The king of Liang, Liu Hui, was smiling as he ate his tea. In front of him were two powerful figures from the Liang Kingdom.
The Prime Minister Zhang Cang and the Censor Jin Ting.
The old man and the young man have completely opposite personalities.
Liu Hui spoke slowly, "I heard that my eldest brother gave birth to another son... named Bo. My eldest brother really respects the Marquis of Zhou."
"Yes... Zhou Hou made great achievements in battle, so it should be... I heard that the Tang Dynasty sent a new dish, which is the most delicious for cooking meat."
Zhang Cang spoke slowly, Liu Hui listened attentively, and the two just started chatting.
Jin Ting looked at them desperately.
Jin Ting was able to become a censor at such a young age. This was all due to his own efforts. It had nothing to do with the fact that his father was the 11th founding hero, Marquis Xinwu. At least, that's what he thought.
He is a generation older than Liu Chang and others, so he is not among the sages.
Young Jin Ting was eager to make achievements. He really wanted to make a career and prove himself in front of his father.
Therefore, he always looked like he was in a hurry. He once served in the State of Zhao and the State of Chu. During his tenure, he did great things and received good evaluations from the King of Zhao and the King of Chu. King Zhao's evaluation was: It is recommended to go to the State of Chu.
The King of Chu's evaluation was: It is recommended to return to Zhao.
It's not that he has any bad habits, it's just that he is very tolerant. Just the opposite of Zhang Cang, he is a hard-nosed "workaholic" who always sets an example and leads his officials to work overtime without allowing them to rest.
They are all being tortured blindly. How can this Zhao country person bear this?
He rose through the ranks and was finally sent to Liang Guo.
Just when Jin Ting was about to make drastic changes and make great achievements here, he suddenly realized that he was in the wrong place.
Liang Wang Liu Hui is a very gentle man, and he is also a slow man. He is not in a hurry and does everything slowly. This is especially true for the Prime Minister Zhang Cang. As long as no one forces him, he can delay as long as he can. These two people are simply awesome.
They are a perfect match.
Since Zhang Cang came to Liang State, the court meetings have not been held much. The three domestic affairs such as this are all about family affairs. This is not a court meeting. This is clearly a tea party!
The two sat facing each other, sipping steaming tea, and started chatting, ranging from anecdotes about various places to delicacies, from the princes' daily routines to delicacies, from temple policies to delicacies.
Both are delicious, both have great bodies, no distinction is made between them.
"Your Majesty! The autumn harvest is coming soon. Should we supervise the officials in various places? And should the granaries..."
"No hurry...come and have some tea."
Liu Hui said and looked at Zhang Cang again, "Prime Minister Zhang, I heard that Xiang became the king of Hexi and made Luan Bu the prime minister of the country. Since Hexi has been established, will there be a lot of delicious food in the future? From Hexi
Shipped to various places?”
"It's possible. I heard that the Western Regions have many fruits, vegetables and other things that are not found in the Central Plains... Luan Bu has been in the Tang Dynasty, so he naturally knows what to do."
Jin Ting took a deep breath and said, "Xiang Zhang... I want to resign."
"oh?"
Zhang Cang glanced at him and then nodded, "Okay, you can write your resignation letter first, and after I approve it... I'll report it to the king, and we'll make plans after we discuss it..."
"It won't take too long, right?"
"How could it be? Don't worry."
Seeing that the two people had no intention of stopping the tea party, Jin Ting walked out of the palace helplessly. He pinched his belly and found a large piece of fat... He had done nothing since coming to Liang Kingdom. , I just spent the whole day eating with those two people, and I actually had some fat on my waist.
Despite such inaction, the streets of Liang State were so prosperous, with endless pedestrians coming and going. It was no less than Jinyang of Tang State. The officials of Liang State were very comfortable, and the people of Liang State were very comfortable. It was also very comfortable... Only Jin Ting felt deep despair.
No, I have to file an impeachment petition. With such sufficient national power, if you don’t do anything, it is simply a waste of natural resources!!
.......
"Don't let down your guard in anything you do..."
"If you slack off, no matter how smart you are, you will suffer big losses."
"Sometimes, the person who can hurt you is often the person you trust the most. It's hard to guard against a thief!"
