The King of Nanyue, King of Yan, King of Zhao, King of Chu, King of Wu, King of Chengyang, King of Liang, King of Changsha, King of Jiaodong, Prince, King of Qi, King of Hexi, King of Dai, King of Beidi, and King of Xia sat down
On both sides, the expressions were solemn.
There are no outsiders here, even Lu Lu is not in the palace, but is guarding outside the palace.
Liu Chang calmly looked at the kings on both sides of him. The King of Nanyue was drowsy and half-closed his eyes, as if he was about to return to the west at any time. King Yan frowned, as if he was struggling with something. King Chu and King Zhao were both
Relatively calm, but with a little sadness in his eyebrows, King Wu raised his head slightly, King Chengyang kept a low profile as always, making it difficult to see his expression, King Liang looked around blankly, King Jiaodong was holding the King of Hexi tightly.
hand, King Qi's eyes were frightened, and he was restless. King Dai met his father's gaze and nodded slightly. The King of Beidi was participating in such a meeting for the first time. He was equally uneasy and extremely nervous. King Xia's nose was bruised and his face was swollen.
Wipe snot on clothes.
Liu Chang took a deep breath and forced himself not to look at the last seat.
"Is the king okay?"
Liu Chang asked.
"I am fine! Your Majesty is fine?!"
Everyone hurriedly returned the gift.
Liu Chang shook his hand, "Forget it, there are no outsiders here, so let's not do this. That Han Ying is really annoying. He came to teach me early this morning and taught me the etiquette of summoning the kings.
We are all the descendants of the great emperor, so don’t pay attention to this! His old man didn’t abide by etiquette very much in his life, so today we are just like our ancestors and don’t follow any etiquette!”
Everyone chuckled.
King Yan couldn't help it anymore, "Your Majesty, since it is a family banquet, let me tell you straight away. You know that I always say what I want. Don't listen to Chao Cuo's nonsense! He
I know very well what I am thinking. He is just a name. These ministers have this kind of virtue. In order to leave their name in history, they will do anything and even seek death. When Emperor Gao killed Xiang Yu,
Even though others were not allowed to mourn for Xiang Yu, some people still went to Emperor Gao to mourn for Xiang Yu. Why? Just to be punished by Emperor Gao, gain fame, and leave a name in history!"
"Chao Cuo maliciously alienates our brothers. He is an outsider and we are one family. Does your Majesty think that I will rebel? If this is your Majesty's intention, I will give up the throne and become a general under your Majesty's command as long as you say a word."
!However, I don’t want to be wronged because of Chao Cuo!!”
King Jiaodong nodded and said with deep approval: "This is true."
King Wu suddenly turned around and glanced at King Jiaodong. King Jiaodong's voice suddenly became weaker, "It's a bit unreasonable."
King Yan was stunned. That was not what you said when you talked to me. King Yan frowned and couldn't help but remind him: "King Jiaodong, although it is a family banquet, it also concerns the country of the Han Dynasty, so state affairs can still be considered
Heavy!"
King Zhao was a little displeased, "What do you mean, King Yan? Do you think King Jiaodong was coerced or bullied by us? He is my brother!"
"So, he is not my brother anymore?!"
King Yan was suddenly very angry. After all, he was not the heir of Emperor Gao. As Liu Chang said, he was the heir of the great emperor. Like King Chu, he was the child of Emperor Gao's brother. He was definitely not as close as their family.
King Zhao's words almost pointed at his nose and said that he was an outsider.
King Liang also hurriedly spoke: "That's not what King Zhao meant. King Yan is also our brother from the same clan and our elder brother. How dare we be disrespectful? It's just that there are no official or private matters here. Everyone can speak freely."
Liu Chang did not speak, but just listened to their conversation.
At present, Emperor Gao's lineage still has the advantage. It has the largest number of people and is very united. It is led by King Wu, and the others have a great say.
As the only person with a foreign surname in the room, Zhao Tuo slowly spoke at this moment, "Since I can speak freely, I also have a few words to say."
