It was late on the second day.

Yun Ji had already gotten up. Seeing the emperor get up, Yun Ji and Chun Tuo took a few palace maids to serve the emperor to freshen up.

Xiao Tuyou's face was flushed red, as if he was ten years younger, and there was that brilliance in his eyes that only a teenager would have. Xiao Tuyou saw that Yun Ji's face was cold, without any brilliance or blood, and said with a smile: "Yun Ji, did I not care for you too much yesterday?" Look at my Yun Ji, there is no blood on her face at all. ”

Yun Ji pursed her lips and smiled. Xiao Tuyou felt that Yun Ji's shyness was more charming than other demeanors. Chun Tuo leaned over and said, "Your Majesty's dragon horse spirit." The slave said something disrespectful, and yesterday I could still hear the voice of His Majesty's Ryoma spirit from a long distance. This is the gospel of our Dazhao. ”

Tuyu laughed and said, "Okay, you Chuntuo, you really have a good mouth." ”

After finishing breakfast with Yun Ji, Xiao Tuyou said to Chuntuo: "Let's go, go to Qianyuan Palace." The abyss should have arrived. Yun Ji was still cold, pursed her lips slightly, and then squatted down to salute the emperor. Xiao Tuyou helped Yun Ji up with one hand, stared at Yun Ji's face for a while, gently patted Yun Ji's cheek with his hand, and said softly: "You are new to personnel, I was not good yesterday, and I made you too tired." Don't you get angry, okay? You are so alive and resting, what you want to use, what you want to eat, just tell the slaves and maids. The slaves and maids in the palace, if they are disobedient, if they are not good, just replace them. However, during the mourning, don't go out of the palace first, and when the mourning is over, I will give you an explanation, and you can go out. Got it, Yun Ji? ”

Yun Ji pursed her lips lightly again, and said coldly, "Oh, Your Majesty." ”

Xiao Tuyou glanced at Yun Ji, put on the crown, and reluctantly left, saying to Chun Tuo as he walked: "Tell the Nangong guards on duty in Yinglu Palace that no one is allowed to enter Yinglu Palace without my permission, without exception." In addition, the main hall of Yinglu Palace was renamed Yilan Hall. ”

"Wow. The slave understands. ”

When he arrived at the front hall of Qianyuan Palace, as expected, Guangluqing had already arrived, and he was in Beique. Xiao Tuyu said: "Spread the light and come in." ”

After entering the front hall to salute, he deliberately glanced up at the emperor. The emperor was refreshed as if he had changed his life. Yu Yuan couldn't believe that a Rukawa dancing girl, no matter how beautiful and moving, no matter how much she knew the charm between the bed, how could she cure the emperor's sudden stubborn hidden illness at once? Yu Yuan is worried, but he is afraid that this Yun Ji will be favored in the future. He was glad that the Emperor no longer had hidden diseases, and he no longer had to bother with the secret medicine that was extremely difficult to configure. But he was also worried about his sister, the queen Luo Yuanwei, who was originally mediocre and unskilled, so she had to stay alone in the empty room. What makes Yu Yuan even more big is not that the queen is not favored, but the queen's jealousy. The emperor has just succeeded to the throne, and he doesn't know how many concubines he will be added to the harem in the future, if the queen is blindly jealous and mean, don't count on the holy family, it is estimated that it is difficult to say whether even the queen's position can be kept. Moreover, the temperament of the emperor is completely different from when he was a prince before, although he still shows leniency and benevolence, and even often chatters trivial, but the thoughts in his heart are actually very deep and deep, even those words that he has always thought were trivial words, but now that he thinks about it, he actually has a deep meaning and what he means. In short, this plot must not be taken lightly, still less can it be coaxed and exploited. Luo Yuan felt that his previous calculations were too optimistic, he was too arrogant, and in the future, he must adjust his spirit and re-examine and serve this new monarch.

Xiao Tuyu's expression was very brisk, and he looked at Luo Yuan and said, "Have you prepared the list of the clan of the county king?" ”

"It's ready. Your Majesty, please take a look. Yu Yuan respectfully held a book of music. Chuntuo walked down, took the concerto, and went back to present it to the emperor.

