Chapter 2083: Taizong Chronicles 25: The Emperor Is Not Easily Deceived

Inside Chuigong Hall, Liu Yang paced slowly before the imperial desk, his footsteps sounding heavy, and on that composed face there was even a trace of distress—clearly, his mood was not good.

Attending before the emperor, besides the palace eunuch Zheng Yuan, there was only the Cabinet Academician Xu Shilian, both of whom kept their heads lowered, not daring even to breathe heavily.

After a long while, Liu Yang raised his eyes to glance at Xu Shilian, who remained silent, and said with a somewhat melancholy tone: "When the late emperor was here, was there ever such trouble? Matters coming thick and fast! Emerging one after another! Utterly detestable!"

At these words, both Xu Shilian and Zheng Yuan could not help but be shaken inwardly, and Zheng Yuan hurriedly said: "His Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Without acknowledging him, Liu Yang directly addressed Xu Shilian: "These ministers, censors, governors, prefectural administrators and county magistrates, and even generals—on their memorials, each one earnestly states their views, fulfilling their duties with loyalty, for the state and for the people. Yet from their true hearts, do any of them regard me as their sovereign and father?"

Xu Shilian had served by Liu Yang's side for many years now. In his impression, this emperor had always been steady and restrained, but at this moment, His Majesty was actually complaining—this was extremely rare. For a moment, Xu Shilian's heart was filled with many emotions and heavy worries.

"Why do you not speak?" Seeing Xu Shilian's silence, Liu Yang could not help but ask angrily.

Even one as lenient as Liu Yang, when angered, brought pressure upon his ministers and servants greater than a mountain. Meeting the emperor's gaze, Xu Shilian dared not remain mute any longer. After pondering briefly, he spoke with some caution: "In your servant's humble opinion, all this turmoil is simply because Your Majesty has newly ascended the throne, and your authority is not yet firmly established..."

"Newly ascended the throne? It has been a full year since I succeeded before the late emperor's bier!" Liu Yang said directly.

This was likely the last complaint Liu Yang would make today. After venting his emotions, reason was restored, and he thought seriously for a moment. A trace of complex color flashed through his deep eyes as he murmured to himself: politics.

"Then how does one establish authority? Strict laws and harsh punishments—what about killing people to establish prestige? If one obtains things through gentleness, goodness, courtesy, thrift, and deference, then what exactly have I obtained?"

Liu Yang's voice was as calm as usual, but heard in Xu Shilian's ears, it felt chilling from the inside out. The emperor was clearly enraged by the machinations of those below and the chaos in the localities.

Fortunately, Liu Yang quickly shook himself out of that frightening state. After pondering for a long while again, he sighed leisurely and asked Xu Shilian: "Regarding the memorials submitted by officials both inside and outside the court about the drawbacks, losses, calamities, and evil consequences of the tax reform—what are your views?"

Seeing the emperor enter a normal state of discussing governance, Xu Shilian felt an inexplicable relief in his heart. After thinking briefly, he responded steadily: "To answer Your Majesty, in your servant's humble opinion, the matters may exist, but the reasoning is certainly not the right reasoning!"

"How so?" Liu Yang stared directly at Xu Shilian.

In Liu Yang's impression, Xu Shilian usually did not speak much—that seemed to be a 'lingering aftereffect' of the Drum of Appeals case twenty years ago. But regarding internal and external military and political affairs, Xu Shilian often had startling insights. At this moment, Liu Yang clearly hoped to hear some 'true wisdom and penetrating views' from Xu Shilian's mouth.

Xu Shilian then continued calmly: "The new tax law was arrived at only after the late emperor, Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin, Chancellor Zhao, and the various chief ministers and capable officials of the relevant ministries and departments listened extensively, investigated carefully, and deliberated meticulously.

Just consider—with the wisdom and capability of the sovereign and his ministers, and with many years of experience in governing the state, even if there were improper considerations in the proposed major policies, it should not have triggered so much turmoil and disorder.

Therefore, forgive your servant for speaking boldly—behind these disturbances, there must be treacherous people stirring up trouble and adding fuel to the flames!"

