ZHU ZHIYI (YI), KING OF NEIJIANG, AND ZHU XUANYAN (NI), KING OF SHIQUAN, EACH SAT ON THE PLATFORM OUTSIDE THE JINDE HALL AND WAITED FOR THE MEETING. Wu Jishan, who was full of spring breeze, came out and happened to meet them.

When Wu Jishan got off Danbi, the two county kings glanced at each other. Both saw doubt in each other's eyes.

Could it be that the prince has given this guy any benefits?

Recently, Shizi has moved a lot, so big that it is dazzling, and it is so big that people are overwhelmed.

Shi Si, the governor of the Shu Palace, made a big adjustment. What kind of administrative secretary was established, the right chief Shi Zheng Anmin became the prime minister, the talented Li Chongwen, Hong Qihui and Gao Antai became the vice premiers, and the serious palace officials were under him.

The army is adjusted even more. Shuwangzhuang fully implements the compulsory military service system of Zhuang Hu Chengding. One out of twenty is active duty; One out of five is for regular service; The rest are reserves. The active duty was transferred to the caravan guard and the basic squadron of the village, and the main duty was to clarify the corresponding shelf squadron, and the team should return to the team for intensive training during the slack time. As soon as the mobilization order is issued, the regular duty must immediately report to the squadron where they are located. Five days did not arrive, and the whole family was punished.

Once they are included in the regular service, when they go to visit relatives and friends on weekdays and go out for business, they must first ask for leave from the squadron where they are located, and they can only do so after they are approved. Despite this inconvenience, those who signed up for the regular service still squeezed their scalps. Because the regular service does not leave home, does not miss the farming time, and more importantly, there is also two stones and four grains a year, plus a subsidy of two taels of silver. These subsidies are enough to feed a half-sized child, or to scrape together twenty acres of land for a year's worth of seeds. This is a great benefit for ordinary dealers.

It is hot in regular service, and cold in active service. The two county kings inquired about the news from the old farmers in the past, saying that the farmers were still afraid of going into battle. The propaganda team is singing on the stage in various wangzhuang, preaching the benefits of being on active duty to the villagers, and it is lively everywhere, like the New Year. Nowadays, every active member of the village is dressed in red and hung with colors, riding horses and paraded through the streets, and the announced benefits are immediately cashed out. Many young offspring could not resist the temptation and clamored to leave home to see the world. The old man wanted to stop him, but he was afraid that the village would punish him!

After such a toss, the scale of the Wangfu Village Protection Brigade in each county in the irrigation area naturally swelled sharply. There is only one township soldier company in each county, which is the old yellow calendar. Now there are at least two full companies in each county, and three or four shelf companies, almost 500 people. The prince can be fully loaded with an order.

Of course, these things are not what worries the county kings the most. What they are most worried about is that they have heard that many 300-year-old farmers are inquiring about the places and policies for land reclamation! Once there is an opportunity like Luzhou in the future, it is guaranteed that they will move with their families and clans......

The county kings will always be marginalized in political circles, but that doesn't mean they don't understand politics. What is the son of the world singing? So as the county king of the Shu domain, where should he go?

……

Before the two county kings finished the ceremony, Zhu Pingjin had already shouted "no courtesy". He pointed to a row of low gray chairs in the corner of the north partition wall of the office and said, "Two county kings, please take a seat!" ”

"Shizi, what strange things did you get to open the eyes of us old things?"

Shiquan Lao Wang did not sit down rashly, and first used the dragon horn of his crutch to pestle the pestle.

"Soft!" He immediately cried out.

The King of Neijiang was not as cautious as the King of Shiquan. As soon as he saw that there were three chairs, he immediately moved his steps, leaving the two on the left empty. When he saw the prince sitting down, he supported the armrests on both sides with his hands and pressed down with his buttocks.

His body bounced on the soft chair and shouted, "Comfortable! It's just shorter! ”

Zhu Pingjin smiled and defended: "It's not short. Sitting on it, you can be in a casual position, and you don't have to sit upright, like this. ”

Zhu Pingjin cocked his right foot and rested on his left leg, then leaned to the right and plunged himself into the soft encirclement of the armrest.

