"Bah, bang, bang!" With three whip whistles, all the officials fell silent, and the morning dynasty began.
"Long live my emperor, long live my emperor," the civil and military officials prostrated themselves on the ground and kowtowed to Zhao Yizhi.
Zhao Yizhi stood still and returned the salute, "I love you all."
All the officials stood up and stood up one by one. Zhao Yizhi said to Wang Zhenliang: "Announce it."
Wang Zhenliang bowed in response, stood up and declared loudly: "Summon Zhou Ziru of the Zhou family into the palace."
Zhou Ziru was still wearing white clothes, with a turban on his shoes, and walked slowly into the hall. His pace was not fast, but his clothes were fluttering, and he was young and handsome. At this time, he revealed a carefree and immortal appearance, and some of the civil and military ministers on the left and right were dumbfounded.
"Caomin Zhou Ziru pays homage to Your Majesty." Zhou Ziru walked among the officials and knelt down on the ground to worship.
"Your Majesty decrees: When I was young, I was far away from the government and loyal. I had a pillar to support the sky but could not use it. As a result, the power of Daqi declined and the people were in poverty. It was my fault. Today I worship Zhou Ziru as the prime minister of Daqi and the civil and military officials. The head of the hundred officials, assisting in the administration of the government, the governor-general, all officials, bow down!" Wang Zhenliang shouted in a high-pitched voice.
"Greetings to the Prime Minister!" The civil and military officials turned around on both sides of Zhou Ziru and saluted Zhou Ziru.
Zhou Ziru walked quickly to the civil and military officials, bowed to the left and right sides of the civil and military officials and returned the greeting: "I am young, I will rely on you all for your guidance in the future."
Zhao Yizhi said: "My dear friends, please help the Prime Minister and me in the future, so that the monarch and his ministers can work together to create another prosperous era of great enlightenment!"
"I will do my best and the ZTE will be launched!" All civil and military officials replied in unison.
"Well, there is turmoil everywhere right now. It is reported that people in 17 cities have rebelled and fallen. There is no news at all. What do you think we should do?" Zhao Yizhi saw that the civil and military officials showed their loyalty so quickly, so he This thorny issue was thrown up.
Suddenly, there was silence in the court hall, and all the civil and military officials lowered their heads, like clay and wood sculptures.
Grand Tutor Chen Song stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that although many cities have fallen, they have not touched the foundation of Daqi, and these seventeen cities have also been heard by veterans. Nanhuai, Chuxiang, There are them all in Donglu and other places, not just one place, just issue an edict and order the vassal kings in various places to raise troops to put down the rebellion."
"What the Master said is absolutely true!"
"This way there won't be any need for the imperial court to send troops."
"Soldiers are evil and act recklessly without knowing it. This is a great good!"
The civil and military officials began to discuss in low voices, and all agreed with Chen Song's proposal.
"What the Master said is good. Do you have any other opinions?" Zhao Yizhi held back and continued to ask.
The court hall instantly became quiet. Grand Master Li Changwen had been beheaded. Taibao Qian Zhen was also old and had been specially approved not to go to court. They were worshiped at home like mascots. Grand Master Chen Song's words were spoken, and all civil and military officials Few officials dared to refute.
"What do Zhou Xiangguo think?" Zhao Yizhi knew that these ministers were either timid or fearful, or had ulterior motives. He couldn't ask why, so he could only ask Zhou Ziru, who had just become the Xiangguo.
Zhou Ziru replied loudly: "I think it is better for the vassal king to send troops rather than the imperial court sending troops. The traitor Li Changwen has already subdued the law, and the world is shaken because of his deception. If the vassal king is ordered to send troops to annihilate him, or if the vassal king buys people's hearts and strengthens his strength, then It is not good for the court. Or it may be unfavorable for the vassal king to conquer, and it will also damage the majesty of the court in the hearts of the people. The current plan is that the court should raise troops to investigate the culprits and quell the rebellion, so as to show the majesty of the court, appease the people, and show the benevolence of the court. This is the law. !”
"The vassal prince's annual tribute has not arrived yet, and the imperial court's financial resources are weak. How can he use the armored troops rashly! The old minister thought it was better to order the vassal prince to send troops!" Upon hearing this, Chen Song immediately shouted and insisted on his opinion.
