Thief Emperor

Chapter 533 Playing House

Hearing this address, Li Yun was stunned at first, and then he became a little excited. After a long while, he stepped forward to help Du Qian up, and said with a smile: "Brother Du, why did you change your address?"

Du Qian stood up and said to Li Yun with a smile: "My lord, since you no longer have a position in the court, it is not appropriate to call you Lord Fu. This is a good opportunity to clarify the hierarchy in Jiangdong."

At this point, he became serious, took a step back, bowed to Li Yun and said, "Du Qian is willing to serve the lord and work together for the great cause."

Du Qian is undoubtedly a very smart person.

The development of the relationship between Li Yun and him has always been controlled by him.

At first, the two were nominally in a superior-subordinate relationship, but after seeing the situation in Yuezhou clearly, he took the initiative to adjust the relationship to a cooperative one.

When Li Yun was appointed as the Three Recruiting Envoys, Du Qian once again adjusted the relationship between the two, and they became a superior-subordinate relationship again, but this time, Li Yun had become Du Qian's superior.

This time, when the court dismissed Li Yun, Du Qian once again decisively re-established the monarch-subject relationship between the two, and also formally established Li Yun's position in the Jiangdong Group.

Otherwise, Li Yun would not have a position in the court, and his core position would be unclear for a long time, which might blur the situation.

Li Yun was also a smart man. He only thought about it for a moment and he understood Du Qian's idea. After a little consideration, he looked up at the officials behind Du Qian, especially Yao Zhong.

Today, these people were able to follow Du Qian, were willing to follow behind Du Qian, and called Li Yun their lord. In other words, these people were no longer officials of the Great Zhou court, but were completely Li Yun's team.

In other words, these people can be said to be Li Yun's own team and his subjects.

After a moment of daze, Li Yun raised his hand and said, "Everyone stand up."

After everyone stood up, Li Yun said with a smile: "Let's go back to the city. It's not enough to have so many people come out to greet me."

When everyone was smiling and returning to Jinling, Li Yun and Du Qian were walking on the official road, one in front and one behind. Li said with emotion: "Brother Du really gave me a big surprise."

Du Qian followed Li Yun half a step behind and said with a smile: "That's because the lord is not very sensitive to matters of etiquette and law. If he were more sensitive, it would not be difficult to guess what happened today."

"No matter who it is, ruling a region requires a title. The court has taken back the title of lord, so we have to establish one for ourselves. Otherwise, it may not have any impact in the short term, but over time, various problems will arise."

“If words are not in harmony, nothing will be accomplished.”

"and…"

Du Qian looked at Li Yun and said with a smile, "Besides, our battle in Jiangbei went very smoothly. Given the current situation, it would be fine if you were a little bolder and declared yourself king directly."

"When Qiu Dian declared himself the King of Yue, he only had one or two states and counties under his command. Now, you are almost a hundred times better than him."

Li Yun shook his head slightly: "It is precisely because of Qiu Dian's previous experience that we need to be cautious about this matter."

At this point, Li Yun looked at Du Qian, shook his head, and whispered, "Brother Du, please call me Erlang. The word lord sounds so weird."

Du Qian smiled and said, "I also feel it's weird now, but I think there's always a process of getting used to it. After a long time, we'll all get used to it."

Li Yun was silent for a while, and did not respond. Instead, he asked, "Did you have anything else to do during my absence from Jinling?"

"General Li went to deal with the troubled states in the south. He just sent a letter back yesterday saying that many people died."

Du Qian said softly, "After the conflict, hundreds of lives were lost in each state. General Li took drastic measures."

He looked at Li Yun and continued, “I’m afraid General Li will not have a good reputation in those states in the future.”

Li Yun nodded silently. After a moment of silence, he sighed and said, "Actually, Li Zheng is not a vicious person."

"My subordinates know."

Du Qian said softly, "General Li did this all for the Lord."

Both of them were silent for a while, and then Du Qian continued, "In addition to the direct riots, there are also some prefectures and counties that have stopped sending official documents to Jinling since their lord was dismissed by the court. If there are official documents, they are sent to Master Fei, but Master Fei was frightened and had them sent to me."