"Erlang legs!" The King of Neijiang laughed and said, "No one is like a king! It's good that your mother isn't here, otherwise be careful with your ass! Even Master Shu can't see you like this! ”

Zhu Pingjin explained: "Master Shu became the Minister of Education and went to Shunqing Mansion to recruit students. ”

Shiquan Lao Wang held his cane in both hands, sat down inch by inch, and finally his buttocks took the force and stabilized.

"Why hasn't the daughter-in-law seen it recently?" Shiquan Lao Wang asked.

Zhu Pingjin sighed helplessly, "She's also busy." I went to Furong Factory to visit the salt well. The couple lived apart for many years, and the home did not feel like a home. ”

Oh? This salt business is very profitable! King Neijiang was overjoyed.

But Lao Wang didn't continue to talk about the salt, and the topic returned to what was under the buttocks: "Among the clansmen of the Shu Domain, there is no one who is better than the son of the world!" Look, these pieces of furniture aren't good! It's just that you young people, your body still has to be beaten. It's too early to be comfortable, and at my age, I'm afraid I can't walk with a cane! ”

Listening to the words of the old king of Shiquan, the king of Neijiang quietly despised it. This old thing, every time he enters the house, he has to change his method to fight the autumn wind, and he has never gone back empty-handed!

Sure enough, the prince smiled and said, Lao Wang likes it, so he asked someone to move back. The prince also gave the king of Shiquan the name and origin of the chair: the ancient Chinese name was "Yuji", and the Xiyi countries called it "sofa". The cushions and armrests are filled with duck down and silk, unlike cotton cushions, which will be solid and stiff after sitting for a long time. There are no wooden planks under the cushions, but they are stretched brown silk horizontally and vertically, so they will be elastic when you sit down.

"No wonder it's so proper!" King Shiquan lovingly stroked the armrests on both sides and praised them. But in a blink of an eye, he criticized: "It's just that this gray cloth fabric is too inferior!" It's like the number one on those little soldiers of the Zhuang Guardian Team! ”

"It's not like, it's supposed to be!" Zhu Pingjin smiled and changed Erlang's legs.

He called Qin Yi to serve tea and smoke, and then explained to the two county kings in a low voice: He wants to give a simple example to the ministers, and the office should not be too extravagant. Lao Wang pulled back to the house, and took a few thick brocades by himself, which was an absolutely high-grade good thing!

This time, Lao Wang is no longer picky. He lit a cigarette with the help of the fire fold handed by the eunuch, and Meimei took a puff.

The eunuch respectfully withdrew under the gaze of the prince and closed the door to his office.

It's time to get down to business! King Neijiang's urging eyes had already flickered on Lao Wang's right a few times.

Lao Wang thought, where to start? Since you want to ask Yu Lu and divide the silver, why don't you talk about the daughter-in-law who can make money?

But just when Lao Wang tried to speak, the prince Zhu Pingjin had already spoken first. As soon as the prince spoke, the two county kings felt weight, because what the prince talked about was exactly what they were most concerned about, but also the most worried and looked forward to but dared not speak.

Almost at the same time, the two decided in their hearts that they would first split Yulu Zonglu and Wang Zhuang aside.

"Since Emperor Taizu Gao divided the first king in Shu, and set a family decree, my descendants will abide by it. Yueyou Shen Bin let, Cheng Xuan Feng to peace. The Shu clan has gone from offering one king to more than 10,000 clansmen today. By the time of the word 'ping' in this world, it has been eleven generations. In the past three hundred years, the Shu family has inherited the ancestor Yu Ze from the top of the domain, and enjoyed the worship of the people, sharing weal and woe with the country, and integrating honor and disgrace. But if there is chaos today, the court is too busy to take care of itself, the officials and troops are all fighting in the north, Fu Du is dead, and Hong Du is trapped. In my Ming Dynasty, King Xiang was killed, and King Fu ran away for a lifetime. At present, the situation in the Central Plains has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and I am afraid that it will soon be the turn of the Tang King of Nanyang Mansion, the Hui King of Yuzhou (Note 1), the Zhou King of Kaifeng Mansion, and the Chongwang of Runing Mansion. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong have been here a few times, and the next time they come to Chengdu, I am afraid that the Shu Domain will be the fate of King Xiang and King Fu! There has to be a perfect way to save the family! Although the two county princes are small sects, they can be divided for a long time, and the population under the sect is large, one is more than 2,000, so the prince of this world invites the two princes to ......"

