Chapter 222 Opening
Even if Li Jiancheng had anticipated Wei Zheng's fate and had prepared himself mentally, at this moment, he really wanted to take advantage of the situation and kill him, and put him on the pillar of shame in history.

As of now, he has no clear achievements, and today's advice is too demanding and accusatory, with the suspicion of seeking fame by being straightforward. Even after his death, no one will speak for him, let alone future generations.

But Li Jiancheng still chose to endure it. This was something that had to be experienced in order to open up the channels for communication. Only when he could remain humble even in the face of such fierce advice, would the people of the world believe that the emperor really wanted to govern the country well.

Because apart from this reason, no emperor would need to endure such grievances.

The emperor waved his hand to signal the ministers to shut up, "Alright, there is no need to say more, I have decided to accept Wei Qing's advice, and I will personally explain to the emperor.

People say that the emperor is supreme and has nothing to fear, but in fact it is not the case for me. I fear the watchful eyes of the Heaven above and the admiration of my ministers below. I work very cautiously, fearing that I will not be in line with Heaven's will and fail to meet people's expectations.

Minister Wei is quick to act but slow to speak when giving advice. I have accepted his advice today, and you should also encourage me.

All the ministers were shocked when they heard this, even Wei Zheng himself was surprised. Then everyone thought about why the emperor was like this. The emperor was already supreme, but he was still willing to endure grievances. It must be for his ideals.

The political ideal currently expressed by the emperor is the reign title "Taiping".

Peace was supported by the vast majority of people, and everyone hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty, we respectfully obey your majesty's order."

Then, banquets were held every day to entertain guests. Although there was no wine and not many types of meat, the ministers all felt the vitality in the solemn and elegant music.

Starting from the next day, the number of officials who offered advice to Li Jiancheng in the memorials he received increased significantly. Some of them even dared to raise issues concerning him and the emperor, not to mention members of the royal family and other noble families.

Without the atmosphere of whitewashing the truth, the emperor's work naturally became busier, but he also effectively solved a number of hidden problems, allowing the people to better restore their livelihood.

However, Wei Zheng was still alone. Even the censors were unwilling to get too close to him. In their view, one could speak directly to the emperor or father, but one should not do so in public with many local officials present.

Seeking fame by being honest is different from being loyal to the emperor and patriotic, so he was naturally excluded.

In the Wende Hall, after reviewing the memorials, Li Jiancheng said to Wei Zheng who was waiting for him, "You haven't been happy these days, have you?"

Wei Zheng said: "I was excluded in the court, and my relatives could not understand me after I left the court. Only my wife could sympathize with me."

"Can you regret it?"

"I have no regrets. Even if the wood was transported to Wugong, it would only be a brick or a tile, but it would cause Your Majesty to lose the trust of your subjects. Compared with that, my life and death, honor and disgrace are nothing to worry about."

Li Jiancheng shook his head: "Too rigid will easily break. Some things can be done just as well in a different way. There is really no need to make things so unmanageable."

"Your Majesty, the world is still full of ignorant people who only listen to one side and believe what others say. Only by being direct and accurate can they understand your Majesty's painstaking efforts."

"It seems that Wei Qing still recognizes me."

"I have always believed that Your Majesty is the only one who can rule the world. I admire you very much, but there are many people in the world who admire Your Majesty, and what Your Majesty needs most is not flatterers."

Li Jiancheng suddenly asked: "I heard Xu Shiji say that you told him at that time that you hoped to be a good minister rather than a loyal minister. What's the meaning of that?"

Wei Zheng said solemnly: "Ji, Qi, and Gao Yao are good ministers, Long Feng and Bigan are loyal ministers. Good ministers make themselves famous, the monarch gets a glorious title, and their descendants pass on the title from generation to generation, enjoying boundless blessings and fortune. Loyal ministers themselves suffer disasters and are killed, the monarch falls into a state of ignorance and brutality, the country is destroyed and the family is ruined, and they only get the empty name of loyal ministers.

Therefore, my lifelong wish is to be a good minister to Your Majesty."

"Good minister, good minister, now in the world, only one out of a hundred people are alive, the war has not yet ended, mulberry farming has all been abandoned, and after the decline, hunger and cold are severe. If there were more good ministers in the world, I would be willing to lose years of my life because of anger."

Only then did Wei Zheng offer a compliment and comfort: "Long live your Majesty."

…………

The capital of Tuyuhun was in Fushi City, where the camp of Li Jing, the Duke of Wei, was stationed. Being able to reach this place, one could know that the battle was already a great victory. The only thing missing was the head of Murong Fuyun, the ruler of Tuyuhun.

But if we continue the pursuit at this time, it would be counterproductive and the supply of food and fodder would easily become a problem.

However, Hou Junji, who was promoted by Li Jing because of his outstanding military achievements, advised: "General, at this time, Tuyuhun is in a state of panic. The rats have fled, the birds have scattered, and the scouts have been cut off. The king and his ministers have been separated, and the fathers and sons have been lost. It is as easy to capture them as picking up mustard seeds. If we do not continue to pursue the victory, we will regret it in the future."

Li Jing was very calm, and was not shaken by Hou Junji's persuasion. He asked, "Those tribes are still unwilling to submit to the Tang Dynasty?"

"General, they are willing to submit to the Tang Dynasty and pay homage to Your Majesty, but they are unwilling to pursue Tuyuhun."

Li Jing was a little disappointed when he heard this. "Without them leading the way, we can't pursue them. Baihai is close to the source of the river, and no one has ever reached it in ancient times. Murong Fuyun fled to the west, and we don't know where he is. Our horses are exhausted and food is scarce, so it's difficult to go far. Let's report to the court and prepare to return to the court."

Hou Junji's face turned bitter. He hadn't made many achievements yet. "General, if we return to the capital like this, these four counties will be retaken by Tuyuhun in a short time."

"This is not something we should consider, we just need to act according to His Majesty's will.

At this time, a general of Turkic origin said: "General, I want to try to see if I can kill the leader of Tuyuhun."

"Oh?" Li Jing was still a little surprised. Murong Fuyun was not a big shot, and he was very stupid in leading troops and arranging battle formations, but his ability to escape and stabilize people's hearts was indeed extraordinary. It was easy to defeat such a person, but it was a bit difficult to kill him.

"what do you need?"

"All we need is a handwritten order from the general. As the general knows, I was born in Western Turkic and fled because my tribe committed a crime. But some time ago, my tribe was favored by Tongyehu Khan, and my uncle became a Tutun, and he has some power.

I have also heard that Tongyehu Khan asked the Tang Dynasty for a princess in marriage and is preparing to attack the Dong Turks together. Given this relationship, I think Tongyehu wants to make friends with you, the general.

Murong Fuyun probably fled to the Western Regions as usual. The Western Regions are now entirely under the command of the Western Turkic Khan. As long as Tong Yehu gives the order, the head of the Tuyuhun leader will be cut off soon. "

Li Jing thought about it seriously and decided that this was indeed feasible. Although he had not returned to Beijing, he was still very familiar with the news in Chang'an. The imperial court and the Western Turks were indeed closer now.

The only concern is that he has not yet obtained His Majesty's consent, and whether he is exceeding the rules by acting on his own.

...............

(End of this chapter)