In the summer in Kyoto, smoke can almost appear on the bluestone roads. People in Kyoto wear thin clothes. The scorching summer heat makes them drink cold water constantly, and the shouts in the shops are also much quieter.
However, there is no need to endure such suffering in the palace. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already prepared ice bricks and placed them in every corner of the palace, so no matter how hot the weather is, the palace is still as comfortable as usual.
Xue Poye's General Guard's Mansion was also extremely comfortable. As the emperor's master, Xiao Shitou had already ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send a large amount of ice cubes, which was enough for the General Guard's Mansion to live a comfortable summer.
Lying in the pavilion in the garden with his clothes open, enjoying Xiao Suzhen's gentle massage, Xue Poye felt comfortable to the core.
It has been more than three months since the new emperor ascended the throne. Under the auspices of Lan Wuqing and Xue Poye, the affairs of the Chu Dynasty were not as difficult as imagined, and the officials left behind by Emperor Deqing were like the various parts of the machine.
, allowing the huge empire of Dachu to operate in an orderly manner.
Xue Poye brought his two wives to Kyoto half a month ago to enjoy the joy of being a couple. Although there are a large number of officials waiting to see them in front of the General Guard's Mansion every day, Xue Poye knows that power
The heavier you are, the more you have to pay attention to your words and deeds. If you get too close to the officials, it will lead to the suspicion of "forming parties for personal gain." Although Xiao Shitou will not care about it, there is no guarantee that some people will use it as an excuse to secretly
Impeach yourself.
Yuezhu's accounting skills have not gone to waste. Yuezhu is now managing the general accounts of Kyoto Ziyanfang and its branches.
Looking at Xiao Suzhen's thin silk stockings and the snow-white tender flesh looming, Xue Poye felt moved. He looked around, and without anyone else, he stretched out his hand and gently kneaded Xiao Suzhen's beautiful buttocks. It felt excellent and elastic.
Complete.
Although Xiao Suzhen was used to Xue Poye's frivolity, she was still a little uncomfortable with it. She blushed and said softly: "Xue...Xue Lang...don't be seen...!"
Xue Poye chuckled and pulled Xiao Suzhen into his arms. Feeling her amazingly elastic and plump body, he put his hands from her chest, grabbed her plump and beautiful breasts, pinched the buds and kneaded them gently.
She leaned close to Xiao Suzhen's crystal-white ears and said softly: "You are my wife. I am not afraid of anyone who sees you."
Xiao Suzhen said "嘤四", her pretty face pressed into Xue Poye's arms, she was indescribably shy, and the garden suddenly felt springy.
Just when Xue Poye was about to show off his talents in the garden and imitate Ximen Qing in making a grape trellis or something, he heard Zhang Hu shout loudly: "Sir, He Shangshu has come to pay his respects."
After Tan Ziqing's death, Zhang Hu followed Xue Poye. Xue Poye wanted him to take an official position in Yulin Camp, but Zhang Hu firmly refused and was only willing to follow Xue Poye as a personal guard.
Well, Xue Poye had no choice but to agree.
When Xiao Suzhen came to Kyoto, she also brought Hanxiang with her. Zhang Hu was very happy, and with the help of Xue Poye and his wife, the marriage between Zhang Hu and Hanxiang was decided and they were going to choose a date to get married.
I am deeply grateful for this.
Xiao Suzhen hurriedly got up from Xue Poye, straightened her clothes in a panic, spat at Xue Poye, and hurriedly avoided.
If other people disturbed his beautiful affairs, Xue Poye would naturally scold him a few words, but Zhang Hu was different. In the General Guard's Mansion, Zhang Hu had absolute freedom, so he didn't expect such a beautiful thing to happen inside.
If something happens, report it directly.
Xue Poye stood up, straightened his clothes, frowned and said, "What is this old boy doing here again?"
I saw Zhang Hu ushering an official in. The official was extremely humble, even to Zhang Hu. He bent over and followed Zhang Hu quickly.
This person actually wanted to be the governor of Hangzhou, He Confucian Society.
When Xiao Shitou first came to the throne, facing the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, there was no one he could relate to except Xue Poye. Xue Poye also noticed this. Although the ministers were respectful to the new emperor, there was no guarantee that
Many people are dissatisfied, but they just don't dare to show it.
Therefore, after Xue Poye discussed with the new emperor, he deeply realized that he must show his trusted ministers in the court.
