Thief Emperor

Chapter 1085 Enthusiasm and Methods

With the help of Prince Jin, Prince Yue, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Ministry of Rites, Prince Yue's wedding was successfully completed. Minister Fei's granddaughter was welcomed into Prince Yue's residence and became the second daughter-in-law of the Li family.

On the day of the wedding, the Zong family officially registered Miss Fei as the Princess Consort of Yue.

On the day of the wedding, His Majesty the Emperor also attended in person and participated in the wedding, making it a very lively occasion.

The day after the King of Yue's wedding, he took his wife to the palace to pay respects to his parents. The young couple first paid their respects to His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress, and then went together to Yongshou Palace to pay their respects to the Imperial Concubine.

Upon arriving at Yongshou Palace, Prince Yue left his newlywed wife there to talk with his mother. He then sought out Eunuch Gu and learned that His Majesty the Emperor had gone to Ganlu Hall to handle state affairs. Prince Yue then rushed to Ganlu Hall, informed the Emperor, and entered with his head bowed.

Upon seeing his father, Prince Yue bowed and greeted him with a smile, saying, "Father."

Emperor Li looked up at him, then looked down at the documents in his hand, and said, "Weren't you talking with your mother in Yongshou Palace? Why are you here with me again?"

His Highness the Prince of Yue scratched his head and said with a smile, "They never stop talking, and my mother is a bit of a nag. Let them talk."

"The son had something he wanted to tell his father, so he secretly slipped out."

Li Yun finally put down the documents in his hand, looked at him, and said, "Isn't it time to go back to your parents' home today?"

"Yes."

The King of Yue quickly said, "After she comes out of my mother's place, we will go to the Cao residence immediately."

On the second day after the wedding, the bride returns to her parents' home and stays there for a day before returning to her husband's home before sunset.

Li Yun nodded silently, looking at his son who was similar in build to himself, and said, "Speak quickly if you have something to say. Come with your wife to the Fei family later, and don't break the rules."

"Yes."

The King of Yue quickly lowered his head, looked at Li Yun, and said, "Father, I have heard that Uncle Chen is about to march into Longyou. The Longyou region is currently occupied by the Western Regions. I have nothing to do in Luoyang, so I would like to serve under General Chen and help the court and Father to pacify the Western Regions and reclaim the Longyou region."

Li Yun looked up at him, frowned and said, "How can you be thinking about going to war after only one day of marriage? If I really let you go, I don't know if your mother will complain about me, and your grandfather-in-law will probably come looking for trouble with me."

“Father, I have been thinking about this matter for a long time.”

The King of Yue looked at Li Yun, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, I am already married and will soon be enfeoffed in Yuezhou. It is now very unlikely that I will be enfeoffed in Yuezhou, nor do I wish to be enfeoffed there. As for Shu..."

"The Tibetans are too weak, we can't fight them, and my son doesn't really want to go to Sichuan."

He looked up at Li Yun and said, “Father, I have been visiting General Su frequently these days to ask him about the situation in the Northwest. I have learned a lot from him. General Su said that if Father wants to restore the Longyou Road and connect the Western Regions, the current military strength of the court is not a problem. The biggest problem is that supplies cannot be transported there, making it difficult to occupy the area for a long time.”

The King of Yue bowed his head and said, "Your son is willing to take up his fief in Suzhou in the northwest, to become the King of Su, and to forever guard the northwest for Father and the court."

“With the Prince of Su’s residence located in the northwest, it is only natural that a group of people can be gathered in Suzhou. In the future, they can cultivate land in the northwest and avoid the difficulty of supplying the court.”

"With me here, the northwest gateway can be secure. I dare not say that the northwest will be peaceful forever, but at least after General Chen pacifies the Western Regions, I can ensure that the Western Regions will not dare to act recklessly."

Emperor Li was also somewhat shocked when he heard this. He looked up at his second son, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "The Northwest is not as fertile as Yuezhou, and it is far less prosperous than Chengdu. If I really want you to be enfeoffed in Suzhou, I'm afraid your royal palace will not be built within three to five years."

The King of Yue bowed deeply and said, "Your son...does not seek pleasure!"

The emperor remained silent for a long time before tapping the table and saying, "I know your thoughts. This is no joke, and it's not something you can decide with just a few words. I need to think about it carefully."

The King of Yue quickly bowed his head and said, "Father, there's no rush for me to take up my fiefdom, but I wish to join General Chen's army and work with him to open up the Western Regions..."

Li Yun waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this anymore."

"You are newly married and have not yet given me a grandson. You should stay in Luoyang and not go anywhere else. As for your fiefdom..."

"I will consider it as your father."

"All right."

