Chapter 7: Ji Zhao's Death
It is now the ninth year of King Kang, and nearly five years have passed since the last feudal system was implemented. Taigong, the only person who could check and balance Ji Zhao, has passed away, and the emperor has sent envoys to express condolences. The prime minister Ji Zhao, who is acting on behalf of the king, has been very quiet and has been staying in the royal city.
But it caused great mental pressure to the princes of the world.
So far, four princes had been stripped of their titles and exiled from their kingdoms for using the emperor's rites and music. One of them was even sentenced to death by being given a cup of poisoned wine, and the other two were demoted to commoners. More princes were often reprimanded by imperial edicts for their ineffective conquests of the barbarians.
Ji Zhao believed that apart from going to Luoyi in winter to check on the progress of construction, he did not do anything. He just went into the palace early every day, taught Ji Yun how to handle government affairs, met with officials in charge of royal affairs, and handled audiences with envoys from princes from all over the country.
Ji Yun has not yet been crowned, but he is already a strong young man. With Ji Zhao's teachings and his own talent, he has the potential to be a wise king.
The legitimate daughter of Qi came to the royal capital and married King Kang, officially becoming the queen of Bang Zhou.
With King Kang's marriage, the atmosphere of the entire Zhou Dynasty changed. Although King Kang had not yet been crowned and could not officially rule, everyone felt that the day was just around the corner. The handover of power has always been a troublesome matter, especially when it comes to the minister returning power to the king. In history, there is only the story of Yi Yin, whose true or falsehood is unknown.
Seven years ago, when the four bandits launched the rebellion, they lied that Ji Zhao had evil intentions and wanted to depose the king and establish himself as the king. They even forced Ji Zhao to swear an oath in the ancestral temple. But after so many years, no one among the princes and ministers in the world believed that Ji Zhao had the intention of usurping the throne.
However, how the status of a powerful official who has been regent for twelve years will be arranged after he returns to power is also a major issue that cannot be ignored.
In these years, Ji Zhao had always kept a close eye on the princes. Thirty percent of the spoils of the princes' conquests were put into the royal treasury by him, which greatly enriched the strength of the central government of Zhou.
Although there was chaos outside, there was peace in the palace. Ji Yun was different from his heroic father. He had never commanded an army in battle. The princes of the four towns lived up to Ji Zhao's expectations and support for them and kept all the barbarians out of the royal capital. This fertile land of thousands of miles had been very peaceful in recent years.
In addition to handling state affairs, Ji Zhao focused his main energy on teaching Ji Yun how to be a king.
"Uncle Wang, Lord Shen and Jia Bo were fighting for land. Lord Shen accused Jia Bo of disrespecting him and committing treason. Jia Bo wrote to the king, saying that Lord Shen insulted him by using his high rank and called him a war dog."
Ji Zhao took the bamboo slips and asked Ji Yun, "Your Majesty, the number of princes has increased, and the territory has also expanded. In the future, there will be more and more frictions. How do you think this matter should be handled?"
Ji Yun pondered for a moment and said, "Both of them have made mistakes. They should be reprimanded separately. The earl is in the middle and the marquis is at the top. Jia Bo was disrespectful to Shen Hou. Although it was an angry remark, etiquette cannot be abolished. He should be severely reprimanded to let him know that the nobleness of the duke and marquis should not be insulted lightly. If it happens again, he will be severely punished.
Shen Hou insulted Jia Bo as a barbarian, which is pure fabrication. Although there are many Western Rong people in Jia Bo's country, he himself is a relative of the Ji clan, and he has paid tribute to the country with all his heart over the years. Shen Hou's words are harmful to the transformation of the barbarians into Chinese and hinder the implementation of the national policy. It is really abominable, so he should be punished to increase the tribute by 30% next year. "
Ji Zhao was very satisfied with Ji Yun's handling of the matter and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is right. The handling of the two people is quite appropriate, and it can take into account both etiquette and the reality of the country. Then this matter will be handled according to your words."
As Ji Yun gradually matured, Ji Zhao had gradually handed over some things to him, and Ji Yun's performance made him quite satisfied.
As a young man, he is neither arrogant nor impatient, considers things carefully, is able to listen to other people's useful opinions, and at the same time, does not follow the crowd and has his own persistence. As long as he maintains this, he will definitely be a wise ruler in the future.
Ji Yun was always very happy about Ji Zhao's praise. He took out another one from the pile of bamboo slips, and it turned out to be a memorial sent by Luo Hou.