Zhang Liang explained the contents of the book to Liu An seriously. For some reason, Liu An always felt that the master's words seemed to come from the heart, and they were so painful. Liu An thought for a moment and then asked carefully: "Did Zhang Yushi take that book?"
Zhang Liang raised his head and couldn't help but sigh: "He took it and presented it to His Majesty."
"Master, it's okay. Think about it, he can take the initiative to confess his sins to Master. This means he can correct his mistakes after he realizes them..."
"Your Majesty said it... He didn't admit it."
"Forehead..."
Zhang Liang shook his head, "Let's not talk about him... An, is your father still busy doing the sacrifice?"
"Yes, my father said that he should tell God and the Great Father about his merits."
Zhang Liang chuckled lightly, "Then what do you think of this matter?"
"It's strange, my father never cared about this before. I heard that when he came to Longcheng, he didn't sacrifice to heaven or tell ancestors, but instead sacrificed to the fallen soldiers... But now I don't know why he is like this."
"An, your Majesty, there must be a reason for what you do. If you want to understand it clearly, you have to connect the things that have happened recently, and you can get a general idea...not just this matter, but also other things. I can roughly tell."
"You still have a lot to learn... learn more from your father."
"Learn from my father? The day before yesterday, Marquis Lu Ou of Guangyan accused him of his extravagance and waste, which caused people all over the world to imitate him. Now what kind of sacrifices are he going to do... My father can't quarrel with him, so he directly wants to beat the old minister. There is no way I can learn this skill."
"Hahaha, your father beat Marquis Guangyan not because of his accusation, but because of Marquis Guangyan's son... Of course, I am not qualified to talk about other people's children... When we were fighting everywhere, how could we have time? Gu family, therefore, most of the descendants of the princes in the country are not good."
The princes mentioned by Zhang Liang are the kind of princes who own food and towns.
The situation Zhang Liang mentioned was very common in the early Han Dynasty. Most of the founding heroes lost their titles in the first generation. These people were domineering and would kill people and rebel at every turn. To give a few examples, Zhang Bu from Zhang Liang's family Sui, Zhou Shengzhi from the Zhou Bo family, Chai Qi from the Chai Wu family, Jin Ting from the Jin She family, etc.
They don't have the abilities of their father, and after receiving the title, they often go to the other extreme.
There were many nobles like the Han Dynasty, but they did not belong to the general wealthy family. Without the permission of the emperor, officials could not touch them.
Zhang Liang said seriously: "Your Majesty will not do anything for no reason... This sacrifice to heaven is probably related to these lawless princes."
"It's enough to kill someone if he commits a crime, so why beat him?"
"Your Majesty is very affectionate, so I spared his life. Marquis Lu should be grateful to Your Majesty for your kindness."
"You have to thank your father after you get beaten?"
"Don't worry about this. You have to learn the art of recognizing people from your Majesty... Your Majesty is the best at recognizing people. King Yan was stubborn, so he asked Xuanyi to assist him. King Liang was generous, so he appointed Zhang Cang to assist him.
The King of Zhao followed his advice, so he appointed Jia Yi to assist the left; the King of Wu was clever, so he appointed Fu Kuan to do things for him; the King of Changsha was weak, so he appointed Guan Ying to support him; the King of Qi had no plans, so he appointed Ji Bu to govern.
The King of Jiaodong was reckless, so he used Gu Feng to stop him..."
Liu An listened carefully, reacted instantly, and exclaimed: "Master, if you say that, my father is really very capable!"
"I always thought that my father relied on my eldest mother!"
Zhang Liang narrowed his eyes, "Whoever treats your father as having no plans is the one who really has no plans... Your father's plans are second only to those of your great father."
"What kind of person is my eldest father?"
Liu An had heard too many stories about his eldest father, and when he mentioned him, his eyes always filled with longing.
Zhang Liang suddenly fell silent, thought seriously for a moment, and then said: "Your eldest uncle's generosity, your second uncle's kindness, your third uncle's appearance, your fourth uncle's strategy, your fifth uncle's affection, your sixth uncle's
Delicacy, your father's character, your eighth-second father's recklessness... he is almost your elder father."
Liu An was stunned, so many unreliable uncles and fathers together???
“Is that still a person??”
How unreliable must the great father be, and how bad must he be?
........
