Thief Emperor

Chapter 872: People's Restlessness
In Luoyang city.

There are so many things that need to be prepared for the founding of the country. Li Yun has been busy since the beginning of the year until now. Almost every day there are countless things that require him to decide and make the final decision.

But even until this moment, there are still many things to do.

On this day, the weavers in Luoyang City came again to measure his body measurements and prepare to make another version of the robe.

In addition to the royal robes, people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works would also come to the house every day to ask all kinds of questions. These two government offices even specially sent officials to Li Yun's house to "work" at a certain time every day and leave only after sunset.

The reason why it is so troublesome is that there are too many things involving the emperor.

The clothes the emperor should wear, the chair the emperor should sit on, the emperor's ceremonies, all kinds of things.

And it is not easy for ministers to make decisions on these matters. Otherwise, people will criticize you for deciding the king by your own standards, and then you will be doomed.

Moreover, Li Yun had to do these things, because what he decided would become customs and precedents for future generations.

Have to pay more attention to it.

After measuring the size of the imperial robe in the morning, the Ministry of Works sent the finalized crown and pendant style to Li Yun at noon. Only after Li Yun confirmed it did the officials from the Ministry of Works leave.

Originally, this job was not what the Ministry of Works should do. The imperial palace should have an agency dedicated to preparing these things. However, now that the court's institutions are not sound, many things are done by the Ministry of Works.

After lunch, Li Yun finally had some free time and took a nap. In the afternoon, Du Qian and Yao Zhong came together to visit him.

These two are the only two prime ministers confirmed for the new dynasty now, and they will also be the two clear leaders after the new dynasty is established in the future.

Of course Li Yun had no choice but to meet them when they came to visit. Soon, the two of them arrived at Li Yun's study and waited. When Li Yun yawned and pushed open the door of the study, the two of them immediately stood up and bowed to Li Yun.

"Kings."

Li Yun sat in his seat, pressed his hands, and then said with a smile: "What's the important matter that made you two come together?"

Du Qian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, there are some matters concerning the system of future generations that need to be determined by your Majesty. The two of us coming together can serve as a witness to each other."

Li Yun seemed to be thinking about something, then smiled and said, "Sit down and talk, sit down and talk."

After the two sat down, Du Qian stopped talking, and Yao Zhong could only clasp his fists and salute, saying: "When you take the throne, the first thing you need to do is the vassal system."

"We two would like to ask what the superiors are thinking, whether to customize it from scratch or imitate the previous Zhou Dynasty."

Li Yun frowned when he heard this.

This is indeed a big problem.

The so-called vassal system is naturally the royal family system.

The scale of this system is extremely difficult to grasp.

If you are too indulgent towards the royal family, they will definitely behave recklessly; if you are too harsh on them, there will be internal disunity.

Moreover, if the treatment is too good, various problems may arise in the future.

For example, in another world, the vassal system of the Ming Dynasty, on the surface, the royal family was naturally given every kind of preferential treatment. The princes would be granted the title of prince, and the title would be inherited from generation to generation.

This system first put the imperial court under tremendous economic pressure, so much so that in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, expenditures on royal vassalage became one of the imperial court's major expenses.

However, the Ming Dynasty's vassal system did not benefit all of the Ming dynasty's descendants.

The most realistic problem is that the expenditures on the royal family and vassal states have become a major expense for the imperial court, so of course the imperial court will default on its debts.

Under the ancestral precepts of the Ming Dynasty, no one dared to deny the income of the royal vassal states, but the imperial court would delay the payment of salaries.

The local princes passed down their titles from generation to generation. The people from the larger clans became princes for generations and had an easy life. However, the people from the smaller clans had their titles become smaller and smaller, and the court still owed them salaries.

What’s even worse is that Emperor Zhu Taizu did not allow his descendants to become officials, nor did he allow them to change careers and start their own businesses.

It's impossible to do business or do craft work.

Under such circumstances, the imperial court still withdrew salaries, so that many members of the smaller clans of the Ming royal family were starving.

Li Yun thought about it seriously, then tapped the table lightly with his knuckles.

It would be impossible for his descendants to be princes for generations, they would have to surrender, otherwise there would be no problem in a hundred or two hundred years, and he himself would not be able to accept it.

Thinking of this, he looked at the two prime ministers in front of him and said, "The vassal system is very important. I need to think about this matter for a few days, but there are two points I can tell you."

Mr. Li said slowly: "In the future new dynasty, except for a very small number of lineages, the rest of the vassal states will surrender, there will be no such thing as hereditary succession."

Upon hearing this, Du Qian and Yao Zhong looked at each other, and both of them already had an idea in their minds.

