After laughing for a while, Xiao Ruxun's tears came out.
Seeing this, Li Sheng hurriedly went forward to calm Xiao Ruxun down.
After finally calming down, Xiao Ruxun pointed at Li Sheng and really didn't know what to say.
"You old killing talent, I asked you a question, and you're actually dodging me like this?"
"Your Majesty, this old servant is really... really... Actually, Your Majesty, even if Your Majesty doesn't want a woman of this status, no one would dare to take her. Just like how Your Majesty bestowed Yang Yinglong's daughter to General Qi as a concubine, this old servant heard that General Qi still keeps that woman in his house, feeding her well, not even daring to touch her.
Everyone outside is guessing if Your Majesty is testing General Qi's loyalty, so you bestowed this woman to General Qi. General Qi probably thinks so too, waiting for Your Majesty to ask him for that woman. "
Li Sheng said a long paragraph, finally getting to the point.
"Li Sheng, you've hit the nail on the head."
Xiao Ruxun put away her insolent smile and regained her composure. "They're all watching. They're all watching to see if I'm testing the loyalty of my subjects. They're watching to see if I'll give them the reward they want for their loyalty."
Xiao Ruxun leaned back on the dragon chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
"A woman can also prove many things. As a ruler, it's not easy to obtain the loyalty of subordinates, especially a loyal subject who is crying piteously for food. Rewarding one, rewarding one, can drive the loyalty of a large number of people. What's so good about this? They all remember the Emperor, remember me, it's not easy, right?"
"Your Majesty is right."
Li Sheng said.
"I don't choose concubines, I'm afraid many people find it inconceivable, right?"
Xiao Ruxun put down his teacup and looked at Li Sheng.
Li Sheng smiled.
"His Majesty is wealthy. If he wants a woman, all he has to do is open his mouth and all the beauties in the world will be sent to His Majesty's palace. But to be honest, other than His Majesty and the former Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, there isn't a single emperor in the world who doesn't take a concubine. Even the rich among the commoners will take two concubines when they have money!"
"That's right. I'm the Emperor of Daqin. I'm above the world, rich, and have the world under my control. What can't I get? If I wanted a woman and told my subordinates, they would probably fight over the right to offer the woman to me, right? "
Xiao Ruxun smirked.
"Of course. Since His Majesty ascended to the throne, he has never said what he wants. If he really did say it, wouldn't his subordinates be fighting over it?"
Li Sheng nodded in agreement.
"That's right. So, if I want a woman, isn't it very easy? Why do they need to mobilize 100,000 troops to go to Japan to find me a woman? "
Xiao Ruxun picked up Li Rusong's battle report and flipped through it.
Li Sheng asked tentatively, "Then does His Majesty mean to say that you don't want that woman?"
Xiao Ruxun shook his head.
"Yes, why not? If I don't want it, who would dare to want it? "
"His Majesty, this …"
Li Sheng suddenly didn't understand what the Emperor meant.
"Not only do I want the Japanese Queen, but I also want Qi Dayong to send Yang Yinglong's daughter to me."
Xiao Ruxun put down the battle report in his hand and picked up another report to read.
"What does His Majesty mean?"
"You still don't understand? How is this offering me a woman? What they offered was one red, bloody, and still beating heart after another. "
Xiao Ruxun pointed at her chest to Li Sheng. "Women don't matter. What's important is loyalty. If there's anything good, they think of me. If there's anything bad, they know to report it to me. This loyalty is the most important.
But this loyalty is not unconditional. In this world, except for parents who give their hearts to their children without asking for anything in return, what else doesn't ask for something in return? If they are loyal to me, I will give them power and fame. This will motivate everyone to give their loyalty to me. "
Li Sheng looked as if he suddenly understood.
"So that's what His Majesty thinks? Then does His Majesty think the same about Yang Yinglong's daughter? Is it really to test General Qi's loyalty? "
"That's not it. In the beginning, I really didn't want it."
Xiao Ruxun smiled and shook his head. He moved closer to Li Sheng and pointed at his own head. "But now that things have come to this, everyone in court thinks so. Qi Dayong and Li Rusong also think so. If I don't do this and don't let them think that I really think so, won't they really be able to see through my thoughts?"
Li Sheng was stunned, a look of confusion on his face.
Xiao Ruxun lowered his voice.
"His Majesty, how can you let your subordinates know your true thoughts? Let's stop at this step and let them think that this is what I think. That's the extent of my wisdom. They will think that they have seen through my thoughts and can understand my intentions. Then, they will relax. "
Xiao Ruxun smiled. "Li Sheng, you know that the previous Ming Emperor Jiajing was intelligent his entire life, but why did Xu Jie still usurp power in the end?"
Li Sheng shook his head repeatedly.
"The previous Ming Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Houcong, was extremely intelligent and farsighted. At the age of eighteen, he overthrew Yang Tinghe, an old official of three dynasties. He took charge of the court himself, grasped power, divided the officials, and used Zhang Cong and Yan Song to make the officials restless. But in the end, he still saw through it.
"Then, he was played like a monkey, lying on his bed, not allowed to leave the palace, spending his later years like a corpse. In the end, just as he breathed his last, before his body had even cooled, he had his officials write a fake edict, scolding him so badly that he was worthless. How could he still be called an Emperor? Tell me, how did he see through it? "
"This old servant … this old servant doesn't know."
Li Sheng lowered his head. He really didn't know.
"It's because he was too smart, so smart that the officials were frightened and had no choice but to collectively raise their intelligence to fight against him. He was alone, and the officials grew endlessly, generation after generation. He also had the absolute advantage in numbers. After decades, no matter how monstrous Zhu Houcong was, he couldn't escape the officials' decades of research and countermeasures."
Li Sheng seemed to understand something.
"Your Majesty means …"
"Sometimes, the Emperor has to pretend to be stupid."
Xiao Ruxun pointed at his head. "To let the officials think that the Emperor's brain can only think of this and can't think of anything else, they feel safe and won't continue to research the Emperor. They feel that they have already seen through the Emperor, that they have a card up their sleeve. That's enough.
I'm not that smart. If this happens a few more times, they will see through me. I don't think I'm smarter than Zhu Houcong. Since I can't be smarter than him, I can only make my officials stupider than his officials. Only then will I be safe. "
Li Sheng finally understood the Emperor's meaning.
"Your Majesty is wise, this old servant is convinced."
He took a deep breath and expressed his admiration to the Emperor.
"No, no, it's not a big deal. It's just a stupid way for an emperor to protect himself. After all, I'm only one person. It's quite scary to face a group of officials who are like wolves and tigers. In the end, I'm not a smart person. I know my limits."
Xiao Ruxun smiled and waved his hand, then leaned back in his chair. "Li Sheng, draft an edict. There are two edicts. One is for Li Rusong. Have him send the Japanese Queen and the royal women to me beautifully. If they're missing even a hair, I'll hold him responsible. Right, send the Japanese King as well."
Li Sheng immediately nodded. "Yes!"
"The other one is for Qi Dayong. Have him send Yang Yinglong's daughter to the palace and tell him that I'm very satisfied with him. He didn't let me down."
"This old servant obeys!"
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