In a remote small town, above the county government office, the county magistrate was tied up and pushed to the ground. His official hat had been thrown away, and his official uniform was in tatters, covered with dirt and footprints. A group of people standing or sitting around stared at the magistrate angrily. A rough man with a beard and a black face sat in the magistrate's seat in the county government office, leisurely cracking melon seeds.
"You are rebelling! As soon as the imperial army arrives, you will become fans!" Although the county magistrate was tied up, he still struggled and shouted to the people around him.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"He is also a dog official who speaks for the court!"
"The imperial court is stupid and killed the Grand Master. We want to avenge the Grand Master!"
The people watching were filled with anger, and their voices became louder than the others.
The county magistrate stared at the black man and said word by word: "I am an official of the imperial court, and I know that Daqi does have some shortcomings. But I know better than you. Your Majesty is a wise king, and he is now bringing order to the chaos. ! I advise you to return as soon as possible!"
The black man spat out the melon seed shell lightly and said angrily: "This dog official dares to speak for the court, drag him out and chop him up."
A few capable young men emerged from the common people, picked up the county magistrate who was tied up in a ball, and carried him outside.
After a while, a young man grabbed the county magistrate's hair and walked into the yamen with his head, showing it to the black man. When the black man saw the county magistrate's head, he immediately burst out laughing, and the onlookers also laughed. When they got up, only a few people wept secretly, and they had to avoid everyone.
Scenes like this are happening one after another in many small towns, some are more tragic than this, and some are more peaceful than this...
Beijing.
"Mr. Wang, what's the news from various places? How many places..." Zhao Yizhi noticed that Wang Zhenliang quietly entered the room, retreated from the meditative state, and asked.
Wang Zhenliang muttered and did not dare to speak. Zhao Yizhi got out of bed and put on his shoes and said, "But it doesn't matter, I know it well."
Wang Zhenliang then said bravely: "Your Majesty, in addition to Anxi, Beidi, and Dingliao in the north, which are still stable, Nanhuai, Chuxiang, Sichuan, Shu, and Donglu have all come to report, and refugees from various places have rebelled. , killed the county magistrate and robbed the granary, a total of 17 cities fell, and no news has been sent back from the farthest Xigui, I don’t know what the situation is... Your Majesty, if this continues..."
Zhao Yizhi waved his hand: "I knew it in my heart. It's much less than I expected."
Wang Zhenliang wanted to talk again, but Zhao Yizhi closed his eyes: "Go down." Wang Zhenliang exited the door, sighed very quietly, and left.
Zhao Yizhi then opened his eyes and said with a smile: "What are you sighing about, old guy?"
Even if the two young eunuchs outside the door heard it, they didn't hear it clearly. Zhao Yizhi was in the room and could hear Wang Zhenliang's sigh clearly. If there were any bystanders here, they would definitely be heard by Zhao Yizhi. So scared.
Zhao Yizhi was also aware of his own changes, and sighed: "This "Royal God" is really top-grade. You can practice it like falling into the clouds, and use it like an arm and a finger. It's a pity that there is only the first chapter..."
Zhao Yizhi shook his head, quickly put aside his unwillingness about "Royal God", and recalled that day.
That day, as soon as the Xu Shi guards escorted Li Changwen away, Zhao Yizhi summoned Zhou Ziru.
"Mr. Zhou, now that the evidence of Taishi Li's crime is conclusive, and I am willing to commit suicide, what should happen after the execution?" Zhao Yizhi asked when he saw Zhou Ziru.
Zhou Ziru frowned: "Execution? Execution of Li Changwen? Absolutely not! Your Majesty, Li Changwen is the grand master of the dynasty. There is nothing he can do about ordinary charges. People all over the world have the crime of assassinating the king and killing the king. How many people can believe it? Moreover, Li Changwen has a very high prestige, and there are no fishermen or woodcutter who do not know him. Once he is tortured, he is afraid that the society will be turbulent...According to the humble opinion of the common people, he can be dismissed from office first and sent back to his hometown, and then... he suddenly falls ill and dies. Death..." Zhou Ziru quietly observed Zhao Yizhi's expression, wanting to see Zhao Yizhi's reaction.
