Chapter 1050: What Is Kaibao

"Daoji, His Majesty's ambitions remain unfulfilled, his aspirations as strong as ever—this is truly a blessing for the Great Han, a blessing for the realm!" Leaving Chongzheng Hall and heading toward the Hall of State Affairs, Tao Gu stroked his graying beard, his aged face full of emotion, though his tone carried a certain affected air.

Walking side by side with him along the palace corridor, Wei Renpu paid no mind to Tao Gu's presumption of seniority, and said calmly and firmly: "His Majesty is full of ambition and has not slackened. All we can do is devote ourselves wholeheartedly to assisting this sage dynasty!"

Hearing this, Tao Gu grew somewhat agitated, his old eyes gleaming with a hint of longing: "If I could aid the Son of Heaven in creating a golden age, rivaling the Kaiyuan-Tianbao era, that too would be the honor of us ministers."

As he spoke, a shadow of gloom passed over Tao Gu's old eyes, and he sighed lightly: "It's a pity—this old man is aged and frail, and I fear I won't have the fortune to accompany His Majesty and the Great Han to that point, to see that day!"

Seeing Tao Gu rarely display such a dispirited demeanor, Wei Renpu felt somewhat surprised, and moved by his words, offered comfort: "Lord Tao need not belittle himself. Remember, when Yao Chong assisted Emperor Xuanzong, he was already sixty-three, and still managed to lay the foundation for the Kaiyuan golden age..."

Tao Gu was now only sixty years old.

"Daoji need not praise me so. Though I consider myself talented, I dare not compare myself to the wise chancellors of Kaiyuan! This bit of self-awareness, this old man still possesses!" Tao Gu shook his head lightly and said with a bitter smile.

Speaking of those years, having "languished" within the court for over a decade, enduring hardship, all Tao Gu had yearned for was to attain the position of chancellor, and that would have been enough. Yet after truly fulfilling that long-cherished wish, he inevitably developed new goals—wanting to make achievements, wanting to leave his name in the annals of history.

However, the Great Han now boasted an abundance of talent, with many capable ministers both in and out of court. In terms of seniority, Tao Gu might not yield to others, and he was indeed knowledgeable, but truly speaking of assisting the sage dynasty, harmonizing the affairs of state, and governing the realm—that was beyond his ability.

Exhaling a puff of white vapor, Tao Gu looked at Wei Renpu and smiled again: "However, you, Lord Wei Daoji, could well be the 'Yao and Song' of our era!"

"Lord Tao flatters me! In the entire Tang dynasty, there were only four great wise chancellors—how dare I compare myself to 'Yao and Song'?" Wei Renpu likewise replied modestly.

"Daoji's bearing is truly admirable!" Tao Gu said seriously.

Among all the chancellors since the founding of the Great Han, in terms of ability, bearing, and magnanimity, Wei Renpu ranked first. Gifted with exceptional talent yet open-minded, benevolent yet measured, and skilled in governance, he was the perfect chancellor. During the years Wei Renpu held the reins of government, the central court of the Great Han experienced its period of fewest conflicts—all because Wei Renpu governed and adjudicated with impartiality, earning the trust and admiration of superiors and subordinates alike.

Of course, the court was also a great dye vat; even a wise chancellor of the age could not escape those who attacked and slandered him. However, perhaps due to years of friendship, or perhaps because he recognized the Emperor's deep trust in him, Tao Gu had always been very supportive of Wei Renpu.

A single era name had sparked the imagination of too many people. From the two characters "Kaibao," the ministers saw his governing aspirations and political ambitions; they saw a clear and definite goal.

This, in truth, unconsciously reassured Wei Renpu and the other ministers. Liu Chengyou could be considered the true founder of the Great Han, his prestige unmatched—his thoughts and consciousness had too great an influence on the nation.

After fifteen years of continuous diligent governance, and after completing the historical mission of unifying the realm, many who had thrived amid hardship began to grow wary. They feared the Emperor might lose his goals, or grow weary and fatigued from years of hard work and diligent governance, and want to slacken. This was not without precedent—to take a recent example, Li Cunxu, Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang, was an unavoidable topic of discussion.

What did "Kaibao" mean? Beyond its literal auspicious connotations, "rivaling Kaiyuan, pursuing Tianbao"—this was perhaps the simplest and most direct explanation of Emperor Liu's goals. Though the Li Tang dynasty had perished over half a century ago, to the people of the present day, it remained an empire worthy of remembrance and commemoration.

