The Song Dynasty has been deliberate for 16 years, only to know that it is the Water Margin

Ouyang Bei was ordered to enter the forbidden area. Zhao Yu talked with him until the evening. Ouyang Bei took the scripts and left with a heavy heart.

After dinner, Liu Suiyun entered the palace, holding a pile of memorials to report matters.

After reading some memorials, Zhao Yu's face became gloomy and he snorted coldly.

“Can’t wait any longer?”

Liu Suiyun hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty, establishing a crown prince is a major national event, regardless of the time of day, and it is understandable for the ministers to do this."

Zhao Yu sneered: "They want to control everything, but one day, I will stop them from controlling anything!"

Liu Suiyun smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, if the ministers don't care about anything, how will the government run, how will the court function, and how will the provinces be managed..."

Zhao Yu glanced at him, expressionless: "At worst, we can just start over again!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Suiyun immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Before Zhao Yu ascended the throne, he was dissatisfied with the advice of all officials to make Concubine Zhu the queen, and he had vaguely expressed such thoughts. He thought that after all these years, Zhao Yu had no longer thought about this matter, but he did not expect that he was still thinking about it in his mind.

But it is no wonder. If there was no further development on that matter, it might have just been dropped. The key point is that now these ministers and the officials of Luzhou and other provinces have once again jointly submitted a memorial. This time they do not want to take any action, but instead ask the emperor to appoint a crown prince.

The trees really want to be quiet but the wind keeps going.

And since they had to appoint a crown prince, almost everyone, implicitly and implicitly, advocated that the second prince Zhao Xi be made the crown prince.

It was nothing more than the same words that praised Concubine Zhu back then, saying that she had the most decent family background, was the most talented among the princes, was benevolent, righteous, respectful and kind, and was unmatched, and should be made the crown prince.

The most abominable thing is that some people mentioned the legitimate son, the eldest legitimate son! It implies that the second prince Zhao Xi is the eldest legitimate son!
What does this mean? This invisibly promoted Concubine Zhu to the position of queen!

Didn't they say that Zhao Xi was not the eldest son? Then now they say he is the legitimate eldest son, the legitimate eldest son. Is there anything wrong with that? !

Nowadays, it is almost universally said in private that even if the emperor does not have an empress, among the concubines, the Zhu family is the most orthodox in origin, from an aristocratic family, and a family of scholars, so they should be respected in their hearts.

Is this considered hiding?
Liu Suiyun himself had also thought about it, and if he said that his background was the most upright, it was indeed true.

Concubine Zhang was remarried, Concubine Xiao was a Khitan, not to mention the third princess Liyanaza, Qin Yuannu was of a poor background, and Xiao Lizhi, Tamamonomae and others were also foreigners.

Even if Zhe Hanmei, whom he favored, was not of Han descent. The Zhe family was a Dangxiang tribe. Although they had been almost integrated into the Tang Dynasty over the years, if he really wanted to establish a queen, there would definitely be learned people and great Confucian scholars who would jump out to give advice and oppose.

As for Jian Suyi and Huo Xuanji, although they are both Han people like Zhu Xiu Niang, Jian Suyi is the descendant of a criminal official. Her father and brother were unsuccessful in suppressing the rebellion in the south, and they were all punished. As for her, she was also punished, but she ran away to learn skills from a master and made her way in the world. There is no way to excuse this.

Huo Xuanji was born into a commoner family. There was nothing wrong with her being born into a commoner family. In the past, there were many empresses in the Song Dynasty who were born into commoner families. However, that was when there were no concubines from aristocratic families. Now that Zhu Xiu Niang was there, there was no competition. Moreover, Huo Xuanji had only been in the palace for a short time and had no children, so she had no chance of competing for the position of empress.

Therefore, Liu Suiyun had no words to object to this. He had nothing to refute in front of the ministers, nor could he advise them, because it would always be a flaw for the emperor not to have a queen.

