Pei Ziyun frowned, "History has changed further."
"His Majesty passed away in the previous life, and King Lu ascended the throne for three years before reducing the vassal status. It is too urgent to reduce the vassal status now."
"Of course the emperor himself has more than enough prestige and power to suppress it, but the emperor will not think of his life span of less than a year."
"So it cannot be said that the emperor is confused."
Just as he was thinking about it, the prince stood up and walked around, with a leisurely smile: "Mr. Pei, a few days ago, I was scolded by my father, and I thought about you day and night, and you are finally here."
The prince looked at Pei Ziyun with a lazy and rare expression, and asked proudly: "Sir, what can you teach me?"
After listening to the prince's words, Pei Ziyun looked up and saw that the prince was gentle but high-spirited, and suddenly understood.
Think of the wise in war, and think of mediocrity in peace.
Now that the world is at peace, there is no need for a wise and mighty emperor. The prince is benevolent and generous, which is a good thing in the eyes of ministers, especially civil servants.
Only when the Lord is benevolent and generous can ministers be both comfortable and in power.
If you meet a wise master, not only will it be difficult to deceive him, but he will also be easily offended despite being cautious every day. This life will naturally be very unpleasant.
However, in the eyes of the minister, the prince is the best choice, but in the eyes of his majesty, he must be weak.
It's just that once the prince has been established, for the sake of the rule of etiquette and law, as long as the prince does not do anything rebellious and unethical, your majesty cannot just depose King Lilu.
Especially when a country is first established, it is about self-cultivation. If you choose an emperor who is very successful, he may die in his lifetime. There are many precedents in history.
As for the prince's pride, it's not out of malice. The prince is truly proud of his first real power and his gradual growth.
"Mr. Pei!" The prince called softly from Pei Ziyun's side. It turned out that Pei Ziyun was lost in thought, so he suddenly woke up and quickly apologized.
The prince didn't take it seriously and asked with ease: "Mr. Pei, what were you thinking about just now?"
Pei Ziyun reluctantly responded: "His Royal Highness just said that His Majesty is reducing the vassal status. I'm just a little worried."
"What's there to worry about? My father wants to cut down the vassal vassal. Who in the world can stop him?" The prince didn't take it seriously and said as he flapped his folding fan.
Pei Ziyun secretly sighed. From His Majesty's point of view, the Prince was the leader and was quite qualified. Although the Emperor was dissatisfied, he appointed the Prince as his heir and started prescribing medicine according to the Prince's prescription.
King Lu is relatively heroic, so the affairs of the vassal town can be safely handled by King Lu. Now, a relatively peaceful and docile country must be handed over to the prince.
Therefore, I want to rely on my own prestige to eliminate potential dangers in advance.
"Hey, it's a pity that the emperor's lifespan has not kept up." Pei Ziyun thought about it and asked, "Who is the next step? Can the prince give some advice?"
"Maybe it's Wu Shunbo and Jibei Marquis." The prince said casually: "It only gives up military power and will not harm the wealth. It can be said that the monarch and his ministers are all in peace."
Pei Ziyun sighed after hearing this and thought to himself: "Where the military power is, it will prosper, and where the military power is gone, it will be destroyed. It is right for the country to withdraw its military power."
"But you have to compensate, whether it's an official position, a title, or wealth."
"Taizu of the Song Dynasty said: Life is fleeting, and it is better to accumulate more money, sell land and houses, leave children and grandchildren, sing and dance, and live out the whole life, and there is no suspicion between the monarch and his ministers. Isn't that kind?"
"That's a huge reward."
"Zhu Yuanzhang was fierce and fierce, and the meritorious princes and princes were hereditary to thousands of households. When he entered, he could take charge of the five prefectures and the six armies. When he left, he could receive the general's seal as the commander-in-chief and oversee the Cao Gang. However, he was not allowed to intervene in the affairs of the nine ministers. He was also called a high official. .”
"Now Count Wushun only earns 700 dan per year, and the Marquis of Jibei earns 1,200 dan per year. They have been removed from military power. If they have no officials and no power, I am afraid they may not be able to suppress them."
He said: "Can the Marquis of Jibei be suspended? I have seen this man from a distance in Yingzhou. He has a strong character and is extremely suspicious. There may be changes."
The prince said: "The destiny has been decided, who dares to change his mind?"
Pei Ziyun said: "This is natural, but haste makes waste. We are too hasty now, and there may be some instability."
It is right to cut down the feudal vassal, but Daxu has only been established for ten years. The previous generation has not died, and the foundation is still unstable, Pei Ziyun thought.
The prince was wearing white socks and high-toothed wooden clogs. He walked a few steps and thought: "Isn't the real person optimistic about the reduction of vassalage?"
"Hey, I hope that the prince will ascend the throne for a few years and gradually reduce the feudal vassals, which is even safer. This is the best policy." Pei Ziyun sighed.
"No, these Bohou Gongs are all veteran generals, and some are even Gu's elders. Gu cut off the vassal, and if Gu starts to cry, what will happen to Gu?"
"This is the right thing for my father to do. Moreover, my father is in his prime. If I come to do it alone, I don't know when. By then, Duke Bohou will be deeply entrenched in various towns and places. It will be difficult to eradicate him." .”
"My father is doing a great good by cutting down the feudal vassals."
Listening to the prince's words, Pei Ziyun frowned. In fact, what he said was quite right, but only he knew that the emperor only had less than a year to live. I'm afraid that by stirring up trouble, he would not only alienate the hero group, but also make it impossible to do things and reduce power. A crisis may come.
Pei Ziyun thought about it, his heart was filled with gloom and he always felt unfavorable.
