Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 519 Complete Loyalty
"Shasha... Shasha..."

The Jixian Hall was completely silent, with only the constant rustling of the water clock.

All eyes turned to Liu Jilong. Although they had expected him to decline the first abdication, they did not expect him to speak so eloquently.

If they hadn't known the state of affairs and that Liu Jilong would surely establish a new dynasty, they probably would have really thought Liu Jilong was some kind of loyal minister.

"King Han..."

Li Yi was taken aback and spoke, but Liu Jilong said, "Your Majesty, please do not test me. I am suddenly feeling unwell and must take my leave now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jilong didn't give Li Yi a chance to stop him and strode away from Jixian Palace, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing Liu Jilong get up, Jing Xiang, who was sitting alone with a few other court attendants, quickly picked up the book of records of the emperor's daily activities and followed Liu Jilong.

It wasn't until Liu Jilong left that the officials in the hall finally realized what had happened, but no one spoke up; they just looked at each other blankly.

Sitting on the golden platform, Li Yi sighed. If he could, he would have preferred Liu Jilong to agree directly and not put on any show of declining three times.

Every day he lived in the palace brought him more anxiety.

At this moment, all he wanted was to leave this scorching golden platform as soon as possible, and he would not complain even if he were confined to the mansion in the future.

Thinking of this, he could only slowly rise, raise his wine cup and say, "I was impolite just now, please forgive me, gentlemen. Let us drink together to continue the festivities!"

Upon seeing this, the officials all rose and drank together. Even though the former officials knew that Li Yi's actions were only to comfort them, they still felt a little better.

While the emperor and his ministers were drinking together, Liu Jilong had already boarded a carriage to return to the palace.

Jingxiang accompanied him. As soon as they sat down and felt the carriage heading towards the Prince's residence, Jingxiang smiled and asked, "Is Your Highness just using this as an excuse to return to the Prince's residence?"

"Yes." Liu Jilong didn't try to hide anything and admitted it directly:
"The chefs in the palace are no match for the chefs in my household, and the food is not as comfortable as it is at home."

He wasn't exaggerating when he said that. After all, ever since he invented the iron pot in Shandan, the twenty-odd chefs who followed him had been researching new dishes every day, and with his guidance from time to time, their culinary skills had naturally improved by leaps and bounds.

This is something that any official who has eaten at the Prince of Han's residence must admit, and Jing Xiang is no exception.

"Have you remembered which officials looked off today?"

Liu Jilong asked Jingxiang, but Jingxiang did not answer. Instead, he reached out and tore off a page from the daily records and respectfully handed it to Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong took it and examined it. He saw that the names on it were quite similar to the list that Zhao Ying had given him.

"With just this many people, we cannot move the world."

"Your Highness is wise."

Jing Xiang offered a flattering reply, but then added, "However, I think Your Highness might be able to use this as an opportunity to elaborate."

"There are indeed not many officials involved in this matter, but if many officials were to know about it, given the attitude of most of the former officials, they would probably cover it up, neither responding nor reporting it."

"In that case, Your Highness can use this as an excuse to accuse these people of knowingly failing to report others' treasonous plots. They can then be dealt with according to the law of the Tang Code, which states that 'anyone who knows of treason or rebellion shall secretly report to nearby officials. Those who fail to report shall be hanged.'"

"Your Highness, there is no need to exterminate these people. You can dismiss them as commoners and exile their relatives to other places. This will not only allow immigrants to settle in the local area but also educate the local people. It is a win-win situation."

Having followed Liu Jilong for so long, Jing Xiang naturally knew Liu Jilong's attitude towards most officials.

Sending those implicated officials and their relatives to exile would be the most satisfactory solution for His Highness.

Faced with Jingxiang's explanation, Liu Jilong tapped his fingers on the carriage table. After a moment, the carriage came to a stop in front of the Prince's Mansion, and only then did he look at Jingxiang.

"It would be best to draft a plan for this matter and resolve it before the end of the year, so as not to affect the new dynasty."

"Your subject obeys the order..."

Jing Xiang respectfully agreed, and then he and Liu Jilong got out of the car one after the other and continued walking towards the Prince's Mansion.

After the court banquet ended and all the officials left, Jing Xiang drafted the proceedings and handed them to Zhao Ying after Liu Jilong nodded in approval.

The two of them didn't need to worry about anything else; they left everything to Zhao Ying.

Zhao Ying had been preparing for this for a long time, and time was passing by.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Yi did not rush to persuade Li Meiling to marry him again. Instead, he waited quietly until September, as Li Meiling had instructed.

Because of his direct act of abdication, Zhang Ying and others no longer kept such close watch on him.