Liu Chang wants to deal with the princes. These princes do not refer to Liu Chang's brothers and sons, but the second generation princes. After the death of the founding heroes, these princes who inherited the titles have lived a decent life.
A good and delicious day.
He is inferior to his father in every aspect, except for his ability to do evil, which is far beyond the reach of their fathers and ancestors.
Up to now, the titles of many heroes have been passed down to the second or even third and fourth generations, and their ability to fight and govern the country has been completely lost. If they just go out hunting, hold a banquet, and waste family property, Liu Chang will not say anything.
After all, this was left to them by their father, and they worked hard to let their children live a good life.
But they oppressed the people in the local area, openly humiliated the temple officials, and even led people to surround the bookstore, threatening to set it on fire if they didn't let him see it first, so Liu Chang couldn't bear it anymore.
These people are still keeping retainers at home, hiding armor and crossbows, and colluding with each other. What are they planning to do?
As for why the actions against these princes can restrain the princes and kings, it is because the temple is preparing to extend favors. King Qi is a precedent, and many of the other sons of King Qi are feudal princes. Liu Chang's approach can restrain the princes of Che.
Of course, it also added a layer of means to push the favor in disguise, using both hardness and softness, leaving such a means for future generations to weaken the princes.
But Liu Chang's current thoughts are still on matters in South Vietnam.
After the fourth brother seized the pass, he forced South Vietnam to surrender. Zhao Tuo agreed to King Wu's conditions and allowed Han troops and officials to enter South Vietnam, accept the governance of the Han, and become a Han vassal state in the true sense.
It is said that Zhao Tuo had sent his grandson to Chang'an with several criminal officials.
Liu Chang had no interest in these criminals. He was just wondering if he could get some food from South Vietnam.
I sold princes before, then I sold books...what else can I sell now?
Zhou Chang was very angry at Liu Chang's idea.
He has been in the Xuanshi Palace these days, constantly admonishing.
"My lord...there are so many things to do in the temple!"
"It can't be like this anymore. Things have to be done both internally and externally. The people are tired, and the officials are even more so. The king still doesn't know how to restrain himself and has to keep doing things. You can't rush the affairs of governing the country. You can't put a hundred years of things into one day.
Just do it well! Now the things about the farming, the book shop, the enlightenment, the medical center, the Hexi thing, the South Vietnam thing... and the thing you want to sacrifice to heaven, if the king does this, the Han will do it sooner or later.
Perish in the hands of the king!!"
"Your Majesty, it is a taboo of a king to be eager for quick success! It is even more so when you are so happy about success. Please go out hunting and hunt for two or three years!"
"Ah? How can I leave state affairs behind and go hunting?"
"No, Your Majesty, just go hunting, drink and have fun, take concubines... Anyway, you can do whatever you want, just don't be busy with state affairs anymore!"
Zhou Chang never thought that one day he would say such things.
Facing this over-energetic king, Zhou Chang really hoped that he could do something of his own and stop tormenting the big man, but Liu Chang disagreed. Zhou Chang's repeated advice made him a little impatient.
He immediately put on the ancestral bamboo basket and looked like he didn't want to listen to whatever you said.
"Lu! See off guests!"
Zhou Chang could only say a few harsh words and left.
"Prime Minister Zhou... you persuade the king to indulge in pleasures instead of serving national affairs... Aren't you afraid of being named in the biography of a traitor?"
Lu Lu asked curiously.
"Do you think you won't get in if you don't tell me this?"
Zhou Chang glanced at him, leaned over and put on his shoes, and said, "What do you think the history books will say about the king in the future?"
"The king and the country have made great contributions!"
"Haha, looking at the past, there are many kings who have made great contributions to the country, but their reputations are not good. I predict that your king's reputation in the history books will also be very bad, far worse than your Majesty today."
"Ah?? How is this possible?"
"How is it impossible? Your Majesty despises the scholars, insults and beats them, but instead gets close to the traffickers and lackeys. How can the reputation be better?"
"But the king has great merits, but your Majesty is far inferior to him today."
"This history book is used by future generations to advise future generations. Do you think they hope to have more monarchs like the king, or more monarchs like your majesty?"
"If we follow the king and do things for him, we are destined to not have a good reputation... I am like this, and so are you."