With Ji Zhao's promotion, his legitimate son had been officially granted the title of Marquis of Luo. The title of Marquis of Luo was dispensable to him in terms of his position as the regent of the king and the head of the Three Dukes.
"Uncle Wang, Marquis Luo submitted a report on the progress of Luoyi's construction. The main body of the city and the palaces have been largely built. According to the current progress, we can gradually move in our subjects to enrich Luoyi."
In this era, newly built cities had no popularity, so the emperor naturally could not live there right away. He had to move his subjects there first to nourish the city.
"It will take five years to build and five years to nourish the energy. Order all the vassal states to relocate their households to Luoyi to replenish the population."
[Luoyi is built. This great city will shine for a thousand years in the future history. You have obtained the Xuan-level item - the Divine Talisman. Your luck points have increased.]
Ji Yun stroked the bamboo slips and asked softly, "Uncle Wang, you once told me the strategy of dividing Shaanxi and ruling it, saying that when the remote areas are in chaos and cannot be stopped, you can send trusted ministers and clan members to take charge. Now there are frequent wars between the eastern princes and the Dongyi, and some princes are even reprimanded for not having time to pay homage to the emperor. Is Luoyi the place chosen by your uncle to divide Shaanxi?"
Ji Zhao paused and looked at Ji Yun. This young emperor had some resemblance to King Wu in his eyes and eyebrows. He had a handsome face, black hair and black pupils, and was vigorous and kind-hearted. He even guessed that Luoyi was the place he had chosen for his exit and even made up a reason for himself.
Ji Zhao smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right. In two years or so, Your Majesty will be crowned and rule the country. Bangzhou will be completely handed over to Your Majesty, and the job of acting as the regent of the king will naturally have to be stepped down.
Luoyi lacks popularity, so I will go there to help the king cultivate his morale.
Moreover, the eastern lords have been conquering the Dongyi successfully in recent years, and their strength has expanded rapidly. The Qi State obtained the Haiyan land two years ago, and it is quite rich. It has become a large country with an area of 300 to 500 miles. I am worried that some people will invade the land of Luoyi Wangji, so I will feel more at ease if I go to watch them. "
Ji Yun heard that it was just as he guessed, so he said anxiously: "Uncle Wang, you can continue to stay in Haojing. You will still be the prime minister. I can consult you if I have any questions. The newly built city of Luoyi is freezing cold. How can a saint live there?"
Ji Yun lost his father when he was young, and only Ji Zhao was by his side, working day and night to take care of state affairs for him. He also taught him step by step what to do, and was loyal to him, not clinging to power and wanting to return it to him.
Although he had become decisive in killing people under the influence of Ji Zhao over the years, he was essentially a kind-hearted person and naturally did not want Ji Zhao to leave Haojing like this.
Ji Zhao was no longer young, and he had exhausted all his efforts in order to stabilize the newborn Zhou Dynasty. Maintaining the system between the emperor and the princes was an extremely difficult task, as he had to keep the blades of the princes sharp while preventing them from turning their blades inward.
Hearing Ji Yun's request to stay, Ji Zhao was somewhat relieved. It was worth all his efforts over the years. Finally, he did not teach an ungrateful person. However, he still smiled and refused, "Your Majesty, in such a big state of Zhou, I am the only one who cannot stay in Haojing. If I don't leave, I am afraid that rumors will spread the next day, calling you a puppet emperor."
Ji Yun was silent. He was no longer the ignorant child. He naturally knew that his uncle had suppressed the princes too harshly over the years. Once he took power, the princes of the world would certainly not let his uncle control the government anymore.
If he goes to Luoyi, he can still make use of his remaining energy to intimidate the eastern princes. Thinking of this, looking at the white hair growing on Ji Zhao's temples, Ji Yun couldn't help feeling sad. He understood even more what his uncle often said, that the world ultimately belongs to everyone in the world, and if one insists on doing things one's own way, he will inevitably be deserted by his friends and relatives.
…
The twelfth year of King Kang.
Princes from all over the world gathered in Haojing to congratulate the emperor with a ceremony to crown him. Countless rare treasures were presented to the emperor, and almost everyone was celebrating. Ji Zhao, who had been a pressure on them, was finally leaving. They didn't have to live in fear anymore. They didn't want to live even a day of being reprimanded by imperial decree for the slightest mistake and having to offer money and goods to avoid punishment.
