Chapter 66: Reduction of the vassal states
There was total silence in the palace. Everyone held their breath and concentrated, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. In such absolute silence, the gurgling sound in Yan Ge Lao's throat became particularly harsh.
Unfortunately, just like the dozens of ministers who were tied up and gagged by Lord Yan, who had their eyes rolled back and could not speak, when Lord Yan was hit in the vitals by the same trick, no one would come to his rescue. Everyone just lowered their heads and looked submissive, silently thinking about the outrageous remarks that Prince Mu had just made.
According to historical facts, as early as the Hongzhi period of Emperor Xiaozong, the call for reforming the vassal system had become very popular and gradually became a consensus among civil officials. Since the reign of Emperor Wuzong, famous officials of successive generations have repeatedly tried and actually developed a complete and mature reform system. Therefore, the prince didn't need to explain anything, just say "drastic measures", and everyone basically understood!
According to Zhang Cong's reform ideas at that time, there are three directions for changing the vassal system: the worst policy is the most conservative and moderate, and basically will not change anything, but only requires strict law enforcement, punishment of law-breaking royal family members, and forcing them to give up the land and rice they have occupied for many years; the middle policy is slightly more radical, and intends to reduce the fiefdoms of some powerful vassals, expand the authority of local constraints, the central government regularly sends imperial censors to supervise, and allow some poor royal family members to make a living after leaving their citizenship; and the best policy... The best policy is extremely radical, and it is also quite simple, pointing directly to the root of the problem - the unlimited reproduction of vassal states is ultimately unsustainable, so it is necessary to consider strengthening the emperor's relatives!
When it comes to drastic measures, of course only the most radical and best measures can be called drastic. But even in the last years of Emperor Wuzong's reign, when the impetus for reform was strong and the atmosphere in the court and the country was the most turbulent, there were only a few officials who dared to support such a resolution; what's more, decades later, all previous reforms had failed miserably, and the morale of officials had been greatly worn down.
No one present would speak for the royal family, but no one would agree with such hasty and harsh reforms. Bureaucrats have always been conservative, closed, cautious and self-restrained.
So, after a moment's silence, the emperor knocked on the head of the bed.
Li Zaifang said: "If we follow this method, I'm afraid it will cause quite a stir."
This is a very gentle reminder. Given the status and character of the True Lord, he was willing to say a few more words to remind his subjects. This was truly a great grace, enough to make the ministers present dumbfounded and engraved in their hearts. But the prince still did not walk down the stairs:
"Lord Yan has also thought of this." He vowed, "Lord Yan said that he would do anything to relieve the emperor's worries. Even if he has to fight against all the conservative and rebellious people in the royal family, he will move forward and clear the obstacles for your majesty."
Mr. Yan:? ! ! !
Although it was just a simple sentence, it made Lord Yan almost breathless - why should I be an enemy of the royal family? ! !
Are members of the royal family easy to mess with? Is the ancestral system easy to mess with? Can you withstand a counterattack by tens of millions of people?
——Damn it, I still want to work for a few more years!
At that moment, Lord Yan's heart was completely devastated - he had been a bully all his life, always afraid of the strong and bullying the weak, but how come he was thrown into such a hard and tough high-end game with just a few words?
Poor Yan Fenyi's heart was boiling and his thoughts were racing, but he couldn't figure out this incredible process no matter how hard he tried. No matter how anxious and frightened he was, he couldn't utter a single word now - his previous statement of "the prince and I agree with each other" had blocked all his escape routes; if he rashly denied it, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor!
He couldn't say what would happen if he offended the royal family, but he absolutely could not bear to offend the emperor. So Lord Yan had no choice but to shut up.
In the sad silence of Elder Yan who was unable to struggle, the True Lord typed in a question:
"What are you going to do with it?"
Listen, listen, even the emperor has mentioned "you guys", so isn't that a lock and there's no way they can be separated anymore?