It wasn't until mid-September, when the people of the land were busy with the autumn harvest, that Li Yi summoned more than ten important officials, including Liu Zhan, Xiao Gou, Doulu Zhuo, and Pei Che, to the palace.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects..."

"Flat body."

Inside the Zhenguan Hall, Li Yi looked at the several high-ranking officials who had risen, then took out the abdication edict he had written long ago and gestured to Ximen Jun to pass it on to them.

Ximen Jun accepted the imperial edict with an unchanged expression, quickly walked to the group, and handed it over. Everyone felt something was wrong when they saw the edict, and when they opened it, they felt a chill in their hearts and looked at Li Yi with disappointment.

"Does Your Majesty intend for us to deliver this edict to the Prince of Han's residence?"

Liu Zhan sighed and asked Li Yi with a disappointed tone.

He knew perfectly well that the abdication edict had to be delivered by representatives of the former officials in order to appease the people.

If everything is left to the officials under the King of Han, how can the old ministers know whether the emperor is willing or coerced into abdicating?
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Your Majesty, since Emperor Taizong founded the Tang Dynasty, it has lasted for 256 years, and the people's hearts are still with us. How can we lightly abandon the legacy of our ancestors and abdicate in favor of a different family?!"

"In the past, the Duke of Zhou, even holding his hair and spitting out his food, dared not usurp the throne of the Son of Heaven; now, although the King of Han has great achievements, how can he change the throne? This is not a lesson for future generations!"

"Although the King of Han is virtuous, he is not a descendant of the Li Tang dynasty. If he were to abdicate, I fear the barbarians would look down on China."

"The elders of the capital still sing the 'Breaking the Enemy's Formation' song, and Emperor Taizong's mausoleum is still in Zhaoling. If Your Majesty insists on abdicating, I beg to die at your feet first!"

"During the reign of Emperor Gaozu, he once decreed: 'All my descendants must defend the land and protect the people.' Now Your Majesty is not yet at the end of your rope, so why do you hastily abdicate like Yao and Shun?"

Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, Zhang Zhifang, and more than ten others knelt down, weeping as they remonstrated.

Liu Zhan and Xiao Gou, among others, did not kneel down, but their expressions were somber, clearly unable to accept the impending demise of the Tang Dynasty.

Looking at everyone, Li Yi felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.

However, he knew very well that although his ministers were loyal, their loyalty was of no use.

Only those with strong and powerful armies can control the world. But now all the armies in the world belong to Liu Jilong. Even if they want to continue the Tang dynasty, the situation is what it is, and no matter what they say, they cannot change the fact that the Tang dynasty is about to end.

“I am but a child, not fit to rule over all nations, and my brothers are not capable of governing the world.”

"The drought has been intermittent for seven or eight years, which is a sign that the dynasty is about to end, causing the people to suffer this calamity."

"I have now decided to abdicate in favor of the King of Han. With his authority over the entire world, he will surely be able to preserve our ancestral temples and the blood offerings, and protect the health, happiness, and prosperity of our subjects."

"My ministers need not offer any advice. Please send the imperial edict to the King of Han as soon as possible to avoid any trouble."

Li Yi reminded everyone not to forget that Ximen Junsui, Zhang Ying's spy, was standing nearby.

Everyone knew that Ximen Junsui was Zhang Ying's spy, but they still couldn't control their emotions. In the end, after Li Yi's repeated persuasion, they could only rush to the Han Prince's mansion with the abdication edict.

Half an hour later, when Liu Zhan and Xiao Gou and more than ten others arrived with the imperial edict, Liu Jilong was still reviewing the summer harvest matters and the memorials from officials who had come south.

Faced with the imperial edict delivered by Liu Zhan and others, Liu Jilong still shook his head and said, "I am a loyal subject, how can I inherit Emperor Taizong's legacy?"

"This matter is not open to discussion. I request that you all take the imperial edict back to the palace and convey my thoughts to His Majesty."

Liu Jilong's serious demeanor made everyone, even though they knew he had declined the offer three times, feel a glimmer of hope.

Even though they knew that Liu Jilong was bound to establish a new dynasty, they still hoped that Liu Jilong would not accept the abdication so quickly.

"I trouble you all to take the imperial edict into the palace to report to His Majesty. I and Minister Xiao need to stay and discuss important matters with His Highness."

Seeing Liu Jilong's attitude, Liu Zhan immediately turned around and gave instructions to everyone.

The gazes of more than ten senior officials toward Liu Jilong revealed a hint of fear, while Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, Zhang Zhifang, and others held a somewhat ambiguous attitude amidst their fear.

They were only a few steps away from Liu Jilong, and if they went all in, they might have a chance.

