In the morning, Li Dingxing held the Nanhuai seal in his hand and walked step by step from the Zhengyang Gate of the palace, through the five-layered palace gate, to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Six hundred years ago, the eight kings were awarded the title and walked through the five-layered palace gate side by side. It was so beautiful. But now Li Dingxing walks through the five-layered palace gate alone, but every step he takes is so heavy.
Without much incident, Li Dingxing walked to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and knelt down: "Li Dingxing, the minister of Nanhuai, pays homage to Your Majesty. It has been six hundred years since the ancestor Li Ruguang was granted the title of Nanhuai. The Li family deeply feels the imperial court's kindness and guards the Nanhuai vassal territory. Dare to be negligent. Now that my father and brother have recently lost their lives, I am too weak to take on the important task of guarding Nanhuai. I would like to ask Your Majesty to withdraw from Nanhuai. I would like to express my gratitude to you, Li Dingxing."
Zhao Yizhi already had the word "quasi" on his lips. When he saw Wang Zhenliang quietly stretching out three fingers, he understood in his heart and swallowed the words that came to his lips. Said: "The Li family guarded Nanhuai for the imperial court. The weather in Nanhuai has been good for six hundred years, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. The Li family's contribution is indispensable. If Aiqing feels that it is not enough, the imperial court may help, and there is no need to withdraw the vassal."
Since the Zhou Dynasty, Tai Bo made three concessions to the world, and subsequent generations have followed suit. No matter how desperate Zhao Yizhi was, he would not dare to violate this ancestral system.
"The people of Nanhuai live and work in peace and contentment because they are close to the capital and are blessed by His Majesty. The Li family has made great contributions. I am really frightened. I sincerely request your Majesty's permission to withdraw the vassal Nanhuai. The people of Nanhuai are all looking forward to it." Li Dingxing also knows the rules very well. It takes three requests before it can be done.
"This matter needs to be discussed in the long term. If I love you, I will return to Nanhuai. Since my father and brother are newly deceased, I can be promoted to the king of Nanhuai and stay there for a while before making a decision." Zhao Yizhi gave up the second step.
Li Dingxing raised the seal high above his head, kowtowed in the main hall and said: "I have informed my ancestors, father and brothers, and the Li clan. I also ask your majesty to grant God's grace and grant permission to withdraw from Nanhuai."
Zhao Yizhi and Li Dingxing made three requests and three concessions for each other, which made the civil and military officials in the court happy, at least on the surface they were very happy.
Zhao Yizhi waved his hand and signaled: "Xuan".
Wang Zhenliang cleared his throat slightly and read out the edict that Zhao Yizhi had driven out overnight: "I have a poor moral character and have done nothing for the world during my three years in power. I have relied on the vassals of the world and the civil and military administration of the dynasty. Loyal ministers cannot do anything. Counting is a gift from God. The court and the kings should be one family. The King of Nanhuai is newly mourned, so he should express his condolences, but the old system of his ancestors is here. Nanhuai Li Dingxing asked to withdraw from the vassal, but I refused, but my mind has been firm, and now I allow Nanhuai to withdraw. The vassal, Nanhuai vassal territory was merged into the imperial court. Li Dingxing was granted the title of Duke Zhongyi, ranking above the three Dukes. He granted a general amnesty to the whole world and exempted Nanhuai from taxes for one year. I appreciate this!"
…
Nanhuai has withdrawn its vassalage!
This news soon spread throughout Daqi through various channels, and the world was shocked.
The people's reactions were mixed, some applauded and some complained. The reactions of other vassal kings were also different.
Among the vassal kings, King Xigui reacted most quickly and took the lead in presenting a congratulatory letter to the court. To the north, Anxi, Beidi, and the three kings of Dingliao remained silent, turning a deaf ear to the withdrawal of the vassal from Nanhuai, as if they were not aware of it. Chu Xiang's annual tribute arrived late, and dozens of robbers were brought in custody. Other than that, he did not say anything. There were only folk rumors that the King of Sichuan and Shu was furious in the palace and yelled at the sky. As for King Donglu... his head has long since disappeared... this news has been kept secret, and not many people know about it.
