Qianyuan Palace is the main palace in the imperial palace where the emperor summons ministers.

Just when Rongya, Hua Yun, and Zhao Yun were eating and drinking tea at Taixue's Canaan Academy, Emperor Chongjing was summoning Guangluqing and the Great Dian Star who was in charge of the celestial ephemeris here.

Guangluqing Luo Yuan said: "Your Majesty, how can the water level of the snow pool drop and the water quality turn black, how can it be related to the rise and fall of the world. Your Majesty, the White Sect is declining day by day, in the past few hundred years, the White Sect has not made any achievements, and the successive popes have not shown any extraordinary miracles, the White Sect is only in vain, and the words of the Xuanyang Pope conveyed by the bishop cannot be fully believed. Moreover, no matter how good the snow pool is, it is also a sign on the earth, but the celestial phenomena are more noteworthy. On the day of the full moon, the moon and the seven stars appear together, as bright as day, colorful and dazzling, which is known and seen by everyone in the whole world; Coupled with the dragon roar and phoenix roar that appeared on the Feiliu Mountain, these are all clear and unprecedented auspicious signs. ”

Da Dianxing retorted: "Your Majesty, what Lord Guangluqing said is unreasonable. For thousands of years, the snow pool has been recognized as the image of the number of lives in the world, how can it be said that the two are not related? As for the moon and the seven stars appearing together and shining as day, it is a celestial phenomenon that has never been seen before, and it has never been recorded in the history books. is so abnormal and grotesque, how can it be concluded that this is a good omen. As for the roar of the dragon and the phoenix, it is even more hearsay. ”

Emperor Chongjing waved his hand and said, "Don't be angry, let's discuss it together." However, the dragon roaring and the phoenix roaring on the mountain was heard by Chun Tuo himself, and the accompanying Nangong guards also confirmed it. And they all said, "The voice resounded through the sky." Dadian Xing, these are real, you still have to believe it, don't be too stubborn. The moon and the seven stars appear together, bright as day, although they have never appeared, but it is much better than a celestial phenomenon such as a lunar eclipse. I don't think it's a bad thing after all. Emperor Chongjing obviously believed what Ji Zhaoyi said, but he still made a round for Dadian Xing, "But what Dadian Xing said about Xuechi, you still have to believe it." What our ancestors left behind, we can't help but believe. Don't talk about the snow pool in the future. As for what the snow pool is really about, we still have to check it again. Having said that, at this juncture, why did the Xuanyang Pope disappear, just leave a sentence, and then disappear completely? Yu Yuanxuan, you sent a decree to the Bishop Shuyan in the Holy Capital and the Apostolic Throne of the White Palace(1), asking them to find the Xuanyang Pope as soon as possible, and I want to talk to him face to face about Xuechi. ”

Yu Yuanxuan thought to himself, Chongjing Emperor Tuyu was such a good old man who was indecisive, liked and muddy, which was really far from his brother Longwu Emperor's resolute, decisive and wise imperial temperament.

Indeed it is! Emperor Chongjing's appearance, size, bearing, and even his speech and demeanor are very similar to Emperor Longwu's appearance, size, bearing, and even his speech and demeanor, but he is always indecisive, noncommittal, and swaying from side to side when he does things. It has only been less than a month since he succeeded to the throne, and this character flaw has already been revealed, and many princes and ministers have felt it. However, for Guangluqing and Yuanxuan, this shortcoming of Emperor Chongjing was exactly what he needed and what he was happy to see. The emperor is gentle, and the minister has room to make decisions. If the emperor was a powerful and assertive lord like Emperor Longwu, in front of him, the princes and ministers were no different from the servants and servants, that was not what a person like Yu Yuanyi with dragon slaying skills wanted.

Yu Yuanji laughed at Tuyu's incompetence in his heart, and then said, "Your Majesty is wise. As His Majesty said, since a lunar eclipse is a warning of calamity, and the moon is the opposite of a lunar eclipse by day, it is naturally a symbol of Furui, not to mention the seven stars protecting the moon. Dadian star, don't forget, our country name is 'Dazhao', and His Majesty's year name is 'Chongjing', the moon is like day, and the seven stars are shining, isn't this in line with Dazhao and His Majesty's national fortune? The moon is like daylight, illuminating the world, which is to say that the country is long, and that His Majesty's holy light shines in all directions, and Ze is the world; The seven stars are shining, which means that His Majesty is surrounded by all the virtuous, which is the atmosphere of the prosperous era. How is this not a good sign? ”

As the star in charge of the celestial ephemeris, he knows very well in his heart that strange celestial phenomena are never auspicious. Abnormality is a demon, this is a well-known thing. However, Guangluqing Luo Yuan deliberately tied the auspicious and evil of the celestial phenomena with the country name and the emperor's year name, so Dadian Xing didn't dare to say anything else to refute it.

