"What? What did you say?"
Liu Ji suddenly lowered the curtain, his face changed with surprise and confusion, but he still managed to stay calm, squeezed out a forced smile from the corner of his mouth, and asked in a low voice,
"Zifang, you are joking again.
The world has just stabilized, and these warriors have not had time to enjoy the blessings. Why do they want to rebel against me? "
Thick cotton curtains hung on both sides of the corridor, illuminated only by two rows of high-footed copper lamps as tall as a person, and in the copper heater, the red light of the charcoal fire was faint and dim.
Zhang Liang stood next to a copper lamp. He was old and could not stand straight. The candlelight danced erratically, leaving uncertain light and shadow on his face.
He put on his sinister smile and said solemnly, word by word,
"Your Majesty, Zang Tu has been calmed down, and all the princes and kings are coming to Beijing to pay homage. Everyone is eagerly looking forward to the news of the great enfeoffment.
Besides, everyone knows that the vacant throne of King Yan in the north was specially reserved by His Majesty for Taiwei Lu Wan. "
Liu Ji lowered his face and asked,
"Yes, I plan to make Lu Wan King of Yan, so what?
In addition to Lu Wan, I also plan to reward relatives and sons. They can't help but rebel now? "
"Your Majesty, please do not get angry, please ask yourself first,"
Half of Zhang Liang's face was shrouded in shadow, but he still spoke slowly and slowly.
“Your Majesty rose from the ranks of commoners by slaying white snakes, and went through countless hardships with the veterans and heroes to conquer the world. Now, it is finally time to reward according to merit.
Looking at the dozen or so feudal lords who have been granted the title of marquis now, whether they are Xiao He, Zhou Bo, Zhou Chang or Lao Chan, they all cherished the old friendship for His Majesty, and specially selected the closest old friends to be the first to be granted the title of marquis. "
"yes."
***
"Your Majesty punished Zang Tu, punished Han Xin, and summoned kings with different surnames from thousands of miles away to the capital to take the opportunity to reprimand and supervise them. Therefore, these are the people with whom Your Majesty has always been dissatisfied or resented."
"What you said is wrong.
If they could just stay on their own terms and make no more mistakes, I wouldn't have driven them all away. Liu Ji gritted his teeth and said.
Such a virtuous guesser did not forget to pretend to be generous during the secret meeting between the two. It was really unnecessary. Zhang Liang shook his head silently in the dark and continued calmly,
"Although His Majesty's every move has reached a high level, he still occupies a position that attracts the attention of everyone in the world. As time goes by, His Majesty's thoughts may not be concealed."
It is difficult to be an emperor. No matter how clever and covert the measures are, the people of the court cannot stop trying to figure out the Holy Heart day and night. Sooner or later, its true intentions will be exposed.
"Oh, exactly.
I am also a mortal, how can I resist thinking about it all day long. "
Liu Ji's tone softened, showing helplessness and worry.
"You go on."
"Yes. The old minister just said that so far, those who have been rewarded are all close to His Majesty, and those who have been killed or punished are those who have quarrels with His Majesty.
And there are still many meritorious officials who have yet to receive rewards. "
Liu Ji hesitated and said,
"There is nothing we can do about it. After all, heroes are different from ordinary soldiers. If we really seal them off one by one, the treasury does not have enough money and land. Xiao He needs to slowly piece it together. It is definitely impossible to seal them all at once."
"Since Your Majesty said this, you can't blame the group of inferior heroes on the sand outside for gathering together every day to plot.
Everyone knows that the current treasury's resources are not enough to award rewards, and everyone has small calculations in their hearts.
Those who have done meritorious deeds are counting their merits, and those who have done wrong are counting their faults. Those who have done meritorious service are worried that Your Majesty will not be able to reward them as promised, and those who have made demerits are worried that His Majesty will pursue and punish them.
