King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 584 We are all His Majesty’s ministers

On the third day of September, after ten days of traveling, Li Xuan finally returned to Seoul.

A large number of officials came to greet him, and they were all eager to know the outcome of this diplomatic mission.

That's right, North Korean officials were not informed of Li Xuan's mission this time. The father and son communicated through secret reports.

"Down here, the Ming Dynasty's army is mobilized, and the troops are directed towards North Korea... What on earth is going on?"

"Di Xia...could it be because of our restructuring?"

"Your Excellency...this trip is indeed an act of transgression, and it is reasonable for the court to be outraged..."

The officials were talking in a flurry, and each one of them seemed panicked. Most of these people were yes-men, and they chose to support Li Xuan's restructuring in order to rise to the top.

"The soldiers are coming tomorrow, and we will die if we wait..."

"Your Majesty, if you want to advise His Highness, you must..."

"Everyone..."

At Kangning Hall, King Li Shuo of North Korea had already taken his seat in the main hall.

There is only one theme in the words, Ming Dynasty is strong and North Korea is weak, so it is better not to bother and live an honest life.

"Everyone..."

What? Brother, you have changed your mind. This makes me have no chance... Li Hui is very disappointed.

"Everyone...those are gifts given to me by His Highness King Xiang. I have brought you stability and peace, so you can all sit back and relax!"

"Brother...you are finally back!"

The so-called Mingchuan Jun is Li Hui's title.

"I wanted to come to greet my brother, but my father was a little unwell, so I came to the palace to say hello... Please forgive me, brother!"

All the way into the palace, Li Xuan rushed to Kangning Hall to meet his father.

"Fourth brother, have you just met your father?"

"Yes!"

Although he already knew the result, Li Shuo wanted to know the details.

His health is indeed not good, but it has not reached the point of confusion, and the real power in North Korea is still firmly in his hands.

To be honest, the behavior of these officials at the moment was very rude, and they couldn't care less at the moment.

In fact, Cui Xiuqing doesn't need to remind him. Li Hui also has his own Xiao Jiujiu. He is not a law-abiding person.

After Li Hui saluted and thanked him, he then said: "Brother has returned from a mission. Don't keep my father waiting. Let's enter the palace as soon as possible!"

In fact, Li Xuan wanted to see the report alone, but when he thought that the content of the report was upright, he gave up the idea of ​​sending Li Hui away.

Although he wanted to break away from the Ming Dynasty and wanted to expel the Hanxue Ming system, on this official occasion, he still wore the four-piece dragon robe given by the Ming Dynasty, which looked somewhat ridiculous from the front and back.

Finally, he couldn't hold it any longer, so he walked out of the sedan chair, and a group of officials gathered around him.

Li Shuo's move was actually a warning to Li Xuan that he was more than just his son.

Li Xuan became the Ming Dynasty's licking dog, so Li Hui had to step aside. After all, being a licking dog requires seniority. Obviously, his qualifications are not as good as those of the eldest son Li Xuan.

"Let's go!"

"Let them in!" Li Shuo replied calmly.

After shouting twice, the scene became quiet, and everyone looked at Li Xuan anxiously.

In Li Hui's view, it was only a matter of time before the crown prince Li Xuan angered the Ming Dynasty and would be deposed, so he was preparing to take over as crown prince.

So Li Xuan told the truth about his trip to Liaodong.

"How can I blame you for coming to serve your father?"

Under Cui Xiuqing's guidance, Li Hui also learned how to create characters. During this period, while Li Xuan was away, he often went to the palace to fulfill his filial piety in front of his father.

The buzzing voices of everyone made the welcoming ceremony very chaotic and made Li Xuan very anxious.

Li Hui also wanted to know, so he also pricked up his ears to listen.

At this time, Li Shuo said: "Your Majesty... don't let others have the ambition to destroy your own prestige!"

After entering the capital, Li Xuan rushed straight to the palace. On the way, he looked at the houses on both sides of the street. Unconsciously, he compared them with the prosperity in Jinzhou City, and consciously thought that Seoul was similar to the countryside.

Upon hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief and praised Li Xuan for his virtue and wisdom. At this moment, they were truly grateful.

Everyone laughed, and then a ceremony officer presided over the ceremony and welcomed Li Xuan into the south gate of Seoul.

"Father...this is not someone's ambition, this is..."

"Tell me about this mission in detail!" Li Shuo said in a deep voice.

"Everyone...now that you feel at ease, it's time to go on duty to welcome you!" Li Xuan said with a smile.

Before Li Xuan could finish speaking, Li Shuo looked at Li Hui and asked, "Fourth, do you think this is the case?"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince and Lord Mingchuan are outside asking for a meeting!"

After a few breaths, the two Li Xuan brothers entered the palace, and then, in accordance with the etiquette stipulated in the "Da Ming Hui Dian", they paid a grand tribute to their biological father.

Li Xuan understood, so he remained silent.

Compared with Li Xuan, Li Hui is relatively new to politics and does not understand its connotation at the moment.

