Pei Zi Yun frowned, "History has changed."
"In the previous life, when the Emperor passed away, King Lu ascended to the throne for three years. Only when his position was stable did he remove the vassals. Removing the vassals now is too hasty."
"Of course, the Emperor himself has more than enough prestige and power to suppress them. It's just that the Emperor doesn't know that he only has less than a year to live."
"So you can't say that the Emperor is confused."
Just as he was deep in thought, the Crown Prince stood up and started pacing. He had a carefree smile on his face as he spoke, "Mister Pei, a few days ago, I was reprimanded by my father the Emperor. I've been waiting for you day and night. You're finally here."
The Crown Prince had a lazy and relaxed expression on his face as he looked at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "Mister, do you have anything to teach me?"
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Pei Zi Yun raised his head and looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had a scholarly air about him, and he understood.
Wise ruler in war, mediocre ruler in peace.
Now that the world was at peace, there was no need for a wise and mighty Emperor. The Crown Prince was kind and generous. In the eyes of the ministers, especially the civil officials, it was a good thing.
The Lord is benevolent and generous, so that the ministers can be both comfortable and in power.
If he met a wise master, not only would it be difficult to deceive him, but he would also be scolded for being careful every day. His days would naturally be very unpleasant.
However, in the eyes of the ministers, the Crown Prince was the best choice, but in the eyes of His Majesty, he was probably weak.
It was just that since the Crown Prince had been appointed, for the sake of the law, as long as the Crown Prince didn't commit any heinous acts, the Emperor wouldn't be able to remove King Lu from his position.
Especially when a country was just established, it was time for them to rest and build up their strength. If they were to choose an emperor who loved grandiosity and success, they might just die a second time. There was no lack of precedents in history.
As for the Crown Prince's complacency, it was not malicious. This was the first time the Crown Prince was truly in power, and he was gradually growing, so he was naturally complacent.
"Mr. Pei!" The Crown Prince called out softly beside Pei Zi Yun. Pei Zi Yun had been lost in his thoughts, and snapped back to reality. He hurriedly apologized.
The Crown Prince didn't think much of it and asked in a relaxed tone, "Mr. Pei, what were you thinking about just now?"
Pei Zi Yun replied reluctantly, "Your Highness mentioned that the Emperor is removing the vassals. I was just a little worried."
"What's there to worry about? Father wants to remove the vassals. Who in the world can stop him?" The Crown Prince didn't seem to mind.
Pei Zi Yun sighed to himself. From the Emperor's point of view, the Crown Prince was the most suitable candidate for the throne. Although the Emperor wasn't satisfied, since he had chosen the Crown Prince as his successor, he would follow the Crown Prince's prescription.
King Lu was a valiant and valiant warrior. King Lu could be at ease in handling the military affairs. Now, he had to hand over a relatively peaceful and obedient country to the Crown Prince.
Therefore, he wanted to use his prestige to eliminate the potential danger ahead of time.
"Ai, it's a pity that the Emperor's lifespan hasn't kept up." Pei Zi Yun then asked, "Who's next? Can the Crown Prince give us some pointers?"
"It could be Wu Shunbo and Ji Bei Hou." The Crown Prince casually said, "It's just military power. It won't harm the riches and honor. It can be said that the Emperor and his ministers are both safe."
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he sighed and thought to himself, 'As long as the military power is there, it will prosper. If the military power is gone, it will perish. It is only right for the country to keep the military power.'
"But there must be compensation, whether it be a position, a title, or a fortune."
"Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty said, 'Life is like a fleeting day, it is better to have more savings, land, and houses to pass on to future generations, singing and dancing girls to the end of their days. Between the ruler and his subjects, there will be no suspicion, isn't that good?"
"That would be a heavy reward."
"Zhu Yuanzhang was cruel and merciless, and those who contributed to the country would be able to command the five prefectures and six armies. If they were to leave, they would be given the title of Grand Marshal. They would be in charge of the army, but would not be able to meddle with the affairs of the nine ministers.
