Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 412 This needs to go through the proper procedures.
The grand court assembly in Luoyang during the first month of the year is the most important court assembly of the year.

A group of members of the imperial family, high-ranking officials, and foreign envoys gathered at the Taiji Hall to pay homage to the emperor and offer tribute.

The purpose of holding a grand court assembly on the first day of the Lunar New Year is to declare legitimacy, demonstrate authority, and appease distant peoples.

Since the establishment of the Six Garrisons and Heyin, the Northern Wei imperial family had lost all its prestige, and the government's decrees no longer extended beyond Luoyang. In fact, Luoyang had become a playground for the feudal lords.

How can you talk about authority?

Since the authority was gone, the only meaning of holding a grand court assembly was to amuse oneself.

Whether it was Yuan Ziyou or the deposed emperor later promoted by the Erzhu clan, they were willing but unable to demonstrate the majesty of the imperial family through grand court assemblies.

After the Erzhu clan entered Luoyang, they thoroughly purged Emperor Xiaowen Yuan Hong's Sinicization reforms, leading to extreme chaos in the court's ritual system.

Yuan Ziyou and others wanted to get rid of the influence of the Erzhu clan, but they couldn't because they didn't have the financial resources or the ability.

After Yuan Baoju ascended the throne, everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. It wasn't until the end of last winter that Luoyang was largely rebuilt, and a grand court assembly in the traditional sense was officially held this year.

However, the one preceding the assembled officials was not Yuan Baoju's eldest son, Yuan Qin, but Li Shuang.

He led his officials, ministers, and foreign envoys into the Taiji Hall to pay their respects to Yuan Baoju.

The etiquette and procedures of the Grand Court Assembly were very complicated. Originally, there were many officials who were proficient in these etiquette and procedures, but after Erzhu Rong killed two thousand ministers in Luoyang, those who knew these things became rare talents.

Nevertheless, while some details might not be clear to those present, there is one thing they do know.

The one who should have been leading the officials and nobles was the Crown Prince of Northern Wei or a member of the royal family, but now it was the Prince of Qin.

The true ruler of the Northern Dynasty!
The General of Heavenly Strategy holds a position above the Three Dukes, and all officials give way to him, treating him with utmost respect!
Looking at Li Shuang walking ahead, the courtiers behind him had very complicated feelings, while the foreign envoys each had their own thoughts.

Li Shuang led everyone into the Taiji Hall to offer New Year's greetings to Yuan Baoju.

After Yuan Baoju, who was seated on the throne, gently said "No need for formalities," the officials returned to their seats.

Yuan Baoju's eunuch took out the imperial edict and handed it to Prime Minister Hu Sichun, who then gave an annual work summary report.

This imperial edict had been drafted long ago, and Hu Sichun had personally reviewed its contents.

After his usual scathing critique of the Nanliang Island barbarians, Husichun began to recount his achievements.

The biggest highlight was last year's attack on Bashu, where they captured this strategic location and withstood the Liang army's counterattack.

The main idea of ​​Husichun is that, under the wise and great leadership of the King of Qin, his loyal and reliable sworn brother, the King of Chenliu, led his soldiers to rescue the Han and Man people of Bashu from the evil island barbarians with their selfless spirit.

The people of Sichuan and Chongqing longed for the royal army as if it were a timely rain. The scene was truly spectacular, with drums and gongs resounding, crowds of people, and food and drink offered to welcome the royal army.

After recounting a long list of achievements, Hu Sichun reflected on his actions and finally came to a conclusion.

Why was it that within just two short years, the crumbling Great Wei was able to recover its glory from the shadow of the Erzhu clan's rampage?

It was all thanks to the King of Qin, who was the pillar that held up the sky!

The content was so obsequious that the assembled officials and ministers felt uncomfortable. They automatically skipped the sycophantic parts of Hu Sichun's speech and jumped directly to the end.

"...Now, in recognition of the King of Qin's achievements, we hereby grant him an additional fief of 100,000 households in nine commanderies in Hebei and Henan."

Another 100,000 households were granted fiefdoms?

The officials were shocked. Li Shuang's Qin Prince's Mansion already had a fiefdom of 100,000 households in the Central Plains, and now it had reached 200,000 households.

It's important to understand that these weren't just nominal fiefs where people could only collect money and grain as salary. The Qin King's Palace was truly capable of governing the people in their fiefs, possessing the power to formulate laws, levy taxes, conscript laborers, and form armies.

The four prominent families of Guandong, including those from the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families, as well as high-ranking officials and ministers closely associated with them, were extremely sensitive to this matter.

If the newly conquered lands of Ba and Shu were simply used as Qin King's fiefdoms, they wouldn't object, since it had nothing to do with them anyway. But the lands of the Central Plains were much more relevant to them.

Li Shuang is going to steal food from them!

The previous 100,000 households and fiefdoms were inherited by Li Shuang in his dual capacity as the victor who defeated the Erzhu clan and the heir to the Erzhu clan's legacy. Most of these fiefdoms were originally under Erzhu Rong's title of Prince of Taiyuan.

The prominent families in Hebei are already quite wary of this.