But he was also cunning, and immediately replied: "I listen to my father, and what my father says will be whatever he says!"

Li Shuo smiled, then ignored Li Hui and continued: "A few days ago, the Rakshasa envoy Victor and the Japanese envoy Ito came to visit me and talked a lot with my father!"

Hearing this, Li Xuan knew that the situation was not simple, so he did not interrupt at will. He wanted to listen first before speaking.

"At the moment, Ming Dynasty is leaking from all sides like a broken house. It's a great time to overthrow him!"

"Annan is unstable, there is a war in the northwest, and the Ming Dynasty has too much time to take care of itself... This is a good time for us to take control of the country and take advantage of it to rise!"

Li Shuo said sincerely that he really wanted to convince his son to continue working with him.

Li Shuo, if he didn't want to be held hostage by the scholar-bureaucrats or the royal power usurped, he had to decouple himself from the Ming Dynasty.

It was also at this time that Li Hui learned that North Korea's restructuring was actually driven by his father behind the scenes. He always thought it was Li Xuan's intention.

The situation became like this, which made Li Hui very entangled for a while. At this time, he was really not sure what his attitude should be towards this.

"Father... once the agreement is broken, the Ming Dynasty will be furious and send troops to attack. How can we resist it?"

"Can Rakshasa and Japan help us?" Li Xuan asked the key question.

"The Rakshasa Congress will increase its troops in the northwest to contain it, and Japan will send troops to help defend!"

The first half of the sentence was complete nonsense, so Li Xuan ignored it, and then he asked: "How many reinforcements can the Japanese send?"

"Tens of thousands of elite soldiers!" Li Shuo replied.

Does Japan have elite soldiers? How does it compare to Ming Dynasty? Li Xuan expressed doubts.

"Father...you should be careful about this!" Li Xuan reminded seriously.

"You think I'm crazy?"

"The son feels that his father underestimated Daming's strength!"

"I think you have overestimated the strength of the Ming Dynasty!"

"I have made up my mind, the restructuring and other matters will continue as before, and the training name and correct pronunciation will be officially issued!"

It had been several months since the correct pronunciation of the training name had been completed, and Li Shuo chose to issue it at this time. His intention to challenge the Ming Dynasty was not clear. "Father... you have to think twice!" Li Xuan urged anxiously.

There was silence in the palace for a while, and after a while, Li Shuo finally spoke: "Your Majesty, if you are afraid, just go back to your house and go to school. You don't need to worry about government affairs anymore!"

This sentence shows Li Shuo's firm will, and he will go his own way even if Li Xuan is abolished.

Agreeing with his father's opinion is a dead end, but opposing it is even worse... Li Xuan knew he had no choice.

"Son... I am willing to obey my father's instructions!"

Li Shuo smiled and then said: "In that case...at the meeting on the fifth day of the lunar month, you will officially issue the decree!"

"Yes!" Li Xuan replied solemnly.

Since he couldn't persuade his father and he was on the road of no return, Li Xuan felt that it was necessary to do his best to make this road longer.

So he replied: "Father...since he wants to act like this, our court must make preparations in advance to deal with unexpected events!"

"I have made arrangements for this matter. A few days ago, in order to cope with the Ming Dynasty's troop deployment, I have transferred the southern army to the northern provinces, and I have fully prepared military supplies and weapons..."

Following this line of thinking, the father and son continued to discuss, and it took them a while to realize that there was also a guy like Li Hui waiting to listen.

After all, this was North Korea's top secret. Even his own son Li Shuo couldn't believe it, so he asked Li Hui to retreat quickly.

Of course Li Hui didn't want to leave, but he didn't dare to disobey his father's wishes.

After leaving Kangning Hall, Li Hui thought that his father and brother had gone crazy when he recalled the "content of the conversation" he had just heard.

Who gave them the confidence to think that the Ming Dynasty was weak? Li Hui couldn't help asking himself.

"Do they know about the 12th Battalion of the Beijing Army? Have they seen the 22nd Guards of the Imperial Army? Do they know how strong these troops are?" Li Hui roared in his heart.

He had been on a mission to the Ming Dynasty and knew how powerful these troops were, so he could clearly judge that the father and brother would lead North Korea into the abyss.

"They insist on going their own way, and the Li family will only die..." Li Hui thought this way.

Sighing, Li Hui felt that he was a man of few words and had no way to intervene in this matter, so he was already thinking about how to avoid disaster.

"Based on my friendship with Master Thirteen, if I want to exploit him, he will save my life!"

"How about... give him all the gold mined in the past few months!"

With these things in mind, Li Hui walked out of the palace and headed to his house as quickly as possible.

Seeing his sad face, Cui Xiuqing asked about the situation, and Li Hui told him everything.

"Alas...it's such a big disaster, we have to find a way to escape with our lives!"

Just after Li Hui finished speaking, Cui Xiuqing said: "I think this is not a catastrophe, but an opportunity for you to soar into the sky!"

"Chance?"