After hearing this, Zhao Yizhi smiled slightly and nodded in praise: "It is indeed a good idea. In this way, everyone in the world has nothing to say, and Li Changwen is removed from the court. It can be said that it kills two birds with one stone! Mr. Zhou is worthy of the Zhou family in the capital. name! Then I dare to ask, sir, after getting rid of Li Changwen, what will be the next step?"
Zhou Ziru stared closely into Zhao Yizhi's eyes and slowly uttered two words from his mouth: "Cutting the feudal lordship!"
Zhao Yizhi was shocked. He came from a later generation and naturally understood the meaning of cutting down the feudal vassal. If he succeeds, he will be praised for eternity, but if he fails, his family will be destroyed. Although Zhao Yizhi was shocked, his face remained calm and he said, "Why did Mr. Zhou suddenly propose to cut down the vassalage?"
Zhao Yi asked, and Zhou Ziru became interested and talked eloquently: "At the beginning of the founding of the country by Emperor Taizu of Daqi, the vassal kings established in various places were only to collect taxes and pay annual tribute every year. Although they belonged to the territory, they were limited to one city. Although there are private soldiers, there are only ten thousand, which is not a cause for concern. However, over the past six hundred years, many local county magistrates have completely surrendered to the vassal king, and the vassal king's strength has gradually grown. If this continues, within a hundred years, the Zhou Dynasty will be in trouble. The Qi Dynasty is happening again, so the reduction of vassal status is imminent!"
Zhao Yizhi remained silent. He admitted that what Zhou Ziru said was absolutely correct. This era did not know the history of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was different from the Qin, Han and Sui Dynasties. The cause of the destruction was that the last emperor was either fatuous or incompetent, which led to the destruction of the country. It can be said that during the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, there were either internal or external troubles. No matter how wise the last emperor was, he was already at his wits end. That's why when he first woke up, Taifu Chen looked overjoyed when he saw that he was safe and sound, and was interested in intervening in the flood in Wancheng. In fact, a good system is a thousand times more important than a good emperor.
"Does Mr. Zhou have any plans on how to reduce the vassal status?" Zhao Yizhi asked.
"The three kings in the north must not move lightly. The northern barbarians are watching eagerly outside the wall. If they kill the three kings in the north, there is no guarantee that the northern barbarians will not take the opportunity to go south! The same is true for King Xigui. If the southern barbarians go north, then they will be attacked from both sides. The remaining four Among the kings, the common people proposed to capture Nanhuai first. Nanhuai has always been close to the imperial court, and it is easier to recover. Moreover, the land of Nanhuai is rich in money and food, which can strengthen the imperial power! Secondly, it will be Donglu or Chuxiang. But with one blow, the imperial court and the southern barbarians in the Xigui land can surrender without a fight. In the end, the three kings in the north are left at your fingertips!" Zhou Ziru became more and more excited as he spoke, and he told the whole plan in his heart.
Zhao Yizhi thought about it carefully, and the whole plan went from slow to urgent, using the strong to swallow up the weak, and it turned out to be flawless. I just don’t know how difficult it will be to implement. Will the initial Nanhuai King holding it in his hands cause the other vassal kings to be alert and join forces to fight against the court? Or it is unknown whether King Xigui and the three kings from the north will collude and open the country's gates to allow foreigners to enter.
Zhao Yizhi lay back on the chair, held his forehead and said, "I understand, Mr. Zhou's plan is indeed exquisite and detailed, please let me think twice."
Zhou Ziru also understood the hugeness and complexity of his plan. As the emperor, Zhao Yizhi needed to consider all aspects, so he stopped admonishing him. He was confident that Zhao Yizhi would definitely adopt his idea. The vassal king It is obvious to all that it is gradually becoming bigger. Since Zhao Yizhi has the power of a wise king, it is only a matter of time before he adopts his own ideas. By that time, the world will be united into one, and his achievements will be comparable to Zhou Yu, the ancestor of the Zhou family, and he will truly honor his ancestors. Daqi will be safe forever, and the Zhou family will never fall!
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziru, who had always been calm, had a hint of madness and urgency in his eyes.
