Why did the emperor rebel?

Ending of Chapter 1276: The Battle of the East Palace ()

After the Nangong incident, undercurrents swirled around the throne in the court, and criticism of the former prince gradually increased. The first breaking point for all this was Xu Youzhen's betrayal.

Because of this incident, Yu Shiyue stood outside the palace for a full hour before he was finally summoned. It was during this incident that Yu Qian completely made it clear that he was unwilling to participate in the battle for the East Palace, which led to the incident. After that, their relationship began to really grow apart.

In fact, when Yu Shiyue and Yu Qian parted ways, it was not because Yu Qian refused to help the prince. It is normal for each to have his own opinion on government affairs. In the past, Yu Shiyue and Yu Qian also had differences of opinion on many major court affairs, and it was difficult to convince each other. However, both of them knew that the other party was public-spirited and thought about the country and the country, so differences and disputes would not affect their personal relationship.

The reason why they were completely alienated that time was ultimately because of Yu Qian's attitude of not taking sides. Things in the East Palace must have an outcome. As Yu Qian's identity, if he does not end, he can certainly sit on the Diaoyutai, but he will also As a result, the dispute over the Eastern Palace lasted longer and was wider in scope. Regardless of whether he supported or opposed it, he could at least bring the matter to a conclusion quickly. The dispute over the reserve position had been going on for so many years, although it was said that it had been suppressed by the emperor. , but for the imperial court, the impact is still there after all.

So the real reason for the alienation between the two was that Yu Shiyue felt that Yu Qian was unwilling to get involved in this matter because he was trying to protect himself and to stay away from the whirlpool, regardless of the interests of the country. This made him very disappointed, so he and Yu Qian gradually drifted away. Far.

However, when things have developed to this point, what happened back then was obviously not as simple as it seemed...

In the sultry summer, cicadas were chirping outside the window, and a weak wind blew in from the window, causing the candlelight to sway and illuminating the faint silhouettes of people. Yu Qian was silent, as if thinking about where to start. After a moment, he raised his head. Start, say.

"Brother Shi Chao, have you ever thought about what His Majesty meant when he said that two princes should be arranged well?"

Yu Shiyue frowned. Unexpectedly, Yu Qian came around again. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said.

"Probably, His Majesty wants to say that no matter which prince takes the throne in the future, he must protect the prince of another lineage..."

This is actually equivalent to not saying anything, but Yu Qian nodded and said.

"That's right. I just said that I have never been able to understand the meaning of your Majesty's words. To say it is disrespectful, your Majesty wants to depose the prince, so just do it. If the common people in the town rebel, King Yi As his son, His Highness will be implicated, so it is not difficult to depose the Crown Prince on this basis."

"Even if His Majesty has considered the long-term friendship with His Highness Prince Yi, as long as he chooses a rich land and makes him a vassal, even if the new king ascends the throne in the future and His Highness Prince Yi is far away in the vassal land, there will not be any threat to the throne. How did you manage to arrange for two princes?"

Yu Shiyue frowned and nodded slightly.

This is also a question that he, no, not only him, but also all the ministers in the court have been puzzled by.

but……

"Since you said that, Tingyi, you must have the answer in your mind?"

This time, Yu Qian hesitated, but after a moment, he nodded and said.

"I only learned about this by chance when I was chatting with Uncle Zong..."

"Uncle Zong?"

Yu Shiyue was a little surprised. What does this matter have to do with Hu Hui.

However, before he could ask this time, Yu Qian gave the answer and said.

"At that time, when the New Year was approaching, the vassal kings came to the capital for an audience. I went to the Ministry of Rites to pick up new crowns and robes, and chatted with the eldest uncle. He accidentally mentioned that since the opening of the sea trade, the affairs of the clan's mansion had become increasingly serious. His Majesty once asked in private. After passing by him, he said that he intended to choose a feudal king to stay in the capital and take control of the feudal territory in the distance. Later, he was rejected by the eldest uncle, and since then, His Majesty has not mentioned it again."

"Leading the domain far away..."

