Chapter 314: The Old Emperor Is Kind
Chapter 314: The Old Emperor Is Kind
Capital.
The news that the Living Buddha of Snowland was suppressed by Xu Qing had already spread.
The key point is that after crossing the Yellow River, Xu Qing's army did not rush to the capital, but slowly divided its troops and advanced. After each army took over the city, the first thing it did was to deal with the top three local gentry.
This seems to be loosening the soil before farming.
Xu Qing's intention was very clear, which was to plow the north land again.
As for the charges, they are all ready-made.
That is rebellion!
In fact, many wealthy people in the northern states did not rebel, and most of them remained neutral.
Regarding this matter, many court officials pleaded for mercy, hoping that Xu Qing could carefully identify who were the real rebels.
Xu Qing did not accept the suggestion.
He chose to be autocratic.
This is not consistent with Xu Qing's usual style of doing things.
Many times, he was willing to discuss things with his ministers.
But Xu Liushou is Xu Liushou after all. Once he has made a decision, no amount of persuasion from others will be of any use.
Some gentry privately said that Xu Qing was "going too far in correcting a wrong."
Xu Qing did not make any rebuttal to this, but instead said that correction must be done through extremes.
Although the troops were divided into several routes, the main force of the army still headed straight towards the capital.
The feeling of oppression is unparalleled.
It would be more accurate to say that it was a return expedition rather than a northern expedition.
Because even if Xu Qing clearly targeted the local gentry in the northern prefectures, no government troops in any prefecture would fight for them.
Not worth it.
The disciples of the Taoist Academy, the true disciples of the Immortal Sect, as well as the various forces under Xu Qing, such as the Military Statistics and Investigation Department, had already spread the news and various small notes to all the prefectures through Taoist magic or other means.
Once you become a vassal of these gentry who are to be liquidated, you will not be allowed to take the imperial examinations and civil service examinations for three generations, you will not be able to practice cultivation, and your land will be confiscated.
Although there are always loopholes when considering execution issues, not everyone can guarantee that they can stay out of it.
Some wealthy people, seeing that the situation was not good, had already fled with the exchanged Wanshou silver coins, some to overseas, some to the Western Regions, Fuso and other places.
At this time, the benefits of the Wanshou silver coin are also reflected.
In the past, if you ran away from Middle-earth, it would be difficult to take away a large amount of property.
It's much simpler now.
The Wanshou silver coins of the Dayu Dynasty are now commonly used in neighboring countries. They are in short supply and relatively convenient to carry.
Now many officials only accept silver coins so that they can take them home after retirement.
In the past, it was very troublesome for officials to sell stolen goods after retirement. After the introduction of silver coins, the price difference between middlemen was much smaller.
Moreover, with the development of industry and commerce, everything could be bought as long as one had silver coins.
However, Xu Qing's orders were just orders. When they were actually carried out, many small families who were not wealthy suffered.
Even the army trained by Xu Qing was just so-so in terms of discipline.
It is not just talk that the government troops are like bandits.
Anyway, the current order in the North has been greatly disrupted.
Of course, in the past, only ordinary people were harmed by the powerful and wealthy, government officials, and Tantric lamas, but now everyone is suffering together.
Many ordinary people are not as resentful as before.
Moreover, there is a Military Statistics and Investigation Department, and if things go too far, they will be dealt with by military law.
Besides, ordinary people don’t have much money.
The ones who really suffer the most are the rich.
However, the discipline of these troops is declining very quickly.
Xu Qing didn't care about these for the time being.
A certain degree of destruction is for the purpose of establishing a better order later.
He is becoming more and more cold-blooded.
To be honest, many innocent people were implicated in this process.
In terms of evil deeds, he is not necessarily less than Prince Yu and Living Buddha of Snow Region.
Even if there is justice in the world, Xu Qing does not think that he has done anything great.
In this position, he understood the Black Mountain Demon's perspective better.
The world is unkind.
Being unkind is the greatest benevolence.
The ruthlessness of those in power is actually a form of self-protection.
Otherwise, my conscience will be troubled.
...
...
"Mr. Dai, please go." Prince Yu had not attended court for several days.
It's not necessary either.
Because the officials in the capital who could escape had already escaped, and those who did not escape were waiting to open the city to welcome the old emperor and Xu Qing.
The reason why Prince Yu has not been arrested now is that the old emperor has not convicted him.
Moreover, the emperor's grandson was very much loved by the old emperor.
In addition, Xu Qing is also the nominal teacher of the emperor's grandson.
So everyone wants to take credit, but dares not do things too drastically.
Mr. Dai: "Your Majesty, you have done a great job. As long as you stay in the palace and don't go anywhere, you won't have to worry about your life."
