Chapter 391 King Rui's Change
All unsolved missing cases in various parts of Daxia are reported to the Ministry of Justice every year.
Li Nuo took some effort and obtained the birth dates of these missing persons.
After Dongfang Xuan's calculations, he found that a considerable number of these missing people were related to the State of Yue.
The intelligence of Qingluan Society is undoubtedly the best in the mainland, and the Secret Service is far from comparable.
However, the two are not the same type of institutions.
The Secret Service was established by His Majesty with the function of secretly supervising the officials of the Great Xia Dynasty. It has only been established for twenty years, but the existence of the Qingluan Society can be traced back to hundreds of years ago, when the Great Xia Dynasty was founded.
Secretariat.
Zuo Xiang frowned and said in a deep voice, "Is this true?"
Li Nuo did not reveal the affairs of the Qingluan Society. He nodded and said, "There are more than a hundred missing cases reported to the Ministry of Justice. There are probably more that the Ministry of Justice does not know about. We cannot watch this tiny country continue to harm the people of Daxia..."
The left prime minister breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That being said, this is after all in another country, and Yue is in a special position. It is not easy for the imperial court to intervene directly, otherwise it will be criticized. The current situation is turbulent, so we must maintain our composure and not act rashly. We can only urge Yue to cooperate..."
Li Nuo said: "That also requires the cooperation of the Kingdom of Yue."
The Yue Kingdom's envoys had already declined the Honglu Temple's request. Li Nuo looked at the left prime minister and asked, "I heard that Daxia supported a separatist force in Yue Kingdom?"
Zuo Xiang was surprised and asked, "How did you know?"
The location of Yue State is extremely important. Daxia, Wei State and Chu State would not allow it to be controlled by other countries. Therefore, they all have layouts and plans in Yue State. However, such things cannot be discussed openly. Even in the Daxia court, it is a secret among secrets.
Normally speaking, Li Nuo's father would not have access to this secret.
Mingjingsi was not involved in this matter.
However, it is also possible that His Majesty told him.
Li Nuo did not explain in detail, and the left prime minister did not ask further questions. He nodded and said, "It is true, but the power we support is the weakest. We are not as strong as those supported by Chu, and even weaker than the Yue court supported by Wei..."
Li Nuo looked at a map of various countries on the table and said, "Everyone knows what Wei is up to. Liang has completely become their puppet. They also support the court of Yue. If the situation changes in the future, Daxia may face multiple enemies..."
The left prime minister nodded and said, "You are right to worry. In fact, the court secretly supported separatist forces in Yue State in order to avoid this situation. However, we did not expect that Yue State would be safe, but Liang State, which was closely affiliated with Daxia, would be the first to defect."
Li Nuo asked directly: "How can I get in touch with the forces supported by Daxia in Yue Kingdom?"
The left prime minister was surprised and asked, "You are going to Yue State in person?"
Li Nuo nodded.
In addition to rescuing the kidnapped and missing people, his trip to Yue State also had an important purpose, which was to break through to the semi-saint level of the Legalist school.
On the surface, there are only masters at the level of masters in the Kingdom of Yue.
However, based on the reliable intelligence from the Qingluan Society and the obstacles encountered by Dongfang Xuan's divination, it can be determined that behind these things, there are strong people from the Sixth Realm involved, and it is very likely that it was the Yin-Yang School of the Sixth Realm who took action.
As long as he can be brought to justice, Li Nuo will be able to enter the realm he has always dreamed of and truly have the strength to gain a foothold on this continent.
The left prime minister pondered for a moment and said, "The affairs of the Kingdom of Yue are secretly handled by the Ministry of War, which is under the overall planning of the Ministry of Shangshu. The leader of that force is a disciple of the right prime minister, and the tiger talisman that can mobilize them is also in the hands of the right prime minister..."
After a moment.
The Secretariat.
The Right Prime Minister glanced at the Left Prime Minister and asked, "What do you want the White Wolf Army's tiger talisman for?"
Zuo Xiang said: "It's not me who wants to use it, it's Li Nuo who wants to use it."
The Right Prime Minister looked at Li Nuo who was standing next to the Left Prime Minister, and without asking any questions, he turned and walked to a row of bookcases, took something out of the secret compartment of the bookcase and handed it to Li Nuo.
Li Nuo reached out to take it. It was about half the size of a palm. It was a lifelike sculpture of a white wolf, but only the left half of the body, with some strange patterns carved on it.
Li Nuo put the item away, clasped his fists to the Right Prime Minister, and said, "Thank you."
Before he went to Zhao State for the first time, the Right Prime Minister was against him everywhere.