"Bastard! This Li Dingxing, and Zhang Zifang, I think he is a stinker! The six-hundred-year-old foundation has just been given away, what are we going to do? Isn't this putting us on the fire to roast us?" King Chu Xiang has already smashed it. I broke more than a dozen cups and still didn’t feel relieved.
"Dad, why did you break something again? It was all bought with money! Maybe this is a good thing?" Ge Cifeng walked in from the door and was a little unhappy when he saw the ceramic shards on the ground.
When King Chu Xiang saw his son coming, he looked a little embarrassed: "Ah, that Feng'er, this... OK, dad, pay attention next time, how can this be a good thing? Tell dad about it."
Ge Cifeng sat down under King Chu Xiang and said: "The rumors are not groundless. At least we know now that Sichuan and Shu may be an ally and we can win over them. As for Xigui, we need to be careful."
"Well, that's right. We should indeed be on guard against Xigui. He is sealed in a place where birds can't shit, and he is still eager to be loyal. It's been six hundred years, do you still expect to exchange vassal territory with others?" King Chu Xiang followed. The son's words continued.
Ge Cifeng bit his slender nails in his mouth, his eyes a little blurry: "I think... Xigui is not simple. We have to prevent Xigui from stabbing him in the back."
King Ge Wangong of Chu Xiang sighed: "Then Feng'er, what should we do?"
Ge Cifeng thought for a moment and said: "Seize the time to recruit soldiers and horses. The imperial court exempted Nanhuai from taxes for one year. This means that next year the imperial court will have no annual tribute from Nanhuai. The national treasury will be empty. At that time, there will be an uprising." The best time! You have to wait.”
King Chu Xiang nodded repeatedly: "What Feng'er said makes sense, dad will listen to you!"
…
In the capital, after Li Dingxing successfully withdrew from the feudal vassal, he took some time out of his busy schedule to find the address that Yi Xiaodao had mentioned, the small house where he lived.
Knocking lightly on the courtyard door, no one responded.
"Strange, did I remember the address wrong?"
Li Dingxing was wondering when he was bumped by a stooped and lame old man behind him. The slight bump knocked Li Dingxing staggering.
"Hey, you old man, are you lame and blind? You bumped into our master and you still don't apologize!" the guard next to him shouted.
The lame old man looked back at Li Dingxing and said with a smile: "I'm not lucky, but I'm lucky." After saying that, he ignored the guards' shouts and walked straight to the end of the street.
"Fate is bad, luck is good? Are you talking about me?" Li Dingxing did not blame the old man. The collision seemed serious just now, but Li Dingxing did not feel any pain at all. At this time, he was pondering the old man's words in his heart.
"Hey, please give me some permission. My boss is very happy about any happy event, so I borrowed it from time to time." Several people dressed as servants shouted and passed by while carrying burdens.
A guard asked casually: "Hey, brother, there is a lot of reward, right? Which family?"
"Hey, I'm from the Yi Mansion. This reward... my boss is a bit stingy... it's not much." The leading servant said with a bitter smile.
"Oh, even my family members complained that the reward was not much. It seems that the reward is really small." Several guards joked.
When Li Dingxing heard the conversation between the guards and the servants, his heart moved and he stepped forward and said, "Is your master's name Yi Xiaodao?"
"Exactly. Young Master has just arrived, right? A few days ago, my master was made Privy Councilor by His Majesty, and he is a fifth-rank official! He was also rewarded with a mansion. Oh, there are countless high-ranking officials who came to celebrate. My master is good at everything else and is approachable. Xiaolan was busy that day and broke four bowls, but he didn’t even..." The servant started chatting.
The fact that Yi Xiaodao was awarded an official title by Zhao Yizhi was not widely publicized. From the three words "Privy Master", it is clear that Yi Xiaodao's position in Zhao Yizhi's heart is that he is a rare soldier! However, the rewards were not lacking. In addition to a mansion, he was also rewarded with five thousand taels of silver and twenty servants with quick hands and feet. However, Yi Xiaodao, who was always searching, did not even mention the reward of silver to the servants at home...
