Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 583 - 472: Weiquan becomes more powerful day by day_1

Chapter 583: Chapter 472: Weiquan becomes more powerful day by day_1

In the middle of April, the Capital City was bathed in the warmth of spring, flowers in bloom, bathing under the brilliant sunshine. The peach trees planted on either side of East Chang’an Street were all bursting with blossoms.

Looking out from the sixth floor of the Deyun Building on the south side of East Chang’an Street, you are greeted by a scene full of vibrant flowers and verdant trees.

Li Xuan was sitting by the window, sipping tea and looking quietly at the peach blossoms outside.

Sitting across from him was a monk with a square face and large ears, solemn and dignified, draped in a golden kasaya.

Many in this tavern recognize him. He was Master Weizhen, the abbot of the Great Huguo Temple, the most prominent temple in the capital.

However, his complexion seemed a little pallid and his eyes looked rather gloomy.

On the other side sat Yu Qiyong, the eldest son of Duke Yu Zhanshi. He was about twenty years old, tall, donned in a four-clawed Python Robe typically worn by the Princely Heir. He looked handsome and valiant, with a refined and gentle demeanor.

"Marquis of Guanjun, it seems you have a fondness for peach blossoms?" Yu Qiyong, fanning himself, looked at Li Xuan with a smile, "I have a mountain manor in Xiaotang Mountain outside the city. In addition to three hot springs, it is also filled with peach trees. When spring comes, the scenery is as beautiful as a painting. Unfortunately, due to my duties in the land, I rarely get to enjoy it. If Marquis appreciates it, I am willing to sell this mountain villa to you for three thousand teals. It might enhance your experience to bring your family to soak in the hot springs and enjoy the view."

’Marquis of Guanjun’ is Li Xuan’s new title.

Two and a half months have passed since the battle against the Mongolian invasion.

In that battle, the Jin Dynasty pursued and defeated the enemy in the north, killing approximately 150,000 Mongolian Iron Cavalry around Zhangjiakou and Shanhai Pass. They also launched a raid on the grasslands, seizing 2.7 million herds of sheep and 9,000 war horses.

An additional 60,000 men, women, and children from the Datan tribe have surrendered, settling down in the area originally inhabited by the Three Duoyan Guards, which the Emperor named Changming Guard, turning it into a new barrier for the Jin Dynasty in the north.

Meanwhile, the original Duoyan native inhabitants were driven out by the Jin Army, retreating back to Quanning area.

Subsequently, the Court was embroiled in debates over rewarding Li Xuan for his contributions, as the Grand Secretary and Cifu held differing views.

The Grand Secretary, Chen Xun, argued that Li Xuan had contributed significantly to the survival of the Jin Dynasty in the Battle of Nankou Pass and should be rewarded appropriately; Cifu, Gao Gu, on the other hand, believed that while rewards were due, they had to be given in accordance with regulations. In particular, the concurrent appointments of Li Xuan to the Five Armies Dudu’s Office and the Jingying constituted a significant and far-reaching precedent in the Jin Dynasty that needed careful deliberation.

There were many in the Court who agreed with Chen Xun, but similarly, there were also many who sided with the Cifu.

This included the Qingliu - the conservatives who, despite their admiration for Li Xuan’s integrity and achievements, held great regard for tradition.

In the end, the Emperor made a personal decision and bestowed upon Li Xuan the title of ’Marquis of Guanjun’. This title was not only ranked the same as that of a duke, but his descendants were also granted the hereditary title of ’Marquis of Jingan’.

Although the title of ’Marquis of Guanjun’ was still not on par with being directly granted a dukedom, it was nonetheless a highly prestigious honor. Moreover, Li Xuan’s earlier noble title allowed only limited inheritance, indicating a reduction in ranking.

Of course, considering Li Xuan’s achievements, such rewards were by no means excessive.

What was surprising was that the Emperor had acceded to Grand Secretary Chen Xun’s request, assigning ’Marquis of Guanjun’ Li Xuan to take charge of the Jingying’s ’left Shenji battalion’, serving as the Commander of the ’left Shenji battalion’.

The Shenji Regiment was one of the core elite forces of the Jingying, equipped with muskets, fire guns, cannons, rockets, and other firearms. Its forty thousand troops were divided into four battalions: front, rear, left, and right.