However, after he returned from Zhao State, he never targeted Li Nuo again.
This time when I asked him for the tiger talisman, his attitude was even more straightforward.
Having the tiger talisman is just the icing on the cake for Li Nuo. If the right prime minister does not give it to him, he has another plan. Their role is just to make it easier for Li Nuo to understand the local situation.
Ningxin Garden.
I don’t know how long this trip to Yue State will take, so before leaving, I naturally have to spend some time with Fenghuang.
After a few times of making love, Li Nuo held her hand and said, "You don't have to handle everything about Yuyin Pavilion and the family store yourself. You can let Xiao Gu help you share the burden..."
Fenghuang looked at him and asked meaningfully: "This Miss Gu, is it..."
Before she finished her words, Li Nuo knew what she wanted to say and shook his head, "What are you thinking about? She is the teacher I found for Li Yan and the others. In a few years, they will be able to go to school. Besides, Xiao Gu is also very capable in other aspects. You will soon know..."
The calligrapher is undoubtedly the best secretary. After seeing her abilities, Fenghuang will know how powerful Xiao Gu is.
For Fenghuang, who needs to manage a large number of stores, she needs her more than Li Nuo.
…
In July, something happened in the court.
The three provinces announced the establishment of a new supervisory system, which would send supervisory officials from the imperial court to every state and county.
The term of office of an inspector is three years. During the inspection period, officials with outstanding political achievements will be promoted immediately after leaving office.
The new supervision system is like the sky falling for local officials. It means that they can no longer do whatever they want as before. Their every move in the future will be under the eyes of supervisory officials.
Once something happens to a supervisory official while in office, the promotions of all local officials will be affected.
In addition, the Imperial College also began to prepare more official schools. All children aged five and above could enroll in the academy. The academy not only taught them to read and write, but also provided them with two free meals a day.
Rich families all had private schools and looked down upon official schools.
But for the poor people, this is good news. Not to mention learning to read and write, they can have two free meals a day. If they eat their fill in the academy, there will be one less mouth to feed at home, saving food for one person. How can they not take advantage of such a good deal?
Although many people talked about these two things, they were soon overshadowed by another explosive news.
At today's court meeting, Prince Rui announced publicly that he voluntarily gave up his qualifications as regent.
In Daxia, the qualification of regent meant the qualification of crown prince.
Giving up the qualification to be regent means giving up the fight for the throne.
This news shocked the government and the public in a very short time.
Two years ago, there were eight princes serving as regents in Daxia. Within two years, only two were left.
Whether in the court or among the people, many people are actually optimistic about King Rui.
Compared to Prince Chun and Prince Gong, who are nearly forty years old, Prince Rui is eight years younger than them. Youth is his biggest advantage.
The previous King Rui showed a great desire for the throne. Although his followers were repeatedly attacked by the Dali Temple, he was often framed and used by others. He was defeated repeatedly, but he kept fighting...
Over the past year or so, Prince Rui has stayed indoors, keeping company with books every day.
Everyone thought that he knew he lacked ability and wanted to study hard to compete with Prince Gong and Prince Chun after he graduated.
Therefore, although he has not done much in the past year, there are still officials willing to support him, and there are also advisers in the government who are always sticking to him.
No one expected that he would suddenly announce his withdrawal.
Prince Gong's Mansion.
Upon hearing this, Prince Gong was stunned and said in disbelief, "What? Prince Rui gave up the regent. Did he really say that?"
An official said, "This is what His Royal Highness Prince Rui said in person in front of all the officials during the morning court session today."
Prince Gong showed a suspicious look on his face and murmured, "He wants to retreat in order to advance. He wants me and Li Xuanjing to fight first, and then he will benefit? He has a good plan. Has he really learned something from reading books?"
A servant from the palace came in and said, "Your Highness, His Royal Highness Prince Rui is here."
Prince Gong raised his eyebrows, and after a moment, he walked into a palace and said with a smile: "How come you have time to come to my place today?"
Prince Rui also smiled and said, "Come to think of it, it has been many years since I last came to your residence. Everything here has become much more unfamiliar..."
When Prince Rui was young, he had the best relationship with Prince Gong, because Prince Gong was not like Prince Han and Prince You. He had no intention of fighting for the throne and had a good relationship with all the princes.
Of course, it seems today that it was just his disguise.
Prince Gong said in a falsely polite tone, "You often came here when you were a child. You can come here anytime you want in the future."
Prince Rui smiled and said straight to the point: "Actually, I came here this time to tell my brother that I will not compete with you for the throne. No matter who ascends the throne, just leave me a way to survive..."
