Jiuxi

Chapter 383 Chapter 381 [The Beginning]

Although Li Duan's words were not stated clearly, the three important ministers in the palace understood their profound meaning.

In the fourteen years since he ascended the throne, he has been extremely patient in the face of the extremely complex situation in the DPRK and the intertwined forces of all parties. He has hardly enjoyed the treatment of the late emperor who was so powerful and arbitrary in the direction of the DPRK, but he can still act without arrogance or impatience. Move forward calmly.

During these fourteen years, the main theme in Da Qi's court was basically compromise and concession.

Perhaps in the dead of night, Li Duan was extremely envious of the emperor of Jingguo in the north. He envied him for his ability to keep his word, and even famous generals such as Qing Yugong who held military power had to follow his instructions.

But Li Duan was not without gains.

Leaving aside Qin Zheng and Xue Nanting, two important ministers who had supported him from the beginning, now Li Duan can first ensure that the eight thousand forbidden troops are completely loyal to him. From the chief general Shen Yu to the captains and school captains below, he has personally promoted them The minister of thigh and humerus.

Secondly, General Liu Shouguang, who successfully controlled half of the military power in Beiya. Li Duan spent a lot of effort on this person and finally won his loyal support. When Li Duan wanted to strengthen the frontier army, Liu Shouguang's attitude was defeated. The other martial arts dignitaries were caught off guard.

Now there are Lu Chen and Chen Lanyu in Nanya. Although they cannot help Li Duan control all the troops in Nanya for the time being, at least they will not allow Nanya to form a joint force.

These are only superficial changes. As for how many confidants Li Duan has cultivated and won over in the court during these fourteen years, even Xue Nanting does not know the details.

Lu Chen raised his eyes and observed the emperor's face. He could indeed see a somewhat gloomy look, but he didn't know what the specific problem was.

Li Duan turned around and said happily: "You said it."

"Xue Huaiyi?"

At this moment, through Qin Zheng's narration, he knew the influence of the Jiangnan family on the Qi court. No wonder Xue Nanting would risk angering the emperor by speaking out.

Li Duan smiled slightly and said gently: "Ai Qing is interested. I heard that the Taiyuan Hospital mentioned his name. However, the Taiyuan Hospital is your uncle's senior brother. He couldn't find out what's wrong with me. He only said that it might be something wrong with me. It’s a problem with the internal organs. Although the doctors didn’t say it clearly, I know my physical condition and I have to plan for some things in advance.”

Li Duan was deeply touched and nodded: "Don't worry, Mr. Xue, I understand that my body can still hold on."

Lu Chen was shocked to hear this.

For Da Qi, the Yuanjia Incident and the fall of Heluo should be regarded as a turning point.

This is a very difficult question.

Li Duan narrowed his eyes slightly, while Xue Nanting remained silent.

Until this moment, Qin Zheng finally stopped being silent, because he knew that the emperor had made up his mind to eradicate the stubborn disease, and as a minister, he naturally had to do his best to cooperate.

Perhaps it was because of this attitude of never interfering in government affairs that Qin Zheng was able to control the Warp Weaving Department for fourteen years, and he was able to develop and expand the Warp Weaving Department even when all forces were wary.

He knew that the emperor relied on the support of the Jiangnan clan when he ascended the throne, so he gave up part of his power in exchange, but in the end he only had a vague concept.

In short, Li Duan can be called the founding emperor of Southern Qi in some aspects. If he cannot solve the problems of Southern Qi, it is even more impossible to expect his successors to solve them.

The warp weaver Tiju Qin Zheng, who had been silent all this time, said: "Your Majesty, I think there are three main problems that need to be solved urgently."

Most of the time, Qin Zheng remained silent during court meetings, and would only speak unless the emperor asked. What he said was based on the conclusive information in the possession of the Sutra Weaving Department. Otherwise, he would be a mouthful.

Of course, Xue Nanting had no time to consider these issues at the moment. He looked at the emperor behind the case, with a sad look on his face, and said: "Your Majesty, my uncle has superb medical skills. I will immediately send someone to invite him to the capital."

Xue Nanting felt more and more sad after hearing this, but after all, he is the right minister of the imperial court. He has the heavy responsibility of Daqi, one capital and sixteen states on his shoulders. He must maintain a clear mind at all times. He can only bow and say: "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself." Dragon body, good life will be maintained, and the common people in the world will always be in mind!"

Before this, Da Qi had been in power for more than 140 years. Although Nandu Yongjia inherited the title of Da Qi, and Li Duan legitimately inherited the great treasure as the seventh son of the emperor, most of them will be recorded in the history books of later generations. Southern Qi was regarded as a new dynasty.

Qin Zheng said unhurriedly: "First, the power of the court is controlled by the powerful families in the south of the Yangtze River. Not to mention the two prime ministers and the imperial censors for the moment, there are six ministers and thirteen ministers who have close ties with those high-ranking families. Connections, whether they are from a powerful family, or the relationship between in-laws and teachers, in short, they can be regarded as a whole. In addition, a large number of officials in Hanlin Academy, Imperial College, Yushitai, Jiu Temple, and Seventh Prison are deeply influenced by The influence of Jiangnan aristocratic families.”

He summoned these three people into the palace today. The main purpose was to unify their thoughts and let everyone understand what to do next. Therefore, he continued: "There are many problems in Daqi, whether in the court or in the army. I hope that they can solve the problem in my lifetime." Try to solve as many problems as possible so that the successors will not have a bumpy road ahead."

Even if the existence of the Beijing army is put aside, even if Li Duan dares to raise a butcher's knife against the Jiangnan clan, the only result will be that the imperial court will be paralyzed and the government offices of various states will immediately collapse.

