Capital, Imperial City
On the side of the passageway, there was a bodyguard standing every five steps. The officials were lined up neatly and solemnly as they entered the main hall. The copper tripod burned incense and the smoke rose up in spirals.
There were many officials in the hall, but only the rustling of clothes could be heard, not a single voice was heard. A moment later, the door suddenly opened, a eunuch lashed his whip three times, and immediately the music became louder.
The Emperor came out, walked towards the throne, and sat down.
"Long live, long live, long live!"
The Emperor gestured for them to dispense with the formalities and spoke to the Crown Prince, "Grant the Crown Prince a seat."
The Emperor's face was pale, and didn't waste any more words. He waved his hands, and a eunuch retrieved the Imperial Decree that the Emperor had prepared earlier. He then stepped forward and announced, "By the will of the Heavens, the Emperor declares that Wu Shun Bo and Ji Bei Hou have been misbehaving, and have embezzled military supplies. They are hereby stripped of a mansion, and their salaries are forfeited for half a year."
After the eunuch finished reading, the officials began to discuss.
Qilin Lake
On the west side, the pavilion was hidden in the forest. As the frost fell, the maple leaves turned red, reflecting on the lake. This was the scene of the capital.
The pleasure boats cruised on the lake, and the sounds of singing and playing could be heard from time to time. Many beauties and scholars took them on the trip. A small boat, a pot of sake, playing the zither, playing the flute, fishing, and admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake was a fortunate thing.
At this point, a Daoist was fishing by the shore. A man hurriedly walked over and looked at him. He then lowered his voice and said, "The Emperor has suppressed the city, and the Imperial Edict has left the capital city."
As he spoke, he handed over a slip of paper. The Daoist scanned the surroundings and kept it in his sleeve.
He hid in a corner of the maple forest where there was no one else around. The terrain here was slightly higher, and the wind brought with it a slight chill to his bones. Retrieving a talisman, Xie Cheng Dong's shadow appeared. The Daoist said, "Senior brother, the Emperor has sent out another list of names. It's Wu Shun Bo and Ji Bei Hou."
Jibei Hou Mansion
There were a few maple trees by the side of the lake in the mansion. As the frost fell, the maple leaves had long turned red. Wei Ang stood under the trees as the butler of the mansion led a Daoist past. Wei Ang raised his head and glanced at the Daoist. He then lowered his head, revealing his reflection in the lake.
But he was blind.
Ji Bei Hou sat upright and closed his eyes. After some time, he said, "Summon the Daoist."
The Daoist walked in and saw Ji Bei Hou's stern expression. He paused and bowed, "Greetings, Master Hou!"
The Daoist hurriedly took out a secret scroll from his sleeve and handed it to him. "Marquis, His Majesty has decided to remove the vassals. You are among them. This is news from the capital. My master has ordered me to pass this news to you."
"The Heavenly Ambassador from the capital city has already set off. Based on the route of travel, he should arrive at Ying Prefecture in a month's time." The Daoist then spoke, "The details are in the book, please take a look."
"Please take a seat." Ji Bei Hou took the cup and said, "Serve the tea!"
The Taoist priest was about fifty years old and he didn't seem to have any wrinkles. He listened and sat down. He took the tea served by the maid on a tray and placed it on the table.
When Ji Bei Hou finished reading it, he didn't move. His face was filled with coldness. The matter of removing the vassals had finally come. His heart was filled with despair and determination. He gave a cold laugh and took a sip of the tea. He then looked at the blue and white porcelain cup and didn't speak. Silence reigned.
The Daoist priest looked at Ji Bei Hou, who seemed to be deep in thought. The Daoist didn't dare to disturb him and waited patiently.
"The most important thing is to be swift and decisive."
'According to logic, once the Imperial Edict has been issued, Ji Bei Hou would definitely be defeated. Why can't I see it now? Could it be that Ji Bei Hou's cultivation is so deep? '
The Daoist looked at Ji Bei Hou and felt that he was indeed worthy of being called Master Hou.