Prince Gong was slightly stunned, then laughed dryly: "What are you talking about? Fighting for the throne is one thing, but apart from fighting for the throne, we are still brothers..."
He looked at Prince Rui and asked, "Are you really giving up the regent?"
King Rui nodded and said, "I can't win against you anyway, so I'll give up sooner and have some free time sooner..."
Prince Gong patted him on the shoulder and nodded, saying, "Alright, the battle for the throne is complicated. Li Xuanjing is ruthless and scheming. You can't control him. It's better for my brother to come. If my brother takes the throne, he will make the eldest son of your line a first-class prince for generations..."
Prince Rui cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much, my brother..."
After a moment, as he watched Prince Rui leaving, the smile on Prince Gong's face gradually faded.
A figure walked in from outside the palace, looked back, and asked unsurely: "Your Highness, do you believe what King Rui said?"
Prince Gong pinched the short beard on his chin and said, "Looking at his expression, it doesn't seem fake. However, the six great families have already been used by this prince, so the truth is not important. If he is really so sensible, it is not impossible for this prince to do what he promised him..."
Soon, Prince Rui's carriage stopped outside Prince Chun's mansion.
The housekeeper of Prince Chun's mansion bowed respectfully to him and said, "Your Highness Prince Rui, Your Highness Prince Chun is not in the mansion now."
Behind Prince Rui, the man with a feminine face asked, "When will His Royal Highness Prince Chun return?"
The palace steward shook his head and said, "I don't know about this..."
Prince Rui got back on the carriage, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's go to the Dali Temple."
Dali Temple.
Temple government office.
Li Xuanjing was handling official business behind the desk, while Prince Chun was sitting on another chair in the yamen, holding a thick cookbook in his hands, reading it intently.
An official from the Dali Temple came in and said, "Sir, the Prince Rui wants to see you."
Prince Chun put down the menu and frowned, "Li Rui, what is he doing here?"
After a while, Prince Rui walked into the government office, bowed to Prince Chun, and said, "Greetings, my brother."
Prince Chun looked at him and asked, "What's the matter?"
Prince Rui clasped his fists to him and said, "I came here to tell my brother that I have given up the position of regent and withdrawn from the fight for the throne."
Prince Chun said calmly: "Just give up if you want to. Why are you telling me all this?"
Prince Rui did not explain too much, but walked up to Li Xuanjing, bowed to him, and said: "Sir Li, I was ignorant before and offended you. I hope you will forgive me..."
Li Xuanjing also clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness is too polite."
Prince Rui glanced at the bookshelf behind Li Xuanjing, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed at the bookshelf and said, "Lord Li, can you lend me a book? I will return it to you after I finish reading it..."
Li Xuanjing did not look back and said, "Your Highness, you can take it yourself."
King Rui walked quickly to the bookshelf. The books on the bookshelf were very diverse, with many categories, including the common Confucianism, Legalism, Mohism, and Military Classics, as well as the uncommon Diplomacy and Yin-Yang School...
One of them was about calligraphers, which he had never read before.
King Rui pulled the book out from the bookshelf and regarded it as a treasure.
Watching Prince Rui leave, Prince Chun said with some emotion: "He has changed a lot in this year. Is this the effect of reading?"
Outside the Dali Temple, Prince Rui got on the carriage. The feminine man held a whip in his hand and finally couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, are you really not going to fight?"
King Rui waved his hand and said, "I won't fight anymore. I can't win even if I fight. What's the point of fighting?"
He looked at the feminine man and said, "If you want to leave, I won't blame you."
Many people left the palace during this period. After he announced today that he would give up his position as regent, even the few remaining advisers in the palace left.
The feminine man clenched the whip in his hand and said, "I will not leave. No matter what Your Highness does, I will follow Your Highness for the rest of my life..."
Prince Rui smiled slightly, said nothing more, and turned the page of the book in his hand.
Regarding calligraphers, he had only seen a few brief descriptions in some ancient books.
This book gave an extremely detailed description of the calligrapher, and it was exactly the secret book he had longed for. After opening the first page, he was completely immersed in it and began to read eagerly.
Not long after, the carriage slowly stopped in front of the palace gate.
However, Prince Rui did not come down for a long time.
A full half hour passed before he got off the carriage in a daze.
He held the book in his hand and looked around. Suddenly, he felt that the world he was so familiar with had become a little strange.
If the calligrapher is real, then all of this could be fake.
Could it be possible that this world is fictional, and that he, Li Rui, is just a character created by someone else?
(End of this chapter)
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