Chapter 1582 Persuasion
He said, "In the sixteen years since you ascended the throne, you have quelled rebellions, driven back the Hu troops, and reduced taxes and levies, ensuring the people live and work in peace and contentment. No one could have done a better job than you."
The emperor looked down at him and said, "But Sanlang now wants to emulate what I did in the past..."
"Your Majesty," Yin Li couldn't help but interrupt him and said the rest of his words. Some words would be regretted once spoken, and if he regretted it, the people who heard it would not feel good either.
He could only speak in a deep voice, "The past is different from today. Back then, the late Third Prince was very aggressive, and almost all of the late Crown Prince's direct descendants chose the late Third Prince. There were many conflicts between the noble families and generals like us, and the late Emperor also favored the late Third Prince. If Your Majesty did not fight back, not only would you not survive, but all of us who followed Your Majesty would also be doomed. Your Majesty was not only doing this for yourself, but also for us."
"Now, His Majesty is kind and generous, and is extremely loving to the princes. The Empress is virtuous, and the Crown Prince is friendly and loving. What happened back then will definitely not happen again."
A few years ago, the emperor would have certainly agreed with the story of the prince being friendly to his brothers, because although the prince paid more attention to his younger brothers' studies, he also cared about them a lot.
But in recent years...
It's good enough that the prince doesn't fight with his brothers.
The emperor's mood actually improved a lot after this interruption. The most important thing was that Yin Li's advice hit the point. Yes, the past was different from the present. Back then, he had no choice but to do so, but now is not a chaotic time.
He and the Queen were very good to Prince Gong, so why did Prince Gong want to seize the throne?
The emperor's heart gradually calmed down and he began to think about how to deal with this matter.
Now, the Crown Princess is about to give birth. No matter whether this baby is a boy or a girl, the Crown Prince will have an heir. If it is a son, it would be best. If it is a daughter, he can just have another child next time.
The prince also restrained his previous rebellious attitude. Although he is not praised by all the court officials now, the situation is much better than before.
As long as he cultivates the crown prince with care and deals with those who instigated Prince Gong, the ministers and his sons should understand what he and the queen mean.
Sanlang, you should be more restrained, right?
"By the way, whose children are those who often follow Prince Gong?"
Yin Li felt a little regretful for coming to personally protect the emperor, but he didn't pause for long. After a moment of thought, he said, "I only know that both the Cui and Wang families have sons accompanying Prince Gong."
The emperor's face darkened, and he instantly turned his anger on himself. "Are they trying to make my son a knife in their hands? Humph!"
The emperor felt angry again and didn't want to talk to Yin Li anymore, so he turned around and walked down the mountain.
Yin Li sighed, looked at Gu Zhong, and immediately chased after him.
The love and hate between the emperor and the aristocratic families could not be fully described even if we talked for three days and three nights.
Things in this world are not black and white; they are very complicated. The imperial Li family is an aristocratic family. The last emperor of the previous dynasty was ambitious and determined to weaken the influence of the aristocratic family, which led to rebellions in various places.
The Li family was just one of the branches. At that time, the late emperor and the late crown prince were in Taiyuan contacting clans from all over the place, while the current emperor was busy recruiting soldiers and horses. It was the joint efforts of father and son that led to the conquest of this vast territory.
But after conquering the country, he found that the challenges had just begun. The current emperor had different political philosophies from the previous emperor. The previous emperor believed that the demise of the previous dynasty was a lesson for them, and that it was time to return to the past, when the royal family and the aristocracy ruled together, so that the dynasty could last.
Today, people also believe that the demise of the previous dynasty is a lesson for them, so they should gradually weaken the influence of the aristocratic families and not allow them to influence the change of dynasties.
Looking back throughout history, how many countries have been destroyed by aristocratic families?
Moreover, the state affairs were in the hands of the aristocratic families. Not only the royal family suffered, but the people also suffered. Large areas of land were occupied by the aristocratic families. The people had no one to rely on and would eventually be forced to rebel.