Therefore, in recent months, in addition to occasionally assisting Lan Wuqing in handling some court affairs, Xue Poye's biggest task is to find people in the court who are both obedient and capable of doing things, and give them some important official positions.
In fact, the court also knew that Xue Poye had a deep relationship with the new emperor and was the new emperor's teacher. In other words, from a certain perspective, he was the "emperor's teacher". Although his official position was only that of the Yulin Chief Guard, he was
He is a real powerful figure in Chu.
Let's talk about the Ministry of Hubu. Although the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu is Wang Dezhao, when he really wants to do something, Wang Dezhao consciously asks Xue Poye for instructions.
When promoting his cronies, Xue Poye naturally thought of He Ruhui, the Prefect of Hangzhou. So under Xue Poye's instructions, the new emperor issued an edict that He Ruhui, the Prefect of Hangzhou, came to the capital. He was promoted several levels in a row and directly served as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Although the courtiers objected in their hearts, as the two people in charge, Xue Poye was the planner, and Lan Wuqing also knew that the new emperor needed to cultivate some of his own strength to control the court more firmly, so they actually agreed. The two agreed,
Even if other ministers had objections, they would not be willing to speak out against it. After all, raising objections at this time would definitely give the new emperor a bad impression, which would make life difficult in the future.
He Ruhui knew better than anyone else that he, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was given to him by Xue Poye. Although he was a wretched man, he was grateful to Xue Poye from the bottom of his heart. Naturally, he became Xue Poye.
The protégé of the broken night.
Xue Poye indirectly told him that what the emperor needed was a group of trustworthy officials, so the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel nominally went through the hands of He Ruhui, but the actual control was entirely between Xue Poye and the new emperor.
In his hands, he took this opportunity to appoint many Hangzhou officials and promoted many talented officials who had been marginalized. These officials all knew that they were able to get ahead entirely because of Xue Poye and the new emperor, so they were loyal to Xue Poye and the new emperor.
The new emperor even took refuge in Xue Poye's sect. The power of the new emperor was greatly strengthened through this management appointment and dismissal. Xue Poye's power was also increasing day by day.
…
…
He Ruhui came over with narrowed eyes and a smile, prostrated himself on the ground, and said respectfully, "I've seen you, sir!"
Xue Poye chuckled and said, 'Get up, Master He, don't be so polite."
In fact, the rank of the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was by no means lower than that of Xue Poye, but He Ruhui was well aware of the current situation in the court, so he obediently made an audience with him as a minister.
After sitting down, He Ruhui said: "Sir, those people you mentioned have been arranged by the lower officials." He handed over a booklet: "Sir, look at it, these are all signed."
Xue Poye frowned and said calmly: "Master He, I didn't say it, it was the Holy One who ordered it."
He Ruhui said hurriedly: "The lower official made a mistake, the lower official made a mistake."
Xue Poye took the book and opened it, only to see the names and positions of the people written on it. These people were all inspected by himself. Officials who had been excluded by other princes, and some were even deposed, but
They were all talented people who could help Xiao Shitou govern the country, so Xue Poye had already discussed with the new emperor, drawn up a roster, and asked He Ruhui to handle it.
He Ruhui naturally tried his best and did not dare to neglect.
"Well... since Mr. He has made arrangements, I will praise your contribution to the Lord." Xue Poye smiled faintly, glanced at He Ruhui, and said leisurely: "Sir He, these days, I heard that there is no
A few people came to your house with money, hehe, you gained a lot?"
He Ruhui said hurriedly: "The lower officials dare not hide it. They have to be supported by adults and are in charge of the staff. There are indeed many more people walking around...but...!"
"But please take it easy." Xue Poye's voice turned cold: "If you take over as a new official, if you go too far and get caught, don't blame the Holy Emperor for being merciless."
"Xiaguan understands." He Ruhui wiped off his cold sweat and said respectfully: "However, there are a few people who have some skills after Xiaguan saw it, so they were given errands in other states. Xiaguan didn't dare to hide it, so he accepted the gift.
I've got some... uh, I've brought it over and handed it over to Mr. Hu, as a filial piety to your lord."
Xue Poye sighed: "The officialdom is never clean. This is something everyone knows. For those officials who are sent out, let them do it first and inspect it. If it doesn't work, we should remove it earlier. You and I
Nowadays, everything is on errands for the Holy One, and we must always think about the country, the country, and the country of the Holy One. As for this money... you should not be merciful if you accept it, but you should not accept it. Once you accept it, there will be endless troubles."
He Ruhui repeatedly claimed that it was.
"Sir, I have something to report."
