In the Taihe Palace, the new emperor had just started a fire. The eunuchs and maids serving beside him were so frightened that they broke into a cold sweat. They all lay on the ground, not daring to breathe. The new emperor leaned on his chair with a cold face, looking at the being
I tore the memorial to pieces, and my anger never subsided.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty...!" A man rushed in quickly, knelt down in front of the new emperor, and said repeatedly: "I am late, your Majesty, please forgive me, this... what is this that angers Your Majesty?
?”
This person is not Xue Poye, but You Shaoqing.
When he came to Kyoto a few months ago, You Shaoqing just spent his days telling stories and practicing books with Xiao Shitou, who had not yet ascended the throne. He had a very harmonious relationship with Xiao Shitou. After Xiao Shitou ascended the throne, You Shaoqing suddenly transformed and became the minister accompanying the new emperor.
, and another identity is the deputy director of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The new emperor's little face turned red from suppressing it. He glanced at You Shaoqing and said, "I'm so young, but that old boy wants me to consider marriage... This old boy is really mad at me."
When Xiao Shitou came to the throne, he was very unaccustomed to the life in the palace. Even Chu Gong was served by someone, and even his butt was wiped by a beautiful palace maid. Although such a life was luxurious, Xiao Shitou was very unaccustomed to it.
.
The most important thing is that after becoming the emperor, the former empress and now the empress dowager sent officials from the Ministry of Etiquette to teach little Shitou the emperor's appearance and movements bit by bit. There were strict rules for eating, sleeping and walking, and there were also old masters from the Hanlin Academy.
What's even more annoying is that Xiao Shitou often forgets to call himself "I" and is repeatedly scolded by the Queen Mother, which makes the little emperor feel very uncomfortable.
The little emperor is not yet in charge of the affairs of the court, and is in the learning stage. The daily study of etiquette and books has exhausted him. Only when he is with Xue Poye, he feels much more relaxed. In addition, there is You Shaoqing.
When you are around, you can often tell some jokes to relieve your boredom.
The new emperor will be fifteen years old in two months. According to the rules of the Chu Kingdom, that is the age at which he can get married. As the minister of the court and the prime minister of the country, Lan Wuqing naturally has the duty to remind the new emperor.
The wedding was about to be considered, and the Queen Mother was invited to do so. The Queen Mother was convinced.
This time, the little emperor was offended.
It's not that the little emperor doesn't like women. The beautiful maids who come and go in the palace often reveal their love, which makes the mature little emperor's heart often flutter. If it were any other emperor, I'm afraid he would have favored her long ago. But
Xiao Shitou has never experienced these things. Every time he sees those palace maids exposing themselves carelessly or intentionally, his face turns red, but he is too embarrassed to actually take action.
But the little emperor felt in his heart that marrying a woman was his own business, and he would make the decision when he felt it was appropriate. He did not need others to interfere with his marriage.
What's more, in the little emperor's heart, there is still a woman he likes... on the distant Beihu grassland!
When You Shaoqing heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this... this is not a bad thing."
The little emperor glared at You Shaoqing. You Shaoqing shrank his neck and said hurriedly: "But as the Holy One said, this... it's a little early... Well, everything depends on the Holy One's will."
After hearing the last sentence, the little emperor calmed down a little and said, "Get up." He then said, "That's right. This is my own business. Do you need the old man to come over and give me instructions?"
Lan Wuqing assisted in the administration of the government and worked hard. Although everything was handled personally, in order to show the emperor's authority, the old man still came to report on various matters every day. Speaking of it, he was the person the young emperor saw the most every day, and every day
Each report was as detailed as possible according to the rules, which made the little emperor's ears feel calluses. It was normal for him to feel a little disgusted.
You Shaoqing stood up, bowed and walked over, saying: "Your Majesty, now it is Prime Minister Lan and Mr.
In my opinion, if you don’t want this matter to be mentioned again in the future, you should report it to Mr. Xue and let him come forward, so that this matter can be stopped."
The little emperor nodded and said: "I think so too. I have already sent someone to ask for the master... Well, as long as the master speaks, the old guy probably won't say anything."
You Shaoqing chuckled and said: "The Holy One said that based on Mr. Xue's current status, even Prime Minister Lan should weigh his words carefully."
The little emperor frowned and said calmly: "You Shaoqing, it's better not to say these words carefully, so as not to cause trouble to the master."