Xiao Tuyou glanced at it and found that the people who were divided were all his own princes, so he was a little puzzled and asked, "Why do you want to divide all my princes?" It's okay to divide a few of them out, but with so many princes going out, isn't the holy capital empty? ”

The emperor's words were vague, but Luo Yuan understood very well that after a hundred years of the emperor, he would always pass on the throne to his son, so many of them were divided into other counties, how could the emperor come to test them, and things in the holy capital were changing rapidly, in case things in the palace were elbows and armpits, the princes were all in other counties, and the situation was going to and the throne was changing, so it would be difficult to control. All in all, Yu Yuan understood that the emperor's concern was about the successor.

"Your Majesty, after listening to the hadith yesterday, the minister was initiated. Following His Majesty's holy message, the minister has some ideas, and he wants to play with His Majesty today. ”

"That's what you say, why are you still talking like this today?" Tuyu said with a smile.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. The form of government in which the counties and counties are coexisting and divided was mentioned yesterday by His Majesty was a groundbreaking feat and an unprecedentedly wise design. I am very impressed. Yesterday, the minister thought about it all night, but he still only got the skin, not the essence. But there is one thing, the minister is certain, after changing to the system of coexistence and division of the county, the state and the county, within ten years, the world will be under great rule. Moreover, the county kings and counties are in the same place and the power is divided and controlled, no matter who it is, it is absolutely impossible to raise an army again. Your Majesty's inheritance can be preserved for 10,000 years, 10,000 years! ”

Xiao Tuyu nodded, he thought that Yu Yuan's comprehension was in place, and motioned for Luo Yuanxuan to continue.

Yu Yuanji paused again and said, "Dazhao's foundation is indeed stable. But the minister thought that there was one more thing that had to be done. If this is not done, it will not be able to ensure that His Majesty's own inheritance will last forever. There were some inconsistencies and some rap in what he said, but he didn't understand it.

Luo Yuan said: "This is, we must ensure that the imperial throne will continue to be inherited in the lineage of Your Majesty. At this moment, Xiao Tuyu finally understood, only to hear Yu Yuanxuan continue, "The system of division and rule of the county king and county is enough to ensure the eternal existence of the Dazhao foundation for ten thousand years, but it is not enough to ensure that the throne will continue to be inherited in the line of His Majesty. The selection of successors also needs other systems to ensure it. The difficulty lies in ensuring that the imperial line is pure and beware of coveting by the side lines, and that the candidates are good enough to dominate the world. It's a dilemma. ”

"Dilemma? How so? ”

"Your Majesty. If you want to ensure the purity of the imperial lineage and guard against the coveting of the side lineage, you must keep the prince or prince you like by your Majesty's side at all times, and no matter what turmoil or unexpected events arise, Your Majesty can calmly take measures and control the inheritance of the throne in your hands. ”

Xiao Tuyou felt that Luo Yuan's general thinking was very good, but there were many taboos in speaking, so he couldn't speak thoroughly, so he encouraged: "Just let it go." The matter you said is related to Dazhao and the inheritance of the imperial lineage, so don't have any taboos. I understand what you just said, in case of the emperor's collapse or palace coup, if there is no prince in the holy capital, then the throne cannot be guaranteed to be inherited in the emperor's lineage, right? ”

The emperor is willing to talk to himself so deeply, which shows that the emperor's trust in him is still unstoppable, but at the same time, these words are all about the bad luck of the emperor's succession, which will inevitably cause the emperor's disgust. But the matter has come to this point, the situation is forced, and there is no turning back, so Luo Yuan said: "Shengming has no fault with Your Majesty." That's exactly what the minister meant. ”

"It's good and important to think about this. You don't have to shy away from anything, just say it. As long as it is conducive to the government, I will do anything. You can rest assured about this. ”

Luo Yuan said: "Oh, Your Majesty! But if the princes of His Majesty's favor are kept in the holy capital and pampered, the problem is relatively big. Within one or two generations, I can't see anything, but after three generations, these princes, who are older than the hands of women in the deep palace, are both civil and military, and civil affairs are incompatible, and it is difficult to cultivate promising monarchs, which is also the root cause of the lack of longevity and weakening national strength in previous dynasties. ”

Xiao Tuyu nodded and said, "You're right. ”

Luo Yuanji continued: "Your Majesty, besides, if so many princes are all concentrated in the Holy Capital, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no accidents. He said this very carefully, and his wording was also very elegant. Because Emperor Longwu and Emperor Chongjing himself both reached the throne through a palace coup. If he says too much, the emperor will be disgusted, but if he doesn't say it properly, the emperor may not be able to wake up.

