Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 475: Tuotuo’s downfall and great changes in Daqian!
Lao Hama’s voice was deafening, and he said: Prince Ruyang is your servant.

Everyone in the scene was shocked. That's right, King Ruyang was the victim. Not only was he deprived of his military power by you, but he was also imprisoned in the Big Buddha Temple.

After such humiliation, it was already a magnanimous act for the King of Ruyang not to add insult to injury. But now you want others to help you reduce his fiefdoms and in turn ask them to attack the kings who are allies with you.

You really don't treat King Ruyang as a human being.

Why should they help you? Even if they help you win the battle, what good will it be? If they win, will they allow you to take away his military power and successfully reduce his power?
You really think King Ruyang is an idiot.

All the civil and military officials in the court realized that the Minister of Personnel's words were sophistry, and they shook their heads secretly. The Minister of Personnel was also a little confused about how to refute what Old Hama said. After a long while, he said: "Isn't he, the Prince of Ruyang, a loyal minister of the court? He can't even do this. How can he be called a loyal minister of the court!"

This was a very shameless statement, and everyone who heard it smacked their teeth. This bastard was really mean.

As everyone was thinking this, Old Hama looked at the Minister of Personnel and said, "Well, if we talk about loyal ministers, we still have to look at our Lord Shangshu. You are treating Prince Ruyang as a saint."

"Prince Ruyang is willing to come to the capital, which is a great respect for the emperor. You want him to suppress the other princes. You are really imaginative."

"Okay, let's take a step back. If Prince Ruyang is really a saint and is willing to sacrifice everything for the court, then who will benefit in the end if he does this?"

"Of course, His Majesty has benefited!"

The Minister of Personnel spoke up. Hearing this, Old Hama laughed and said, "Your Majesty is benefiting from this, and you can say this. Let me ask you, even if the reduction of the feudal lords is successful, who will be in charge of the military power of the feudal lords? Will it be your Majesty? Your Majesty, are you willing to take care of the military deployment of various places?"

After hearing this, the emperor remained silent. How could he have the time to care about these things? He was still busy cultivating immortality and cultivating magic. How could he have the time to take care of specific military affairs?
Therefore, the emperor was silent, and Lao Hama said: "Well, Your Majesty, it seems that you don't want to take care of these specific affairs. Since Your Majesty doesn't want to take care of them, then I ask you who wants to take care of these specific affairs, and who will take over the military power if it is taken back?"

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Tuotuo. Is there any doubt? In the end, the military power will definitely fall into the hands of our Prime Minister.

Thinking of this, everyone looked at Tuotuo. Tuotuo's face turned pale at this time. He didn't want these people to look at him like this. Looking at him like this would make him very passive. Thinking of this, he coughed lightly.

Then his top henchman, the Minister of Personnel, said, "Master Hama, don't ask useless questions. Our most urgent task now is not to consider who will be in charge of the military power in the future, but to find a way to make the kings unable to rebel against the court and let them voluntarily hand over their military power!"

Old Hama frowned after hearing what the Minister of Personnel said. This bastard was trying to change the subject again. It must be said that this Minister of Personnel was quite something and knew how to turn words into a form that was beneficial to him.

After figuring this out, Old Hama said, "Humph, let's not discuss this. You don't dare to discuss it. The court has taken back the military power, and it is likely that our Lord Zuo Xiang will take control of it."

"When the time comes, our Lord Left Prime Minister will have the power of civil officials in one hand and the power of military generals in the other. With the civil and military powers combined, will the world be ruled by the Borjigin clan or the Merikid clan?"

After Lao Hama's words, everyone in the court fell silent. Tuotuo clenched his fists. Lao Hama's words were really heartbreaking.

The Minister of Personnel also turned pale at this time, but he still shouted angrily: "Hama, old thief, don't try to sow discord between His Majesty and the Prime Minister. You can't do it. Have you forgotten that you relied on your status as a relative to the emperor to oppress His Majesty, formed a clique for personal gain, and monopolized power in the court? If it weren't for my Prime Minister who put things right, you would have usurped power by now!"