The ceremony of crowning and taking power ended in a grand ceremony, and the Zhou Dynasty welcomed its new ruler.
On the next day, the emperor issued an edict to send Ji Zhao, the former acting minister of state affairs, to Luoyi. His title of Grand Chancellor remained unchanged, and he was still equal to the Three Dukes. He was also given the title of "the chief minister of the military and state affairs ordered by the king", ranking above the princes of the four garrisons who received orders from the king, and had the power to control the princes.
Faced with the emperor's appointment, the eastern princes were really speechless, and the other three princes could not help laughing out loud.
Today, the state of Qi is still the most powerful of the princes in the east. It is also the largest country in the east. Thanks to the benefits of sea salt, it is very rich, with a population of more than 500,000, ranking first among all the countries and is quite powerful.
Qi and Luo were related countries by marriage. In recent years, the two countries had jointly conquered the Dongyi tribe, but Qi was the leader. Now that Ji Zhao was in charge of Luoyi, he would certainly suppress Qi's development momentum so that other vassal states could also benefit from the conquest process and maintain the balance in the east.
Outside the city of Haojing, flags fluttered. The three divisions of the emperor followed Ji Zhao and arrived in Luoyi to station there, becoming the army stationed in Luoyi. Ji Yun came to see Ji Zhao off in person, holding his hand reluctantly and saying, "Uncle Wang, you are the saint of Bang Zhou and the pillar of the sky. You must take care of yourself when you leave this time, and send more letters to Haojing. If I have any unresolved military and national affairs, I will consult you."
Ji Zhao smiled and patted Ji Yun's hand, saying, "Your Majesty is a man of natural talent, with the appearance of an ancient sage king. You will surely prosper the Zhou state and our clan. After I die, I will be able to speak to the late king with dignity and live up to his trust."
Historians and painters recorded this scene. Since the Three Kings and Five Emperors, has there been any pair of monarchs and ministers whose trust and affection could surpass that?
How many loyal ministers like Ji Zhao can be found in history books? Ji Zhao was entrusted with the care of the late king and spent twelve years with him, gaining power over the whole world and returning government to the king.
He did not suspect the minister who once took charge of the royal government, and even gave him generous rewards. Shouldn't we be loyal to such a benevolent monarch until death?
[Your family's political reputation has increased.]
As expected, the system prompt sounded as expected. Over the past eight years, as more and more people believed that he would not usurp the throne, and Luo Hou was a man of his word, this prompt would sound from time to time.
Political credibility is an extremely valuable thing, especially the ancients attached great importance to it. In later generations, the old thief Sima swore by the Luo River and completely destroyed the political credibility of the Sima family.
Ji Zhao would never let his family lose its political credibility. He wanted everyone in the world to subconsciously believe that the Luo family would never become king!
It is not easy to achieve this, but it is not very difficult either. As long as the successive heads of the Luo family remain loyal to the monarch and serve the country even when they can usurp the throne, they will accumulate huge political credibility from generation to generation, which will make people develop a habit of thinking. Combined with the system props, at least most of the monarch's suspicion can be eliminated.
In addition to the three teachers of the emperor, Ji Zhaodong also brought a large number of subjects from the royal capital. These people will be the first group of people in Luoyi, and people will continue to migrate here from the royal capital and surrounding vassal states in the future.
Ji Zhao didn't know how big Luoyi was in history, but the Luoyi he was building was now the most majestic city in the world. The city was tall and wide, with a moat outside the city, into which the water of Yi and Luo was poured as a wing protection. In this era, any enemy who wanted to break through this city would face despair.
Ji Zhao who came to Luoyi did not rule with high pressure as the princes had expected, but rather gave the Marquis of Qi a casual warning. In two years, the princes of the four towns who were ordered by the king would be rotated, and Ji Yun, who was in power, would use both kindness and force, and the Marquis of Qi would certainly not get this job.
Ji Zhao stayed in Luoyi every day, writing about his experience in governing the country, his in-depth interpretation of Zhou rituals, the subsequent adjustments to the feudal system, and how to maintain the emperor's majesty and power advantage over the princes.
Ji Yun was skilled in handling government affairs, and the expansion of the princes was generally smooth. Except for a few princes whose capitals were attacked by barbarians, most of the princes were able to at least ensure their own safety. The strength of the entire Zhou Dynasty was expanding rapidly, and the tributes such as money, grain, salt, and silk collected by the emperor from the princes even filled the treasury.