He could not support Zhao Yu on this issue. As the prime minister, his every word and action had to be in accordance with etiquette. He could not agree with Zhao Yu's decision not to appoint a queen, and he could not stop the ministers from supporting and admiring the choice of queen.

He could only maintain his own position and not lean towards either side, and remain neutral.

The reason why all the ministers supported Zhu Xiuniang and the second prince Zhao Xi was obvious. Although the Zhu family of Shezhou no longer existed and only Zhu Xiuniang and Zhu Xiang were left, this was the main family. The Zhu family of Shezhou still had branches with a large population. They had a certain status and voice among the Jiangnan clans at the moment.

Originally, they didn't have such a big force, but seven or eight out of ten Jiangnan clans were slaughtered by Zhao Yu, and almost all of them were the main families.

These main families fell, but the branches were still there, the fields, houses, shops were still there, and even some of the money was still there. These branches inherited all of them, and then new clans were born, and the original branches became the main families.

The same thing happened to the Zhu family branch. They also stood up because they had many people. However, they did not inherit any property from the main family because most of it was taken away by Zhao Yu. A small part of it was awarded to Zhu Xiang by Zhao Yu.

However, although the branch did not inherit these, it is not important. What is important is that their Zhu family has produced a queen. Now that the main family and the branches are united, the branch has a head of the family in name, but in reality, Zhu Xiang has the final say.

Therefore, the branch has a great say among the Jiangnan nobles. The first reason is naturally because of Zhu Xiu Niang, and the second reason is because of Zhu Xiang.

Zhu Xiu Niang gave birth to the second prince Zhao Xi, and Zhu Xiang was currently the transport envoy of Fujian Road.

The rank of the transport envoy was second only to the pacification envoy in the road-level administrative unit.

The pacification envoy is called Fushuai, the transport envoy is called Caoshuai, and the judicial envoy is called Xianshuai. These are the three highest-ranking official positions along the way, known as the Three Shuai.

However, in some periods in history, the power of the Transport Commissioner was greater than that of the Pacification Commissioner. In the history of the Song Dynasty, there was a special Transport Commissioner's Road, also known as the Cao Road, where the Transport Commissioner had the final say and took into account both political and military power.

Generally speaking, if a place has well-developed water transportation, developed transportation, or abundant specialty products, then the power of the transport envoy of this place will be ten or even a hundred times greater than that of the transport envoy of a poor prefecture in a mountainous area.

Fujian is a place with convenient sea routes and a wide range of origins, so Zhu Xiang has considerable power, and it is said that the next step will be to pacify one side. This means that the Zhu family is secretly leading the Jiangnan gentry, and even if the branch becomes the main branch, it still has a lot of say among the gentry.

At this moment, Liu Suiyun vaguely felt that Zhao Yu seemed to want to take action against the aristocratic families. Although Zhao Yu had never told him about what happened in Jiangnan back then, he was certain that the one who exterminated that group of aristocratic families was the current Qin Emperor.

Moreover, clues can be seen from his later attitude towards Zhu Xiu Niang.

After all, the imperial family cannot coexist, and imperial power cannot be half-hearted!
Liu Suiyun touched his nose. If we talk about aristocratic family, then he is also a clan, and not an ordinary clan at that.

The Liu family moved to Hedong from Liu An in the late Qin Dynasty. Since the Han and Wei Dynasties and the Jin Dynasty, they have become a very influential and powerful family. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, they had become one of the most powerful families in the world.

His Hedong Liu family produced many talented people, not to mention the generals and ministers, there are also Liu Zongyuan in the Tang Dynasty and Liu Sanbian in the Song Dynasty who are well-known to the people.

Take the famous Hedong Lioness Liu Yue'e for example. She was a woman from the Hedong Liu family. According to seniority, he had to call her "Auntie". Her husband Chen Jichang was also a famous scholar, but he was afraid of Liu Yue'e. But was he really afraid of this lady? He was afraid of the Hedong Liu family.