King Yan glanced at him and asked angrily: "What does the King of Nanyue want to say?"
"I believe that the so-called decentralization of power is not to harm us, but to protect us."
"Everyone can think about it carefully. We are of course loyal to His Majesty, but I am still very worried on weekdays. I am worried that there will be an unworthy descendant in the descendants who will do some treacherous things. Your Majesty takes great care of us.
As the country's strength increases, it is inevitable that some people will not be able to see themselves clearly. If such a situation really happens in the future, won't our reputation in life be lost because of future generations? At that time, we will be in trouble.
The father of thieves, his posthumous title was taken away, his temple was destroyed, and his country was wiped out."
"This is not to deal with us, but to consider for the future. Besides, will His Majesty's love for us be reduced because of this decentralization? We can still make great achievements in the local area, but our heirs need to be gathered together.
I think there is nothing wrong with this, you can think about it again."
When Zhao Tuo opened his mouth, everyone immediately fell silent.
King Yan said solemnly: "It's not that I'm reluctant to give up the power in my hands, nor am I unwilling to let the children gather around me. I just think that the kings are your Majesty's most reliable assistants and the future emperor's most reliable assistants. Local counties
The ministers who keep the peace and the temple are unreliable. These are people with foreign surnames who weaken the clan and strengthen the foreign surnames. This is not good for the Han Dynasty."
"What Father Zhong said makes sense! What about courtiers and governors? We still have to rely on people like us to protect the Han Dynasty!"
King Xia finally couldn't bear it any longer, patted his chest and said.
King Dai looked around and pinched his butt hard. King Xia, who had just been beaten, almost screamed and hurriedly covered his mouth and looked at his second brother resentfully.
If you don't let people talk, don't let them talk. Why do you want to suppress someone?
Don’t you know how strong you are?
I wonder if I just had a fight with my elder brother?
When the kings discuss matters, these second generations still have no qualifications to speak, especially Liu Chang's descendants. They have almost no right to speak. They can only rely on Liu Chang's opinions and have the right to speak.
The two kings, King Hexi and King Qi, King Qi had been frightened for a long time. Every day, he dreamed of Houde Hall filled with heads, and he basically did not dare to express any opinions here. King Hexi, too sad, also
Don't want to say anything more.
King Wu said: "What King Yan said makes sense. The original intention of the kings to enfeoff is to protect His Majesty. However, the past is different from the present. In the past, internal and external troubles required the kings to sit in command to guard against external enemies and internal traitors.
Today's Han Dynasty has experienced the governance of Emperor Gao and Emperor Xiaoren. There are no enemies outside that can threaten the Han Dynasty, and there are no traitors who want to humiliate the king inside.
Talent and strategy can win people, and the great man has won the hearts and minds of the people. Within a hundred years, traitors will not come out. As for the future events, we cannot predict and make plans."
He looked at King Yan and said, "Besides, the county governors have begun to decentralize power. The local governors will be established to oversee unified supervision. If we continue to decentralize power, the local area will be pacified. As for the temples, we will naturally start to work after the local decentralization.
Carry out rectification and change the current governance. You know this."
"I know that all brothers have the same thoughts as King Yan, but King Yan is a magnanimous man, so his blunt statement about decentralization is not a distrust of everyone, but a necessary governance correction for the Han Dynasty. We are princes dependent on the Han Dynasty.
, Only when the Han Dynasty is strong can we continue to survive, and our heirs can enjoy wealth and honor. The fate of the Han Dynasty is one with us. When considering things, we should consider more whether such behavior is beneficial to the Han Dynasty, rather than whether it is beneficial to the Han Dynasty.
Good for us."
King Yan let out a long sigh, "I know what King Wu said, but how can the temple's politics be easily changed? Chao Cuo can attack the place unscrupulously, but can he rectify the temple? I
I don’t believe him. From the beginning to the end, his goal has always been us. He will not consider whether the temple will pose a threat. Perhaps in his opinion, it is best for the temple to govern the world without going through the emperor.
