Longtai was silent for a while and then said: "Queen mother, my father died not long ago. Is it too hasty to establish a queen at this time?"
His tone of voice was quite respectful, but Yang Ning felt that every word spoken by the little emperor seemed to have been carefully considered and answered very appropriately.
Although his words were not harsh, there was some implicit toughness behind them.
The Queen Mother seemed to be questioned by Long Tai. Yang Ning thought to herself that she had heard that the ancients observed filial piety. After their parents passed away, they observed filial piety for three years, but she didn't know if this rule was followed in this era? If there really is such a rule, I don't know if the emperor should abide by it
Not long after, I heard the Queen Mother say: "The late Emperor has passed away. It is the greatest filial piety to the late Emperor that you stabilize the country. If you delay in establishing a queen, it will inevitably cause unrest in the government and the public. It is not the way to be filial." After a pause, He said: "Your Majesty, I am in charge of the harem, so I have to worry about the royal blood. This time, you also understand that if Marquis Zhongyi had not stabilized the situation, it is actually unknown whether you would be able to successfully ascend the throne."
Yang Ning was shocked, thinking that no wonder why Marquis Zhongyi didn't show up when Qi Jing passed away. It seemed that at that most critical moment, Marquis Zhongyi really focused on the new king's accession to the throne.
Longtai didn't speak.
"The continuation of the royal bloodline is the first important thing for the emperor to govern the country." The Queen Mother said: "Even if the emperor cannot establish a queen immediately, he should announce Wan Qiong to the palace first."
Longtai finally said: "I will remember what my mother said, and I will consider this matter carefully."
"Hey, I don't know my parents' painstaking efforts." The Queen Mother sighed, paused, and suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, how are you going to reward Marquis Zhongyi this time?"
"What kind of reward does the queen think should be given?" Longtai asked.
The Queen Mother said: "The late emperor entrusted Marquis Zhongyi to assist the emperor before his death. The emperor heard it with his own ears. After the death of the late emperor, Marquis Zhongyi worked hard and was loyal to the emperor. Only then did he survive the critical moment. In my opinion, Zhongyi Hou and those loyal ministers are the pillars of the country that the emperor will rely on in the future."
Longtai said with a smile: "What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true. The merits of Marquis Zhongyi will be remembered by my sons and ministers."
"Being clear about rewards and punishments is the way to serve as a king." The Queen Mother hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Should the Emperor confer a title on Marquis Zhongyi?"
Longtai said: "Zhongyihou is ranked first among the four hereditary princes. It is a waiting list. It is extremely glorious. If you want to add another title, you can only make it a duke." After a pause, he said: "Since the founding of our country, Da Chu, Although there is no king with a different surname, there has never been a duke named for someone with a different surname."
"Didn't the Emperor want to break away from the old and bring forth the new?" The Queen Mother's tone became gentle, "Some things must follow the ancestral rules, but we do not have to adhere to the ancestral rules in everything. There are some things that can be changed, and the Emperor may not be able to change them. The emperor has just ascended the throne, so it may be necessary to establish his own prestige and break some old rules."
When Yang Ning heard this, she realized that the Queen Mother actually wanted the Emperor to confer the title of Marquis of Zhongyi. Listening to the Queen Mother's wishes, she seemed to have great trust in Marquis Zhongyi.
Longtai seemed to be hesitating, and then said after a moment: "Queen mother, the four hereditary marquises are the four first-class marquises of our great Chu. The four great marquises have all made great contributions to our great Chu. Now the queen mother has asked her sons to be conferred the title of loyal marquis. As a Duke, I should obey my mother's orders, but I only worry about one thing."
"What's the matter?"
"If Marquis Zhongyi is conferred the title of Duke, what will the other three hereditary marquises think?" Longtai said: "I am only worried that the three marquises will be unbalanced. In addition, if Marquis Zhongyi is conferred, will the title of Marquis Zhongyi be changed from now on?" Disappear immediately? Everyone in the world knows that we are the four great marquises of Chu. Is there anything wrong if there is no such thing as Marquis Zhongyi?"
The Queen Mother immediately said: "Your Majesty is overly worried. Emperor Taizu granted the title of four marquises, and he also issued a decree that the four marquises were hereditary and could not be replaced. Naturally, the titles cannot be eliminated. If Zhongyi Marquis is added, the titles will naturally be passed down. . As for the emperor who is worried about the dissatisfaction of the other three hereditary princes, according to my opinion, the emperor does not have to worry about it. This time, Marquis Zhongyi is escorting the emperor, and the two princes, Jinyi and Wuxiang, have not accomplished anything. Marquis Dao, the emperor must not forget that he is not of the same mind as the imperial court and the emperor."
Longtai immediately said: "Mother, please forgive me for speaking frankly. The queen mother said that Jinyi and the Second Marquis of Wuxiang have not made any achievements, but this may not be the case. Jinyi and Wuxiang both have deep connections in the army. Many generals in the army were They all followed these two marquises on the battlefield. The queen mother knew that these two marquises were loyal to the late emperor, so their subordinates were also loyal to their sons. If these people did not exist, they would scare some people with ulterior motives. , my son may not be able to ascend the throne so smoothly."
"The emperor is right, but the one who has made the greatest contribution this time is Marquis Zhongyi." The Queen Mother argued: "If Marquis Zhongyi hadn't been strategizing, the situation might not be what it is now." Her voice was slightly cold: "Does the emperor think that Marquis Zhongyi did this? Not enough?"
Longtai said: "The Queen Mother has misunderstood, but I don't think so."
