"I will pay my respects to you, Your Majesty..." Liu Che sat upright under the royal couch, with his lapel in front of him, and accepted the courtiers' kneeling prayers.
The emperor's father sat behind the screen behind Liu Che, separated by the screen, and listened to political affairs.
In fact, this is unnecessary.
But that’s the way politics is. Covering one’s ears and stealing the bell is the normal state of politics.
Now, since the prince oversees the country, the emperor will not jump to the front desk.
Liu Che took a silk letter that had just been sent by an eunuch, opened it and took a look at it. Then, according to the above request, he spoke to the ministers and said: "Last night, the stars came out of the west, and the sky fire spread over Luoyang.
In the main hall of the East Palace, Gu feels very guilty. It is not virtuous to be alone and cannot please God. Therefore, God punishes Gu and punishes Heaven. There is nothing to pray for! Gu should be dressed in plain clothes to avoid the main hall and face the wall in the high temple for three days.
, examine yourself for your sins, this sin of being alone has nothing to do with your father and the officials!"
At the beginning, Liu Che did not speak in accordance with the requirements in the silk book. Instead, he took the initiative and placed all the blame on himself.
It seems stupid, but in fact, it is a smart strategy.
Anyway, everyone now knows that the comet and thunderstorm have nothing to do with the prince. This is a warning from God and a sign that there are traitors in the Han Dynasty.
Therefore, what Liu Che said was just a gesture to punish the traitor, the scapegoat, to death!
It's a pity that neither the ministers nor the emperor knew that all this was a trick played by Liu Che.
All the ministers immediately paid their respects: "The words of the family are serious! This matter has nothing to do with the family. It is purely the work of thieves and ministers. Therefore, God has given a warning and the gods have revealed themselves!"
As for the emperor behind the screen, he nodded secretly, feeling that this son was really filial. In order to prevent his father's reputation from being damaged, he did not hesitate to take the blame himself. He was responsible and very filial.
Thinking about what he heard a few days ago, the day he fainted, Emperor Liu Qi felt even more satisfied.
Liu Che stood up, took a step, and then said according to the words on the silk book: "All the ministers are elders. They are well-educated and knowledgeable. They must know who the traitors are. Please teach me how to show loyalty and traitors!"
Prime Minister Zhang Ou immediately came out to pay homage and said: "My dearest minister, Ou, I have this report: In the past, the king of Jibei Xingju planned to rebel. The late emperor killed him with his troops. He Xingju was a traitor and his ministers fled in all directions. Many of them fled to the country of Wu Ni.
There are also some thieves who defected to the King of Zhao and took in the rebels. It was not done by a human minister, and the King of Zhao is very suspicious. I asked the minister to summon the King of Zhao to the capital to inquire about the matter!"
When Liu Che heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched.
This guy is really a pig teammate!
If he hadn't been kicked in the head by a donkey, he must have taken money from Liu Sui. This was to excuse Liu Sui!
Who doesn't know that after Liu Xingju's rebellion was put down, the late emperor issued a special edict to pardon all officials and gentry who followed Liu Xingju's rebellion, and also specifically emphasized that they would not be pursued again.
Otherwise, how could Liu Sui dare to continue heading toward Chang'an?
Of course, this can barely be considered a reason, right?
However, this matter definitely cannot be a crime against Liu Sui.
It is absolutely impossible for the Emperor Liu to slap the late Emperor Taizong Xiaowen in the face. The words and edicts issued by the once living saint were basically equivalent to golden rules in the Han Dynasty, and no one can comment on them!
It was obvious that Liu Che even heard the dissatisfied cough of the emperor's father behind the screen.
This is a very severe signal.
It is also a symbol of death!
Emperor Liu Qi was behind the screen. At this moment, his lungs were really furious!
Regarding Zhang Ou, no matter how he looks at it now, he is not satisfied at all!
A dignified prime minister would do everything he wanted. In the past, perhaps, such a prime minister was a puppet who could be manipulated according to his wishes.
However, at a moment like this, a prime minister who is so ignorant, unclear about the overall situation, and a little confused and can even be called incompetent is not a good candidate!
At this time, Emperor Liu Qi missed former Prime Minister Shen Tujia a little.
Although Shen Tujia had a bad temper, a bit of a stubborn personality, and a bit of an old-fashioned mind.
But at the very least, he has a stand, principles, and abilities, and he will never make such a serious political mistake!
Liu Qi and Zhang Ou had been monarchs and ministers for more than ten years, so they naturally knew that Zhang Ou was unlikely to have received money from Liu Sui. It was more likely that he had relapsed into his old habits, fearing that he would say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing.
, all I can think about is peace.
Thinking of this, Emperor Liu Qi sighed slightly: "Why did I choose such a prime minister?"
However, it has only been four months since the phase change. If you rashly move it again, you will be slapping yourself in the mouth.
It was a matter of dignity for the emperor, so Liu Qi couldn't make up his mind for a while to push forward the change of phases.
"I have to find a way to let Zhang Ou resign on his own..." Liu Qi thought to himself.
Since the Prime Minister cannot be dismissed, it naturally can only imply that the Prime Minister himself resigns.
