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

Chapter 53: Disregarding the Etiquette Between Ruler and Subject

quiet!

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Seeing the familiar smiling faces standing outside the door, Li Deyu and Zheng Qin froze, even able to hear the crackling of the charcoal fire in the stove and the soft rustling of snow falling outside the window.

Despite the biting north wind, beads of sweat involuntarily seeped from their palms.

Only when Li Ang had already stepped to the window did the two of them snap out of their daze and hurriedly bow in greeting.

"Your Majesty, Zheng Tan, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and Li Deyu, Prefect of Yuanzhou, pay their respects."

Both of them looked very nervous.

Li Deyu, in particular, couldn't help but glare at the butler who was following behind Li Ang, his body trembling like a leaf, and scolded him in a low voice.

"Why weren't you notified beforehand?"

The butler knelt down with a thud, too timid to utter a word.

Seeing this, Li Ang immediately laughed and said, "Minister Li, don't blame him. It was I who told him not to announce it. You may all leave now. Oh, by the way, bring some more wine and dishes, and give me an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl as well."

After saying that, he sat down as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and invited the two of them to sit down.

"My two lords, please don't be so formal. I have come incognito today, so let's skip the formalities between ruler and subject and just relax. In fact, it is I who have disturbed your reunion as friends, and I should apologize to you."

That being said, as a subject, he certainly dared not accept such a gesture. Upon hearing this, Zheng Tan, who was standing to the side, quickly bowed again and said that he dared not accept it.

However, to his surprise, Li Deyu, who was beside him, hesitated for some reason and did not speak with him. Instead, he hesitated and said something.

"Your Majesty, is this truly the case?"

Li Ang's eyes flickered slightly as he looked this famous historical prime minister up and down, his interest growing stronger. He then spoke.

"Of course it is true. If Minister Li is willing, you may call me Li Erlang directly, which is not impossible."

These words, spoken in a somewhat joking tone, did lighten the tense atmosphere from before.

Li Deyu was certainly not the kind of person who couldn't distinguish between good and bad words, so he immediately lowered his head and said, "Your subject dares not."

But only for a moment, and he raised his head again and said, "Since Your Majesty says that we will not observe the formalities between ruler and subject today, then I will dare to be more casual."

Li Ang didn't speak, but simply gestured for the two to sit down.

Upon seeing this, Li Deyu narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he were getting to know the young man in front of him all over again.

However, Zheng Qin's face showed a hint of unease.

Based on his understanding of Li Deyu, he feared something bad was about to happen.

"Wenrao, thank you..."

Zheng Qin couldn't help but tug at Li Deyu's sleeve and whispered something.

However, the latter completely ignored him and instead pointed to the servant beside him, saying...

"Bring another stool."

The servants did not know his intentions, but they dared not delay and quickly did as he was told.

Then, Li Deyu turned his gaze to Yang Qinyi, the Privy Councilor who had come with Li Ang, and said.

"It has been many years since we last met. I heard the other day that you, Lord Yang, have been promoted to Privy Councilor. Now that you have come to my residence today, please take a seat and have a cup of wine as a congratulatory gesture."

Upon hearing this, both Zheng Qin, who was standing to the side, and Yang Qinyi, who was opposite, broke out in a cold sweat.

It should be known that since His Majesty ascended the throne, everyone knows that he has always disliked the alliance between the inner court and foreign officials.

Now, right in front of him, Li Deyu is speaking to Yang Qinyi in such an intimate tone. Isn't he just asking for trouble?

Yang Qinyi immediately replied, "Mr. Li, you are too kind. With everyone here, how could I dare to overstep my bounds?"

Zheng Qin quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Your Majesty, it's all my fault for making Chief Secretary Li drink a few cups of wine earlier; he's probably drunk."

However, for some reason, Li Deyu did not appreciate the two men's desperate attempts to smooth things over. Instead, he turned and bowed again, saying, "Your Majesty just said that we will not observe the proper etiquette between ruler and subject today. I wonder if this statement still stands?"