"Marquis Zhongyi and a group of loyal ministers have accomplished this great feat. If there is no reward from the emperor, I am worried that many ministers will be disappointed." The Queen Mother sighed: "Your Majesty, if you want to govern the country, you must employ people, and if you want to employ people, you must win the hearts of the people. , Your Majesty said so?"
Yang Ning hid behind the bookshelf and listened carefully, thinking that the Queen Mother seemed to be going too far.
He also knew that the harem should not easily interfere in political affairs. Although Longtai had just ascended the throne and lacked political ability. As the queen mother, it was not necessary to give some guidance. However, when it came to important matters such as awarding a duke, Longtai should still be allowed to do so after all. He made up his own mind, but the Queen Mother's words were quite aggressive. It seemed that if Longtai did not agree to reward the Marquis of Zhongyi, the Queen Mother would not give up.
Longtai was silent for a while, and finally said: "Since the Queen Mother said this, I should obey it. I will summon the Minister of Rites to discuss this matter. In addition, other ministers who have made contributions, Zhongyi Hou should have an account in his heart, and I will Let Marquis Zhongyi draw up a list and take a look at the list of ministers who have made meritorious services this time. When the time comes, I will obey the mother's orders and reward them one by one."
The Queen Mother's tone was suddenly full of joy, and she said with a smile: "The Emperor said this, and I feel relieved. With the Emperor's reward, these ministers will naturally be more loyal to the Emperor and serve the Emperor wholeheartedly from now on."
Longtai said: "My son will summon all the ministers to go to court in a few days, and the decree will naturally be announced at the court meeting." After a pause, he asked: "Mother, do you have anything else to do?"
The Queen Mother said: "It's getting dark, and it's time for your Majesty to have your meal. Don't overwork yourself. That's right, Your Majesty, I'd better think about Wan Qiong's matter. I'll talk to Your Majesty another day." Then there was a rustle. With the sound of rustling, I heard Long Tai say again: "My son, I respectfully see my mother off."
After a while, the surroundings were quiet again. Yang Ning thought that the Queen Mother must have left. She poked her head out from behind the bookshelf and saw the little Emperor Longtai sitting on a chair. He seemed to be thinking about something. He suddenly raised his head and said: "Qining, come out, the Queen Mother has left."
Yang Ning breathed a sigh of relief and then walked over quietly. When he got to the side of the little emperor Longtai, he hesitated for a moment and finally knelt down and said: "I... I'd like to see the emperor." But he was a little nervous in his heart, thinking to himself that since Xiao Guang is... The little emperor didn't know what to do with him. Now it was the little emperor who knew that he was the fake Marquis of Jinyi.
Longtai turned to look at Yang Ning and said with a smile: "I wanted to play with you more, but unfortunately, the Queen Mother happened to bump into me today, and you know my secret." He raised his hand and said, "Get up. Well, it’s just you and me here, no need for these tricks.”
Yang Ning heard that Long Tai's tone was quite easy-going, so she stood up and wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say.
Longtai asked with a smile: "Why, knowing that I am the emperor, you don't even have the courage to speak? Aren't you very courageous? You even dare to pretend to be the Crown Prince Jinyi, and now you don't even have the courage to speak?"
As soon as he said this, Yang Ning felt calm, thinking that the matter was over. The little emperor might have thought of a way to deal with him, so he simply relaxed and said with a smile: "I... No, I don't know that you are the emperor." , I have offended you a lot, so I was a little presumptuous when I spoke to you before. Your Majesty... It is up to you to decide how the Emperor wants to deal with it."
"Of course I will punish you!" Long Tai suddenly frowned, and in the flash of lightning, he reached over and grabbed Yang Ning's waist. Yang Ning was about to react, but suddenly thought that this boy is the current emperor of Chu. , hesitated for a moment, but Longtai had already grabbed the belt, and swept his feet straight towards his lower body.
Yang Ning raised his foot like a reflex, kicked it towards Long Tai, and grabbed one of Long Tai's arms.
The two of them had one leg on each side, and they were changing back and forth. Suddenly, Long Tai let out a soft roar, and used his arms to throw Yang Ning sideways. Yang Ning also exerted force almost at the same time. The two of them instantly changed their positions, but Long Tai was fierce. He stooped slightly and hit Yang Ning's chest with his elbow.
When Yang Ning first met Xiao Guang, the two had a fight in the rain. Yang Ning's fighting and wrestling skills were not weak, but he also knew that the little emperor's skills were also good. Neither of them took advantage that time. It was a fight. It was a tie.
This time, the two of them fought back and forth for more than ten rounds, but they couldn't tell the winner for a while. Yang Ning only felt that Longtai was very skillful in his movements and that he was also a good practitioner. Moreover, the little emperor's strength was really not small. He was now He wasn't worried about being knocked down by the little emperor, but he was just worried that by some mistake, the Liuhe Magic would show its power again, and it would be terrible if the little emperor's internal energy was sucked out later.
Yang Ning now knows that the Liuhe magic skill obtained from Mu Shenjun is a strange skill with the ability to attract people. He also knows that once the opponent uses his internal force to touch several places on his body, his body will reflexively absorb the opponent. The internal energy is sucked in, and even he can't control it.
He has powerful internal power stored in his body, but now he doesn't know how to control the internal power in his body as he pleases.
The little emperor is very powerful. Yang Ning doesn't know whether this guy is practicing strength or using his internal strength. If it is just the strength he has cultivated, then it is fine, but if it is the internal strength coming out of the body, then he has to Be careful not to suck the little emperor into a mummy.