The rise of the prince

Chapter 560 Liu Ji + Lord Incompetent
De Gong took a sip of the wine, and then said: "Is your method really useful?"

Li Xingzhou nodded: "[-]% sure, I'm not sure."

"You are also bold, knowing that you dare to say it." De Gong said while eating: "But it is a good thing to be able to deal with it. If Xixia really agrees, it is also a good thing. In the troubled times right now, the imperial court already has more than enough energy. "

Li Xingzhou nodded. He understood the current situation of Jingguo, and he could see it with a little long-term vision.

The Kingdom of Jin in the north is eyeing it covetously, the Kingdom of Xia in the northwest is restless, and the Mongolian tribes have lost control. Any of these factors may lead to the end of Jing Kingdom.

"You should pay more attention to the affairs of the Privy Council, and you can't be negligent. It's not a trivial matter."

"Understood." Li Xingzhou nodded: "Now I am afraid that if I miss a word, I will make a mistake."

"It's hard for you, big things will happen at such a young age." Degong sighed, and his expression softened a lot: "I'm getting old, I can't help you much in the future, I just hope you remember that asking for others is better than asking for yourself. Many things have to be done in your own way." Just do it."

"I understand." Li Xingzhou nodded.

While he and De Gong continued to drink, the porter came in and said, "My lord Luzhou has come, he is from Princess Qing'an's residence."

Li Xingzhou asked in surprise, "Are there many people here?"

"Not many, just five or six people have already arrived in the front hall." The servant reported.

Li Xingzhou nodded: "I'll go right away." Then he turned around and asked, "Mr. De is waiting for me here?"

"No need, it just so happens that the old man is about to leave, and I have a lot to deal with these few days." Saying that, he got up and said goodbye.

Li Xingzhou asked someone to clean up a table of food and drink, and Degong would come to him for a drink from time to time.Then go to the main hall in person.

When he arrived at the main hall, Li Xingzhou recognized the leader at a glance. He was the leader of the princess mansion, Jiao Shan. When he was in Jiangzhou, he prevented the village warriors from defending the princess, and later he led troops to fight the enemy with him. It's a man.

"My lord!" Seeing him, Jiao Shan hurriedly saluted.

Li Xingzhou smiled and said, "Why is Uncle Jiao here? How is my sister-in-law?"

"Don't worry, my lord, everything in the consort's mansion is fine, and the princess is also in good health." Jiao Shan said with a smile.

"Go and sit down first, drink some water before we talk." Li Xingzhou ordered his servants to bring up some food and tea as he spoke. Everyone must be hungry no matter how far they walked.

When five or six people saw bread and cooked meat, their throats moved.

Li Xingzhou laughed: "Let's eat first, don't be polite with me, we didn't fight together, this king is not that particular."

"Hahaha" several people laughed, and then started to eat.

At this time Li Xing was walking away and found that there was a person behind them, but his hands were tied with ropes and his clothes were worn out, but he didn't ask immediately.

After several people had almost eaten, they asked, "Who is this person?"

"My lord, this man is Liu Ji." Jiao Shan said while eating bread and mutton, "That's why we came to Beijing this time. This man was Ding Yi's right-hand man during the rebellion. Most of the army is under his command."

Li Xingzhou was taken aback, and immediately remembered, and hurriedly stepped forward to take a closer look at the middle-aged man with empty eyes: "So you are Liu Ji!"

"My lord, this Liu Ji was originally just an ordinary hunter. After Ding Yi's rebellion, for some reason, he became the most powerful assistant of the thief Ding Yi. After Ding Yi was captured by the lord, he has been hiding in the mountains to hunt for a living. Tian Tian was captured by the villagers at the foot of the mountain and sent to the son-in-law's mansion.

A certain number of people were ordered by the princess to escort this person to the capital to punish him. "

Li Xingzhou understood the ins and outs, and looked at Liu Ji, who was described as dry and thin, and said, "I have been looking for you for a long time, why are you arrested now?"

Liu Ji looked up at him, there was no emotion on his face, he just said indifferently: "Deep in the mountains and wild forests, if I can't live anymore, I might as well die."

"Do you think you are wrong?" Li Xingzhou asked.

Liu Ji decided: "Ding Yi really lied to me, but the folks can't survive anymore, and it will be the same again."

"Bold! Liu Ji, what are you talking nonsense in front of the prince!" Jiao Shan frowned and interrupted him hastily.

This sentence seems to be a reprimand, but it is actually helping Liu Ji. It seems that Jiao Shan also has sympathy for Liu Ji.

Li Xingzhou continued: "Do you know that if your crime reaches the court, ten thousand deaths will not be enough to cover it?"

"I just want to give someone some pleasure," Liu Ji said silently for a while.

Li Xingzhou sighed: "If you really go to the official department, you don't want to die quickly."

Liu Ji stopped talking.

The ancient punishment was far more inhumane and inhumane than people thought.

Everyone knows that Liu Ji's crime is enough to punish the nine clans. Except for the extensive involvement, maybe even ordinary friends will be implicated and killed. In addition to hundreds of people at every turn, there is even more cruelty in the execution process. .

