Chapter 508: Revision of National History

"Hmph!" Li Chengqian threw the book in his hand on the table and snorted angrily.

"Everyone! What's wrong with you?" Wang Quan asked in confusion. He didn't understand why the emperor was angry for no reason.

"Take a look for yourself?" Li Chengqian picked up the book on the table and handed it to Wang Quan.

Wang Quan hurriedly took it and saw that it was the national history of the Tang Dynasty. He stepped aside and read it carefully, but did not find anything wrong.

"Everyone, I am stupid and can't see what the problem is that can make you so angry?" Wang Quan said cautiously.

"This national history is a mess, with many untrue things. Many places are basically exaggerations, and even the things that are not true are written in it."

"There are also several biographies in it, the basic content is exactly the same, but the characters in it are very different. If you don't look at the characters recorded in it, you would think it is a biography of the same person."

"It even says that among the generals of our Tang Dynasty, the bravest are only Su Dingfang and Pang Xiaotai, as if there are no other people in our Tang Dynasty except these two."

"Who wrote this national history? I want to punish him. Such a distortion of facts will not make me hate him without severe punishment." Li Chengqian said.

Today, he was free, so he flipped through the national history of the Tang Dynasty to see how it was written in the national history, what major events happened every year, whether they were all written clearly, and whether there were any omissions.

You really don't know until you see it. After seeing it, you will be so angry that most people who have no ability are recorded as having outstanding ability.

People with ability are either mentioned in passing, or they don't even have their names, or they are belittled in various ways. It is really abominable!

"This, I don't know, why not ask the historian to come and ask." Wang Quan said.

His daily job is to serve the emperor, and he usually arranges the emperor's daily life. He revolves around the emperor every day. Recording the national history is the responsibility of the historian.

It is not something that he, an eunuch, should care about. Whoever is in what position should do what.

"Then send someone to call the historian to me quickly. I want to ask who wrote the national history of my Tang Dynasty?" Li Chengqian said angrily.

"Yes!" Wang Quan replied, and immediately sent someone to call the historian over for questioning.

Soon, the historian was called to the Purple Palace.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" The historian bowed to Li Chengqian. "

Please stand up. I want to ask you, as a historian who records and writes history, how can you make up stories at random and confuse right and wrong!" Li Chengqian said, throwing the history book on the table at the historian's feet.

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! Your Majesty!" The historian picked up the history book on the ground and flipped through it. He was shocked! He knelt on the ground and apologized.

"Humph! Tell me, how did I wrong you? As a historian, you record historical events and write biographies of deceased ministers. Tell me which one is not confusing right and wrong, recording things in a perverted way, and exaggerating the good and hiding the bad." Li Chengqian glared at him.

Doing so is actually smearing the meritorious officials who have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. The reason for writing biographies for these people is to allow future generations to admire these meritorious officials.

Now everything is reversed, people with merits are smeared, and people without merits are regarded as meritorious officials of the Tang Dynasty. This is unacceptable.

"These are all done by the late Gaoyang County Duke Xu Jingzong. For a long time, the national history has been managed by Xu Jingzong alone."

"Xu Jingzong's records are flattering and untrue. He relies on his personal likes and dislikes, and is greedy and lustful. He often accepts bribes and arbitrarily changes the achievements of others in the national history." "I am a

low-ranking official with little influence, and he was the prime minister at the time. I dare not say anything more! Please investigate it, Your Majesty." The historian trembled.

Li Chengqian frowned. He knew that when Xu Jingzong was alive, he accepted bribes because of his favor to him.

Because he still had use for him, and because Xu Jingzong was not such a glutton, he took the lead in donating a lot of money when there were floods and droughts.

Otherwise, Li Chengqian would have ordered him to be imprisoned and his property confiscated long ago!

"What did Xu Jingzong modify?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Feng Deyi, the prime minister during the reigns of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, witnessed the murder of Xu Jingzong's father Xu Shanxin and Yu Shiji by Yu Wenzhi. At that time, Feng Deyi was still the secretary of the Internal History Department and saw the whole process of the incident."

"Once Feng Deyi told people about this incident: Yu Shiji was executed, Shinan prostrated himself and begged to die for his brother, Shanxin was executed, and Jingzong danced with joy to beg for life. He used this to accuse Xu Jingzong of being unfilial."

"Later, people used this as a topic of gossip. Xu Jingzong was very resentful of others mentioning this incident, so when he wrote a biography for Feng Deyi, he exaggerated his crimes and did his best to vilify Feng Deyi."

"Also, Xu Jingzong's daughter married the general of the Left Guard, Qian Jiulong. Qian Jiulong was originally a slave of the royal family because of his guilt, but Xu Jingzong married him for money."

"Qian Jiulong knew that Xu Jingzong was in charge of the national history, so he bribed Xu Jingzong with money, so Xu Jingzong flattered his family background, gave him false credit, and promoted him to the same volume as Liu Wenjing and his eldest grandson Shunde."

"Xu Jingzong married his son to the granddaughter of Wei Chi Baolin, and got a lot of bribes. When he wrote a biography of Wei Chi Jingde, the father of Wei Chi Baolin, he completely concealed all his faults and crimes."

"Even Taizong wrote "The Prestige" to give to Changsun Wuji, but when Xu Jingzong wrote the biography, he directly changed it to give it to Wei Chi Jingde."

"All of the above were done by Xu Jingzong alone. However, I am of low rank and my words are not taken seriously. I dare not go against Xu Jingzong's intentions. Moreover, Xu Jingzong said that these were all instructed by Your Majesty, so I dare not say more." The historian trembled. "I

don't know how much money Xu Jingzong embezzled during his lifetime. Wang Quan, send an order to Jinyiwei to investigate this matter thoroughly." Li Chengqian said.

"Yes!" Wang Quan replied.

"Since this matter has nothing to do with you, I will not punish you anymore." Li Chengqian said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The historian thanked him with tears in his eyes.

"I want to revise the national history. As a historian, who do you think can take on this important task?" Li Chengqian asked.

"This, I dare not speak rashly!" said the historian.

He dare not recommend a candidate to the emperor at will. If the recommended candidate is the same as Xu Jingzong, then he will be finished.

"Everyone! In my opinion, it is better to let Liu Rengui to preside over the revision of the national history." Wang Quan said.

"Liu Rengui has retired. Is it appropriate to let him revise the national history?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Liu Gong is respectful, studious, well-versed in literature and history, outspoken and daring to make suggestions, and he was once the prime minister of our dynasty. Although he has retired now, he is the most suitable candidate to revise the national history." Wang Quan said.

"In that case, I will order Liu Rengui to revise the national history." Li Chengqian said.

That day, Li Chengqian issued an edict to let Liu Rengui and others revise the national history of the Tang Dynasty.