Shizi Wen Crepe said a bunch of opening remarks, and the two kings of Shiquan and Neijiang knew their intentions.

The two teams of Shang and Zhuang have already reached tens of thousands of people, so they came to ask for the opinions of the small sects? That's not a joke!

What they need to do in front of the prince is, of course, to make it clear that they support it. But how to support, and what benefits will they get from their support, this is the focus of their attention.

However, all of this must be premised: what is the ultimate goal of the son? That's the core!

"Shizi, since you can afford to look up to the old man, call the old man to the mansion to discuss, and the old man will rely on the old man to sell the old man and say a few words of truth." Shiquan Lao Wang accepted the mask and replied seriously, "Since your father was killed by a traitor, we clan relatives can see clearly: you are not like your father, you are not like your father, you have low eyes and hands, and you do things that are not in tune. You are more like your mother, you have the power and the means! It's only been a few months? Just clean up the officials outside, we all admire it very much! It's better to treat the lower clansmen, know our difficulties, have silver for everyone to earn, don't swallow it by yourself, and don't spend it on those wild women outside! ”

Shiquan Lao Wang said excitedly, pestle and crutches on the ground, and made a thumping sound: "In a big family, there must be someone in charge." Now that the situation in the world is collapsing, the matter is urgent, and we can't look ahead and look backward. The meaning of old decay, although the son of the world is young, he has the ability to do it better than us old guys, and he is the great sect lineage in the temple, and he is born to be the leader of our Shu Domain. Whatever you say, we'll do it! The following sect people, which one dares to provoke trouble, our small sect is the first to let go! This is called self-sweeping the snow in front of the door. Wipe the shit off your ass, wipe yourself clean! ”

"Lao Wang, are your own children and grandchildren willing to do it?" Zhu Pingjin asked with a smile.

"There are too many old children and grandchildren, what's wrong with one or two less!" Shiquan Lao Wang's crutches slammed on the gold bricks in Zhu Pingjin's office, as if he was unwilling to break one or two pieces.

"It's just that the son of the world is young, and he has no prestige. The old man has an idea, otherwise the son of the world will find a reason to tie up the court staff in public, and the old man will come to stand up for you! ”

"Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai, one is willing to fight, and the other is willing to suffer!" Zhu Pingjin said, laughing with Lao Wang.

In order to tie up the world, he even gambled on his own ditch! The king of Neijiang has another reason to look down on Lao Wang. But he thought about it, and the language was not slow at all. After the prince finished laughing, the language of the king of Neijiang had already been connected, and he immediately said amazingly:

"Shizi, according to Xiao Wang, the four princes (Note 2) have beaten down the country, and his descendants can't hold it!"

King Neijiang left his seat as he spoke, and made a big salute to Zhu Pingjin: "Xiao Wang is rebellious, please cure the crime of disrespect!" ”

Cure a fart! Zhu Pingjin scolded in his heart, so he had to ask Zhu Zhiyi, the king of Neijiang, to get up and speak.

"The king of Neijiang has always acted frankly and openly. During his father's reign, he admonished him many times in person. is different from Fushun's second minister, don't say it in person, and poison behind your back! Now that the son of this world is in charge of the affairs of the government, the king of Neijiang is even more vigorously assisting, and he has done a lot of things, and these sons of the world know it! Now that our family is talking behind closed doors, we are asking you to speak from the bottom of our hearts, how can we blame you! ”

Watching King Neijiang get up satisfied, Zhu Pingjin spit out a smoke ring into the caisson on the top of the palace, put on a comfortable posture on the sofa, and waited for the rebellious language to come out of the mouth of King Neijiang's dog.

The king of Neijiang really lived up to expectations, and he said amazingly:

"Chongzhen's fool was played around by the minister like a stupid pig, he didn't know people's knowledge, he didn't use people's abilities, and he didn't have the skills of his subordinates! It seems that this Daming flower is about to change hands! Instead of falling into the hands of miscellaneous surnames, it is better to ask the son of the world to take his place! ”

King Neijiang's next words were even more earth-shattering:

"Does the prince know? Yanwang Zhu Di is a mongrel! I don't deserve to be an emperor in the first place! ”

Note 1: The king of Hui was removed from the country because of his crimes, but there were still five county kings such as Yanjin of the Hui domain in Yuzhou.

Note 2: Zhu Di, the king of Yan, is the fourth among the brothers.