Chapter 53 You guys have ginseng rooster, we have shrimp and pig heart!
As soon as the words were spoken, all the officials were in an uproar.
Even though Li Siye knew that he was only there to make up the numbers, he couldn't help but ask with his mouth wide open:
"How much? How much did he steam?"
"At least a thousand pounds."
Li Siye covered his chest with a look of regret:
"God damn it!"
After going out to sea and finally bringing back more than 5,000 kilograms of potatoes and sweet potatoes, nearly one-fifth of them were destroyed by the Lu family!
[Oh my god, I couldn't believe my ears! The melon in my hand fell off in shock!]
Even though I am a clear-minded college student, I know they must have done it on purpose!
So vicious, how could someone be so scary!]
[With so many seeds, we can plant at least 10,000 acres of land, and the harvest will be tens of millions of kilograms!
This is simply wasting the farmers' months of hard work and harvest! They are letting the people starve to death!]
[No, why?! I don’t understand!]
Tianmu was worried about the food, but Li Shimin and many court officials thought of deeper reasons.
The Lu family of Fanyang did this in order to make the people turn all their anger towards the imperial court after their harvest failed, so as to weaken the imperial court's credibility and influence in Fanyang.
You see, the Tang Dynasty court is here to harm you. Only we, the local nobles and officials, are working for your good.
Just continue to be an obedient servant of the Lu family in Fanyang, and you will be superior to others when you go out.
In addition, the three military governors Li Baochen, Tian Chengsi and Li Huaixian are ambitious, and the three towns of Heshuo are colluding with local tyrants such as the Lu family of Fanyang, and they will become an iron plate.
They just want to be local tyrants!
[After all, An Lushan’s ability to launch a rebellion was inseparable from the support of the local powerful Yanbei clan.
An Lushan was dead, but these powerful clans were still secretly competing with the central government.
"Your Majesty, I have gathered all the evidence, both human and material. Please verify it."
Li Shimin ordered his men to examine the evidence Wen Yuping had handed over. Upon learning that the seeds he had painstakingly transported back had been steamed, he flew into a rage:
"Lu Qi! What crime did you, the Fanyang Lu family, commit?
These seeds can produce at least tens of millions of tons of potatoes, which can become new seeds next year, so that the people of the Tang Dynasty will no longer have to endure famine and hunger!
How dare you go this far for your own selfish ends! Even if your entire clan is exterminated, the hatred in my heart will not be extinguished!"
The more Li Shimin thought about it, the angrier he became. He even drew out the sword of the imperial guard next to him and was about to chop Lu Qi down.
Fortunately, Li Mi, Guo Ziyi and others tried their best to stop it, so there was no record in history books of the emperor's rage and bloodshed in the court.
[Good fellow, is Erfeng questioning the rich sister, understanding the rich woman, and surpassing the rich woman? ]
Many officials also looked at Lu Qi with a look that said "You deserve to die."
At this moment, Lu Qi knelt on the ground and trembled, but thinking of the death of most of his family members, he still gritted his teeth and said stubbornly:
"Even so, the person who steamed the seeds should be handed over to the Dali Temple for questioning. How could Wen Yuping resort to lynching, killing my entire family and setting fire to them just because of a disagreement?
What she did has already violated the laws of the Tang Dynasty, and she should be executed!"
"Lu Qi, are you so happy after your family's death that you've lost your mind? Which eye of yours saw me kill your family and burn down your house?
Was it me who threw the torch, or was it me who rushed into your house with a knife and stabbed you in with a knife?
You need evidence to support your statement!"
Wen Yuping spread her hands and refused to admit it.
Lu Qi's eyes were about to pop out of his head in hatred, and he said angrily:
“You didn’t do it yourself, but you incited the untouchables to kill my people, rob my property, and loot my house!
How is your behavior similar to or different from that of a bandit leader?"
“When did I incite the people?
My Lords, I keep records of my daily work, my words, and the meetings I hold. Did you see me inciting the people to rob the Lu family?"
The records only record that Wen Yuping told the people the per-acre yield and advantages of sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Finally, Wen Yuping went down to the people's fields and found that the sweet potatoes and potatoes in the soil had been steamed and were all rotten. She just told everyone the truth.
"I just told the people the truth. I didn't pass on the knife."
Isn't this called passing the knife?
Sometimes the power of words is a thousand times greater than that of swords and guns.
Just as Lu Qi was about to speak, Lu Shuyuan immediately stepped forward:
"What do you have to complain about? In the final analysis, your Lu family is completely destroying yourselves!
If you hadn't done something that angered heaven and man, why would the people be so angry?