Waiting for the great ceremony star to retreat in a knowing interest, Xiao Tuyu looked at Luo Yuanxuan and said, "Okay, let's discuss the matter." You can tell me how to settle the imperial sister-in-law and the sons of the first emperor. The imperial sister-in-law in Tuyou's mouth is the Empress Chang of Emperor Longwu, which is now known as Empress Xuanren.

"Oh, Your Majesty." Yu Yuan turned to one side, and Zhengse said: "What the minister means, I still want Empress Xuanren to leave the palace and live separately, and my sister-in-law and uncle live in the palace together, it's not a good idea." As for the sons of the first emperor...... Please also ask Your Majesty to make a decision as soon as possible. Tiger relic, Your Majesty. For the sake of His Majesty, for the sake of His Majesty's descendants for generations to come, Your Majesty must make a decision as soon as possible. ”

This was to instigate Empress Xuanren to be imprisoned and to execute the heirs of the first emperor.

Xiao Tuyou frowned and said, "The imperial sister-in-law still lives in the palace, in the Fengde Palace." Fengde Palace is in the northeast corner of the palace, and it is still far from the Qianyuan Palace, so it's okay. The bones of the first emperor are not cold, if I send the queen of the first emperor out of the palace to live, the clans will criticize me. As for the prince's crops, he can't be dealt with too ruthlessly. I can't bear it. I watched the prince grow up, only five years younger than me, and I am called uncle and nephew with him, but the relationship is not comparable to ordinary uncles and nephews. Although the first emperor is sorry for me and the Xiao clan, Xiao Jia is a benevolent and filial child, and he has no dissent. After I succeeded to the throne, without the slightest hesitation, I took the lead in expressing my submission together with Empress Xuanren, which is one of the reasons why the situation quickly stabilized. Xiao Jia also said many times that he would give up the title of prince, asked me to change him to prince or county king, and asked me to choose another son among his sons to be the prince. Xiao Jia did these things, but they were all sincere. Moreover, you, Tu Xiu, and Shi Huan are urging me to attack the first emperor, and I actually can't bear it. In any case, the first emperor was the elder brother of my mother's compatriots. However, it was all forced by the situation, and I had no choice, so I did it, so I could barely make it difficult. However, now that you want me to dispose of the crops and the other heirs of the first emperor, I really can't bear it. ”

He knew that the kindness of the woman who had been trying to do it had come again. But there is no way to do this, and Tuyu is indeed extremely caring for these Xiao clansmen. When he was Prince Yongcheng, not to mention the crown prince, even the descendants of the other side branches, when they encountered difficulties, they were all willing to ask this noble prince for help, and almost all of them would get his help. This is in stark contrast to Emperor Longwu's strict discipline and impartiality. Of course, the character traits of Xiao Tuyu may also be an unmatched advantage. For example, the royal family members were invariably happy to get close to Prince Yongcheng, and even accepted his unconventional succession without objection. After he succeeded to the throne, he was hardly criticized or questioned by any of the clansmen. This made Yu Yuanji very shocked and puzzled. Before the coup, he had envisaged various crises and contingency measures, but in the end, none of them were used, and the situation stabilized. This cannot but be said to be a credit to himself.

Although he was helpless against the emperor's wife, he didn't want to give up so quickly, so he said: "What about the other three sons of the emperor." You can't keep it all. Your Majesty, let's not talk about it for the time being. The other three sons, it's hard to guarantee that they won't stand up. ”

This sentence moved the emperor. Because Tuyu himself was supported by the clan relatives of the Xiao clan and several kings in other counties, rather than a normal succession.

The emperor asked softly, "Then what do you think should be done?" The emperor's soft tone is extremely incommensurate with his majestic appearance, but this extremely disproportionately soft tone is a special signal that Tuyu has given up his position. This is a secret that no one knows that Yu Yuanji has been in contact with Xiao Tuyu for a long time and has found out by himself.