"I have so much experience, how dare I say anything about such political affairs?" The prince said respectfully, "It was the elder who taught me that such a big thing cannot be accomplished overnight ("I didn't say that!" Elder Yan shouted silently in his heart!), otherwise it will be counterproductive and the gains will not outweigh the losses. If we really want to reform the system, we must work from top to bottom and from bottom to top. Only when the two are coordinated can it be allowed."
Master Feixuan narrowed his eyes, and was quite surprised. To be honest, if the Crown Prince was just trying to hype up the necessity of reducing the power of the feudal lords and reforming the system, then no matter how much he loved and trusted this loyal minister, he could only find an excuse to get away with it - Master Feixuan was not Emperor Jianwen, and he did not have the hobby of stirring up a hornet's nest for no reason; but if he could talk about "from top to bottom" and "from bottom to top" in a true way, then he must have done some research and we should listen carefully.
He hummed and knocked on the table again:
"Please tell me in detail."
"That's right." The prince bowed his head. "Lord Yan said ("Again, I didn't say that!"), in the past, the court restrained the royal family and vassal states by sending imperial censors and censors to various places to investigate and impeach illegal behavior. This top-down approach, with the wind and thunder, is certainly a great power, and no one dares to disobey. But after all, the censors have been in the capital for a long time, and there is a lot of alienation. It is difficult to investigate strictly because they are distant relatives. Therefore, it is still necessary to go from the bottom up and allow the royal family and vassal states to write letters to report and correct the mistakes of their fellow clansmen. Only when the top and the bottom cooperate with each other can it be considered appropriate..."
The first principle in accomplishing great things is to make your own people more numerous and your enemies as few as possible. Although eliminating the royal family and reducing their burden is the main goal of the current reform, not all royal family members are enemies. There are strong and weak, rich and poor clan members, and there are also the law of the jungle and the strong bullying the weak. In the dark forest of the royal family where ordinary laws are difficult to constrain, the oppression and humiliation encountered by the lower-class clan members are actually not much easier than those of ordinary people. Among the confessions received by the cabinet, there were many cases of princes seizing the property, wives and daughters of their relatives - this is certainly unethical, but talking about human relations with the scum of the royal family is simply a joke!
Scumbags will never show mercy just because of a relative's status. In some remote and sparsely populated fiefdoms, the royal family members who were granted fiefdoms there had no one to bully, so they simply vented all their anger on their relatives. Our relationship cannot be said to be as close as that of a family, but at least one day we will die together. The cause of several tragic incidents in which members of the royal family killed each other more than a decade later was due to this.
In this kind of atmosphere, if you talk to the lower-level royal family members about the general situation of the world, discipline, and laws, they may not care much; but if you talk about how to use the royal family reform to torture the upper-level princes and generals, they will immediately be no longer interested!
——You said that the reform will harm the overall interests of the vassal states? What does the overall interests of the vassal state have to do with my monthly salary of 30 dan of brown rice? ! It’s time to change it!
If the imperial court sent someone down, they might still consider the royal family's reputation and not dare to use force. But if you let the lower-level royal family members do the exposing themselves, then the nobles sitting on the stage will be skinned alive, as if they had eaten two bowls less of lunch!
The important officials present were all people who had been in the officialdom for a long time. As soon as they heard it, they knew that this method would definitely work, and it might be overly effective! If the grassroots are really to be mobilized, then the royal family will immediately start a passionate battle of chicken, with people from the near and far branches, high-level officials and low-level officials fighting each other passionately, and of course they will not care about the court's mere institutional reforms.
To put it even more simply, after everyone has fought to exhaustion and both sides have suffered losses, looking back and reflecting carefully, they may find that the court's plan is the most gentle, safest and most reliable.
Inciting cricket fighting between the upper and lower classes is something that both the emperor and his ministers are actually familiar with.
However, as the best cricket fighting master in this dynasty, Master Feixuan remained silent for a moment and knocked on the headboard again.
Li Zaifang said: "If the royal family can impeach at will, I am afraid that rumors will pile up and stir people's hearts. People's hearts are like water, and people's movements are like smoke. I can't listen to so many people. But if the government is clean and the people are honest, it will be fine."