You have destroyed months of hard work, and are planning to starve them to death and eat their flesh and blood.
The reason we didn't kill all of you is that the people were unorganized and undisciplined.
If it was really Master Wen who planned this, how could he have allowed you to live and come to Chang'an to file a complaint?"
Since ancient times, there has never been a case where a prominent family was massacred from the bottom up by the common people.
Once this matter gets out, the impact will definitely be greater than the last time the emperor executed the Wei family!
Look, when you treat the people like pigs, dogs, cattle, and horses, and exploit them to the extreme, then you, the famous and century-old families, should not think that you can always be superior!
Many officials from prominent families felt a chill run down their spines when they heard this.
Today, the Lu family was exterminated by the people. Will there be another one?
When their families were confiscated for grain and land, would the people also kill and burn their families and exterminate their entire clan?
“Although Mrs. Lu was at fault, she should still be held accountable by the Dali Temple.
These traitors who dared to kill people should also be investigated, punished and executed!"
For the ancient nobles, class conflicts were more important than so-called justice and fairness.
The untouchables dared to revolt and resist. This was the most terrifying and intolerable thing!
Fortunately, the emperor at that time was Li Shimin, and it was not him who caused the people to riot.
So Li Shimin said:
“The people’s actions are understandable, but you are also right. The mastermind behind this must not be tolerated!
Find out who instigated this and bring them to the Dali Temple for questioning! "
This means that Wen Yuping must be completely removed.
Soon Wen Yuping reported again that it had been confirmed that the person who instigated the people and was the first to rush into the Lu family was Chao Cuo.
This was the person she had asked Li Shimin to borrow before.
"Immediately issue a warrant for this man's arrest! Capture him and bring him to the Dali Temple for interrogation!"
[No, you two asked someone to kill someone, and after that you put the blame on him, and finally you want to arrest him?
Aren't you two going a little too far? 】
"No? Are all politicians so cruel? So, the tools are just miserable, right?"
The audience in the barrage were very dissatisfied, but Li Shimin just glanced at Wen Yuping, and Wen Yuping nodded in tacit understanding, and did not explain to everyone for the time being.
In ancient times, wanted posters had neither photos nor chip ID cards. In the final analysis, the emperor just had to create a new household registration.
Once you change your identity, you become a good guy again!
"Well, now that the mastermind behind this has been dealt with according to Tang Dynasty law, it's time to talk about Lu's crimes.
Steaming the seeds distributed by the imperial court is a heinous crime that is beyond description!
Arrest all the remaining surviving members of the Lu family and send them to prison. Hand them over to the Dali Temple for thorough investigation. Those found guilty will be severely punished and will not be pardoned!
No one dared to plead for him for such a serious crime. Lu Qi was definitely aware of it and was definitely doomed.
[Serves him right! It seems this Lu Qi later became a treacherous prime minister and did nothing good during his time in office.]
Let's deal with him first, to prevent him from becoming an official and causing harm to the people in the future!
The Lu family of Fanyang has done something terrible. No one can save them if they meet a wise ruler.
After the matter was settled, Wen Yuping immediately said:
"Your Majesty, I was doing well in Fanyang, but was slandered by the Lu family and had to return to the capital in a hurry.
I have heard that many officials in the court are in cahoots with the traitors. I didn't know that Lu has so many followers in the court!
If I hadn't returned in time today, I'm afraid this injustice would be difficult to clear, and my reputation would be tarnished!"
[Oh my goodness, it turns out our rich sister is waiting here! ]
Li Shimin had long known the plan of this modern fox, so he could only continue to cooperate and said:
"Indeed, what do you want?"
"Who were those villains who accused me of something bad just now?
Master Liu, Master Yuan, did you all say bad things about me just now? I came back late and didn't hear clearly. "
Suddenly, Liu Yan, Diwu Qi and many others looked up at the sky and pretended to be passers-by.
Isn't this embarrassing?
He acted as fiercely as a tiger, but in the end he failed to get the last handle and was defeated.
Aba Aba, they were also deceived by that evil man Lu Qi, Aba...
"Okay, stop it! My Lord, didn't you just make a bet?
A man's word is his bond. Your official hat as the Minister of Revenue is mine now, right?
Take it off and let me wear it. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll have to find someone to alter it right away.”
"I... I, this is not..."
Diwu Qi was reluctant to give up the official hat he had worked so hard for for many years, but Wen Yuping rolled up her sleeves and tried to grab it.
After all, she took private lessons at Modern Fitness every day and had some muscles and strength. She almost pulled the hat off the man's head like pulling a carrot.
"Alright, alright, you're making a bet and even fighting right now. What have you all become?"
