On the evening of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month in the sixth year of Guangde, the eldest princess Liu Yufei met her younger brother Liu Kan, Emperor Guangde, who had been away from her for three years at the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City in Nanjing.
Emperor Guangde was about to get married. On the surface, he forced a smile, but inadvertently he showed a sad look, without any hint of joy.
It’s no wonder that rebellions have sprung up in the north and south in recent days, and the old forces’ counterattack plans against the New Deal have reached a climax.
Liu Yufei didn't know how to comfort her younger brother.
The two siblings grew up together. However, after experiencing many changes, especially after Emperor Guangde came to power, the relationship between the siblings was no longer as deep as before.
Although they were both born to the Supreme Emperor, their temperaments were very different. On the contrary, it was her sister Liu Yifei who inherited more of Liu Zhaosun's compassion for others and his strength without desire. In contrast, Liu Kan, the Emperor of Guangde, was more like his mother Zhang Yan and showed more traits in his body. What's more, people in the market of Kaifeng Prefecture are worried about gains and losses and make shrewd calculations.
In order to avoid the suspicion of Emperor Guangde, Liu Yufei left the capital early and went to the fiefdom - Suzhou Mansion - to live in seclusion for three years. Now that something unexpected happened to Ninggu Pagoda, Emperor Guangde asked her sister to return to the capital three times. The two have to meet again.
The eldest princess bowed to Emperor Guangde and asked about the situation of the two queens:
"Your Majesty, how is the Empress Dowager Cisheng feeling well these days? Is Empress Dowager Dong's rheumatism better? How much food can she eat every day?"
Liu Kan quickly replied: "Thanks to the care of the eldest princess, the Cisheng Empress Dowager is in good health and in good spirits. The Eastern Empress Dowager eats fasts and prays to Buddha every day. Since she took the prescription you sent from Suzhou last time, she is as light as a swallow and is living more and more. The younger you get."
"That's good. My father is not here. You still need the help of the two Queen Mothers for some things, which will be more stable."
Liu Yufei showed a rare expression of relief and sat down on the chair.
Emperor Guangde waved his hand, and the chief steward slowly retreated. The maids and eunuchs serving around him also retreated to the door. Before leaving, Eunuch Li did not forget to look up at the eldest princess, his eyes full of expectation.
There were only two siblings left in the empty hall.
The eldest princess picked up the teacup and took a sip. The aroma of tea overflowed.
Seeing that there was no one around, the eldest princess did not show any courtesy to Emperor Guangde and went straight to the point:
"After all, we sister and brother haven't seen each other for more than three years, right? Why did you rush to summon me to the palace this time?"
"Three and a half years." Liu Kan twirled his fingers and silently calculated.
"Ever since my father conquered Japan, you have been going to Suzhou until today."
Emperor Guangde seemed to be recalling something very long ago, and said leisurely: "Three years ago, I was still an emperor without real power. I was no different from the prince in charge of the country. I was surrounded by veterans in both the government and the public... I don't want my father Huangdong to do anything." Once the war was over, everything changed."
The eldest princess put the tea cup back on the coffee table and stared at Emperor Guangde for a while. She was surprised to find that when talking about her father, her brother's face did not show a trace of sadness.
"The garrison at Ningguta mutinied, killed two eunuchs in Ouchi, and clamored to avenge Pu Gang. Do you know about this?"
Liu Yufei nodded.
"I know a little bit. On that day, His Majesty demobilized the 8th Corps. There were retired sergeants in every province. News spread quickly among them."
Emperor Guangde seemed to be grasping a life-saving straw. He quickly took two steps forward and came to the eldest princess:
"I know that you have some friendship with some of the trainers of the Eighth Corps, and Pu Gang also gives you face. Those warriors will listen to you, so I want you to come forward and calm the matter..."
Liu Yufei smiled and shook her head: "I am just a prostitute. How can I handle national affairs? Your Majesty is wise and powerful, strategizing, with an army of hundreds of thousands, and he can be cut off at any time. The civil and military officials of the dynasty can be demoted at any time. How can I have such courage as your Majesty? ?」
Emperor Guangde knew that the eldest princess was complaining about his insistence on implementing the New Deal. He spread his hands and said helplessly:
"My father left me this mess, and I have to take care of it. People outside are questioning me and slandering me. Don't you think so too... My father's tricks have come to an end. It's not like you don't know." .”
The eldest princess patted her younger brother's shoulder gently, as if to encourage the young emperor: "Since you are thinking
If you think so, you should insist on implementing the New Deal. I have never seen you so frustrated. When we were in the Shenyang Palace before, whether it was Cuju or throwing pot, you would never admit defeat. Are you going to admit defeat now? ? "
When Liu Kan heard the eldest princess's extremely gentle tone, the softest part of his heart melted instantly.
For more than a year, Liu Kan was already exhausted from fighting against the sky, the earth, and the entire Da Qi bureaucracy.