Mu Qi lowered his brows and looked submissive, thinking that Lao Deng was really getting better and he didn't even have the heart to use his weird riddle-man tricks anymore. What's with the saying "human hearts are like water"? It's nothing more than being afraid that members of the royal family would spray each other without restraint and accidentally defile him, Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor, who is an old white lotus that has emerged from the mud without being stained!
Of course, this was not unexpected to him. As mentioned before, the strategy of reducing the power of the feudal lords had been matured decades ago, and basically all the methods that can be thought of have been explored by predecessors, so it is no longer the turn of a young man like Mu Qi to perform.
There are so many smart people in the world. Do you really think that just because you have gained a few hundred years of experience, you can make everyone bow down to you? Yang Ting, Zhang Cong and Xia Yan could not deal with Lao Deng, the old white lotus of the prosperous age, and Mu Qi could not deal with it either. This is not something that can be accomplished with just a little cleverness.
Therefore, the prince did not try to be clever, but just replied honestly:
"I think we can ask the royal family to submit a secret petition."
The emperor did not reply. He just leaned slightly to the left and turned his head to glance at the prince. The implication was clear - what "secret memorial"? Outsiders don’t know the level of confidentiality of the imperial court, but how could you, who grew up in the capital, not know that?
For a court like this that keeps spewing out confidential information, does it make sense whether the memorials are confidential or not? It takes at least seven or eight days for a memorial to be sent from the provincial capital to the capital over a journey of hundreds or thousands of miles. This level of time is enough for the secret memorial to be leaked over and over again for more than ten times, which is enough for booksellers to compile the explosive news in the secret memorials into books, print them out and distribute them, triggering the next "The Elder is Locked Up in the Western Garden in Deep Spring"!
The emperor certainly could not tolerate a second book of "Lock Up the Elder", so there was no room for discussion on this matter!
But the prince was not discouraged and said the rest of the words calmly:
"...However, Lord Yan is also worried about the effectiveness of the secret memorial ("When have I ever worried about it!"), so after much deliberation, I promised Lord Yan that I could develop a new kind of mechanical box. As long as the memorial is locked in it and transported with the box, there will be no risk of leaks..."
The emperor who was lying on his stomach suddenly widened his eyes. After a brief thought, he actually struggled to get up from the bed, changed from a full-lying position to a half-lying position, and looked down at the prince.
He knocked on the bed:
"Are you serious?"
"I dare not deceive you." The prince said respectfully, "My craftsmen can make a sample in a few days. Your Majesty will know once you try it."
The so-called mechanism that will never leak secrets is nothing more than some special invisible ink and corresponding developer in the box. It is also one of the by-products developed by Mu Qi in his long-term scientific research... However, by-products are by-products. This product based on 19th century coordination chemistry is still an absolutely unsolvable Zenith technology at present. As long as there is no secret recipe - no, even if you get the secret recipe and raw materials by chance, it is still impossible to reverse engineer the drug without sufficient chemical knowledge as a foundation.
- In other words, once this ingredient is successfully developed, the problem of secret leaks that has plagued the Da'an court for decades and has always been at a loss for a solution will basically be half solved!
This is called technology changing society. Millions of smart people have been thinking about it and making millions of patches to the system, but in the end, none of the chemical equations worked. The so-called "one force can defeat ten skills", "using force to break all laws", and "attacking from a dimensionality reduction perspective" are probably just like this - after all, who would have thought that the real enemy of pickpockets and theft is not some brilliant detective, but weird electronic payment?
Of course, Master Feixuan and Emperor Wanshou cannot think so deeply for the time being. He just used his instinct as an emperor to keenly realize a bright prospect - if this confidentiality technology was really reliable, then he could use it to establish a real secret system that generations of emperors had dreamed of but had to stay away from, and he could do whatever he wanted behind the scenes!