In addition, Li Xuan was also appointed as the Dudu Qianshi and Judge of the Central Military Dudu’s Office.

’Dudu Qianshi’ was one of the deputy positions in the Central Military Dudu’s Office. Although it was a second-rank military post, it had little power.

According to the regulations of the Great Ancestor and Emperor Taizong’s reign, there were multiple ’Dudu Qianshis’ in the Central Military Dudu’s Office. In times of war, they would be granted the seals of ’Zongbing’ and ’Deputy Zongbing’, to command the local Weisuo Army.

However, after the incident at Tumu Fort, at a time when the Ministry of War, controlled by Yu Jie, was gaining power, the position of ’Dudu Qianshi’ was not of much significance.

However, the ’Judge’ in the Central Military Dudu’s Office held tremendous power.

’Central Military Judge’, a fifth-rank court position, was in charge of ’judiciary and penal affairs’ in the military, otherwise known as military law.

The Central Military Dudu’s Office had jurisdiction over nearly 700,000 local Weisuo Army personnel, including the ’Jing Stay Guard’, ’Shence Guard’ and ’Yingtian Guards’, which were nominally the Emperor’s own army.

Furthermore, the ’Central Military Judge’ was also the chief of the ’Five Military Judges’, controlling the ’judiciary and penal affairs’ of all the constituent armies and having the final say in these matters.

When the Emperor’s edict came down, the entire court was in uproar, with many unable to understand the motive behind the Grand Secretary and the Emperor’s decision.

However, Yu Qiyong, the son of Prince Xiang, had a good understanding of Grand Secretary Chen Xun’s intentions.

Firstly, since the major incident at Tumu Fort, the Five Armies Dudu’s Office had surprisingly managed to resist the Ministry of War’s encroachment on its authority.

Since the early years of the Jingtai era, because of the Emperor’s unwavering trust in Yu Jie, the authority of the Five Armies Dudu’s Office had been gradually taken over by the Ministry of War, including the handling of military laws for the Weisuo Army.

Since Li Xuan took office, however, the judicial and penal affairs of the military had largely ignored the opinions of the Ministry of War.

It was apparent that Grand Secretary Chen Xun’s move was clearly aimed at balancing Yu Jie’s power.

Secondly, this concerned the matter of the garrisoning of troops in the Capital City and Imperial City.

As far as Yu Qiyong, the son of Prince Xiang knew, since Li Xuan took office in February and assumed control of the ’left Shenji battalion’ of the Jingying, the undercurrents in the Jingying, which had been in turmoil due to the ’serious illness’ of crown prince Yu Jianji’, had visibly settled down.

In particular, the ’left Shenji battalion’, comprising of 3000 men, had been deployed to guard the ’Wansui Mountain’ and ’Neijiao Field’ to the north of the Forbidden City, further revealing the deep intentions of Chen Xun.

However, this has bred a strange figure who holds three key positions: he’s in the Liudao Division, in charge of Jingying, and in the office of the Military Governor of the Five Armies.

That’s why even the highly revered son of Prince Xiang, Yu Qiyong, had to treat him with three parts respect.

The reason he appeared here today was precisely because of the military power controlled by this man, and his growing influence and power.

"A hot spring manor in Xiaotang Mountain?" Li Xuan was indeed tempted, thinking that it would be a magnate-level enjoyment if it were modern times.

The price of thirty thousand teals was also quite cheap. To his understanding, the manors with hot springs on Xiaotang Mountain were as luxurious as royal palaces.

But then he shook his head and replied, "Thank you for your generous offer, Prince. Unfortunately, I am financially embarrassed and can’t enjoy such a privilege."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qiyong couldn’t help but sigh in secret. He knew that just half a month ago, the court decided to buy a cannon with a range of 350 miles from Shenqi Union at the Peacock Manor for a total price of 7.5 million teals in installments, and named it ’Might General Shenwei Wuliang Cannon’.

It’s said that if the court is financially strong in the future, it plans to order three more from the Shenqi Union - this is a huge deal worth a total of thirty million teals.

And who doesn’t know from those who are well-informed that the Shenqi Union’s Peacock Manor is a property that Li Xuan has obtained for his maids?

So the so-called ’financial embarrassment’ must be just a pretext. He was just not willing to accept his gift.

But he didn’t realize that Li Xuan was filled with bitterness at this moment.

