Chapter 93

PS: Thank you, You Shou, for the generous 588起点币 reward, and thank you, Qi Ma Yi Da Xiang and YY1984, for your monthly vote support! I, the shut-in, bow in gratitude!!

Here, the shut-in did not follow historical facts to determine the titles, but instead used the first titles granted to these princes during the Zhen Guan period. Previously, Li Yuan had also granted titles to Li Er's sons, including Li Tai as the Prince of Chu. The shut-in skipped this, leaving only Li Chenggan as the Prince of Hengshan, while the others were merely Princes of Qin, not Dukes.

Amid the flattery of the ministers, Li Er and Li Yuan returned to the Taiji Hall. This time, Li Yuan did not enter; he used the excuse of being unwell and, accompanied by several eunuchs and palace maids, headed towards the rear palace. Coming down from that position, his heart was not at ease.

Li Er did not leave because the civil and military ministers were still waiting. He strode in and ascended the long-desired throne. This scene had appeared many times in his dreams, and now he still doubted whether he was dreaming.

"Pay homage to His Majesty!" The civil and military ministers began to pay homage, standing in two rows, all bowing deeply.

"Rise!" Li Er finally said the first words to the ministers after ascending the throne. It was such a simple phrase, and he felt a bit regretful for not giving a speech to the ministers on the altar.

"Thank Your Majesty!" The ministers stood up after expressing their gratitude, then waited with anticipation or trepidation for Li Er to proceed with the next agenda.

A new emperor, new ministers. After each emperor ascended the throne, they would grant titles to those who followed them, as these people were their core supporters and the foundation for ruling the vast empire. These people were deeply marked by the emperor and would do their utmost to maintain his rule.

Although Li Er would later become a great emperor, he could not escape this tradition. However, it was precisely this granting of titles and his subsequent performance that prevented him from being labeled with the negative reputation of "when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hunting dogs are cooked." Most of the ministers and nobles who followed him to establish the empire met good ends, which no other founding emperor had achieved. Among those who assisted Liu Bang in establishing the Han Empire, only Zhang Liang met a good end, while the others were more or less persecuted, the most tragic being the great military strategist, Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin, who was accused of rebellion by Empress Dowager Lü and died unjustly. After him, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, relieved his generals of their military powers with a cup of wine, and Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang, killed most of his followers. Therefore, Li Er treated these ministers very well.

As expected, the first thing Li Er did after ascending the throne was to ensure his trusted supporters controlled key departments. The granting of titles began.

"The Emperor decrees: The former Sui dynasty was cruel, and the Supreme Emperor raised an army to establish the Tang Dynasty. At that time, I, as the Prince of Qin, led the three armies in battle. Now the Supreme Emperor has passed the throne to me, and there shall be rewards." A young eunuch was chosen by Li Er to read this decree, as this eunuch, though lacking a certain part, had a loud and clear voice. Reading these words filled the air with a sense of grandeur, a natural talent that could not be learned.

The first person to be rewarded was not someone else but Li Er's wife, Changsun. This was decided at Li Er's insistence, as women's status was low in this era, and general ennoblements would not take place in the Golden Hall. However, this time Li Er was stubborn. Changsun deserved this, so the first ennoblement was for her, as the Empress, and then the ministers. Li Er would also enoble his children, as the purpose of establishing the empire was to benefit one's wife and children. If the ministers were ennobled, the leader should also let his children show off, as they were the ones who fought for their father.

"Changsun Wuji, step forward to receive your title!" The young eunuch began the main part. The first minister was indeed Changsun Wuji, Li Er's brother-in-law and his most steadfast supporter.

"Your subject is here!" Changsun Wuji stepped out and knelt. This was a moment he had dreamed of for a long time. From the moment he discovered Li Er's ambition to fully supporting him, this was the day they had been working towards! The moment of glory had arrived, and Changsun Wuji seemed to see his parents smiling from the netherworld, proud of him for bringing honor to the Changsun family.

"Changsun Wuji, who has followed me through thick and thin, is hereby appointed as the Grand General of the Left Guard and Duke of Qi, with a fief of 1,300 households." A brief evaluation, but it was more practical than flowery praise, as it showed that he was not being treated as an outsider. Otherwise, his contributions would not have been summed up in just a few words, and he would not have been directly ennobled as Duke of Qi with a fief of 1,300 households.

Next, Qin Qiong was ennobled as Duke of Yi, Grand General of the Left Guard, with a fief of 600 households. Although Li Er had some reservations about Qin Qiong, his contributions were undeniable, and no one in his group could surpass him, so he was second, but with a smaller fief, which was a subtle signal.

After Qin Qiong, it was Du Ruhui, a civil minister rather than a general, a consideration of the balance between civil and military officials. If a series of military officials were ennobled first, it would seem that civil officials were inferior. Changsun Wuji, though a military official, was now transitioning to a civil role. Du Ruhui was ennobled as Duke of Cai and promoted to Minister of War.

