Looking at the willow upstairs, the residual wine was on the table, Shi Chongjie frowned and ordered the maid to withdraw and rearrange the banquet.

Shen Wenqing said with a smile: "This wine and food have not been touched for a while, there is no need to replace it, I see that the prince is worried, and it is difficult to eat the dragon liver and phoenix marrow, so it is better to use this residual wine to talk." ”

The maid put on new dishes, chopsticks and wine glasses, and Shen Wenqing personally put the cup and said with a smile: "The pot is big, and the sun and the moon are long in the cup." Wang Ye, Ma Xiang, resigned from Beijing today, let the tiger return to the mountain, the dragon into the sea, and drink this cup. ”

Shi Chongjie smiled bitterly in his heart, he was driven out of Beijing, only a few people were left, and the henchmen of the DPRK and China were exhausted, talking about what kind of dragon into the sea, he couldn't bear to refute Shen Wenqing's face, and said with a strong smile: "Mr. Shen said well, from now on, the sea and the sky will be wide, and there will be no need to be pickled in Beijing." Ma Xiang,! ”

Ma Sui really sat still, Shi Chongjie didn't care about him, raised his head and drank the wine in the cup. The hot feeling came down his throat, and the chill was timid, Shi Chongjie drank "Good wine, come again", reached out to grab the wine jug, and his hand was held down by Shen Wenqing.

Shen Wenqing said: "One cup to ward off the cold, two cups to relieve sorrow, and three cups to get drunk." Lord Wang, the chill has been removed, this second cup of sorrow-relieving wine and let Shen say. ”

Ma Suizhen said coldly: "The prince is a vassal domain, and the power in Beijing is gone, even if Mr. Shen can tell the flowers, he can't earn the facts." ”

Shen Wenqing said casually: "Those who do great things must not only have talent and learning, but also need tenacity, don't you smell the fragrance of plum blossoms from the bitter cold." ”

Ma Sui said sincerely disheartenedly: "There are many talented and tenacious people in this world, and Ma has not seen a few people who can achieve great things." ”

Shen Wenqing remembered a few sentences of evaluation of the prime minister circulating in the officialdom, "Wei Duda, Chen Weiwei, Kong Shanying, Ma Zixia", it is said that these comments came from the mouth of Emperor Su. At that time, Wei Yishen resigned, Emperor Su divided the power, and intended to choose between Chen Chengji, Kong Province and Ma Suizhen, Ma Suizhen was scheming and impatient, and it was very easy to break, and Emperor Su thought that he was not suitable for the post of prime minister, so he would let Chen be the left, Kong was the right, and Ma was defeated.

Chen Chengji's role in office is to indirectly help Emperor Su consolidate the imperial power, after which Chen Chengji Zhishi, Kong Province is the left minister, Ma Sui really became the right minister, Ma Sui is really better than Chen Chengji, Emperor Su is about to conquer the north, and intends to enrich the country and strengthen the army through the joint efforts of Kong and Chen.

It's a pity that the northern expedition failed, the court was in turmoil, the prince and the king of Chu'an were in the same boat, Ma Suizhen was disliked by the prince because he took on the position of the king of Chu'an, although Ma Suizhen tried his best to remain impartial, and rarely had private dealings with the king of Chu'an, but Shi Chongwei's first action in the court after he ascended the throne was to send the right minister to Chuzhou. It is no wonder that Ma Sui was really disheartened, his career was bumpy, and after several ups and downs, his trip to Chuzhou was clearly a waste of blood.

Ma Sui really drank to himself, Shi Chongjie frowned secretly, Ma Sui was really his prince, he was appointed by his father as the right minister, and he must have talent, he thought that he could rely on his arm. But seeing that he was depressed, his morale was completely gone, and he was afraid that he would be confused when he arrived in Yongning Mansion, what was the use of such a horse, no wonder his father said in private that he was "safe and smooth, frustrated and declining, and it can be difficult to be handsome". On the other hand, Mr. Shen, from knowing that he was in the domain until now, has always been calm and calm, and he is afraid that as long as he sees Mr. Shen, he will settle down.