If Zhao Yu is really determined to take action against the gentry, how should Liu Suiyun cope with the situation?

I'm worried, really worried.

Zhao Yu looked at him and said, "I said at worst we can just start over. Why are you looking so sad?"

Liu Suiyun thought, he had killed many people in Jiangnan before, and now that he has ascended the throne, he is probably trying to uproot them completely.

"What worries me is... my poor background!"

"Bad background?" Zhao Yu looked at Liu Suiyun and couldn't help but smile: "How is Meng Shu's background bad?"

"I come from an aristocratic family. Although it has declined since the Five Dynasties, it is still huge and corrupt. I am ashamed of their behavior, but I have no way to stop them."

Zhao Yu touched his chin, picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said, "There are also poor families in the big families. Not every family is rich and well-dressed, taking advantage of the people and robbing them. There are also those who work hard and earn their living. We can't generalize."

Liu Suiyun was stunned for a moment, smacking his lips, pondering what Zhao Yu said.

Then Zhao Yu continued, "Aristocratic families have main families and branches, and within the branches there are ordinary families or even poor families. The aristocratic families have been multiplying for hundreds or thousands of years, and the population is probably in the tens of thousands. How can all of them be rich and powerful, with hundreds of houses and thousands of acres of land? There are always those who are down and out and poor." "Your Majesty, this..." Liu Suiyun wanted to say that he was a direct descendant, a branch of the main family, but he swallowed the words back when they reached his lips.

He naturally understood what Zhao Yu meant, but it would have been better if Zhao Yu had not said so. Once he said so, it was certain that his guess would most likely come true. He didn't know when he would take drastic measures against the gentry in the world.

Zhao Yu's words were a reminder to him, telling him to find a way to wash away his origins, but how could origins be easily washed away? If one was not famous and had not made a name for himself, even if one's origins were good, one could still change one's appearance.

But now he is the prime minister and has been in power for nearly ten years. Before Zhao Yu ascended the throne, he was in charge of the affairs of the Secretariat. Everyone in the court and the people knows that he is from the Hedong Liu family.
"Go back and think about it yourself." Zhao Yu waved his hand impatiently.

Liu Suiyun hurriedly took his leave, but on the one hand he was thinking about Zhao Yu's words, and on the other hand he was a little puzzled.

He didn't know how Zhao Yu could uproot the gentry. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the aristocratic families had continued to multiply. Even if the dynasty was destroyed, the aristocratic families would not be destroyed.

Even the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms did not destroy the aristocratic families.

Even during the turbulent times of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the aristocratic families were not completely eliminated. When a new dynasty was established, not only did the old aristocratic families immediately revive, but new ones also flourished.

This is too difficult, and going against all the noble families in the world, even the emperor can't handle it, right? Even the emperor can't stand it.

How many of the civil and military officials in the imperial court, the hundreds of thousands of officials in the world, were born in aristocratic families? Even if they were not born in an aristocratic family, they had a close relationship with the aristocratic family.

These officials are in charge of the entire world. Emperors of all dynasties have wanted to eradicate the aristocratic families, but no one has succeeded.

As a monarch, you cannot do anything against the whole world.

Among the Qin Emperor, Han Emperor, Tang Emperor and Song Emperor, which one of them was more stubborn?
What method should be used? Liu Suiyun thought about it as he walked out, but he couldn't think of anything.

It's not wartime now, and even if there is a war in the country, it is impossible to take advantage of it to uproot all the tribes. Was Fang La's war big? It swept across Jiangnan, but didn't it just wipe out 70% to 80% of the main families? As for the branches, they didn't move at all, because there was no chance.

Liu Suiyun walked out of the palace and got into the carriage, still thinking.

He couldn't figure it out, so he got out of the car in front of the mansion gate, went in, and then went to the study.

He never married, nor did he take concubines; he lived alone.

There were not many servants in the mansion, only about ten at most.

