Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 105: The Final Word, Mutual Calculation
Seeing that Ke Zheng had directly implicated all the nobles and princes of the royal family with a single fire, the military generals and nobles who had just been watching could not help themselves. After looking at Ke Zheng angrily, a group of nobles turned their gaze to Emperor Yongping, waiting for his arrangements.

However, Emperor Yongping just sat upright, looking calm and composed, as if he had already expected Ke Zheng's words.

Just when the ministers were puzzled, the next second, Prince Zhongshun, who was the leader of the royal family, came to the back of the hall, bowed to Emperor Yongping and said.

"Your Majesty, I think what Prime Minister Ke said is not without reason."

"Your Highness, your ministers have worked tirelessly to assist him in handling state affairs, all for the sake of the longevity of our Great Zhou."

"I have been promoted by Your Majesty and have reached the rank of Prince."

"Since you are a member of the royal family, you should naturally consider the Great Zhou."

"My household owns over 70,000 mu of land. I am willing to pay taxes to the court according to the land tax system and to perform corvée labor based on the 70,000 mu of land."

"However, my household does not have enough people to perform corvée labor. I hope Your Majesty will grant me the right to pay in silver."

Emperor Yongping smiled calmly after hearing this.

"Prince Zhongshun is loyal to his country and truly a role model for the royal family."

Prince Zhongshun said hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment. The land tax in this dynasty is one-twenty, which is very small. It is not a big deal for us royal family members to lose this little income."

"But this way, the lower-class people can reduce a huge burden."

"When the people live and work in peace and contentment, our Great Zhou will naturally prosper."

"If the Great Zhou is well, then we, the royal family, will naturally be able to have descendants and prosper together with the country."

"As the saying goes, if the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached? Isn't that exactly the truth?"

When the other members of the royal family heard what Prince Zhongshun said, they were so angry that their teeth were itching.

How could they not see that Emperor Yongping must have made peace with Prince Zhongshun long ago and let Prince Zhongshun play along in the double act.

Now Prince Zhongshun looked very enthusiastic and elevated the matter of responding to Xiao Qinyan's call to the level of the Great Zhou's national destiny.

Moreover, Prince Zhongshun took the lead and set an example.

In this case, what else can these royal family members say? They can only follow suit.

After all, Emperor Yongping had just said in person that Prince Zhongshun's behavior was loyal to the country and he was a role model for the royal family.

Then the next step is simple. Emperor Yongping may not be able to remember who among the royal family members followed and supported Prince Zhongshun.

But if anyone sang a different tune, Emperor Yongping would definitely be impressed by him.

If you are on the emperor's blacklist, the consequences will naturally not be very good.

If the emperor wanted to punish the ministers, it might be a bit troublesome and he would need some evidence.

But it was very easy for the emperor to deal with these members of the royal family.

After all, Emperor Yongping came to power by killing his brother and imprisoning his father. He had at least nine ways to deal with the royal family.

At this time, the royal family members could only curse in their hearts, annoyed that Ke Zheng was too talkative and involved them, and then they walked into the hall, bowed respectfully and said.

"Your Majesty, we believe that Prince Zhongshun is absolutely right. We are willing to respond to the court's new policies, pay the land tax, and obey the corvee labor."

Seeing the royal family members bowing their heads one by one, Emperor Yongping smiled and said.

"I am deeply gratified that the royal family has such patriotism and actively cooperates with the court's new policies."

After praising him for a while, Emperor Yongping's eyes suddenly changed. He looked at Ke Zheng sternly and said.

"Ke Xiang, what do you think?"

Ke Zheng was captivated by Emperor Yongping's gaze and his heart skipped a beat.

However, Ke Zheng did not dare to retreat at this time. After all, he was the head of all officials and the leader of civil servants, and naturally represented the interests of factions and families.

Although he knew that his actions had angered Emperor Yongping, he could only speak out.

"Your Majesty, besides the royal family, there are also nobles."

As soon as Ke Zheng finished speaking, he saw Xiao Yuehou and Jia Jue walk out of the queue at the same time.

It was normal for Xiao Yuehou to come out, as he was being criticized.

But Jia Jue also came out, which made Emperor Yongping feel even more relieved.

Originally, Xiao Yuehou was worried that he would become the target of public criticism if he came out, but now with the addition of Champion Hou to share the firepower, his pressure is much less.

After the two of them came to the hall and bowed, Jia Jue said calmly.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to respond to the court's new policies, cooperate with the court to measure the land, pay taxes, and obey corvee labor."

Xiao Yuehou then said.

"I am willing to do the same."

Seeing Jia Jue stand up, the nobles from Jia Jue's faction followed him into the hall without saying a word and echoed his words.

