That evening, as the three discussed their journey north, Qin Mo voiced her doubts about Qin Yu. Qin Yuanze, true to his reputation as a shrewd and worldly man, was acutely aware of the intricacies among the nobles, and naturally, he was interested in the powerful Ji Prince's residence.
Qin Yu was appointed heir apparent when he was ten years old, and this year marks his first time being summoned to the north. Originally, he shouldn't have had any interaction with Chen Xuanji, the newly appointed deputy commander of the Central Army, but his younger brother had some old grudges with the forces behind Chen Xuanji.
Chen Xuanji was born into the Chen family of Qingzhou. The Chen family was originally not well-known and was only a third-rate family in the empire. However, after the new emperor ascended the throne, Chen Xuanji was given important responsibilities and was promoted twice within three years. It is true that he was very capable, but without the emperor's appreciation, he would never have had the opportunity to squeeze into the center of the Great Xia regime.
In the second year of Emperor Zhaowu's reign, a large number of nobles collectively petitioned to abolish the ancestral rule that the eldest son and heir apparent must lead troops. As a result, Emperor Zhaowu directly exiled them all to the northern wilderness on the grounds of disrespect for ancestral rites, forbidding them from returning to the heartland of the Great Xia. Many of these nobles held important positions in the Great Xia court, and their exile naturally left many vacant positions, which many established aristocratic families then coveted.
As a result, Emperor Zhaowu directly promoted a large number of talented individuals from humble backgrounds, second-rate, and even third-rate families to these positions, delivering a significant blow to established aristocratic families and even branches of the imperial family. Chen Xuanji was promoted and given a higher position under these circumstances.
Qin Yu's younger brother, Qin Ying, the Viscount of Yishui County, was among the exiled nobles. Qin Yu naturally considered Chen Xuanji an opportunist and a usurper, knowing full well that a prince leading the army was a slow form of suicide for aristocratic families, yet still supporting this ancestral precedent. It was only natural for Qin Yu to despise him.
After hearing these explanations, Qin Mo felt a vague unease. As a homebody who had been exposed to countless melodramatic plots on Earth, Emperor Zhaowu's series of actions reminded him of a possibility, namely... the reduction of the power of the vassal states.
However, if the power of regional military governors is reduced, and high-ranking officials are left isolated overseas, whether the court will ignore them or make an example of them will depend on the decision of certain individuals.
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