Li Yun was a little surprised and said with a smile: "In Jiangdong, there are still a few stubborn people who stick to their principles."

Du Qian hummed and said softly: "I have asked Master Fei to go to these states to take a look. With Master Fei's presence, they should be able to change their minds. If that doesn't work..."

"I'm afraid we'll have to leave it to General Li to handle."

"There's no need to kill these tough guys."

Li Yun said softly: "If they are really not of the same kind as us, we can find someone to replace their jobs and let them go wherever they want."

Du Qian smiled bitterly and said, "If we send people over there, they will most likely not give up their positions, and a conflict is inevitable in the end." "That's another matter."

Li Yun stretched and moved his body, then looked at Du Qian and said with a smile: "Brother Du, I'm ready to start distributing the land equally."

"It is already autumn and winter. We need to complete part of it before next year's spring ploughing so as not to delay next year's spring ploughing."

After hearing this, Du Qian was unusually silent for a long time, then he looked at Li Yun and whispered, "In any case, we have to wait until the autumn crops are harvested."

Li Yun nodded readily.

"Then after the autumn chill is over, we will start preparing and discuss the specific rules during this period of time."

Du Qian couldn't help but look up at Li Yun's expression and sighed in his heart.

He knew that the landlords in Jiangnan and even the entire southeast were probably...

Bad luck is about to begin.

…………

Late autumn is approaching.

The weather in the capital is getting colder day by day.

In the Chongde Hall of the Imperial Palace, General Wei Quanzhong bowed slightly to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, order has been restored in the capital now, and the rebels are gone. I should not stay in Guanzhong any longer. I will return to Shuofang and continue to guard the Shuofang military town for the court."

Now, General Wei has been granted special permission to enter the court without bowing, so even at this court meeting, he just clasped his fists and bowed.

The Emperor on the throne frowned at first, then spoke to persuade them to stay: "The capital will soon be restored, shouldn't the Wei family stay for a while longer and share more of the worries for the court?"

General Wei looked up at the emperor, then lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Great Zhou is now prosperous. I have never seen why Your Majesty is worried!"

The emperor was furious, but he still suppressed his temper and said in a deep voice: "A few months ago, the Wei family suggested to the court to remove Li Yun, the governor of Jiangnan. As a result, Li Yun immediately started to make trouble. Now he not only occupies Jiangnan Road, but also most of Huainan Road. He has become a major concern for the court!"

"This incident was caused by your family. Should your family do something to help the court resolve the hidden dangers?"

"Your Majesty, Li Yun from Jiangnan is just a scoundrel who took advantage of the country's crisis. He is not worth mentioning and cannot be defeated. If I were nearby, as long as Your Majesty gave the order, I would immediately lead the troops to capture him and bring his head to Your Majesty."

"But Shuofang is in the northwest, more than a thousand miles away from the southeast."

"I am really powerless..."

He looked up at the Emperor and continued, "But don't worry, Your Majesty. There are several vassal states near Jiangnan, all of which are strong in military strength. Your Majesty can issue an imperial decree to have the Jiedushi near Jiangnan Road send troops to attack the thief Li!"

The emperor was so angry that his face turned pale.

He looked at Wei Quanzhong and didn't say anything for a long time. Instead, he said in a hoarse voice: "In my opinion, this Li Yun can no longer be described as a villain."

"It's a real and serious concern."

"Wei Qing's family."

He looked at Wei Quanzhong. General Wei was unmoved. Instead, he lowered his head and said, "If Your Majesty has no way to deal with him for the time being, it would be better to use a delaying tactic and recruit him to settle down temporarily."

Emperor Wu Yuancheng had a dark face and said nothing.

A few months ago, an imperial decree was issued to dismiss him, and a few months later, he was asked to "recruit him". What has the court become?

Playing house?

Although His Majesty the Emperor was annoyed, there was nothing he could do.

In fact, the court in the last years of a dynasty was often like this. Some decrees seemed like playing house and made no sense at all.

The reason for this is that those in power have no other choice.

Emperor Wu Yuancheng looked at Wei Quanzhong. Wei Quanzhong looked calm and looked directly at the emperor.

After a long while, His Majesty the Emperor stood up with a sullen face.

"Retreat!"

(End of this chapter)