Late at night.

The Qinhuai Lantern Festival came to an end, the painting boat was still brightly lit, and the lively crowds on the streets and riversides finally gradually dispersed.

Chu Tianxiu and Li Yu, the county lord Li Yu, Di'er, who was full of resentment, and Zu'er, who was drunk, took a car together and returned to the Pingwang Mansion.

The carriage passed by the Hongmen Inn on Changle Street.

Chu Tianxiu inadvertently saw that hundreds of Confucian students in the Hongmen Inn, Jia Sheng was making impassioned remarks in the crowd of Confucian students, as if he was denouncing something.

This group of Confucian scholars was heartbroken, saying how "The Story of Stones" was...

"I got the news not long ago, Yanyu Painting Boat actually performed this kind of little yellow play in public! staged a play of Jia Baoyu's dream of meeting the twelve golden hairpins in Jinling... Oh my God, this is to make the entire Jinling City polluted by "The Story of Stones"! ”

"This is the bank of the Qinhuai River, and the sound of the little dusk marquis sounded!"

"This is to corrupt the atmosphere of my Great Chu, and in the long run, the country will not be a country."

"Blocked!"

"Yes, "The Story of Stones" should be severely banned!"

"We, the Confucian students in Jinling, should unite and protest to the bus house to block this little yellow text."

"Yes, tomorrow we will go to the bus house to study!"

Chu Tianxiu listened and wondered.

The Confucian students in Jinling City have also seen "The Story of the Stone"?

This little marquis didn't let you see it, where did you sneak the manuscript from? Belch... It can't be Jia Sheng, who was smuggled out of King Ping's Mansion!

How did he remember that the people who loved to watch "The Story of Stones" the most in later generations were these Confucian students!

Forget it, regardless of this group of duplicitous Confucian students.

Tonight in the smoke and rain painting boat, I drank a little too much, go back to sleep and then talk.

Tomorrow's business, tomorrow's talk.

...

Jinling Imperial City.

Cining Palace.

Emperor Xiang Yanran and Empress Cui returned to the dormitory.

His face was gloomy, and instead of sleeping, he was worried.

This Lantern Festival is a good day for the whole country to celebrate and rejoice with the people, but he, the emperor, is very unhappy.

Whether it is the arrogance of the princes and kings such as King Wu and King Huainan in Jinling City, or the arrogance of the Xiongnu envoy Yi Pheasant, he is like a fish in his throat.

Can't spit it out, can't swallow it!

It's uncomfortable to die.

Especially the words of Xiang Xian, the son of King Wu, were very ugly.

But.

Although this is an ugly statement, it tells a fact that he really does not want to face.

During his reign, "there was no military merit outside, and no merit at home." One sentence stabbed his heart and made him unable to sleep!

He, the emperor, endured humiliation for ten years, while using Huang Lao's technique to recuperate with the people. On the one hand, at the foot of Yanzhi Mountain, domesticate war horses, hoard cavalry, and fight horses.

Xiang Yanran knew that the things he was doing now were all accumulating strength for Dachu and preparing for the future peace of his henchmen and the Huns.

But the world doesn't know!

Those princes will never admit that he, the emperor, has done anything great.

On the contrary, the princes each felt that they had done a better job in the feudal state than the emperor. If they become emperors, they will be ten times stronger than him Xiang Yanran.

If he, the emperor, is dead now, then he Xiang Yanran is estimated to have left the word "mediocre" in the history books of Great Chu, and his life has been brushed aside.

Emperor Xiang Yanran's sense of grievance in his heart became stronger and stronger.

He has long been in the heart of changing the law.

It's just that the stakes are very high, there are many obstacles, hesitation, and no decision has been made.

Tonight's Lantern Festival, he saw the princes and kings and the Xiongnu envoy Yi Pheasant in the Yanyu Painting Boat, and the arrogant attitude of "disrespecting the Son of Heaven and despising Da Chu" made him finally make up his mind.

The princes do not respect the Son of Heaven!

The Huns despise Da Chu!

Sooner or later, this will lead to catastrophe.

This Jinling City is full of lights, everywhere sheng flute, it seems that the world is peaceful, a prosperous scene, but the bottom is a fire cooking oil.

Prince Xiang Tiange was fourteen years old, too young, had experienced too little wind and rain, was as irritable as a stupid goose, reckless and impulsive, and wanted to kill Wu Shizi if he didn't agree with him. It will take at least five to ten years for the prince to mature and become stable.

Most of the emperors of the Great Chu Dynasty were short-lived.

Often, he dies either of illness or accident... Princes rebelled, palace coups, fratricidal, assassinated, there were.

Xiang Yanran didn't know how long he could live on the emperor's throne.

He couldn't wait until ten years later to hand over all the internal and external troubles of this Great Chu to the crown prince to exterminate.

He was even sure that if he accidentally died unexpectedly, the crown prince Xiang Tiange would be young and weak, and the princes such as King Wu would inevitably be even more unscrupulous, and I was afraid that they would immediately rise up in a group to attack and seek to usurp the throne.

The northern Xiongnu have been dormant for ten years since the last war, and they have already recovered their vitality, sharpening their knives and baring their teeth and waiting for the opportunity.

If you are not careful, it will be the catastrophe of Da Chu.

No longer hesitate.

He wants to personally implement the reform of the law and solve these two major internal and external problems.

However, in order to promote the reform of the law and eradicate these two great calamities, he must have a large number of available talents under his command to carry out his will.

"It's dark at night, it's time to go to bed!"