In the Han Dynasty, the emperor had many suggestive strategies and methods to tell his prime minister that it was time to abdicate in favor of someone more worthy.
Generally, these methods and hints are hidden in high-profile encouragement and awards.
For example, the late Emperor used a beautiful pass to drive the powerful Prime Minister Zhou Bo back to his hometown to farm, and in one fell swoop wiped out the influence of the elders and ministers who had hindered him from grasping power.
However, these methods are already familiar to others and are too explicit. Liu Qi is worried that if he uses them again, Zhang Ou may not be able to bear the stimulation. If there is a farce of the prime minister committing suicide, his reputation may be damaged.
harm.
Thinking like this, Liu Qi hesitated a little.
However, Chao Cuo, the imperial censor, seemed to have taken a shot of gunpowder. He immediately jumped out and said: "Chao Cuo, I am reporting to my family: I think that the prime minister is too evasive and takes it lightly! The crimes of King Zhao Liu Sui are not limited to others.
Are you trying to accommodate the traitorous ministers of King Xingju of Jibei? Last year, I investigated and dealt with Zhao Wangsui's various crimes and punished him by destroying the Hejian County. I thought that Liu Sui would know his mistakes and be able to correct them, but unexpectedly..."
Chao Cuo was worthy of being the most powerful cannon of the Han family. He refused to give up without saying anything shocking. He directly stabbed him and said: "My dear, I know that in the past year, I have received the domestic history of Zhao and the crimes of King Zhao Sui reported by the prime minister.
These include secretly colluding with Wu Ni, secretly communicating with the Xiongnu, violating Emperor Taizong Xiaowen's ban, doing business with barbarians, and last year, being arrogant and arrogant. He has no respect for himself and can be called a traitor!"
Chao Cuo knelt down and said: "I invite you to report to your majesty. I will send an envoy immediately. In order to keep the integrity, I will arrest King Zhao Sui and go to the capital for questioning!"
This is tantamount to putting a label on Liu Sui's head as a "thief" and trying to punish Liu Sui to death.
However, the political rules of the Han Dynasty, compared to those of later generations, emphasized benevolence and forgiveness, and usually gave some face to those princes, kings and ministers with more than 2,000 shi.
Suggestions like Chao Cuo's are not maneuverable.
Because this will anger the remaining princes and kings and make them feel sad.
It will also tear apart the propaganda that the Han Dynasty has always advertised to rule the world with filial piety, and the Liu clan and vassal clan are closely related to each other.
Therefore, as soon as Chao Cuo finished speaking, the emperor's voice came from behind the screen: "The brothers and sisters of King Zhao Zongfan, I can't bear to punish the king, and I will discuss it later with two thousand stones!"
It seemed that the king of Zhao and Liu Sui were exonerated, but in fact, there was an order behind it to fight to the end.
The Han Dynasty has a tradition of not humiliating generals. As for princes and kings, no matter how serious their crimes are, as long as they are captured or surrender, they will die without bloodshed.
With the authority of Empress Lu, she did not dare to blatantly punish Zhao Wang Liu Ruyi, so she could only kill him with a dove. The same was true for Zhao You Wang Liu You, who could starve to death but could not use swords, spears or axes.
Even Liu Bi, the king of Wu a month ago, might even survive if he fell into the hands of the Han army!
The political background is like this. No matter what happens, the princes and kings can retain their honor and the final dignity of dying without bloodshed.
Therefore, if you want to treat King Zhao Liu Sui, you must first lower your posture and show that the court still loves and protects the princes and kings.
This is not only a tradition of the Celestial Empire, but also of treating illnesses and saving lives.
It is one of the values Liu flaunts.
Therefore, as soon as the ministers heard what the emperor said, they immediately understood it.
Many people who originally aimed at other princes and kings immediately turned their guns and pointed directly at King Zhao Liu Sui.
At this time, Liu Sui's old and rotten sesame seeds and millet incidents were all revealed.
What, at that time, King Xiaowen of Hejian, Liu Piqiang, was often insulted and slighted by him. He ignored the love of brothers and refused to express his condolences to King Xiaowen of Hejian.
Why deliberately sit back and watch the death of Liu Fu, the Ai King of Hejian, and annex the Hejian Kingdom of La?
Anyway, everyone unanimously described Liu Sui as the biggest villain in the world, a cold-blooded, ruthless, arrogant and rebellious thief who had no respect for the emperor and his ministers. He had deliberately planned to rebel more than ten years ago.
Even Liu Che felt it was a bit exaggerated.
To be fair, Liu Sui is really nothing.
A typical white-eyed wolf!
When the late emperor was still alive, he was extremely kind to him and gave him numerous rewards. He even specifically allowed the Hejian Kingdom to be merged into the Zhao Kingdom after the death of his younger brother Liu Piqiang, King Xiaowen of Hejian.
However, this thing never stopped for a day.
Not only did he flirt with the Huns, he wanted to be a narrow barbarian and show self-respect, but he also deliberately established many channels of communication with the Huns. He also had close contacts with King Liu Bi of Wu, and he said many times that he was disrespectful to the court and even wanted to rebel.
These things are secrets that almost everyone knows.