Li Xingzhou said: "Putting the Nine Clans, or Exterminating the Three Clans, do you know what crime it is?"

Liu Ji still didn't speak.

Li Xingzhou said to himself: "After all the prisoners are in prison, they will be handed over to the Ministry of Officials for trial, and then they will be punished.

The first step is tattooing, tattooing on the prisoner's face to show the prisoner's identity.

The second is to cut off the prisoner's nose.

The third step is to chop off the left and right fingers, literally, chop off all ten fingers and toes of the prisoner.

The fourth step is flogging, which involves beating people to death with bamboo boards, or beating people until they are half dead and receiving the next punishment. Beating people with bamboo boards is very painful, but it cannot kill people immediately, which is very tormenting.

The fifth step is to cut off the head. If it is a major criminal, it will also be beheaded for public display. "

After the words fell, Liu Ji couldn't help but tremble, and even Jiao Shan was too frightened to speak.

This is the real Zhujiu Clan in history. It seems that there is nothing to say, but the bloody and cruel fact is so bloody that it makes the spine chill.The reason for this punishment is that the imperial power is to deter traitors.

Therefore, it is generally only used to punish rebels.

Ding Yi's family is punished like this, and beheading for public display is only one part of it.

"If you are caught and dealt with by the officials, you will end up like this in all likelihood. The emperor has always hated traitors the most." Li Xingzhou said.

Liu Ji swallowed, but still didn't speak.

"My lord." Jiao Shan couldn't bear it.

Li Xingzhou said: "Leave people in the palace first, as long as you don't leak the news, no one will know."

Jiao Shan nodded.

Li Xingzhou continued: "Untie him, let's eat together."

Liu Ji was taken aback, and looked at him puzzled.

Li Xingzhou smiled: "I'm telling you this not to scare you to death, but just to let you understand, don't think about running, don't think about making trouble, just stay in the palace obediently. As long as you leave the gate of the palace, or make any noise, the end will be very bad awful.

If you stay honestly in the palace, you will be safe and sound. "

Liu Ji was even more surprised: "My lord. Why did my lord help me?"

"It doesn't matter why, I respect you as a man just because of your integrity when you die." Li Xingzhou said, adding in his heart that he also has the ability to manage tens of thousands of troops in an orderly manner from a hunter to a commander.

Some talents are born with talent in their bones, especially for military generals.

Liu Ji was stunned for a while, then resisted kneeling down and kowtowed to him three times, then ate the meat and sesame cakes that Jiao Shan handed over, he was also very hungry.

"Old Meng, I don't know if you have noticed that King Pingnan and us are getting more and more at odds with each other." In the small pavilion, Cheng Jin played the piano slowly.

Green smoke curled up from the burning incense burner, and in the pool outside, the spring lotus was growing just right.

"A pond is full of lotus, with dead leaves floating on the surface and no buds growing; the lotus root is buried deep in the mud, which also helps the lotus replenish water." Meng Zhiye groaned slowly, then turned around: "You mean he often walks around Chen Yu's mansion ?”

Cheng Jin nodded, "Chen Yu's words confuse the emperor, distort the superiority, and despise the law of etiquette. We Confucianists are based on the purpose of establishing a heart for the world, establishing a life for the people, inheriting the sage's learning for the past, and making a wish for peace for all generations. Its words are justified.

However, King Pingnan seems to follow Chen Yu's fallacious theory, which turns black and white and disturbs the rules. "

Meng Zhiye frowned: "I am also worried about this matter, but although I am now in charge of the Ministry of Rites and Judgment, you have accepted Chen Yu's sentence to the Tokyo Imperial Academy, but you are like a fly shaking a tree, and you are overwhelmed by King Pingnan. .

Furthermore, King Pingnan has always been disrespectful. When he was still a prince, he contradicted the old man, let alone today? "

"Then you can't just watch him fall into heresy and believe in heresy." Cheng Jin looked worried, "Besides, now that the crown prince has gone to Jiangzhou, who can compete with him?"

"Prince." Meng Zhiye squinted his eyes, as if he was thinking about something again: "Speaking of the prince, there is a lot to do, even the emperor dare not abolish it directly, and just because the prince has come to Jiangzhou, many people have already expressed their opposition, please the emperor. Bring the prince back."

Cheng Jin leaned over in a low voice: "That's natural, the crown prince has no ability anymore, he has been in the East Palace for several years, and many people have spared no effort to curry favor, if the crown prince changes at this time, wouldn't all their efforts be drained from the bamboo basket?" Nothing.

A lot of people wouldn't sit by and watch like this"

Meng Zhiye stroked his beard, looked at the surface of the pool, and said slowly, "That's why it's an opportunity.
Tomb-sweeping day is approaching, when offering sacrifices to the ancestors, it is reasonable for the crown prince to lead the princes and grandchildren. This is the etiquette and ancestral system.

The process of sacrificing ancestors is all the preparations of the Ministry of Rites, and when the time comes, this reason, together with all the officials, will be enough to invite the crown prince back to Beijing."