Once the people have the intention to rebel, as long as the people in power do not agree with these aristocratic families, they will use the people to rebel.
How did the previous dynasty fall? Wouldn’t the current dynasty, which destroyed the previous dynasty, know it?
Instead of handing the knife to the aristocratic family and holding the knife to rule the world together with the aristocratic family, it would be better for him to take the knife bit by bit and hold it alone.
Therefore, after the empire was initially pacified, the current emperor suggested that honors be bestowed upon those who had performed military service, and all the generals who had followed the current emperor into battle were rewarded.
Half of the nobles in the court were once subordinates of the current emperor. Not only the crown prince, but also the late emperor became uneasy. In addition, the aristocratic families were dissatisfied and added fuel to the fire. The emperor and the three legitimate princes immediately started fighting.
The current emperor saw things clearly, and after feeling heartbroken, he took a step back, voluntarily relinquished his military power, and distanced himself from those military generals who had been granted titles, hoping to quell the royal struggle.
But he retreated step by step until the late crown prince became seriously ill. He saw that if the late crown prince died, he would become the rightful heir, so the struggle became even more chaotic.
I really have this idea in mind now.
While his elder brother was alive, he was willing to take a step back and be a minister, but if his elder brother died, then regardless of the seniority, the legitimate wife, or the merits, he should be the emperor.
Having fought bloody battles on the battlefield, his heart could not be soft. In addition, many generals around him were suppressed by the former crown prince and the third prince at that time, so when they were angry, they were willing to follow him to rebel again.
They hesitated and hesitated, and then were forced into a desperate situation on the battlefield. In that battle, their retreat was cut off and they suffered heavy casualties.
At that time, Yin Li was beside the emperor, and together with the surviving generals, he knelt down and begged him to rebel.
Then they rushed thousands of miles, bypassed the late emperor's carriage and rushed back to the capital to kill the third prince. When the late emperor heard the news and rushed back, they had already stabilized the capital.
The late emperor had no choice but to appoint him as the crown prince. However, due to the heavy blow, he became seriously ill and died after a few months.
And it was precisely because of the current emperor's thundering measures that all the aristocratic families were intimidated. In addition, after years of chaos and war, the people could no longer withstand another war. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he took the initiative to submit to the aristocratic families, and both sides took a step back, thus maintaining superficial peace.
But over the years, the emperor never thought of letting the aristocratic families go. Although the imperial examinations were suspended for various reasons, they had to be held every two or three years, and every time, children from poor families were selected into the Hanlin Academy.
As the emperor's confidant, Yin Li knew that the emperor was slowly weakening the influence of the aristocratic families.
But the aristocratic families did not give up either. There were always their people around the Crown Prince, Prince Gong, and even several other princes.
The emperor and the noble family couldn't tell who had wronged whom. Even someone as insightful as Yin Li couldn't figure out a solution. Just to prevent the emperor from regretting it later, he secretly warned, "Your Majesty, be careful not to damage the jade bottle by hitting a rat."
Those who are released by the aristocratic families to participate in the fight for the throne are generally not from the direct branch, and even if they are from the direct branch, they are not from the eldest branch.
Just look at Yang Heshu and you will know that he is not only the most famous son of aristocratic family in the capital, but also the eldest son of the Yang family, and was trained to be the patriarch.
Therefore, he would not show favoritism towards any prince. Even though he is now assisting in the Eastern Palace, he obeys the emperor, not the Eastern Palace's Zhanshi Mansion.
If other descendants of the Yang family participated in the fight for the throne, if they won, they would naturally be rewarded with the honor of following the dragon and enjoy wealth and glory; if they lost, the family would be affected, but the direct branch and the foundation would still be there, and they could remain silent for a few years before being able to make another contribution.
Therefore, the royal family will be destroyed, the dynasty will fall, but the aristocratic families will live forever from generation to generation.
See you at 8pm
(End of this chapter)
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