Yu Shiyue is also a veteran of the court. He immediately grasped the key point. Many thoughts flashed through his mind. He slowly sat up straight and said.

"Could it be that His Majesty wants... to let the princes stay in the capital?"

It is not a rare thing to take over a vassal territory from afar. This was done in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Although there were enfeoffments, the clans all lived near the capital. They only received their salaries on time and did not personally take charge of the vassal affairs. This was not the same as the Ming Dynasty's consistent system. It is different. Nowadays, King Min and King Xiang in Beijing can be regarded as permanently living in Beijing, but they cannot be regarded as remote vassals. There is an essential difference between the two.

The so-called remote vassal territory is actually a system, that is, the vassal king is only granted a certain place in name, but in fact, all affairs in the fiefdom have nothing to do with the vassal king, and are still fully managed by local officials. To put it bluntly, , the fiefdom under the Yaoling vassal is just a nice name without any real meaning. Although King Min and King Xiang have lived in Beijing for a long time, their vassal land is actually sealed.

Under this situation, no matter which vassal king is chosen to enter the capital, they will definitely be unwilling to give up their vassal territory, unless it is the princes who do not have fiefdoms yet... Since they do not have fiefdoms yet, then the real fiefdom is still far away The leadership is a gift, and naturally it is the emperor who has the final say.

Therefore, when the term "remote vassal territory" is used, it must refer to the princes who have not yet specified their fiefdoms.

After thinking about this, Yu Shiyue vaguely understood in his heart what the emperor was worried about in the so-called preservation of the two princes...

Yu Qian nodded slightly and said.

"I felt the same way at the time. His Majesty had mentioned before that Emperor Taizu had established a system of enfeoffment. Although it was a vassal state, the royal family was multiplying and the number of kings was increasing. The financial resources of the imperial court were gradually overwhelmed. The vassal king acted recklessly in the fiefdom, ignored the laws, and invaded the fields wantonly, making local taxes heavier and heavier, which has become a persistent disease."

"From the initial establishment of the Zongxue, to the relocation of the official land to the Imperial Village, and the use of the annual income of the Imperial Village to support the feudal king's annual salary, it can be seen that His Majesty has made efforts to solve the problem. However, although these measures are useful, they are not the root cause of the problem. Policy."

Yu Shiyue was a little silent.

Of course he knew this. For the court, the disadvantages of the vassal king were far more than just financial pressure. More importantly, as a member of the royal family, the vassal king enjoyed great immunity. Although he could not interfere with local finances, However, they will annex land on a large scale in local areas, and then transfer the taxes that should be paid on these lands to other people.

In addition, the imperial court has granted a large amount of land to each vassal king. In the long run, the more vassal kings there are, the greater the pressure will be on the court. Therefore, the only way to cure this hidden danger is...

"Converting the land into an imperial village, handing it over to the mining tax envoys, supervising officials dispatched by the clan government, cooperating with local officials, and allowing the vassal king to seize the title from afar and stay in the capital for a long time. Your Majesty's idea... is really shocking. Praise!"

For people like Yu Shiyue who have been involved in official circles for many years, the biggest reason why they cannot make correct judgments is the lack of information.

Now that he had obtained the key information, he naturally connected everything quickly. No wonder the emperor vigorously promoted Huangzhuang in various vassals and relocated the mining tax supervisor to the clan mansion. It turned out to be paving the way for this. .

The current imperial village system is a system of checks and balances between the mining tax envoys, royal officials, and local officials. This is adapted to the existing vassal system. So, after the mining tax supervisor is relocated to the clan government, It can further evolve in conjunction with the vassal king's remote control of the fiefdom, forming a situation of mining tax envoys, clan mansions, and local officials.

You must know that in the current imperial village system, the royal officials are only responsible for supervision. Although they participate in name, they actually have no power. Even the power of supervision is not easy to exercise. The mining tax envoy is responsible for specific operations. Relatively speaking, it is better, but the two of them combined cannot resist the dominant position of local officials in the imperial village.