"If you dare not send troops just because the annual tribute is insufficient and the financial resources are weak, the vassal kings know that they will not pay the annual tribute and can only send troops to demonstrate the ceremony!" Zhou Ziru frowned and immediately retorted.
"Your Majesty!" Zhou Ziru had just become the prime minister. Chen Song didn't dare to argue with him forcefully, so he persuaded Zhao Yizhi instead. "The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and we have to organize lantern festivals and sacrifices. We really can't raise funds to put down the rebellion. If your Majesty insists on sending troops, I'm afraid the world will talk about it. Your Majesty, please think twice!"
"In previous years...which vassal had the fastest annual tribute?" Zhao Yizhi suddenly asked.
Chen Song was stunned for a moment when he was asked, but he still replied blankly: "Your Majesty, in previous years, Nanhuai had the fastest annual tribute. Nanhuai is located in the south of the Yangtze River. Compared with other places, it is quite wealthy and is closest to the capital, so , the annual tribute from Jiangnan was delivered in less than August every year."
Zhao Yizhi continued to ask, "Then why is the annual tribute in Nanhuai so slow this year? It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the annual tribute is still missing?"
Now I asked Chen Song. He was living in the capital, so how could he know why Nanhuai's annual tribute hadn't been sent yet...
Zhou Ziru opened his mouth to help Chen Song out of the siege and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard something. I heard that there is a mine near Yicheng. There are miners in Jiacheng secretly recruiting people to dig it. Unexpectedly, Yicheng discovers it and takes people up the mountain to argue. Instead, they were beaten down by the miners from Jiacheng. Yicheng organized people again and drove the miners away. The miners went back to Jiacheng again to recruit people. After going back and forth like this, I heard that the number on both sides has almost grown to tens of thousands. Nan King Huai once wanted to mediate, but... the Jiangnan clan didn't seem to give him the honor."
"Is this what the turmoil in Jiacheng and Yicheng in Nanhuai refers to?" Zhao Yizhi then remembered that the reason for the loss of news in Jiacheng and Yicheng in Nanhuai was because of a mineral deposit.
"Exactly, I heard that the teachers in the private schools and the innkeepers were all called by the village chiefs to help in the battle..." Zhou Ziru suppressed a smile.
Zhao Yizhi sighed lightly: "In this case, it's not enough to ignore Nanhuai..."
When Chen Song heard this, he quickly said: "Your Majesty, today is the ninth day of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and there is really no money for the army to conquer!"
Zhou Ziru frowned slightly. Although Chen Song was a bit pedantic, he was absolutely loyal to the court. Looking at it like this, he really couldn't afford to send troops...
Zhao Yizhi looked at the eager-looking Chen Song and the frowning Zhou Ziru, and after some calculation in his mind, he said: "Both of the ideas of the two dear friends have their merits, but also their inconveniences. But the Nanhuai War We must not ignore the matter. I intend to send an envoy to Nanhuai to inquire about the mineral deposits and annual tribute. I wonder which of my dear friends is willing to go?"
Zhao Yizhi had just finished speaking, and even the ministers who had just raised their heads to watch Chen Song and Zhou Ziru argue lowered their heads, fearing that Zhao Yizhi would see them and accidentally choose them.
Zhao Yizhi looked to his left and then to his right. Except for Zhou Ziru and Chen Song, he could not see the faces of any ministers. Only rows of official hats faced him. Suddenly, Zhao Yizhi saw that there was one missing person among the civil servants. Taking a closer look, it turned out to be a short official who was trying to hide himself behind the official in front of him to prevent Zhao Yizhi from getting there. Discover.
Zhao Yizhi suddenly felt a little funny and said loudly: "Which beloved is not here? Why is there still one missing for the eleventh one? Mr. Wang, is there any beloved who has asked for leave but has not come to court?"
Wang Zhenliang looked at the vacant seats. Although he was older, Wang Zhenliang still had good eyesight. When he saw the hiding official, he looked at Zhao Yizhi again and understood in his heart. He followed Zhao Yizhi's play and said: "Reporting to the Emperor, no one asked for leave."
