Chapter 18 Regency Meeting
Ji Wan was given the posthumous title of "Li" by his ministers. He was not allowed to be buried in the royal tombs of his ancestors. Instead, a mausoleum was built in a wilderness area. It can be said that he was completely nailed to the pillar of shame in history.
Since Ji Xi had not yet been crowned and was unable to govern the country, the queen dowager ruled the country from behind the curtain. The Marquis of Luo was appointed as the Grand Tutor and concurrently the Official of Heaven, the Duke of Song Shuang was appointed as the Grand Tutor and concurrently the Official of Autumn, the Marquis of Qi was appointed as the Grand Protector and concurrently the Official of Summer, the Marquis of Jin was appointed as the Official of Spring, the Marquis of Chen was appointed as the Official of Earth, and the Marquis of Handan was appointed as the Official of Winter.
The most satisfied one was the Marquis of Jin. Chunguan was a ritual official who could take charge of some clan affairs. Although he did not have the direct authority of the Da Zongzheng, he understood Luo Su's attitude and was very satisfied with the current arrangement.
The Marquis of Chen now deeply felt the benefits of being a foreign relative. From a marginalized marquisate, he suddenly gained control of the land, household registration, and taxation power in the royal capital.
Luo Su himself finally obtained the highest power in Bang Zhou. The powers of the Tianguan were extremely large. He led his subordinates and was in charge of the governance of the state to help the king rule the country. In fact, he was the prime minister.
The sun was rising, and the sky in the east was slightly white. The Queen Mother Qi Jiang and the Emperor Xi were riding in a chariot in the palace. The bronze statue of a flying phoenix on the roof of the palace was swaying leisurely.
Qi Jiang recalled Ji Wan's absurd behavior over the years, and then looked at the emperor beside her, and said softly: "The emperor's palace should be occupied by a sage king. Xi'er, remember, don't be a person like King Li who ruined the country. You will not be able to face your ancestors after your death."
The emperor nodded heavily and said in a resounding voice: "Don't worry, mother. I will take this as a warning, learn from my teacher and prosper the Zhou Dynasty."
In the palace, Luo Su and the other six were standing respectfully waiting. When they saw the emperor's carriage coming, they all stepped forward to greet him. When the carriage stopped, the emperor jumped out first, his eyes wandered around, and then he ran straight to Luo Su and said happily, "Teacher."
When the Queen Mother got off the carriage, Luo Su and others saluted together, and the Queen Mother and the Emperor returned the salute.
Luo Su looked at the emperor who was already quite majestic in front of him, as if he saw the future of Bang Zhou. King Li's reign had caused too much damage to Bang Zhou, and it needed an outstanding successor.
Luo Su and others went up to the council hall with the Queen Mother and the Emperor. The Queen Mother Qi Jiang sat at the top with the Emperor. Luo Su, as the Grand Master and Heavenly Official, was responsible for organizing this crucial meeting.
"Gentlemen, Xiong Dun's rebellion has been quelled, and now we have to establish the kingdom. King Su once said that if the name is not right, then the words will not flow, and if the words are not flowing, then the affairs will not be accomplished. How the six of us can rule the state of Zhou is the top priority today."
Now Luo Su has seized all the power over the royal capital by virtue of his merits in suppressing the rebellion. However, since the source of their power is the Queen Mother who is the regent on behalf of the Emperor, it is very unstable. This is something the six people cannot allow. On this point, the Marquis of Qi can only stand on Luo Su's side.
It is relatively reasonable for Luo Su to make this request. If it was made by other princes, they might be secretly slandered by someone with ulterior motives.
But Luo Hou is different. The ancestor King Su acted on behalf of the king in the past. The three generations of Luo Hou were loyal to the king and put the interests of the royal family above the interests of Luo State. Everyone saw it, and the royal family's political trust in Luo Hou had reached the extreme.
Queen Mother Qi Jiang said in a serious tone: "Everyone present here is an important official of the state. The Grand Master can just speak frankly. We can always work out a rule of thumb."
Seeing the Queen Mother's statement, Luo Su said: "At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, King Su received the will of the previous king and served as the regent to act on behalf of the king, which was the most legitimate.
However, King Xianli died suddenly and the emperor had not yet been crowned and could not manage affairs. According to etiquette, the Queen Mother was temporarily regent. This was the power of the royal family and should not be exercised lightly.
I propose to set up a Regency Council to oversee all important military and national affairs, with the seven of us as princes of the Regency Council.
All matters that require the emperor’s seal will be decided by the meeting, and when the emperor is crowned, the meeting will be dissolved.”
