The emperor was smiling and speaking in a gentle tone, but the meaning behind his words made King Zhou and others frown slightly.
It is impossible for the court to take any action because of what Duke Cheng Guo said in the Tenth Prince's Mansion. This is normal.
Although, in a strict sense, what Zhu Yi said in the Tenth Prince's Mansion could be regarded as sowing discord between the Tian family and even secretly connecting with the vassal king.
However, after all, the words are unfounded, and it would be fine if it were someone else, but the status of Duke Chengguo's palace in the court is extraordinary, and it can be regarded as the face of the noble family today.
If this matter gets serious and Zhu Yi turns his back on it, King Zhou and others will have no choice.
However, despite this, the emperor's reaction was a bit too plain...
After hesitating for a moment, King Zhou said.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that I have no intention of intervening in the government affairs of the imperial court. However, the recent news coming from the capital has indeed made me uneasy. Therefore, when I enter the palace this time, I also want to boldly ask Your Majesty what Duke Cheng Guo said. I wonder if it’s true?”
This is actually asking knowingly.
If they had not known that this matter was confirmed, King Zhou and others would not have come all the way to the capital.
Although it is said that the memorial of the Ministry of Rites gradually spread in the court when Hu Hu invited Shen Yi to discuss it together.
But for the vassal kings, the news they received actually came earlier.
When King Yi came to Beijing, King Min had already revealed the news. With the help of Zongxue, all the kings had basically heard the news.
Now, when King Zhou mentions it again, it is just a conversation.
Zhu Qiyu naturally knew the reason for this, so he had nothing to hide. After pondering for a moment, he said a few words to Wynn next to him, so Wynn bowed his hands and stepped back. After a while, two servants appeared. He returned with two memorials in his hands, and at Zhu Qiyu's signal, sent the memorials to the King of Zhou and others.
"These two memorials, one is a secret memorial submitted by the Ministry of Rites before, which talks about some ideas about the vassal reform, and the other was just submitted. Regarding the arrangements for the kings to leave the capital, several uncles have asked , might as well take a look."
Seeing this situation, several people hesitated. However, seeing Zhu Qiyu smiling and showing no displeasure, King Zhou took the lead in cupping his hands, picked up the two memorials, briefly rolled his eyes, and then handed one of them over. Gave it to King Yi.
After a while, several people finished reading the memorial and put it back on the imperial desk. They pondered for a moment and then wanted to speak.
However, this time, Zhu Qiyu opened his mouth before all of them and said.
"The matter of vassalage is not urgent for the moment. I originally wanted to hear the opinions of several uncles. I have just ordered people to summon other kings into the palace. When everyone arrives, we will discuss it in detail."
"Let's talk about leaving the capital first. Uncle Yi Wang, the Ministry of Rites really has intentions and wants my uncle to stay in the capital and help with the affairs of the clan."
"However, the reason for this is that between the uncle of King Min and the uncle of Xiang...therefore, there must be a mediator to mediate. During this period, uncle Yiwang got along well with the two of them, so that there would be This proposal is not to detain my uncle in the capital."
"If Uncle Yiwang doesn't want to, then I won't force it."
These words were sincere. Logically speaking, at this time, King Yi should follow the words and carry out this errand.
But the problem is that King Yi really doesn't want to get involved in the muddy waters of the capital.
Therefore, after taking a look at King Zhou and King Lu, King Yi finally stood up and cupped his hands.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that if I can serve the country, I do not dare to refuse. However, I have never been talented or moral. I have done a lot of ridiculous things before... I have done a lot of ridiculous things before. Although I have changed my mind now, I have to say that I am an associate minister. Zong affairs, I have no reputation or ability."
"Besides, I have been away from Yifan for a long time, and I think there are many things that need to be handled by me. Therefore, I still want to ask your majesty to let me continue to return to the fiefdom, Fanping Sheji."
This was said rather euphemistically, but since King Yi brought King Zhou, King Lu and others here, he was actually expressing his attitude.
In a sense, this is actually showing loyalty to the emperor. Everyone is his own family, so even if it is such a sensitive matter as Zhu Yi's visit, he is willing to tell the truth, even in order to prove that what he said is true. , and also asked the other two princes to come and testify.
Because of this, when asked whether he was willing to stay in Beijing, King Yi naturally also 'told the truth'.
Of course, there are risks in doing so. The so-called reputation ability is actually just an excuse. To put it bluntly, it is just that King Yi does not want to stay in the capital.
