Thief Emperor

Chapter 794: The Conflict between the Emperor and His Ministers
Being legitimate is indeed a very important thing in this era. Otherwise, even if you have the strength, you will encounter inexplicable obstacles when you advance to some places.

If words are not smooth, nothing can be accomplished.

When people ask you who your master is and you have no answer, you may sometimes suffer a loss.

However, everything has its pros and cons. Li Yun looked at Du Qian and said with a smile, "In terms of territory and military strength, we have almost enough now. But as for legitimacy, I'm afraid it's not enough to declare ourselves emperor."

He said slowly: "Wu Zhou is still here."

Every dynasty has emphasized two words, that is...

orthodox.

Without this orthodox status, you will be criticized no matter what and will get into a lot of trouble.

If you want the legitimate position, you either have to completely destroy the previous dynasty and unify the world, and then declare it to the outside world. This way, no one can find fault with it. After all, at this time, you are the only regime in the world, and no one can jump out and compete with you for anything.

However, this path is relatively difficult. Even those who choose this path will generally only make such an announcement when the general trend of the world has been determined and only some finishing work remains.

Compared to this path, the easier and more common way is to receive Zen.

To put it simply, it means taking over the status of the orthodox dynasty from the previous dynasty.

Du Qian had obviously thought about this. He smiled and said, "Have you forgotten the throne? The King of Chu is still in Jinling, and we have kept him fat and plump. At this time, the old Zhou has already moved to Bashu. The King of Chu can completely replace the Emperor of Wu Zhou and abdicate the throne to the King."

Mr. Li lowered his head to drink tea and said with a smile: "He is the King of Chu, not the Son of Heaven. How can he abdicate?"

"It's just a title."

Du Qian looked calm and said with a smile: "There is still such a group of people in this world. They have long wanted to come to seek refuge with the higher-ups, but because of their status and the ethics of scholars, they have been holding back. These people are just waiting for the higher-ups to give them a reason."

"No matter how far-fetched the reason is, as long as it makes sense, they will believe it and accept it."

Li Yun curled his lips with some disdain: "Those people are arrogant, but I am also arrogant. Our rice bowl in Jiangdong is not so cheap. Come early and get it. If you come late, it will be gone."

Du Qian was startled, then he said, "To be promoted, among these people who are arrogant, there are still some who have extremely high reputations and status."

Li Yun thought for a while, took a deep breath, and said, "Brother Shouyi, I still think there is no need to be too anxious."

"When I first entered Luoyang, Yao Zhong had already persuaded me to ascend the throne and become emperor. At that time, I was actually very tempted. I thought about it over and over again for several days before I gritted my teeth and refused."

"Since we were not in a hurry then, there is no need to be in a hurry now. Now that we have taken over Dongdu, we must at least take over Xijing and Guanzhong."

"Let's discuss the founding of the country."

At this point, Li Yun looked at Du Qian and said with a smile: "I know that Brother Shouyi and the civil servants under him, and even many generals in the Jiangdong Army, are itching to get promoted, thinking that if I take the throne, everyone will be able to be crowned as a marquis and become a prime minister, rich and glorious."

"No rush, no rush."

Li Yun lowered his head to drink tea and said slowly: "We have come this far over the years, and this year or two won't make a difference. Guanzhong can't hold out for too long."

Hearing what Li Yun said, Du Qian could only smile and said nothing more, "I am not that anxious, but some people below are probably anxious."

Li Yun said "hmm" to show that he understood. Then he looked up at Du Qian and said, "Brother Shouyi is from Jingzhao and has lived in Guanzhong for generations. He must be familiar with Guanzhong and the capital. At this moment, the Jiangdong Empire is only one step away from Guanzhong."

Mr. Li thought for a moment and continued, "Here in Guanzhong, Brother Shouyi can do more work."

Du Qian said quickly: "Don't worry, my lord. Although I am not familiar with military affairs, I do know many people in Guanzhong. These people have had some connection with our Du family in the past."

"Although the relationship is not necessarily very good, but now that the upper position is powerful, they naturally become close to the Du family. In the past year, I have received many letters from Guanzhong, conquering Guanzhong and the Shuofang Army."

"I will definitely cooperate with the Nine Departments to help you in your higher position."

Li Yun nodded and smiled, then stood up, put his hands behind his back and looked up into the air, sighing, "Brother Yihui."

Du Qian stood behind Li Yun and said, "Take the position."

"In the past, when we were just starting out, every time we made a little progress, I was happy, and every time we made progress, our blood boiled."

