The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 726: Falling Cup as a Number
On the evening of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month in the sixth year of Guangde, Princess Liu Yufei met her younger brother, Emperor Guangde Liu Kan, whom she had not seen for three years, in the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City in Nanjing.

As Emperor Guangde's wedding was approaching, he forced himself to smile, but he inadvertently revealed a look of sadness and showed no joy at all.

This is not surprising. Recently, rebellions have been rampant in the north and south, and the old forces in various places have reached a climax in their counterattack plans against the new policies.

Liu Yufei didn't know how to comfort her brother for a moment.

The brother and sister grew up together, but after experiencing many changes, especially after Emperor Guangde came to power, the relationship between them was no longer as deep as before.

Although both were born to the retired emperor, they have very different personalities. It is the elder sister Liu Yifei who inherited more of Liu Zhaosun's compassion and selflessness. In comparison, Emperor Guangde Liu Kan is more like his mother Zhang Yan, showing more of the worries and shrewdness of the common people in Kaifeng Prefecture.

In order to avoid Emperor Guangde's suspicion, Liu Yufei left the capital early and went to her fiefdom - Suzhou Prefecture - to live in seclusion. She was away for three years. Now Ningguta has suddenly encountered an accident, and Emperor Guangde repeatedly requested his sister to return to the capital, and the two siblings were able to meet again.

The eldest princess bowed to Emperor Guangde and asked about the situation of her two mothers:

"Your Majesty, how is the Empress Dowager Cisheng these days? Is the Empress Dowager Dong's rheumatic pain better? How much can she eat daily?"

Liu Kan quickly replied, "Thanks to the Princess, the Empress Dowager Cisheng is in good health and spirits. The Empress Dowager Dong has been fasting and chanting Buddhist scriptures every day. Since taking the prescription you sent from Suzhou, she has become as light as a swallow and looks younger and younger."

"That's good. Since the emperor is not here, you still need the help of the two queen dowagers on some matters. It will be more stable."

Liu Yufei showed a rare look of relief and sat down on the chair.

Emperor Guangde waved his hand, and the chief steward slowly retreated. The palace maids and eunuchs serving around him also retreated to the door. Before leaving, Eunuch Li did not forget to look up at the eldest princess, his eyes full of expectation.

In the empty hall, only the brother and sister were left.

The eldest princess picked up the teacup, took a sip, and the fragrance of tea filled the air.

Seeing that no one was around, the princess didn't bother to exchange formalities with Emperor Guangde and went straight to the point:

"Come to think of it, it's been over three years since we last met, right? Why did you hastily summon me to the palace this time?"

"Three and a half years." Liu Kan counted silently with his fingers.

"Ever since our father's expedition to Japan, you have been in Suzhou until today."

Emperor Guangde seemed to be recalling something from a very distant past. He spoke leisurely, "Three years ago, I was still an emperor without real power, no different from the Crown Prince Regent. The court and the country were all filled with veteran ministers... I didn't expect my father to go on an expedition to the east and never return. Then, everything changed."

The eldest princess put the teacup back on the coffee table and stared at Emperor Guangde for a while. She was surprised to find that when her brother talked about his father, there was not a trace of sadness on his face.

"The Ningguta garrison mutinied, killed two eunuchs from the Imperial Palace, and clamored for revenge for Pu Gang. Did you know about this?"

Liu Yufei nodded.

"I know a little bit. When His Majesty disbanded the Eighth Corps, there were retired soldiers in every province, and the news spread quickly among them."

Emperor Guangde seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and hurriedly took two steps forward, approaching the eldest princess.
"I know that you have some connections with several instructors of the Eighth Corps, and Pu Gang also gives you face. Those warriors will listen to you, so I want you to come forward and calm the situation..."

Liu Yufei smiled and shook her head. "I'm just a woman, how can I handle state affairs? Your Majesty is so wise and powerful, you can plan and strategize, you can lay off hundreds of thousands of troops at will, and you can demote the entire court at will. How can I have the courage and determination of Your Majesty?"

Emperor Guangde knew that the princess was blaming him for insisting on implementing the new policy. He spread his hands and said helplessly:

"My father left me this mess, and I have no choice but to take care of it. People outside are questioning me and slandering me. You don't think so too, do you? My father's tricks have come to an end, and you know that."

The eldest princess gently patted her brother's shoulder, as if to encourage the young emperor: "Since you believe this, you should insist on implementing the new policy. I have never seen you so frustrated. When we were in the Shenyang Palace before, whether it was Cuju or Touhu, you never admitted defeat. Are you going to admit defeat now?"

When Liu Kan heard the princess's incredibly gentle tone, the softest part of his heart melted instantly. For over a year, Liu Kan had been fighting against the heavens, the earth, and the entire Da Qi bureaucracy, and he was already exhausted.

