime minister or deputy prime minister, he would not have the ability to do so.
After Luo Xuanchen stepped out of the line, he said loudly: "Political integrity means not worrying about death due to unwarranted disasters, not being convicted for words, and not being convicted for unfounded crimes.
All the officials and ministers are not in a state of panic all day long, but can focus on government affairs and each has his or her own duties. This is political clarity. "
Luo Xuanchen's perspective was different from Du Ruhui's, it was more specific and clearer. Everyone was amazed after hearing what he said and thought that what he said made a lot of sense.
Luo Su asked a few more people, and their answers were basically the same. With Luo Xuanchen's words, the remaining few people roughly described the politically clear scenes they imagined.
After hearing this, Luo Su suddenly turned around and asked Li Shimin, "What does the emperor think?"
Li Shimin stroked his beard. When he heard the third person, he knew that Luo Su had deliberately mentioned these people's names and asked them to speak for him. So he laughed loudly and said, "I think what you said just now is very good. My Tang Dynasty will do what you said just now."
Luo Su nodded in approval, then asked, "Sir, do you remember that I once said that you have a very rare and uncommon advantage?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin quickly searched his memory, "Master, are you saying that I am very reasonable?"
Luo Su nodded and said, "Yes, that's it. Your Majesty, you are very reasonable. Don't forget this. It is the foundation of the Way of the Saint King.
The prime ministers have just said a lot about clear politics, but in the final analysis, it all comes down to the king speaking reason.
Why are there so few times of political clarity?
Why is it that even those monarchs who have achieved great things always have a feeling of chaos in their courts?
Because those monarchs, on the surface, possessed all the power, but the dull political environment secretly drained their energy.
The monarch is unreasonable and does things based on his own preferences, even having the power of life and death.
Some of the ministers tried to protect themselves, some looked for ways to escape, and some developed rebellious intentions.
But the only thing he can't do is to be reasonable.
To do things unreasonably, it depends on one’s personal character.
There is nothing that should be done in this world, and it has become what I want. If everyone is like this, what will the world become?
The effect of a monarch setting an example is extremely great, because if the ruler likes something, his subordinates will follow suit.
How you, Your Majesty, treat your prime minister is how your prime minister will treat his subordinates, and the same thing will spread down to the next level.
Emperor Yang of Sui did not care about the people of the world, so the low-level clerks dared to oppress them at will.
If the monarch does not care about the soldiers in the army, the officers will dare to oppress the soldiers.
Just as you, the emperor, have often visited the soldiers to comfort them in the past, and now you let the soldiers perform martial arts exercises in the palace, the officials of the Tang Dynasty all know that you value the army, so the treatment of the soldiers is better than during the Wude period.
This is your role as a king.
Whether the political situation is clear or not has little to do with the ministers, but as a king, if you want a clear political environment, you must maintain the current situation.
This is called enlightened politics, and when there is enlightenment, sage kings will emerge.”
"Enlightened politics!"
Li Shimin murmured this word, he suddenly stood up, walked past the crowd, walked to the center of the hall, took two steps forward, his feet standing in the light.
He looked at the shiny shoes on his feet and took another big step forward. Now all the warm and hot light shone on him.
Li Shimin turned around and looked at the prime ministers, and everyone also looked at Li Shimin standing in the light.
Li Shimin pointed at the beam of light coming in from the hall and said loudly: "Grandmaster, this enlightened politics is light.
The Holy King is the one who walks out of the light, right?"
His voice was like the morning bell and evening drum, echoing in the Taiji Hall for a long time.
————
The prime minister system of the Tang Dynasty, no, it should be said that the prime minister system of the Zhenguan Dynasty, almost reached an ideal state under the monarchy system. Until today, we are still deeply influenced by this prime minister system. Luo Su endowed it with profound meaning. The theories he summarized prompted Li Shimin and all subsequent monarchs to have high respect for him.
…
"The glory that belongs only to the Tang Dynasty shines down from the top of the empire. Li Shimin and his prime ministers jointly maintain a political system that can be regarded as the most enlightened in the era of monarchy. The political legacy left by Li Shimin after his fall is like a series of mountains and rivers that run through it, inexhaustible and inexhaustible." - "History of the Rise and Fall of the Tang Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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