"At this time, if you give real information to Prince Xiang, it will be a great achievement for the imperial court to suppress the rebellion!"

Hearing this, Li Hui was surprised and said: "You want me to betray North Korea? Betray my father and brother?"

Cui Xiuqing sneered: "It was your father and brother who betrayed the imperial court and North Korea!"

This makes sense. Li Hui calmed down a little, but he still said: "That's my biological father and biological brother!"

Cui Xiuqing asked calmly: "Compared to survival, compared to the throne of Joseon... which is more important?"

"This...this...I have to think about it!"

Knowing that Li Hui needed time to accept it, Cui Xiuqing stopped pressing him and just told him to make a decision as soon as possible.

The fifth day of September is the third day after Li Xuan returned to Seoul. Today is the day of the North Korean DPRK meeting.

News has spread that a major announcement will be made today, which made everyone in the North Korean civil and military circles curious, so they arrived outside the Qinzheng Hall early.

When the time came, under the guidance of the etiquette officer, the civil and military officials lined up and stood in front of Danbi, waiting for the official start of the court meeting.

Everyone didn't stand for a while when they heard the sound of music playing, and then saw the crown prince Li Xuan coming to the throne to preside over the court meeting as usual.

Li Xuan's position was in front of the throne. After he sat down, everyone paid homage to him, and then Li Xuan called everyone to his feet according to the system.

Because what he had to do today was so important, Li Xuan didn't waste much time and simply asked the eunuch on the side to announce the "edict."

"The king's decree..."

"The ancient country of Korea has a long history, splendid culture, and celebrated etiquette..."

"As time goes by, the country's destiny will be prosperous, the country will be rich and the people will be prosperous..."

This "edict", in very straightforward terms, praised North Korea as the best in the world, which made the officials on the scene very confused.

But in the end, there was something that confused them even more.

"Today we promulgate the righteous message of training the people to educate all people and protect the foundation for eternity..."

The edict is still being read, because in addition to correcting the names and correct pronunciation, some etiquette also needs to be changed, which makes the officials furious.

On the one hand, everyone learns Chinese to write Chinese characters and uses Han rituals. Changing them at will will not only affect their lives, but also shake the foundation of their rule.

Yes, it is the basis of rule. In today's North Korea, scholar-bureaucrats share the same world with the royal family. This is all due to their platform of teachings from saints.

On the other hand, changing the system and writing will definitely lead to a crusade from the Ming Dynasty, which will completely eliminate everyone's way of survival.

Even the officials who had supported the restructuring in the past were intimidated when it came time to implement it with real swords and guns, so they followed other officials to come forward to dissuade them.

At this moment, no one needed to organize. Most officials reached a consensus and clearly expressed their opposition to this "random fate."

Fortunately, the general at the scene did not say anything, which gave Li Xuan a lot of confidence and secretly praised his father for his strong control over the army.

"Stand back, are you going to rebel?" Li Xuan yelled loudly.

Since he couldn't persuade his own father, he had no choice but to join in this huge gamble, so now his attitude is very firm.

"Everyone stand down!"

Li Xuan's scolding had no effect. Not only did the officials not retreat, but more people joined in.

"Your Majesty, this is a disorderly order... It is really difficult for me to obey the order!"

This person is very familiar to Li Xuan, and he is a close confidant he promoted. He had previously participated in the revision of Hun Min Zhengyin, and now serves in Si Jian Yuan.

This person stood up to oppose, and the reason was actually very simple, because his hometown was on Ping'an Road, directly bordering the Ming Dynasty and Liaodong.

In other words, as soon as the Ming Dynasty's official army arrives, his hometown is likely to be reduced to rubble, and his family's foundation will also be destroyed.

"Your Excellency... please advise Your Highness to withdraw this edict!"

"Your Majesty, such random orders are a sign of contempt for the imperial court and His Majesty the Emperor... You will be punished by God!"

Before the edict was announced, Li Shuo knew that there would be opposition, so he had been listening quietly in the side hall, ready to intervene at any time to stabilize the situation.

There were many words of advice at the scene, but the last sentence stung his heart, so he decided to formally come forward.

As the drum music sounded, the officials at the scene became quiet, and then everyone looked to the east, where Li Shuo appeared surrounded by eunuchs and guards.

This was the first time that Li Shuo appeared at a court meeting in the past five years, and all the officials present were deeply surprised.

At this time, a large number of people still felt that today's incident had nothing to do with Li Shuo and was entirely caused by Li Xuan alone.

Therefore, the officials on the scene were looking forward to Li Shuo's appearance to bring order to the chaos and clarify Yu Yu.

However, when Li Shuo ascended the throne and asked the first question, the officials on the scene were dumbfounded.

"One mouth is for the imperial court, and one mouth is for His Majesty...Are you ministers of North Korea or ministers of the imperial court?"

The next moment, the silent leader Chen Taimin came out and said righteously in front of everyone: "Your Majesty, we are all your Majesty's ministers!"

(End of this chapter)