Zhou Chang put on his shoes, turned around and left.
Zhou Chang walked a few steps, his brows furrowed all the time. He still had to think of a way. The king was too anxious and wanted to do everything. If this continued, sooner or later there would be big problems, but this foolish king was not one to listen to advice.
The person who is admonishing is completely different from me, how can I persuade him?
No, facing such a real villain, I am at a huge disadvantage and have to use his ideas to deal with him!
So if the king encounters this situation, what will he do?
Zhou Chang, an honest man, began to think hard about the villain's way of doing things.
In an instant, Zhou Chang suddenly understood, the clouds cleared and the sun appeared, and he hurriedly changed direction.
"Queen Mother!!!"
.....
"Your Majesty."
"Is that guy gone? These veterans are always on tenterhooks. One moment they are worried about this, the other they are worried about that. They just refuse to help me!"
"How good they are like Zhang Buyi and Luan Bu. They are willing to handle whatever I say!"
Hearing Liu Chang's complaint, Lu Lu did not agree as usual. He said hesitantly: "Actually...these veterans are not bad, and their suggestions also have merit..."
Liu Chang was shocked. He looked Lu Lu up and down.
"Isn't this something you can say?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know about others, but Prime Minister Zhou, he is a very powerful person."
"I know, otherwise I wouldn't let him be the Prime Minister... It seems that the servant did the right thing for you. It has only been a few days, and you already know how to think... Okay, study hard,
I will make you the Prime Minister of the country in the future!"
"Really?"
"Of course it's true. How have I ever deceived anyone? You have to work hard!"
Liu Chang was bragging with Lu Lu, and Chen Ping came to see him.
Because Chen Ping is currently busy with gold minting, he is still known as Zhongfu. Liu Chang smiled and asked him to sit down and asked him about his welfare.
"Father Zhong, how are you?"
"I carefully checked, and sure enough, there are many problems with the gold ingots handed over by the princes... Some are of insufficient quality, and some are simply missing in weight..."
Chen Ping lowered his voice, "There is a big problem with King Zhao's gold."
When Liu Chang heard this, he grinned, "I knew there must be him!"
"Don't pay attention to the princes and kings... The main thing is... Father Zhong, do you understand?"
Liu Chang blinked, and Chen Ping naturally understood, and he said: "I have collected a lot of them here, and they are all Chehous. They do not cherish the title left by their fathers and ancestors. The King of Hunong despises His Majesty and disrespects the heaven.
...", if a few pots are pressed, the title will be lost immediately.
The people Chen Ping selected were also very particular. They were not randomly drawn up. They were all second- and third-generation marquises who usually did evil things and did not do serious things. From then on, Tuien and Jinjin cooperated with each other, and future generations also
Now we have the excuse and ability to punish local princes.
After several generations of implementation, the princes will no longer be a serious problem for the temple.
An important reason for the original division of princes was that the Han Dynasty could not govern such a huge territory. However, with the development of the Han Dynasty, the roads in various places became smoother, the number of officials increased, and the territory that the Han Dynasty could govern was also constantly increasing.
For several generations, the Han Dynasty did not need princes and kings to directly conquer any place.
"Since Father Zhong has already started the investigation, let's do it!"
"Father Zhong can mention this matter at the court meeting soon."
"I know what to do."
Chen Ping was not afraid of offending others by doing so. He was a rare person among the ministers who was not afraid of trouble. If he were afraid of trouble, he would not have helped Emperor Gao to arrest Han Xin. During the Xiao He period, he would have dared to stand by Liu Bang.
By his side, he gave him advice to deal with his colleagues, and he was not afraid of anyone at all.
This is also the reason why Liu Chang always lets Chen Ping take the blame. Chen Ping is not afraid. Even if he takes the blame, others will not dare to take action against him.
Just as the two were discussing important matters, a group of people suddenly walked into the Houde Hall.
Seeing the person coming, Chen Ping hurriedly stood up to pay his respects.
Liu Chang was a little stunned.
"Mom? Why are you here?"
Zhou Chang suddenly came out from behind and stood respectfully beside the Queen Mother.
At that moment, Liu Chang's face suddenly turned dark.
Zhou Chang, you have learned so badly!!!
You actually went to complain to my mother about the contest between the king and his ministers?!