In fact, Du Qian had already guessed in his heart which lineages Li Yun was referring to as the "very few lineages".

The Zhou family of Qingzhou has been granted the title of Linzi King. As long as this family does not rebel, the main line will most likely be hereditary in the future. As for the court, it is hard to say for others, but Luoyang Yin Li Zheng will definitely be crowned king in the future, and Li Zheng's lineage will most likely...

It will also be inherited from generation to generation.

As for others, it's hard to say.

The two prime ministers silently took note of what Li Yun said, and then asked about the title.

Li Yun was quite straightforward. In addition to the two levels of kingship, he still practiced the five levels of nobility: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.

However, there were too many details involved. The three of them discussed from the afternoon until dark. When the two prime ministers each wrote down several pages, Li Yun stood up, stretched his muscles, and said with a wry smile: "Founding a country is really a troublesome thing."

Du Qian and Yao Zhong also stood up. Du Qian said with a smile, "If we want to be legitimate, then of course there will be trouble. If we act recklessly like Wang Junping, we will be laughed at by the world."

Li Yun nodded silently. Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the door, and then there was Meng Hai's voice: "Superior, intelligence from the southwest."

Li Yun looked at the two prime ministers and said with a smile, "It's too late today. You two should not go back. Come here and have a simple meal together."

The two prime ministers looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Li Yun stretched and said, "I'll have someone take you two to the front hall. I'll go and see what's going on."

The two prime ministers bowed their heads, answered yes, and then followed the servants in the mansion to wait for dinner.

After the two people left, Li Yun returned to his seat and called Meng Hai in. Li Yun looked at him and frowned, "What's the big deal? What's the big deal? Did Zhao Cheng suffer a loss in Jiannan Road?"

"No no."

Meng Hai waved his hands quickly, bowed his head slightly and said: "Master, General Zhao has divided the troops in Mianzhou, and General Zhao himself, leading the main force, has already headed straight for Chengdu."

"And the other army, led by General Gongsun, is responsible for clearing out the Jiannan Army near Chengdu."

Li Yun was startled when he heard this. Then he took the Nine Divisions intelligence handed over by Meng Hai, took out the Jiannan Road map, compared it in detail, and frowned: "Zhao Cheng didn't fight like this before."

"This is a bit like Yu Ye's style of play."

He looked up at Meng Hai and frowned, "Zhao Cheng is not going to report it?"

Meng Hai lowered his head and said, "No, that's not the case. General Zhao's documents are already on the way, and the documents from the Military Inspection Department are also on the way to Luoyang. One is expected to arrive tomorrow, and the other the day after tomorrow."

Li Yun then retracted his gaze and looked at the document in his hand. After flipping through it for a while, he stood up and left with his hands behind his back.

"I understand. Go ahead and do your work."

With his hands behind his back, he walked all the way to the front hall. Just as he was about to go in, he saw Du Qian waiting in front. After seeing Li Yun, Du Qian stepped forward to salute and asked, "Sir, is there an accident in the southwest?"

Li Yun shook his head slightly and said with a smile: "It's not a big deal."

He looked at Du Qian, thought for a while, and told him the general situation again, then shook his head slightly and said, "I can guess what Zhao Cheng is thinking. He probably wants to get things done in the southwest before the end of the year, so that we can hold the grand ceremony next year and look better."

At this point, Li Yun frowned slightly and said, "But even I feel that the way he fights is dangerous. The supply line is so long, if something goes wrong."

"It's going to be a big deal."

Du Qian heard this, lowered his head and thought for a while, then shook his head slightly and said: "It's thousands of miles away. As long as nothing happens on the front line, it's hard for the superiors to say anything."

"Ah."

Mr. Li said "hmm" calmly and exhaled slowly: "Since he is the commander, it is natural for him to decide how to fight. I will not interfere with him. Let him fight."

"If you win, you'll be rewarded and pretend nothing happened. If you lose..."

Li Yun shook his head slightly and said nothing.

Of course, there are risks in Zhao Cheng's doing this. If any failure occurs in Jiannan Road, Li Yun will definitely hold Zhao Cheng accountable. At that time, Zhao Cheng's only position in the Xin Dynasty's army will be shaken, and there is a high probability that he will fall.

Du Qian looked at Li Yun, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "It will take less than half a year to get promoted."

"Everyone is feeling very impatient."

Li Yun looked at him and asked with a smile, "Brother Shouyi is also restless?"

Du Qian nodded and said with a wry smile: "I am in this position."

“It’s hard not to be impetuous.”

"It will come naturally."

Mr. Li had a calm expression on his face. He put his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

"Some things can't be rushed."

(End of this chapter)