If the ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if the ministers are not discreet, they will lose their dignity. The chain of suspicion and the fog of intelligence created by the emperor with the help of his information advantage are the crucial power advantages in ruling his ministers. However, since the imperial court system became a giant leaker, this advantage of imperial power has been constantly lost and weakened, even forcing Master Feixuan to pretend to be a riddle-teller who doesn't speak human language and forcibly create a character of an unpredictable monarch. Now that technology has advanced and gameplay has been updated, imperial power seems to have the upper hand again!
The surprise at this moment was so great that the emperor couldn't help but ask a question - of course, this was not a doubt; in fact, as long as you think about the Feixuan Zhenjun No. 2 rocket developed by the prince of Muguo, you shouldn't have any doubts about his research and development capabilities... So, after getting the guarantee, the emperor quickly knocked on the bed:
"After you make the sample, present one to me first."
The prince bowed and agreed. The emperor hesitated for a moment and glanced at Lord Yan, who was standing in a daze in front of the imperial bed.
To be honest, it's not that he can't see through the tricks among the ministers. He can guess that the prince is taking advantage of Yan Fenyi's negligence to drag others into the water, but he just doesn't bother to care. But now, after listening to the whole plan, Master Feixuan couldn't help but murmur in his heart - although the whole plan was not perfect, it was also appropriate, complete and very feasible. Even small loopholes such as confidentiality were carefully made up; the whole idea was so smooth and complete that it really didn't seem like the work of a greenhorn like the prince.
...Could it be that this old fellow surnamed Yan really had a plan in private to reduce the power of the feudal lords? Is he so mature in governing the country?
Being able to associate Yan Fenyi with the words "mature and patriotic" is probably a crazy fact that Master Fei Xuan could never have imagined in the past few decades. But now the prince insisted that he had discussed it with Lord Yan, and Yan Fenyi could not refute a word, so he had no choice but to go with the flow.
Master Feixuan pondered for a moment and knocked on the head of the bed again. Li Zaifang said:
"In that case, this bottom-up approach seems to have some meaning... How about this, Prince Yu will take a general look at this matter, and Prince Mu and University Scholar Yan will draft a proposal and I will take a look first."
When Yan Fenyi heard the emperor personally calling his name, his body shook and his old face turned pale in an instant.
...Damn it, he still didn’t get away!
·
The emperor's injuries were still not fully healed, and he felt very tired after being awake for more than an hour. After discussing a few important matters, the eunuch came in to remind the emperor to take medicine, and his biological son Prince Yu served him personally, with all the important ministers of the cabinet assisting him.
Although he was seriously injured, Master Feixuan still had to be decent. After a bowl of medicine was served, Prince Yu had to taste it first to check whether it was hot or cold, and then feed it to his father one spoonful at a time. All the important ministers of the cabinet came on stage, applying hot towels soaked in herbs to Zhenjun's hands and feet - at this point, Prince Mu could not help but be grateful for his current status; the order of applying the hands and feet was arranged according to the order of the cabinet, so he and Lord Yan could at least get an arm each; while Lord Xu and Lord Li, who were of humble status, could only rub Zhenjun's feet with a smile.
After finishing a bowl of medicine with great difficulty, the sound of bells and pendants rang out from the warm room of the palace. A woman in palace dress holding a golden box walked out from behind the screen and knelt down in front of the imperial bed. The important ministers of the cabinet hurriedly made way and stood with their heads down, not daring to look Princess Sishan in the eye. Only Prince Yu stood up and nodded in return to his sister.
Obviously, after becoming seriously ill, the emperor became more suspicious, and even found it difficult to trust the palace maids and eunuchs around him. So after much deliberation, he actually called his own daughter to serve him personally. Princess Sishan has been silent and honest in the past few days, and she has indeed won Lao Deng's favor a little, so he is willing to let her come out and meet people.
Of course, no matter how turbulent the royal family is, it is none of outsiders' business. So everyone just looked at the ground, waiting quietly for the princess to serve the emperor candied fruits and pills. After a moment, Princess Sishan packed up the golden box, bowed silently again, and walked out silently.