"The treacherous people you speak of—who do you mean?" Liu Yang pressed.

"With Your Majesty's wisdom, how could you not know?" Xu Shilian said: "Those who suffer losses in the tax reform, and those who profit from these disturbances—they are the treacherous ones who harm the state!"

Hearing this, Liu Yang could not help but sneer twice and said meaningfully: "What you say could encompass quite a few people. If this were to spread, with all this public outrage, I fear it would be directed at you!"

Seeing the emperor speak thus, Xu Shilian appeared utterly unconcerned, clasping his hands and saying: "If that were so, would it not prove that everything your servant has said is based on facts!"

Gazing at Xu Shilian for a while, Liu Yang thought for another moment, and with a look of reflection, said wistfully: "The late emperor said many times that policies are not about right or wrong, only about interests. Formulating policies has never been difficult—the difficulty lies only in how to execute them. Now it seems, the court has very big problems in the execution of the tax reform."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Xu Shilian said.

"The wise one was the late emperor!" Liu Yang said decisively, a trace of bitterness reappearing at the corners of his mouth: "If I were wise, how could I be looked down upon and provoked repeatedly?"

To this, Xu Shilian remained silent. Although he still wanted to advise the emperor to be patient, he truly could not say it at this moment, because as the emperor had said, it had been over a full year now—the disturbances had not diminished, and the disorders were instead intensifying. Patience should no longer be the emperor's governing philosophy. Mutual forbearance for the sake of the state, if it became one-sided, would be nothing but wishful thinking.

"Xu Qing, how much land does your family have?" Liu Yang suddenly asked.

At this question, Xu Shilian instinctively became a bit more cautious, but after some deliberation, he still reported truthfully: "Your servant came from humble origins. After entering officialdom, most of my time was spent in border prefectures. When I was transferred to the capital, the court rewarded me for my merit in pacifying the disorder at Yulin, and together with many years of salary and Your Majesty's gifts, I have purchased a hundred mu of modest land in my hometown, waiting only for retirement to return and live out my old age."

At this answer, a trace of daze flashed through Liu Yang's eyes. Even a capable official like Xu Shilian, who was wholly devoted to public affairs and governance, could not help but take his salary and rewards back to his hometown to purchase land outside of official duties—let alone others. A hundred mu was not much, yet it profoundly reflected the obsessive love that the subjects of the Great Han held for land. The commodity economy of the Great Han Empire had flourished over the past few decades, but the economy was still built upon a foundation of hundreds of millions of mu of land.

"Is a hundred mu enough?" Liu Yang asked again.

"Your servant's household has few members—including parents, wife, and children, only six people in total. When your servant retires, it will be sufficient to pass down farming and scholarship to the family!" Xu Shilian said very frankly: "As for the current management of the land, I have hired three households to work it. After deducting wages and taxes each year, there is still considerable surplus."

"A hundred mu of land is enough to satisfy a fourth-rank official of the court!" After hearing Xu Shilian's account, Liu Yang could not help but speak indignantly again: "Yet some families with ten thousand mu of fertile fields still do not know to cherish their blessings, and still insist on sucking the marrow from the bones of the poor common folk. Their greed is nauseating! Where have their propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame—their moral aspirations—gone!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" Seeing Liu Yang's rage rising, Xu Shilian immediately advised.

Liu Yang waved his hand, looking as if he were perfectly calm, and after pondering for a long while, asked solemnly: "Regarding the tax reform, there is now great controversy and even opposition both inside and outside the court. Some even condemn it as the source of misrule and oppression of the people. In your view, how should I respond?"

At the question, Xu Shilian did not answer immediately, but instead asked Liu Yang back with extreme seriousness: "Does Your Majesty wish to change the policies of Shizu?"

Noting the grave expression on Xu Shilian's face, Liu Yang smiled freely and answered with just two words: "What of it?"

Xu Shilian took a deep breath and spoke with some intensity: "Those who disrupt governance are the lawless meritorious nobles; those who harm the state are the bureaucrats who betray their sovereign; those who oppress the people are the unscrupulous landlords. These three groups are the root of the disturbances in the tax reform!