He is the beneficiary of the temple government! Besides, which of these three nobles and nine ministers can he afford to offend? Just bully us kings and know that we can't get angry."
King Yan was a little aggrieved.
Ultimately, they still think it's unfair.
When the Han Dynasty was founded, the princes and kings competed with the courtiers. You only cut down the princes and kings, why don't you share the power of the courtiers?
Liu Heng looked at the rest of the people and asked, "Do you think so too?"
King Zhao hesitated for a moment and said: "Actually, what King Yan said makes sense. Chao Cuo will not attack the temple."
Liu Heng chuckled lightly, "I know, so when I contacted Chao Cuo before, I promised him to divide the power of the kings. At the same time, I also put forward a condition."
"Let him divide the temple rights after dividing the royal rights?"
"He has plenty of reasons to delay, and the decentralization of powers may not necessarily be true."
"No, I asked him to resign from his position as imperial censor."
As soon as Liu Heng said this, all the kings were shocked. King Yan was overjoyed at first, but then he shook his head, "He has already achieved his goal, what's the use of asking him to resign? Do you have anything better?"
Candidates? Who would be willing to renovate the temple?"
Liu Chang was also a little surprised at this moment. He looked at Fourth Brother, "Fourth Brother, do you have anyone here?"
Liu Heng nodded calmly, "Of course."
"who is it?"
"I."
At this moment, the kings were in an uproar and everyone was stunned. What do you mean? You want to stay in the temple and be the three princes? How in the world can the princes and kings be the three princes? Isn't this nonsense?
Liu Chang was surprised at first, then overjoyed, "Okay, okay, when will Fourth Brother be ready to take office?"
"Waiting for Chao Cuo to resign."
"It's easy. I'll ask Chao Cuo to resign later!"
Liu Heng said displeasedly: "We still have to wait for Chao Cuo to finish this matter. Moreover, serving as the third official as a foreign king will definitely arouse criticism. However, this matter must be done by me. The imperial censor originally
His purpose was to rectify the world and track down the traitors, but Chao Cuo was only used to deal with local princes. He was a censor and a doctor, but he also had the duties of admonishing and supervising the emperor. But Chao Cuo was obviously not qualified for his job. Look at your clothes.
"
Liu Heng glanced at the luxurious clothes on Liu Chang's body, and Liu Chang suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Fourth brother, I suddenly feel that I can't live without you in the south."
The prince, who had been silent until now, stood up and said, "Father Zhong, if you stay in the temple and serve as the Third Duke, what will happen to that place?"
"I have already given instructions to the ministers before I came here. Besides, after the decentralization of power, the place can be managed with or without a king, and the impact will not be big. Besides, I don't have to stay in the temple all the time, waiting for me to finish my work.
Just leave!”
Liu An didn't say anything. The other princes and kings were still a little confused, especially King Yan. He thought he was reckless enough, but he didn't expect that King Wu, who seemed as gentle as water, was even more reckless than him. He was even more reckless.
Want to be the third official? Is this reasonable?
"King Wu, your idea is not only a bit difficult, it is very difficult. I have never heard that princes and kings can hold official positions in temples."
"Isn't Zhang just in charge?"
Everyone suddenly looked at King Chengyang. Liu Zhang was stunned and hurriedly explained: "I am a bit special and do not interact with other ministers."
Liu Chang said: "It doesn't matter, none of this matters. I know what Fourth Brother is and the rules are decided by people. If there is no precedent, then we can just become the precedent. Who said that clan members cannot become temple ministers?
?I think it’s okay to do it naturally!”
Everyone was stunned, and King Yan murmured: "If it is up to King Wu to renovate the temple, then I have no objection, if that is really possible."
Liu Heng nodded, "Okay, then it's decided, divide the power of the princes, and then divide the power of the temples and princes!!"
The content of the meeting has been decided, but it is a little hasty. King Wu's idea is really scary.