Luo Yuan saw that there was no disgust in the emperor's eyes, and then said: "So, simply, it is better to divide most of the princes into the county state, and only leave the crown prince and the underage prince in the holy capital. There are several benefits to doing so. First, as long as the prince and the underage prince are in the holy capital, in this way, the prince can concentrate on studying political affairs in the holy capital, and there is no interference from other adult princes around him, so he doesn't have to worry about things like competing for favor, and at the same time, the underage little prince can also concentrate on being raised by His Majesty and the ladies in the palace, ensuring that he grows up safely and is well-educated. Second, the adult prince was divided into various counties, and he was in charge of the military and political affairs of a county with the county guards, so as to avoid the prince living in the holy capital all the year round and being pampered and useless. In case of a change in the crown prince, His Majesty can select the best among these princes who are divided into counties, and the chosen person must be a virtuous and capable king who has been trained for a long time, not an idle prince who is raised by a woman in the deep palace and does not know anything about the world. That is to say, if the crown prince is worthy of the great responsibility, the crown prince will naturally take over the throne, and if the prince has no virtue or talent or dies early without blessing, it can also ensure that the throne will be passed on to the talented and virtuous county king. In short, the power is on the top, and the range of options has been greatly expanded, and the talent and morality of the candidates have been greatly improved. ”

He was very pleased that this was a new measure in the new regime that he had figured out overnight, so he said, "Very good. That's a good move. ”

Yu Yuan was encouraged, and his eyes flashed with excitement, and then he said: "This is all the occasional achievement of Your Majesty's holy candle and enlightenment to your subordinates. Your Majesty, the minister has another idea, and I respectfully ask for the Holy Judgment. ”

"You say."

"The minister thinks that the privilege of 'hereditary replacement' of the feudal prince should be gradually abolished."

"This change is too big, in this way, aren't those county kings the same as the county guards? I guess those county kings will never agree. ”

"Your Majesty, the abolition of the privilege of hereditary succession of feudal county kings can be divided into several steps, or different steps can be taken for different county kings. The first is those who have made meritorious contributions to the founding of the country. The number of such county kings is very small, and there are only three county kings: the king of Beiling, the king of Ganzi and the king of Xiangting. The hereditary privileges of these three county kings have to be abolished step by step, and there is no urgency. For them, for the time being, the privilege of hereditary succession to the throne is retained. After His Majesty has full control of the political situation, he will gradually deprive them of their privileges. The second type is those who were divided after the founding of the first emperor. For them, they can directly cancel the privilege of hereditary replacement of their county kings, and after the death of the first county king, the prince will be renamed the prince of the country, as for how to settle it, it will be up to His Majesty to decide on the situation at that time. ”

"I'm afraid they won't give in easily, right?"

"Your Majesty, these newly crowned county kings after the founding of the country have a very shallow foundation, even if they are dissatisfied, they don't dare to make trouble, not to mention, there is also His Majesty's law of coexistence and division of the county and county guarding to contain them. If they make a rebellion, then Your Majesty can take these counties in one fell swoop and re-divide them to his prince. The third is these newly feudal kings who are about to be feuded out, they are all newly crowned thrones, and whether they are 'hereditary replacement' depends on Your Majesty's will, and they will not have any objections. These county kings who are about to be newly sealed are the same, they are generational and non-hereditary county kings. In this way, in a few decades, all the county kings in the world will be descendants of His Majesty. And all of them are generational, non-hereditary thrones. Once the county king is gone, His Majesty can choose another prince or a powerful clan to divide the new county king, which is a supreme reward. Those who have been knighted must be extremely loyal and grateful to His Majesty. Your Majesty's virtue will grow day by day. ”