However, Liu Jilong's imposing figure, along with the armored soldiers beside him, quickly dispelled their thoughts.

Under the persuasion of Liu Zhan and Xiao Gou, they could only reluctantly leave the Han Prince's Palace along with the other ministers.

After they left, Xiao Gou and Liu Zhan, who remained, exchanged a glance, then looked at Liu Jilong and bowed, saying:

"May I ask Your Highness, if His Majesty abdicates in favor of Your Highness, how will Your Highness arrange for His Majesty and the imperial family?"

Xiao Gou and Liu Zhan's words brought Liu Jilong back to his senses. He had no need to hold back his opinions about the two, since there were still many capable ministers among the old officials who could be won over.

These capable ministers were called capable ministers because they had unique insights.

They wouldn't have the same foolish ideas as Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, Zhang Zhifang, and others.

If Liu Jilong were to meet with misfortune, none of the former officials in Luoyang would be able to leave alive, and the world would once again descend into chaos.

Therefore, for Liu Jilong, this group of people who understand the current situation are also people he wants to win over, and giving them some information can appease them.

He recounted the promises he had made to Li Meiling, and Liu Zhan and Xiao Gou both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing them.

"If that's the case, then I'll take my leave with peace of mind."

Liu Zhan suddenly changed his self-reference, and Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction, while Xiao Gou bowed and said, "Your subject also has important matters to discuss with Your Highness."

"Yes," Liu Jilong replied without hesitation, having roughly guessed what Xiao Gou wanted to say to him.

Seeing that the two had something to say, Liu Zhan left the main hall first, leaving Xiao Gou to face Liu Jilong.

After making sure he was far away, Xiao Gou sighed and said, "Your Highness must know about their scheme, right?"

"I wonder what Prime Minister Xiao is talking about?" Liu Jilong feigned ignorance, and seeing this, Xiao Gou had no choice but to get straight to the point:

"Vice Ministers Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che, General of the Cavalry Zhang Zhifang..."

He named the titles and names of more than thirty officials, and then paused before saying, "These are the people I know who are plotting against Your Highness."

"For the safety of Your Majesty and Your Highness, we urge Your Highness to immediately send troops to capture him."

Upon learning of Liu Jilong's plans for the distribution of benefits and the abdication of the Tang dynasty, Xiao Gou did not hesitate to "betray" Doulu Zhuo and his group.

Unlike Doulu Zhuo and others, Xiao Gou knew that assassinating Liu Jilong would not benefit anyone.

The Li Tang imperial family would suffer annihilation as a result, and the people of the land would once again be displaced.

He had previously sided with the imperial court because he believed the court still had a chance to turn the tide.

However, with Li Cui's death, he knew that the Tang Dynasty could not continue to exist, otherwise he would not have remained obedient after that.

His only worry was that Liu Jilong would target the Li Tang imperial family and Li Yi after his abdication.

Now that he had received Liu Jilong's promise, he no longer doubted Liu Jilong's good intentions.

Everyone knows that Liu Jilong values ​​his promises, and he also believes that Liu Jilong would not use the integrity he has accumulated over the years to do something unnecessary.

"Prime Minister Xiao need not worry about this matter. He only needs to focus on handling state affairs in the Hall of State Affairs."

Seeing that Xiao Gou had told the truth, Liu Jilong smiled and comforted him as he left.

Seeing him like this, Xiao Gou felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He took a breath, bowed, and left.

Shortly after he left, Jing Xiang, who was sitting in the corner, also made a note of the matter, and then looked at Liu Jilong.

"Your Highness, the net has been cast, and the officials heading south have been brought under control as far as they can."

"In my opinion, there's no need to wait two months; we can close the net now..."

Jingxiang felt that everything was ready, but Liu Jilong shook his head: "We still need a reason."

"Judging from their expressions today, they are clearly impatient."

"Have the newspapers been distributed in all the prefectures? Are they functioning properly?"

Liu Jilong took the initiative to ask Jingxiang, and Jingxiang went to look through the documents and found the memorials of the Imperial Secretariat that Lu Guimeng was in charge of.

After he opened the memorial from the Imperial Secretariat, he looked at Liu Jilong slowly and said, "The preparations have been completed north of the Yangtze River. Planning is also underway in Zhejiang and other places in Jiangnan West Circuit and Jiangnan East Circuit. The publication will begin no later than the beginning of winter."

"However, Your Highness, although newspapers are intended for the general public, the public must be literate."

"While the symbols in the newspapers may help with punctuation, the people still need to understand them themselves in order to control public opinion as Your Highness has suggested."

Jing Xiang had already learned from Liu Jilong about the purpose of newspapers: to wrest public opinion from the hands of powerful families and clans, so that the common people could directly understand the government's policies and not be deceived by local powerful families and clans.