To put it bluntly, no matter how much effort has been made in the past, the final harvest of grain will be distributed, and the power is in the hands of local officials. This leads to the fact that although the imperial village is the imperial village of the lord, they are actually in a weak position. In fact, these Many feudal princes have expressed dissatisfaction with this, but the court has no better way. The reason is that the court is still very cautious about the feudal princes and is not willing to truly delegate power. give them.

However, it would be completely different if the royal family officials were replaced by the clan's palace. The clan's palace was in the capital. On the one hand, it could quickly communicate with the emperor, and on the other hand, it would not affect the imperial power due to excessive power. Assuming that the feudal king From then on, they would all take over the vassal territory, and then name all their royal officials under the name of Zongrenfu, and then use the name of Zongrenfu to supervise the emperor's estate in the local area. The right to speak will be greatly strengthened.

In this way, it can not only ensure that the feudal prince's annual salary is paid as usual through the imperial village, but also not increase the burden on the court. Most importantly, it can solve the pressure caused by the feudal prince's local misbehavior and wanton land invasion, but... …

"But if this happens, East Palace..."

Yu Shiyue sighed heavily, with a complicated look on his face.

Not bad, Donggong!

If the princes stay in the capital for a long time, it can certainly solve the problems of the vassal king. However, if the princes stay in the capital instead of joining the vassal, it will inevitably lead to a fight for the right to inherit the throne.

Especially under the current situation, with two princes in the capital, the situation will inevitably become more complicated.

Seeing Yu Shiyue's expression, Yu Qian knew that the other party already understood the joints, so he also sighed and said. "Yes, if Your Majesty does not intend to change the vassal system, then the former Crown Prince will be abolished and the vassal will be abolished early. Your Majesty will warn the new monarch to ensure the stability of His Highness King Yi. However, since Your Majesty has such a plan, he wants to abolish the vassal state. The king's fault has caused the princes to stay in the capital from now on, so the affairs of the East Palace will become extremely difficult."

Yu Shiyue fell silent again.

Because he knew that Yu Qian's words were not alarmist.

Since the princes want to stay in the capital, as a former prince who has been in charge of the East Palace for many years, King Yi will inevitably be jealous and suspicious of the future new king. Even if he does not take action for a while, as long as someone provokes him, King Yi will inevitably It's hard to save your life.

"So, Your Majesty wants King Yi to be deposed willingly, and his willingness is known to the world?"

After a long time, Yu Shiyue looked a little complicated and spoke slowly.

At this moment, he already understood many things.

Yu Qian also sighed and said.

"Yes, you and I were both present when Xu Youzhen's incident happened, and you also saw His Majesty's handling. At that time, I didn't understand what Your Majesty meant, but now that I think about it, it's clear."

After he finished speaking, Yu Shiyue also thought about it.

After Xu Youzhen's incident, the emperor did not say whether the matter was right or wrong. Instead, he only asked the former prince one sentence... Do you want to continue to be the crown prince?

At that time, everyone was confused by this sentence, but now that I think about it, I am afraid that the emperor was already paving the way for the future.

"Yes, since His Majesty wants to reform the vassal system and allow the kings to control the vassal territory from afar, then if King Yi wants to protect himself, he must willingly step down from the position of crown prince. If there is a trace of unwillingness and resentment, then there will be no good in the future. fruit."

As Yu Qian said just now, it is very easy to depose the prince. However, under the circumstances of reforming the vassal system, there is only one way to depose the prince and keep the safety of the two princes.

That is, King Yi can only be deposed because he is willing to be deposed. It cannot be false or forced, but must be sincere, even hating the position of the East Palace and begging to be deposed.

Only in this way will King Yi no longer have any thoughts about the throne, and all the ministers in the court, as well as the new king who will ascend the throne in the future, will also believe that King Yi will not have any thoughts about the throne. Only in this way, the two-line imperial heirs , in order to have peace.

This is probably the reason why the emperor has been ambiguous about the East Palace for so many years. If King Yi had not really tasted the warmth and coldness of human kindness, because the position of prince had lost too many things, he would not have been able to truly let go of his obsession with the throne. .