Everyone no longer discussed government affairs, but chatted about household affairs. After all, they were all family members and always had endless topics to talk about. This was the first time that so many princes and kings gathered together, and there were no outsiders, so they could talk freely.
, and was not afraid of revealing the secrets of the clan. At this age, the main conversation was actually about the children at home. King Yan put aside his worries and was smiling and imparting his experience in teaching children to all the kings.
"To teach children, you have to do corvee service!"
King Chu nodded in agreement, "This is true!"
"If you don't do corvee service, how can you become an outstanding prince?"
"My son is very good now, and this is all the result of the corvee!"
Several people were chatting, and Liu Ci also said seriously: "In the future, I will also have to consider letting my children do corvee service."
As he spoke, he found Liu An staring at him thoughtfully.
Liu Ci was immediately horrified, "What do you want me to do? Brother, you can ask me to do corvee service!"
Liu An showed a smile.
At this moment, King Zhao was also persuaded by King Yan and King Chu, and was considering whether to let his children do corvee service. Even King Jiaodong was a little ready to do so. Liu Chang felt that no matter what, the princes from all over the country would definitely not like this meeting.
Because it was the mourning period, everyone could not drink or eat, but the food was quite rich and varied. Everyone chatted while eating, and spent a very relaxing whole day in the Xuanshi Hall. It was not until evening that everyone left one after another.
.
Liu Heng was left behind by Liu Chang, and everyone was not surprised.
The two returned to the Houde Hall and sat facing each other.
"Fourth brother really wants to be the imperial censor?"
Liu Chang poured tea for Liu Heng and then asked: "Why?"
Liu Heng's expression was quite serious, "To help you."
"Chao Cuo and Liu An have been thinking of ways to decentralize power recently. The county guards, princes, and temples don't know about it, but I know that this is your instruction. You may not have directly asked them to do it, but you have not stopped them.
They, this shows what you think. Like you, I also feel that the system that my father and others left behind was quite crude. However, we cannot blame them. It is quite good to be able to achieve this step. Qin
The country's methods are fine when fighting, but in today's prosperous times, they lose their effectiveness."
"If I were myself, I would never dare to make changes in a hurry, but you are different. You have enough prestige and strong control to do this. However, Chao Cuo and Liu An cannot help
You accomplished this."
"Why?"
"Chao Cuo is a capable minister, but his limitations and personality, plus the fact that he ascended to a high position at a young age and lack of training, make his long-term policies easily deviated from reality. Liu An has strategies and is gradually growing up, but he has too many ideas.
The interests involved are huge, and I cannot act arbitrarily. But I am different. Although I have no talents, I am an outsider in the temple, and I am not restricted by Liu An. Moreover, I think I have a clear view of the temple and can complete your mission.
"
Liu Chang nodded, "I know that fourth brother has this ability, I'm just a little curious. Fourth brother has always been unwilling to interfere in temple affairs. The princes and kings serve as three princes. I'm afraid the officials will not be able to sleep."
"Actually, I have told this idea to the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother agrees with it. The Queen Mother also feels that Chao Cuo is unreliable. At the same time, she also feels that the temple system is too confusing and has too much power, just like the Taiwei. Of course,
I am not dissatisfied with the Marquis of Huaiyin, but his position, in charge of the world's military affairs, is really not a permanent position. If the person holding this position has bad intentions, it would be terrible, including the censor. It is originally a supervisor, but
But he has the power of appointment and dismissal, he can also give orders to the nine ministers, execute judgments, and participate in the formulation of policies. He is almost a replica of the prime minister. The three ministers and nine ministers are still too simple."
Liu Chang suddenly laughed and said, "Fourth brother, I actually have many systems here."
"I know."
"I've read your book."
"That's why I said I want to stay. If you don't get help from capable people, your ideas will definitely not be implemented."
"I didn't know that Fourth Brother actually still had such thoughts. Why didn't he say anything in the past?"
"The timing was not right in the past, and there are many things going on in Wu State. Now Wu State does not need me to point out the direction, and the time has come to change the temple. Now tell me the systems you have in mind one by one. Don't