Fan Jin looked at Fan Hu and sighed softly, "If we had given him money, Father wouldn't have to worry so much about those princes rebelling."
Fan Jiangtie, looking rather simple-minded, pressed on, "Didn't you give me anything? You should at least give me some compensation, right?"
It's a bit unfair not to give anything at all.
Fan Jin shook his head: "Not only did they not give it to him, but the first prince to be stripped of his fiefdom, the Prince of Zhou, had his entire family taken back to Jinling and demoted to commoners. After that, we don't know whether they were exiled or imprisoned."
The tea room was completely silent.
Exile and imprisonment neither seem good...
Ling Ran lowered his eyes, his tone flat, as if stating a fact: "Emperor Wu of Han did not directly abolish the vassal states, but issued the 'Decree of Grace' to gradually reduce the power, wealth and manpower of the vassal kings."
The new emperor's current actions will drive the princes to the opposite side.
Whether reducing the power of the feudal lords is a good thing or not is none of the people's business; all they know is that they can't fight wars.
Once war breaks out, life becomes worse than that of pigs and dogs.
"Let's wait and see. Maybe there's only this one prince, and the other princes won't be affected, or maybe a prince will be dismissed every few years. Then we can make proper arrangements, and it won't be a problem." Fan Jin didn't want his children to worry too much, so he tried to think of a positive scenario.
Shui Qing knew that this was only the beginning.
Next, this new emperor will eliminate three kings within a month!
One was exiled, one was imprisoned, and the other was neither exiled nor imprisoned because this prince was falsely accused of treason. How could he produce evidence for something he did not do?
In the end, in order to prove his innocence and fearing that exile or imprisonment would be worse than death, he burned the entire palace to death!
But the new emperor didn't care at all, and within two months he had dismissed several more princes.
With three princes being stripped of their titles in a single month, the second prince might already be in the works, though the notices haven't been posted in Guangning Prefecture yet.
Nowadays, scholars and students can still engage in lofty discussions, but businessmen who have received word of this are probably already making preparations.
No, they probably already had it ready before the new year.
At least the Bai family, the richest in Nandu, Bai Ziqian's father, Bai Manshan, was already planning it at that time.
Thinking of Bai Ziqian, Shui Qing also realized that if it was already April and they still hadn't arrived, with notices coming one after another, it would be difficult to see each other for the next few years, and they might not see each other for several years at all...
Inside the room, Yan Qiuxing and the other children were still discussing whether the situation would worsen or calm down.
They are divided into two factions and are debating.
Shui Qing and Fan Jin did not interrupt. It's good that the children have ideas; they shouldn't stifle them.
She announced her decision in advance: "Yan Qiu, starting tomorrow, we don't need to make rice wine anymore. We'll sell what we have at home until it lasts as long as we can."
Others may not know, but she does.
The policy of weakening the power of the princes will not stop. Even though the court has not yet issued a proclamation prohibiting the brewing of wine, it is only a matter of time.
Moreover, restaurants and taverns have been busiest these past few days, with many scholars and students engaging in lively discussions, which also poses a significant risk.
"Don't talk about state affairs" is not just a saying; one day the yamen runners might storm in and arrest someone!
Selling rice wine often requires frequent visits to this place, and since we have enough money right now, it's best not to take any risks.
Yan Qiu looked up blankly, then obediently replied, "Okay!"
"Ling Ran, you and Da Jiang take the donkey cart to the prefectural city, make a list of everything we need, and buy it all."
Buy as much as you can; it's better to have more than you can use, than to not have any when you don't need it anymore.
These two months are still safe, but for the next few years, their whole family will try to stay home as much as possible and avoid going out if possible!
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