"Shen thought that instead of staying in Beijing and being detained, it was better to go to Yongning Mansion to become a vassal domain." Shen Wenqing's voice was a little high, and he said: "The capital is where the court is located, and it is important to move the whole body with one hair, but the Son of Heaven is suspicious, everything is targeted, and the prince must be difficult in the court, so it is better to withdraw from the capital, the world is forgiving, and the advance and retreat are calm." ”

Shi Chongjie nodded, this benefit is on the bright side. As soon as his father returned to heaven, Shi Chongwei sent Long Wei to secretly monitor the palace, and someone secretly tracked him when he traveled, and he used the excuse to reprimand him several times during his filial piety, if he stayed in Beijing, I am afraid that even the toilet at night would be reported to Shi Chongwei.

"Of course, if the prince leaves the court, those ministers who are interested in the prince will deviate from morality, and even bite back in order to please the Son of Heaven, and there may be a succession of holy decrees and reprimands, and the prince must be prepared." Shen Wenqing said indifferently.

Shi Chongjie said coldly: "A few words of dog barking, how can the lonely king take it to heart." ”

Shen Wenqing said: "The big waves wash the sand, the wind and rain can't blow away the loyal people, the prince cultivates virtue and righteousness, treats people with sincerity, and the reputation of the virtuous king is not lost because of the domain." Ding Chu, He Yongyi, Xiao Zhexing and a large number of officials were not afraid of the wrath of the Son of Heaven, and they were willing to follow the prince to become a vassal, which shows where the people's hearts are, and what is the use of those wall grasses that see the wind and make the rudder. ”

The corners of Shi Chongjie's mouth showed a smile, this time there were indeed more than a dozen officials of six or seven grades in the vassal dynasty who were willing to follow him to the domain, these people knew that they would be hated by the Son of Heaven, but they still calmly went up, which really moved Shi Chongjie, and it was such a person who made Shi Chongjie see hope.

Ma Suizhen snorted coldly, not knowing what he meant. Shen Wenqing said with a smile: "This time in the domain, the most rare thing is that the horse is accompanied by the horse, the horse is the pillar of the country, the prime minister of the country, and the vassal has a horse minister, which is really overkill, but the vassal country will definitely rule and become a paradise in the world." ”

Shen Wenqing slapped Ma Suizhen a little fart, Ma Suizhen's gloomy face finally had a smile, Shi Chongjie raised his glass and said: "What Mr. Shen said is right, the Son of Heaven self-destruction of Gancheng has given Gu the greatest benefit, and Gu's domain depends on Ma Xiangyou." ”

Before the King of Chu, King Ning and others left Beijing, there were only five princes in the domain, namely the King of Anyang (Anyang, Renzhou), the King of Wuquan (Wuquan, Hengzhou), the King of Dingjia County (Dingjia of Louzhou), the King of Yifeng County (Yifeng, Suzhou), and the King of Lianxing County (Lianxing, Shaozhou). King Anyang is the younger brother of Emperor Xuan, Emperor Zhao intended to make him his heir, and later changed to Emperor Xuan, and told Emperor Xuan not to treat his brother lightly before his death.

Emperor Xuan did not change the title of Anyang King to the word king, when the Yuan Tianjiao rebellion was not long after, Jiangnan was still turbulent, only to add the title of Anyang Wang to supervise the military of the four states in the south of the Yangtze River, and later Emperor Su ascended the throne, in order to show that the surname Shi was a family, and returned to the military of the six states again, and Jialu increased the guard to show his favor. Lao Wang died, Emperor Su let Shi Fangdao inherit the prince of Anyang Wang, but the military of the six states was reduced to two states (Renzhou, Dezhou), Lu Cheng remained unchanged, but the guard was reduced to 1,000 people, in fact, the power of the King of Anyang was secretly reduced, and when Shi Fangdao died, the King of Anyang would become the king of Anyang, and the number of guards would be reduced again.