Yu Yuan said coldly: "Kill them all." The minister will arrange all this. Always do it without knowing it. ”

"It's not appropriate." Xiao Tuyou was very decisive this time, "Empress Xuanren and Xiao Jia are here, they are not fools." How can you be unaware? When the time comes, I will be charged with killing the first emperor and the prince, how will I face the subjects of the world and the clan relatives? You are a civil servant, don't always be so cross-eyed, you know how to kill, kill, kill all day long, you have to think of some way to look past your eyes, right? ”

Luo Yuan heard it, and the emperor's last sentence was actually a clear agreement that Luo Yuan would find a way to get rid of the other three sons of the first emperor, but the way to deal with it still needs to be discussed. Speaking of which, in fact, the purpose is one: not to let the people of the world suspect the emperor.

Yu Yuanjian was relieved, and Lang Lang said: "Oh, the minister understands! ”

"Good. Go and call the king of Beiling and the king of Ganzi in. Let's talk about the form of government. ”

Secretly summoning the king of the county to discuss the change of the political system is the main topic that Xiao Tuyu wants to talk about in the Qianyuan Palace this afternoon.

Yu Yuan rushed in with a few county kings. In addition to the king of Beiling County and the king of Ganzi County, there are also the king of Fufeng County, the king of Danzhu County, the king of Haixi County, and the king of Shanggu County. The four county kings of Xiaoqing, Xiaolong, Xiaoxuan, and Xiaoning are the princes of the clan of the Xiao clan who were newly divided after the founding of Emperor Longwu.

In addition to these county kings, there is also Changji, the king of Xiangting County, who is the brother of Empress Xuanren and the father-in-law of Canaan County Shourongzhu. Today, Chang Ji was not invited to attend the government.

Xiao Tuyou opened his mouth first: "Here are all our own county kings, and there are no outsiders." Let's talk about the form of government today. ”

Among those listed, except for the king of Xiangting County, all the other county kings are there, so it is self-evident who this "outsider" in the emperor's mouth is.

The king of Ganzi County, Xiao Shihuan, was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, I think we have discussed many times before, to cancel the county guard system of Laoshizi and restore the county system. However, it cannot be reverted to the system of county kings with different surnames in the Da Gao Holy Dynasty. The king of a county with a different surname is impossible to seal. If you want to divide the county king, you must be a feudal clan, and a different surname must not be crowned a king. ”

This purpose is actually discussed many times with several county kings before, and there was nothing to discuss originally, but this is the style of doing things, vacillating, and can't make up his mind, so he needs these clan princes to help him take a reassuring pill.

The king of Beiling County, Tuxiu, sat silently. He is three years older than Emperor Longwu, sixteen years older than Tuyou, and now he is a fifty-seven-year-old old county king, the oldest among the kings of the Xiao clan. In addition, he is the half-brother of the founding emperor and the current emperor, and the Beiling County has the largest territory and the strongest national power, so he has always been the last to speak in court meetings or other summonses, showing his most honorable status. In addition to the last speech, there is another place that shows the special status of the king of Beiling County, that is-Bai Yuzhan. The king of Beiling County is extremely clean by nature, and the eating utensils are only made of white jade, if there is no white jade utensils, the king of Beiling County would rather not eat a thing or drink a drop of water. Such a fussy quirk is not only due to his nature, but also the delicate habit he has developed since he was a child in the luxurious and exquisite Beiling County Palace. For this, Emperor Longwu and Emperor Chongjing both gave him special grace and granted him permission to use white jade utensils in front of the emperor. The palace also specially prepared white jade vessels for the king of Beiling County for his own use. This honor is not even enjoyed by the king of Ganzi County, Xiao Shihuan. Of course, this is also the only place where the king of Beiling is favored more than the king of Ganzi.

The king of Fufeng County, the king of Danzhu County, the country of Haixi, and the state of Shanggu County expressed their support for the proposal of the king of Ganzi in turn. At this time, it was the turn of the king of Beiling County to speak.

