As the relationship between the East Palace and the Taifu Mansion became more and more calm, Xie Guang's powerful position was further consolidated, and more and more officials, either openly or covertly, took refuge in him, not only Luoyi, but even remote prefectures such as Jiannan and Lingnan.

And in this critical period, the leaders of the imperial capital collectively lost their voices.

Whether it is the emperor Li Chengwu, or the old general Xu Lie, the prince and young master Liu Ce, the Zhongshu Ling Liu Shiming, and even the always upright commander of the forbidden army Wang Huan, they have not come forward to interfere in any of the discussions, just waiting and watching quietly.

The ghosts of Western Xinjiang have lost all their enemies, and no one cares; The commander He Jingming was assassinated, and no one cared; Now Xie Guang's ambition is swelling and his power is leaning towards the government and the opposition, and no one cares.

"What the hell is going on with the Imperial Court?!" Murong Xue said with hatred in her heart.

The bigwigs in the court can pretend to be deaf and dumb, but he Murong Xue can't let it go.

He stopped, turned around and picked up the sleeves of his robe, dipped his pen in ink, and wrote in a little bit in the blank space of the recorded recital:

"Your Highness Mingjian.

The minister thought that what the Taifu played was a big mistake.

The important task of river governance is to benefit the people and the country for the benefit of the present generation. Therefore, the monarch and the ministers are of one heart, and all the people are working hard, with the vicissitudes of the whole country, throwing one of the rivers into the river, and only thinking of completing their work in one battle.

However, in today's world, it is not a prosperous business. Outside, there are enemies in the western frontier, and the wolf shoots the moon; There is a new prince in charge of the country, and all industries are waiting to be developed.

When the time comes, those who are in power should be sympathetic to the monarch's heart, cherish the people's strength, and do everything to be honest and peaceful, and not to move the country.

Along the river, 12 states folded the soldiers, all of whom were the children of their hometowns, and they did not slack off in the slightest on weekdays. With a strong army, it is enough to guard the area under its jurisdiction and ensure the tranquility of the river project. Why do we need to regroup and regroup the new army?

150,000 brave and strong, scattered for thousands of miles, each has its own subordinates, each with its own supplies, and all should be perfected. However, according to the Taifu's proposal, the regulations were revoked in an instant, the roar converged, and the whole body was moved.

Taifu ignored the first priority of the river control project, and chased away the stubble of the side industry, and did not see its benefits, but also saw its harms.

The ministers are not talented, they dare not see the chaos and do nothing, and the false government is flattering, so they oppose it and respectfully ask His Royal Highness to judge it. ”

After the annotations were written in one go, Murong Xue put down the brush, took a long breath, and said secretly in her heart: Xie Guang, Xie Guang, no matter how loud your wishful thinking is, Lao Tzu is going to stir up yellow for you!

-

The windows on the east and west sides of the imperial study are all propped up from below with red lacquered wooden poles, and the cool breeze passing through the hall is mixed with the aroma of flowers and leaves after the rain, and the fragrant taste can't help but make people feel refreshed.

Murong Xue was standing in the study with her hands down at this time, quietly waiting for the crown prince Li Bing, who was sitting in front of the bookcase, to flip through the notes he had recorded and annotated one by one.

Li Bing looked very carefully, and from time to time he would go back and re-scan the files he had read, and the eunuchs serving next to him couldn't help but yawn secretly after waiting for a long time.

Murong Xue didn't dare to make a sound, for fear of disturbing Li Bing, so she could only stand motionless like a wooden stake.

After a long time, Li Bing put down the last note, looked up at the window, and then turned his head to Murong Xue and smiled: "Murong, this palace has just been fascinated, and it actually forgot about you, standing for so long, I'm afraid your legs are stiff, right?" Come, give a seat. ”

An attendant hurriedly moved an embroidered stool and placed it behind Murong Xue. Murong Xue bowed her hand and thanked her, lifted her robe and sat down gently.

I only heard Li Bing continue: "This palace has read the chapter on the establishment of the river army, and the annotations you have made are quite indignant between the lines. Can you tell us about your thoughts? ”

Murong Xue cleared her throat and said, "Weichen is frightened, he doesn't dare to deceive His Highness, and he really doesn't dare to agree with Taifu Xie's suggestion to set up a new army." ”

Li Bing smiled and nodded, motioning for Murong Xue to continue.

Murong Xue continued: "It is probably not an exaggeration to rashly reorganize 150,000 Zhichong government soldiers and use the regulations of the new army to deal with the river control project. The ministers have searched all the files of the imperial dynasties, and they have never seen such a practice. ”

"Ill-intentioned? That's a bit of a weight. The crown prince Li Bing picked up the teacup, took a sip lightly, and asked, "You mean, Xie Guang has another plan?" ”

Murong Xue said bluntly: "Weichen didn't mean to do such a damning statement, and he didn't bother to play with other people's rights and wrongs behind his back. Xie Guang's plan is probably more to monopolize military power and strengthen his strength! ”

Li Bing shook his head when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Let's not talk about this yet." In your opinion, in terms of the need to govern the Golden River, is this a good idea? ”

"Wechen believes that there is no need for this at all." Murong Xue said categorically: "Although there are more than 400,000 people in the river workers, each Zhichong Prefecture is in its own jurisdiction, and it is absolutely capable of controlling the pressure in stages. I still don't understand what reason there is for gathering more than 100,000 soldiers and horses together and reorganizing them in a big way. ”

Li Bing said lightly: "What this palace asks is not whether it is necessary, but whether it is feasible or not." For example, will the newly formed river army be more coordinated and convenient in accomplishing the tasks of controlling the Jinhe River than it was when they were not under each other's command as before? ”

Hearing this, Murong Xue couldn't help but secretly cry out in her heart: My God, why is the prince so simple? I just said it so bluntly that I almost said that Xie Guang wanted to rebel, but His Highness didn't listen to it at all!

