Sun Chuanting and Fu Zonglong were brought into the Huangji Hall shortly after.
Upon seeing their ragged and filthy state, Li Shimin's temper flared again. He pointed at Zhu Youjian and berated him, "You, the one who picks pig oil, come here!"
Zhu Youjian dared not resist and obediently scurried over, as if he had heard his own father calling him. Standing still, he turned around and presented his backside to Li Shimin.
Seeing this, Old Li immediately delivered a kick. "After this, tell me, boy," he said to Fang Er, "What's the story with these two men!"
Fang Er's understanding of the Ming Dynasty now went far beyond what one would learn from others. As a mere widow of a chieftain, Qin Liangyu had barely visited the capital a few times, making it impossible for her to know so much. However, he was too lazy to pry further. This person had too many secrets, and it was better not to inquire.
Fang Er first beckoned Luo Yangxing. "Find some palace maids to properly wash Sun Gong and Fu Gong. A governor and a minister being treated like this in prison, what sort of decorum is that?"
"Yes, yes, your subordinate will arrange it at once!" Luo Yangxing nodded and personally led men to help Sun Chuanting and Fu Zonglong away.
Wang Chengen, seeing this, quickly rushed out of the Huangji Hall to arrange for palace maids to assist them. After they left, Fang Er began to explain the situation of the two men to Li Shimin.
"Father, let's start with Sun Chuanting," he said. "This man is skilled in both civil and military affairs. In the civil examinations twenty years ago, he ranked 41st in the third class. 'The walls of Shanhaiguan still stand, pitifully holding the line of safety. Mud is no strategy to seal the pass, who sings of frontier poems with a sword? If the sage ruler attends with an open mind, I wish to spill my blood and tears at the imperial court.' These are famous lines from his poetry. For the past 13 years, consecutive natural disasters have led to unrest among the populace. From that time, Sun Chuanting began to study military affairs. His disciple once said, 'The affairs of the world are almost beyond hope.' Guess what he replied?"
Li Shimin feigned anger and raised his hand, prompting Fang Er to continue. "He said, 'To act, it must start with me; whether it succeeds or fails is up to fate!' 'Good! A good 'it must start with me'!"
Li Shimin exclaimed, then turned to Zhu Youjian with a roar, "Such a fine minister, and you threw him in prison? No wonder you're left all alone!"
Zhu Youjian lowered his head, daring not to speak, and continuously rubbed his left thumb with his right hand, looking exactly like a naughty child being lectured by his parents. Seeing this, Fang Er almost burst out laughing and continued recounting Sun Chuanting's story.
"Four years ago, Sun Chuanting took over as the Governor of Shaanxi and, along with Hong Chengchou, was responsible for suppressing the rebellious populace. They successively eliminated or pacified fifteen factions. The largest faction within the passes at that time, Gao Yingxiang's unit, was annihilated by Sun Chuanting."
Li Shimin frowned. "If he was so capable, why was he imprisoned?"
Fang Er looked at Zhu Youjian and smiled. "Heh, precisely because he was capable, his superiors became wary of him. Whenever Sun Chuanting requested an audience to discuss state affairs, he was obstructed by his superior, Yang Sizang, the Minister of War. Furthermore, the supervising eunuch was a scoundrel who constantly made trouble for him. Angered and disheartened, Sun Chuanting soon fell ill, complaining of hearing problems and difficulty discerning sounds, so he requested to resign and return home. However, the Emperor thought he was deliberately shirking his duties, and with Yang Sizang fanning the flames, he was charged with deceiving the sovereign and thrown into prison."
Li Shimin's eyes burned with rage. He pointed at Zhu Youjian and cursed, "You son of a bitch, just you wait! I'll settle accounts with you later!"
Zhu Youjian shrank his neck and stood aside, not daring to make a sound.
Li Shimin then looked at the officials and asked, "Who is Yang Sizang? Step forward and let me see!"
Fan Fucui cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to Emperor Taizong, Yang Sizang is not currently in court. Since last year, he has gone to Huguang to quell the rebellion."
Since the person was absent, Li Shimin could only instruct Wang Chengen, "Big Garlic Clove! Make a note of this fellow's name! Better yet, send someone to keep an eye on him. Such a jealous and envious wretch, if this person has some ability, it's worth killing him without hesitation!"
Wang Chengen's mouth twitched a few times. This Great-Grand Emperor Taizong was truly good at giving nicknames... Zhu Youjian, the pig oil picker. Luo Yangxing, the big camel. Shi Shilang, the dung beetle. And to himself, Wang Daban, became Big Garlic Clove~~ But with his own master beaten like a grandson, how could Wang Chengen dare to retort? He could only flatter, "Yes, Emperor Taizong, your servant has noted it."
After finishing with Sun Chuanting, it was Fu Zonglong's turn. He was upright and unyielding, never currying favor with others. But just like Sun Chuanting, he was a capable man. This disposition meant that few people liked him, and thus he was framed and imprisoned. Coincidentally, Yang Sizang, who had framed Sun Chuanting, was also involved in the framing of Fu Zonglong. Another person involved was the same supervising eunuch.
This was the second time Li Shimin had heard about a supervising eunuch. He asked Fang Er, "Who is this damned eunuch?"
Fang Er uttered a name with icy coldness: "Gao Qian!"
"This damned fellow not only caused Sun Chuanting and Fu Zonglong's imprisonment!"
"He also caused the death of Lu Xiangxiao! He himself was ignorant of military affairs, and in order to claim credit, he appropriated the achievements of others and even engaged in killing the innocent to claim victory!"
Li Shimin was so enraged he almost exploded. He took a swift step towards Zhu Youjian and slapped him across the face.
*Slap!*
The sound was crisp and echoed throughout the Huangji Hall. After the blow, Li Shimin pointed at his nose and yelled, "Open your damn eyes and look clearly! How many officials in this hall understand military affairs? You neglect them and let a eunuch leave the palace to dictate military matters to the army! Are you tired of losing this empire quickly enough?"
The officials in the hall, though they agreed, dared not utter a word. This Taizong is too violent! But why did watching Taizong beat Chongzhen bring them a sense of unspeakable satisfaction?
After scolding Zhu Youjian, Li Shimin turned to Wang Chengen and said, "Big Garlic Clove!"
"Your servant is here!"
"Where is that damned Gao Qian now?"
"Reporting to Emperor Taizong, he is still the Director General of Liaodong!"
"Draft an imperial decree!"
"Stripped of all his official posts, Gao Qian is to be executed by lingering death on the spot as an apology to the world! His head is to be sent to the various armies as a warning!"
"Yes!"
Wang Chengen was so delighted that his nose seemed about to bubble. They were all eunuchs, and who didn't know who was who? He had long disliked that fellow Gao Qian, but as he himself was ignorant of military matters, he could not do anything about Gao Qian in front of the Emperor. He scurried off to draft the imperial decree.
The officials in the hall exchanged glances and then simultaneously knelt on the ground, crying out to Li Shimin in unison, "Taizong is wise!"