 When Emperor Gaozu's cousin Li Shentong (李神通) the Prince of Huai'an, himself a key general, objected to being ranked below Fang and Du, stating that Fang and Du, in particular, were only bureaucrats, Emperor Taizong pointed out that it was with their strategies that he was able to become emperor, Li Shentong relented, which led to the other objectors to also cease their objections.Later in 627, under Emperor Taizong's direction, Fang carried out a major simplification of the central government, reducing the number of officials at the central government to 634.In 629, Fang, along with Du, became "Puye" (僕射), the head of the important executive bureau of the government (尚書省, "Shangshu Sheng").