Tuyu nodded and agreed, it was indeed very clever to classify and gradually change the policy. Fearing that the emperor would not understand it properly, he then explained: "In this way, you can kill two birds with one stone. Nominally, the county system was restored, which fulfilled the wishes of the clansmen. But in fact, the hereditary privileges of the county kings were abolished, and although these county kings were called county kings, they actually became lifelong county guards, which were easier to control, and the court no longer had to worry about rebellion in other counties. ”

He said, "Very good. Very good. You have thought very well. However, there are two questions. First, if the Son of Heaven does not have so many heirs, who should he divide it into? ”

"Your Majesty is thoughtful, and the ministers are full of admiration. His Majesty's spirit of Ryoma is profound, and there are many heirs, and there is no such worry in contemporary times. But in the future, the king may not be as blessed as His Majesty. In case the number of your own heirs is not enough, you can choose from the children and nephews you admire. Anyway, it's all a generation, and there is not much hidden danger. ”

"That's all there is to it. The second question is, these feudal county kings always have to have some supernatural rewards, otherwise, wouldn't they be the same as those county guards? This can't highlight the dignity of the clan members. ”

"Your Majesty, these county kings, although deprived of hereditary privileges, still retain many privileges. One is that he can serve as the king of the county for life, and if there is no major fault, he will not be replaced, while the county guard can be replaced at any time, which is the biggest difference. The second is to retain all the ceremonial guards and jue lu of the county kings, and even improve the regulation on top of the existing ceremonial guards and jue, that is, to give enough vanity and practical benefits. The third is to determine the status of the county king and the county guard. The king of the county and the county guard live in the same city, and under normal circumstances, they are not allowed to co-serve to prevent collusion between the king and the guard; However, if there is an urgent matter that requires co-directors, the county king is in the throne as the representative of the Son of Heaven, and the county guard is in the position of minister. ”

"That's all right. What you just said is crucial. These county kings who were divided out went to the county as representatives of the Son of Heaven, that is, they acted for the county affairs on behalf of the Son of Heaven, which was completely different from the system that was implemented before when the county was completely independent and the county king was like the Son of Heaven in the county. This point must be made clear. This is the principle of law, the constitution, and the fundamental. ”

"There is no better saint than Your Majesty."

"That's right. It's just that the newly divided county kings are all my heirs, and I'm afraid it's too much, so it's better to say it. ”

"Your Majesty, rest assured, there is one more person who will be sealed out sooner or later. The presence of such a person is enough to have the effect of balancing the opinions of all parties. ”

"Who?"

"The current prince - Xiao Jia." Luo Yuanji deliberately emphasized that Xiao Jia is the "current" prince, and the implication is obvious, sooner or later, he will not become the prince.

"He? I have previously issued an edict to retain the title of prince of Xiaojia. It's only been a month since the Ming Edict was promulgated in the world, and I went back on my word, but I can't do it. ”

"Your Majesty is reassured. As far as the minister knows, Empress Xuanren and Prince Xiaojia have been in a panic all day long, and Prince Xiaojia has repeatedly pleaded with His Majesty, asking His Majesty to choose his own prince as the crown prince and change the title of prince or county prince himself. Although His Majesty has been ignoring it, Xiao Jia's mind is very resolute. The minister estimated that there would be a letter to the harvest in the near future. ”

"It has to be decent enough. I won't approve his book at one time. In this matter, you have to be more thoughtful, and don't let the world gossip about me. ”

"Oh, Your Majesty." Previously, every time he gave a decree not to let people gossip about him, Luo Yuan felt that he was a woman's kindness, and he was very dismissive in his heart, but now it is different, Luo Yuan feels that this is the emperor's clear will, and there is a clear reference, so it must be taken seriously and must not be ambiguous.