However, newspapers also had a significant problem: as reading material for the common people, they required a certain level of literacy among the general public to circulate.

Liu Jilong was well aware of this, since both the official gazettes of the East and the newspapers of Europe were established as regular publications only after literacy rates rose.

This time point is the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, which is the end of the Wanli era.

Prior to this, newspapers and official gazettes were primarily reading materials for nobles and scholars, and were products of temporary printing.

However, as literacy rates rose and official gazettes and newspapers gained a certain foundation among the public, both of them became regular reading materials.

Starting from the late Wanli period, the official gazette changed from hand-copying or woodblock printing to movable type printing, and its scale gradually increased, gradually reaching wealthy households among the common people and spreading to the general public.

After the Ming-Qing Wars, although the Qing Dynasty continued the Ming Dynasty's system of official gazettes and imperial gazettes, it only allowed the copying of palace gate notices, imperial edicts and memorials in accordance with regulations, and prohibited the private publication of miscellaneous newspapers.

This practice undoubtedly interrupted the process of the official gazette reaching the public, and therefore it cannot be considered a modern newspaper.

The newspapers published by Liu Jilong were basically no different from those of later newspapers, except for differences in layout and content.

If all the news is positive, it becomes a whitewashing of the truth. Only by presenting both positive and negative news can the people be trusted, their emotions be stirred, and public opinion be controlled.

However, before that, Liu Jilong had to spread the newspaper throughout the country and then use official schools to gradually increase the literacy rate so that the literacy rate of ordinary people could be improved.

Only when the literacy rate among ordinary people increases and they are able to understand newspapers can the role of newspapers gradually become apparent.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong asked, "How are the newspaper sales in Kansai, Director?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Xiang searched through the memorials of the Imperial Household Department again before finally saying, "Last year, 336,457 copies were sold, and this year, up to the end of June, 165,516 copies were sold."

"Each newspaper costs ten coins. Last year's earnings were over three thousand three hundred strings of cash. After deducting the production cost and the salaries of officials and craftsmen, we are actually in debt for over sixteen thousand six hundred strings of cash. This..."

In the three years since its establishment, the Imperial Residence has employed nearly 1,200 officials, clerks, and artisans in the capital and local areas.

The salaries and wages of 1,200 people require 20,000 strings of cash annually to maintain operations.

It should be noted that this was only the beginning of expanding the business of the "National Daily" and the "Beijing Daily"; the "Military Daily", "Road Daily", and "State Daily" had not yet been established.

The business of just two main newspapers requires 20,000 strings of cash to maintain, in order to ensure the operation of the five provincial offices.

If all fifteen circuits were to begin operation as Liu Jilong envisioned, the annual cost would likely be no less than 150,000 strings of cash.

“In Kansai, there are official schools with several times more scholars than in Kanto, yet they still cannot keep them running.”

"If we were to establish a presence in the Guandong region, the cost of this office would likely be no less than 150,000 strings of cash annually, Your Highness..."

Jingxiang felt that doing this would be too costly, and it was hard to say whether it would succeed.

In response, Liu Jilong reassured him, saying, "The country has just been pacified, and everything needs to be rebuilt."

“In the past, the world was in turmoil, and people were busy trying to find food, so they naturally had no time to read newspapers.”

"Once the country is at peace, as people's literacy improves, newspaper sales will naturally increase."

Liu Jilong didn't expect the newspaper to make money, and even losing money was fine. Spending tens of thousands of strings of cash every year to maintain the court's control over local public opinion was a worthwhile deal.

With that thought, Liu Jilong ended the topic and continued speaking to Jing Xiang:
"Today, numerous ship supervision bureaus have been established throughout the land in order to build larger ships, which will eventually sail into the deep sea and bring new crops and species to the court."

"This matter cannot be taken lightly. I must see large ships of more than three thousand tons within five years."

Crops from the Americas, Africa, and Europe, and even Champa rice from Southeast Asia, are new crops that Liu Jilong and the world need today.

Although crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn in this era did not have the same high yields as in later generations, they enriched the crop varieties available to the Xin Dynasty in the mountainous and hilly areas.

Their yield per acre when planted in the mountains was about twice that of millet, the main crop in the mountains today.

Without variety improvement and the application of industrial fertilizers, the yields of corn and potatoes are relatively low, ranging from 150 to 200 jin per mu. Although sweet potatoes have a high yield, the water content of the root vegetables is too high. If calculated in terms of grain, the yield is only equivalent to 200 to 300 jin per mu of rice or wheat.

Even so, it still gave the new dynasty a greater chance of success in expanding into the southwest.