Zhu Yi was right about one thing, that is, the reason why the Ministry of Rites kept him in the capital actually meant that the emperor valued him.
Nowadays, his sincere refusal is quite a bit disrespectful, which is why he has done so much foreshadowing.
King Yi's purpose was actually to offset the bad feeling caused by his refusal to be reused by the emperor with the good impression he brought to the emperor by being loyal, honest and without any concealment.
But what is the probability of success? He is really not sure. Of course, there is nothing he can do if he is not sure. Now that he has met Zhu Yi, he will inevitably be involved in the Tianjia dispute. What he is doing now is what he can think of. The best way to avoid this dispute in heaven.
At this point, King Zhou and King Lu were actually powerless.
The fact that they can come and testify to King Yi is actually the limit. Again, the emperor wants to reuse the Zhu family clan because of trust and what they, the vassal kings, should do. Therefore, if the emperor insists on keeping King Yi, they There is no objection, unless they are willing to stay on their own, but who is willing to wade into the muddy waters of the capital?
Therefore, whether King Yi can escape or not can only depend on the emperor's will.
However, what is unexpected is that the emperor only pondered for a moment and then said.
"I am very pleased that my uncle, King Yi, has this intention. Indeed, whether he is in the fief or in the capital, he is serving the country. Since my uncle is determined to return to the fief and serve as a vassal for the country, I naturally have no reason not to allow it."
Ah this...
The surprise came a bit quickly, making Yi Wang unable to react for a while.
I also know that since the Ministry of Rites has read this memorial, it must have figured out the pulse of the emperor. Therefore, King Yi was already prepared. He would be praised by the emperor, come back with a soft blow, or simply reprimanded him. Meal preparation.
But who would have thought that the emperor would agree so readily?
However, it only took a moment before King Yi put aside other thoughts and bowed quickly.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. Please rest assured. After I return to my fiefdom this time, I will definitely change my mind, change my past mistakes, stick to my duty, conquer the country, and serve the imperial court."
Regardless of the reason, the emperor's golden words have already been spoken. At this time, what King Yi has to do is to show his loyalty, guarantee, and make the emperor happy.
As for what it will be like to return to the fief in the future, well...
This was originally a routine matter, but what people didn't expect was that the emperor leaned forward and said.
"What my uncle said is very much in line with my wishes, but I don't know how my uncle plans to conquer the country after he returns to his fiefdom."
this……
King Yi was a little confused when he was asked, what is Fanping Sheji?
He was just saying polite words. What does Your Majesty mean by asking this?
Not only King Yi, but also King Zhou and King Lu were a little surprised when they heard this.
If this was said in the Hongwu period, it would be normal. In the Yongle period, they could barely say a few words to deal with it.
After all, the vassal kings at that time had a great say in local civil affairs, taxation, and even the appointment and removal of officials. In addition, the vassal kings guarded one area and each had their own escorts. Local areas such as If there is a rebellion, troops can also be deployed to suppress it. It is no exaggeration to say that it is truly a shield.
Even if it is the king of Sai on the border, he has greater power. In addition to the guards of his own palace, he can also mobilize the local garrison. In case of emergency, he can even control all local military and political affairs.
However, this is all in the past after all, and now...
To put it bluntly, today's clans in various places are governed by the ancestral teachings of the Emperor Ming and the emperors of the past generations. You can submit the memorial to the court.
In the era when people could be impeached even if they went out for hunting in the city, the so-called Fanping Sheji was actually at most just standing in the fiefdom to show its presence and letting everyone know that this was still the Zhu family's world. If it went too far, at most it would be a local For major events such as rebellion, the vassal king can report to the court early, which can be regarded as fulfilling his duty of care.
As for the rest of the time, you can stay at home peacefully, whether playing the piano, reading, or having tea and banquets. As long as you don't randomly participate in local political affairs, bully the people, and cause trouble to the court, you will be considered a qualified vassal king. .
Your Majesty suddenly asked, what do you want to do?
Seeing that several people were in a daze, Zhu Qiyu smiled slightly and his expression became gentler, but no matter how he looked at it, it made people feel that there was some inexplicable evil intention.
As expected, Zhu Qiyu spoke again and said.
"My uncle also said just now that, whether in the capital or in a fiefdom, as a member of the Zhu family's clan, he should serve the country. When Emperor Taizu divided the kings into vassal states, he hoped that the kings could guard one side of the court for the imperial court. Keep the peace of the fiefdom and the well-being of the people, okay?"
