Zhao Shan looked at all the vassal kings who were arrogant in front and respectful in the back, his eyes still cold.
All the feudal lords apologized.
However, Zhao Shan had no intention of picking it up again and putting it down lightly. If he put it down gently, these people would think that the emperor Zhao Shan was a paper tiger. He looked fierce when he killed people, but in fact he did not dare to affect everyone.
To make these people obedient, thunderous means must be used to shock them and make these feudal kings bleed.
Zhao Shan looked at the people kneeling down to plead guilty, grabbed the Long Yuan Sword and threw it on the ground, and said: "Zhao Yi is guilty, who will kill him on my behalf?"
"I come!"
Zhao Tan jumped out in one step.
He moved very quickly, instantly picked up the Long Yuan Sword on the ground, drew the sword and stabbed Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi quickly wanted to hide, but he was old and frail, and his reaction speed was so slow that as soon as he moved his body, the sword had already stabbed him in the chest.
Phew!
The sharp sword tip penetrated Zhao Yi's heart, and then brought out a cloud of blood.
Zhao Tan killed Zhao Yi with one sword blow, then fell to his knees on the ground, holding the Long Yuan Sword in both hands: "Your Majesty, Zhao Yi has evil intentions and deserves to die. I will kill this prison today to get rid of a harm for Your Majesty."
The other feudal lords also looked over, each with envious eyes.
Zhao Tan's speed was too fast.
Zhao Shan took the Long Yuan Sword and said with satisfaction: "King An is loyal and sincere. He will serve as Zong Zheng and take charge of the Zong Ren Mansion from now on."
"I accept the decree!"
Zhao Tan became ecstatic in an instant.
Among the Luoyang vassal kings, Zhao Tan was a young junior and had almost no sense of existence. In addition, he is not Zhao Shan's confidant, nor the confidant of the previous emperors, he is just an ordinary vassal king.
Now, he has become Zongzheng.
Zong Zheng is in charge of the Zongren Mansion and is responsible for managing royal affairs. He has great power and can only be held by the emperor's confidants.
Zhao Tan's body trembled slightly and he said loudly: "I will live up to your majesty's entrustment and swear to the death to complete your errands for your majesty."
Zhao Shan nodded and said: "Prince An's palace has occupied fertile land and greedy money. You can draw up a plan and submit it."
"I obey the decree!"
Zhao Tan answered without hesitation.
Zhao Tan doesn't care at all about external things such as money and land. He is well-dressed and well-fed every day, and has no shortage of food and clothing. He has no idea about money, but he hopes to be in power.
Zhao Shan glanced at all the vassal kings and said in a deep voice: "Are you willing to follow King An's example and take the initiative to hand over the occupied land and money, or will you be punished?"
"I am willing to plead guilty!"
One by one, the vassal kings expressed their opinions.
These people were afraid of being killed, for fear of following in the footsteps of Zhao Ju and Zhao Yi.
Zhao Shan nodded and said: "Since there is no objection, the matter is settled. Each of you will draw up a plan and submit it to Zhao Tan, and then summarize it in front of me. After I verify it, you will send the land deed and money to the Ministry of Household Affairs."
"Until the matter is completed, the Forbidden Army and the Black Armor Army will still block the royal palaces."
"The troops will be withdrawn when the matter is over."
Zhao Shan immediately called the eunuch to convey the order and informed Chen Hu and Zhou Huhou that they would only block it and take no action for the time being. Only the palaces of Zhao Yi and Zhao Ju were to be directly confiscated and destroyed.
Zhao Tan was a person with vested interests and had no objection to Zhao Shan's arrangements. He said loudly: "Your Majesty is wise, and I accept your decree!"
"I accept the decree!"
Each feudal king nodded helplessly.
They didn't dare to resist anymore, and they felt even more regretful in their hearts. They had already paid their respects to Zhao Ju's eighteenth generation ancestors. Regardless of whether the person above was his ancestor, he also cursed.
Zhao Shan said no more, waved his hand, and Zhao Tan and all the vassal kings retreated.
In the main hall, silence returned.
A smile appeared on Zhao Shan's face. It was a good thing this time. He took the opportunity to clean up Zhao Ju and Zhao Shan, and beat and weakened the vassal king in Luoyang.