"I usurped power. I am your Majesty's uncle! I monopolized power in the court. I was the regent under the order of the Queen Mother. After the Emperor took power, I returned the power to your Majesty. And I have never thought of taking the military power of the vassal kings."

Thinking of this, Old Hama knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the vassal kings rule the world. This is the rule set by Grandpa Taizu. The first is to prevent the Han people from rebelling at that time. The second and most important is to prevent the emergence of powerful officials in the court, who would undermine the imperial power and threaten the rule of the Borjigin clan."

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful. You must understand the reasoning behind this. Please make the decision."

Old Hama kowtowed to the emperor, seemingly relaxed, but in fact he was letting the emperor make the decision himself.

Seeing Old Hama like this, the emperor's expression became very ugly.

Has the situation reached this point now?
Emperor Qianshun, the one in power today, was not a confused person. Even though he had not attended court for more than ten years, he was well aware of what was going on in the court.

Tuotuo really went too far this time, and he had to deal with it even if it was convenient for him.

Moreover, this matter also involves the Eight Kings' Biography. The emperor heard what the Minister of Personnel said just now. It was pure nonsense. The court had to go against the princes, and it was the court that took the initiative. Isn't this crazy?
Forcing people to rebel?

Good man, yes, you are the Minister of Personnel. No matter who becomes the emperor, you can be an official. But if someone else becomes the emperor, I will be a dead man.

And just now he said that Prince Ruyang would help them in the war. That's nonsense. If he were Prince Ruyang, he would definitely not help the emperor in the war. He's crazy. The court doesn't even treat me as a human being. I'm helping others to weaken myself.

The emperor asked himself, if he were Prince of Ruyang, he would have rebelled long ago.

Moreover, Prince Ruyang's performance was very loyal. How could Tuotuo transfer Prince Ruyang to the capital with just a few empty words? It was all because of his brother's loyalty to the court.

How could I force someone who is so loyal to me to rebel step by step?
And what Lao Hama said was right. Tuotuo was now the head of the civil servants. Among the six ministries in the court, except for the Ministry of Rites which was Lao Hama's territory, the rest were all Tuotuo's former subordinates. In this situation, he could almost make the decisions on the affairs of the court with just a word.

But now he is still not satisfied, and he has even started to set his sights on his military power. Just like what Lao Hama said, the power of civil officials plus military power, what is that? Isn't that his imperial power?

Thinking of this, he looked at Tuotuo with cold eyes. As an emperor, he would never allow anyone to interfere with his imperial power.

In fact, after Tuotuo took out the Records of the Eight Kings, he stopped defending himself because he knew it was meaningless.

The emperor would not go to war with the entire military group just for himself. That would be crazy. How foolish would he have to be to go to war with the princes of the world just for someone who wanted to seize his imperial power?
At this time he knew that he could not defend himself. All his words of defense would become a sword to kill him after the emperor reacted.

"Mr. Prime Minister, what do you think about this matter?"

The emperor glanced at Tuotuo indifferently. Tuotuo took a deep breath, turned to look at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I am wrong!"

"Oh, what's wrong with the Prime Minister?"

The emperor looked at Tuotuo and asked. Tuotuo said, "I am in charge of the Secretariat, reviewing official documents from various provinces every day. I see that they are all news of rebellion from all sides, but the local princes are not able to suppress them, which has led to the situation getting worse. I am deeply worried about state affairs, so I wonder if I can rely on my power to let the court suppress the rebellion in a unified way, so as to improve efficiency."

"Unexpectedly, good intentions turned out to be bad. What old Lord Hama said just now was that the civil officials are already the most powerful officials among the officials. If they also control the military power, wouldn't they be on an equal footing with Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"

"But what I was thinking about at that time was how to relieve the worries of the country and your majesty. Your majesty is my mentor. If it weren't for your majesty, I would still be just an editor in the Hanlin Academy. It is your majesty's grace that has brought me to where I am today. I will never forget your majesty's grace."

