Hearing Zhuo Jing's words, not only did the Shangshu squires bow slightly, it was Xia Yuanji, who was against cutting the domain, and Tyrant Zhao also thought so, just because this method can indeed prevent a group of vassal kings from staying in the vassal land for a long time, forming their own forces over the years, and then threatening the imperial court, and more importantly, let the vassal king change the vassal land, there was a precedent when Zhu Yuanzhang was in charge, which is really justified and blameless.

Zhu Yunwen recalled the past Zhu Di, when Zhu Quan and the two were studying together in the East Palace, he couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by his rude past, and turned his head to Qi Taiyan, the secretary of the military department: "I don't know what Lord Qi thinks?" Qi Tai was highly regarded during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, serving as a squire in the military department, and now he was promoted by Zhu Yunwen, and has become the youngest person among the six Shangshu of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yunwen didn't like Zhuo Jing's strategy in his heart, so he wanted to listen to his advice as the head of the military department.

Qi Tai since Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, every time he thinks about cutting the domain, he has already had a plan in his heart, at this time, he heard the emperor's question, and bowed down unhurriedly and said: "At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the titles and fiefs of the princes and kings were inherited by the eldest son alone, and the descendants of other concubines could not get the size of the land. This will inevitably form a trend that will not fall, and then threaten the imperial court. In the second year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (127 B.C.), the lord's father Yan wrote to Emperor Wu, suggesting that the princes should be ordered to divide their sons into princes. The Tui'en Decree learned the lesson of the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms caused by the Chao Wrong Decree of Cutting Domains, and stipulated that except for the eldest son of the princes and kings to inherit the throne, the rest of the sons were to be feudal marquis in the original feudal country, and the new feudal state was no longer under the jurisdiction of the kingdom, but was directly managed by the counties, and the status was equivalent to that of the county. This made the vassal kingdom nominally not carry out any cuts, so as to avoid the possibility of provoking the vassal kings to revolt. As a result, "the feudal kingdom began to be divided, and the children were Bi Hou", which led to the feudal kingdom becoming smaller and smaller, and the power was greatly weakened. Weichen thought that His Majesty might as well follow the example of the sages and cut off the power of the vassal king in a method similar to the Tui En Order. ”“

The Tui'en Decree not only enabled Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che to successfully weaken the power of the vassal state, but also made the county system start from the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties to the current Ming Dynasty. A group of scholars and servants are familiar with historical books, and naturally know that Qi Tai's method of imitating the ancients and sages is quite old-fashioned.

Huang Zicheng saw that there were those who opposed the cutting of the domain, and there were those who said that there were those who pushed the grace to make Xu Xutu, he couldn't bear it, stood up and bowed down and said: "Emperor Liu Qi of the Han Dynasty once said in the "Cutting Strategy" that Chao Cuo: If you cut it now, it will be the opposite, and if you don't cut it, you will also be the opposite. Cutting it, its counter-urgency, small disaster; If you don't cut it, it will be too late, and the disaster will be great. I also hope that Your Majesty will make a decision as soon as possible to avoid the trouble of raising tigers. ”

Xia Yuanji heard that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai had a "Cutting Strategy" on the left and a "Tui En Order" on the right, and secretly thought to himself: Although Zhu Di, the king of Yan, was in Beiping, except for the guards and horses, he had no military power over the rest of the soldiers and horses, let alone the right to interfere in the government affairs of local officials, could he be compared with the vassal kings of those countries in the Han Dynasty? The two adults will follow the example of the ancients, and now they will be the opposite, and if they are not cut, they will be opposed, I really don't know what reason these vassal kings can use to rebel? It's really inexplicable, I don't know what to do.

Whether it is Zhuo Jing's plan to let the vassal king move in the matter, or Qi Tai's imitation of Tui'en order, it needs to be slowly figured out, which is not in line with Zhu Yunwen's drastic intention of cutting the domain. When he heard the teacher Huang Zicheng say this, he suddenly felt a sense of relief in his heart, and when he saw Xia Yuanji, the head of the household, standing up and wanting to speak, he waved his hand to stop him: "All Aiqing, please go back to the house to rest, and this matter will be discussed later." Seeing that a group of scholars stood up and turned their heads to Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai and the others said, "Taichangqing, Lord Qi is here for the time being." ”

Qi Tai observed his words, didn't he know that Huang Zicheng's words in "Cutting the Domain" were in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor? It seems that His Majesty has made up his mind to cut the feudal domain, and he sat down with a slight sigh in his heart.

However, in a moment, after the scholars and servants left, only the three monarchs and ministers sat in the study. The eunuch Bai Zheng is a thoughtful person, and he knows that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai at this time are respected by His Majesty the Emperor, and they poured hot tea for each of the three monarchs and ministers without waiting for orders.