Food is always a hard currency. As long as the three major crops are obtained and promoted in the mountainous and hilly areas of the southwest, enabling the army to be self-sufficient in the southwest, the Han army's advance will cross the Ailao Mountains and the Jinsha River (Irrawaddy River), and use military means to control the vast Indochina Peninsula.

If all existing goals can be achieved, the Han dynasty will have avoided a thousand years of setbacks, and many things that should not have happened will not have occurred.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Jilong returned his thoughts to the memorials on the table, while Jing Xiang, following Liu Jilong's instructions, issued an imperial edict to the Southern Office, which would then be relayed to the three major ship supervisors.

"A colossal warship of three thousand liang..."

Inside the Southern Government Office's Hall of State Affairs, Li Shangyin looked at the imperial edict sent by the Prince of Han's residence and couldn't help but gasp.

After all, the largest ships that the Tang Dynasty could build at that time were the two-thousand-ton ships of the Han army.

Li Shangyin couldn't imagine using a massive 3,000-ton ship against anyone unless there was a country overseas with a size comparable to the Tang Dynasty.

"Now that this colossal ship is completed, what does Your Highness intend to do with it?"

Li Gunshi, who was inside the Hall of State Affairs, also saw the contents of the edict and couldn't help but ask about it.

In response to his question, Li Shangyin shook his head and said firmly, "Regardless of its purpose, this is His Highness's decree. As long as we follow the decree, there will be no mistakes."

"By the way," Li Shangyin paused, then looked up at Li Gunshi, "have you found out the details of what I asked you to inquire about at the Ministry of Revenue and the Five Military Commands?"

"I have received a detailed report." Li Gunshi replied without hesitation: "The surrendered soldiers and their families from Jiangxi, Hunan, and Jiangnan are all on their way to exile in Lingnan."

“The generals of each province will send the surrendered soldiers and their relatives in three batches. They will be sent south in batches this winter, next autumn, and again in winter. The number involved is no less than 400,000.”

"With such a massive influx of people, 1.5 million shi of grain need to be transported south from Hunan, Jiangxi and other places every year to ensure that their food supply is not in short supply."

"The taxes levied on Lingnan are only enough to make up for the shortfall of 1.5 million shi of grain."

"After this group of people enters Lingnan, the imperial court shall not transfer Lingnan taxes for at least four years, and shall transfer 1.5 million shi of grain every year."

“If losses during the journey are taken into account, the initial shipment would require 2.5 million shi (a unit of dry measure), and it would take three years to complete.”

When Li Gunshi got to this point, he couldn't help but say, "Lingnan is a wild and desolate place, and I'm afraid some of these 400,000 people may have secretly fled north."

"If they flee, we will capture them." Li Shangyin's words were somewhat heartless, but he knew that developing Lingnan was an inevitable trend, a point that Liu Jilong had mentioned to him.

With insufficient population in Lingnan, the imperial court was unable to effectively control Annam, let alone use Lingnan to launch a counterattack against the southern barbarians.

The Han army has widened and cleared the official roads leading to Lingnan. As long as these 400,000 people travel through the official roads to Lingnan in winter, there will not be too many casualties on the way.

"What is the response from the Lingnan Military Governor's Office? How much land has been reclaimed and cultivated so far? Can the first batch of migrants be accommodated?"

When Li Shangyin asked, Li Gunshi continued to answer: "Qie Biao's memorial stated that he had already dispatched troops to Annam, Lingxi and Chaozhou to establish military settlements, and after winter, he would personally lead the navy to quell the rebellious barbarians in Yaqiong and other prefectures."

"By the time the memorial was sent, 200,000 mu of land had been reclaimed in Guangzhou, and tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers continued to reclaim wasteland, with more than 7,000 mu reclaimed every month."

“The monthly reclamation area in Lingdong, Annam and Chaozhou is no less than 5,000 mu. After the army defeats the mountain barbarians, we can capture the surrendered soldiers and continue to cultivate the land.”

"At present, the court can first settle the migrants in Guangzhou, and then gradually relocate them to other places."

"The official roads and mountain paths connecting Guangzhou to various places have all been widened and cleared by the troops dispatched by the commander, which will protect the relocated people from attacks by mountain barbarians."

Li Gunshi had a good relationship with Li Yangchun, and his tone was inevitably somewhat proud.

Upon hearing this, Li Shangyin couldn't help but stroke his beard: "Your Highness's decision to appoint Qie Biao to govern Lingnan is indeed the result of careful consideration."

“Qie Biao was outstanding in governing Huainan before, and now he is better at governing Lingnan than in Hunan and Jiangxi.”