Li Ang stared intently at the minister opposite him, who was in his prime but already had graying temples. His eyes flickered slightly, as if he understood something.

"Of course it counts, Yang Qinyi. We are here as guests today. Please sit down if the host invites you to."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Yang Qinyi's eyes.

He was able to reach the position of Privy Councilor, so naturally he was not without political acumen.

In the blink of an eye, he had already vaguely guessed Li Deyu's intention. So, he composed himself and bowed.

"Your Excellency, I am afraid this old servant dares not obey your command."

Li Ang turned slightly to the side, his eyes now scrutinizing: "Why?"

Yang Qinyi said, "Just now everyone said that we would not observe the etiquette between ruler and subject today. Since that is the case, then we should not be concerned about official ranks. Therefore, the identity of this old servant today is not that of a Privy Councilor in the palace, but that of a servant who serves you."

"Although I and Chief Secretary Li worked together in our early years and have some friendship, in this setting, with everyone present, I, as a servant, naturally cannot overstep my bounds."

Li Ang did not respond, but turned back to Li Deyu and said, "You heard everything?"

Having said that, Li Deyu naturally stopped insisting and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me; it was my oversight."

Then the two took their seats.

The servants served more wine and dishes. Zheng Tan was about to speak up to liven things up when he heard Li Deyu say, "Since Your Majesty has instructed me to do as I please, then I dare to ask Your Majesty a question..."

"Go ahead and say it." Li Ang said calmly, as if he had expected what Li Deyu was about to say.

"Today, I had arranged to drink with Minister Zheng. This news did not seem to have been spread. However, Your Majesty came in the dead of night through the snow and ordered your servants not to announce it. You stood under the corridor to listen to my conversation. This behavior seems to be against etiquette."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Qin, who was standing to the side, broke out in a cold sweat again.

After not seeing him for over a year, how did he discover that Li Deyu was much bolder than before?

You should know that the sage hadn't even questioned him about his arrogant words just now, and now he's asking the sage for an explanation.

In his nervousness, Zheng Qin couldn't help but tug at Li Deyu's sleeve again and whispered.

"Wenrao, be careful what you say..."

However, Li Ang, the person in question, did not show any anger upon hearing this. Instead, he said...

"Is Minister Li implying that I deliberately eavesdropped on your conversation?"

"Your subject dares not," Li Deyu said, bowing his head, but said nothing more, which made Zheng Qin even more anxious.

You should know that he had finally managed to get the Emperor's permission to summon Li Deyu back to the capital.

But they were hoping that after Li Xun fell from power, Li Deyu would be able to return to the position of prime minister.

But who would have thought that before the appointment as prime minister was even in sight, Li Deyu was already nearly plunging himself into trouble again.

If his performance had been staged in the imperial court, he probably wouldn't have been able to get a reinstatement, let alone keep his current position as Chief Secretary.

Surprisingly, after a moment of contemplation, Li Ang actually spoke up to explain.

"Previously, Minister Zheng wrote a letter asking you to return to the capital to visit the sick. I suppose you've guessed it, but it was on my orders that I summoned you back. As for the reason, it's naturally because Li Xun and others have acted recklessly, turning the court into a mess. I want to reinstate you prudent ministers to restore order to the court."

"The reason I haven't summoned you yet is because of Li Xun. The case of Zheng Zhu has not yet been settled. Today, I was summoned to the Yan Ying Hall and the matter was decided. Naturally, I thought of you. It just so happens that it is snowing outside. I thought that visiting an important minister on a snowy night would be a nice story, so I came."

"Upon arriving at the gate of the mansion, I happened to see Zheng Qing's carriage. Not wanting to disturb your conversation, I ordered that no one announce my arrival and that I come in on my own."

"In retrospect, it seems I was acting rashly..."