What Luo Su said was that for the six people who ruled them, the title of regent was added. In fact, the power did not change much, but the status was completely different.
It can be said that it is unshakable. The so-called regent is to exercise power on behalf of the emperor.
Even the power of regent taken back by the emperor is still in the hands of the regent. Even if someone impeaches him, he can say so openly.
Who is here? Sue me!
Most of the people in this meeting are Luo Su's allies, and through this meeting, he can seize the power of regent without serving as regent.
The rest of the people had their own thoughts. The Queen Mother was a wise person. She knew clearly that the regency power she had seized through her status could not be maintained for long.
Besides, the Marquis of Qi and the Marquis of Luo were both her backers. With this civil and military man around, the country would be stable.
Thinking of this, Queen Mother Qi Jiang clearly stood on Luo Su's side and said, "I think what the Grand Tutor said makes sense.
Giving the title of "Prince of the Regency Council" to the dukes and princes can reduce the covetousness of those who have ulterior motives, and make the dukes and ministers of the royal capital and the princes and lords outside the capital put away unnecessary thoughts. Now that the royal capital is in deficit, the most important thing is to revive and govern the royal capital."
Since the Queen Mother agreed, the others naturally had no objections.
Luo Su's proposal was most likely made because he did not want the royal capital to be caught up in the vortex of political struggle. He himself had great prestige, and not many people opposed him being appointed as the Grand Tutor. The title of a prince of the Regency Council would not be that much of a promotion for him.
Luo Su was a man of swift and decisive action. Once the most important matter was decided, he would immediately use his seal to announce it to the kingdom and other states.
[The Luo clan leader serves as the chief of the regency council. Your clan has once again had a glorious history of regency. Your clan influence has increased again, and your luck points have increased significantly.]
The sudden system prompt attracted Ji Zhao's attention. Looking at the high-spirited Luo Su, Ji Zhao shook his head. Being a regent is not that easy.
After the waiter took the imperial edict out, everyone started to discuss the second matter, the important matter of establishing a state.
"To confer the title of Marquis on four people in one day is truly a great event for the country. I wonder if the Grand Master has any candidate in mind?"
Luo Su laughed dumbly upon hearing this and said, "Please don't joke, my lords. Conferring titles on the princes is a matter of great importance to the king. I am just the emperor's steward, a mediocre official who does his job according to the rules.
Who can be enfeoffed as a prince? The Zhou Li clearly states that it can only be a minister with outstanding merits or a clan member with noble blood. That’s all.”
As soon as Luo Su said this, everyone understood and turned their eyes to Queen Mother Qi Jiang. How could the bloodline of a relative of noble origin be more noble than that of the brothers of the current emperor?
Upon hearing this, Qi Jiang frowned suddenly. Since one of her sons became the emperor, the other son would naturally be enfeoffed. However, she had never thought of enfeoffing her son to a remote place like the south.
In today's Zhou Dynasty, there are four levels of vassal states with the same territory. The first level is the one located around the royal capital of Luoyi. This level has a large population, fertile land, prosperous commerce, and flourishing culture, and is a place favored by God.
The second class is the land from Jin State to the royal capital of Haojing, where the ancestral temple of Zhou State is located.
The third category is the lands opened up in the east by Luo State, Qi State and other countries. The culture of the Xia Dynasty in these lands has become very prosperous, the Dongyi tribes have become fewer and fewer, and they are very prosperous.
As for the worst, they are in the north, south, and west, which are poor, war-torn, and filled with barbarians.
Even if he was a marquis, Qi Jiang would not let her son go to such a place.
So he frowned and said, "The former king's second son is just a child, how can he bear the heavy burden of defending the State of Chu? The former king had three illegitimate sons, all of whom have been crowned and granted titles within the royal domain, but their titles are no more than baron, viscount and baron.
Xi'er ascended the throne, and the whole world celebrated. He should give his brother a higher title to show his benevolence. So the three of them were promoted to marquis, and the marquisate was moved to Tangsui and other places. "
In just a few words, he made clear arrangements for the princes. Those present could not help but admire his decisiveness and he did not worry at all about the dissatisfaction of the princes' relatives.
Several people agreed immediately and began to draft the edict.
Luo Su said: "The land of Shen and Lu is the most important. Among the generals who followed King Li in the expedition, Yu Boxiu made great contributions. He was promoted to Marquis of Shen, and both cities of Shen and Lu were given to him. He was also granted 200 li of land to show the emperor's kindness."