"That's why I made such a big mistake. But I really did it for Your Majesty. I have no second thoughts. It's just that I realized it now, but it's too late. I regret it now!"

As he spoke, Tuotuo bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am Mieliqi Tuotuo. I ask you to punish me severely to serve as a role model for other officials in the world. You must not condone my behavior. Your Majesty, please punish me severely!"

Tuotuo knelt on the ground and cried out for severe punishment.

If you don’t know him, you would really think he is a loyal minister serving his country and his people.

Old Hama looked at Tutuo like this with his eyes slightly condensed. He had to say that Tutuo was really capable. Even in the current situation, he could still remain so calm and even stir up His Majesty's emotions. It had to be said that to be able to reach his current position, this Prime Minister Tutuo had something.

Old Hama looked at the emperor and saw that the frost on his face suddenly melted after hearing Tuotuo's words.

Seeing the emperor like this, Lao Hama’s eyes widened. What a guy, he can’t even die.

This almost forced the kings to go to the capital to defend the emperor, but unexpectedly, the emperor still did not want to kill Tuotuo. Lao Hama even suspected that Tuotuo had cast a curse on the emperor.

At this time, the emperor cleared his throat and said, "Well, I have already made a decision on this matter."

After hearing this, everyone looked at the emperor, waiting for his reply. Then the emperor said, "Left Prime Minister Tuotuo disobeyed the imperial edict, made decisions on his own, and caused the kings to suffer. This crime is unforgivable!"

"He is now stripped of all his official positions, demoted to a commoner, and exiled to Yunnan!"

"Oh, sir, this is too severe a punishment, too severe a punishment!"

When he heard that Tuotuo was going to be exiled to Yunnan, the Minister of Personnel immediately stood up and shouted, "Your Majesty, the punishment is too severe, too severe!"

After hearing this, before Lao Hama could speak, the emperor looked at him and said, "Oh, you think it's too heavy, that's fine, you can go with me."

"what!"

The Minister of Personnel's eyes widened. He had not expected that he would bring trouble upon himself, so he looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, that is not what I meant. That is not what I meant!"

The emperor heard this and said, "Since you are loyal to the master, I cannot let you down. I will dismiss the Minister of Personnel Chao Lu from his post and exile him and Tuotuo to Yunnan."

"Ah, Your Majesty!"

After hearing this, Chao Lu wanted to protest, but the emperor ignored him and said, "Also, pass on my order to immediately go to the Big Buddha Temple to welcome Prince Ruyang and upgrade his rank to Prince Sanzhu. He will still lead the White Deer Army and suppress the five routes and eighty-one prefectures in Jiangnan."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After hearing the emperor's words, Wang Baobao originally felt that the punishment for Tuotuo was too light, but now he was very happy. After all, Prince Ruyang was only a county prince before, and his status was not the most noble royal title.

But now he is a prince, which is also a great substitute among the royal family.

This represented great honor and the emperor's trust. Wang Baobao immediately nodded his head to express his gratitude and shouted "Long live the emperor".

The emperor glanced at Wang Baobao and said, "Kuokuo, right? You have made great contributions in your visit to the capital this time. I will confer upon you a title, Earl of Loyalty and Righteousness, with a fief of 500 households, which will be hereditary for generations."

The emperor thought of a title and gave it directly to Wang Baobao. Although Wang Baobao was the prince of Ruyang, he did not hold any imperial title.

This time, the emperor, in order to appease the people, directly gave Wang Baobao the title of Earl, which was already a high position. And more importantly, this title could be inherited by his descendants, which means that Wang Baobao's lineage could always hold the position of Earl of Loyalty.

According to Daqian's title law, when the younger generation inherits the title of the previous generation, they often need to downgrade the title. That is to say, the next generation of a prince is a prince of a county, the next generation of a prince of a county is a duke, and then a marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.

But there is one difference among these, that is, the hereditary system.

For example, if the word "hereditary without replacement" is added after the title of a prince, it means that his descendants will always inherit the title of prince without being demoted.