'King Lu's message is obvious. He wants me to cooperate with him secretly. It seems like King Lu's intentions are very clear.' Ji Bei Hou thought to himself.
Ji Bei Hou then understood. He then stood up and spoke, "King Lu knows our hearts. If King Lu has an edict, I will definitely comply."
Ji Bei Hou then assumed a posture that indicated that he would follow King Lu's lead. At this point, the Daoist priest laughed and didn't dare to be arrogant. He then bowed to Ji Bei Hou, "I shall convey Master Hou's intentions to King Lu."
"Good, does the envoy have anything else for me?" Ji Bei Hou asked.
"Of course I'm fine." The Daoist priest replied. Ji Bei Hou spoke a few more words before Shen Zhi followed him out of the room. He handed over some banknotes and escorted the Daoist out.
Shen Zhi turned around and noticed that Ji Bei Hou wasn't in his room. He asked around and found out that Ji Bei Hou had gone to the shore of the lake. He then walked along the walkway and arrived at his destination.
From afar, he could see a stone bridge. The walkway was surrounded by white marble railings. A row of willow trees had lost all their leaves. There were some red and yellow leaves on the stone table and bamboo chairs. Ji Bei Hou was talking to Wei Ang. When he got closer, he noticed that Wei Ang had a serious expression on his face as he spoke of his own suggestion. He sighed to himself, 'If only Third Young Master had realized this a few years earlier.'
Shen Zhi sighed as he walked closer. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew, causing the leaves on the trees to flutter.
Ji Bei Hou stretched out his hand and a leaf landed in his palm. He didn't speak for some time as he looked into the distance.
The wind blew across the surface of the lake, causing ripples to form on the surface of the lake. The leaves fell into the lake, causing ripples to form on the surface. The koi fish in the lake were attracted by the leaves and thought that Ji Bei Hou was feeding them.
Ji Bei Hou was silent for some time before he released his hand. A leaf flew across the lake and landed in the middle of the lake. He then sighed, "The wind is blowing."
Hearing Master Hou's words, Shen Zhi's body trembled as he stood beside Ji Bei Hou. He looked into the distance and saw the clear water in the lake. He didn't speak for some time.
Before long, Shen Zhi let out a long sigh, "King Lu, I can tell that King Lu is a traitor. There won't be peace under the heavens."
Ji Bei Hou laughed coldly, "King Lu has long been a traitor. It's just that he didn't expect to lose to the Crown Prince in the capital city. It seems like he's preparing for a military remonstrance."
As Ji Bei Hou spoke, the expression on his face was unreadable.
Shen Zhi looked at Ji Bei Hou, as an idea surfaced in his mind. It wasn't that Master Hou didn't know about this, but he didn't want to bear the infamy. Shen Zhi then bowed, "Master Hou, although we know about this through our Dao Arts, the Imperial Envoy has only been here for a month. If the Imperial Edict were to be issued, he would be stripped of his military authority, and everything would be over."
"You've been in the military for a long time. It's normal for a general to be reassigned. Once you're reassigned, no matter how great your reputation is, you won't be able to last more than three years."
"You have to make up your mind. If you don't make up your mind, you'll only get yourself into trouble."
Ji Bei Hou didn't speak for some time. Wei Ang stood by the side and listened quietly as well.
"Mister Shen!" After some time, Ji Bei Hou gazed at the blue lake and walked leisurely. He then asked, "There's only us here. Do you think we have a chance of winning?"
Shen Zhi squinted his eyes and said, "The world is in chaos. The Emperor wields his three feet sword and slays all the heroes. Who would dare to defy him?"
"The only problem is time. The world has only been peaceful for ten years. Everyone is from the previous dynasty, and the hearts of the people have yet to submit."
"Of course, if the Emperor's health was good, we wouldn't have a chance of winning. But the Emperor's health isn't good, and he can't lead the army himself."
"Besides, the Emperor has removed many of his vassals, and the generals are all bitterly disappointed. Who would put in the effort to fight against him?"
"If we can drag this out until the Emperor passes away, and the Crown Prince doesn't know much about military affairs, then we might have a chance. But even that chance would be slim!"