The little emperor would not suspect that his master's power would affect him, and he really didn't care about this emperor. He just felt that if Xue Poye became too powerful, he might be jealous of many ministers in the court, and something might happen.
"Wei Chen made a mistake!" You Shaoqing said hurriedly.
You Shaoqing also understood that although the emperor was young, he was very smart and he could hear those words.
At this moment, the eunuch reported: "Master Xue, please see the Holy One!"
The little emperor's face lit up and he said: "Please come in quickly, master."
After Xue Poye came in, he glanced at You Shaoqing and saluted the little emperor. The little emperor hurried over, held Xue Poye's hand, and said with a smile: "Master, the apprentice is thinking of you. I have something to do."
I want to discuss it with you. Come and sit down quickly." He actually pulled Xue Poye to sit down on the chair, leaning on the edge of the chair and holding his chin. When the eunuchs and maids next to him saw it, they were even more shocked: "Master Xue and
The relationship between the emperor and the emperor is very close, so we must not treat him lightly."
Xue Poye also knew that today was different from the past. Although his feelings for Xiao Shitou remained unchanged, he had to abide by the etiquette. After all, Xiao Shitou was the emperor. If he lost his etiquette, if the news spread, everyone would secretly scold him.
It’s the white-faced Cao Cao who is very unfavorable to him. He is feared by people. Some officials in the court are still very dissatisfied with him, but don’t find out the reasons when the time comes. By then, even if Xiao Shitou doesn’t care, the three divisions and six departments
Civil and military officials need to pay attention.
"Your Majesty!" Xue Poye stood up and said softly: "In the palace, you are the king and I am the minister. You can't be so casual. Well, Your Majesty, please take a seat. If you have anything to do, just give me your orders."
The little emperor was a little disappointed when he heard Xue Poye's serious voice, but when he saw him winking, grinning, and sitting down in his seat, You Shaoqing hurriedly came up to pay homage to Xue Poye, and then stood aside respectfully, but he didn't dare
Sitting.
"Your Majesty, why do you want to tear up the memorial?" Xue Poye saw the torn and shattered memorial thrown on the ground and said calmly: "You are the emperor, reviewing the memorial is your job and your duty. Your Majesty can see it.
Do scholars destroy the books of sages? How can you see soldiers on the battlefield smashing their weapons?"
The little emperor was startled and lowered his head.
Although he is the supreme emperor, he has always followed Xue Poye and still has a sense of awe for Xue Poye.
You Shaoqing wisely hurried over to pick it up, and was about to tell the eunuch to throw it away when he heard Xue Poye say: "Show it to me?"
Although it was broken into pieces while walking, some important words were still there. Xue Poye looked at it a few times, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and said: "Is it the Prime Minister's book?"
The little emperor nodded and said: "Yes, that old guy... Well, the prime minister wants me to get married, so he said that this can stabilize the country." He glanced at Xue Poye aggrievedly and said: "Master, I make my own decisions about my marriage.
What do you want that old...Prime Minister Lan to do with his busy schedule? Go and discuss it with him, and he will leave it alone in the future."
Xue Poye stared at the little emperor with an extremely serious expression. The little emperor who was staring straight at him had some hair on his body, and he heard him shout unexpectedly: "Little stone."
Hearing this title, the little emperor felt very friendly and said with a smile: "Master, I still like you to call me that."
"Do you know who you are now?" Xue Poye's voice was extremely calm.
The little emperor was stunned for a moment, not knowing what he was referring to.
Xue Poye said in a deep voice: "You are the emperor now, the emperor of the Great Chu State...what you represent is a country." After a pause, he sighed: "For an emperor, everything must be for the overall interests of the country.
Think about it, the so-called 'no self-interest', didn't those masters from the Hanlin Academy tell you this truth?"
Seeing that his master was extremely serious, the little emperor lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
"Wei Chen thinks that Prime Minister Lan is not wrong in asking you to get married. On the contrary, he has fulfilled his duty and is a good prime minister." Xue Poye said calmly: "The so-called phoenixes are singing in unison.
Only then can the country become auspicious, and only then can Da Chu have the mother of the country, so... I think that what Prime Minister Lan has asked us not only to do, but also to do it quickly."
The little emperor said anxiously: "Master, you...are you helping him, not me?"