People assume that he has recently come into a large fortune, receiving three separate salaries from the court and the Liudao Division, as well as the pay of a marquis. Surely, he must be rolling in wealth, but who would know that he now relies on the financial support of a few girls even for the daily food of his mount?

He shook his head and turned his gaze to the monk standing beside him: "I can’t stay long because I have official duties. Let’s get to the point. Young Prince, do you invite me here today because of the ’Master Weizhen’? Are you pleading for him?"

Upon hearing this, Master Weizhen’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his eyes filled with anger.

The term ’pleading’ alone showed that Li Xuan had no respect for him and implied an insult.

Even when Xuan Emperor was alive, he treated him, the abbot of the Great Huguo Temple, with great reverence.

But this young man in front of him dared to disrespect him so blatantly!

However, Yu Qiyong, the son of Prince Xiang, continued to smile like a radiant flower, with words and demeanor as comforting as a spring breeze: "I mainly wanted to see the Marquis of Guanjun, as I missed him greatly. It just so happened that Master Weizhen came to plead his case with me, so I took the opportunity to invite you for a chat, a drink, and a song. "

Then his expression turned serious: "Li Xuan, please give me some face. There’s no past enmity between your two families, so why must things escalate to this point?"

Li Xuan shook his head: "I dare not defy your face, Prince. Yet, as you also know my situation in Liudao Division, matters that should be resolved still need to be resolved."

He calmly blew on the water in the tea cup, his voice didn’t fluctuate as he asked Weizhen, "So, from now on, all discussions in the Liudao Division regarding me and the Shenyi Department, Master Weizhen and your brother, will be merciful, right?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qiyong, the son of Prince Xiang, couldn’t help but chuckle. He understood that although this statement sounded nice, in reality, it meant he wasn’t willing to back down and he was not giving any face.

However, Yu Qiyong himself didn’t hold much hope for this situation, so he was not annoyed or even planned to keep persuading on behalf of Weizhen.

The grudge between Li Xuan and ’Great Huguo Temple’ originated from the recent internal struggle in the Liudao Division.

This ’Master Weizhen’ next to him is one of the external elders hired by the Liudao Division.

His brother, ’Weixing’, is also one of the elders of the Liudao Division and has been serving in the Liudao Division for 140 years.

In the recent two months, the elder council of the Liudao Division has passed several resolutions to suppress Fumo Venerable Zhu Mingyue, Li Xuan, and the Shenyi Department, which are known to all the eminent people in the Capital City.

Yet, this Marquis of Jin, the champion of Jin dynasty, was obviously not easy to provoke.

When he suppressed the Shenqi Union a year ago, he demonstrated the ability to turn things around.

Now with a higher status, stronger power, and even more decisive actions, he was as lightning fast and thunderous as ever.

Just two months ago, nearly all the wealthy merchants in Beijing who operate water routes were forced to cease their offerings to the ’Great Huguo Temple’.

Then he took a darker hand, directly stopping the issuance of monk certificates by the ’Great Huguo Temple’, and instructing the Senglu Division of the court to strictly investigate all illegal activities by the monks. In a single day, more than seventy monks were arrested and put in jail.

At the same time, he incited dozens of ordinary people to sue ’Great Huguo Temple’ for encroaching on their properties - ’Great Huguo Temple’ which was established in the former Yuan, initially had only ten acres of land, but now it has 150 acres. Most of these lands were acquired by forcing the surrounding residents to move.

Previously, these ordinary people were afraid of the influence of the ’Great Huguo Temple’, and no one dared to antagonize it.

But now, with the Marquis of Guanjun backing them, the case has caused a great uproar in Beijing.

If Yu Qiyong’s information is correct, the verdict of Dali Temple should be greatly unfavorable to the ’Great Huguo Temple’. The latter will not only have to return the land, but also pay a considerable amount of silver.

But what does this matter have to do with him, Yu Qiyong? He has done his duty of goodwill by inviting this Marquis to sit down and talk. Could he have to offend Li Xuan for the sake of the ’Great Huguo Temple’?

As for whether there can be a reconciliation to turn the conflict into peace, it will depend on how ’Weizhen’ negotiates.

However, this ’Weizhen’ is now glaring at Li Xuan in anger: "The affairs of the Liudao Division are decided by me based on impartiality. As the Marquis, you want to coerce me with power, is that right?"