He was about to speak when the eldest princess said leisurely: "It's just that this time, if you lose, the entire Qi Dynasty will be buried with His Majesty. Your Majesty should immediately stop the New Deal and stop disarmament, otherwise, I'm afraid it will be a complete defeat. "
Emperor Guangde straightened his messy bun and tried to maintain his dignity as the emperor of Qi.
"So I summoned you this time. I hope you can help me turn the tide and put down the mutiny in various places first. The New Deal has reached its most critical moment. The official system, scientific examinations, taxation... have all been reformed, and only the last thing is left. step."
The eldest princess looked up at her brother in surprise.
"Do you think that the trillions of people and millions of troops in the Qi Dynasty are just cold numbers that can be turned into clouds and rain with your hands? Do you think that soldiers have no dignity and honor?"
Emperor Guangde stared at his sister like a monster, obviously not understanding Liu Yufei's words.
"Sister, why do you say this? Do you think of me as a coward and tyrant? I have properly handled all personnel changes, such as those soldiers who have been laid off. The court allocates fields to them and arranges errands, such as those farmers who sell their fields. The price of the imperial court's buyout was also very fair. I even asked them to formulate a law for this purpose... With too many officials, it is inevitable that there will be corruption, but you cannot completely deny the New Deal just because of some rumors you heard in the market. ·····》
Liu Yufei shook her brother's shoulders vigorously, as if waking up someone who was pretending to sleep.
"Liu Kan, my father asked you to read the books of sages, but you have read all the books in the dog's belly! Those soldiers who were dismissed by you do not care about the severance money at all, nor the errands given to them by the civil affairs officials! They I just want to fight, and I want to wrap my body in horse leather! Da Qi built the country by force. How difficult it was for my father to start a business back then! In the whole Da Qi, except for you, who else is not crawling out of the dead. Now you have laid off the army and use a few taels of silver to send the soldiers. , you have broken our entire spine!"
Liu Kan didn't expect the eldest princess to say such words. He was stunned for a long time before saying:
"Isn't the purpose of being a soldier to eat the royal food? I gave them more, so why are they not satisfied? The Coil Yiwei said that someone was deliberately instigating this. Ning Guta's mutiny was just an accident, nothing more."
"As the emperor of Daqi, you don't understand Daqi, how sad!"
"Liu Kan, don't you understand yet? If the New Deal laws continue to be implemented, Daqi will return to the Ming Dynasty, and you will end up like the former Ming Emperor Zhu Youjian, with your country ruined and your life destroyed!"
"So, Princess, you are not willing to help me deal with those rebels?"
The eldest princess spoke resolutely: "Your Majesty, I am returning to Nanjing this time just to persuade you to stop the New Deal as soon as possible and restore the old system!"
Emperor Guangde stood up and became furious:
"Are you here to force me into the palace? What did those warriors promise you? To make you Wu Zetian?"
The guards guarding the door looked sideways at the two of them. Jiang Liuer was about to step forward with a sharp knife in his hand, but Emperor Guangde stopped him.
"They had some relevant proposals, but I rejected them. We will handle the Liu family's affairs ourselves. Besides, you will be getting married soon..."
"That's enough!" Liu Kan suddenly pulled out his sword and pointed it at Liu Yufei.
"Whether you want to be Wu Zetian or Zhu Di! I tell you, this is Da Qi, not Tang!"
The eldest princess gently pushed the sword away and said with an indifferent expression: "I came to Nanjing to save you, but you pointed the sword at me. My father said that the sword is used to protect the family!"
Liu Kan put the sword back into its scabbard and sat slumped on the dragon chair:
"When I was a child in Shenyang, I was carefree and my father was in front of me to take care of big things. Now that my father is gone, okay
I have to make the final decision on many things. "
A trace of warmth flashed deep in Emperor Guangde's mind. It was a memory from a long time ago. There was such a carefree childhood in the Shenyang Palace.
"I have no foundation in Daqi, and no one in the army supports me, so I can only benefit the people and accumulate some popularity."
Liu Yufei disagreed: "What concession is beneficial to the people? Is this why you implemented the New Deal? Let the local tyrants and evil gentry come back and reoccupy the land and mines? Riding on the heads of the people again to dominate? In order to stabilize your throne?"
Liu Kan gave a wry smile: "When you say this, you are judging a gentleman with a villain's heart. It is said that only women and villains are difficult to raise. Hahaha, this is of course not my original intention. However, after the implementation of the New Deal, it did become like this , this year's new scholars, more than 180 people, half of them are landlords who have made their fortune in the past two years - they are naturally grateful to me - these people are much easier to use than the old ministers left by the emperor. Now, There are many interests around me, and I can no longer make the decision on many things."
Having said this, Emperor Guangde's face darkened, and he suddenly grabbed the teacup on the table and threw it to the ground with all his strength:
"Leave and right, take down the eldest princess!"