Xue Poye stood up and said seriously: "Your Majesty, Wei Chen and Prime Minister Lan are all your ministers. We are all loyal to the Holy Majesty and loyal to His Majesty. Everything we do is for the Holy Majesty to help you."
He...is helping the Holy Spirit."
The little emperor sat on the red chair, very angry, and pouted: "Master, but I am still young...!"
Xue Poye immediately interrupted: "It is the custom of the Chu Kingdom that you can get married when you are fifteen years old. You will be fifteen years old in two months. It is time to make some preparations. Once you are fifteen years old,
, naturally we can get married."
You Shaoqing saw that the little emperor looked very dissatisfied, and he wanted to please the little emperor, so he said respectfully: "Master Xue, Your Majesty... Hehe, Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and is still learning everything. He doesn't even have time to rest, and he is working very hard.
, If we get married at this time, I'm afraid... I'm afraid that His Majesty's body won't be able to withstand it." After finishing speaking, he let out a long sigh and expressed his concern for His Majesty's body.
Xue Poye said coldly: "Master You, do you know that the wedding of the Holy Emperor is a first-class state affair, and what else is more important than this. Your Ministry of Internal Affairs will also start preparations today, don't forget to get married by then
Then something went wrong."
You Shaoqing saw that Xue Poye looked unkind and did not dare to say anything more. Even the emperor was afraid of Mr. Xue, a small minister next to his emperor. Mr. Xue was about to get angry, and squeezing himself to death was like squeezing an ant to death.
The fact that I can come to Kyoto is actually the intention of the Holy One, and Mr. Xue is just a favor.
The little emperor sat blankly on the chair. He knew that even the master agreed with the wedding, so there was no room for maneuver.
Now only the Queen Mother and Lan Wuqing are asking for a wedding, and the young emperor is not interested in these two people.
In the heart of the little emperor, although the Queen Mother has a noble status, she has nothing to do with him. He just follows the etiquette of the palace to show respect to the Queen Mother. If the Queen Mother really wants to interfere in his own affairs, he will not pay attention to it.
As for Lan Wuqing, although she has a high prestige in the court and is now an auxiliary minister, Xiao Shitou still has the courage to compete with Lan Wuqing because of Xiao Shitou's naughty temper.
Only Xue Poye, the little emperor couldn't help what the master said.
At first, he thought he was relying on his master to oppose the wedding proposed by the Queen Mother and Lan Wuqing. Who knew that the master was not on his side? As a result, three mountains came together and the little emperor was unable to do anything, no matter how powerful he was.
of.
Seeing that the little emperor was silent, Xue Poye shook his head, waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "You all go down."
You Shaoqing hurriedly said: "Quick, quick, get out." He sent back all the eunuchs and maids. Seeing Master Xue's words, the eunuchs and maids didn't dare to be negligent, so they hurriedly retreated.
You Shaoqing said with a smile: "Master Xue, please retreat."
"You also retreat." Xue Poye said calmly.
You Shaoqing was stunned for a moment, but he quickly said respectfully: "Yes, I will resign." He walked out angrily, but he did not dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction on his face.
…
"Are you still thinking about the fragrant leaves?" After a long time, Xue Poye sighed softly, stared at the little emperor and asked.
The little emperor's body trembled. He raised his head and looked at Xue Poye. He was a little embarrassed, but finally nodded and said: "Yes, I swore to marry her in the grassland... Master, since you know, why do you still want to marry her?"
Let me marry another woman?"
Xue Poye said calmly: "Little Shitou, you don't understand the key to this."
The little emperor came over, pulled up a chair and sat down next to Xue Poye, and asked: "What's the key?"
Xue Poye reached out and touched the little emperor's head. Suddenly he felt that this action had touched Long Wei. Fortunately, there were only two of them, so they would not make people gossip. He calmly took back his hand and said softly: "Little Shitou,
The late emperor worked hard to pass the throne to you, and now that you have ascended the throne for the first time, you seem to be calm, but your position so far is definitely not stable."
The little emperor curled his lips and said disdainfully: "Unsafe? Master, I really don't take this position seriously. Isn't it just the throne? Anyone who wants it can take it."
"Shut up." Xue Poye scolded in a deep voice.
Little Shitou was shocked and did not dare to speak.
"Do you know how many lives and blood your father sacrificed to leave this position to you? You are his son. Since he has handed over the country to you, you must sit firmly.