Zhao Yizhi did not open his eyes to see Zhou Ziru's expression, but his mental strength was extremely good, and he knew every move in the room. He sighed in his heart: "No wonder Li Changwen said, Zhou Ziru is a double-edged sword, hurting Others also hurt themselves. Zhou Ziru wants to make the entire world an enemy..."
"Your Majesty," Zhou Ziru said, "if you intend to appoint a common man as the prime minister, the common man is willing to serve the country as soon as possible. If you draft the edict to depose Grand Master Li, the common man may do it for you."
After waiting for a long time, Zhou Ziru thought that Zhao Yizhi had fallen asleep, but Zhao Yizhi opened his eyes and said: "Okay, then you can write an edict to depose Li Changwen, behead him in public, annihilate the three clans, and then go to Anhui." Paying money and food for the city's affairs, all these are written down and announced to the world."
Zhou Ziru raised his eyebrows slightly: "Your Majesty, Taishi Li can be killed or not beheaded. If you tell the world, there will be tremors everywhere. I'm afraid there will be unrest..."
Zhao Yizhi smiled, took out an object from his arms, and handed it to Zhou Ziru: "Mr. Zhou, does he know what this is?"
Zhou Ziru took the object in his hand. The object was square and square, made of polished stone, with a lifelike beast engraved on it. He replied: "In the humble opinion of the common people, this is a paperweight. What does your majesty mean by this?" "
Zhao Yizhi nodded and said: "It's a paperweight, yes. This thing was something that Liu Hongliang, the prison director of the Ministry of Punishment, tightly grasped in his hand before he died. I thought it was ironclad evidence against the murderer, but later it was found that the murderer was not long ago in the capital. The two assassins, Mr. Wu and the Fourth Young Master, have nothing to do with the paperweight."
Zhou Ziru listened quietly, knowing that Zhao Yizhi had something else to say.
Zhao Yizhi continued: "Later I learned that there was another prisoner in the prison who was good at driving away rats and whispering. He also conspired with Mr. Wu and others to assassinate me. After this prisoner was captured, I pardoned his death penalty. He kept it for his own use. Only then did he know the purpose of this paperweight. The prisoner told me that at that time, Mr. Wu and the Fourth Young Master went to find Liu Hongliang and asked him to open the cell door wide and release the prisoners to cause trouble in the capital, causing the people to lose control of the imperial court. His trust creates opportunities for a prince."
Zhou Ziru looked at the paperweight in his hand, took over the conversation and said: "Liu Hongliang was wavering left and right, and then he accidentally grabbed the paperweight. Bifan means distinguishing right from wrong and making impartial decisions. Liu Hongliang was inspired by this and decided to report Mr. Wu and the Fourth Young Master. He was eventually arrested. Killed by him?"
Zhao Yizhi nodded: "Daqi is indeed crumbling, but I believe that there are many officials and people like Liu Hongliang who are vacillating in Daqi. What I have to do now is to put a piece in their hands. Paperweight, let them regain their trust in Daqi. Li Changwen takes credit and conceals it. He can be killed or beheaded. The purpose of beheading him is to let everyone in the world see clearly that Daqi still has reason, law, and me!"
Zhou Ziru looked at the paperweight in his hand again, then looked at Zhao Yizhi, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Zhao Yizhi laughed loudly: "Mr. Zhou was too complimentary, which made me blush. Hahahaha, since Mr. Zhou also agrees with my idea, I'll help Mr. Zhou draft an edict and announce it to everyone!"
…
Zhao Yizhi came back from his thoughts: "The reduction of the vassal state is indeed imminent... Before his death, Li Changwen warned me not to send troops for conquest, and Zhou Ziru warned me to put Nanhuai first. If I combine the two, I will neither send troops for conquest." And if Nanhuai is taken first... Sui Gong is coming soon. If Sui Gong is used as an excuse, it may be possible to send smart and capable people deep into Nanhuai to gather information..."
Zhao Yizhi put his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, "Smart and capable...smart and capable..."
Suddenly, Zhao Yizhi opened his eyes suddenly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Yi Xiaodao!"