Today, the Zhou state has expanded greatly, and even the territory of the barony state is as large as a hundred miles. However, when granting land, the old system of Zhou rituals is still followed.
Yu Bo was one of the princesses. If Yu Bo's fiefdom is to be relocated now, he would naturally be given more land and other rewards so as not to be known as a person who mistreats members of the royal family.
"Since King Su became regent, the official system of the royal capital has become complicated. I have reorganized it. Most of the Three Dukes are given honorific titles to respected clan leaders, and most of them do not get involved in political affairs. Since this is the case, why not make it a rule and make them the uncles of the emperor.
As for the system of officials assisting the king, the six officials of Heaven, Earth, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter were appointed as the top ministers. The Da Zong Zheng was in charge of the affairs of the princes with the surname Ji, the Shao Zong Bo was in charge of the affairs of the princes with other surnames. Then there was the Da Hong Lu in charge of the affairs of the dukes and marquises, and the Shao Hong Lu was in charge of the affairs of the bogs, viscounts and barons.
The four garrisons are moved every eight years, and are all held by lords who have made meritorious services. The emperor can also get closer to his clan relatives and nobles. "
Luo Su has taken great pains to strengthen the relationship between the emperor and the princes whose blood ties are becoming increasingly distant. If the powerful princes have never seen the emperor in their entire lives, how can they be loyal to him?
…
Tianguan Office.
There is no doubt that this is the power center of the entire world today. The affairs of the entire royal capital and the entire Zhou Dynasty must be decided by the Heavenly Official.
The Spring Official Jin Hou and the Earth Official Chen Hou were both beaming with joy, feeling that they had reached the peak of their lives.
Luo Su filled the glasses for the three men and said with a smile, "Lord Jin, Lord Chen, please drink."
The two of them thanked him together and said, "How dare we trouble you, Grand Master."
After warming the wine and drinking it, the Marquis of Chen asked, "I wonder what important matter the Grand Master has for summoning us?"
Luo Su did not answer, but turned to ask the Marquis of Jin: "The ancestor of the Marquis of Jin was the younger brother of King Wu. It has been four generations now, and the blood relationship with the emperor has become very weak."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the Duke of Jin and the Duke of Chen immediately became serious.
"But it has been like this for four generations. What about a hundred, three hundred, or five hundred years from now? Will the descendants of later generations still be able to protect the emperor? I have my doubts.
Since the time of King Su, the position of Grand Master has been passed down through the Luo family. By the time it came to me, the problem had become very serious, so I could not ignore it, so I came up with a solution.
The Marquis of Jin is now the Minister of Spring and has the power to manage the clans. The Marquis of Chen is the Junior Clan Master and can coordinate the princes of different surnames, so this matter will be handed over to the two of you to do."
The Marquis of Jin and the Marquis of Chen looked at each other and said in unison: "You may say whatever you want, Grand Master. We will do our best."
"In the royal capital, there is a genealogy of the princes of the world. You two should record the men and women of marriageable age in the princes' families, especially those with brothers and sisters.
The emperor married the legitimate daughter of Marquis Chen. Under the concubine system, Marquis Chen would probably cram all the women into the emperor's harem.
In my opinion, this is not necessary. You should leave one or two legitimate daughters and clan daughters to marry into the families of other princes with the surname Ji, such as the son of the Marquis of Jin.
"The law of marriage between people of the same surname cannot be broken, so by using the blood of different surnames, the emperor and the princes can be brought closer, and the state of Zhou can be slightly more stable."
After hearing what Luo Su said, smiles appeared on the faces of Duke Jin and Duke Chen. This matter was not difficult and would be of great benefit to both of them, so they agreed immediately.
Looking at the receding figures of the Marquis of Jin and the Marquis of Chen, Luo Su pondered for a moment. This method should be able to reduce the alienation between the princes and the emperor a little, but as the power of the princes continues to expand, the emperor must also increase his own strength.
What our ancestors meant was that the destiny of our Zhou Dynasty should at least not be lower than that of the Shang Dynasty. Our ancestors laid a century-long foundation for our Zhou Dynasty. Can I do the same?
Countless complicated thoughts fell into his mind, and the servant came in to inform that Lord Shen was coming to visit.
As soon as Shen Houxiu came in, he paid his respects with great ceremony and said respectfully, "Xiu pays respect to the Grand Master."
Luo Su was very kind to Shen Hou, because Shen Hou's real identity was just an illegitimate son, not even a bastard's son. In this era, his status was as lowly as a slave.