"This king... This king has been a coward all his life. This time I want to be braver." Prince Yu smiled bitterly.
In fact, he hates it.
He just wanted to wait until the old emperor came back, and then commit suicide, so that the world could see how this sage emperor of all ages forced his own son to death.
At this point, Prince Yu no longer hated Xu Qing, but only the old emperor.
Why force him like this?
Mr. Dai understood Prince Yu’s thoughts.
He also knew that Prince Yu's reform measures in the North had saved Xu Qing and His Majesty a lot of trouble.
Your Majesty is using Prince Yu to set a trap.
The most ruthless person is the emperor.
He was willing to use his own son to fish in order to catch those powerful and wealthy people who opposed the reform and then settle accounts with them.
Peace and prosperity for the world is an irreversible trend.
Whether the Black Mountain Demon wins or loses.
Because now the reformists have already reaped too many benefits and have seen too many big pies.
Even if the Black Mountain Demon wins, as long as he does not take over the world, the reform forces in the north and south will firmly implement the strategy left by Xu Qing.
Mr. Dai could clearly see that with the current booming industry and commerce and high crop yields, there was no force in the land of the Dayu Dynasty that could stop all this from happening.
Mr. Dai understands people.
The Black Mountain Old Demon claims to follow the will of heaven.
Now that industry and commerce are flourishing, it is the next great trend of heaven.
This was also an inevitable trend, but it was Xu Qing who pushed it forward and shortened the process.
This is even more certain, and the Black Mountain Demon will not interfere with this trajectory.
Mr. Dai had to admit Xu Qing's ability.
Zhang Tai'a's reforms were just minor repairs, and Xu Qing was the one who really found the crux of the problem.
Even in Mr. Dai's opinion, Xu Qing's grand ambitions were like a pie in the sky for the Heavenly Dao, and they were recognized by the Heavenly Dao.
The future will be an era of great material abundance, which will also lead to rampant materialism and make it easier for evil thoughts to arise in people's hearts.
It is only a matter of time before all living beings become possessed by demons.
"Xu Gongming, where exactly do you want to take the world?" Mr. Dai didn't believe that Xu Qing couldn't see this.
He understood everything, but did not leave Prince Yu. Instead, he planned to stay and see what would happen next. If he died, he would die with Prince Yu, fulfilling the bond between the ruler and his subject.
Mr. Dai did not continue to persuade Prince Yu.
On the contrary, the concubine in the palace was graceful and radiant.
She was pregnant again, and the palace physician said it was twins, a boy and a girl.
Strangely enough, other concubines in the palace had given birth to children, but they all died soon after birth. However, the emperor's grandson was visibly strong.
Not only that, after Feng became pregnant this time, she was in better condition than last time. Even the midwife in the palace said that the little master that Feng would give birth to this time would definitely be in very good health.
This made Princess Chen very jealous, but she could do nothing about it.
Because of her elegance, her father Feng Qingtian came and stayed in the palace.
Everyone knows that Feng Qingtian is not only a sword immortal, but also Xu Qing's man.
Now he is a guest elder of the Monster Catching Division.
With her old father looking after her, Feng is no longer afraid of even Prince Yu.
Of course, she still abides by the obvious rules.
She knew very well that as long as she didn't make any trouble, at least her son would be able to become the Crown Prince.
In any case, you will be rich and prosperous in this life.
So she believed in fate more.
Her son is destined to be the emperor.
But sometimes, Feng would come up with a bold idea.
Prince Yu was well aware of the importance of Feng's identity.
He didn't plan to live, but he also wanted his son to sit on the throne. If the throne was usurped by Xu Qing, he would be able to die with a smile on his face.
Let father regret it!
After he finished chatting with Mr. Dai, he came to see Feng, took out a token, a handwritten note, and his own private seal.
"These tokens can mobilize the Greedy Wolf Army. I have sent them to the border towns. When father and his men return to the capital, you can take them to see father and...Xu Qing." Prince Yu gave the instructions.
Feng was extremely surprised.
But her face was still filled with sadness, tears rolling down her cheeks, "My Lord, I am with you..."
Although Prince Yu knew that Feng might not be sincere, he was still relieved to see her like this.
The most important thing is that Feng gave birth to a son for him and is now pregnant.
For a man, death is not such a scary thing if he has offspring.
Deep down, he despised his father.
Because the old emperor was too afraid of death.
My father doesn't look like Emperor Wen of Han at all.
All things in the world, from their birth, will eventually die. Death is the law of nature and the natural order of things. Why should we be too sad?
Look at what his last will says, and then look at your father.