"We are willing to do the same."

Upon seeing this, the Duke of England sighed for a moment, then walked into the hall, bowed, and said.

"Your Majesty, the British government has been blessed by God for generations, and His grace and favor will never fade."

"Your Majesty is so determined to benefit all people. Even if we donate a single hair, it will benefit the whole world. I, your servant, am willing to respond to the new policies of the court."

The Duke of Yingguo had greater appeal than Jia Jue, and more than 30 nobles came to the hall to support him.

Looking at the scene before him, Emperor Yongping smiled calmly and said.

"With all your support, there's no need to worry about our Great Zhou not becoming stronger."

"Prince Beijing, do you agree?"

Seeing that Emperor Yongping directly called his name, Prince Beijing felt helpless.

At this moment, he couldn't help but secretly groan.

He finally understood the inner thoughts of the royal family members who had just been forced to do something.

But since Emperor Yongping had named him, Prince Beijing did not dare to play dumb and could only come to the hall, bow and speak.

"Your Majesty is right. Duke Ying said that plucking a single hair can benefit the world. This is very reasonable."

"However, regarding the promotion of the new policy, I still have some suggestions."

Emperor Yongping said calmly.

"But it doesn't matter."

Prince Beijing said immediately.

"Your Majesty's original intention in implementing the New Deal was to benefit all people."

"But if we promote it nationwide right away, wouldn't it damage the dignity of the court if something goes wrong?"

"In my humble opinion, the court could first select a region to pilot the new policy. If it proves effective, it wouldn't be too late to implement it nationwide. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

After Emperor Yongping looked at Prince Beijing meaningfully, he already understood Prince Beijing's plan.

Needless to say, Prince Beijing knew very well that if he insisted, he would definitely get into trouble, so he simply adopted a delaying tactic.

Emperor Yongping was certain that if he chose a pilot area to implement the new policy, officials would certainly try every means to obstruct it, causing the new policy to anger the people and eventually come to nothing.

However, such a little trick naturally had no effect on Emperor Yongping.

Emperor Yongping said calmly.

"Prince Beijing, from what you said, I think you are also willing to respond to the new policy, right?"

Prince Beijing nodded and said.

"Your Majesty is a man of great talent and vision, a wise ruler of his generation. I naturally support your resolution."

Emperor Yongping said with a chuckle.

"Excellent! As Prince Beijing said, it's wise to be prudent in planning state affairs. This matter really shouldn't be rushed."

"How about this, the pilot project will be in Shendu."

"Since it was Prince Beijing who proposed the resolution, let's start with Prince Beijing's Palace. You four founding princes have always been of the same blood. Next, we will move on to the other three palaces."

"Then there are the royal family, nobles, and civil and military officials in Beijing."

"The Jingzhao Yin will be in charge of the preliminary preparations, and the Jinyiwei will assist. As for the person in charge of the Divine Capital reform, Xiao Xiang will be in charge."

"Okay, this matter is settled. Let's adjourn the court." After Emperor Yongping made the final decision, he stood up and left, not giving anyone else a chance.

All civil and military officials could only bow and respectfully send Emperor Yongping back to the palace.

After the court meeting, Prince Beijing felt extremely depressed.

He originally wanted to use a delaying tactic and put the land reform into the prefectures and counties. By then, the nobles, royal family members, and civil officials would work together to surely ruin this matter.

However, he never expected that Emperor Yongping would actually place the pilot project in Shendu and ask the Jinyiwei to assist.

What’s even worse is that the first place to be checked is Prince Beijing’s Palace.

He came up and chopped himself with the knife.

The Prince of Xiping on the side also said with some resentment.

"Brother Shui, look at the trouble you've caused."

Prince Beijing said with a hint of helplessness.

"How can you blame me for this? Your Majesty is determined to do so. Who dares to go against him?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about the Ningguo Mansion."

"Should we protect Jia Zhen?"

Prince Xiping said after a moment of thought.

"He's just a piece of crap, neither good at literature nor martial arts. And this time, it's clear that someone is behind this, most likely the Champion Marquis. Is it really necessary to clash with the Champion Marquis again over such a piece of crap?"

Prince Beijing waved his hand and said.

"That's not true. Jia Zhen is not good at anything, but Ningguo Mansion still has some students and old friends in the army."

"Besides, this is just a small charge, and the matter could be serious or minor. If you can get bail, you should get it."

Just as the two were discussing things, Jia Jue came up to Prince Beijing and Prince Xiping with a smile on his face and blocked their way.

Prince Beijing said calmly upon seeing this.

"Champion Marquis, what do you mean?"