"Now that Wu Shunbo earns 700 stones every year, and Ji Bei Hou earns 1200 stones every year, I'm afraid we won't be able to suppress them."
The Crown Prince then said, "Can Ji Bei Hou be delayed? I've seen him from afar in Ying Prefecture. He has an unyielding character, and is extremely suspicious. There might be some changes. "
The Crown Prince then said, "The heavens have decided, who would dare to be disloyal?"
Pei Zi Yun replied, "Of course. It's just that more haste makes waste. We're in too much of a rush, and there might be some unrest."
Removing the vassals was the right thing to do, but the dynasty had only been established for ten years. The previous generation hadn't died yet, and the foundation wasn't stable yet. Pei Zi Yun thought to himself.
The Crown Prince was dressed in white socks and a pair of wooden clogs. He walked a few steps and thought, "Dao Master doesn't like the removal of the vassals?"
"Ai, I hope that after the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, he can slowly remove the vassals. That would be the best plan." Pei Zi Yun sighed.
"No, these Dukes, Marquises and Dukes are all generals. Some of them are even my elders. If I were to remove the vassals, what can I do?"
"This matter can only be done by Emperor Father. Besides, Emperor Father is still in his prime. If I were to do it, who knows how long it would take. When the time comes, the Dukes, Marquises and Dukes will be deeply rooted in every town. When that time comes, it will be difficult to remove them."
"Emperor Father removing the vassals is a good deed."
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Pei Zi Yun frowned. The Crown Prince was right, but only he knew that the Emperor had less than a year to live. If he were to act rashly and alert the enemy, not only would the Emperor not be able to do anything, he wouldn't be able to remove the vassals.
Pei Zi Yun thought about this, his heart was clouded, and he felt that things weren't looking good for him.
The Crown Prince was originally very happy, but when he heard this, his spirits were dampened. He then returned to his seat lazily, and leaned against it. This reminded Pei Zi Yun of Zhu Yunwen.
Zhu Yuanzhang had killed all the civil officials who were a threat to him. He had also killed all the generals who had been through wars and wars, paving the way for his elegant grandson, Zhu Yunwen.
Actually, the entire process wasn't without danger.
In the thirteenth year of Emperor Hongwu, Hu Weiyong claimed that the spring water from the well in his old house was an auspicious sign. He invited Zhu Yuanzhang over, but there were soldiers hidden within the walls. Zhu Yuanzhang was enraged, and executed Hu Weiyong on the same day.
In the twenty-sixth year of Emperor Hongwu, Lan Yu contacted Jingchuan Hou, Heqing Hou, Dongguan Hou and Dongguan Hou, "The world is at peace, and we don't need the old generals anymore. The old Hou is gone, and only the few of us are left. When will it be?"
In the end, all the generals present expressed their support. They gathered soldiers, horses and weapons, and prepared to rebel on the fifteenth day of the second month, when the Emperor went out for a ceremony.
There was also the bombing of the train.
In times of peace, it was easy to get rid of generals. However, those who fought for the throne had never had a heart of true loyalty. They had all experienced rebellion before they were able to rise to power. If they were pushed too far, they wouldn't care who they were.
"Your Highness, when it comes to removing the vassals, I don't recommend removing Ji Bei Hou first. Even if you want to remove him, please do it in the process." Pei Zi Yun thought about it, and decided to do his best.
The Crown Prince was taken aback, and interrupted Pei Zi Yun, "Ji Bei Hou is just a small town, what's there to worry about? If he's a traitor, we can just kill him. Dao Master doesn't have to say anything. Father has his own plans, and we shall listen to him. "
The Crown Prince spoke, and was clearly unhappy. He didn't like Pei Zi Yun talking about removing the vassals, and refused to listen.
"Furthermore, Dao Master has said before that I cannot express my opinion on such matters, in case my father is unhappy." The Crown Prince said.
