Chu Feng lowered his head.

Zetian Empress Wu Cong came to the apse.

Behind her, there was also a female officer in an official uniform.

Chu Feng secretly glanced at the female officer behind Zetian Empress Wu Cong.

The female officer is not very old, tall, and gentle-looking, and in the middle of her eyebrows, there is also a plum blossom embellishment, adding a touch of style out of thin air.

Dengke has always been a man, and a woman can enter the court as an official, which is enough to see that the other party is by no means an idle person.

"Your Majesty, this is a detailed list of the Ministry of Households' treasury expenditures this year, please read it."

The female official respectfully handed the fold in her hand to the Empress Wu of Zetian.

Wu Cong took the fold, glanced at the contents of the fold, frowned, and said: "The salaries and salaries of the vassal kings in various places are about to equalize?" ”

The female official arched her hand and said: "Back to Your Majesty, when the first emperor was in power, he once made a rule that all the heirs of the royal family, when they reached the age of eighteen, could choose a fief and leave Beijing to become a vassal domain, and all the expenses of the vassal king would be paid by the imperial court." ”

Wu Cong rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked puzzled: "Then you don't need so much money?" ”

The female official explained indifferently: "Your Majesty doesn't know, after the vassal king becomes a vassal and gives birth to an heir, when the vassal princes and heirs reach adulthood, the court will give the vassal princes and heirs fiefs and fortunes." ”

"What?"

Wu Cong was stunned: "The first emperor actually set such a rule? ”

Wu Cong knew better than anyone that if the rules set by the previous emperor were not overthrown, then sooner or later, the Great Zhou Kingdom would be full of fiefdoms of vassal kings.

When the time comes.

Not to mention the increase in court expenditures.

If there is no fief to give to the descendants of the feudal kings.

They will take advantage of the chaos to raise troops.

Although they are all members of the royal family, breaking bones and connecting tendons, there is an old saying that the royal family has no family affection.

After thinking about it, Wu Cong asked, "Is there a way to reduce the power of the vassal kings, and at the same time, reduce the expenses for the vassal kings?" ”

Although the vassal kings are her relatives.

But in the long run, the partition continues.

They are like bloodsuckers attached to the Great Zhou Kingdom.

Sooner or later, there will be a day.

will suck the Great Zhou Kingdom dry.

"It's hard."

The female official shook her head and said, "The vassal kings in various places have armies under their command, and Your Majesty rashly weakens them, I am afraid that the vassal kings in various places will complain, and if they unite, it will do all kinds of harm to the imperial court." ”

Hearing this, Wu Cong frowned.

The female officer continued: "Your Majesty, the minister suggests that Huairou be adopted and appeased by the vassal kings of various places. ”

"You mean, let me spend money to eliminate the disaster?"

Wu Cong was obviously a little displeased.

"Now that our dynasty is attacking the Kingdom of Qian, if we are not worried about appeasing the vassal kings of various places, in case they take advantage of the chaos to unite and raise troops, then our Great Zhou Kingdom will fall into civil strife, the people will suffer, and the lives will be ruined."

The female officer named the stakes.

"If you want to contain the vassal king, the small one has a plan."

At this moment, an abrupt voice sounded, attracting the attention of Wu Cong and the female officer.

The two of them looked in unison at the source of the sound.

The next moment.

Both of them were stunned.

The person who spoke was none other than Chu Feng, who was silently listening on the side.

"Bold!"

The female officer looked Chu Feng up and down, and when she saw that he was just a nameless little eunuch, she was immediately furious: "You are a minion, how can you interfere here?" ”

Facing the questioning and reprimand of the female official, Chu Feng looked calm and said, "This adult, the little one does have a plan to dedicate to His Majesty. ”

"The ministers are helpless, what good plan do you have as a eunuch?"

The female officer looked at Chu Feng with contempt in her eyes.

Seeing that she was so arrogant, Chu Feng said expressionlessly: "That's because you have been in a high position for a long time, you have lived too nourishingly, you have eaten too well, and you are all thinking about how to get to the top in your mind, and you have long forgotten the way of governing the country!" ”

Chu Feng's words of criticism stepped on the sore feet of the female official.

With an angry look on her face, she pointed at Chu Feng: "Presumptuous, you dare to speak in front of Your Majesty, and dare to insult the hundred officials of the imperial court!" ”

The female officer said, and turned to look at Wu Cong again:

"Please also ask Your Majesty to put this slave in the heavenly prison and deal with it strictly!"

"There's no hurry."

Unlike the female officer, Wu Cong became a little interested in the calm and calm Chu Feng: "Little Chuzi, what plan do you have?" ”

"Returning to Your Majesty."

Chu Feng arched his hand and said: "The reason why there are many vassal kings is nothing more than the following two points, the first point is that the edicts issued by the first emperor tend to favor the vassal kings, and the second point is that all royal families can have fiefs when they are adults, which leads to the fact that many vassal kings can unscrupulously spread their branches and leaves, so as to expand their territory, and the Great Zhou Kingdom has destroyed so many countries, and finally they are making wedding dresses for the vassal kings." ”

"That's right, but what's your plan?"

Seeing that a eunuch had such eyesight, Wu Cong wanted to know what kind of good advice he could give.

Chu Feng smiled indifferently and said, "Tui En Ling!" ”

Wu Cong and the female officer glanced at each other, and both of them were dazed in their eyes.

Wu Cong was puzzled: "What is the Tui En Order?" ”

Chu Feng explained: "After the death of the vassal king, in addition to the eldest son inheriting the throne, other sons can also divide part of the land of the vassal king and become a small vassal king. ”

After listening to Chu Feng.

A glimmer of light flashed in Wu Cong's eyes.

Even the female official who despised Chu Feng before had to face Chu Feng squarely at this moment, she didn't expect that the ministers hadn't figured out how to weaken the power of the vassal king, and in the end, a little eunuch could easily resolve it.

The Grace Decree not only weakened the power of the vassal king.

Moreover, the imperial court did not need to give new fiefs, which greatly reduced land loss.

Just divide it on the territory of the old feudal king.

The end of the day.

According to the decree issued by the first emperor, as long as the vassal king has a fief, the heir of the vassal prince also has a fief.

And Chu Feng's Tui En Decree is equivalent to the fact that the imperial court gives the vassal king a piece of land, and the heirs of the vassal king can only divide the vassal king's land, and cannot get the fief given by the imperial court.

It's the equivalent of a piece of bread.

During the reign of the first emperor, the court gave the vassal king a piece of bread, and the court of the vassal prince's heir gave them a piece of bread.

But now it's different.

The court only gave the vassal king a piece of bread, and if the prince of the vassal wanted the cake, he had to divide it from the vassal king, and the eldest son would share the big head, and the rest of the heirs would share the small head.

This was formed, and the vassal king had a piece of bread, and in the end it was all divided by the heirs.

A little passed down for generations.

Even if the fief is large, he can only be forced to become a small vassal king in the end.

Chu Feng's strategy.

No matter how you look at it, it is an inexplicable existence.

Moreover, the Tui En Decree can also make the vassal king dumb and eat Coptis chinensis, and he can't find any reason to challenge the imperial court.

If the vassal kings unite, then they are rebelling.

The division is unknown.

At that time, the imperial court will lead troops to suppress it in the way of heaven.

Wu Cong Long Yan was happy, looked at Chu Feng with a smile, and said with emotion: "Little Chuzi, you are really a rare talent, being a eunuch is really a condescending talent." From this day on, I will make you the head of Ouchi. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chu Feng immediately kowtowed and thanked him.