The feudal system achieved great success. When the fiefdoms were divided in the first and fourth years of King Kang's reign, the city-states on the map were just dots, but now they have become countries.
Ji Zhao looked at the changes in the land and felt like he was playing a coloring game. It was a pity that no one understood this kind of happiness.
In the seventeenth year of King Kang, Ji Zhao knew that his life was coming to an end and he was about to officially become the ancestor of the Luo family.
He watched his own funeral in the void.
The three dukes carried the coffin, the marquis opened the way, and the emperor's three armies escorted Ji Zhao to be buried next to the mausoleum of King Wu of Zhou.
Ji Yun said to all the ministers, "The late king entrusted his uncle with his work before his death, and he has betrayed me. For seventeen years, my uncle has worked so hard that he has died today. He was a minister of the late king, how can I treat him with the courtesy of a minister?
The ancients once said that a saint who has the virtues of a king but does not occupy the throne is called a "Su Wang".
Uncle Wang has the ability to rule the world, so he should be posthumously named "Wen" and buried next to the previous king with royal rites to reward him for his service in carrying out the king's affairs for twelve years. This is what I can do."
[You are posthumously named King Su, buried with royal ceremony, and given the posthumous title "Wen". You obtain the Xuan-level item - Qianli Fu. ]
The system prompt appeared again, the achievement was achieved, luck points and props were distributed one by one, Ji Zhao opened his attribute panel, and great changes had taken place on it.
[Ancestors: Ji Zhao, Luo Zhao
Clan leader: Luo Kang (surname Ji)
Title: Marquis (Monarch)
Country: Zhou Dynasty, Luo State.
Faction: Nobles.
Politics: 90; Strategy: 76; Military strategy: 68.
Faction reputation: hatred, indifference, neutral, friendly, respect, and admiration.
①Royal family: friendly; ②Nobles: friendly; ③Army: neutral; ④Fellow countrymen: neutral; ⑤Rebels: hateful.
Luck Points: 53486
Props:
① Heavenly Stage·Heavenly Man Card (How could one be like this if not the incarnation of a god?): Use this card to instantly become the incarnation of eternal wisdom. The three-dimensional attributes rise to 100. As a prime minister, you can stabilize the country, comfort the people, provide food and supplies, and ensure that the army has an uninterrupted supply of food. As a strategist, you can make plans in the tent and win battles thousands of miles away. As a general, you can lead millions of troops to win every battle and take every city.
②Tianjie·Sitianjiantai: This is a national treasure. Users can build it according to the blueprint. After it is built, they can stand in it to adjust the celestial phenomena of a country and bless the dynasty with good weather and good harvests.
③Earth Rank·Heart Knot: Use this item to connect with one person, and the trust will always be full.
④ Yellow Level: June Snow × 2: A heavy snowfall occurs at the designated time and place.
⑤Xuanjie·Qianli Talisman×2 (The ends of the earth can be reached in an instant): Use this talisman and meditate in your mind to instantly appear at any place.
⑥ Yellow Rank Attribute Card x 10 (If you don’t have enough talent, you can make up for it with this): Using this card, you can improve 3-dimensional attributes by 1 point. The natural maximum limit for one is 90, and the other two limits are 80.
⑦Xuan Ti·Divine Fighting Talisman (I will use my life to clear up the universe): Use this talisman to increase your military strategy to 99. The time limit is four hours, after which you will bleed from all seven orifices and die.
⑧Whiteboard props × 52, can be exchanged for the specified real-world items in the current time and space. 】
Over the years, Ji Zhao had done ten consecutive draws many times, but unfortunately, all the items were yellow items, and he didn't even get a single Xuan-level item.
The Qianli Talisman has many magical uses. It can be used to escape from a defeat and to stab a king. It is a magical item that is hard to defend against and is worthy of being a precious item above the yellow-level props.
The attribute card is mainly used to prevent the emergence of unfilial descendants. It can be promoted to the level of an ordinary famous official, at least to ensure the survival of the family.
Closing the attribute panel, Ji Zhao no longer paid attention to the real world, and quietly felt the continuous growth of his luck points.
…
The three immortalities of a sage are to establish virtue, merit and words. Throughout the millennium, there has only been one sage, the King of the Plain. - "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Zhou"
Ji Zhao officially went offline and started his career as an ancestor.
(End of this chapter)
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