Luo Yuan thought for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that it can be said that for the time being, the harvest will be changed to the king of the county, and the domain will recuperate. ”

"Good. In addition, after Xiao Jia's body recovers, he will resume his position as the crown prince. This article should be made clear to the people of the world in advance. ”

"Whoa." Yu Yuan was greatly annoyed by his self-inflicted cleverness just now. In this way, the queen's son, that is, his nephew, cannot be crowned the crown prince immediately. But the wood has been completed, and there is no way to recover, so we can only try it slowly. Moreover, Luo Yuan knew that the so-called "reinstatement of the position of the crown prince" was just a trick for the emperor to coax the people of the world, and it was impossible for the prince to return to the line of Emperor Longwu, and it was only a matter of time before the emperor's prince was crowned the crown prince. But whether this prince is a rank or not, it is not easy to say.

Xiao Tuyu noticed the chagrin on Yu Yuan's face, thought for a while, and said: "Xiao Zhi is the eldest son of the emperor, and he still has to be different from other princes. I see, I see, don't go out separately, be crowned a prince, and stay in the holy capital to show respect. But don't live in the palace, let him live in my original palace. ”

Yu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. With such a disposition, the rank of the prince is beyond that of other princes, in fact, the crown prince who does not have the title of prince, that is, the identity of the alternate prince, and being named the crown prince is only a matter of choosing the opportunity.

Yu Yuan's worries disappeared, and his thoughts became agile again, and he said, "As for the other princes of the first emperor, the ministers will also 'deal with' it properly. ”

Xiao Tuyu didn't say anything, but instead asked, "There is also a king of Xiangting County, how to deal with it?" ”

"Your Majesty, it is more difficult to do it than the king of Xiangtingjun. He is the old brand of the county king left over from the Dagao period, and is the elder brother of Empress Xuanren, if you want to talk about the merits of supporting the founding of the first emperor and quelling the rebellion of the kings, the king of Xiangting is probably greater than the king of Beiling and the king of Ganzi. Moreover, King Xiangtingjun was extremely loyal to the first emperor, His Majesty, and the royal family, so although he was not a member of the Xiao clan, the Xiao clan relatives never seemed to regard him as an outsider. Of course, the King of Ganzi is an exception, he has always felt that the King of Xiangting County is an anomaly. ”

"It's a nuisance. His merits are very great, and he is a relative, so he can be regarded as a clan relative. However, among a large number of feudal kings of the Xiao clan, a Chang clan king appeared, and he always felt that this new policy was still unfinished. Thousands of years later, the descendants of the Xiao clan will always criticize me. If I don't solve this problem, it will be even more difficult for my children and grandchildren to solve it. I don't want to leave this conundrum to posterity. ”

"Your Majesty, the minister has an idea, I wonder if I can give it a try? Can you give the king of Xiangting County the surname? ”

Giving people with foreign surnames the unique surname of the royal family is a great honor given by the Son of Heaven to his courtiers, and it rarely happens. However, whether the Son of Heaven gave a prince with a foreign surname the surname "逄" can be regarded as an honor, that is another matter. Although it is located in the northwest corner, the national strength of Xiangting County is not the strongest, but after all, it is the foundation of hundreds of years, and it has accumulated from generation to generation, which is also very considerable. Changing the surname of such a wealthy family to "逄", the Xiangting County King family may not be grateful. This was a self-evident trouble, so the emperor did not speak, but shook his head slightly.

Luo Yuan glanced at the emperor, and then said: "Your Majesty, the scope of the surname can only be limited to the lineage of Chang Ji, the king of Xiangting County: since Chang Ji, Chang Ji's descendants have since changed their surnames to become royal relatives. At the same time, Changji's ancestors did not posthumously give it, so that Chang's temple could be preserved. In order to ensure that the incense of the Chang family temple continues, starting from Chang Ji, each generation of Chang Ji's descendants is a concurrent, which is not only the blood of the Chang family, but also the clan relatives of the royal family. In addition, the other clansmen of the Chang clan still have the surname Chang. ”

