Chapter 380 Right to Interpret Prophecy

Gao Xianzhi dared to deal with other things privately, but when he encountered the nursery rhymes and prophecies, he did not dare to make a decision and could only report it to Li Heng.

Li Heng was very familiar with Liu Zhan, because Liu Zhan had been forced to rebel in history, but it was in Songzhou, Huaixi.

Liu Zhan was originally a subordinate of Zhang Jieran. After An Lushan captured Chenliu and killed Zhang Jieran, Liu Zhan led his men to fight guerrilla warfare in Chenliu. Later, when the government army recaptured Bianzhou, Liu Zhan made great contributions again.

Li Heng admired Liu Zhan's talents, and in order to prevent Liu Zhan from being forced to rebel, he specially transferred Liu Zhan to Bianzhou. However, he did not expect that what was coming could not be avoided.

Zhang Hao, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, saw Gao Xianzhi's report and said, "Liu Zhan is stubborn and self-willed. His name is a rumor. He should be removed."

Zhang Hao had received favors from Yang Guozhong, but he was not a bad person. The reason he said this was because he really believed in rumors.

At the beginning, Yang Guozhong said that his original name "Zhao" meant golden knife, and asked Li Longji to change his name. Zhang Hao, who was the Zuo Shiyi at the time, was the first to agree.

Cui Guangyuan followed up, "The prophecy has spread, but Liu Zhan did not report it or stop it. It's obvious that he has ulterior motives. Your Majesty should get rid of him immediately and be alert to other people with the Golden Sword."

The second half of Cui Guangyuan's sentence was referring to Liu Yan.

Liu Yan also had the surname Liu and was the core figure in the implementation of the Two Tax System. Cui Guangyuan wanted to use the prophecy to kill Liu Zhan, and then use public opinion to force Li Heng to get rid of Liu Yan.

Li Heng did not refute immediately, but asked: "How should it be eliminated?"

Zhang Hao said: "Liu Zhan has a great reputation in Bianzhou. If we send troops to suppress the rebellion, it may cause unnecessary casualties. It is better to promote him, transfer him away from Bianzhou, and kill him on the way."

Feng Changqing, who was standing by, looked gloomy after hearing what Zhang Hao said, because he felt that Liu Zhan did not deserve to die, but rumors had always been a taboo, so he did not dare to say anything.

Li Heng noticed Feng Changqing's expression and asked, "General Feng, do you have anything to say?"

Feng Changqing hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't agree with Mr. Zhang's plan. The generals in the army are not stupid. They know how much reward they should get. If the reward exceeds their merits, they will definitely be suspicious."

Feng Changqing's words pointed out a problem, that is, rewards and punishments must be clear and fair. If too much reward is given, the people below will also worry.

During the reign of Emperor Dezong, there was a mutiny in Jingyuan. Li Huaiguang, then governor of Shuofang, led his troops to rescue the army. However, due to his rough nature, he came into conflict with people in the court. In order to please Li Huaiguang, Emperor Dezong rewarded him with a red-lettered iron certificate, which was a golden medal of immunity from death.

Unexpectedly, when Li Huaiguang received the gold medal of immunity from death, he was not happy but angry, saying: "The iron certificate is only given to those who suspect that their subjects are rebellious. Now it is given to me, asking me to rebel."

Then he rebelled.

Feng Changqing used the opportunity of refuting Zhang Hao to remind Li Heng not to reward his subordinates too much.

Because Lai Zhen had pacified Jingxiang before and had seized 1.6 million strings of cash and handed it over in full, Li Heng wanted to reward him.

Li Heng understood what Feng Changqing meant, nodded, and said, "You should draft the reward for the meritorious officials who suppressed the rebellion in Jingxiang."

"Yes." Feng Changqing accepted the order.

Zhang Hao didn't know the tacit understanding between Li Heng and Feng Changqing. He just felt confused that the topic was about Liu Zhan but Lai Chen was mentioned instead. He continued, "How does Shangshu Feng think we should deal with Liu Zhan?"

Feng Changqing didn't want to deal with Liu Zhan at all. He shook his head and said, "I am not very talented and have no strategy."

After hearing what Feng Changqing said, Li Heng immediately understood what Feng Changqing was thinking and asked, "General Feng, how do you think we should interpret 'rising from the east with a golden sword in hand'?"

