Just as Song Yingchang agreed to fight for a hundred thousand taels of silver for Li Zhi's pension, Zhu Yijun's imperial edict arrived at Han City, conveying the decision to reward the entire Eastern punitive expedition and its retreat. Song Yingchang was rather happy at first, but when he saw the words' The Emperor and three princes went out to welcome the triumphant return of the army ', he was momentarily stunned. He began to wonder which three princes it was, and when he looked at the back of the edict, he was so shocked that he almost jumped up.
Zhu Changluo, Zhu Changxun, and Zhu Changhao were the three sons of the Emperor. The Emperor intended to confer the title of Prince to all three of them at the same time, and would personally bring the three princes out of the Imperial City to welcome the triumphant return of the army. On the surface, it was said that it was to show the Emperor's favor to the army and the General, but as long as one was not a fool, anyone could see that the Emperor was trying to ride on a hot topic, trying to mislead the public and use this opportunity to achieve his own evil goals.
Using the triumphant return of the army as an excuse, he once again delayed the dispute over the foundation of the nation three years ago, and took the opportunity to seize the initiative, hoping to find an opportunity to push his beloved son, Changxun, onto the throne. In essence, it was a scoundrel playing tricks, and it was not honorable at all. However, this matter could not be said openly, and the Emperor could not do it openly. Liu Bang wanted to do it openly, but when Empress Lu invited four scholars to sit by Liu Ying's side, he cowered.
He said that the Crown Prince's wings were fully grown, and he could do nothing about it. However, if he really wanted to push Liu Ruyi onto the throne, did he not have enough means? He could toy with the ambitious Xiang Yu to death, and he could kill the God of War, Han Xin. Both Xiang Yu and Han Xin were easier to deal with than Liu Ying. To put it bluntly, he was fishing for fame, and it was hard to break the bond between father and son. In the end, after thinking it over, he felt that there was no need to make his family unhappy, and so he gave up.
If he really wanted to change the Crown Prince, the Emperor's father would really kill his own son. However, Emperors with that kind of mentality were few and far between, and in any case, Zhu Yijun was definitely not one of them. Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs, and those who could eat their cubs were not ordinary Emperors.
Zhu Yijun could only be considered below average in the ranking of China Emperors. He did not have enough means, was not tough, was not ruthless, and was not strong-willed. He had the qualities of a mediocre Emperor, but he had good foresight and was very good at using people. He could be considered one of the few shining points, but these shining points could not help him push Chang Xun, whom he liked, to the throne of the Crown Prince and finally become the Emperor.
When Wang Xijue was young, he had some boldness and dared to fight, so he reached his current position. However, as he grew older, he became more and more timid and cautious, unwilling to offend others. He cared about his power and position, but he did not know the right way to protect his position. He had the heart to solve problems, but he lacked the ability to plan and carry it out. To put it bluntly, the young Wang Xijue was an aggressive and capable official, but as he grew older, he became more and more stable in the court, and became a political broker. He liked to play opportunistic games, and no matter what, he was unwilling to offend the Emperor.
However, at this time, was it the time to do so?
Song Yingchang wordlessly put down the Emperor's decree. His gaze traveled over a thousand li, and it was as if he could see the court already in chaos.
However, there was nothing he could do. He was currently a civil commander, a civil commander who had just made a great contribution. He could not wait to avoid arousing suspicion, so how could he speak out and participate in court politics? Although he was burning with anxiety, worried that unpredictable turmoil would occur in the court, he was helpless. After thinking it over, he began to arrange for people to go to Japan and summon Xiao Ruxun back. Before he returned to the country, he had many things he wanted to say to Xiao Ruxun.
Thus, a day and a half later, Xiao Ruxun received the order to recall him and the official appointment of Wu Weizhong as commander-in-chief of Iswami Town. After taking care of matters in Japan and resting for a day, Xiao Ruxun energetically led the army to Korea by ship, preparing to return to the capital by sea.
After arriving in North Korea, Xiao Ruxun and Song Yingchang met up in Pusan. After the meeting, there was naturally nothing to say. Song Yingchang ordered the entire army to eat and drink to their heart's content, and rewarded the soldiers with cow wine, allowing them to eat and drink to their heart's content. The generals also ate and drank to their heart's content with the soldiers, celebrating their victory and returning to their country. As for Xiao Ruxun, she was quietly called by Song Yingchang to his tent, and the two began a secret discussion.
"What's wrong, Duke Song? Is there something important? "
As soon as Xiao Ruxun entered the tent, he saw Song Yingchang's serious face.
Song Yingchang reached out and handed a copy of the emperor's warrant to Xiao Ruxun. Xiao Ruxun smiled and said, "Didn't I just read it to everyone?"
Song Yingchang shook his head and said, "I didn't finish reading it. The important part is at the end. You should focus on the end."
Xiao Ruxun looked at the warrant skeptically. When he saw the news that the emperor and the three kings went out together to welcome the victorious return of the army, his expression suddenly changed.
"The emperor wants to confer the title of the three kings? Who came up with this rotten idea? Isn't this asking for trouble?! "
Song Yingchang sighed deeply and shook his head helplessly.
"No matter who came up with this rotten idea, this idea has already been known by the officials. Now, the matter that originally had a chance to turn around will become unsalvageable. The officials will feel that the emperor is insulting them. After the emperor is counterattacked, the emperor will feel that the officials are threatening him. The rift between the emperor and the officials is getting bigger and bigger. This is not a good thing for the country! This old man is even worried that from now on, His Majesty will no longer attend court and will no longer care about politics. Daming, the court will be in chaos! "
Xiao Ruxun put down the warrant and suddenly thought of Wang Xijue.
"This can't be a rotten idea that Wang Xijue came up with for the emperor, right?"
Song Yingchang was stunned and slapped his palm.
"Aiya! Wang Jingshi has harmed the country and the emperor! He is good. Even if he is impeached by the officials and resigns, everything will be over. But what about Daming the court?! The rift between the emperor and the officials is getting worse and the quarrel is getting fiercer. It was not easy to turn things around because of a victory. Now, everything is over! "
At this moment, Xiao Ruxun felt a sense of defeat.
Even if he had won a lot of prestige for the Daming court on the battlefield, earned a lot of money, trained a lot of elite troops, and opened up a lot of fertile land, as the central nervous system, the court was still in chaos and corruption. Such a giant that was sick from the root, although he looked rich and powerful on the surface, had gradually become rotten on the inside. The conferring of the three kings was a turning point. It completely blocked the chance of turning things around in the fight for the foundation of the country. There was no more hope.
"There might have been a turning point. If there was mediation and compromise, there might have been a turning point in the fight for the foundation of the country. But now it seems that there is no hope. The officials will definitely not agree, and the emperor will definitely be stubborn to the end. I just don't know if this storm can be settled before we return. No matter who wins or loses, it has to be settled. If it can't be settled, we won't even be able to hold the triumphal ceremony or the ancestral worship ceremony. We will become a laughing stock to the world!"
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