A very dark and humorous thing is that Ji Zhao established the patriarchal system and the feudal system, creating an era with strict hierarchy and blood relationship determining almost everything.
But he himself and the successive Luo Hous who were secretly influenced by him did not care about bloodline.
This is also why Luo Su abandoned Ji Wan without hesitation. All the rules are simply tools to maintain his rule.
With Luo Su's secret help, Shen Hou was able to rise from an illegitimate child to the position of a vassal prince.
His biological mother was posthumously conferred the title of Madam, and no one dared to mock his background to his face anymore. This kind of kindness was even greater than giving birth to him by his parents.
Now, Luo Su made another move, allowing him to leap from a commander to the prince of Zhennan, with the same position as the emperor's senior minister, and was conferred the title of marquis, making him the ancestor of the same lineage. From then on, his descendants could use Shen as their surname. For a noble, surpassing their ancestors was the most glorious thing.
How could Lord Shen not kowtow deeply to Luo Su and serve him like a dog?
Luo Su helped him up and said with a smile: "Marquis Shen, you don't have to be like this. You are a talented person in the clan, and you performed exceptionally well in this southern expedition. Now you are a marquis in charge of a territory of 200 li. You can build a new ancestral temple and boast about your descendants. I would like to congratulate you."
Shen Hou then knelt down in front of Luo Su and said, "It is all thanks to the Grand Master's support. I am ashamed to say that I cannot take the responsibility. As for the Southern Expedition, I cannot protect the Emperor. This is my failure in my duty."
"Shen Hou does not need to belittle himself. King Li is hated by heaven and people. It is not easy to assist such a monarch. You do not need to be too anxious to go to Shen to establish a country. You only need to build Shen in your lifetime.
As long as I stay in Luoyi, Xiong Dun will not lead his troops north. After you arrive in Shen, you should conquer the west to expand your strength. Also, you should make sure to keep in touch with the other three countries. You all have the surname Ji, and since you cannot form marriages, it would be best if you could become brothers-in-law.
I cannot guess how the people in Chu will react to Xiong Dun's return this time, but after he dies, there will definitely be another fight. I hope that by then Shen will be able to handle the great responsibility."
Luo Su told Shen Houxiu about his request. Now he was not only concerned about the policy issues during his own administration, he had already begun to make arrangements for the next generation. This was why, even though he knew that Xiong Dun would not go north during his lifetime, he still wanted to modify Yu Bo's title and move him to Shen.
"Xiu, I have something to say, please listen.
Over the past seventy years, many feudal states have perished. The reasons are complex, but the root cause is that the monarchs were idle and the state affairs were in disarray. Therefore, the survival of the country depends on the choice of the successor.
Shen is the front line against Chu, you must be cautious. I heard that your second son is only ten years old and can memorize the whole book of the king. If you are willing, I can take him as a student and find a noble lady from Song for him to marry. "
Shen Houxiu's face was instantly filled with ecstasy. He could be a student of the greatest man of the dynasty and marry a noble lady from the duke's family. Who could refuse?
He said without hesitation: "I am willing. I will send my son to the Grand Tutor's residence after I return."
Seeing Shen Hou's decisiveness, Luo Su was very satisfied, and the two began to chat and laugh. Luo Su then told Shen Hou about the tasks that Shen State would need to undertake at that time, and then let Shen Hou go.
Shen Houxiu left the Tianguan office with a slight sigh on his happy face. He knew the meaning of Luo Su's previous words.
His eldest son was extremely naughty and stupid, and was well-known among the royal family of Luo family, but he did not expect that this fact would reach Luo Su's ears.
Now he has to guard the State of Shen and curb the development of the State of Chu. This is the century-long plan of Bang Zhou, and the State of Shen is the most important chess piece. Luo Su is dissatisfied with his heir, and reminds him to take the second son as a student and marry him to the noble lady of the State of Song. This is just a reminder for him to handle it himself. It can be said that he has done his utmost.
Shen Houxiu was grateful for Luo Su's kindness. After calming down a little, he decided to let his eldest son have an accident and lose his inheritance rights.
————
King Kang said: "My uncle is the regent and the whole world is in submission. What is the point of him being the regent?"
King Su said: Only tools and names cannot be delegated to others. The regency of the king is based on these two things, and the king should not grant them lightly. - "The Later Chapter of the Kingly Way"
Brothers, please take a look. This book by the author is a fictional history, a fictional history. As it is mentioned in the first chapter, it is a game made based on history and combining unofficial folk history, weird stories, and legendary tales. It’s a game.
(End of this chapter)
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