Seeing that the King of Yue was about to speak again, Emperor Li waved his hand and said, "It will be noon by the time we meet. You two should go to the Fei family now and not delay any longer."

His Highness the King of Yue dared not disobey and withdrew cautiously with his head bowed.

After he left, His Majesty the Emperor stroked his chin, lost in thought.

In another world during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor), it seems... there was indeed a Prince Su who guarded the Northwest, and this Prince Su did a pretty good job.

If there really were a prince who was willing to endure this hardship and had the ability, it would seem like a good move to eventually bestow upon him the title of Prince of Suzhou. However, Li Zheng is not suitable.

During this time, Li Yun had been thinking about Li Zheng's future. He was now considering either appointing him as the King of Shu in Chengdu, or simply sending him to Guanzhong and Chang'an to be the King of Qin.

If he were to become the King of Shu, Li Yun would prepare to give him some troops.

If he were to become the King of Qin, then I don't plan to give him any troops; I'll just give him some temporary assignments when the Chang'an army is mobilized.

Thinking of this, His Majesty the Emperor looked in the direction where Prince Yue had left and sighed softly.

"This child is really kind-hearted."

………………

Soon, the year ended, and it was the eleventh year of Zhangwu.

After more than half a month, the court ended its Spring Festival holiday and began to return to normal. At the first grand court assembly of the new year, His Majesty the Emperor publicly announced that the Crown Prince would officially enter the Hall of State Affairs to handle some state affairs.

This appointment essentially relinquished a portion of imperial power to His Highness the Crown Prince.

This would make the emperor much more relaxed, but the chancellors in charge of assisting the crown prince would be even busier, because at this time they would not only have to be responsible for their own affairs, but also try their best to ensure that His Highness the crown prince did not make any mistakes.

At the same time, during this grand court assembly, His Majesty the Emperor announced that Guo You, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, would enter the Hall of State Affairs and become the fifth prime minister.

This Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is also a veteran.

When Emperor Li was the governor of Wuzhou, Guo You was the magistrate of one of the counties under Wuzhou. Later, when Emperor Li started his career, Guo You followed Li Yun.

For years, Minister Du held the position of Minister of Personnel without ever relinquishing it. However, because Minister Du went to the Secretariat almost every day and rarely went to the Ministry of Personnel, the two Vice Ministers were responsible for all matters, big and small, in the Ministry of Personnel.

In a sense, Guo You had already served as Minister of Personnel for many years.

In both the common people and the government, he was often referred to as "Minister Guo," and some even called him "Minister Guo the Pot," meaning that the merits of the Ministry of Personnel belonged to Minister Du, but any mistakes were blamed on this Minister Guo who took the blame.

But it must be said that in the imperial court, this Vice Minister Guo is the most suitable person to enter the Secretariat and become the prime minister.

Aside from the newly appointed Prime Minister Guo, what surprised many people at this grand court assembly was that His Majesty the Emperor did not dismiss Prime Minister Tao Wenyuan. This Prime Minister Tao, who was already known as the "Lame Prime Minister," was still kept in the Hall of State Affairs by His Majesty the Emperor.

This is not surprising, after all, Tao Xiangong is more of a symbol, an icon.

He represents the scholars of "traditional learning," and the refined and vibrant spirit that has been passed down for many years, from the old Zhou Dynasty to the present day.

Although Emperor Li promoted new learning focused on practical achievements, he did not reject or suppress old learning, and needed to leave some fertile ground for these old schools of thought to survive.

Tao Wenyuan is a very useful symbol. As long as he is in the Secretariat, the vast number of scholars of the old learning will retain some hope in their hearts.

Soon, after some important matters were announced, His Majesty the Emperor stood up, looked at the assembled officials, and said with a smile, "Today is the first court assembly of the year, a good day. At the same time, the court has been resting for half a month. If any of you have important matters to discuss, you may bring them up at the court assembly."

"Let's all brainstorm together."

As soon as His Majesty the Emperor said this, the hall immediately became lively. Everyone chimed in, and the entire Taiji Hall became noisy.

After listening for a while, Emperor Li waved his hand and said, "Enough, enough. Let's choose the most important matters and report them to the Secretariat first. You all continue chatting. I'll rest for a bit and come back later."

Having said that, he put his hands behind his back and left the Taiji Hall.

No sooner had His Majesty the Emperor left than a group of officials surrounded the newly appointed Prime Minister Guo, offering their congratulations.

Minister Yao and Minister Du exchanged a glance, then looked at the newly promoted former Vice Minister of Rites, and then at the empty imperial throne, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

"The Ministry of Personnel is changing personnel at this time..."

Yao murmured to himself.

"Then let's fill the gaps in the first half of this year."

"It all depends on Your Majesty..."

(End of this chapter)