As the relationship between the East Palace and Taifu's Mansion became increasingly calm, Xie Guang's power and position was further consolidated. More and more officials, overtly or covertly, took refuge with him, not only Luoyi, but also Jiannan. , Lingnan and other remote state capitals.
But during this critical period, the leaders of the imperial capital collectively lost their voices.
No matter the emperor Li Chengwu, the veteran general Xu Lie, the prince's young teacher Liu Ce, Zhongshu Lingliu Shiming, or even the always upright commander of the imperial army Wang Huan, they did not interfere in any of the memorials. They were so quiet. Wait and watch.
Xijiang Guimo lost all its enemies, and no one cared about it; the commander-in-chief He Jingming was assassinated, but no one cared about it; now Xie Guang's ambitions have grown and his power has spread across the country, but no one cares about it.
"What happened to the imperial court?!" Murong Xue said with hatred in her heart.
The big shots in the court could pretend to be deaf and mute, but he, Murong Xue, could not let it go.
He stopped, turned around, picked up the sleeves of his robe, dipped his pen in ink, and wrote in the blank space of the memorial:
"Your Highness Mingjian.
I think that what the Grand Tutor said is totally wrong.
The important task of river management is to benefit the people and the country, which will benefit the current generation and benefit the future. Therefore, the monarch and his ministers unite as one, and all the people work together to throw the whole country into the sea and throw a drop of grain into the river, just to complete their achievements in one battle.
However, today's world is not prosperous. Outside, there are enemy invaders from Western Xinjiang, and the Heavenly Wolf shoots at the moon; inside, there is a prince taking charge of the new country, and all kinds of businesses are waiting to be prospered.
At this time, those in power should be considerate of the emperor, cherish the power of the people, and do everything they do to be impartial and peaceful, without leaving the foundation of the country untouched.
The soldiers from the 12 states along the river were all from their hometowns, and they never slacked off in their daily field training. With a strong army, it is enough to guard the areas under its jurisdiction and ensure the tranquility of the river project. Why gather another group and reorganize the new army?
There are 150,000 brave young men and women scattered across a thousand miles. Each has its own subordinates, each has its own supplies, and each one should be complete. However, according to the Taifu's proposal, the regulations were revoked in an instant, the roaring crowds gathered, and the whole body was affected by a single move. Wouldn't it be that they were in chaos before fighting?
In this proposal of the Grand Tutor, he ignored the first priority of the river control project, and only completed the last part of the side work. He did not see the benefits, but saw the harm in advance.
The minister is not talented, dares not to see chaos but does nothing, and violates the government in order to be submissive, so he remonstrates and opposes, and respectfully invites His Highness to judge. "
After finishing writing the annotations in one go, Murong Xue put down the brush, took a long breath, and said in her heart: Xie Guang, Xie Guang, no matter how hard you make your wishful thinking, I will mess with you!
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The windows on the east and west sides of the Imperial Study Room are all opened from below with red painted wooden poles. The cool breeze passing through the hall is mixed with the fragrance of flowers and leaves after the rain. The fragrant smell can't help but make people feel relaxed and happy.
At this time, Murong Xue was standing in the study with her hands down, quietly waiting for Prince Li Bing, who was sitting in front of the desk, to read through the memorials with his family notes one by one.
Li Bing read very carefully, and from time to time he would go back and scan the files he had already read. The eunuchs serving next to him couldn't help but yawn secretly after waiting for a long time.
Murong Xue didn't dare to say anything for fear of disturbing Li Bing, so she could only stand motionless like a wooden stake.
After a long time, Li Bing put down the last memorial, looked up out of the window, then turned to Murong Xue and smiled: "Murong, I was so absorbed in what I was looking at just now that I actually forgot about you. Standing here for so long, I'm afraid... Are your legs stiff? Come here and give me a seat."
A chamberlain quickly brought an embroidery stool and placed it behind Murong Xue. Murong Xue cupped her hands and thanked her, lifted up her robe and sat down gently.
Just listen to Li Bing continue to say: "I have read the memorial about the establishment of the River Service Army, and the comments you made are quite indignant. Can you tell me what you think?"
Murong Xue cleared her throat and said seriously: "I am too scared to deceive Your Highness. I really don't agree with Taifu Xie's suggestion of setting up a new army."
Li Bing smiled and nodded, signaling Murong Xue to continue.
Murong Xue continued: "It is probably not an exaggeration to say that it is ulterior motives to rashly organize 150,000 soldiers to attack the government and use the regulations of the new army to deal with the river control project. I have searched through the records of the dynasty and have never seen anything like this. Practice."
"Have ulterior motives? That's a bit harsh to say." Prince Li Bing picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and asked, "You mean, Xie Guang has another agenda?"
Murong Xue said bluntly: "Wei Chen did not mean to make such heart-breaking remarks, and he does not even bother to stir up trouble behind others' backs. I am afraid that Xie Guang's plan is more to monopolize military power and increase his strength!"
Li Bing shook his head when he heard this and said with a smile: "Let's not talk about this for now. In your opinion, is this holding feasible just from the perspective of managing the Jinhe River?"
"Wei Chen believes that there is absolutely no need for this." Murong Xue said firmly: "Although there are more than 400,000 river workers working as corvees, each Zhechong Prefecture is absolutely capable of staged suppression and control within its own jurisdiction. I still don't understand. , is there any reason why we have to go to war to gather hundreds of thousands of troops together and reorganize them."