In addition to the messy abusive language used by modern people during court sessions, Li Shimin couldn't even imagine how future generations would view his Tang Dynasty court if these words were passed down to later generations.
Don't you think that the officials of the Tang Dynasty are all a bunch of lunatics?
[It’s okay, it’s okay. The most that’s happening in your Tang Dynasty court is that the atmosphere is a little more lively and homely.
Anyway, compared to the Ming Dynasty court, you are really nothing! 】
[That's right, besides the last time I talked about the Ming Dynasty officials who raped eunuchs, in the late Ming Dynasty, the court would fight over a single disagreement, and even split into factions and fight in groups, which angered the emperor and drove him away...
It's such a mess! 】
[Fuck, it turns out it's the same across dynasties. Now, isn't a certain country's parliament just now in chaos? Throwing documents is no big deal.]
Seeing this, Li Shimin immediately felt relieved.
It’s just a quarrel. The Tang Dynasty court is still very harmonious!
"Your Majesty, if you accept the loss, how can you disregard the bet?"
Wen Yuping was not convinced.
"How can an official position in the imperial court be used as a gamble?
But in the final analysis, it's you, Diwu Qi, who's wrong! Diwu Qi, do you admit your guilt?
Go home and reflect for three days, and you will be fined half a year’s salary!
And everyone, please be careful with your words next time you speak!"
After Li Shimin criticized them, everyone quickly bowed their heads and admitted their mistakes, but Wen Yuping curled her lips, still not satisfied:
"Your Majesty..."
She is such a capable minister, but she was framed so unjustly this time. Is there no reward for her?
Boss, you can't treat modern workers like this!
"Wen Yuping, you have indeed made a contribution in this matter. From today on, you will be the Minister of Revenue.
After the reform is completed, if it is done well, the position of Minister of Revenue can indeed be retained for you. I am waiting to see the results!"
Hearing this, Wen Yuping immediately smiled:
"Thank you, Boss, ah, Your Majesty!"
Diwu Qi and the others were speechless as if they were frozen ducks.
But Wen Yuping continued to pursue her victory:
"Your Majesty, I am innocent today, but many people believe what Lu said and believe everything they hear.
He also constantly uses women as an excuse to attack me. It's really too reckless.
I suggest that if there are any arguments in the court in the future, we must never use "what are you women like" as an excuse.
It makes the Tang Dynasty men seem like villains who can't stand seeing women doing well, and they will only be laughed at in history."
She was able to save herself today because she didn't make any mistakes, but there's no guarantee that other female officials would make mistakes in the future.
Then these men will launch sexist attacks against all of them, just like they are doing today.
"Your words are quite reasonable, have you heard me, my Lords?
From now on, just talk about the matter at hand. Don't always bring up the female officials. I'm tired of hearing that!"
My wife is a very capable person. When I talk about women, it seems like my wife is also being scolded.
Li Shimin also felt uncomfortable after hearing this.
All the officials could only bow their heads and agree, but seeing Wen Yuping and Lu Shuyuan standing there with their eyes wide open and proud, as if they had defeated all the men, some people were still not convinced and stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, these overseas people were very sharp in their insults just now, and every word was hurtful.
I suggest that they should not attack others in this way in the court in the future!"
"Why? When you guys argue among yourselves, don't you also criticize each other?
We didn’t make a fuss about your gender!”
"That's right, we are all roosters, but you can't curse as hard as us and your skills are not as good as ours.
Why are you allowed to attack us personally but not to talk back?"
[That's right, why can you ancient people eat ginseng and rooster, but we modern people can't eat shrimp and pig heart? ]
[Your insults aren't hitting the mark. Ultimately, it's because you lack the ability. You can't deliver the kind of incisive insults we modern people, trained online, can deliver.]
[The psychological endurance of workers in the Tang Dynasty was too weak. We modern people talk like this on the Internet every day, but I have never seen anyone get angry and faint?
We teased Erfeng about working as a gigolo for the country, but she didn't get mad to death, did she?]
Li Shimin: ………
Li Shimin sighed, but thought that instead of being criticized by modern people alone, it would be better for everyone to bear it together.
So he just casually said that they should not hurt each other like this next time, which was almost the same as not saying anything.
If you guys stop quarreling in the court, what fun will that bring to me? I won't allow it!
When the civil and military officials heard this, they all sighed and felt very uncomfortable.
Someone felt aggrieved after being scolded today and planned to practice hard next time so that he could scold back.
I can't beat this group of overseas people. They don't work as fast as them, they don't think as fast as them, and they can't scold people as fast as them?
Don’t the local officials of the Tang Dynasty have any face?
