The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 57: I hope you will be an upright official

As night deepened, only the thick snow outside the window reflected a few specks of silvery-white light.

As the fire in the stove was about to die down, Yang Qinyi, who had already dismissed the unrelated servants, carefully and personally put new charcoal into the stove.

The red flame licked at the teapot, emitting a buzzing sound that only amplified the silence of the room.

Unlike before, Li Deyu's silence this time lasted much longer.

He frowned and sighed intermittently. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Li Deyu shook his head heavily and said...

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but my answer is that there is no way to help you."

At this moment, Li Ang was bringing a cup of fragrant tea to his lips.

Tang people were accustomed to adding various seasonings when brewing tea, but Li Ang, who came from a later era, certainly couldn't get used to it. Therefore, the eunuchs who served him all brought their own tea.

Li Ang put down his teacup, seemingly unsurprised by the answer, and continued to ask.

Why?

Li Deyu replied, "Your Majesty, wherever there are people, there are bound to be connections: students, old friends, classmates, relatives by marriage, fellow townsmen—these are unbreakable bonds."

"Even setting aside the issue of forming cliques for personal gain, the outcome is drastically different when officials at all levels carry out their duties, depending on whether they have help or not."

"It is human nature for officials to interact with each other. Even if it is suppressed for a time, it will at most move from the open to the covert. It is impossible to completely eliminate it."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "So, does this mean I can only watch as factional strife continues in the court, disrupting the order of the state?"

At this point, Li Deyu's expression became more invigorated, and he said, "Your Majesty, that's not entirely true. I mean that factions are difficult to eradicate, but that doesn't mean the scourge of factions cannot be solved."

"How so?"

After pondering for a moment, Li Deyu replied, "Your Majesty, please forgive my frankness. For hundreds of years, our Great Tang has had factions and cliques. However, the scourge of factions has only arisen in the last ten years. The root cause lies in the fact that those who form factions have impure intentions and impure motives."

"Starting with the former Minister Li Fengji, the formation of factions was not based on shared political views, but on suppressing political enemies and advancing in their careers. This was even more true when Niu Sengru, Li Zongmin and others were in power. They did not talk about right or wrong, but only about factions. Anyone who attached themselves to them was promoted. Over time, more and more villains naturally gathered together."

"Upright officials in the court were unwilling to be suppressed, so they naturally rose up in resistance, which led to factional strife."

"Therefore, resolving such factional strife is not difficult. It is still the same method I mentioned at the beginning. Your Majesty only needs to be close to the virtuous and keep away from the wicked, and promote loyal and upright ministers who are wholeheartedly devoted to the country to the position of prime minister. Then, even if there are still factions in the court, they will not be as divided as they are now, and the court will not be used as a means of struggle. The disaster of factionalism will naturally disappear."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang tapped his knuckles on the table again, remaining noncommittal to Li Deyu's statement, only smiling.

"Putting everything else aside, Minister Li, you are truly a straightforward person. In front of me, you did not hide your disgust for Niu Sengru and others at all. I have never seen such a minister before."

This statement had a somewhat sarcastic tone.

However, Li Deyu was not angry. He simply cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty asks me questions, and I will speak frankly. Besides, I am only a mere Sima of Yuanzhou, not a high-ranking official. My words and actions affect the whole country, so I can say whatever I want."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang couldn't help but chuckle and burst into laughter.

"In that case, tonight is probably one of the few times you can speak freely."

As soon as he finished speaking, not only Li Deyu, but also Zheng Qin, who was standing next to him, changed his expression and couldn't help but lean forward.

However, Li Ang did not continue speaking, but stood up and said.

"The last two questions, I will ask, and you will answer."

Seeing the emperor rise, Li Deyu and his companion naturally dared not presume, and also stood up, cupping their hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, please ask."

"The first question: Li Xun's crimes have been proven, and he was dismissed from his post only a day or two ago. Although he has not been in power for long, he has cultivated relationships with many ministers. Putting aside other matters for now, among the other three prime ministers in the Council of State Affairs, who do you think should stay and who should leave?"

If all the previous questions were merely general discussions about the direction of the government, then this question clearly involves specific political matters.

Moreover, the very first thing he said was the most crucial and important issue: the appointment and removal of the prime minister.

Especially given that Li Deyu has repeatedly emphasized that the selection of the prime minister should be treated as the most crucial matter of national policy and handled with utmost care.

He must be extremely careful in how he answers this question.

Li Deyu pondered for a moment, but instead of uttering any empty words like "I dare not answer," he decisively replied, "Your Majesty, Shu Yuanyu should be dismissed."

"Why?" Li Ang asked calmly, without revealing any emotion.

Li Deyu replied, "Shu Yuanyu, like Li Xun, was promoted to prime minister through extraordinary means, not through normal transfer, therefore he should be dismissed."

He didn't mention any political parties or anything like that; he simply stuck to his original principle and returned to the issue of officials being promoted or demoted according to normal procedures.

Li Ang's attitude remained the same throughout the conversation: he made no attempt to quell the rebellion, but instead continued to ask questions.

"My second question is about Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin, who are considered leaders of the Niu faction in the court. You just mentioned them to me. So, I ask you, if you were in power, how would you deal with these two?"

This question is even more pointed than the previous one.

If the previous question only involved getting Li Deyu involved in major policy decisions, then...

So this question is clearly testing Li Deyu's character and ability. As a participant in the factional struggle, how he will deal with his opponents when he is actually in the thick of it is a good test.

Li Deyu was clearly aware of this as well.

Therefore, this time he took a little longer to think than before.

However, not long after, Li Deyu cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I request that you recall Niu Sengru and demote Li Zongmin again."

This answer was unexpected by Li Ang and even Zheng Qin, who was standing next to him.

"What's the reason?"

Li Deyu calmly said, "Li Xun and Zheng Zhu are both treacherous villains. They were promoted to government positions because of Li Zongmin. Now that they have been convicted, Li Zongmin should also be convicted."

"Niu Sengru is different from Li Zongmin. Although I did not agree with his proposals regarding the Weizhou incident and believed that he was guilty of harming the country, the current political situation is turbulent and we need capable ministers to maintain order. Although Niu Sengru is pedantic and eager for officialdom, he is still relatively honest and self-disciplined. Your Majesty can recall him to jointly manage the overall situation."

This answer caused Li Ang to fall silent for a moment.

"It seems I must retract my earlier statement and ask one last question..."

Li Deyu lowered his head and remained silent.

"If I were to recall both you and Niu Sengru at the same time, what would happen if factional strife reignited in the court?"

This time, Li Deyu did not hesitate, but cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty will uphold the principle of impartiality and will not allow factional strife to harm the government. I believe that Your Majesty will not allow Niu Sengru to harm the government through factional strife."

It was straightforward and clear, without any unnecessary embellishment.

Seeing this, Li Ang gave him a deep look, but still did not say anything. He simply put on his snow-white fur robe, turned around, and prepared to leave.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully bid you farewell."

Li Deyu and his companion followed behind, seeing them off all the way to the gate of the mansion before bowing deeply in front of the carriage.

The horse neighed softly, and the eunuch driving the carriage was ready to stop. But just then, the curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted by one corner.

Then, Li Ang's calm voice came from within.

"Li Deyu, whether you are truly an upright official or simply wish to be one, I hope you will always remain an upright official."

"Let's go..."

The curtain fell, the carriage moved forward, and soon disappeared into the snowy night, leaving only a long rut, like a dream.

Even these tire tracks will be completely covered up in moments by the swirling snow...