Others were also ennobled, such as Yu Chigong as Duke of E, Duan Zhixuan as Duke of Bao, Liu Hongji as Duke of Kui, and Fang Xuanling as Chancellor. Even Cheng Yaojin received the title of Duke of Lu, with a fief of 800 households, slightly larger than Qin Qiong's. Another notable figure was Hou Junji, who had always been sinister and had ambushed and killed the Prince's chief of staff, Wang Kuang, during the Xuanwu Gate Incident. He was ennobled as Duke of Lu, with a fief of 700 households.

These ministers had fought alongside Li Er to establish the Tang Dynasty through blood and fire. Now was the time for rewards. Li Kuan could only wait outside the Taiji Hall, but the young eunuch's clear voice allowed him to hear everything clearly. Each of them was promoted and ennobled, and history did not change much. Even if Li Yuanji did not die at the hands of Yu Chigong and Li Jiancheng was not killed by Qin Qiong but beheaded by Li Er, each person still ended up in their respective positions. History had a terrifying ability to correct itself, preserving names and benefits as closely as possible to the original trajectory. This was what Li Kuan discovered after exchanging a significant amount of points for detailed historical records of the Wude period from the system.

Regardless, these ministers had all received substantial benefits. Next, it was likely to be Li Kuan and Li Chenggan, among others, the children of Li Er.

Li Kuan was right. After ennobling Li Shiji, Li Er instructed the princes and princesses to enter the hall to pay homage.

Upon hearing the imperial summons, Li Chenggan, without hesitation, walked first, followed by the little fatty, Li Tai. Why was this? In this era, where legitimacy was highly valued, as the son of the newly ennobled Empress, Li Tai's status was higher than Li Kuan, who was the son of the newly ennobled Consort Yanchai. Thus, the second position was taken by the little fatty.

Li Kuan was not particularly concerned. He had only a faint memory of his mother, not as deep as the memory of a common peasant woman in the future. Standing there was not a problem, even if the little fatty took the second position. He had never thought about becoming emperor, and Li Er still had a long time ahead. Who could predict the future? So he stood third among the princes, followed by Li Ke, Li You, and Li Yin, the little ones.

On the princesses' side, Li Lizhi stood first, followed by Xiangcheng, Nanping, Suan, and the little one, Nianwei.

This group of little ones entered the Taiji Hall, the boys kneeling and the girls bowing, their young voices loudly proclaiming, "Your subject pays homage to Father Emperor!" The title had to change, and this had been specifically reminded to them. The two-year-old Nianwei was a bit confused: why did Father King become Father Emperor? Was it a different person? But looking at the person on the throne, she was puzzled: 'It's the same person!'

"Enoble, Li Chenggan as the Crown Prince, to reside in the Eastern Palace! Li Tai as the Prince of Yue, Li Kuan as the Prince of Chu, Li Ke as the Prince of Shu, Li You as the Prince of Yan, and Li Yin as the Prince of Liang." This time, Li Er personally stood up to announce it, showing his expectations for his sons. However, Li Kuan began to wonder why some of the titles had changed. Why was Li Tai the Prince of Yue instead of Wei? Wasn't Li Ke the Prince of Wu? Shouldn't the Prince of Shu be Li Yin? He was thoroughly confused, but Li Er did not pause for his doubts.

"Enoble, Li Lizhi as the Princess of Chang乐, ………… Li Nianwei as the Princess of Yuzhang!" A large number of children were personally ennobled by him, and then they were to bow in homage.

The ennoblement ceremony was complete, and Li Er had to handle state affairs. The children were to leave, so Li Kuan and the others were ushered out of the Taiji Hall, not knowing what would happen inside.

Inside the Taiji Hall, Li Er issued his first imperial decree, changing the location of the court sessions from the Taiji Palace to the Lize Hall, which was farther away. The Taiji Palace would become the residence of Li Yuan, the Supreme Emperor, for his retirement.

The ministers had no objections to this, as a new emperor would naturally make some changes. If nothing changed, it would lack a sense of presence. So, the additional steps to the new location were not questioned, and the first resolution was easily passed.

Apart from the location, there were no other changes. However, with the new ennoblements today, there would certainly be a wave of turmoil in the court. This was the responsibility of his subordinates, and Li Er did not concern himself with it. He believed that after some time, his talented followers would control the key departments, and the entire court would be under his control, though he would still face the constraints of the aristocratic families. However, the initiative would be in his hands.

Li Kuan and the others left the Taiji Hall and headed to the Eastern Palace to pack their belongings. This was the rule; as long as Li Er had not officially ascended the throne, they could not overstep their bounds. Now, except for Li Chenggan, who continued to reside in the Eastern Palace, the others would move out. Li Kuan was assigned to the Xiancai Palace, which was given to his mother, even though she had passed away, but she still had a son.

The others had their own destinations. Li Tai moved to the Taihe Palace, adjacent to the Changsun Liangyi Palace. Li Lizhi and Li Tai were neighbors, residing in the Cangyu Study on the other side of Changsun. Little Nianwei, being too young, was not assigned a separate residence and stayed with her sister. From now on, the distance between them would increase, and it was uncertain whether their relationships would become distant. This would need time to verify!

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