Once they have mastered their cursing skills, we must retaliate severely!
From this day on, the Tang Dynasty court was officially divided into the local party and the overseas party.
However, Li Shimin didn't care. After the court session, he ran back to the harem excitedly and told Guanyinbi about the interesting things that happened during the court session.
These modern people are so funny!
"I can't even imagine what expressions people will have when historians compile Tang history books and see the insults made by Tang officials in the court hundreds of years later. Hahaha!"
After hearing this, Guanyin Bi also shook her head and laughed.
She was very happy when she learned that Li Shimin had mentioned the two of them in the court. Then she pretended to be mysterious and took his hand:
"Your Majesty is so happy, I have a surprise for you. How about you guess?"
"What's the matter? Did you allow me to keep a tiger in the palace?"
The smile on Empress Changsun's face froze instantly.
[Hahaha, Erfeng, your wife is angry!
Don’t even think about it in your last life, and don’t even think about it in this life. Which man isn’t controlled by his wife?
"Erlang, I wanted to tell you that the imperial physician just came to check my pulse and I'm pregnant."
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then he laughed heartily, picked up his wife by the waist, and spun her several times in the air:
"Hahaha, I'm going to have a baby, Guanyinbi, we're going to have a baby!
No, no, you are pregnant now, you can't do this, are you dizzy? Did I not make you dizzy just now? "
Li Shimin quickly put his wife down, nervously helped her sit down, and summoned the imperial physician to take her pulse.
"Erlang, you don't have to be so nervous. This isn't my first pregnancy. I have experience."
However, Li Shimin was still very nervous and did not even have time to respond to Tianmu's congratulations.
Soon, he thought that there seemed to be quite a few midwives among these modern people?
[What midwife? We call them obstetricians and gynecologists! ]
[Erfeng, hurry up and hire some obstetricians and gynecologists!]
The hospital here is exhausting, but if you offer a high salary and a lifetime position, Erfeng, someone will definitely quit and go work for you!
[Of course! Women weren't valued at all in ancient times, and the production conditions and technology were so backward!]
[I looked it up, and the maternal mortality rate at that time was between 1% and 5%, maybe even higher!]
This was indeed a big deal, but Li Shimin was too busy to remember it before.
Now that my wife is pregnant, I immediately hired ten modern female obstetricians and gynecologists.
With the precedent of Shen Yue serving as the head of the imperial physician's department, they were soon assigned to serve as female officials in the imperial physician's department.
Five of them were specifically responsible for the delivery of aristocratic women in the palace and Chang'an, while the remaining five went to local areas to provide guidance and improve local maternal medical conditions and midwifery techniques.
"Hey, Erfeng, do you want to know the sex of the baby?"
After Shen Yue asked, Li Shimin's eyes widened, and Empress Zhangsun also looked over:
"You can actually know the sex of the fetus?"
[That's natural. Just draw a blood sample or do an ultrasound!]
[Now that technology has improved, four-dimensional color ultrasound can also show what the baby's face will look like in the future! ]
These modern medical technologies are really amazing!
Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were in a dilemma about whether they should know the gender and appearance of the fetus now.
Sometimes Li Shimin said yes, and Guanyinbi said no; sometimes Li Shimin said no again, and Guanyinbi wanted to know again.
The couple was so troubled that they tossed and turned until midnight and couldn't sleep. Finally, Li Shimin sat up suddenly:
"You modern people are so mean, why do you have to tell me this?
This makes it so difficult for me and the Queen to decide!"
If you don’t know in advance, you will be surprised when the baby is born; but knowing in advance also has its advantages.
[…? No, you're putting all the blame on us modern people?]
Erfeng, you've also learned to act crazy now! 】
How about this: when you have your prenatal checkup, the doctor will know, but you two won't. That should be fine, right?
Li Shimin thought this was a good idea. No matter whether the child was a princess or a prince, he would treat her as a treasure.
And the children he and Guanyinbi have will definitely be very good-looking!
In the middle of the night, Li Shimin started a livestream and cursed modern people, then turned it off and went to sleep. Everyone in the audience was speechless.
[No, I was a single dog sleeping soundly, but was kicked awake by Erfeng!
In the end, he told me it was okay and I could continue sleeping, and then he hugged his wife and went to sleep, leaving me, a single dog, awake all night?
Modern singles collectively broke down and vowed to travel in a group to the Tang Dynasty, rush into Li Shimin's bedroom and tickle his armpits to make him cry and learn his lesson!
But the next day, after seeing the war report from the Tang Dynasty, modern people all stopped their activities.