"If this continues, it will probably only take ten years for Lingnan to recover its former prosperity and glory during the Kaiyuan era."

He seemed to have already seen the Lingnan landscape ten years from now, and Li Gunshi couldn't help but nod frequently, clearly agreeing with it.

"With Qie Biao in Lingnan, I am at ease. Now, we only need to proceed step by step to bring the south under the control of the imperial court."

"Judging by the days, the various provinces should send their maps and records in two days. This matter cannot be taken lightly; it must be carefully recorded and reported to His Highness."

"Yes!"

After the father and son finished their conversation, they sent out the imperial edict issued by Liu Jilong.

Compared to the emperor's abdication, these matters that are usually of great concern are now being subconsciously ignored.

Half a month passed, and as October arrived, many students in Kansai who had been informed early that they would graduate two years early this year, unless they wanted to continue their studies at university, basically chose to take the imperial examinations and were selected as officials to fill vacancies in various places.

More than ten universities in Longyou contributed 2,600 officials, most of whom were transferred to Guandong.

The grain registers and maps sent to Luoyang from various regions were being compiled continuously, making the entire city of Luoyang extremely busy.

Amidst this busy activity, and instigated by Zhao Ying, Doulu Zhuo and Pei Che continued to invite so-called insightful individuals.

Many officials received those invitations, either ignoring them or going and then remaining silent.

Zhu Wen was one of the many officials who were invited. Even though he was just a minor official, he was still appreciated by Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che and others, simply because his former subordinates all held official positions in the army.

He initially thought it was just an ordinary banquet, but when he learned what Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and the others were thinking, he immediately panicked.

Fortunately, he only panicked for a moment before rising up indignantly and saying, "I have long regarded Liu Jilong as a treacherous sycophant. If it weren't for the lack of popular support back then, I wouldn't have failed, causing His Majesty to be humiliated!"

Zhu Wen's sudden outburst startled Doulu Zhuo, Pei Che, and the others in the pavilion, but they quickly recovered and their eyes revealed satisfaction.

"If there were more people like Zhu Sanqi in the world, the world wouldn't be in this state."

Doulu Zhu sighed: "Although we have already planned to assassinate Liu Jilong, we will certainly not be able to stay in Luoyang for long after we assassinate him."

"After much deliberation, we believe that only by heading south can we protect His Majesty. And under Zhu Sanqi, Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guihou, and others are all generals in Lingnan."

"If I could have their support, I believe that great things could be accomplished and the Tang Dynasty could continue."

"It is my duty!" Zhu Wen declared confidently to the crowd, then added:

“Ge Lang and Zhang Lang regard me as their benefactor. If I just ask, they will come to greet me. But how can we leave Dongji and escape the pursuers from Shannan East Circuit and Jiangnan West Circuit?”

Upon hearing his inquiry, Doulu Zhu stroked his beard confidently and said, "Zhu Sanqi can rest assured about this matter. We have already made plans and are just waiting for Zhu Sanqi's agreement."

"Of course I agree!" Zhu Wen replied firmly, then made a promise:
"I will receive a reply from the south in just one month."

Upon hearing that he needed a month, Pei Che frowned: "Can you hurry it up?"

"This..." Zhu Wen feigned difficulty before saying, "Twenty days, it can't be any faster."

“There are still some…” Pei Che wanted to say something, but Doulu Zhu raised his hand to interrupt him, “Twenty days it is then. In that case, let’s wait for Zhu Sanqi’s good news.”

"Very good!" Zhu Wen slowly stood up: "In that case, I will go back and make arrangements now."

"We will see off Zhu Sanqi!" Doulu Zhuo raised his hand in a bow, and then led his men to personally see Zhu Wen off.

Zhu Sanqi proceeded slowly.

Upon arriving at the gate, Doulu Zhu bowed respectfully, and only looked back after Zhu Wen had boarded his carriage and driven away.

Pei Che couldn't help but look at Doulu Zhuo: "Liu Jilong has already declined the abdication twice. According to His Majesty's nature, he will surely decline it for the third time by the fifteenth of October at the latest. At that time..."

"Your Majesty can postpone this for a few days. I imagine Jilong is not in a hurry."

After saying this, Doulu Zhuo added, "Even if Jilong accepts the abdication after resigning three times, it will still take time to plan his ascension to the throne. We have plenty of time and there is no need to rush."

"It's a pity that Gao Qianli doesn't welcome outsiders, otherwise we could have increased our influence even more..."

He felt a little regretful, while Zhang Zhifang sneered, "Gao Qianli likes to play with magic tricks. I heard that he has recruited many magicians to refine pills in his mansion. I'm afraid Liu Jilong has worn down his spirit, and he can only lament his fate."