Jia Jue said with a calm smile.

"My two princes, please don't misunderstand me. I have good news to tell you today."

Prince Beijing said with a sneer.

"If you don't share the same ideals, you can't work together. If you have something to say, just say it."

Jia Jue took out an invitation and said.

"This marquis will be taking a concubine soon, and I would like to invite you two to a wedding drink. Here is the invitation, please accept it. Farewell."

After handing the invitation to Prince Beijing, Jia Jue turned and left.

Prince Xiping said with a hint of surprise.

"What's wrong with this Champion Marquis? He didn't even send us an invitation for his wedding, so why is he sending us an invitation now to take a concubine?"

"Could it be that you want to reconcile with us?"

Prince Beijing waved his hand and said.

"How is that possible? He is an absolute lone minister. Otherwise, Your Majesty would not allow him to have such great power."

"If he reconciles with us, would Your Majesty still dare to use him?"

"The Champion Marquis is not someone who does things without a purpose. This invitation must have a hidden meaning. Let me open it and take a look."

Prince Xiping nodded slightly, then leaned over to look at the invitation together.

After reading it, Prince Xiping said with some doubts.

"This is just an ordinary invitation. There's nothing mysterious about it."

Prince Beijing waved his hand and said.

"No, it's not that simple. Look, this woman's surname is Qin."

Prince Xiping said in confusion.

"What's wrong with the last name Qin? Last name Qin, wait."

"Just now, the Imperial Censor impeached Jia Zhen for framing a minor sixth-rank official from the Ministry of Works. If I remember correctly, that official's surname was also Qin, right?"

"Could it be that there is a connection between the two?"

Prince Beijing nodded and said.

"That's most likely the case. We should send someone to Jia Zhen to inquire about the situation. If the Qin family he framed is the same family that the Marquis of Guanjun has taken in as his concubine, then the Marquis of Guanjun will definitely punish him to death this time."

Prince Xiping said with disdain.

"This Jia Zhen, not only is he a womanizer, he's also suffered a lot at the hands of the Marquis of Guanjun, yet he's still so bold."

"I think he fell into trouble this time because of a woman."

"If that's the case, it's best for us not to get involved in this mess. It's really not worth it to fight to the death with the Champion Marquis for such a piece of shit."

"The Marquis of Guanjun now controls the Imperial Guards and the Beijing Camp. If he really decides to expel our people, it will be troublesome to come back."

Prince Beijing sighed and said.

"Alas, since when did we four kings have to look after the mood of a marquis?"

There is no need to elaborate on the two people's feelings. As for Jia Jue, before he left the palace, the eunuch called Jia Jue and said that Emperor Yongping had summoned him.

Jia Jue then went to the Qianqing Palace.

Not long after, in the Qianqing Palace, the emperor and his ministers sat opposite each other and talked.

Emperor Yongping said with a smile after making a move with the black chess piece.

"You kid, you're not quiet at all, are you?"

"Tell me, what's going on with Jia Zhen? Don't ever say this has nothing to do with you."

Jia Jue said with a slight smile.

"Your Majesty, this time it was not me who caused trouble without reason. He was the one seeking death."

"He had his eyes on the daughter of Qin Ye, a clerk in the Ministry of Works, but fearing rejection due to his poor reputation, he framed Qin Ye and tried to force a marriage into the Qin family."

"But the Qin family girl had already been promised to me by Qin Ye as a concubine. I had been away from the capital for only a month when this happened."

"If this gets out, how will I save my dignity?"

Emperor Yongping said with a chuckle.

"You are quite direct, no detours at all."

Jia Jue said with a wry smile.

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened. How dare I conceal anything?"

Emperor Yongping waved his hand and said.

"Stop it, it's not surprising that you figured out Jia Zhen's frame-up of Qin Ye in such a short time, but how could you figure out that he forced Zhang Hua to divorce his wife and took possession of You Erjie, a commoner girl, in such a short time?"

"You have been planning to deal with Jia Zhen for a long time, so you have been looking for people to collect evidence against him, right?"

Jia Jue nodded and said.

"I knew I couldn't hide this from Your Majesty. In order to rectify the Beijing camp, I punished the legitimate sons of the Ning and Rong families by military law. This hatred is unresolved."

Emperor Yongping patted Jia Jue on the shoulder and sighed.

"Alas, in order to serve me, you have offended most of the people in the court. It is really difficult for you."

"Forget it, I will help you deal with Jia Zhen this time."

"I know about your old grudge with the Ning and Rong mansions, but don't be impatient, Rongguo Mansion. When the time is right, I will fulfill your wish."

Jia Jue said after bowing.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)