Xiao Tuyu finally nodded and said, "Okay." Sooner or later, sooner or later, they will have to revoke their privileges on the hereditary throne. This is also a stopgap measure. He stood up and said, "The most troublesome person is the king of Beiling County." His territory was the largest, and during the previous dynasty, it was incorporated into several neighboring counties, and it was close to the Holy Capital, forming a siege of the Holy Capital in the north. The identity of the king of Beiling County is special, and he is a hereditary reckless king of the county who cannot be easily taken away, and the first emperor was quite jealous of him when he was there, so he was particularly courteous to the king of Ganzi County, in order to suppress the king of Beiling County. Now, my situation is even harder. He and the king of Ganz have done a great job in supporting me, and I have to expand the territory of their two counties, which is really difficult. ”

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that there is no way to do this, so I can only think about it in the long run. Not only the king of Beiling County, but also the king of Ganzi County is not easy to deal with. However, the minister thought that he could do something with the word 'hereditary'. In other words, they will retain their hereditary privileges, but instead of implementing the single-son hereditary system, in which only the eldest son has the right to hereditary, the system of 'multiple children will be hereditary'. ”

"Hereditary with many children?"

"Yes. These two hereditary county kings were allowed to divide the territory 'according to the situation', and then divide it among more heirs, no matter how young or old, to whom, how much, and how large the territory was, all at the mercy of the county king. In this way, conflicts between their sons and heirs will immediately arise, and these princes will try their best to force the two county kings to divide the county and the land one by one. The minister predicted that within two generations, the counties of the king of Beiling and the king of Ganzi would be divided into scattered small countries and even small cities. In this way, the terrible two counties of Beiling and Ganzi have become insignificant small towns, although they both have hereditary privileges, but they are not to be worried, and it will be much easier for Your Majesty to cancel their hereditary privileges when the time comes. ”

"It's a great idea. Very good, very good! This law can also be applied to the county of Xiangting. In this way, in less than thirty years, the disadvantages of the county can be eliminated! I am very relieved! What a comfort! ”

"This is all Your Majesty's Holy Heaven Indulgence. According to the minister, the king of Beiling County is almost sixty people, and the king of Ganzi County and Chang Ji have many heirs, and it will not take thirty years, at most ten years, and the worries of the hereditary county can be eliminated. Your Majesty is at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period, and his body is so healthy, and adding heirs is also a matter of daytime. This is the blessing of the subjects, the blessing of the world, and the blessing of Dazhao. This is a pun, he hopes to use words like "good health" and "in Tian Zihei" to attract the emperor himself to talk about Yun Ji.

Sure enough, the emperor smiled happily: "That's right. I feel as if I'm younger now than I was when I was a prince. In the past, I always heard people say that the king of Beiling County was a living immortal, and his kind of 'immortal energy' that restrained himself and suppressed people's desires was really not uncommon. That's right. Yesterday, that Yun Ji was very good, I have let her live in Mingguang Palace temporarily, and then add the seal after the funeral. ”

Speaking of this, Xiao Tuyu suddenly remembered something, frowned, glanced at Luo Yuanxuan, and said, "You can go and see the queen later." You go tell her and let her save me some snacks. I've been so busy all day long that I'm tired of it, and I'm often annoyed to hear about her mean concubines in the harem. It's a mess in the harem, and I'm really bad. Harem, harem, that's my home, I hope that it is still pure and pure, and don't make trouble. Now, no compared to when she was in the palace, she still has some motherly temperament. Otherwise, how could the concubines and subjects be submissive to her?! The Yun Ji I just mentioned is from a poor background, you tell the queen not to embarrass her. Otherwise...... "The picture has stopped."

The emperor's words are already very heavy, specifically saying that the queen should "have the bearing of the mother in the world", and the implication is that if there is no such bearing, the result can be imagined, and it is likely to be abolished. Yu Yuan knew that the emperor was very good at women, happy to do this, and even more proficient in this way, and had been holding back Luo Yuanwei's jealousy and meanness, which was to take into account the special and strong family background of the Luo family, but now, he has become the emperor, and the difference between the monarch and the minister is like the difference between heaven and earth, and all these things that he needs to take care of are now not worth mentioning. If the queen insists on going her own way, she is still jealous, does not get along with the concubines, and causes trouble, and the consequences will be unimaginable.