"That's unreasonable! He didn't ask for leave but was absent from the morning court without any reason. Someone come and find out who this official is! I will terminate his official position!" Zhao Yizhi pretended to be angry.
"Your Majesty, please inform Your Majesty that your humble minister is here." When the official heard this, he quickly got out in fright and knelt on the ground. "Wei Chen... is short and was blocked. Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Zhao Yizhi pretended to suddenly realize: "Ah, I didn't look carefully. I thought Aiqing didn't come to court. What is Aiqing's name? Any official position?"
The official replied honestly: "Huang Bai, a humble minister, is appointed as the official of the court meeting."
"Master Chaoyi, you must have a strategy in mind! This trip to Nanhuai is a laborious trip to love you!" Zhao Yizhi said without any doubt.
"Weak minister... thank you, Your Majesty." Huang Bai felt bitter in his heart. He was timid and fearful by nature. He was afraid of being selected and deliberately hid behind other officials. He didn't want to backfire, so he was still targeted by Zhao Yizhi. Since there was no possibility of changing the emperor's order, Huang Bai had no choice but to bite the bullet and agreed.
At this time, Chen Song and Zhou Ziru were speechless. Whether Nanhuai was fighting for mineral deposits or the people were unrest, Zhao Yizhi did not send troops to conquer. Since no money or food was spent, Chen Song could not say anything else. When Zhou Ziru saw that Zhao Yi was sending an envoy to Nanhuai, he understood that Zhao Yizhi also agreed with his plan and had already begun to reduce the vassal. The sending of envoys to urge Sui Gong was just a pretense. In fact, he still wanted to inquire about Nanhuai. Virtual reality. After Nanhuai, the most prosperous area, returned to the imperial court, who would care about Sui Gong's affairs.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" The decision was made, and all the civil and military officials spoke at the right time and congratulated each other in unison.
After leaving the court, the officials filed out of the hall. Huang Bai walked at the back of the crowd with a slumped face and a grimace. His steps were so heavy that he couldn't even lift them up, dragging them step by step on the ground.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziru frowned again, summoned a young eunuch, and after giving a few instructions, the young eunuch took Zhou Ziru out of the hall, turned left and right, and headed towards Zhao Yizhi's imperial study.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zhou wants to see you." The young eunuch announced outside the door.
"Come in." Zhao Yizhi was quite surprised. He had just left the morning court and he came to see him again.
As soon as Zhou Ziru saw the imperial study room, he wanted to salute, but Zhao Yizhi waved his hand to dissuade him: "Forget it. Now that you are the prime minister, there are not so many red tapes in private. What is important, Mr. Zhou?"
Zhou Ziru glanced outside the door and said softly: "Your Majesty already has the intention to cut down the vassal?"
Zhao Yizhi rubbed his forehead and said: "I have this intention, but I haven't made up my mind yet."
"Your Majesty first sent someone to find out the reality of Nanhuai? Then make a decision? I think that Huang Bai is timid and incompetent. I am afraid that your Majesty has entrusted someone who is not a person, so I came here to give advice." Zhou Ziru said it bluntly.
Zhao Yizhi nodded and said: "Of course I know. It's okay to ask Huang Bai to write a memorial at home. Find out the truth... Hahahaha... I'm afraid I won't be able to find out anything." Zhao Yizhi thought of Huang Bai above the court. Even though he was hiding, he couldn't help but laugh.
Zhou Ziru also ignored the etiquette of monarchs and ministers and sat down on a chair nearby: "Then why did your majesty send him? Nanhuai is the first vassal territory to be reduced. If things fail, the court will have no money or food by then. The vassal kings everywhere are on guard, things will be a hundred times more difficult!"
Zhao Yizhi smiled and said: "Don't I know the importance of Nanhuai? I also have a candidate, Mr. Zhou, you don't have to worry."
Zhou Ziru looked at Zhao Yizhi's confident appearance and asked intentionally. He opened his mouth, stood up, bowed to Zhao Yizhi and left.
After Zhou Ziru left, Zhao Yizhi rubbed his forehead again, "Maybe we can give it another try..."