King Ning supervised the military of Fuzhou, with 800 guards; Shi Chongjie supervised the military of Chuzhou, with 600 guards, Luo Wang supervised the military of the state, with 600 guards, and the king of Ningling County supervised the military of Qizhou, and made an exception for the meritorious service of 600 quasi-guards, and Qingzhou, the king of Sujing, supervised the military of Qingzhou, and the guards were 400; Yongyan Wang's domain is in the land of Lei Prefecture, and the military of Lei Prefecture is supervised, and the guards are four hundred.

The power of the king of Zheng Guo is not great, and he can only mobilize the military of a state of 400 to 800 personal guards in the palace. With 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers in a state and about 5,000 or 6,000 regimental soldiers, it is still easy for nearly 10,000 soldiers to suppress the popular rebellion. If you encounter a large-scale rebellion such as Yuanhuajiang Zhongshanzhai, you can ask the court for help and mobilize the army of the Sixteen Guards or the Metropolitan Protectorate. Although there is a fixed number of personal guards of the vassal king, they are willing to spend money and can still train elite soldiers, like the thousand personal guards of the Anyang Palace, all of them have fine scale armor, good weapons and bows and arrows, each soldier is equipped with three horses, two auxiliary soldiers, and a thousand personal guards are actually three thousand light horses. As long as the palace can afford it, no one will bother with the existence of those auxiliary soldiers, as long as they are not idiots, they will know how to rebel with thousands of people, and the court will randomly dispatch an army all the way to quell the idea of rebellion of the vassal king.

"The prince is a vassal domain, the structure of the palace has not yet been built, more than 100 palace officials are to be determined, and the reputation of the prince is known all over the world. Every year of the imperial examination, Biyi Yuan Poetry will be virtuous like a carp across the river, these people do not get much, among them there are many people of insight, after the prince arrives at Yongning Mansion, as long as the list seeks talents, vacant positions, I believe that the world's sages will come to vote. Shen Wenqing stroked his beard and smiled.

Ma Suizhen was in good spirits, he was the prince, and the official arrangements of the Chu Palace's palace could not be separated from him. The Chuzhou Assassin and other officials were appointed by the imperial court, but the official offices within the palace could be fully equipped, unlike in the royal palace in Beijing. In addition to Wang Fu, officials also have the consultation and participation in the military, friends, literature, East and West Pavilion sacrificial wine, long history, Sima, Peng, genus, master book, history, record room to participate in the military, record the military, Gong Cao to participate in the military, Hu Cao to participate in the military, soldiers to participate in the military, cavalry to participate in the military, law Cao to participate in the military, Shi Cao to participate in the military, Shi Cao to participate in the military, to join the army, to join the army, Pawns, clerks, and government officials.

The palace can appoint more than 100 officials, these people are court officials, can be recommended to the ministry to elect officials, these positions are arranged by the palace itself, the local government can not interfere, of course, on the surface, the palace can not interfere with the local civil affairs. But a strong prince will inevitably find all kinds of excuses to interfere in civil affairs, and how big a piece of cake can be divided depends on the wrestling between the palace and the state capital.

"Chuzhou is located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, is the world's most abundant land, since ancient times there is 'only Chu has materials' said, this God-given opportunity to the prince, the prince left the Longtan dangerous place, just lurk and standby, once the wind and clouds rise, you can soar into the sky." Shen Wenqing raised his eyebrows and smiled.