Zhu Yunwen stretched out his hand to take the teacup offered by Bai Zheng, and after taking two sips, he asked in a deep voice: "Based on what the two Aiqing have seen, who should be the first to cut the domain?" ”

Qi Tai knew that Zhu Yunwen's most feared person was Zhu Di, the king of Yan, and at this time, seeing that the emperor had insisted on cutting the feudal domain strongly, although he sighed slightly in his heart, he still said loudly: "Among the current vassal kings, King Yan is respected, and Weichen thinks that he should start with him." ”

Huang Zicheng stroked his long beard with his hand, and after a moment of silence, he said slowly: "There are 18,000 people with three guards and horses under King Yan's eyes, and most of them are soldiers and generals who have been in battle for a long time. Weichen thought that it was not advisable to cut the king of Yan too quickly, so he should first remove the branches and leaves, and cut off his brother Zhu Hu, the king of Zhou. Moreover, two days ago, there was an imperial history to impeach Zhu Hu, the king of Zhou, in the place where he was in Kaifeng, and there were many illegal things, so it was better to take advantage of the situation and cut it down. ”

Zhu Yunwen agreed with what Qi Tai said in his heart, from big to small, first take Zhu Di to open the knife, at this time I heard what the teacher said, and suddenly remembered that Zhu Hu was impeached by Zhu Di, the king of Zhou, and recalled that Zhu Hu was a compatriot with Zhu Di's mother, and the love was not comparable to the rest of the vassal kings. ”

Rao is Qi Tai is calm by nature, and he was also taken aback by Huang Zicheng's whimsical thinking, and hurriedly said: "Weichen thinks that although Zhu Hu, the king of Zhou, is quite literate, he has never been good at military affairs, and although he has three thousand guards and horses in his hands, he is not worried. If it is cut down first, wouldn't it be a scare to the snake, so that King Yan, King Ning and others will be vigilant? ”

Zhu Yunwen has been on the throne for more than a month, Fengtian Hall to accept the civil and military officials three kneels and nine bows to pay respects, the heart of the first time to ascend the throne of the fear gradually gone, the past and grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang to a group of uncles to obey them with virtue, with the words of courtesy to throw out of the clouds, at this time I heard Qi Tai speak against it, and I was not annoyed, and said with a faint smile: "If King Yan acts rashly, it will just make my name justified and the teacher famous." ”

In August, Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao Guo, who was promoted by Emperor Jianwen to serve as a squire in the military department, was ordered to Kaifeng to inspect the military affairs of the guard. Zhu Hu, the king of Zhou, and Li Jinglong have known each other since childhood, and held a banquet in the mansion to entertain them, but during the banquet, Li Jinglong suddenly showed His Majesty's secret decree, saying that the imperial history of the court impeached the king of Zhou for his lawlessness. Zhu Hu was caught off guard and was escorted back to Beijing.

Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen issued an edict in the Fengtian Palace, demoted his uncle Zhu Hu to a concubine, and exiled him to the wild land of Yungui to raise cattle and sheep.

The heavy and sturdy rosewood table was overturned, and the four treasures and books of the study room were in disarray on the table, and Zhu Di, the king of Yan, who was still angry, sat back in the Taishi chair, with a blue face and a word.

The old monk Daoyan, who was wearing a black monk's robe, slowly leaned down, picked up the handwritten will scattered on the ground and passed from the imperial court to the Yanwang Mansion in Beiping, and looked at it carefully, only to see that what it said was that the king of Zhou was convicted and degraded.

Yan King Zhu Di said angrily with a dark face: "If you want to deal with this king, you can let it go, why do you want to involve Zhu Hu, a nerd?" He and Zhu Hu are siblings of the same mother, although they have completely different temperaments, but they have been intimate since childhood, and the rest of the princes with different fathers and mothers are completely different, and they were furious when they learned that their younger brother was convicted for no reason, and when they were forced to suppress their anger and send away the eunuch who passed the decree, and when they returned to the study to sit alone, they finally couldn't help but burst into anger.

Although Daoyan expected that after Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he would inevitably plot with his subordinates to reduce the feudal domain, but unexpectedly, in May, Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang died, but in just three months, Zhu Hu, the king of Zhou, became a concubine. As soon as Zhu Yunwen, the seemingly weak imperial grandson in the past, ascended the throne, the means of cutting the feudal domain were so drastic, just like a storm, rushing in the face, Rao was resourceful and unexpected.