Even though Prince Yu suffered a crushing defeat this time, he still despised his father in his heart.
...
...
Soon, the imperial army arrived in the capital.
To be precise, it was the return to Beijing.
Everything happened as if the old emperor was just returning from an ordinary southern tour.
But no one knows how the undercurrent will surge.
Every household of the powerful and wealthy in the capital was terrified.
They had heard what had happened to the wealthy in other states.
However, Xu Qing's official documents did not mention the powerful and wealthy people in the capital.
They still have hope.
Of course, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and some of their tribesmen did escape with their property.
But most of them stayed.
It's just that he has been the boss of Beijing for too long and can't bear the pain of running away.
Moreover, many of them are relatives of the royal family, or have close ties with other nobles in Xu Qing's camp, or are even Xu Qing's business partners...
This time the game is over.
According to the previous rules, if you admit that you are a coward, you should not be killed.
As long as you can spend money to avoid disaster, it doesn’t matter.
What's more, the Black Mountain Old Demon hasn't made a move yet, so Xu Qing won't mess around in the capital. If he damages the dragon vein, it might reduce his chances of winning the battle with the Black Mountain Old Demon.
Of course, they also secretly hoped that the Black Mountain Demon could take the old emperor and Xu Qing away.
It's better to die together.
However, I dare not reveal this thought at this moment.
This time, they also fully realized the gap in strength between them and Xu Qing's men.
Not on the same level at all.
It cannot be said that they have no resistance at all, but judging from the facts, they do have no resistance at all.
The military families in the border towns all shouted slogans loudly, but since the real king's army returned to the north, they have not said a word.
Of course, they also heard that it was Prince Yu who sent the Tanlang Army to supervise the border town guards.
To be honest, this move was beyond everyone's expectations.
But it is also reasonable.
After all, this world belongs to the royal family.
Although Prince Yu was full of resentment, he still had the overall situation of the world in his heart.
Moreover, the Tanlang Army is currently near Yunzhou, which is the territory of Xu Qing's father-in-law.
If Xu Qing were to take ruthless action against Prince Yu's Mansion, who knows what big trouble might arise.
However, the possibility of this happening is not high.
...
...
Longevity Palace.
The old emperor felt a little uncomfortable when he returned to the palace he had been away from for a long time.
He instructed Chen Zhong casually, "Call that rebellious son."
Chen Zhong was about to take action when a young eunuch outside the palace brought urgent news.
"Prince Yu has passed away."
"What?" The old emperor stood up suddenly, walked to the young eunuch, pointed at him and said, "Say it again..."
"Prince Jade... has ascended to heaven..." The eunuch who reported the news was Zhang Kun.
"Get out!" The old emperor kicked the young eunuch.
He pointed at Chen Zhong again and said, "Go check what's going on."
Chen Zhong knew that Zhang Kun was Xu Qing's man, so he wanted to help him and said softly, "Your Majesty, I'll take him down and ask him some questions first, okay?"
"Hmm..." The old emperor suddenly regained his composure.
Chen Zhong took the young eunuch out, and after a long time, he came back with a letter with the sealing wax on it intact.
He presented it to the old emperor respectfully, but the old emperor did not look at it and asked, "Where is the person?"
Chen Zhong immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I saw that Prince Yu was indeed dead. Because the situation was urgent, I made a private decision to send him to Chaotian Temple. I hope the Imperial Master can find a way to save him."
The old emperor slapped Chen Zhong in the face and said, "Who told you to be the boss?"
Chen Zhong kowtowed and said, "I deserve death." (In the Yu Dynasty, eunuchs like Chen Zhong in the inner court also called themselves "ministers" in front of the emperor, just like those in the outer court.)
The old emperor kicked him again, and as if he was still not satisfied, he kicked him again.
After being beaten by the old emperor, Chen Zhong looked grief-stricken, but he knew in his heart that he had passed this hurdle.
Everyone knows that the emperor is cold-hearted, but one cannot really make people feel that the emperor is cold-hearted.
What needs to be done must still be done.
After the old emperor lost his temper, he sneered, "Little beast... Does this kid think that I will regret it once he dies? If he had the appearance of a crown prince, he should have argued with me in front of me instead of being so cowardly. Xu Qing said it well, dying is easy, living is hard. I didn't expect my son to be such a coward."
Chen Zhong bowed his head to the ground, not daring to stand up or agree.
"Pass the order to Xu Qing and ask him to bring that boy back to life." The old emperor continued calmly.
Chen Zhong shuddered.
This is Your Majesty.
You can only die if he lets you die.
But Xu Gongming, is there really a way to save Prince Yu?
His mind raced, and he immediately took the order to convey the decree.
(End of this chapter)