A gust of autumn wind swept across the lake, and from afar, the half-withered lotus leaves floated in the wind. The wind brought a chill to the bones.
Ji Bei Hou stood there and looked at the lake. After some time, he spoke, "I know that this is a difficult task. It's fortunate that you've been honest with me. It's just that at this point, I wish to speak my mind."
"When I was conferred the title of Ji Bei Hou, my salary was only one thousand two hundred stones. You should know that in the south, one wheat and one rice can be harvested. The rice can be harvested two stones, and the wheat can be harvested one stone. That adds up to three stones a year."
"One thousand two hundred stones, but that's four hundred mu of land."
"If we were to talk about the price of rice, it wouldn't be more than six hundred taels of silver a year. That's the kindness of the Imperial Court." Ji Bei Hou spoke calmly, as he laughed coldly.
"But the officials didn't care about this. Why?"
"It's simple. When the peaches are ripe, the officials want to pluck the peaches. If the Lords don't go, how can they wield power?"
"As the saying goes, when the birds are all gone, the hounds are all boiled. Actually, there's no need for the officials to speak out on behalf of the officials. Who asked you to be so foolish as to sacrifice your lives to establish the country?"
Shen Zhi stood by the side and listened quietly. He understood that the officials were doing this for the public, but also for the private. For the public, the country was at peace, and there was no need for the officials to kill the officials. Although killing them was a little cruel, it could be said that they were doing this for the country. For the private, it was what Ji Bei Hou meant by seizing power. If the officials didn't die, the officials wouldn't be respected!
The commoners didn't care about these things. If the officials died, they would only cheer for them. In fact, if the commoners died, all the officials and officials would cheer for them. If they saw the heads of the officials who had been killed, they would go around the city to see it.
Crying out for the officials who had been killed was something that only appeared in dramas.
But for the officials who had done so much for the country, the voice sounded righteous, "I was born and fought for decades. Just for a measly one thousand two hundred stones?
I can't even protect one thousand two hundred stones?
Just as he was thinking about this, Ji Bei Hou calmed down. He didn't know why, but his mind was clear and bright. He then spoke with passion, "Some people say that if the country mistreats you, it can save tens of thousands of people. I don't agree with that."
"If you want to mistreat me, I shall mistreat the country!"
He paced a few steps before turning his head to look at Wei Ang and asked, "What's the situation on Eight Gong Island?"
Wei Ang was stunned when he heard his father's question. He thought for some time before replying, "Father, Eight Gong Island is already under our control. We've sorted out our territory. It's about the size of a county, with a population of eight hundred households. It's situated between the mainland and Japan."
"Eight hundred households, a county's land. That's enough." Ji Bei Hou said coldly as he laughed, "Eight hundred households. That's about the size of an ancient Marquis. I've made up my mind. Immediately send a caravan to this island."
"Officially set up a government. Organize the households and govern the people. Turn these people into citizens of Hou Mansion."
"Yes, father." Wei Ang didn't have any objections. As soon as Ji Bei Hou finished speaking, he hurriedly agreed, his face was filled with excitement.
Ji Bei Hou laughed coldly, "Originally, we turned the army into merchants. Now, we'll turn the merchants into the army. We'll rebuild our flag. They haven't been regular soldiers for more than a year. Therefore, we'll reestablish the system on Eight Gong Island. Also, our people and their families will all be moved to Eight Gong Island."
"The caravan itself will still be maintained. Use ordinary sailors and merchants to buy food and iron from all over the place."
"Contact the people of Japan. Launch another pirate attack. Tell the people of Japan that they don't need to fight. All they need to do is to attract their attention."
"Yes!" Shen Zhi shouted out, he felt his blood boiling.
Ji Bei Hou gave a series of orders and laughed, "Since you're heartless, I'll be unjust. Even if I fail, I'll confiscate the treasuries of the county and retreat to the island. Let's see if you can chase after me?"
"Even if I fail, I'll raise a huge wave in the south, and shake the foundations of the dynasty. Millions of people will die, and your dynasty will be ruined. Hehe …"
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