"Oh!" Xue Poye touched his nose and said, "What's the matter?"
"Sir." He Ruhui came slightly closer and said softly: "You asked your subordinate to arrange for two people to take up positions in Yongzhou. It seems that... it won't work."
Xue Poye's expression turned cold, and he frowned and said, "No way? All the thirty-six states of Chu must have people who are holy. Why not Yongzhou?"
He Ruhui said with some embarrassment: "Xiaguan, I really can't place officials here."
Xue Poye was a little angry: "With the support of the Holy One, are you afraid of local officials? I think you don't need to be the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."
He Ruhui said hurriedly: "Sir, please calm down. This...this is the rule of the imperial court. It will be very difficult to break it."
"Court rules?" Xue Poye calmed down and suddenly thought that Yongzhou was the place where the Chu royal family arose, and it belonged to the family roots of the Chu royal family. It was from Yongzhou that the founding princes of Chu raised their troops and unified the world.
Could it be that there are some rules in between?
When He Ru saw Xue Poye, his face showed confusion, and he hurriedly explained: "You may not know something, but Yongzhou is the foundation of the royal family. In the early days of the founding of the country, the appointment and removal of officials in that area were extremely strict, even for small ones.
The county magistrate must also issue imperial edicts in person, and officials are not allowed to interfere."
"Are you saying that the officials have no right to interfere with Yongzhou?" Xue Poye frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Then I will go and ask for the imperial edict from the emperor, won't it be done?"
He Ruhui waved his hand and said: "Sir, listen to me, that was the rule at the beginning of the founding of the country. Now, this rule has changed."
"Oh!" Xue Poye became interested, sat upright, and asked: "What are the rules now? Could it be that even the Holy One can't control it?"
He Ruhui said: "Today's Yongzhou belongs to the imperial court in name, but in fact it is the territory of King Mingyue. The appointment and dismissal of officials in Yongzhou are all decided by King Mingyue. Although the imperial court... still has the right to intervene,
But once the imperial edict reaches its destination, it is still unknown whether it will be effective."
"King Mingyue?" Xue Poye had this character in his mind and asked hurriedly: "Yes, what is the origin of this King Mingyue?"
He Ruhui glanced at Xue Poye, a little confused. Speaking of which, King Mingyue is a well-known figure in the Chu Kingdom. Anyone with a little experience knows this person. Lord Xue, who is a powerful figure in the Chu Kingdom, seems to
But I don’t really understand it.
"Sir, King Mingyue is the cousin of the late Emperor Deqing."
"The late emperor's cousin?" Xue Poye became even more interested: "Then why did he go to Yongzhou? Well... it was because of him that the imperial court couldn't get involved in Yongzhou's affairs. From this point of view, this Mingyue King is a
What a powerful person."
He Ruhui was a little speechless. It seemed that Mr. Xue really didn't know the background of King Mingyue. It seemed that he needed to explain.
"Emperor Yangwu was a great man of great talent and strategy, and he was the sage monarch of our great Chu country. However, he died young and died before the age of forty. Before Emperor Yangwu died, because the prince was young and for the sake of the country, Emperor Yangwu passed the throne to
He killed his younger brother, who later became Emperor Guangyu. Emperor Guangyu once said that when he abdicates, the throne will be passed down to the prince of Emperor Yangwu... Sir, this prince of Emperor Yangwu is now King Mingyue."
Xue Poye was shocked, vaguely understood something, and whispered: "Then Emperor Guangyu was not rumored to be in the Mingyue King?"
He Ruhui shook his head and said: "Before Emperor Guangyu died, he did not fulfill his original promise... The lower officials deserve to die, it is an insult to the previous emperors...!" At this point, He Ruhui suddenly thought that what he said was taboo.
I dare not say any more.
Xue Poye looked around and saw that Zhang Hu had already gone out and there was no one else in the garden. He patted He Ruhui on the shoulder and said, "You can just say it, it's just you and me here. It comes out of your mouth and into my ears."
, unknown to outsiders.”
He Ruhui was a little nervous, but seeing that Xue Poye was eager to continue speaking, he did not dare to refuse, and whispered: "Emperor Guangyu did not pass the throne to King Mingyue, but to his second prince, who was the first prince.
Emperor Deqing became Emperor. Because of this incident, the eldest prince of Emperor Guangyu almost caused trouble, but was calmed down by the late emperor. The eldest prince was imprisoned in prison and died violently within two years... To this day, no one knows
Know how the eldest prince died."