The Kaiyuan-Tianbao golden age of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, though it had a good beginning but not a good ending, that period could be said to represent the pinnacle of development achievable by Chinese imperial dynasties. It was a glorious and resplendent era, a brilliant civilization blooming in the East, radiating splendor in all directions.

In terms of development across population, economy, institutions, military, territory, international standing, and all other aspects—these comprehensive influences—no dynasty in history could rival it.

Even though the An-Shi Rebellion laid bare the weakness behind the prosperity, the great edifice collapsed, glory was no more, and vitality was hard to restore, the Kaiyuan golden age and the elegance of Tianbao were still deeply etched in people's memories. "Recalling the full prosperity of Kaiyuan, even small towns held ten thousand households"—a single line from the Poet Sage captured the people's nostalgia for the wealth and abundance of the Kaiyuan-Tianbao era.

Though not as magnificent and stirring as the times of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, though many hidden dangers emerged in the later period, the achievements of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras were an indisputable fact.

Even by Emperor Liu's Qianyou period, as the nation gradually moved toward unification and the realm returned to peace, when ruler and ministers began to consider how to govern this vast country, they could not help but mention that era. Beyond sighs of regret, there was also, more or less, a sense of longing.

Now, Emperor Liu also intended to proclaim his aspirations to the realm through the era-name change to "Kaibao," and to set a goal for the bureaucrats of the Great Han. It was precisely for this reason that the ministers present all expressed their support without hesitation—because they felt the Emperor's soaring ambitions. While the court was immersed in the joy of north and south united and heaven and earth remade, Liu Chengyou's gaze was already fixed on the future.

"Lü Yuqing, tell me—under my leadership, can the Great Han achieve parity with the Kaiyuan-Tianbao era and open up China's treasure?" Inside Chongzheng Hall, Liu Chengyou set down some intelligence reports from the Hexi region and asked Lü Yin.

Upon hearing the question, Lü Yin answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty is a hero without equal, accomplished in both civil and martial virtues. Moreover, Your Majesty is in the prime of life. So long as Your Majesty does not forget the original aspiration, has a good beginning and a good ending, given time, great achievements are certain!"

Lü Yin's words both elevated Emperor Liu highly and contained a veiled admonition. Since ancient times, there had been too many examples of good beginnings without good endings. Of course, the fact that Emperor Liu aimed his sights at Kaiyuan and Tianbao itself showed his intention to take them as a cautionary lesson.

Not to mention that the present Great Han was far from the full prosperity of Kaiyuan—even a lifetime of effort by Emperor Liu might not suffice to catch up. After all, before Li Longji, there had been the Zhenguan governance and Empress Wu's bridging of eras, nearly a century of foundation-building. How many years had Liu Chengyou's Great Han existed? Even if, under his governance, national and social development reached such a level, one still had to be wary of the Great Tang's glorious collapse—that was a bloody lesson.

"I unified the realm in fifteen years; I wonder how much time it will take to govern it!" A confident smile appeared on his face as Emperor Liu uttered a sigh of reflection.

Soon, all his emotions were gathered back, and Liu Chengyou instructed Lü Yin: "Draft an edict—when Gaozu founded the dynasty, the enterprise was not yet half complete when he suddenly passed away, placing a burden of a thousand jun upon my shoulders. Fortunately, relying on the worthy talents of the four seas and the heroes of the eight directions, who devoted their full strength to assist, I was able to preserve the state and establish the great enterprise. I have remained unwavering in my resolve for fifteen years, and now I have initially pacified the realm, with north and south united. Among these efforts, there were ministers of civil governance and warriors of military merit—they deserve reward. Instruct the Hall of State Affairs, the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Ministry of Personnel to comprehensively review the merits and achievements of the generals and ministers of the Qianyou era, and re-assess honors and rewards accordingly!"

"Yes!" Lü Yin could not help but glance at Emperor Liu—he knew the Emperor had long harbored this intention.

This was a major undertaking, and a troublesome one at that, easily offending people. Lü Yin requested guidance: "May I ask which ministers should be entrusted with this matter?"

"Wei Renpu, Murong Yanzhao, Xue Juzheng, Dou Yi, Li Chuyun!" Liu Chengyou named five people.