Li Shimin was extremely disgusted with these half-brothers. Ever since Li Chengqian taught Li Yuanchang, the King of Han, Li Shimin knew that these bastards were not good people. Although they did not threaten his position, they had not done anything good in secret.
Li Xiang had previously submitted a memorial to the emperor, requesting that all these princes be demoted to dukes. Some of this had already begun, but some of it was protected by Li Yuan. According to the regulations of the founding period, all sons born to the emperor had to be made princes, and there was no distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons.
But Li Shimin also told his father that if this was the case, then the number of princes was really too many. Who could blame our Li family for its strong reproductive capacity? If there were thirty or forty princes in a dynasty, it would be enough to bankrupt the Tang Dynasty court. So all these people were demoted to princes.
Li Yuan also agreed at that time, but the Prince of Song was a flatterer and often went to the Daming Palace. This guy was very good at pleasing his father. He was demoted to a higher rank twice in a row, but he never gave it to this kid.
The most terrible thing was that Li Shimin could not bear his father's repeated persuasion and actually gave such a lucrative job to this guy. You should serve the country honestly, sell all the slaves well, and then enrich the national treasury. This can be regarded as your contribution to the Tang Dynasty.
But I didn't expect that you would embezzle money from this. Li Xiang trained his subordinates to be very honest, and no one would dare to take advantage of this place. But I didn't expect that there was such a huge rat hidden in the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
In the past, you always looked for opportunities to make some money, but now, there is no opportunity to make some money. You are actually colluding with big businessmen to secretly keep slaves for them.
This not only dampened the enthusiasm of other businessmen, but most importantly, it made everyone see the unfairness. Li Xiang has always been telling everyone a truth, that is, under the rule of the Tang Dynasty court, although it cannot give you absolute fairness, it can give you relative fairness, which is also a very good business environment.
The common people listened to these words for several years, and they did not expect that at this time, there would still be someone who would go against the trend. And this person was not an ordinary person, but a prince of the court.
The next morning, Chang Sun Chong came to Li Xiang. He was now in charge of investigating the affairs of the royal family, and Prince Song was also within the scope of the investigation. This guy came in early in the morning with a fierce face. The news on the street was very difficult to understand. Everyone hoped that the court would show courage and must deal with this prince.
"If this old bastard had admitted his mistake yesterday and made some gestures, perhaps the consequences wouldn't have been so serious. Now that he's done well on the exam, he's hiding in the Daming Palace. Merchants from all over the country are already making a fuss, and many of the great scholars in our newspapers are also talking about this. I hope the court can show some of the fairness it once had."
Chang Sun Chong spread out his hands and said that when Li Xiang first talked about fairness, many nobles were dissatisfied, but after several years of development, they also found that a fair environment can actually promote social development. Although the rights of some people have been deprived, from an overall perspective, these people can also get some benefits from other places.
But the situation is different today. The people have become more enlightened. It is probably impossible to fool them with just a few words. These people have not stood up to cause trouble yet. They also want to wait and see the situation in the court.
"Immediately send someone to notify some of our imperial censors and have them submit their memorials during the morning court session to put pressure on the emperor. The retired emperor cannot escape the laws of the Tang Dynasty."
What Li Xiang said was actually extremely treasonous. You have to know that he was your grandfather's father, who was three times older than you. If you were to hold such a person accountable, it would be unacceptable in terms of filial piety. However, looking at the current situation, if you do not hold him accountable, the credibility of the Tang Dynasty court might be ruined.
"I'll do it right away, but you should also have a good conversation with the Emperor. We must have his support for this matter. If we continue to make trouble, nothing good will come of it. The Emperor must take a stance. This isn't just a problem for Prince Song. This matter will soon spread to Jiangnan. The more commercial the area, the more likely it is to cause trouble."
Before leaving, Chang Sun Chong left these words to Li Xiang. Of course, this guy was not exaggerating. Everything he said was true. In this situation, if you can't do your job well, some things might not be convenient.
Before anything happens, the court will use thundering means to deal with this guy, King Song. According to the regulations of the Tang Dynasty, he must be dealt with as he should be dealt with, and there must be no room for any leniency. Maybe this will satisfy the merchants and the common people.
Li Xiang also realized that the longer this matter was delayed, the more detrimental it would be to the entire society. King Song was probably being used as a gun by others.
The people of Chang'an City had not seen His Highness riding a horse at full speed for a long time, but they saw it again today. From the General Tiance's Mansion to the Imperial Palace, Li Xiang rode a fast horse with only ten guards.
Li Xiang had a reason for doing this. It was soon time for the morning court session, and he had to reach a consensus with Li Shimin before the morning court session. If he did not report the situation outside to Li Shimin, Li Shimin would not know that this matter would ferment to this point, and he might still think it was a trivial matter. If that was the case, the memorials submitted by the censors might be useless.
When the guards in the palace saw Li Xiang riding over on horseback, there was naturally nothing to stop him. Li Xiang had already received the imperial edict and was allowed to ride his horse through the Meridian Gate.
Li Shimin had just gotten up at this time, and the court session was just outside Li Shimin's door. Others could sleep for half an hour longer, but you, the princes and grandchildren of the emperor, as well as the civil and military officials, did not receive such treatment. You had to set off an hour earlier. You could be asked to wait for the emperor, but would the emperor wait for you?
When Li Shimin heard that Li Xiang came in on a fast horse, he guessed what was going on. The bastard King Song had indeed done nothing good and it seemed that he had caused public resentment.