There seems to be nothing wrong with this, but listening to it, something always feels wrong.
However, facing the emperor's gentle face, they could not deny it, so they had to nod their heads in turn.
So, the emperor's eyes fell on King Yi's face again and said.
"Yifan is located in Henan, and Luoyang Prefecture is also a fertile land with a rich annual output. However, in recent years, disasters have occurred frequently in various places. In Henan alone, in the past few years, there have been droughts, hailstorms, locusts and other natural disasters. The local people are suffering unspeakably.”
"Although I have never been to various places in person, what I heard from the memorial makes me feel extremely heartbroken. Last year, the capital was in trouble. A few days ago, there were changes on the border. In addition, the army was ordered to redeem acres of land in various places. The national treasury is now Nearly exhausted.”
"But at this time, the Qin Tianjian came to report that this year is a year of disasters. I have ordered officials from all over the country to step up the stocking of Changping warehouses. However, it may be difficult to prepare them all at once. What will happen next? During the New Year, disaster reports have been coming in from some places one after another. Recently, I have been tossing and turning in my mind, unable to sleep with worry."
"Not to mention other places, Henan Prefecture alone has very little snowfall this winter. If there is still no rain in the next few months, a bad harvest is almost certain. This is the fiefdom of Yi Wang's uncle. I think it is more important than mine. I understand, but I wonder if Uncle Yi Wang has any good ideas?"
Yes, it’s really not that easy to pass.
King Yi sighed in his heart. God was responsible for the disaster. What good plan could he have?
When a disaster strikes, what else can we do, including disaster relief?
How the imperial court provides disaster relief? Come to think of it, it is not his turn as a vassal king to dictate. The purpose of the emperor's words is actually very simple. It is that the imperial court is in difficulty and natural disasters continue. Don't you, King Yi, do something?
Since he said that he wanted to return to the fiefdom, he wanted to be on the side of Fan Ping. If these people are displaced and have no food and clothing, can you, King Yi, just stand by and watch?
"Well……"
King Yi looked at the emperor's gentle smile and knew that whether he could return to the fiefdom now was in the emperor's mind. Therefore, after thinking for a moment, he had no choice but to say.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that if there is a disaster in the local area, as a vassal king, I cannot sit idly by. In recent years, the Yi Palace has still had a small amount of savings. I am willing to donate 5,000 shi of grain and put it into the Changping warehouse to meet the urgent needs of the local area. .”
After saying these words, King Yi couldn't help but feel a little twitching in his heart. The King of Yi's mansion had already suffered heavy losses due to this reorganization of the army, but Yu Qian showed no mercy at all. Less than half of the land in his mansion was taken back to the government.
Now, if I want to leave the capital, I will be exploited by the emperor again. You must know that Yi Fan has always had a bad reputation, so he is naturally not welcomed by the court. Therefore, Yi Fan's annual salary is only two thousand dan.
Of course, this is only the annual salary given by the court every year, and the gains from the land under the name of King Yi are not included in this.
However, giving out five thousand stones at once was enough to make King Yi feel distressed.
However, considering that he was losing money and avoiding disaster, King Yi could barely accept it.
However, he obviously underestimated the emperor's appetite.
After hearing what King Yi said, Zhu Qiyu's face looked a little ugly and said.
"What did Uncle Yi Wang say? Although the national treasury is not rich now, I am not here to ask for food from Uncle Yi Wang. I just feel that Fan Ping has its own responsibilities. If the people in the fiefdom are displaced, , it also lost the intention of Emperor Taizu to divide the kings."
Yes, yes, you are right.
Can the imperial court refuse the food from Prince Yi's palace?
King Yi felt a burst of curse in his heart, but his face was extremely respectful and he said.
"What your Majesty said is that I just want to do my little bit. On weekdays, I act ridiculously and rarely have the opportunity to contribute to the country."
"If these grains can give the people something to eat, then I will feel at ease and make up for my previous mistakes. I hope your Majesty can give me this opportunity."
Having said this, King Yi felt that he had been given a step and had gained face, so the emperor should accept it.
But what he didn't expect was that the emperor still shook his head and spoke slowly.
"Uncle still misunderstood. Filling the Changping Granary is a matter for local officials. These grains are the salary of Prince Yi's palace. How can I take them away?"
"It's just that I always thought that since we are a vassal fief, my uncle always has the responsibility of being a herdsman. Therefore, if there is a disaster, the palace must also be involved. We can't just point to the court to provide disaster relief. What does my uncle think?"
(End of chapter)