Throughout his life, he was not greedy for money, lustful, fame-seeking, or power-seeking. He had almost no hobbies.

He sighed, sat down in the study, and was slightly dazed.

He was supposed to be the top scorer in the imperial examination, but because of his handsome appearance, Emperor Daojun chose him as the third place.

Logically speaking, he would have been promoted to an official position and had a bright future with unlimited potential, but he didn't want to be an official at all. He didn't even need to resign and just went into seclusion.

What's the point of being an official? He took the imperial examination just to test himself.

Since then.

I built my house in a human world, but without the noise of carriages and horses.

Plucking chrysanthemum under the east fence, you can see Nanshan leisurely.

When he was in seclusion, his cousin Su Shi often visited him and praised the Prince of Qi. He laughed it off at first, but later on, Su Shi praised him every time, and he couldn't help but become curious.

The King of Qi had heard of his reputation long ago, and it was not felt that he was deliberately trying to gain fame. After all, when he left his mark on the market, he was not yet old enough to be a tutor, so there was probably a real difference.

But the more reputation you have, the greater your fame becomes, but if you do nothing, wouldn’t it all be in vain?

So, at the instigation of his cousin Su Shi, he took the letter and went to Qingtang to take a look. If the person was not as famous as he had heard, he would just go to the western frontier to tour the scenery.

As a result, once he met the King of Qi, he ruined half his life. He never looked back and from then on he boarded the ship and could never get off again.

Liu Suiyun sighed and asked someone to bring him a midnight snack. It was so tiring to think and think that he felt hungry without realizing it.

There were no delicacies from land or sea, nor exquisite and varied pastries, just a bowl of porridge and a plate of pickles, which were enough to fill the stomach.

While eating, he thought, if he really went to war with the nobles, it would be a catastrophe that would shake the world, but how could he win?
Difficult, difficult, difficult!
As for my origins… it’s really funny that I have to change my identity, but it doesn’t matter.

If you can really accomplish such a great thing, what does it matter if you change your background!

It's not that difficult, and I don't have to leave the Liu family. Didn't Your Majesty remind me? There are also rich and poor among the nobles.

Although there are not many poor people, are you still afraid that you won’t be able to find one?
Xining Prefecture, Taishang Prefecture.

Zhao Kai angrily tore up the secret letter in his hand, "You are so ungrateful, so ungrateful."

He had become overweight and middle-aged by then, and his graceful and elegant demeanor was gone. Long periods of exhaustion and worry had made him look dull and his temper became extremely irritable.

Then he fiercely threw the tea bowl on the table to the ground and shouted loudly: "How long will this bastard keep us locked up? He has already proclaimed himself emperor and he still won't let us go back to Tokyo? Does he want to lock us up to death here? I am his younger brother, ah ah..."

In another courtyard, Zhao Huan was sitting in the yard teasing crickets with a rat whisker.

Although the spring weather is bright and beautiful at this moment, the crickets are not yet fat. They have to wait until summer to grow big. The skinny crickets are in stark contrast to the plump and white Zhao Huan.

Zhao Huan had gained a lot of weight compared to when he was in Tokyo, but he wasn't as greasy as Zhao Kai. Instead, he looked wealthy and peaceful, with a smile on his face.

Zhao Huan was in a good mood. There were more than a dozen bird cages hanging on the tree next to him, containing thrushes, yellow orioles and other birds.

There is a fish tank in the room for raising fish, and small bamboo cages for raising insects. He feels that life is really good and the years are peaceful.

Emperor Daojun was holding a meeting in his own painting hall. The so-called meeting was just three or five eunuchs discussing things together.

Over the years, Emperor Daojun has not changed much, and he doesn't even look too old. His hair and beard are just a little grey, but he is still in good spirits.

He took the letters handed to him by the eunuch and read them one by one, his face showing mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. Finally, he looked outside the painting hall with a complex and vicissitudes of life look.

Second brother, second brother, I will go back sooner or later!
(End of this chapter)