Forgive your servant for speaking frankly—Your Majesty should remain steadfast and firm as at the beginning, advancing the reform without being discouraged by temporary obstacles!

If you were to abandon or change course, first, you would betray the late emperor's will; second, you would damage the court's authority; third, you would wound the hearts of reform-minded patriots and the common people of the realm."

Seeing Xu Shilian speak so earnestly, Liu Yang smiled faintly, not knowing at whom the mockery was directed. He casually picked up a memorial from the imperial desk and said: "Yet the common people of the realm have already been exhausted by the tax reform, already living in dire straits."

Xu Shilian immediately said: "Compared to the common folk and poor farmers across the realm who have received benefits, how much do the disturbances reported in the memorials amount to?

Forgive your servant for speaking frankly—the Great Han's tax reform has progressed to this point and has already shown results. The more intense the opposition, the more it proves the necessity of the reform!

At the same time, if we start but do not finish, abandoning it halfway, it would neither help solve the current problems nor would it do anything but make the Great Han's tax system even more chaotic, causing even greater harm to the ministers and the people.

Your servant humbly begs Your Majesty to see clearly!"

Xu Shilian's view of the civil unrest that had occurred within the empire over the past six months was relatively clear. The tax reform, in its execution, had indeed caused considerable damage and chaos amid the resistance, distortion, and exploitation of those with ulterior motives.

However, to be realistic, that was ultimately a small portion. The main groups of nobles and landlords of the Great Han still had some bottom lines after all—not everyone dared to openly defy the court's major policies, and not all landlords refused to leave even the last grain of food for the farmers. Otherwise, the Great Han Empire would have been shaken long ago.

Under an empire system that was still on the rise, with relatively clear politics and consolidated central authority, the restraining power over everyone was very strong, and the evil side of human nature was greatly suppressed.

Then under such circumstances, where did those alarmist claims about the drawbacks of the tax reform come from? As the emperor, how could Liu Yang not know? Yet precisely because of this, he could hardly contain his anger. Clearly, some people truly took his leniency as capital for stirring up trouble.

"I have also received an impeachment memorial, from Wang Shenrui, the Prefect of Chengdu, impeaching Pan You, the Administration Commissioner of Jinnan Circuit, for improper governance, harsh treatment of subordinates, bullying and deceiving the lower people, and for failing to provide adequate relief during the great drought in Western Sichuan, leading to popular unrest. The implications revealed in this memorial are somewhat unusual!"

Wang Shenrui was the second son of the late Duke of Pingnan, Wang Quanbin. And this memorial, in which the Prefect of Chengdu impeached the Administration Commissioner of Jinnan Circuit, clearly conveyed meaning that was by no means merely a 'circuit-prefecture dispute.'

Hearing this, Xu Shilian's brows also knitted extremely tightly. Looking at Liu Yang, he said: "Your Majesty, Governor Pan is strict with his subordinates but never goes too far—this is known throughout the court and the realm.

However, he has always been lenient with the common folk. As far as your servant knows, during his years in Jinnan, he has always been diligent and devoted, committed to the tax reform and striking at the powerful and despotic, with remarkable results.

When the great drought struck Western Sichuan, the court also issued clear edicts ordering him to provide relief. Your servant cannot believe that Governor Pan would be negligent in such matters!"

"I do not believe it either!" Liu Yang said directly, his suspicious eyes narrowing slightly: "Yet such an impeachment memorial has been presented so brazenly onto my desk!"

Xu Shilian frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty could perhaps send a decree asking Governor Pan to explain the matter. Comparing the two accounts, the rights and wrongs of the case will naturally become clear!"

Liu Yang nodded, then fell silent again for a while. Suddenly, he said to Zheng Yuan and Xu Shilian: "It has been a long time since I left the palace. Accompany me on a tour of the nearby prefectures and counties. I want to see for myself what kind of 'dire straits' the people of the Great Han are truly in. And if there are such straits, how exactly were they caused!"