Such a prince is generally called an iron-hat prince.

After that, there is only one title, which is usually inherited by the eldest son, and the rest of the children can only be commoners.

But Wang Baobao is different. After this incident is over, according to King Ruyang’s character, he will probably pass on his title to Wang Baobao, so that Wang Baobao will have two titles.

One is the title of King of Ruyang that he inherited, and the other is his title of Earl of Loyalty.

And if he has two sons, then the eldest son can continue to inherit the title of King of Ruyang. Of course, at that time, the eldest son may inherit the title of Duke (inheritance by downgrading the title), and his son can inherit the title of Earl of Loyalty.

This can be regarded as a great blessing from heaven.

At this time, Wang Baobao knelt down to express his gratitude. The emperor said nothing and immediately issued another order.

"Also Hama."

"Chen is here!"

Hama immediately agreed, and followed the emperor, saying, "I will issue an edict to Prince An, telling them that I already know their thoughts, and I will dismiss Tuotuo and exile him according to their thoughts. They can rest assured that there are no treacherous ministers around me anymore. Moreover, I will go to the Big Buddha Temple and ask the Living Buddha to enlighten me about my sins. Tell them that I will get better, and I will still be me!"

"Yes!"

After hearing this, Hama immediately prepared to draft an edict. This edict revealed a lot of things. The first two sentences were to tell these princes that you should all be more obedient. I have already done what you wanted. The court has restored order and no one will reduce your fiefdoms anymore!
Then comes the second and most important sentence: "I will go to the Big Buddha Temple to reflect on my mistakes and let the Living Buddha enlighten me."

The most important thing about this sentence is the Living Buddha. It means to tell these princes, don't be too arrogant, because there is a Living Buddha standing behind me. You'd better not go too far, otherwise the Living Buddha will be enough to destroy you. This sentence is more of a deterrent.

And his role is definitely top-notch. In fact, among the many vassal kings, the most prominent one is the King of Qi.

Although the King of Qi is arrogant, he is not stupid. You have to know who he is facing. When he faces the Living Buddha, he must be humble enough.

In such a world where martial arts are flourishing, a land immortal is actually enough to change the world situation. This is why the emperor favors Tuotuo so much, and even when he has the possibility of wanting to interfere in the imperial power, the emperor is unwilling to kill him.

Because there was no need. As long as the Living Buddha stood behind the emperor, even if Tuotuo really had great power, a word from the Living Buddha would be enough to ruin Tuotuo's reputation, so the emperor was not panicked.

In fact, he has the living Buddha to protect him, so he is already invincible.

And the last sentence, "I am still myself", means to warn the kings not to have any unreasonable expectations. It can be said that this imperial edict from the palace is very explanatory.

It can be regarded as a positive response to the Eight Kings' Travels.

After the emperor finished speaking, he looked at the civil and military officials in the court and said, "Well, let's stop here for today. Today is my birthday, and I have set up a banquet in the Yannian Hall. You are all welcome to come."

"Oh, right, send someone to invite Prince Ruyang to the banquet right now. I want to see him right away."

"Yes."

After hearing this, the guards waiting outside immediately turned around and ran out, heading straight for the Big Buddha Temple. At this time, the emperor looked at Lao Hama beside him and said, "Oh, I almost forgot, uncle, you have made a great contribution by reporting this case, so listen to the emperor's order."

"Ah, I have done so little, how dare I ask for your favor?"

The emperor smiled and said, "Uncle, you helped me protect me in the past. Although you are a little old now, you are in very good spirits. So, you can take over Tuotuo's position as the left prime minister first, and please share some of the affairs of the court with me."

"I dare not not sacrifice my life for the country!"

The emperor smiled and said, "Okay, that's it for today. Let's go to the Yannian Hall to drink and enjoy the dance."

After saying this, all the ministers immediately agreed. Only Tuotuo and the Minister of Personnel were detained by the guards at this time. After a series of signatures, they would be sent out of the palace and directly to Yunnan.