Beiling County Wang Tuxiu stroked the long hair on his chest, slowly took a sip of tea in the white jade cup, and said, "What Shihuan said is right. However, how do these newly crowned county kings choose? Who is sealed? ”

The question asked by the king of Beiling County was a question that no one dared to intervene. As soon as this question was said, the other county kings couldn't answer.

Seeing that the scene was a little cold, Luo Yuan said: "Your Majesty, dividing the county king, in the final analysis, is a family affair between Your Majesty and several county kings. The minister is not a member of the Xiao clan, so I don't know if to speak? ”

Xiao Tuyou said: "Since I asked you to come, naturally I didn't treat you as an outsider, but it doesn't hurt to say it." "In fact, Yu Yuan is not only not an outsider, but also a first-class royal relative. He is the elder brother of the queen of Xiao Tuyu, and he is the uncle of Zheng'er Bajing. Moreover, the Yu family is a wealthy family for generations, and when it comes to dignity, he is no worse than several county kings. The most important thing is that he is the most favored confidant of the current emperor. To him, he has reached the point of obeying his words.

Seeing the county kings present, he nodded his head, and then said, "Thank Your Majesty and several county kings for their grace. From the minister's point of view, abolishing the county guard system and restoring the system of dividing the county kings is the established purpose, and it is also the original intention of several royal highnesses and princes and ministers to support His Majesty's succession. The first emperor was good in everything, but his mind was too elusive, and he was especially mean to the clan. In his later years, he became more and more suspicious and disgusted with the clan. Because of some trivial matters, he successively stripped the titles of several county kings, and forcibly changed those feudal counties to the county guard system. In the past few years, the first emperor has intensified, and even planned to completely abolish the county system, deprive all the feudal kings of the feudal country and title, and even His Royal Highness the King of Beiling County and His Royal Highness the King of Ganzi County such as the founding meritorious county kings will also be renamed princes and move to the holy capital to be idle. When His Majesty was in the palace, he repeatedly asked for the title of prince of the county for several of his sons, but none of them were approved, resulting in several sons being like people. After this came and went, the number of county kings withered, and there were no more than ten in total, and one of them was Chang. This is also the reason why the king of Xiangting did not participate in this court meeting.

Luo Yuanji licked his lips, paused for a moment, and then said: "Your Majesty has repeatedly advised the first emperor that for the sake of the Wan clan's ten thousand years, more of the Xiao clan's relatives should be appointed as the county king, and more county systems should be practiced, and less county guards should be practiced. However, the first emperor was obsessed, spoke ill of His Majesty, and privately expressed his intention to depose Prince Yongcheng. For the sake of Jiangshan Sheji and for the sake of the clan of the Xiao clan, several county kings finally decided to support His Majesty. "Yu Yuan omitted the process of poisoning Emperor Longwu very wisely.

Luo Yuanxuan looked at several county kings and nodded slightly in agreement with his statement, so he continued: "Therefore, there is no doubt that changing the county guard system to the county state system is a change in the political system that His Majesty is determined to make. "This is to set the general direction." As for who should be the king of the county, the minister thinks that it should be divided into two categories. ”

This got to the point, and all the county kings straightened up and listened carefully.

Luo Yuan said: "The first category is His Majesty's prince, except for the eldest son, the other princes can be crowned as the king of the county. "The rank was born to the queen of the Emperor, and he is the nephew of the Emperor Yuan, and the rank of the Emperor was set out separately, in preparation for the plan to be crowned the prince in the future.

"The second category is the meritorious clan relatives that His Majesty admires, which is the grace of the top, and it is not something that can be placed by ministers." This sentence is a pun, which means that as a courtier, you can't intervene in the matter of dividing the county king, and the county kings here are also the emperor's courtiers, so they have no right to meddle in who to be the county king.

He stopped. In his words, the emperor's sons were properly arranged, which undoubtedly made Emperor Chongjing very comfortable. But the other county kings present were quite dissatisfied. They risked the destruction of the door and supported the throne of Tuyou, but as a result, all the benefits were given to Tuyou alone, and they got nothing, isn't this becoming a wedding dress for others?