Xue Poye knew in his heart that the eldest prince was most likely executed secretly by Emperor Deqing.
"At that time, there were still a number of ministers who supported King Mingyue, and they quoted Emperor Guangyu's promise and claimed that the one who should succeed to the throne was not the former emperor, but King Mingyue. For this reason, the dynasty was divided into two factions. Those who supported King Mingyue instead occupied the majority.
The majority... This has something to do with Emperor Yangwu's great talent and great popularity." He Ruhui lowered his voice as low as possible, as if he was afraid of being heard gossiping to the royal family: "Before Emperor Guangyu died, he felt ashamed of himself.
King Mingyue therefore issued a decree to classify Yongzhou as a fiefdom of King Mingyue. All affairs could be handled by King Mingyue alone. Although the meaning was not clearly stated, everyone knew that it was to make Yongzhou a country within a country.
, and King Mingyue is the little emperor of Chu."
Xue Poye was very frightened when he heard this. This routine was very similar to the story of Zhao Kuangyin's biography in Zhao Guangyi in the Song Dynasty. Although the Song Dynasty did not appear in the history of this era, this story was staged in the Chu Dynasty.
"The King of Mingyue is a quiet person by nature and does not like the disputes in the court... The two factions finally confronted each other. King Mingyue actually took the initiative to withdraw from the imperial struggle and went to Yongzhou. The crisis was resolved, so many people
Everyone respects King Mingyue very much, but you must know that as long as he stands up, King Mingyue may not be able to become the emperor...!"
Xue Poye frowned, thoughtfully.
"It is said that after King Mingyue went to Yongzhou, the affairs of Yongzhou were handed over to his deputy prime ministers and generals. He only planted flowers and fish every day and never participated in political affairs. However, the group of people under his command were not angry with Emperor Guang Yu.
He broke his promise because he never obeyed the imperial court's orders. As for the officials sent by the imperial court, they either disappeared for no reason or returned to the imperial court in pieces. The imperial court questioned them. According to what they said... Fortunately...
King Mingyue has a quiet personality and has never acted rebelliously. And based on his temperament, I am afraid he will not do such a thing. Otherwise, he would have had a chance when he was in Kyoto." He Ruhui sighed: "The character of King Mingyue
Kuang Kuang, and came to Beijing several times to meet the late emperor, each time bringing a large amount of Yongzhou specialties. It is said that the relationship between the two was extremely harmonious... Hehe, the late queen had less control over Yongzhou when he came, and King Mingyue was there.
It can also resist the barbarians from attacking from Yangguan, so it saves a lot of worry."
"In this case, it is really not easy for us to put officials in." Xue Poye murmured.
Although it showed that King Yue had no intention of rebellion, there was still a country within a country within the great Chu country, and Xue Poye always felt a little uncomfortable.
The whole world is not the land of the king, and the land beside the land is not the king's ministers. However, the existence of Yongzhou has made this sentence somewhat different in the Chu Kingdom.
…
After He Ruhui left, Xue Poye dealt with a few matters concerning the means, and wanted to take a look at Xiao Sugun.
Qiaoshou Zhang was reluctant to come at first, but later he heard about the novelty of "gunpowder" and became quite curious. When he came to Kyoto and saw it, he praised him repeatedly and stayed.
Several technicians from the Lugong Battalion sent by Xue Poye started studying it together.
After the death of Emperor Deqing, Xue Poye quietly joined the Lu Gongying camp under the Ministry of Industry. He simply wanted to use his own ideas to create more advanced equipment and tools, and selected a few highly skilled workers.
The technicians participated in the further development of gunpowder research.
According to Xue Poye's thoughts, there is no doubt that, like many time travellers, he wants to create pistols, cannons and other things that can be called weapons of mass destruction in this era, but he deeply understands that the backwardness of the times, even if there are
It is extremely difficult for a highly skilled person to develop a cannon and a pistol. It is very difficult. He can only pay attention to this research with a sense of expectation.
Under Xiao Suzhen's service, he changed his clothes and was about to leave the palace when the new emperor's decree came from the palace, ordering Xue Po Ye to enter the palace.
"Damn it!"
However, he knew that at this time, he was the only person Xiao Shitou trusted. The little emperor always had to discuss anything with him. He had no choice but to take off the casual clothes he had just put on, and under Xiao Suzhen's service, he put on his court clothes again.
Taking the opportunity, he used his hands and feet on Xiao Suzhen again, and then rushed to the palace in a sedan chair.dd