At this time, Yi Xiaodao was in the yard instructing his servants to hang up lanterns and put the "囍" characters on them. He didn't know anything else. He just felt that since it was a wedding, the lanterns must look good and the "囍" characters must be posted correctly.
When he was a child, he once went to a house where a wedding was held to beg for food. He didn't remember anything else, except the red lanterns of that house and the word "囍" posted on the wall. In Yi Xiaodao's words, "the lantern is too bright" and "the word "囍" is too bright."
"Master, someone is looking for you outside." The servant came in to announce.
"Why are you looking for me? Your Majesty has given me a holiday to prepare for the wedding. Who is looking for me now? Just say I'm not here." Yi Xiaodao said impatiently, "Hey, Ah Qi, your 囍 character is reversed, what?" If you don't know how to read, what words are you going to post? Find someone else to post it."
"He said his name was Li Dingxing." The servant said quietly from behind.
Yi Xiaodao was silent for a moment, pushed the servant away, and rushed out the door: "If you didn't tell me earlier, half the monthly payment will be deducted!"
"Second Young Master! Why did you come to Nanhuai?" Yi Xiaodao ran out of the door, tripped over the threshold and almost fell, and stumbled towards Li Dingxing.
Li Dingxing smiled bitterly and said, "The whole capital knows that I'm here, but you, Mr. Yi, are busy arranging wedding arrangements and don't know anything."
Yi Xiaodao said with a sneer: "Oh, this is the first time. I don't understand anything and am just busy. Hey! Where is the lantern on this gate? There is no 囍 on it!"
"Why don't you send someone to send me a letter for such a big matter? Could it be that if Nanhuai withdraws from the vassal, I will no longer be the second son in the eyes of Master Yi?" Li Dingxing said deliberately.
Yi Xiaodao hugged Li Dingxing: "Don't talk about this, let's go, I'll take you to see my wife."
"No, no, no, this can't be done." Li Dingxing blushed with embarrassment. He met the bridegroom's bride before the wedding. What was it like?
Yi Xiaodao didn't care much, and took Li Dingxing to the house: "Oh, don't see outsiders, you are your own person. Who is it? The lanterns outside have the words "囍" on them. Hurry up and put them up..."
Yi Xiaodao didn't understand the marriage process, and He Yue'er didn't understand it even less. She didn't know where to stand. As soon as she sat on the bed, a maid came over with a quilt in her arms and said she wanted to change the sheets and quilt; as soon as she walked outside the corridor, Several servants came over carrying tables, chairs and benches. When they saw He Yue'er, they hid aside and did not dare to collide with He Yue'er, which made He Yue'er a little embarrassed.
He Yue'er changed positions several times by herself, really not knowing what to do. She was walking in the corridor when she saw Yi Xiaodao coming over with his arms around a slender woman with long hair shawl.
"Yi Xiaodao! You!" He Yue'er was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves and walked towards Yi Xiaodao.
It was Li Dingxing that Yi Xiaodao was holding in his arms. The two had been apart for a long time and were young. In addition, Yi Xiaodao had just forced Li Dingxing into the house. While the two were struggling and fighting, even Li Dingxing's hairpin was torn off.
The two were familiar with each other, so they didn't realize he was there, but looking from a distance, He Yue'er recognized Li Dingxing as a woman, making love with Yi Xiaodao.
He Yue'er was crying as she walked. She had no other thoughts at this time. She just felt that she had misjudged Yi Xiaodao. Yi Xiaodao dared to do this when the wedding was approaching. He really fulfilled what his mother often said, "Men will become bad when they are rich."
He Yue'er was thinking wildly, and grabbed a broom left by a maid halfway down the road, raised the broom and rushed towards Yi Xiaodao.
"Wait a minute, something's not right." Li Dingxing's long hair obscured Yi Xiaodao's sight. Yi Xiaodao didn't see He Yue'er running towards him, and with the help of his instinct to escape several times, he smelled a hint of murderous intent in the air.
"Is the wind tight?" Li Dingxing smiled and asked the secret code for the two's escape.
Just as Yi Xiaodao was about to instinctively say "Shit", a big broomstick hit his face.
"You heartless!"