However, it would be an exaggeration to say that this thing is so bad that it has pus on the soles of its feet and sores all over its body.
At the very least, Liu Sui did some commendable things.
For example, he was very kind to the people of Zhao State, showing sympathy to the orphans and widows, and being kind to farmers. He reduced or even exempted the people of Zhao State from their burdens many times.
At least in Zhao State, Liu Sui's popularity is still very high.
It was not without reason that King Zhao was finally put down during the rebellion between Wu and Chu in the previous life.
However, it was precisely because of this that Liu Sui became extremely evil!
It is said in the Book of Shang Shu: Only use it for blessing, only use it for power, and only use it for jade food. I don’t have jade food for blessing and power!
As a vassal king, you should live happily and happily.
Thunder, rain and dew are all due to the king's favor. When did it become the turn of a prince to exercise the power that should have been the emperor's?
What's more, Liu Sui had incorrect views and was closely associated with the Huns. He was a time bomb.
If he didn't take advantage of the opportunity when Wu and Chu were destroyed and the Xiongnu stood by and watched, Liu Che felt that even if he became emperor in the future, he would probably have a headache as to how to deal with this King Zhao!
Therefore, Liu Che decisively chose to hit the target.
He stood up, waved his hands and said: "King Zhao is not so miserable. I have heard that King Zhao has ordered many times to exempt the people from field taxes, and even used the treasury to buy wine and meat for the orphans and widows.
My condolences... Are you exaggerating?"
Ahem, this knife is really hard and accurate!
It directly touched the heart of Emperor Liu Qi.
Originally, Liu Qi was still very hesitant.
After all, the distance between Zhao and the Huns was too close, and the Huns' army stationed in Henan could cross the Great Wall and rush to Zhao's aid day and night.
In the land of Henan (Hetao area), the Xiongnu established several large tribes such as Loufan, Xiutu, Baiyang, etc., with no less than 50,000 capable troops. Plus other tribes under the jurisdiction of King Youxian, within three to five days,
After receiving the news, the Huns were able to mobilize 100,000 troops to rush to Zhao's aid and block the Great Wall.
Moreover, having just killed Huainan King Liu An and Wu King Liu Bi, it would be a bit taboo to touch Liu Sui again.
Originally, Liu Qi only planned to beat the princes and kings, looking for this excuse to weaken the power of the princes and kings, and transfer all the military power, financial power and personnel power of each king to the central government.
But at this time, after Liu Qi heard Liu Che's words, he immediately became like a furious lion and said angrily: "I don't have to use it!"
"Send an order to the general to march the King of Zhao to the capital with due diligence. If there is any resistance, immediately send troops to capture him!" After thinking about it, he may have considered that Handan City has thick walls and strong defenses and has always been a strong city in the world, or maybe Liu Qi has some brains.
When he regained consciousness, he added: "I'll send an order to King Zhao, Xiang Jiande, and the internal historian to come to Beijing to report on their work together!"
This is the intended meaning of the title. Because of the Han Dynasty system, when princes and kings enter the dynasty, the prime minister, Taifu, and internal history must accompany them.
At this time, I specially emphasized that in fact, it was to give King Zhao Liu Sui a step down. If he came to court obediently, the most natural thing would be to reduce him to Chehou or something and raise him in honor, or even just change him to become a vassal king.
After all, the Liu family's archway must still be preserved.
Originally, the emperor had already had the idea to move most of the princes and kings from various places to different places within three to five years, using various excuses such as meritorious service and virtue.
For example, King Dai will go to Qinghe County to become king, while King Liu Zhi of Jibei will go to Dai Kingdom. King Liu Bo of Hengshan, who performed well in this war to quell the chaos, can be promoted to King of Jibei.
Liu Rong, the king of Zhongshan, became the king of Huainan. Liu Fei, the king of Changshan, may have annexed Zhongshan or gone to Wudi to become king.
King Zhao may exchange kingdoms with King Linzi.
Except for a few princes such as King Yan, most of the feudal kings will be readjusted.
Liu Che's suggestion that "there are traitors in the Han Dynasty" and the long star emerging from the west and the sky fire broadcasting in Luoyang are more of an excuse to speed up and make the implementation of these policies smoother.
Anyway, doesn't the final decision on who the traitor is and whether he has it or not lies in the hands of the Emperor of Chang'an?
If the emperor says yes, then it must be true. If the emperor says no, he can just laugh it off and brush it off, and it may even become a good story.
However, Liu Che's stab was too harsh!
It directly hit Liu Qi's sore spot. At this time, the emperor Liu Qi's new and old hatreds towards Liu Sui were all rushing into his heart. How could he care about any big plans?
If he hadn't always been rational, at this moment, I'm afraid there would only be one thought left in his mind - kill him!
Even sons and princes cannot touch this thing of imperial power without the permission of the emperor. How dare a distant vassal king with a bad record of cheating get involved?
Really, you deserve to die! (To be continued)
ps: Today I was on intravenous drip for a day, um, I was given amino acids, five bottles of saline, I was on it for a whole day, my hands were swollen, please comfort me~ My body is like this, it would be better to take some amino acids~r655