What's more, not all Jiangnan families are corrupt officials or nepotistic ministers. Left Prime Minister Li Daoyan is a clear example.

If you want to change the current situation in which the power of the imperial court is controlled by those people, you must have enough capable ministers and officials to replace them without shaking the foundation of the imperial court. This matter is even more difficult than Lu Chen's confrontation with the Jingchao cavalry on the border.

Qin Zheng continued: "Second, the Beijing Army is still controlled by military generals from Jiangnan aristocratic families. From the Privy Councilor Guo Congyi, General Wang Yan to General Hou Yu, these people are inextricably linked. The Beijing Army There are currently seventeen commander-in-chiefs in the northern and southern yamen. Only the commander-in-chief of Dingwei Army, Chen Lanyu, is from the side army. The other sixteen people are all native to Jiangnan, not to mention the following two levels of generals: captain and captain. .Even if His Majesty adopts Marquis Lu’s suggestion to exchange generals, the situation will still not be changed in a short period of time.”

His speech was very direct, without any euphemism. It was obviously because the four monarchs and ministers in the palace were of the same mind at the moment, so there was no need to beat around the bush.

Li Duan muttered: "I have been trying to adjust the power structure of the Beijing army these years. At least they will not become a rope. As long as I am still alive, the Beijing army will not mess up." This is the fourteenth year of his reign. confidence.

If he didn't even have this confidence and the Beijing army was completely out of control, he wouldn't dare to rashly propose the restructuring of the Beijing army.

Qin Zheng reminded: "Your Majesty, no matter how careful you are in this matter, you can't be too careful."

Li Duan nodded and said, "It should be so. Lu Chen."

Lu Chen lowered his head slightly and said, "I'm here."

Li Duan said solemnly: "I entrust the safety of the capital to your hands. I wonder what you need me to do?"

This sentence came a little suddenly, but Lu Chen's expression remained calm. He thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, in order to ensure everything is safe, I need to transfer two troops from the north of the Yangtze River to the south."

Li Duan was slightly startled: "Two?"

Lu Chen responded: "Two are enough."

Li Duan showed a pleased smile and said in approval: "Okay, I agree."

Qin Zheng waited for them to finish, then continued: "Third, I sincerely request your Majesty to establish the crown prince as soon as possible."

Li Duan couldn't help but fell silent.

The prince is the foundation of the country. How could he not understand this truth? However, he prefers the second prince, not the eldest prince who is both the direct descendant and the eldest son. It is conceivable that once he makes this decision, there will be a storm in the court. .

The key is that there are many things he wants to do now, and forcing the second prince to be the crown prince is tantamount to asking for trouble and adding fuel to the already chaotic situation.

Li Duan felt the pain in his mind suddenly intensify. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip, suppressed these chaotic thoughts, and said with a forced smile: "I know. Let me think about this for a while, the most urgent task now is to Let’s deal with Hou Yu’s case first.”

By now watching, Lu Chen already knew the Emperor's intentions and understood the concerns of Right Minister Xue Nanting. However, he had a slightly different view on the matter. He immediately raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is not appropriate to be merciful now."

Li Duan was slightly surprised. He glanced at Xue Nanting and then said to Lu Chen, "Do you agree with my idea?"

Lu Chen said calmly: "Your Majesty may not know that my family's business has more than a dozen stores in Beijing. A fire broke out in the warehouse of one of the stores last night. The goods in the warehouse were burned to the ground. Fortunately, the neighbors were not affected. Right house."

As soon as these words came out, Li Duan and the other two important ministers were stunned.

Xue Nanting frowned and said, "Fire?"

Lu Chen said: "Someone set the fire deliberately."

Li Duan had a stern look on his face and said in a cold voice: "How brave."

Qin Zheng immediately expressed his position: "This is the negligence of the Weaving Department. Don't worry, Marquis Lu. I will have people strengthen the protection of the Shanyang Marquis Mansion and the Lu family business later, so that similar things will not happen again."

"Thank you Lord Qin for your concern. I have temporarily closed all stores to thank customers. Important goods will also be shipped to the Hou Mansion. I don't think those people have the courage to go to the Hou Mansion to cause trouble. After all, my soldiers do not blink an eye at murder, so this matter do not mind."

Lu Chen bowed his hand to Qin Zheng, and then said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I want to say that this incident is enough to prove the guilty conscience of those people. If they were confident enough to fight against the imperial court, they would not be eager to win over them at the night banquet in Moyuan. I will not resort to such methods in anger after being rejected by you."

Li Duan looked at the young minister who stood tall and solemn. His emotions surged for a moment, and he asked with a complicated expression: "Are you really not afraid?"

Lu Chen smiled slightly and said calmly: "Your Majesty, this method is full of pettiness, and it also smells of fierceness and cruelty. Why should I be afraid? It is precisely because they still do not realize the seriousness of Hou Yu's case, and at the same time they are unable to form a joint force. , using the majesty of the situation to force His Majesty to take back his orders, that’s why he uses these unspeakable and underhanded methods.”

"I will never look down upon these deep-rooted aristocratic families, but I have seen their kind in Heluo City."

"I used my bloody head to let them understand the truth. Whoever's sword is harder and more ruthless will have more power in his words."

After hearing these words, Li Duan felt as happy as drinking sweet wine. He couldn't help but stand up and asked expectantly: "How much evidence do you have now?"

Lu Chen replied: "Your Majesty, the evidence is not very much, but it is enough to defeat those dignitaries outside the palace."

Li Duan nodded and said seriously: "Then just go ahead and do it."

Lu Chen bowed and said loudly: "I obey your order!"

(End of this chapter)