Guarding this great country, these bastard words are nothing more than saying them in front of the master. If outsiders find out, it will be troublesome. Someone might have bad thoughts, do you understand?"
The little emperor knew that Xue Poye was doing this for his own good, so he nodded and said, "Master, I will never say anything again in the future."
Xue Poye's expression softened. After all, Xiao Shitou was not yet fifteen, he was just a child. The machinations of power were too profound. Even if he was smart and had not been baptized, he would not understand.
"Although the late emperor has cleared many obstacles for you, the remnants of their party will never give up. You must remember that the people in the court are all masters of adapting to the wind. Whoever is more powerful will go to the side of the other.
Rely on. Now the military power in Kyoto is in my hands, and Prime Minister Shanglan is also sincerely assisting you, so I can still stabilize the situation of the court and prevent those with ulterior motives from taking rash actions." Xue Poye said slowly: "But the deposed prince
He is still in Yunzhou now and is not dead. Once there is a change in the DPRK, he will definitely jump out and those forces will resurrect... At that time, my background was not deep. Even if I had military power, it would be difficult to handle it.
, so the top priority is to expand the power of your cronies, so that your imperial edict can become the true order of the king, and no one dares to disobey it."
The little emperor blinked and said: "Master, haven't you already appointed many officials recently? Aren't they all our people?"
Xue Poye smiled bitterly and said: "This is true, but if these officials really want to seize the power in their hands and serve the Holy Lord, it will not be done overnight, so these people can only be potential stocks... Well, my
It means that these people can only be cultivated slowly, and we have to win over larger forces."
"A bigger force?" The little emperor frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Whose force?"
"Old General Ren!" Xue Poye said someone softly.
The little emperor wondered: "Is he the old general guarding the border?"
Xue Poye nodded and said: "Not bad."
"But...but he is old and doesn't seem to have many years to live. Will it be useful if we try to win him over?" the little emperor frowned.
Xue Poye said sternly: "Of course it is useful. The power of the old general does not belong to him alone, but represents the entire army, especially the Beizhen Army. Five out of ten generals in the Beizhen Army are old generals.
Promoted by one hand, and they are all top talents, these people are the power of the old general, and the old general has a very high prestige in the Beizhen Army. He is like a god. The officers and soldiers of the Beizhen Army all respect him. As long as he wins over
He is equivalent to pulling the Beizhen Army into your sphere of influence. In this way, the military power in Kyoto is in my hands, and the military power in the border army is in the hands of the old general. This means that the military power inside and outside is in your hands.
By that time, even if someone has evil intentions, they will not dare to act rashly. Taking advantage of this gap, you can place and train a large number of your cronies in the court. Even if the old general dies in the future, you will still be the absolute king."
The little emperor was of course a smart man, so when Xue Poye said this, he understood the key.
If the guards in Kyoto and the Beizhen Army are both our own forces, then the officials of Da Chu will naturally not dare to be suspicious. In this way, we can use this period of time to inspect the officials, entrust them with important tasks that are loyal, reliable and capable, and cultivate their own
With power, within a few years, no one will dare to disobey what he says.
Although Xiao Shitou didn't feel that the throne was a big deal, but when he thought that his casual words were all golden words and no one dared to disobey him, he must be so powerful that he couldn't help but show excitement on his face.
"But...!" Xiao Shitou thought for a moment: "How can we win over the old general?"
Xue Poye smiled and said: "Actually speaking, the old general is a loyal person. Even if he doesn't win over you, I'm afraid he will be loyal to you. But we want to get closer to the old general, and we must put this intimacy on the surface, so that we can
Everyone knows...the solution is what Prime Minister Lan mentioned: wedding!"
"Wedding?" The little emperor frowned.
Xue Poye nodded and said: "As far as I know, the old general has a great-granddaughter who is similar in age to you and is extremely beautiful. She is currently waiting in the pavilion. As long as you marry her, the old general will become you.
In this case, who dares to deny the closeness between the old general and you?"
The little emperor sighed and said with a wry smile: "Master, it turns out that you have already planned for me to get married, and you have even chosen the partner."
Xue Poye chuckled and said: "You are my apprentice. If the master doesn't worry about some things, who will?" After a pause, he sighed: "As for the fragrant leaves... If there is a fate, the emperor's three palaces and six courtyards are not