Zhao Shan continued to deal with government affairs, the heavy rain continued, and another day passed. The rain has become lighter, but it is still heavy rain, and it is not like the heavy rainstorm before.
The rain kept falling, and Zhao Shan felt the slightest chill.
Near noon, Zhuge Shang came and reported that rivers everywhere were releasing floods and everything was stable. But since there are flood discharges, there are people affected by the disaster, and the court has tried its best to accommodate them.
Zhao Shan let Zhuge Shang arrange it and did not intervene. Zhuge Shang reported it and left in a hurry.
At the time of application in the afternoon, Zhao Tan entered the main hall and presented the pleas drawn up by each prince's palace, and each handed over the occupied farmland and money.
Zhao Shan looked at it carefully.
The fertile land occupied by all the vassal kings has extended to the vicinity of Chang'an, approximately 90,000 acres, and the accumulated wealth is even more, as much as 690,000 taels of gold, 5 million taels of silver, and many houses and shops.
Zhao Shan was thoughtful after reading it.
He knew that each royal palace must have left some behind, and it was impossible to hand over all the supplies. But this situation reminded Zhao Shan of the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, when the imperial court was almost out of ammunition and food, and the household department was empty and had no money.
However, the local vassal kings and the ministers in the court all had great wealth, and there were countless amounts of money piled in the cellars.
Much the same today.
Even if the mutual trade between Daqian and Xiliang was managed by Shen Yuanqing, the court was actually short of money. However, the vassal kings and nobles of Daqian were rich. These people exploited the local area and used the resources of the court to make money, and they were all extremely rich.
Zhao Shan put away the memorial and said, "Zhao Tan, you did a good job. Hand it over according to the data on the memorial."
"I obey the decree!"
Zhao Tan breathed a sigh of relief and left in a hurry.
After Zhao Tan left, all the vassal kings in Luoyang handed over money, land deeds, etc. One after another, the Ministry of Households was so fat that Shen Yuanqing almost burst out laughing.
Zhao Shan withdrew his control over the vassal kings. Only the two palaces of Zhao Ju and Zhao Yi had their homes raided, their direct relatives executed, and the rest exiled.
While Zhao Shan was observing the rain, the night was getting darker.
In the Cao family mansion.
In accordance with the bet between Cao Yuzhen and Zhao Shan, Cao Yuzhen strictly prohibited people in the mansion from leaving, and even prohibited anyone from coming and going. It's just that after she made the arrangement yesterday, the Cao family didn't follow it at all.
Even Cao Tong, the head of the family, didn't comply, let alone others.
Cao Yuzhen came to Cao Tong's room in person and advised: "Father, if the heavy rain continues and the cold air invades, an epidemic is bound to break out. Only by prohibiting going out can we prevent the epidemic. Why do you always violate the rules? You don't comply, so what's wrong with my daughter? The person in charge of the Cao family."
Cao Tong puffed his beard and glared, scolding: "Girl, you have read so many books, have you read into the dog's belly? Can such a big living person be suffocated to death by urine when encountering an epidemic? Don't be afraid of it like a tiger, soldiers will stop it Just let the water and the soil cover it up. According to your arrangement, there will be more trouble and greater impact."
Cao Yuzhen frowned and said, "Father, but..."
"do not talk!"
Cao Tong would not spoil Cao Yuzhen and scolded: "You want to study medicine, I don't care. But people who study medicine must not understand the ways of the world. Well, don't disturb me. The heavy rain continues and countless people in Luoyang are affected, so I have to take care of them." We must act in accordance with the Ministry of Rites and cannot hold His Majesty back."
Cao Yuzhen still wanted to say something, but Cao Tong glared at him and could only retreat in dismay.
She stood outside the study, looking at the gloomy sky and the falling rain, with a somewhat depressed expression.
The bet between her and Zhao Shan was lost!
After all, as Zhao Shan expected, her arrangement could not be implemented by the Cao family, let alone blockade Luoyang.
After Cao Yuzhen sighed, his eyes quickly became firm again, and he murmured: "If you lose, you lose. I will admit defeat. However, we cannot delay the treatment of the people."
She left Cao's house in the rain and headed towards the palace again, ready to admit her mistake and apologize to Zhao Shan.