It’s good enough that their families were not implicated this time.

At this time, Tuotuo was in good spirits. Although the emperor sent him to exile in Yunnan, he did not kill him directly, which showed that he still had some feelings for him. And when the situation in the court became chaotic in the future, or if something happened to Lao Hama, it would not be a big deal if he was recalled to the capital to be employed again.

After all, he had been banished from the capital before, but the court would summon him back after a period of time, so Tuotuo was not at all panicked this time.

As long as he doesn't die, Tuotuo will definitely have a chance to turn defeat into victory.

Thinking of this, Tuotuo looked at the former Minister of Personnel Chaolu who was beside him and said, "Why are you crying? It's just a deportation. The way we left the capital today, others will take me back the same way!"

After hearing this, Chao Lu was stunned, but she still held back her tears and said, "Prime Minister, if you ever get back to power, don't forget me!"

Tuotuo said: "Don't worry, I won't forget you."

……

call out! Snapped!
A firework exploded directly outside the capital city, attracting the attention of many people. The firework was in the shape of a large red peony flower. No one knew what material it was made of, but it was clearly visible even in the daytime.

Everyone was looking at the big peony in amazement.

In the woods in the distance, Chen Jie slowly put down his wine bowl, then looked at Dharmapa sitting opposite him and said, "Master, the dust has settled!"

"Hmm? To give you the news?"

Dharmaba looked at Chen Jie and asked. After hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Dharmaba and said, "Well, the flowers are blooming and the wealth is flourishing. This is good news. Tuotuo should be captured."

After hearing this, Dharmapa said, "It seems that your plan was successful. Congratulations."

Chen Jie said: "It can only be said that Tuotuo himself has done too much evil and will eventually be punished."

Dharmaba looked at Chen Jie and said, "It's actually my fault. If I had stopped Old Hama, maybe he wouldn't be in such a mess today."

After hearing this, Chen Jie said, "But Master, this move also saved the Living Buddha a lot of trouble. As a disciple, we should share the worries of our master. Do you think this is right?"

After hearing this, Dharmapa looked at Chen Jie and said, "You are right."

Then Dharmapa said, "Your wine is very good, but it's a pity that I'm afraid we won't be able to drink together again in this life."

After hearing this, Zhu Chongba looked at Chen Jie reluctantly and said, "That's true, but could you please pass on the wine recipe to me so I can satisfy my craving?"

Chen Jie looked at Zhu Chongba and said, "No, this won't do. This is my secret brew. I'm counting on it as a family heirloom. If my descendants can't afford to eat in the future, they can still rely on my brewing skills to survive."

After hearing this, Zhu Chongba said, "That's right, this kind of skill can't be passed on to others."

"Brother Chen is right. In the future, we should also learn a unique skill and pass it on to the younger generation."

……

At the Dadu Imperial Palace, at this moment, fast horses were coming towards this side from outside the city gate. A middle-aged man was sitting on the leading horse, surrounded by imperial guards. When they arrived at the city gate, the imperial guards said, "My lord, you are not allowed to ride horses in this palace. Please dismount."

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang got off his horse immediately. He had just learned that Wang Baobao and his men had filed a complaint with the emperor and had brought Tuotuo down.

Only then did they release themselves. I have to say that Yaya and Kuokuo really did a great thing.

Prince Ruyang handed the reins of his horse to the guard beside him. At this time, Eunuch Zhao from the palace came over and said, "Prince, you are here. His Majesty is waiting for you in the Yannian Palace. He said that if you don't come, the banquet can't be held."

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang said, "The emperor's grace is so great."

After saying this, Prince Ruyang looked at Eunuch Zhao and said, "Thank you for coming here in person, Eunuch."

Eunuch Zhao said, "This is nothing. Let's go quickly."

As Eunuch Zhao led the way, Prince Ruyang followed behind. As soon as they arrived at the city gate, they saw a group of guards escorting Tuotuo and Chaolu out.

At this time, King Ruyang and Tuotuo were facing each other directly!

(End of this chapter)