The emperor was seriously ill and in a bad mood, so the women in the palace did not dare to wear heavy makeup. Princess Sishan also only tied a small piece of black jade on the corner of her skirt. But as he walked, the jade piece rose and fell, and Prince Mu, who was looking down at the ground, raised his eyebrows slightly - he could tell at a glance that these small fragments were not pearls or jade, but purely the debris from the high-temperature melting of the chip. It seems that the princess kept her promise and destroyed all the diaries in her hands without leaving any residue.
This is actually unnecessary. Although he didn't know where the log in the princess's hand came from, let alone the specific way it was leaked, but ever since the confrontation with Can Yunzi, Mu Qi had turned off the system's log upload function, basically eliminating the possibility of leaks, and didn't bother the princess to destroy it again.
But no matter what, Mu Qi still wanted to express a little gratitude to the noble family for being willing to keep their promise. But no one could move in front of the emperor, everyone had to remain silent.
·
After serving for half an hour, the emperor ordered his men to send the ministers out. Having finished his official business early today, Mu Qi strolled back home by himself, then strolled into the study, greeted the three familiar guests who were writing furiously at the long table, and sat down in the main seat with ease.
According to the rules of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were merely the emperor's secretaries and had absolutely no qualifications to recruit subordinates or colleagues. However, the ancestral rules could not withstand the needs of reality. For a long time, the central power had been concentrated in the Cabinet. In order to facilitate work and speed up the process, familiar officials would often gather in the residences of close cabinet ministers to discuss politics. They would advance and retreat in unison and form a political alliance, which was also one of the important sources of the subsequent Da'an faction struggles.
Mu Qi, who holds important government positions, is no exception. Although he does not have any old friends in officialdom (well, probably because he was frightened by Duke Dian), Wu Chengen, Gui Zhenchuan and Zhang Taiyue, who were promoted by the Duke's Mansion, basically come to the gathering every three to five days. In other words, the time is still short, and if he continues to hold important government positions for a few more years, there will probably be another "Mu party" in the court.
There was a convention in the Duke's Mansion to discuss public affairs first and private affairs second, so Zhang Taiyue stood up and reported that the outline of Emperor Xingxian's quotations had been compiled and that formal compilation could begin soon.
The prince was half leaning on the recliner. He looked up unconsciously when he heard the words, and there seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes:
“So soon?”
"Emperor Xingxian's situation is a bit special after all." Zhang Taiyue said, "It's possible to be quicker."
The emperors of all dynasties had official records, daily notes, imperial edicts, and various comments on memorials. When compiling the Quotations, one must check and collect the materials one by one, without any mistakes, so the progress is extremely slow, and it is normal to take more than ten years to compile it. But to be frank, Emperor Xingxian was just a vassal king, and it is impossible for him to have such rich and complete documentary records. With the vague and inadequate information he left behind, it would be extremely easy to compile a collection of quotations; it would save trouble and there would be no need to worry about any mistakes or omissions - the old ministers who had served in Prince Xingxian's palace had all passed away, and the emperor's memory had long been blurred, so who could find any flaws?
A job that is easy, where you don't have to worry about making mistakes, and where you will definitely be rewarded handsomely by the emperor upon completion, is truly a treasure that workers all over the world dream of. So sometimes you have to admire Lord Yan's superb ability in spying on the emperor's intentions - the prince of Duke Mu was able to seize the opportunity relying on the information provided. Historically, Lord Yan insisted on compiling the "Quotations of Emperor Xingxian", but he truly created something out of nothing and dug out this unparalleled treasure with his own vision alone!
Of course, Lord Yan’s idea is indeed very good, but now it belongs to the prince, and the prince also appreciates the Lord’s wisdom and has a very good experience.
The prince, who had a very good experience, looked up and thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Logically, I don't understand these things, so I shouldn't speak carelessly." He said calmly, "But I want to ask, since the outline has been drawn up, can we extract some quotations and compile a booklet? The country respects heaven and follows the ancestors, and the quotations of the previous emperors are the ancestral family law. Saints should respond to each other and cannot be violated. And it just so happens that the court has been in turmoil recently, and it just so happens that there is an ancestral family law to calm people's hearts."