After Gao Pian was escorted back to Luoyang, Liu Jilong treated him well, but he continued to monitor him closely.

In order to protect himself, he had no choice but to shut himself away from visitors and invite alchemists into his mansion to refine elixirs, thus severing all contact with the outside world.

Fortunately, there are still insightful people in this world.

Doulu Zhu sighed, then turned and walked into the mansion. Pei Che and Zhang Zhifang quickly followed.

Inside his residence, many people were waiting for him to test and meet them. He wanted to win them over so that he could be sure of disrupting the situation in Luoyang.

While he was greeting the group, Zhu Wen, who was getting into his carriage and driving away, had a gloomy and unpleasant expression.

"You son of a bitch! You son of a bitch..."

He couldn't help but curse, after all, he thought today was a regular banquet, but it turned out to be a trap.

If he hadn't been in Doulu Zhuo's residence without any guards, Zhu Wen would never have been able to drink and chat with them.

Although he had left the mansion under false pretenses, if others had overheard his words, it would have certainly implicated him and Ge Congzhou.

He needs to find a way to extricate himself from this.

Thinking of this, he said to the coachman, "Hire someone to invite Mr. Xie to the mansion, and have my wife prepare wine and food!"

"Yes……"

The driver readily agreed, found a seemingly honest man on the road, promised him the money for the journey, and then drove back to Zhu Wen's residence while he was on his way to Xie Tong's residence.

Two quarters of an hour later, Zhu Wen got off the carriage and walked towards his own mansion. Soon he arrived at the main hall and saw a young girl dressed in dark blue with gold thread patterns.

Although she was a young girl, she had already tied her hair up, clearly indicating that she was already a woman.

Upon seeing this woman, Zhu Wen's previously gloomy and agitated state of mind immediately calmed down somewhat.

Seeing that he did not enter the hall, the young woman came out and asked, "Young master, you went to Minister Dou's residence today, but returned in a hurry to invite Mr. Xie to a banquet. Did something happen?"

The girl seemed to be able to see into Zhu Wen's heart and sense his unease, hence her question.

Seeing this, Zhu Wen suppressed his temper and shouted to his men, "Get out of the way! Don't stay in the main hall! Wait for Mr. Xie to arrive and welcome him!"

Seeing his anger, the girl frowned slightly, and Zhu Wen slowly shut his mouth.

The young woman was Zhang Hui, the daughter of Zhang Rui, a junior official, and a fellow townsman of Zhu Wen.

When Zhu Wen's father was still alive, he was able to rely on his father's influence to talk with local powerful and wealthy people. It was during this time that he saw Zhang Hui from afar.

After his father passed away, the family had no choice but to seek refuge with the Liu family in Xiao County. Later, seeing the chaos in the world, he took his elder brother to join the uprising and joined Huang Chao.

He passed through Songzhou several times during his campaigns against Huang Chao, but he never managed to find out any news about Zhang Hui.

However, Liu Jilong was demoted and came to Luoyang to serve as a minor official, where he encountered Liu Jilong.

As a junior supervisor, Zhang Rui naturally looked down on Zhu Wen, but Zhu Wen was indeed the highest-ranking official he could get close to, and whose appearance and age were both quite good.

Therefore, he posed a difficult question to Zhu Wen, asking him to prepare the three letters and six rites, and that the betrothal gifts must not be shabby.

Who would have thought that after he agreed that very day, Zhu Wen sold his prized horse and the fields and gold and silver that Liu Jilong had bestowed upon him the next day, and used all the money as betrothal gifts to deliver the betrothal letter.

Zhang Rui originally wanted to continue to make things difficult for Zhu Wen, but in the end, it was Zhang Hui who spoke up, and he finally agreed to the marriage.

The two have been married for three months now, and are in the honeymoon phase, which is why Zhu Wen was in a hurry to invite Xie Tong.

He didn't want his comfortable life to be ruined, so after dismissing the servants, he and Zhang Hui went into the hall and cursed, "Old dog Dou, you're not human!"

After the insults, he repeated what Doulu Zhu had said, and Zhang Hui's brows gradually furrowed upon hearing it.

After Zhu Wen finished speaking, Zhang Hui pondered and said, "I think the most important thing for you to do now is to send someone to the Prince of Han's residence to write a letter explaining this matter clearly."

“Since they are confident of passing through Shannan East Road and the Yangtze River, they must have won over a lot of people.”

"If the King of Han is still unaware of this news, perhaps you, sir, can atone for your crimes through meritorious service."

Zhu Wen looked at Zhang Hui in astonishment upon hearing this. Although he was also thinking about how to survive, he had never really considered going to Liu Jilong to confess.