Cheng Jin was taken aback for a moment, and then laughed: "Hahaha, Gao! Lao Meng's move is really clever, I never thought of such a clever plan! Being so loyal to the public and the country, and thinking about the country, Lao Meng has worked hard."

"It should be, it's a matter of duty, as a subject, it's just worrying about the country"

Meng Zhiye smiled contentedly while stroking his gray beard.

The two looked at each other and smiled, toasted and drank together, some things were kept silent.

As long as it is not King Pingnan, Chen Yu will never get up again. As long as Chen Yu can't get up, Cheng Jin will still be sentenced to the Tokyo Imperial College, and Meng Zhiye will still be sentenced to the Ministry of Rites.

Everyone praises the country and the public, but why praise?Because few things are rare.

Human nature is always the most selfish. Most people think about things and start with their own interests, so no matter how high-sounding the words are, there must be hidden interests underneath.

The Xixia Palace is located thirteen miles outside of Yinchuan City. It has never been in the palace, but it is magnificent and even more exquisite and gorgeous.

Moreover, Xia Guo believed in Buddhism and respected Confucianism, and even the palace architecture was influenced by Buddhism, with many towers in the palace.

"Xiangguo, you are serious!" Xixia Emperor Li Ji happily asked the old man in front of him.

The old man was dressed in an official uniform, with half-squinted eyes, deep eye sockets, and thin lips. This man was Zhang Xie, Prime Minister of the Xixia Kingdom, and Zhang Yuan, the Han Chinese who defeated the army of the Jing Kingdom, was his ancestor.

His voice was hoarse and slightly sharp, which was not pleasant.

"Your Majesty, it is indeed true. Jing Guo's envoy has been waiting at the posthouse. The letter he brought is indeed Jing Guo Guo's letter. I have read it several times, and it is absolutely true." Zhang Xie swore: "Jing Guo is in Guo Shu. According to the above, as long as we surrender to Jingguo and become its vassal state, we will not be held accountable for invading Tang Long, and Tanglong Town will also belong to our Xia Kingdom."

"Okay!" Li Ji said happily without even thinking about it.

The corner of Zhang Jie's mouth twitched, and then he said: "Your Majesty, I also think it is a good thing. Recently, Jing Guo's army has been mobilized frequently, which is not a good thing for us. Now that Jing Guo made such a request, it is obvious that he wants to concentrate on dealing with the Liao Kingdom. I think it is a good thing. If the emperor has the heart, he can bargain with Jing Guo."

"Troublesome?" Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the young emperor.

"What?" Zhang Xie was a little confused.

"Is it troublesome to bargain?" the young emperor asked.

"This will definitely be troublesome. After all, the journey to and from Jingguo is far away, and the language is different, but your majesty, we will lose a lot of people if we take down the important town of Tang Long. If this is the case."

"No need!" The emperor interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "Let's make it so, and surrender to Jing Guo. By the way, there is also Jin Guo, who also surrenders to Jin Guo, so that both sides can be peaceful and save a lot of trouble." .”

Zhang Jie was dumbfounded when he heard this, and the young emperor waved his hand and said, "Okay, that's all for today, you go down first, I'm going to see my concubine. You follow my instructions on these matters." manage."

Zhang Xie could only nod his head.
As soon as he went out, Li Chong, the commander in chief of the left and right armies, was already waiting outside the palace.

The brave army in the left wing and the Chaoshun army in the right wing are the mainstays of Xia Kingdom.

The Chaoshun Army on the right side was stationed north of Dingzhou, on the bank of the Dahe River.The brave army in the left wing is stationed in Yongle City, and the north of Yinzhou is an important place of Xia Kingdom.

And Li Chong is the emperor's cousin, and he is young and promising, so he commanded the left and right armies, and his reputation is illustrious, equivalent to Jingguo's hussar general.

"Xiangguo, how is it?" Li Chong asked in a hurry. The reason why he was anxious was that the siege of Tang Long town was planned by Li Chong. Although Tang Long town was taken, the casualties of his side were not small.

So Li Chong naturally didn't want his soldiers to die in vain. He advocated bargaining with Jing Guo, after all, they won the battle this time.

Seeing his expectant expression, Zhang Xie hesitated to speak, and finally shook his head helplessly.

All of a sudden, the expression on Li Chong's face disappeared, "I'll go in to see the emperor!" He said, and he was about to rush inside.

Zhang Jie hurriedly grabbed him: "Do you want to die! Trespassing on the palace!"

Li Chong still had a look of resentment.
Zhang Xie understood his resentment, the death of many soldiers, Tang Long Town, which was finally taken down with great difficulty, was denied by the emperor with the word "trouble", because many people died in vain because they were afraid of trouble.

His original plan was to become a minister, but Tang Longzhen didn't want to return it, and he wanted money, at least 30 taels. It would take at least a year or two for Jingguo to fight against Liaoguo, and they had plenty of time to deal with it.

The result is afraid of trouble, huh, huh
(End of this chapter)