Emperor Xingxian was just a phony emperor, but who can blame him for being the biological father of the current emperor? As long as he is the emperor's biological father, his words are ten times more effective than the quotations of Emperor Wuzong or Emperor Xiaozong.
Zhang Taiyue thought for a moment and said, "What kind of booklet should I compile? I can arrange it immediately."
"That's not difficult." The prince instructed, "Please take the trouble to find all the quotations of Emperor Xingxian during his lifetime in support of the reform of the clan and vassal system, the restriction of clan relatives, and the change of the system, and compile a book called 'Emperor Xian on the Reform of the Clan and Vassal System'. I will have it printed and submitted to you, and strive to get a copy to every government office so that they can all appreciate Emperor Xian's teachings together."
Zhang Taiyue: …………
Zhang Taiyue was silent.
With his keen sense, he quickly understood what the prince meant. After Prince Yoon's rebellion, calls for royal family reforms resurfaced, with the Crown Prince's advocacy being particularly strong. If a booklet supporting the reform could be printed at this time, it would undoubtedly be a great boost to public opinion. Putting aside any ancestral family rules or teachings, the identity of Emperor Xingxian alone was enough to silence his opponents - Emperor Xian, who was born a vassal king, himself spoke in support of the reform, so what are you still yelling about? What? You know more about clan and vassalage than Emperor Xian?
This move, which kills people and destroys their hearts, occupies the moral high ground and is absolutely an ingenious and good move. The only problem is…
"Emperor Xian..." Zhang Taiyue said with difficulty: "Did Emperor Xian say such a thing?"
He had been collecting information for more than ten days, so how come he didn't realize that the emperor's father had such a tendency?
"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. What matters is that Emperor Xian could have said such a thing." The prince smiled calmly, "Gentlemen, you are all old men who have taken the imperial examinations. When you write eight-part essays, you have to speak for the saints, and every word has its source. But Taiyue, are all the words you write the original words of the saints?"
Writing eight-part essays may be writing on behalf of sages, but it is basically impossible to write eight-part essays based on the words of sages. They are all just playing around with words and expressing their own opinions based on my own interpretations of the Six Classics. Why should we pretend to be innocent?
——Zhang Taiyue’s face immediately turned green.
·
Whoever controls the pen of the present determines the history of the past. This is why after the matter is accomplished, Emperor Xingxian will debate for me and advise all the civil and military officials in the court to do their own thing.
Of course, a book titled "Emperor Xingxian on the Reform of the Imperial Clan" is far from enough. The Crown Prince has already made plans. When maritime trade is reopened in the future, the Hanlin Academy will also launch "Emperor Xingxian Discusses Maritime Trade"; if financial reform is to be carried out, there will be "Emperor Xingxian Discusses Financial Reform" and "Emperor Xingxian's Important Talks on Financial Management". As for "Emperor Xingxian's Thoughts on Governing the Country" and "A Preliminary Exploration of Emperor Xingxian's Educational Concepts", of course there will be even more dazzling and numerous.
In short, the Da'an Society has always adhered to the great instructions given by Emperor Xingxian during his lifetime, and has followed the path pioneered by the emperor himself without fail. The theoretical system established by the great man who was sent down from heaven to Emperor Xingxian in Songlin Mountain, Hubei Province will surely have a long history, extend and expand, accompany Da'an from beginning to end, and set an example for all ages.
In a nutshell, Emperor Xingxian is so great!
However, as to why Emperor Xingxian left behind such instructions before his death...it was of course because God inspired Emperor Xingxian to have a sudden inspiration, and he had a premonition that he was about to give birth to a great son who would rule the world and lead reforms, so he prepared all the instructions in advance, just for his great son to use after he ascended the throne. Of course, if someone is so rebellious as to dare to question the teachings of Emperor Xian, he can only go down and ask Emperor Xian in person.
If you don't want to go with the current emperor, then you can only go with the previous emperor. That makes sense, right?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