Li Bing said calmly: "What I ask here is not whether it is necessary, but whether it is feasible. For example, will the newly formed River Service Army be better at completing various tasks of managing the Jinhe River? When we were not under each other's control like before, it was more coordinated and convenient?"
Hearing this, Murong Xue couldn't help but scream in her heart: Oh my god, why is the prince so innocent? What I said just now was so straightforward, I almost said that Xie Guang wanted to rebel, but His Highness didn't listen at all!
Seeing that he was excited and about to argue, Li Bing stopped him with a smile: "Murong, you don't have to worry. Of course I understand your concerns. However, as a politician, you cannot regard every minister as a bad person with evil intentions. Just take strict precautions. That way, you don’t have to do anything.”
He paused for a moment and continued: "The river project is a national event. If you want it to be done smoothly, you should think more about planning and see what is the best choice, instead of being on guard at all times and rushing first. Who do you doubt?"
Murong Xue was so angry at Li Bing's words that she couldn't help but said anxiously: "Your Highness, even though I have said this, the cornerstone of the country must not be shaken easily. What is the cornerstone of the country? The army! Only by holding the army firmly Only by holding it in your hands can the dynasty and the country be as stable as Mount Tai. On the contrary, once the military power falls into the hands of traitors, the world will surely fall into chaos!"
"Hey, look at you, you are anxious again," Li Bing waved his hand and said relaxedly: "I am just chatting and discussing with you, and I am not really making a decision. You and Taifu Xie seem to be a little confused about certain things. I don’t know the situation. You must know that I am responsible for supervising the country and only manage the people’s livelihood and government affairs. Military affairs, no matter how big or small, are still decided by His Majesty. Whether the River Service Army should be established or not, in fact, I can’t do it at all. The Lord’s.”
Murong Xue calmed down her emotions slightly and said solemnly: "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, the Emperor will definitely not agree with Xie Guang's proposition. However, if Your Highness expresses your approval, things will become very complicated."
"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Li Bing smiled: "Is it possible that the emperor can still follow my wishes?"
Murong Xue was silent for a moment, secretly thinking about how to answer the question properly. Li Bing was not in a hurry and just looked at the other party with a smile. After a while, Murong Xue said: "I don't dare to speculate on the emperor's holy will. However, we at the East Palace should consider how your majesty will view your political ideas."
After hearing this, Prince Li Bing couldn't help but be stunned, and after a while he said: "Well, what you said makes sense. After all, I am young and have not been in charge of the country for a long time. Some things may not be fully considered. Let's do this. , you come to draw up the edict and reply to Xie Guang."
"how to write?"
"Let's just say...the establishment of the River Service Army is of great importance and will be discussed later."
Murong Xue bowed and held up her hands: "I obey the order."
Li Bing nodded slightly, and then asked: "By the way, how are the preparations for the river ceremony?"
The so-called River Sacrifice Ceremony refers to the ceremony held in Bianzhou to worship the River God.
Throughout the dynasties, whenever a large-scale river control project was to be carried out, a grand ceremony would be held as a rule. Its purpose is to pray to the river god. The large-scale construction projects are not to disturb the peace of the gods, but to benefit the common people. Therefore, we pray to the river god for blessings so that the project can be completed smoothly.
Usually, the regulations of the River Sacrifice Ceremony are only slightly inferior to the Taishan Fengchan Ceremony, and are on the same level as the Spring Plowing Ceremony and the Commander-in-Chief Ceremony.
As the chief priest of the ceremony, the emperor must personally go to the altar, lead the officials to burn incense and sing rites, and offer three kinds of animals: cattle, sheep, and hogs, as well as grains and wine. Later, a large-scale social fire performance will be held, which means "having fun with the people and working together as one".
As soon as the dredging project for the main Jinhe River was finalized, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Rites immediately worked out a detailed ceremony for the river sacrifice ceremony. Officials from the two departments also rushed to the headquarters of the River Affairs Director early to arrange all the necessary requirements for the ceremony in advance.
Since the prince Li Bing is now supervising the country and also in charge of river affairs, he will serve as the officiant of the ceremony on behalf of the emperor.
When the prince asked about this matter, Murong Xue responded quickly: "Reporting to Your Highness, I just received a report from the Ministry of Etiquette yesterday, saying that the preparations for the ceremony have been properly completed. I also found Shan Tingxian and verified with him again His Highness's Royal Guards and other matters , and no flaws were found. However, there has been a lot of rain recently, and the road may not be easy to walk on, which will inevitably make His Highness tired of traveling. "
Li Bing nodded with satisfaction: "It doesn't matter! I've been bored in Luoyi City for a long time. I have long wanted to find a chance to go out for some fresh air. What are you afraid of if it rains?"
Murong Xue hesitated and said: "I heard from Shan Tingxian that Your Highness is determined to ride on a horse instead of riding a chariot. In this case, it will be safe..."
"Don't make any noise!" Li Bing was very excited and waved his hand: "Murong, you are obviously a military commander, and you are still young, but you still want to act in an old-fashioned way. When you were in the imperial capital, I Have you ever taken a car when traveling? Which one of us, the descendants of the imperial capital, is not wearing a beautiful dress and riding a horse, enjoying yourself and being unrestrained?!"
When he said this, he immediately brought back all kinds of memories of Murong Xue's time in the imperial capital, and the high-spirited passion in the young man's heart couldn't help but ignite: "Okay! Since His Highness is so interested, then the young general will accompany you all the way to the mountains. Go play in the water!"