The prince was originally very happy, but now he was disappointed. He returned to the main seat and sat with some laziness, which reminded Pei Ziyun of Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yuanzhang killed all the civil servants who threatened the world, and even killed all the war-experienced generals to pave the way for the elegant grandson Zhu Yunwen.
In fact, the process was not without danger.
In the first month of the thirteenth year of Hongwu's reign, Hu Weiyong said that a sweet spring gushed out from the well of his old residence, which was auspicious, and invited Zhu Yuanzhang. However, there were armored soldiers hidden in the wall. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and executed Hu Weiyong that day.
In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu, Lan Yu contacted Marquis Jingchuan, Marquis Heqing, Marquis Boshan, and Uncle Dongguan: "When the world is at peace, there is no need for old heroes. In the past, all the husbands and marquises are gone, and only a few of us are left. When will it be?" "
As a result, the heroes and generals present expressed their support one after another, collecting soldiers, horses and weapons, and preparing for an uprising on February 15th when the emperor went out to conduct a plowing ceremony.
There is also the unspeakable train bombing incident.
It is easy to cut generals in the peaceful and prosperous times, but the people who conquer the world have never been truly loyal. They all rose to power through rebellion. If you are really anxious, no one will dare to rebel against you.
"Your Highness, I do not recommend that you cut off the vassal of Jibei first. Even if you want to cut off the vassal, please show mercy during the process." Pei Ziyun thought for a while, but still tried his best and said.
The prince was surprised and interrupted Pei Ziyun's words: "The Marquis of Jibei is just a Zhongzhen, what is there to worry about? If you are rebellious, just destroy it. You don't need to say anything, the emperor has made his own decision. We just obey it."
The prince said, already a little unhappy. He didn't like what Pei Ziyun said about cutting down the vassal, and he refused to listen.
"Besides, the real person has said before that I can't express my opinion casually on this kind of big policy, lest my father will be displeased." The prince said.
A deep powerlessness arose in Pei Ziyun's heart, and he was a little confused. At this time, a eunuch came in with a purple bamboo flute. When the prince saw the purple bamboo flute, a smile appeared on his face.
"I heard from Qin Baihu that you love the flute very much. I will give this purple bamboo flute to you today. A sword is given to heroes, and the sound of the flute accompanies real people." The prince said and took the flute in person.
"Thank you, Prince." Pei Ziyun calmed down and thanked him.
After a while, they left the Prince's Mansion and got on the bullock cart. Seeing Pei Ziyun thinking deeply, Ren Wei asked, "Master, you seem to have something on your mind?"
Pei Ziyun was still a little bored and always felt uncertain.
I had heard that the Marquis of Jibei had a connection with Japanese pirates, and they encountered them when they attacked Liujin Island. Some people suspected that the Marquis of Jibei had prepared a retreat early, or was operating a maritime trade route, or was already rich.
The Marquis of Jibei was cut down to only one house, and he couldn't make trouble at all. If it were cut down further, he would actually be in a desperate situation. If it were in the interior, there would be nowhere to escape even if he was pushed into a tight situation.
But if the Marquis of Jibei had a way out overseas, he might do the opposite, because the worst he could do was to retreat overseas, and since the emperor's life span was less than a year, serious trouble might occur.
"Now I know that the general trend is irreversible." Pei Ziyun could not elaborate, but just sighed. History has changed. The emperor wanted to cut down the feudal towns for the sake of the prince. He might push the towns towards King Lu, but he couldn't intervene yet.
After thinking for a long time, he said to Ren Wei: "You don't want to be in the capital anymore. You go back to Liujin Island and let the island prepare secretly."
"Don't stop normal trade and construction, but be fully prepared and be able to transport important personnel and property to the ship within half a day. Once there is a change, don't stick to it. It's a dead end. Take your people and property with you immediately Take refuge at sea.”
"Goryeo, Fusang, and even other mainland ports can be relied upon."
"But don't go to Yingzhou port."
"Young Master? What news have you got?" When Ren Wei heard what Pei Ziyun said, he became more aware and his face suddenly turned pale.
"Why!"
"Don't worry, it's not the prince's fault." Pei Ziyun sighed, opened the curtains and looked out the window. It was getting late, the sky was getting gloomy, drizzle was falling in the dusk, and the autumn wind was blowing. Pei Ziyun said: "The root of the disaster is gone. Plant it and see if it sprouts.”
Just as he said that, Pei Ziyun realized that he had said too much: "You don't have to worry about this, you just need to keep in mind the policy I mentioned today."
"Yes, Young Master." Ren Wei was not stupid. He understood that Pei Ziyun must have had his own considerations, which was a concern for the future.
"As long as there are ships, people and money, it will not be difficult to recapture Liujin Island and build it again. If thieves come, just give the island to them." Pei Ziyun was afraid that Ren Wei would not understand, so he added: "It's just two hundred households and A few hundred acres of farmland is not a rarity, and if you keep the roots, everything will be easy to say.”
"If we insist on defending, there will be no more than one or two hundred of us on Liujin Island. We will have no resistance at all and will have to die in vain. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Ren Wei responded, his heart was overturned, and he asked: "What about other aspects of Yingzhou? Should I do something?"
"No need, we won't be implicated for the moment." Pei Ziyun thought to himself, even if there was an eventuality, the situation in Yingzhou would not be destroyed immediately. His mother was at Songyun Gate, so she could just retreat when the time came, and she would not be blamed for everything.
"Yes!" Ren Wei felt a little relieved, knowing that the situation was not that bad.
"It's time for Songyunmen to closely supervise the Marquis of Jibei." Pei Ziyun thought to himself again.
(End of chapter)