Seeing that he was excited and about to argue, Li Bing smiled and said, "Murong, you don't have to worry. Hongu certainly understands your concerns. However, politicians should not regard every minister as a bad person with bad intentions and blindly take strict precautions. In that case, you don't have to do anything. ”

He paused for a moment and continued: "The river project is a major national event, and if you want to do it smoothly, you should think more about planning and see what is the best choice, instead of being vigilant everywhere and worrying about who to suspect first." ”

Murong Xue, Li Bing, was so angry that her scalp tightened, and she couldn't help but hurriedly say: "Your Highness, having said that, the foundation of the country must not be easily shaken." What is the cornerstone of the nation? Army! Only by holding the army firmly in our hands can we make the imperial society as stable as Mount Tai. On the contrary, once the military power falls into the hands of traitors, the world will surely fall into chaos! ”

"Hey, look at you, you're in a hurry again," Li Bing waved his hand and said easily: "Isn't this palace chatting with you, and it's not really making a decision." For some things, you and Mrs. Xie seem to be a little confused. You must know that this palace is ordered to supervise the country, and it is only in charge of people's livelihood and government affairs. The affairs of the army, no matter how big or small, are still determined by His Majesty. Whether this river army is set up or not, in fact, this palace can't be the master at all. ”

Murong Xue calmed down her emotions a little, and said solemnly: "Your Highness, according to Weichen's humble opinion, the emperor will definitely not agree to Xie Guang's proposition. However, if Your Highness approves of it, things will get very complicated. ”

"Oh? Is there such a thing? Li Bing smiled: "Is it difficult, Uncle Huang and his old man can still do what I want?" ”

Murong Xue was silent for a moment, secretly thinking about how to answer the phone, Li Bing was not in a hurry, and only looked at the other party with a smile. After a while, Murong Xue said: "The emperor's holy will, Weichen doesn't dare to speculate. However, as far as we are in the East Palace, we should consider how Your Majesty will view your thoughts on governance. ”

Hearing this, Prince Li Bing couldn't help but be stunned, and said after a while: "Well, what you said is not unreasonable. After all, this palace is young, and the prison country is not long, and some things may not be well thought out. In this way, you come to draw up an edict and reply to Xie Guang. ”

"How to write it?"

"Just say...... The matter of forming a river army is of great importance, and it will be discussed later. ”

Murong Xue bowed his hand: "Weichen obeys the order." ”

Li Bing nodded slightly, and then asked, "By the way, how are the preparations for the river sacrifice ceremony?" ”

The so-called river sacrifice ceremony refers to the ceremony of sacrificing the river god held in Bianzhou.

In all dynasties, every time a large-scale river control project is to be carried out, a solemn ceremony must be held as a rule. The purpose was to pray to the river gods, and the construction was not to disturb the peace of the gods, but to benefit the common people. Therefore, pray for the blessing of the river god so that the project can be completed smoothly.

Usually, the regulation of the river sacrifice ceremony is only slightly inferior to Mount Tai's sealing Zen, and the spring ploughing ceremony and the worship ceremony are on the same level.

As the chief priest of the ceremony, the emperor should personally ascend the altar, lead the hundred officials to burn incense and praise the ceremony, and offer three animals: cattle, sheep, and pigs, and offer five grains and elixir. After that, a large-scale social fire performance will be held, which means "having fun with the people and working together".

The dredging project of the main road of the Jinhe River was a certain case, and the Ministry of Engineering immediately worked out a set of detailed rituals for the river sacrifice ceremony together with the Ministry of Rites. Officials from the two ministries also rushed to the river affairs department early to handle all the needs of the ceremony in advance.

Since he is now the crown prince Li Bing in charge of the country, and at the same time he is also the chief of river affairs, so he is the chief priest of the ceremony this time, and he is the representative of the emperor.

Hearing the prince inquire about this, Murong Xue hurriedly responded: "Back to Your Highness, Weichen just received a report from the Ministry of Rites yesterday, saying that the preparations for the ceremony have been properly completed. The minister found Shan Tingxian again, and checked with him again about His Royal Highness's royal subordinates and other matters, and found no mistakes. It's just that there has been a lot of rain recently, and the road may not be easy to walk, which will inevitably make His Highness tired. ”

Li Bing nodded with satisfaction: "It's okay!" The palace has been stuffy in Luoyi City for a long time, and I have long wanted to find a chance to go out to breathe, what are you afraid of when it rains? ”

Murong Xue hesitated: "The minister heard Shan Tingxian say, Your Highness, you insist on riding a horse and not taking the imperial chariot." In this case, safety ......"

"You're going to make noise!" Li Bing was very interested, and waved his hand: "Murong, you are obviously a military general, and you are young, but you want to put on an old-fashioned style." When he was in the imperial capital, how could he ever take a car when traveling in this palace? Our children of the imperial capital, which one is not a freshly dressed angry horse, indulged in chic? ! ”

As soon as he said this, he immediately evoked all kinds of memories of Murong Xue's time in the imperial capital, and the high-spirited passion in the young man's heart couldn't help but ignite: "Okay! Since His Royal Highness has this Yaxing, then the young general will accompany you all the way to the mountains and rivers! ”