Chapter 297 Five Years
Luo Xin stood on the high steps of the main hall, watching the princes and marquises leave the palace one by one. Luo Yi walked up to him and said softly, "Ah Xin."
Luo Xin bowed slightly and said, "Brother?"
Luo Yi did not stop, but walked straight forward, leaving only one sentence, "Ah Xin, you are not the late emperor, you should be more careful in doing things, and don't let the distance separate us."
Luo Xinxi was stunned, and saw that his third brother had already walked down the stairs. He shook his head helplessly, he didn't expect that there would be a day when his third brother would worry about him.
Lü Zhi walked up to him, and the two of them looked at the figures walking out of the palace. Lü Zhi suddenly smiled and said, "Sir, do you think these princes will pay their taxes on time?"
Luo Xin cleared his mind and said with a smile, "E'er, they will, at least while we are alive.
It's not just these princes, the same is true for the other marquises. With the northern and southern armies in our hands, no one in the world can be our opponent."
When the two arrived at the back hall, Liu Ying was taking care of the baby with Princess Lu Yuan Liu Le and Queen Zhang Yan.
Liu Ying said to Lü Zhi and Luo Xin with some excitement: "Mother, Prime Minister, this child will be the crown prince of the Han Dynasty. What name should I give him to express my love and expectations for him?"
Luo Xin smiled and said, "Do your Majesty and the Queen have any ideas?"
Liu Ying said, "There are so many words with good meanings that I don't know which one to choose. Besides, the queen mother is the elder, so she should choose."
Lü Zhi turned to look at Luo Xin and said with a smile: "Does the Marquis of Dong'e have any ideas in mind?"
Luo Xin pondered and said, "As constant as the moon, as rising as the sun, with constancy and fame, may the destiny of the Han Dynasty prosper and its glorious reputation last for thousands of years."
"Heng?"
"As constant as the moon, as rising as the sun, the Mandate of Heaven for the Han Dynasty will last forever."
"Liu Heng!"
Liu Ying read it twice, a happy smile appeared on his face. The more he read it, the more he liked it. He couldn't help but exclaimed: "Good, what a good name, mother, what do you think?"
Lü Zhi no longer made excessive demands on Liu Ying. She smiled and nodded, saying, "As long as the emperor and queen like it, that's fine."
Liu Ying held the baby high in his arms and said with a loud laugh, "From today on, you will be called Liu Heng. I will hand over the Han Dynasty to you. You must protect the legacy of our ancestors."
The baby was not afraid at all, but started giggling.
In the void heaven, Ji Zhao watched this scene. When Luo Xin said the word "Heng", the world changed a little, and the child had more characteristics.
[Dear master, the unknown rules of the world are opened to your family. The changes and constancy of the world are eternal themes. The debate between heroes and the times will never stop. Please explore as much as you can.]
Ji Zhao roughly guessed that this baby was the product of the world's return, but he was still very surprised, because in the past, the whole person usually just disappeared.
For example, after the Tian family replaced the Qi family, many famous people of the Tian family disappeared. This was the first time this happened.
For Ji Zhao, the world suddenly became interesting. He only knew the general outline but not the real history.
If a certain lady were here, she would definitely say, "I can't help but wonder: how many secrets and unknowns are there in this world, and what kind of great existence could create such a world?"
Everyone in the hall was a mortal and of course didn't know about this episode. Only Luo Ling, who lived in Zhaocheng, could feel some changes.
He vaguely felt that there were some changes in his family's foundation, but he didn't know why.
After waiting for a while, the ancestor did not call him, so he suppressed his doubts and continued reading.
…
The impact of this banquet began to show when the kings returned to their countries. Faced with the powerful court, the princes all chose to pay tribute.
But at the same time, some princes discovered their own weaknesses and began to try to contact some people, especially those founding heroes who had lost power in rounds of court struggles.
After all, not everyone is qualified to cling to Lu Zhi's thigh after Liu Bang's death. Even though Liu Ying married Zhang Yan and showed great goodwill to the group of meritorious officials, there are also factions within the group of meritorious officials. The factions that are at odds with Liu Houfu are naturally dissatisfied.
In the Weiyang Palace.
Lü Zhi looked at the taxes paid by the princes in surprise for a long time before she said leisurely, "These princes are really rich."
This really surprised Lu Zhi. The taxes paid by these princes were certainly not as much as those paid by the imperial court individually, but when added together, they far exceeded those paid by the entire Guanzhong and Bashu.
Luo Xin looked at the data and said coldly: "E'er, the power of the princes is too strong. According to the taxation, the court only occupies about 40% of the power of the world, which is very unstable.
In the past, the Zhou Dynasty used a feudal system, and the Zhou emperor was powerful enough to occupy 50% of the world, so all the princes in the world obeyed his orders.