Yu Yuan grasped the rhythm, and when these county kings showed very dissatisfied expressions on their faces, he slowly said: "There is another category, but instead of dividing the new county kings, but expanding the territory of the existing county states, that is, some adjacent counties that implement the county guard system will be assigned to the corresponding county states. This category is reserved for several of the royal highnesses of the county kings present. ”

This trick is very clever, on the one hand, it rewarded the great merits of the county kings here, but on the other hand, it did not increase the number of county kings, so that the county kings and Xiao Tuyou no longer have to worry about who is the county king. The smaller the number of county kings, the more noble the status of the existing county kings, and the larger the territory of the county country, the stronger the existing county kings. Therefore, the kings of the county here agree with each other in their hearts.

The most clever point, even the emperor has not had time to take into account, that is, in this way, the number of feudal county kings has been greatly reduced, because the princes of the Tuyou are the highest in the ranking of the feudal county kings, so the new feudal county kings are almost all the emperor's sons, and the possibility of other clan relatives being sealed is very small, so that the strength of the Tuyou line is greatly enhanced.

It's almost the best of both worlds. The emperor can not only meet the requirements of the clan to restore the county system and abolish the county guard system, but also be able to justifiably hold the power in his own hands and greatly expand the power in the hands of the emperor. This is a far-sighted super-high power scheme. But Luo Yuan felt that this deep meaning might not be considered, but there was no need to tell the emperor.

The county kings spoke up in agreement. Finally, a happy ending was reached. The general direction and general principles of the change of government were thus decided, and all that remained was the selection of men and the distribution of fiefs. And this needs to be discussed slowly, and it will not be able to be explained clearly in a while. So the emperor said, "Well, it is getting dark." During the mourning period, you can't drink and feast, sing and dance, and leave you county kings in the palace, which also detains you in vain. Go back to the king's house. "These county kings have their own palaces in the holy capital, and they are happy to let the emperor let them out of the palace, so they bow down and salute, and then go back to their homes.

Yu Yuan was left alone.

The emperor was in a good mood, and said to Luo Yuan: "You make a list of the clansmen who can be divided, and draw up a list of places that can be transferred to several county kings." In this way, we have a number in our hearts. When you're done, we'll talk about it. I intend to start implementing the revised county system immediately after the great mourning. Before it is officially implemented, do not tell the county guards first, lest it cause trouble. Those county guards don't have a fuel-efficient lamp. Fortunately, you have already thought about this level and brought all their eldest sons to the Holy Capital. Throw a rat bogey, forgive them and they won't have any excessive behavior. You're very clever at this trick. However, it is still necessary to settle these county guards, they are all capable ministers and famous generals trained by the first emperor, and they have worked hard. If the disposal is too hasty or simple, it will be unreasonable, and it will cause trouble. At least respect and fame must be had. In addition, as for how to deal with Changji, the king of Xiangting County, I have not discussed it today, so you should also think about it together. Since it is the cancellation of the county king with a different surname, the king of Xiangting County will also take away the title sooner or later, but he is not an ordinary county king with a different surname, so how to deal with it is still necessary to be more cautious. As for the purpose, it is one, and the king of Xiangting County cannot be forced to rebel. Did you write it down? ”

It is generally said to be. This is also a hint of the Emperor's intention to end today's summons.

Luo Yuan felt that he was really a wreck, and he was so afraid of wolves and tigers in everything he did, and the few things he just said were also inexplicable, not only did he have no clue, but many instructions were simply inconsistent and inoperable. But Yu Yuan's heart is also very excited, with such a scumbag emperor, the time for his own monopoly is finally coming.

The emperor stood up, smiled, and said, "Hua Chongjin has offered ten Ryukawa Maiji. Listening to Chuntuo, these ten Liuchuan dancing girls are still very eye-catching. It's a time of great mourning, national etiquette is important, and I am the new monarch who has a new successor, and my reputation is important. Therefore, during the mourning period, they should not enter the palace, but stay in the music square. I'll take a moment to see them at Le Fang. Besides, you have to get my medicine ready. ”

Yu Yuan smiled and did not answer. The emperor said: "In addition, let Chuntuo be a regular attendant and serve in the Qianyuan Palace." The two of you, one outside and the other in the palace, are helping each other, discussing, and handling the last few things. ”

The emperor actually compared an inner servant to himself, and listened to the emperor's intentions, as if he wanted to reuse the inner servant to participate in the government, and he was very unhappy. But he just coldly promised and silently retreated......

Concentrate:

1. Pontifical: The rank of the White Sect second only to the Pope, similar to the Deputy Pope, in charge of the daily affairs of the White Sect.