Seeing that Yan King Zhu Di's face gradually turned calm, Dao Yan said lightly: "Know yourself and know your opponent, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles." His Majesty the new emperor has only been on the throne for a few months, and it can be said that the foundation is not stable, and he does not have the supreme prestige of the founding monarch of the first emperor, and he has no brocade guards in hand, but he wants to imitate the thunderous methods of the first emperor, which can be described as a confidant. At present, among the kings, you are respected, and the strength is strong with His Royal Highness King Ning, who is in the domain of Daning, and instead of starting to cut the domain from your two princes, he will demote His Royal Highness King Zhou, who is good at writing articles and does not know military affairs, to a concubine, which can be said to have no knowledge of the enemy. This move really doesn't know what to say, which makes people look confused and inexplicable. He wholeheartedly assisted Zhu Di, the king of Yan, to achieve great causes, so after hearing the news that Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor was seriously ill, he had already guessed a lot about Zhu Yunwen's means of cutting the feudal domain after he ascended the throne.

Zhu Di has gone through battles, and even commanded the army to surrender Nell Buhua, his nature is extremely calm, only because his brother Zhu Hu was convicted for no reason, and he couldn't help but lose his sense of proportion when he was angry, and at this time the anger in his chest gradually disappeared, thinking back to Zhu Yunwen and his gang of rotten Confucians, who seemed ruthless, but in fact were childish methods, I couldn't help but feel very funny in my heart.

In September, the imperial history of the court impeached Zhu Baiduo, the king of Xiang, for trespassing and lawlessness, and the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen was furious and ordered him to lead his troops to arrest him in Beijing. Zhu Bai was humiliated, confined to the house, and died with his family.

The bleak autumn wind blew down a withered yellow leaf, which drifted with the wind and fell into the water, causing a slight ripple and breaking the peace.

A two-year-old girl crouched in her father's arms, holding a bamboo pole firmly in her small hands, and a thin rope tied to the end of the bamboo pole hung into the water, blinking her big eyes from time to time, and turning her head to look at the fishing rod in the hand of an old man in a green shirt on the side of the railing of the meditation pavilion.

Zhu Quan saw his daughter Zhu Ying learning to learn from her teacher Jing Kun fishing seriously, and he didn't feel funny in his heart, and the fatigue of commanding the army in the military camp outside the city during the day also dissipated unconsciously.

Xu Ying, who was dressed in a gorgeous costume, came slowly, stretched out her hand to hug the daughter in Zhu Quan's arms, and saw her beloved daughter waving the "fishing rod" with both hands, with an unwilling look, and said softly: "The fish have all returned home for dinner, so naturally they won't be hooked, let's go eat too." ”

When Zhu Ying heard her mother say this, she immediately stopped struggling and softly let her mother take her away.

Zhu Quan recalled that Zhu Hu, the king of Zhou, who had a relationship with each other in Yingtian City, was convicted and demoted to a concubine, and Zhu Bai, the king of Xiang, died in his family, and sighed slightly: "Unexpectedly, His Majesty the emperor, who has just ascended the throne, seems to be weak and powerless, and his methods of cutting the feudal domain are so ruthless. When he turned his head, he saw the back of his wife and daughter gradually drifting away, and secretly thought to himself: This Zhu Bai, who has never met before, really has such a hot hand, burning his wife and children to death together, I will not be killed like this, and wait to be killed. Since the birth of his daughter, the fantasy in his heart that he and Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen have nothing to do, and the bubble of being a carefree prince who guards the border is finally shattered by Zhu Hu and Zhu Bai's tragic ending.

"It seems that even if the adults in the court are familiar with the scriptures and history, when it comes to the art of power and scheming, they will inevitably lack their skills. The former emperor wrote in the "Emperor Ming Zu Xun" that all the vassal kings were not allowed to enter Beijing without an edict within three years after their dragon funeral returned to heaven, which was intended to give the new emperor enough time to stabilize the situation. His Majesty the Emperor has only been on the throne for a few months, and he tossed an uncle to death. Jing Kun said in a deep voice as he removed the struggling fish from the hook and threw them back into the water.

Zhu Quan recalled the group of ministers he had seen in Yingtian in the past, and asked with a worried frown: "In the teacher's opinion, what kind of means should Zhu Yunwen use to cut the domain?" He used to live in Yingtian for a long time, and he knew that most of the civil officials in the court and China were nerds, but there was no shortage of resourceful people.

Since the news of the death of Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang came, Jing Kun also speculated in his heart about the possible means used by the new emperor and a group of ministers who had vigorously opposed the division of feudal kings in the past. The new emperor should uphold the foundation of the first emperor, rectify the rule of officials, pay attention to agriculture, and dredge the canal that runs through the north and south. After a few years, the regime was stable, and when the time was ripe, the imperial capital was moved to Beiping in one fell swoop. If Beiping becomes the capital of the Ming Dynasty, one can justifiably let His Royal Highness King Yan choose another place to become a vassal, and the other can mobilize the army to defend the important places of the Beijing Division. Although Zhu Di, the king of Yan, had a prestige in the northern army, he transferred him to the south to serve as a vassal, and chose another guard army and horse, so that the soldiers and generals were not familiar with each other, and it was irresistible to let him have great talents. ”