A deep sense of helplessness welled up in Pei Zi Yun's heart, and he was at a loss. At this point, a eunuch came in with a purple bamboo flute. When the Crown Prince saw the purple bamboo flute, his face broke into a smile.
"I've heard from Official Qin that you love the bamboo flute. I shall give it to you today. A treasured blade should be given to a hero, and the sound of the bamboo flute should be with a true person." The Crown Prince said as he handed the bamboo flute over.
"Many thanks to the Crown Prince." Pei Zi Yun calmed himself down and thanked him.
After some time, they left the Crown Prince's Mansion and boarded the oxcart. Ren Wei saw Pei Zi Yun deep in thought and asked, "Young Master, you seem to have something on your mind?"
Pei Zi Yun was still somewhat depressed, and felt that something was amiss.
He had once heard that Ji Bei Hou was in cahoots with the pirates. When he attacked Goldwater Island, he had met with them. He suspected that Ji Bei Hou had long since prepared an escape route. Either that, or he had established a trading route, or that he had become extremely wealthy.
Ji Bei Hou had been reduced to a single mansion, and was unable to do anything. If he continued to be reduced, he would be forced into a corner. If he was forced into a corner, it would be fine. But even if he was forced into a corner, he would have nowhere to run.
However, if Ji Bei Hou had an escape route out of the seas, he could rebel against the Emperor. The worst that could happen was that the Emperor had less than a year to live.
"Now I know that I can't go against the current situation." Pei Zi Yun couldn't explain in detail, and could only sigh. History had changed. The Emperor wanted the Crown Prince to reduce the number of towns, and could even push the towns towards King Lu. Unfortunately, he couldn't intervene.
After pondering for some time, he then spoke to Ren Wei, "You don't have to stay in the capital city anymore. Go back to Goldwater Island, and make preparations in secret."
"Don't stop the normal trade and construction work, but make sure that preparations are complete. Within half a day, we should be able to transport all the important people and goods onto the ships. If anything happens, don't defend. That would be a dead end. Bring the people and goods out to sea to seek refuge."
"Gao Li, Fu Sang, and even other ports on the mainland."
"But don't head towards Ying Prefecture."
"Young Master? Have you received some news? "Hearing Pei Zi Yun say this, Ren Wei realized something was amiss, and his face turned pale.
"Ai!"
"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with the Crown Prince." Pei Zi Yun sighed as he opened the curtains and looked out of the window. It was getting late, and the sky was getting dark. A light drizzle fell, and the autumn wind blew. Pei Zi Yun then said, "The seeds of trouble have been sown. Let's see if they'll sprout."
As he spoke, Pei Zi Yun realized that he had said too much, "You don't have to worry about all this. Just remember what I've said today."
"Yes, Young Master." Ren Wei wasn't stupid, and understood that Pei Zi Yun had his own considerations. This was a form of worry for the future.
"As long as we have the ships, the people, and the money, it won't be difficult to retake Goldwater Island. If the bandits attack, we'll just hand the island over to them." Pei Zi Yun was afraid that Ren Wei wouldn't understand, and thus added, "It's just two hundred households and a few hundred mu of land. That's not considered rare. As long as we can protect our foundations, everything else can be discussed."
"If we were to defend the island, we would only have one to two hundred men at most. We wouldn't be able to resist at all, and would only be sending ourselves to our deaths. We can't do that."
Ren Wei replied, but his heart was in turmoil. He then asked, "What about the other areas in Ying Prefecture? Should I do something?"
"There's no need, we won't be able to implicate them for now." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself. Even if something were to happen, Ying Prefecture wouldn't fall apart so quickly. His mother was at Free Cloud Sect, and he could just retreat when the time comes.
"Yes!" Ren Wei relaxed, knowing that the situation wasn't that bad.
"It's time for Free Cloud Sect to keep a close eye on Ji Bei Hou." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself.
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