On the fourth day, Li Tai ordered his men to submit a memorial, saying that Li Xiang was in poor health, so the Zuo Shenwu Army should be handed over to other people to take charge. After all, Li Xiang did not have the ability now. If it was delayed, it might affect the safety of Chang'an City. After all, the Zuo Shenwu Army was one of the six armies of the Northern Ya.
After this memorial was submitted, everyone was waiting and watching. They knew that Li Xiang might have violated a taboo or was really sick, but it didn't matter. The most important thing was the emperor's attitude.
The emperor's attitude became clear very quickly. The person who submitted the memorial was a commander of the Ministry of War, who was directly demoted to Liaodong by the emperor. Everyone knew that after the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, the importance of Liaodong was no longer so great. At least the emperor would not send troops to Liaodong in the next few years, so compared with his original position, this one was idle, not to mention that he had to be far away from the capital, and his political life in this life was over.
Li Tai's test was over, but the tests of other forces were not over, including the Five Surnames and Seven Ancestral Clans. They kept asking the officials under their control to submit memorials, wanting to see how much the emperor could tolerate. You know, in the past few days, the emperor had visited the East Palace twice in person, which was a treatment that no one had ever had before.
From this we can see that Li Xiang is very important in the emperor's heart, but everyone has a question mark as to whether this is a staged play, so these people have to continue testing.
If the emperor retained Li Xiang's official position, then Li Xiang would still be favored by the emperor, and some people would not dare to act rashly. But if the emperor allowed Li Xiang to resign from his official position and return to the Eastern Palace to recuperate, then this would be a funny thing.
These people in the capital will find ways to take revenge on Li Xiang, but the generals in the army may not be satisfied. Li Xiang is the greatest contributor to the Tuyuhun war. If he is deprived of all his official positions after returning to the capital, then these people will lose their morale.
On the sixth and seventh days, memorials were sent to the Qinzheng Hall like snowflakes, and various forces also sent their people to test the waters. Some people said that Li Xiang was young and could be given some vacation to recuperate, but the Shenwu Army still had to be under Li Xiang's leadership.
Some people said that the Zuo Shenwu Army, one of the six armies of Beiya, was too important, and Li Xiang’s health was no longer suitable for leading this army. He should be replaced by a more outstanding general, and there were also people recommended by them.
For a while, Chang'an City was in chaos, with one party taking the stage after another. Li Shimin looked at the memorials in front of him with a smile. Although these were all pawns of various major forces, the highest rank of officials was already the third rank. You have to know that the first and second rank officials in the Tang Dynasty were all honorary positions, and the people who really did the work were only around the second or third rank.
These people have already violated the taboo. Removing them to enrich his own people is also Li Shimin's usual style. Unfortunately, he couldn't find their faults in normal times, but now you have brought them to his door.
Li Shimin picked out five memorials from the list. The officials of these five people also held the highest positions, and they also had many people cheering for them. Li Shimin had already found replacements among the candidates in previous years, but he had no chance to transfer them back to the capital. Now that the positions of these five people were vacant, he finally had a chance.
"Send these memorials to the Ministry of Personnel and have them send them back. Then let these people submit their own memorials."
When Li Shimin said this, Wang De next to him felt his temples throbbing. You know, such punishment is already quite severe. When the emperor sends your memorial back without a single word written on it, it means that the emperor is very dissatisfied with you, but it is not the time to punish you. You just need to pay more attention in the future.
But if there is something written on it and you are asked to submit another memorial to explain these issues, which is the so-called self-defense, then this is a big deal. If your reasons are sufficient, you may be promoted by the emperor, but if your reasons are not sufficient, you will be dismissed from office and stripped of your title in that instant.
In the past, for third-rank officials, this kind of thing only happened a few times a year, but now there are five of them at once. It seems that the emperor has been sharpening his knife for a long time, and you guys have just run into him.
Cheng Yaojin’s memorial?
Among the pile of memorials, Li Shimin suddenly saw Cheng Yaojin's memorial. Wasn't he on the southwest front? If there were any memorials, they should have been sent to the Ministry of War first, screened by the people there, and then sent to him.
"Your Majesty, this memorial is not a matter of state, so General Cheng delivered it directly to the Emperor..."
Wang De saw Li Shimin's confusion, so he quickly explained that it was not that they did something wrong, nor that Cheng Yaojin did not follow the procedures, but that it was some personal matters, so he cut in line.
"What's up with this old bastard?"
Cheng Yaojin started his career with Li Shimin and made a lot of efforts in the conquest of the country, so the two of them spoke frankly about everything. When Cheng Yaojin was in the capital, he rarely submitted memorials to the emperor. He basically rushed directly to the palace to make a speech. It has been a long time since I heard his loud voice.
Media protection?
Or is he acting as a matchmaker for his own daughter?
The content of the memorial surprised Li Shimin. Cheng Yaojin's youngest daughter, Cheng Luan, was already sixteen years old. Among the young ladies in Chang'an City, she was the best in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and had many suitors.
Although she is two years older than Li Xiang, in today's era, it is normal for a woman to be older than a man. Moreover, according to the customs of that era, the two have reached the age of marriage, so it is normal for Cheng Yaojin to act as a matchmaker for his daughter.
"You old bastard, you see clearly."
Li Shimin threw the memorial on the table. He naturally understood Cheng Yaojin's thoughts. Cheng Yaojin saw the things happening on the southwest war front more clearly than anyone else. He also naturally understood what kind of person Li Xiang was. He was naturally relieved to entrust his little daughter to Li Xiang.
Li Shimin was also thinking about what kind of wife to find for Li Xiang. He had originally thought of letting Li Xiang marry a girl from the Cui family, which would also bring honor to the imperial family. After all, the Cui family had once said that they would not marry into the royal family...
But Cheng Yaojin has been a minister for many years and a meritorious official of the Tang Dynasty. She is also a woman. If he refuses, it will inevitably hurt Cheng Yaojin's heart...