Chapter 2125 Chen Yiliu's Memorial
The harem was in an uproar, and the cabinet was also in a tense situation.
He Yi had not attended court for several days because of the task of supervising the production of the Golden Jade Clothes. Even as the chief minister of the cabinet, he did not report to the cabinet.
Zhu Feng, on the other hand, didn't care about this matter at all.
Now standing before him were only the cabinet ministers Gu Tingqiu, Xu Shifeng, Li Ziyun, Chen Yilu, and the cabinet secretary Liu Yueze.
Without He Yi and Wu Ding, the place seemed a lot emptier.
However, Zhu Feng did not mind the scene of "talent decline" in front of him, but seemed very comfortable.
He sat at the top of the long table, looking at everyone.
"Besides the ones just mentioned, what other proposals are there?"
Everyone looked at each other, shook their heads, and said nothing.
But at this moment, Chen Yiliu, who was usually the most taciturn and only focused on his work, stood up, pulled out a memorial from his sleeve, and said, "Your Majesty, I wrote a memorial overnight. I hope to receive your approval."
"Hmm? Come here then."
He rarely submitted memorials alone like this. As soon as Zhu Feng raised his hand, Eunuch Yu hurried forward to take it and handed it to him.
After taking it and looking at it, Zhu Feng's eyes lit up slightly.
Everyone around was silent.
I just feel a little strange——
Chen Yiluo, who has always been very low-key, submitted a memorial at this time, and no one knows what he was going to say.
Zhu Feng was silent for a while, then said, "You propose to reduce the number of guards in all the princes' palaces by half?"
"yes."
"Why, you suddenly bring this up?"
Chen Yilu lowered his head slightly and said softly, "I have been checking the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue these days and found that the number of guards in the princes' palaces has increased several times compared to the early days of the Great Yan Dynasty. These people are the private armed forces of the princes and nobles, but they record their heads with the court."
“…”
"Everyone's expenses, even weapons and armor, must be supplied monthly by the imperial court."
“…”
“It’s a huge expense.”
“…”
"I believe that the Emperor has always advocated frugality, even reducing the rouge and silk allowances given to the ladies in the palace every spring and autumn. Why do these princes and nobles still spend such a huge amount on the court?"
“…”
"Besides, Your Majesty's reign is peaceful and without war. Maintaining so many troops will only leave them with nothing to do. They will cause trouble everywhere, disturbing the people and causing trouble."
After hearing his words, Zhu Feng didn't say anything for the time being, but just looked at the memorial quietly.
The ministers around were also quiet.
Everyone's heart was somewhat shaken.
Since the establishment of the cabinet, with He Yi as the chief minister, old ministers like Gu Tingqiu and foreign relatives like Wu Ding and Xu Shifeng, the competition within the cabinet has been very fierce. Although Chen Yilu is the emperor's brother, he is very quiet.
Even, there is a feeling of being invisible.
But I didn't expect that he would make a big move as soon as he arrived.
Reducing the number of guards in the princes' mansions is a direct challenge to the princes and nobles!
Moreover, after Zhu Feng eliminated the power of Prince Ning and Prince Jing, his other brothers became very quiet. They stayed in their own fiefdoms, not daring to even breathe a word, and just followed the mood of the court.
Because they were well-behaved, Zhu Feng didn't take action again.
The remaining king is the emperor's only son, Prince of Wei Zhu Chengxuan.
However, because he is still young and has not yet established his own residence, he still lives in Chengqian Palace until now, so naturally he has nothing to do with this matter.
Then, there is——
Cheng Guogong.
Because he followed Emperor Gao in expanding the territory, although part of his military power was surrendered after the founding of the country, after Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he implemented a policy of appeasement towards such old ministers, so he gave him a lot of troops again.
By now, the number of soldiers under his command was astonishing.
It is easy to imagine that he could lead his own troops to the northwest war.
In fact, everyone knew that no normal emperor would allow such a situation, not to mention Zhu Feng - he had seized the throne from his nephew by force, so he naturally had to be wary of others doing the same.
Therefore, Chen Yilu's proposal to reduce the number of guards for princes and nobles was exactly what he wanted.
However, he didn't say anything immediately.
Instead, he took the memorial and read it over several times, then said, "My dear ministers, what do you think?"
“…”
Everyone looked at each other, and no one spoke easily.
Finally, it was Gu Tingqiu, the oldest at the moment, who stood up and said softly, "Your Majesty, I think this matter can be discussed."
Zhu Feng smiled.
Then he placed the memorial on the table and said, "Well, you can discuss it."
After saying that, he stood up by holding the armrest of the chair, and walked out with his hands behind his back.
Everyone in the cabinet was left looking at each other in bewilderment.
It’s not that they have nothing to say, but at this point, everyone already knows it and there’s no need to say more.
If it was really something that Zhu Feng disagreed with, the memorial would naturally be suppressed when it reached him. Even someone like Chen Yilu would not easily take the risk. At this moment, Zhu Feng asked them to "discuss it". In the final analysis, he was asking them to discuss how to implement it.
You know, the only one in the cabinet who had a direct relationship with the princes and ministers was Wu Ding, but after he came back from the northwest, he became a living dead, that is, he withdrew from the cabinet.
However, Zhu Feng never mentioned the matter of letting Duke Cheng be the substitute.
Now, the people here want to discuss, and the result is obvious.
Zhu Feng walked outside with his hands behind his back. The sun was still a bit dazzling, but fortunately the scorching temperature had dropped a lot. He raised his hand to shade it. Eunuch Yu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, would you like me to fetch you an umbrella?"
Zhu Feng said calmly, "What do you want to do with an umbrella?"
Eunuch Yu said no more and just followed him forward, watching him walk slowly step by step, seeming to be very leisurely.
Obviously, the matter just discussed in the cabinet was not something worth worrying about for him.
The only thing to think about is how to deal with it.
Zhu Feng walked for a while, then suddenly turned his head and asked, "I vaguely remember what important day it was recently, but I can't remember it for a moment. Do you remember?"
Eunuch Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty is very busy with government affairs, and this servant has been keeping it in mind for you."
"What day is it?"
"At the end of the month, it will be Emperor Gao's death anniversary."
"oh……"
Zhu Feng nodded gently: "That's right, I have always remembered this matter, but I was busy with many things and forgot it."
Eunuch Yu said, "Your Majesty has worked so hard, yet he is still preparing for Emperor Gao's birthday celebration. His filial piety is truly commendable."
Zhu Feng just waved his hand and asked, "Are you preparing for this?"
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