Empress Cui pinched Xiang Yanran's shoulder and said softly: "Your Majesty, what are you worried about?" ”

Xiang Yanran was silent.

"You and I are husband and wife, why can't you say it? Concubines can also share a share of sorrow. ”

Empress Cui said softly.

Xiang Yanran said coldly: "This year's year, I ordered the princes, the three dukes, and the county guards to recommend a group of talented people for the imperial court to send.

Who is your Cui family recommending, and what is Cui?

It seems that you got a palace test medium, but this still gives you face for the queen, so you are rated medium.

I can't even remember his name, so I can see how mediocre it is.

Hmph, it's not just your Cui family, your top ten gates in Jinling, one by one, are intertwined, and they are united in the court and support each other.

There is even a saying that it is difficult for the children of the non-top ten gate lords and their protégés to mix with high-ranking officials in the court.

You recommend your own children to each other, and if you have the ability, I will turn a blind eye to it, and forget it. But all of you are a bunch of busy people, how many of them are useful?

In this year's year, none of the top four are from your top ten gates! Year by year, it is getting more and more useless. ”

Jinling's top ten gate valves, there are also top talents.

Like Prime Minister Xie Huyong, Deputy Prime Minister Wang Su, Lang Zhongling Cui Haoran... They are all old and spicy, proficient in government and politics, and the pillars of the ten major gates.

Let these ministers wrestle with the princes, and they will be able to outperform the princes of all sides.

However, they are all sixty or seventy years old, and they often take sick leave every now and then, how many years can they survive?

The descendants of the ten major gate valves in Jinling are all a large group of people who eat, drink and have fun, and no one can compare with them when they squander them, but their serious skills are useless.

It is not an exaggeration to say that there is no catch.

"Your Majesty, this, the person recommended every year... It's all according to the old convention! ”

Empress Cui was bitter.

Every year, the top ten gate valves in Jinling must be the first to recommend the eldest son and eldest grandson of each house. Arrange them first, and then turn the other children and grandchildren.

As for talent and ability, of course, it is not a priority for recommendation.

The Cui family in Jinling, except for the head of the family, Jiuqing Lang Zhongling Cui Haoran, and her, Queen Cui Rou, there are indeed no decent talents among the younger generations.

But if you don't recommend your own sons and grandchildren to come out, how can you maintain the glory and wealth of the Cui family's gate valve? !

"I know it's conventional, and I don't bother to say it."

Xiang Yanran said coldly: "However, in the future, when Tiange becomes the emperor, he will rely on this group of mediocre people from the top ten gates to govern the world, can he keep this throne!"

You didn't see it tonight, those tigers and wolves-like princes and uncles, how flying and domineering, their eyes are higher than the sky.

If I'm gone, they won't eat the prince alive!

I, the emperor, still have to find some available people for the crown prince. You can't put this group of mediocre juniors in the imperial court for the sake of the glory and wealth of your ten major gate valves. ”

Xiang Yanran was quite disappointed with the juniors recommended by the top ten gate valves.

This group of mediocre people is even worse than the little faint marquis and the Confucian scholars who were born in the small wealth.

The two Confucian disciples Dong Xianliang and Chao Fangzheng recommended by the imperial historian Kong Hanyou, as well as the poor scholar Master Yan Yan who was recommended by Yang Chu, the great farmer.

These three people are not scholars, they are all rich families, and even poor Confucian students, but they are all bold and outspoken, and dare to offer words and suggestions, "Great Unification Policy", "Exclusive Confucian Policy", "Cutting Domain Policy", directly pointing to various shortcomings of the imperial court, and proposing countermeasures to solve them.

They were not afraid to offend the princes.

What are those Jinling Ten Gate Valve disciples doing in the palace test, chanting poems, showing off their literary talents, and writing some innocuous countermeasures... Are you sleepwalking!

Even Xiao Duhou, a big gentleman who has been taught repeatedly, can write the appalling "Policy for Prohibiting the Private Minting of Copper Coins" to help the imperial court collect money.

Which of the ten great gate valve scholars dares to do this? ... Either they don't dare, they don't want to, or they are afraid that their huge family interests will be damaged.

Empress Cui was terrified, hesitant, and her mood was extremely complicated.

She heard the meaning.

After returning from the Yanyu Painting Boat, the emperor may have made up his mind to get rid of this group of mediocre talents of the ten major gate valves and choose another talent.

She hopes that the Cui family will prosper and enjoy wealth for a long time.

But Xiang Tiange is her son, and he is also the emperor who categorically cannot harm his son. The palms of the hands and the backs of the hands are full of meat... She can only protect her son first.

"It's... Your Majesty, is you going to implement a new policy? ”

Queen Choi said.

"The Lantern Festival has passed, it is Gengzi's new deal!"

Xiang Yanran's face was cold, and his mind was resolute.

However, there is a lot of resistance to the new coup d'état law, and I don't know how many people will jump out to oppose it.

The mediocre children of Jinling's top ten gate valves can't be counted on. Those who are willing to follow, follow. If you don't want to follow, get out!

Gengzi's new deal is imperative.

Those who follow me prosper, and those who oppose me die!

The Great Chu Dynasty wanted to glow in the hands of Xiang Yanran with the combat power that had been dormant for ten years.

After the New Deal.

Whether it is the princes and kings of one side, or the Huns with hundreds of thousands of mercenaries and iron horsemen, they must prostrate under the will of Xiang Yanran, the emperor of his generation.

"Since the emperor has made up his mind, the concubines should follow. In this harem, no matter whose family is a concubine. The concubines are sure to keep the peace and do not distract the emperor. ”

Empress Cui said resolutely.