It turned out that early that morning, just as Li Shimin had finished listening to Shen Yue's instructions on a bunch of precautions for pregnant women, an urgent battle report from eight hundred miles away was delivered to him.
The Uighurs allied with Tubo, and tens of thousands of Hu cavalry marched eastward to the Tang Dynasty, heading straight for Chang'an, led by the Uighur Khan and Prince Yehu.
Li Shimin was shocked:
"Wait, wasn't Prince Yehu burned to death in Luoyang?
Why did he return to Huihe?"
Li Shimin immediately sent people to investigate, and later found out that with the help of the Uighur soldiers that night, Prince Yehu had shaved his beard and disguised himself as a Han Chinese to escape before being surrounded by the people.
[It's over! Prince Yehu must hate Erfeng and the Tang Dynasty!
I've been quietly sleeping on straw and eating bitter food for so long, just waiting to launch a powerful attack on the Tang Dynasty!
"The Huihe and Tibetan peoples have rarely interacted with each other. How could they suddenly form a secret alliance?"
At this time, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and other military generals gathered in the Purple Palace to discuss the use of troops.
"It must be because I killed so many Uighur cavalrymen before, which made them bear a grudge. So this time, the Tibetans must have been persuaded to join the expedition by promising them great benefits."
These generals all had combat experience and quickly analyzed that the Tubo army wanted to launch a blitzkrieg and raid Chang'an.
"These barbarians really dare to dream!
Chang'an is thousands of miles away from Tubo, and they have to cross mountains and ridges. How dare they break into the capital of the Tang Dynasty and rob us?"
Li Guangbi widened his eyes. He really didn't understand why these Uighurs and Tibetans suddenly became so crazy.
[You know what, this is how it was in history!]
Although they seemed far away, separated by several provinces, they still managed to force Li Yu to flee Chang'an, and the Tubo looted the capital for three days before leaving!
[This was mainly because the Shuofang and other armies were transferred eastward to suppress the Anshi Rebellion, leaving the rear empty.
Logically, they should have attacked the important military towns of Fengxiang and Jingzhou from west to east, but they chose to advance from Longzhou to the Wei River Valley, where the terrain was difficult and steep, but the Tibetans were accustomed to fighting in the mountains. (1)
The Tang army had no defenses there, so they exploited a bug and quickly broke through and entered Chang'an.
But the current emperor is Li Shimin, and he has already made up for this omission in military deployment.
So when these Hu cavalry wanted to break through Longzhou and advance eastward to Chang'an, they were blocked outside the city gate.
Moreover, the Anshi Rebellion had ended long ago, and the Shuofang Army had been idle for half a year without fighting.
When some small fry finally showed up, the generals all wanted to grab the military merits and were eager to come out and ask for battle. They almost fought in the court over who would be the main general and the deputy general.
Who among my family members understands?
It is so difficult to achieve military merit and get promoted in peacetime!
Especially the emperor is better at fighting than them!
Such a small number of heads is not enough for them to gain credit, so no one should compete with them for it!
The style of Li Shimin's court paintings changed suddenly, which modern people are not used to, but Li Shimin saw the shadow of the Zhenguan period in it and felt a little nostalgic.
Finally, he appointed Guo Ziyi as the Grand Marshal of the Army, leading an army of 100,000 from Shuofang; and Li Guangbi as the deputy commander, leading an army of 80,000 to support.
Li Shimin didn't even take this large-scale surprise attack by the Hu people too seriously. Instead, he looked at the strategic layout of the Tang Dynasty and became more and more angry.
When he was in power, who would dare to openly invade the Tang Dynasty and attack Chang'an and commit murder and arson?
Do you really think that the title of Khan today was given to him as a gift?
But less than a hundred years had passed, and the Hu people dared to be so provocative.
The three towns in Heshuo colluded with each other, had their own troops, and wanted to accumulate strength at this time and refused to obey the court's orders.
The reason why Li Baochen, Li Huaixian, and Tian Chengsi were so bold was that Li Heng gave them too many privileges.
The position is hereditary, he has his own private army, the right to mint coins, and even a red-lettered iron certificate!
[My goodness, Li Heng gave so many benefits to the rebel generals, if it were me, I would have declared independence long ago!
Anyway, I have the life-saving Red Book and Iron Certificate, and even if I get betrayed, I still have a resurrection buff. Let's have fun!
Li Heng was already the emperor, yet he still left so many troubles behind!
The more Li Shimin thought about it, the angrier he became. After handing over the tiger talisman, he picked up a bamboo pole, called Li Yu, and then went to Taiji Palace in anger.
If he doesn’t beat Li Heng up today, he’s not Grandpa Taizu!
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