Prophecies were highly valued in feudal society and had a far-reaching influence.

According to historical records, during the Sui Dynasty, there was a prophecy that "Peaches and plums will get the world; the queen will go around Yangzhou and wander in the garden. Don't talk nonsense, who said it would happen?" In the end, Li Tang really got the world. Li Longji was also very sensitive to prophecies and did not allow civil and military officials to associate with quacks. The misfortune of Du Youlin's family was also one of the reasons for his false claim that it was a prophecy.

In order to crack down on religious forces, Li Heng reiterated Li Longji's decree.

Therefore, Feng Changqing did not dare to explain at all, and only replied: "I do not understand the art of divination, so I don't know how to interpret it."

"The fact that he rose up in the East with a golden sword in his hand shows that there is indeed a golden sword in the East." Li Heng paused, "However, the golden sword is ultimately a weapon, and who holds it is the key. It is my destiny to hold this sword, to protect the Tang Dynasty and to suppress the rebellion. The golden sword can also protect the country."

Li Heng did not use any scientific reason to deny the prophecy, because he knew that this was impossible and would be disadvantageous to him. He simply reinterpreted the prophecy.

Only by mastering the right of interpretation can we take the initiative.

Feng Changqing's heart sank when he heard the first half of Li Heng's words, but he was overjoyed when he heard the second half, and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhang Hao didn't expect that the prophecy could be interpreted in this way and looked surprised.

Cui Guangyuan was somewhat disappointed that his plan did not succeed.

Li Heng smiled slightly and said, "Pass my explanation to Liu Zhan and tell him to do his job well. He should be rewarded for helping Gao Xianzhi suppress the rebellion, but the rebellion happened in the prefecture and county under his jurisdiction, so he is also responsible. His merits and demerits should be offset, so he will not be punished or rewarded."

"Yes." Feng Changqing happily accepted the order.

……

When Li Ying's decree was passed down, Du Youlin's family, who had moved back to the capital, felt the same way and burst into tears.

The current emperor will never kill anyone in vain because of a prophecy.

Du Youlin invited guests that day and praised Li Ying's virtue.

As for Liu Zhan, he was deeply moved after receiving Li Heng's imperial edict.

He had heard the rumor of "rising from the east with a golden sword in hand" a long time ago, but he had no idea how to deal with it. If he tried to stop it, it would make it even more obvious. If he turned a blind eye, he would seem to be the mastermind behind it. Apart from being anxious, there was nothing he could do.

However, now that Li Heng gave such an explanation, he became the Eastern national sword of the Tang Dynasty, and the situation turned from disaster to blessing in an instant.

Liu Zhan summoned his generals and conveyed Li Heng's order, saying, "I am not from an aristocratic family, nor am I your Majesty's confidant. I have only met your Majesty twice and have spoken less than ten sentences to you, but your Majesty is willing to trust me and protect me. With such a monarch, why should we not be loyal to him till death?"

His general Zhang Jingchao said: "The Minister of Revenue Liu Yan also has the surname Liu and is a favorite of your majesty. Perhaps your majesty wants to protect him and the governor at the same time."

Hearing this, Liu Zhan glared at Zhang Jingchao and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to protect Liu Yan, there are plenty of ways. Why go around in circles? A real man should be grateful and repay kindness when dealing with things, and should not judge others by one's own standards."

"That's right." Another general, Sun Daifeng, agreed with Liu Zhan and said, "When Chenliu fell, the governor neither surrendered to the rebels nor fled. Instead, he chose to lead us to fight the rebels behind enemy lines. Your Majesty will naturally understand such a loyal act. The governor is loyal and Your Majesty loves him deeply. This is a good story between a monarch and his subjects. We cannot just calculate based on interests."

"General Sun is right." Liu Zhan laughed. "In that case, I must not let your majesty down. When Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty seized land, Bianzhou and other places were full of troublemakers. Now that your majesty is promoting the two-tax system, Bianzhou has rebelled again. This is my fault. I will be more careful in the future and make Bianzhou a model place for the two-tax system."

Sun Daifeng said: "If the governor has given an order, we will fully cooperate."

Other civil and military officials also followed suit, and Bianzhou, which had just been in chaos, regained its vitality.

(End of this chapter)