"This time, we entered the Central Plains and won a series of great victories. I was naturally happy, but after the joy, sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night and felt trembling with fear."

Mr. Li said meaningfully: "Although I am not very smart, I could predict some future trends in the past, but now..."

"If I take one more step forward, I can no longer see what the future will be like."

“That’s normal.”

Du Qian bowed his head slightly and said, "If you take one more step forward, you will have to carry all the billions of sentient beings in the world on your shoulders."

“Of course the pressure is going to be huge.”

At this point, Du Qian paused and continued, "However, as long as the higher-ups can implement the great policies in Jiangdong throughout the country, I believe that the world will be well governed in the future."

"If you take the throne, you will definitely be able to restore the old country and save the people from disaster." Li Yun shook his head and said, "There is a saying among the people that every child has his own way of raising him. The way of Jiangdong is suitable in Jiangdong, but it may not be suitable in other places."

"Moreover, the only areas we personally managed before were only a dozen or twenty counties near Jinling. In the future, the world will be so big..."

“That day will come.”

Li Yun looked back at Du Qian and said slowly, "I'm afraid neither you nor I can see what's going on down there."

Du Qian was startled, and then he keenly noticed that Li Yun had something else in his words, so he asked, "What does it mean to be promoted?"

Li Yun shook his head and said with a smile: "It's nothing special, I just want to tell Brother Shouyi what's in my heart."

"You and I have worked together for many years, and we will most likely continue to work together in the future. You can't turn a blind eye."

Du Qian first looked at Li Yun, then suddenly something moved in his heart and he looked up at Li Yun.

He seemed to understand what Li Yun meant.

Being in a high position, it is naturally impossible for you to see or hear many things with your own eyes or ears.

However, Li Yun's eyes and ears are not just his eyes and ears, but...

Nine officials!

Thinking of this, Du Qian looked up at Li Yun. He took a deep breath in his heart and understood the meaning of Li Yun's words.

As the "boss", I am most likely going to... expand the Ninth Department.

After realizing this, Du Qian couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

The expansion of the Nine Departments, and their expansion as the future "Emperor's eyes and ears", will definitely squeeze out some of the power of the civil servants.

Especially the power of the Censorate.

Judging from the current situation, Li Yun is undoubtedly a "wise ruler". With Li Yun in power, the Nine Departments have become stronger, which is completely acceptable to Du Qian and he has no objection.

What he was worried about was that if this situation became a system, the emperors of all generations would be like this in the future...

As long as there is a foolish ruler, the entire country may take a sharp turn for the worse.

Thinking of this, Du Qian couldn't help but be absent-minded.

He thought about it seriously, and finally looked at Li Yun and said, "My Lord, I have probably guessed some of your intentions. When the new dynasty is established in the future, the Censorate and all officials will become your eyes and ears."

"As long as the emperor values ​​virtuous people, the court will be filled with people."

Hearing this, Li Yun glanced at Du Qian and then smiled: "I hope so."

"Brother Shouyi, come on, I'll treat you to a drink."

Du Qian replied, "Sir, the New Year is less than two months away. Now that the Central Plains has been settled, you are going back to Nanjing to celebrate the New Year. When do you plan to go back?"

Li Yun looked up and replied, "Let's take care of things in Luoyang in the next few days, and then tell Yao Zhong a few words, and then we can prepare to leave."

At this point, he said with emotion: "In the blink of an eye, I have been away from Jinling for two years. When I think about it, I miss Jinling a lot."

Du Qian smiled and said, "I have only been away from Jinling for a few months, and I miss Jinling a little."

"Well, let's set a date today. Five days later, we will set off together and return to Jinling. Let them take care of the affairs in the Central Plains."

Mr. Li smiled and said, "I'll have a few days off too."

Du Qian nodded and said with a smile: "It has been too hard to be in power these years. It is time to take a break. After all, in a while, you may have to shoulder heavy responsibilities when you are in power."

The two chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

But before they knew it, Du Qian and Du Yingli had begun to act like subjects in every sentence they spoke.

The relationship between the two as king and subject was completely established without them noticing.

Five days later, Li Yun, his guard camp, as well as Du Qian, Su Zhan and other relevant personnel left Luoyang and returned to Jinling.

When the King of Wu left Luoyang, the people of Luoyang lined the streets to see him off, and everyone knelt on the ground and shouted "King of Wu".

scene…

It's spectacular.

(End of this chapter)