"I have made things difficult for Liu Muzhi several times, and now I have volunteered to tell him about this matter. I am afraid that he will use this as an excuse to make things difficult for me in the future..."

Although Zhu Wen knew that Liu Jilong was magnanimous, he was never confident enough to report the matter, simply because he had offended Liu Jilong several times.

If he hadn't played the game of alliances and counter-alliances, Liu Jilong wouldn't have been forced to launch the eastern and northern expeditions ahead of schedule.

Therefore, in his view, Liu Jilong must still have some resentment towards him.

If I were to hand over my incriminating evidence, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing my life over to Liu Jilong to do with as he pleases?

"My lord is confused."

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Hui couldn't help but laugh and say, "Although you have put the King of Han in a difficult position, making him feel embarrassed, can you put him in a more difficult position than Gao Qianli?"

"If the King of Han has already placed Gao Qianli under house arrest, why would he make things difficult for the young master who proactively reported others and informed the King of Han of the news?"

"This..." Zhu Wen was still somewhat undecided, when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the hall.

The couple looked closely and saw that it was a servant bringing Xie Tong from outside. Zhu Wen hurriedly got up to greet them.

"gentlemen!"

"Greetings, Your Excellency..."

When the two meet, they naturally observe proper etiquette.

Before the two could speak further, Zhang Hui smiled and said, "The food and wine are ready. Why don't you two eat and talk?"

"There are still family matters to attend to in the east wing, so I will go and take care of them first."

She deliberately left so that Zhu Wen and Xie Tong could have a better conversation, while she could walk around to avoid being overheard.

Seeing this, the two took the initiative to walk into the main hall and sit down. But as soon as they sat down, Xie Tong said, "Sir, you are in such a hurry to find me, there must be something important. Why don't we talk about it first, and then have some food and wine?"

"Very well!" Zhu Wen breathed a sigh of relief, and then recounted how he had been tricked by Doulu Zhuo and the others that day.

Xie Tong nodded upon hearing this, but did not seem surprised. Instead, he added, "These days, this group has been trying to win over quite a few officials to host banquets at my residence. I already knew about this, but I didn't know their ambitions were so grand."

"According to Doulu Zhuo, they have taken care of things in Shannan East Circuit and Hunan, which must have taken a lot of effort."

"In my humble opinion, Your Excellency should now go to the Prince of Han's residence, but you should do so discreetly. Why not travel there in my carriage and inform His Highness the Prince of Han of this matter?"

"What?" Zhu Wen hadn't expected Xie Tong to offer the same advice, and Xie Tong, knowing what Zhu Wen was worried about, stroked his beard and said:
"Mingping is usually quick-witted and resourceful, how come he's become so dull-witted now?"

"It is true that you had a grudge against the King of Han before, but you are now also a subject of the King of Han. Why should the King of Han deal with you?"

"Your Excellency could take this opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty. Perhaps you can use this opportunity to gain the favor of the King of Han and be granted an official position in the future."

After Xie Tong reminded him, Zhu Wen belatedly realized what was happening.

The reason he was wary of Liu Jilong was simply because he hadn't understood his place.

He considered himself a subject of the imperial court, not Liu Jilong's subject. But if he regarded himself as Liu Jilong's subject, things wouldn't be as complicated as he thought.

Given the methods he has demonstrated in Shandong, as long as he positions himself correctly, Liu Jilong will surely employ him in the same way he has employed Wang Chongrong and Ge Congzhou.

After thinking it through, Zhu Wen couldn't help but laugh and say, "It seems I was just worrying unnecessarily."

"Let's finish this wine and food, and I'll personally borrow a carriage to go to the Prince of Han's residence later."

"Speaking of which, I have not yet met the King of Han. I can take this opportunity to see if he is as miraculous as everyone says."

Xie Tong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhu Wen had come to his senses.

He had been idle at home these days, which made him realize that he was probably tied to Zhu Wen. Otherwise, given his background and reputation, it would have been difficult for him to obtain an official position.

Only by making Zhu Wen realize the true state of affairs can he benefit from it.

Now that Zhu Wen has correctly positioned himself and adopted the right attitude, it seems that it's only a matter of time before he's put to use.

Thinking this, the two finished their food and wine. Afterwards, Xie Tong waited in the mansion, while Zhu Wen changed into casual clothes similar to Xie Tong's and rode in his carriage to the Prince of Han's mansion.

Sitting in the carriage, Zhu Wen picked up his memorial and couldn't help but smirk as he looked at the three characters "Zhu Quanzhong" on it.

"I stopped this matter to prevent those fools from harming the young emperor, which can be considered as fulfilling my loyalty to the late emperor."

(End of this chapter)