The human heart is like an ocean, unfathomable. Once you think too much, it will be unfair to both sides and you will feel guilty. Hehe, hehe, then it is better to just do the opposite. "
***
In the long and dim road, Zhang Liang's voice was not loud, but it sounded like a heavy weight, like a heavy hammer hitting Liu Ji's ears, and those two sneers were like a cold and moist snake, crawling slowly and windingly. On his vest.
I don't know whether it was because of the cold weather, but Liu Ji couldn't help shivering, his whole body was shaking, and his head was buzzing. He subconsciously tightened the hand stove and asked urgently,
"Mr. Yi, how can we nip things in the bud and avoid a catastrophe?"
Zhang Liang said calmly,
"I am not very talented, but I have come up with a way to relieve Your Majesty."
"Say it quickly."
"May I ask Your Majesty, among the many generals below, who do you hate the most in your life?"
Liu Ji didn't hesitate for a moment and said without hesitation,
"The person I hate the most is that bastard Yong Chi.
He betrayed his trust and sold Fengyi, and he had an old grudge with me. I had long wanted to kill him with one blow.
It's just that because of his high military merit and senior qualifications, he couldn't find a reason for it for a while. "
Zhang Liang asked again,
"Do the ministers know that Your Majesty hates Yong Chi?"
"The old guys who came all the way must know it, otherwise Wang Ling wouldn't always persuade me to spare him."
Hearing this, Zhang Liang smiled, and there was a flash of sharpness in Chaos old eyes.
"Then, your majesty, please reward Yong Chi immediately. The reward should be generous and fast.
Now that Yong Chi has been granted the title, the hearts of all the heroes waiting to be crowned will be at ease. "
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***
In the flash of lightning, Liu Ji had completely understood Zhang Liang's intention:
As we all know, what he hates most is Yong Chi.
If Yong Chi is awarded a prize, it will be like giving the heroes a reassurance——
Today's emperor even bans his enemies, so he doesn't have to worry, he just needs to wait quietly.
A smile appeared in the corner of Liu Ji's eyes. Although he was not as talented as Zhang Liang, Xiao He and others, he was always good at making use of people, and he also had a sharp eye and could identify goods.
Zhang Liang's current advice is just a sophisticated plan for planning a country, which shows that he is sincerely planning for himself.
"Zifang's plan is brilliant! It just makes that bastard easier."
Overjoyed, Liu Ji slapped the pillars with his palms and praised in his mouth,
"Tell me again, besides Yong Chi, who else should be sealed and used right now?"
"Well, I'm sorry to say it bluntly. The purpose of conferring Yong Chi is to calm the hearts of meritorious ministers. And if Your Majesty vigorously recruits another person, it can calm the hearts of kings with different surnames."
"Could it be Han Xin again?"
"What do you mean by the word 'you'?" Zhang Liang asked knowingly, but with a vague guess in his heart.
Liu Ji smacked his lips and stroked his chin and said,
"In addition to the ovary, the queen also recommended him to me."
"The old minister believes that the country is at a time when it is employing people, and Han Xin has great talent, so there is no need to regret it.
As for the rest, just think of a way to keep him under control. "
"Well, I understand, let me think about it again.
Hey, Zifang, your hand stove is here, warm it up quickly. "
Seeing Xiao Huangmen hurriedly carrying a small ceramic hand stove, and even more cleverly, he also picked up a fur cloak. Liu Ji smiled and said,
"It's hard for you to have your eyes opened, why don't you wait for the master to put it on."
Xiao Huangmen quickly put on Zhang Liang's cloak, and the thrilling conversation ended quietly.
In the evening of the next day, Liu Ji held a banquet in the palace to entertain the officials.
During the banquet, he announced in public that Yongchi would be granted the title of Marquis of Shifang, and the food town would be located near Fengyi. It was quite generous, with a total of 2,500 households.
At the same time, he urged Xiao He on the spot to review the achievements of the remaining heroes as soon as possible and reward them as soon as possible.