Ma Sui's heart sank, Shen Wenqing's words had the intention of not being subordinate, and he was just about to scold, thinking that he was demoted out of Beijing by the Son of Heaven, he was angry and changed his words: "Yes, the world will change, and the prince can wait for the opportunity." ”

Ma Suizhen's eyes became clear, Shen Wenqing's words made him see hope, and he recovered his shrewdness, and said: "The Son of Heaven ascended the throne, changed the way of the first emperor to be diligent, built a palace with a lot of construction, and amassed property for private use. Hehe, there were not many usable materials in the East Palace back then, and most of them were flatterers. ”

"The Son of Heaven built a palace, the state and county welcomed it, sent civilian servants into the deep mountains to cut wood and quarry, Ma received a report, so the people who died as many as hundreds, half a month ago the big ship transporting stones on the Huanyang River sank in a wind, drowning 68 boatmen and others at once." Ma Suizhen sneered: "The Son of Heaven is so extravagant, those ministers will definitely follow his wishes to stir up wind and waves, and after the harem is repaired, it is time to repair the Yanshan Annex." When the construction is gone, the world will be in chaos. ”

Shi Chongjie said with a gloomy face: "It's a pity that the foundation left by my father will soon be lost by Shi Chongwei." ”

Ma Suizhen let go at this time, and said: "The Son of Heaven is afraid that the vassal king will be powerful, and the six kings such as the prince and the king of Ning will be expelled. ”

"Changqing must be restless." Ma Suizhen said in an accentuated tone.

Shi Chongjie and Shen Wenqing glanced at each other, Ma Suizhen had already let go of his scruples and took refuge with an iron heart, otherwise it would be impossible to say what he said just now. Shi Chongjie raised his glass and said with a smile: "Ma Xianglao has become a country, and he sees things clearly, and the lonely king does not worry about going out of Beijing to become a vassal domain, and he is happy to help Ma Xiang." Ma Xiang, I would like to give you a glass. ”

After a glass of wine, Ma Suizhen seemed to regard himself as Shi Chongjie's adviser, and after a few glasses of wine, his face became ruddy, and his decadence was swept away, and he said with a smile: "Jiang Anyi's "Songchang Lou Ji" has the saying of 'going to the country and nostalgia, worrying and fearing ridicule', just now Wenqing mentioned that the prince offended the Son of Heaven, and this gluttony is afraid that it will follow. ”

"Ma Xiang is very worried", Shen Wenqing said: "The prince is very weak in the vassal court, and the Xuanwu Hou family will soon be suppressed by the Son of Heaven. ”

Ma Sui really thought of the newly appointed Secret Guard Governor Huang Xi, and asked, "Can that Huang Gonggong use it?" ”

Shi Chongjie glanced at Shen Wenqing, saw Shen Wenqing nodded lightly, and said: "Don't hide it from Ma Xiang, Master Huang and I are of the same heart, and what we are doing now is just to welcome the Son of Heaven." ”

"That's good, that's good", Ma Sui really breathed a sigh of relief, obviously a little afraid of the dark guard.

"In fact, the general trend of the prince is not a few big officials, but many small officials in the six ministries and nine qing, these people have received the favor of the prince is not a few, compared to those big people who see the wind and steer these small officials have a bit of integrity, the prince's contact with them cannot be interrupted, and these people can't hide the news from the prince in the court." Shen Wenqing is confident.

"Seek the same spirit, the prince must not forget the family", Ma Suizhen added: "Emperor Su suppressed the family, the Liu family, the Li family, and the Lu family showed a trend of decay in the Su Emperor's dynasty, and the Shi family, the Wang family, and the Wei family united to suppress other families among the ten major families, if the prince can win over the Liu family, the Cui family, the Lin family, and the Huang, Liu, Li, and Lu families, they can compete with the Son of Heaven." ”

There was a sound of "knock" footsteps at the staircase, the three of them were silent, and a maid approached to salute and said, "Lord, the concubine asked the slave maid to ask when to set off?" ”

Shi Chongjie said: "You go and tell the concubine, and you will set off immediately." ”

Standing up, Shi Chongjie raised his glass and said: "We are in the same boat through thick and thin, and we will tide over difficulties together." ”

Three glasses clashed together with a soft sound.