If not... Yu Shiyue shook his head gently, and he did not continue to think about it.

In fact, Yu Qian's attitude over the years has actually been very clear. The reform of the vassal system is imperative. On this kind of major policy, the emperor has always been very firm and will never change his tune due to any factors.

Since the princes want to stay in the capital, and the conflicts between the two princes finally want to be reconciled, this is the only way. If it is really impossible to reconcile...

After all, the emperor is the emperor, with the power of life and death in his hands.

Therefore, for King Yi, although he has suffered a lot, his current situation is actually the best outcome.

"Last question, why me?"

The candlelight flickered, and Yu Shiyue's mood was extremely complicated. After a long time, he asked with some difficulty.

Yu Qian looked up at him and said.

"Brother Shichao, doesn't he already have the answer in his heart?"

After a moment of pause, Yu Qian spoke.

"I understand your Majesty's intention. From now on, the Zongren Mansion will be in charge of the Imperial Store, the Imperial Village, the general affairs of the vassal, and the assistant to the emperor. Your Majesty has said that he will arrange the two princes well. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be these two princes. The one who has the longest prince lineage between the two lines will take over..."

"Brother Shichao has a heart for the country and acts upright. For many years, he has fulfilled his duties, never bowed his head in the waves, and never betrayed his trust in times of crisis. Your Majesty has ordered you to assist two generations of princes, and the whole of the future affairs of the court will be yours!"

Yu Shiyue fell silent.

At this moment, the doubts in his heart were all solved, but his mood was extremely complicated.

He finally understood why Yu Qian had drifted away from Xu Youzhen ever since.

Over the years, His Majesty has been testing the former Crown Prince and also testing him. The former Crown Prince has now successfully passed the test, but his responsibilities have just begun.

Over the past few years, he insisted on protecting the crown prince, which made the government and the public see his persistence and character. Therefore, the emperor also handed over the new crown prince to him.

Then, what he has to do next is to do his best to support the new crown prince to prove his loyalty to the emperor and the country.

In addition, the more important point is that he must balance the relationship between the new crown prince and Prince Yi. To put it bluntly, the emperor has entrusted the important task of protecting the peace of the two princes to his hands. Such trust is extremely important. ?

However, everything has a price. He has protected two generations of princes by himself. Even if he retires after his success, the ministers in the East Palace will still have a deep relationship with him. With such great power, if he and Yu Qian, a young man who once protected Conglong, will The relationship between teachers and teachers is bound to cause fear.

and so……

A full moon hangs high in the sky, and the stars cover the dome, shining brightly. The silver moonlight shines on the earth, coating all people and things with a gentle light.

Next to the green gauze sedan, Yu Shiyue raised his head and looked at the plaque in front of him as when he arrived, with a trace of unconcealable loneliness in his expression.

If nothing else, this is really the last time he comes to Yu Mansion like this.

In the quiet summer night, the breeze blew by, ruffling Yu Shiyue's robe, and a sigh went away with the wind. After a long time, Yu Shiyue solemnly raised his hands toward the closed door in front of him. When he raised his head again, his expression changed. It has become calm with a hint of freedom and ease.

"Tingyi, when the day comes, I'll invite you to get drunk again in the countryside!"

Yu Shiyue took a long breath and spoke loudly towards the empty gate. Then, as if he had put down some baggage, he did not get on the sedan, but turned around and strode forward.

The long street was silent for an unknown amount of time. After Yu Shiyue's figure had long since disappeared, the small side door of Yu's mansion suddenly opened. Behind the door, Yu Qian, who had been standing for a long time, said with a complicated expression.

"Brother Shichao, take care!"

The breeze picked up again, rolling up his robes and carrying away his voice, as if it was going to take it somewhere.

Seeing this situation, Yu Qian suddenly showed a smile again on his face and murmured in a low voice.

"I am waiting……"

　This is the end of the East Palace chapter. Next, I will start preparing a new book. I can only stop the extra chapter for a while. Mainly because my brain is not full and I really can't do double threading. See you all in the new book~

　　(End of this chapter)