Now the Han Dynasty has counties and kingdoms running side by side, and the strength of the central government is actually inferior to that of the local governments. This is like holding the sword upside down, and it is the path to disaster. "
Although Luoxin or the entire Luo family believes in great unification, they advocate retaining a certain degree of autonomy for the local areas.
Especially the military force, it is imperative to ensure that the grassroots can organize resistance at any time. This is mainly because we are worried that once the central force is defeated, the people will be crushed if they fail to organize resistance.
The second is a deeper reason. The Luo family hopes to be ready at any time to launch another revolution like Tang and Wu and kill the tyrant.
Based on these reasons, Luo believes that the best balance of power between the central and local governments is 6:4 or 7:3.
But no matter which one it is, it is dominated by the central court.
However, in the current Han Dynasty, the imperial court was less powerful than the local governments. This meant that the Han court was like sitting on the crater of a volcano and could be destroyed at any time. The local princes could replace the emperor as long as they tried their best.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi's eyes instantly turned murderous, and she asked coldly, "Sir, these princes?"
Luo Xin said coldly: "E'er, don't be anxious yet.
Remember, never execute someone without guilt. Once something is done, it will be very difficult to restore the people's confidence in the court.
You are the queen mother. If you attack your relatives without reason, it will be bad for your reputation.
Moreover, the clan members and the meritorious officials, and even the Lu clan from which you come, are mutually restrained. To arbitrarily weaken the power of the clan members is to seek death."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi was stunned. She was about to say how could the Lu family have any thoughts about the throne, but she shut her mouth before she could say it. She knew that Luo Xin was right.
After a long while, she just said slowly, "Sir, you really care about the emperor, no wonder the emperor treats you more intimately than he treats me.
I am getting old and have worked too hard these years. I am afraid I don’t have many years left to live. I will be relieved to entrust the emperor to you when the time comes.
You have not been married and have no children in these years. This is not what I want. Please let me arrange a marriage for you."
Luo Xinwen said with a smile: "E'ou, I am not the only one in the Luo family who is not married. You don't have to worry about me. It's not bad to be alone."
Lü Zhi was silent for a long time, then said firmly: "Sir, shouldn't you, a wise man like you, leave offspring in the world?
You are the descendant of King Su, and the legitimate son with the holy marks. I remember that your holy marks can be passed down for another generation. Could it be that the holy marks will not be passed down?
It is all my fault these years. Because of the resentment in my heart, I almost hurt you. Please agree to let me arrange your marriage."
Luo Xin finally frowned and looked at Lu Zhi, then said nothing.
…
"More and more granaries have been dug near Chang'an in recent years. When will we be able to eat all the food?"
Several people dressed as day laborers were chatting, and one of them said with a smile: "These are all food for famine relief. If Chang'an City or Guanzhong encounters a natural disaster, we can use these food to keep us alive. I heard that this was all done by the Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Prime Minister."
Another person said: "With the Holy Queen Mother and Holy Emperor in power, and the descendants of the Supreme Su King, Young Master Luo assisting, Guanzhong has not suffered many natural disasters for many years.
Our land has a good harvest every year, the imperial court does not suppress the price of grain, and collects little tax. I heard from the elders that life here is much better than that in the Qin Dynasty.
Another person said: "It is said that an old Luo person who came from Shandong said that life in Luo State was like this back then. I really don't know what the legendary Zhaocheng looks like.
It is said that life in Zhaocheng was better than it is now. No official dared to oppress people. The king of Luo would always uphold justice in everything, send meat during festivals, and allow people to read.
I really don’t know what kind of life that is. I’m afraid that’s how the nobles in Chang’an City live.”
"Of course. The King of Luo is a descendant of the great King Su. It is said that he wakes up every few dozen or even hundreds of years to look at us, his people in the human world.
My grandfather was a Luo person back then, and he was also a sharp warrior of the Luo State.
It is said that the king and the prince personally gave him wine and meat, and also allowed his uncle to study in the imperial academy.
It's a pity that my uncle passed away, otherwise my family might have produced an official."
Another round of laughter and joy was heard, as people talked about where they were going to go for a drink of tea or wine after work, or where they were going to buy some cloth to make clothes. The whole place was full of life.
There are no natural disasters, the crops can be harvested well, and after paying taxes there is still food left for the whole family. This is a prosperous age. Starting from Chang'an City, it will be pushed forward step by step to Guanzhong, and then to various kingdoms and marquisates, so that all people in the world can bathe in grace. This is what Luo Xin pursues.
Five years ago, Luo Xin decided to solve the problem of the princes, but for the sake of social and economic development, he has endured until now. In order to restore production, he understands that he cannot confront the princes now, or even develop to the point of fighting.
However, he had been making preparations, storing food and fodder, and training elite soldiers. He did not allow Che Hou to return to his fiefdom, but instead kept him in the army in Chang'an to strengthen the strength of the two armies in the north and south.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