He was about to speak when the princess said leisurely, "However, if you lose this time, the entire Great Qi will be buried with Your Majesty. Your Majesty must immediately halt the new policies and stop the military reductions. Otherwise, I'm afraid you will be completely defeated."

Emperor Guangde straightened his messy hair and tried hard to maintain his dignity as the emperor of Da Qi.

"That's why I summoned you this time, hoping you could assist me in turning the tide and quelling the rebellions. The New Deal has reached its most crucial stage. The official system, the imperial examinations, the taxes... have all been reformed, leaving only this final step."

The eldest princess looked up at her brother in surprise.

"Do you think that the billions of people and millions of soldiers of Great Qi are just cold numbers that you can manipulate at will? Do you think that soldiers have no dignity or honor?"

Emperor Guangde stared at his sister as if he was looking at a monster, obviously not understanding what Liu Yufei said.

"Sister, why do you say that? Do you think I'm a tyrant? I've handled all the personnel changes properly. For example, the court gave land to those soldiers who were laid off and arranged jobs for them. For those farmers who sold their land, the court bought it out at a very fair price. I even asked them to formulate a law for this purpose... With so many officials, corruption is inevitable, but you can't completely deny the new policies just because of the rumors you heard in the streets..."

Liu Yufei shook her brother's shoulders hard, as if trying to wake up someone who was pretending to be asleep.

"Liu Kan, your father asked you to read the books of sages, but you've read them all! Those soldiers you dismissed didn't care about the severance pay or the job assigned by the civil officials! They just wanted to fight and die on the battlefield! The Great Qi was founded on military power. Your father had it so hard when he started his business! In the entire Great Qi, except for you, everyone else has crawled out of the dead. Now you're dismissing the army and using a few taels of silver to send the soldiers away. You're breaking the backbone of our Great Qi!"

Liu Kan did not expect the princess to say such a thing. He was stunned for a long time before he said:
"Isn't the purpose of serving in the army and fighting for the emperor's rations? I gave them more, so why are they still not satisfied? The Mino Guard said that someone was deliberately instigating this. The Ningguta mutiny was just an accident, nothing more than an accident."

"You are the emperor of Da Qi, but you don't understand Da Qi. How pathetic!"

"Liu Kan, don't you understand? If the new policies and decrees continue to be implemented, Da Qi will return to the former Ming Dynasty. You will end up like the former Ming Emperor Zhu Youjian, with your country destroyed and yourself dead!"

"So, Princess, you are unwilling to help me deal with those rebels?"

The princess said firmly, "Your Majesty, I returned to Nanjing precisely to persuade you to stop the new policy as soon as possible and restore the old system!"

Emperor Guangde slammed the table and stood up, furious:
"You, are you here to force the emperor to abdicate? What did those warriors promise you? To make you Empress Wu Zetian?"

The guards standing at the door all looked sideways at the two of them. Jiang Liuer was about to step forward with a sharp knife in his hand, but was stopped by Emperor Guangde.

"They did make a proposal, but I rejected it. We'll handle the Liu family's affairs ourselves. Besides, you're getting married soon..."

"Enough!" Liu Kan suddenly drew out his sword and pointed it at Liu Yufei.

"Whether you want to be Wu Zetian or Zhu Di! I tell you, this is the Great Qi, not the Great Tang!"

The princess gently pushed the sword away and said indifferently, "I came to Nanjing to save you, and you actually pointed a sword at me. My father said that swords are used to protect family members!"

Liu Kan sheathed his sword and sat dejectedly on the dragon throne.
"Back in Shenyang, when I was a child, I was carefree. No matter how big the problem was, my father was always there to handle it. Now that he's gone, I have to make the decisions on many things myself."

A trace of warmth flashed through the depths of Emperor Guangde's mind. It was a memory from long ago, when he had a carefree childhood in the Shenyang Palace.

"I have no foundation in Da Qi, and no one in the army supports me, so I can only give benefits to the people, which can also be regarded as a way to gain some popularity."

Liu Yufei shrugged, "What do you mean by 'benefiting the people'? Is this why you're implementing the New Deal? To allow the local tyrants and evil gentry to make a comeback and reoccupy the land and mines? To ride roughshod over the people again? To consolidate your throne?"

Liu Kan chuckled bitterly. "You're judging a gentleman by your own meanness. They say only women and villains are difficult to raise. Hahaha, that certainly wasn't my original intention. But with the implementation of the new policy, it's indeed become like this. This year's new Jinshi are over 180, and half are landlords who have prospered in the past two years—they are naturally grateful to me—these people are much more useful than the old ministers left by my father. Now, I am surrounded by a multitude of interests, and I can no longer make decisions on many matters."

At this point, Emperor Guangde's face darkened, and he suddenly grabbed the teacup on the table and threw it to the ground.
"Where are the guards? Take down the princess!"

(End of this chapter)