It's not that he governed poorly, but rather that he governed too well.

Li Shuang is just too curvy.

The aristocratic families and their tenants agreed to a 60/40 split, though this might be adjusted depending on the season and location. However, the Prince of Qin's mansion directly exempted the land from taxes for two years and rented oxen and farm tools at extremely low prices, demonstrating that they didn't care about the cost of land they had acquired for free.

Of course, the noble families and officials couldn't say anything about it openly, but the people of Hebei were indeed restless.

Now, Li Shuang has taken another step forward, adding another 100,000 households. If this pace continues, sooner or later all one million households in Hebei will be surnamed Li.

If anyone wanted to oppose granting Li Shuang an additional 100,000 households, the officials in the court could come up with all sorts of reasons.

For example, the war has just ended, and the number of registered households under the court's jurisdiction is only one-third of the original number. Now that the Prince of Qin has been granted an additional 100,000 households, the court will face even greater difficulties.

However, Li Shuang did not give these officials a chance. Just as Hu Sichun closed the imperial edict, he took the initiative to step forward.

"Although I have made meritorious contributions, the country is in dire straits, and I dare not accept this reward!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Sichun quickly retorted:

"Your Majesty's achievements are worthy of being recorded in history. If I do not accept this reward, how can I, your subject, feel at ease?"

Soon, Jia Xianzheng and his group of northern nobles also came out and began to refute them.

"The court's benevolence lies in rewarding merit and punishing demerit. If the King of Qin does not accept the reward, wouldn't he be undermining the court's laws?"

The main selling point of Northern brands like Hu Sichun is that you can't refuse to take it.

If you don't take it, the laws of the court will be corrupted; if the laws of the court are corrupted, the soldiers will not be able to fight for the country with peace of mind; if the soldiers are not able to fight for the country with peace of mind, the Great Wei will be finished.

In short, if the King of Qin does not accept the reward of 100,000 households, the Great Wei will be finished.

These northern nobles were few in number, but their voices were quite loud, overshadowing those from other aristocratic families, which made them feel very aggrieved.

Of course, it wasn't that these ministers from aristocratic families couldn't argue with them; it was mainly that these northern nobles understood the laws of physics better than these aristocratic nobles.

Having experienced the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons and the Incident at Heyin, these northern nobles deeply understood a principle.

Reasoning must be applied to make things clear!

This is how these northern nobles acted when the Erzhu clan was at the height of their power; and this is how they acted after the Erzhu clan fell from power.

At that moment, a group of noble families looked at Yuan Baoju, placing their last hope on him.

You're the emperor, after all. Everyone's acting so disrespectfully, you need to stand up for yourself!

However, Yuan Baoju sat on the throne, looking completely uninterested and unmotivated. In the end, with no other choice, Li Shuang was forced to accept the rewards of these nine prefectures and ten thousand households.

"You have truly caused me great suffering!"

After the formalities, it was time for the envoys to present their gifts.

The Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty originated from the Xianbei and shared a common origin with the Donghu tribes such as the Tuyuhun, Khitan, Rouran, Shiwei, and Xi.

After defeating the Murong clan and suppressing the Rouran, the Tuoba clan became the overlord of the north, maintaining stable relations with the surrounding tribes and establishing a tributary system.

Today, this tributary system has collapsed.

This time, more than ten countries, including Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, Gaochang, Silla, and Baekje, sent envoys.

However, it's more accurate to say they came for Li Shuang than for Yuan Baoju.

They all know who the true ruler of the Northern Dynasty is now.

The old order of the Northern Wei Dynasty, whether in Luoyang or Pingcheng, is now under the control of this young Prince of Qin.

The Rouran were split into two factions, and the Khitan had just suffered a severe beating. The order on the grasslands had been stabilized.

The leaders of many tribes inhabiting the Yinshan, Yanshan, Helan, and Qilian Mountains regions were granted the title of Khan and placed under the rule of the Heavenly Khan. The order in the northern lands, which had once been centered around Pingcheng, was stabilized.

Having witnessed what had just happened, the envoys also saw that the Central Plains, under the control of the King of Qin, seemed to have entered a period of stability.

In this way, the entire Northern Dynasty will enter a period of stability for at least a considerable period of time.

To the surrounding smaller states, both the Northern Wei and the Southern Liang were enormous powers.

For them, a Northern Dynasty that had experienced internal strife and was on the verge of collapse but suddenly ended the strife and became powerful was not necessarily a good thing. Therefore, they made some tests to varying degrees.

The most obvious example of this was the envoys from Goguryeo.

While presenting two jade discs to Yuan Baoju, the Goguryeo envoy also presented Li Shuang with a jade ruyi, which was of far superior quality and standard to the jade discs presented to Yuan Baoju, in full view of everyone.

Such a move was undoubtedly a test of whether the imperial court in Luoyang was truly as harmonious as it appeared.

This gave the noble families, who had been holding back their anger, a reason to vent their frustrations, and they all began to criticize the Goguryeo envoy for not knowing the proper etiquette.

The Goguryeo envoy appeared terrified in the face of the rebuke, saying that it was his first time visiting the country, and that he was young and inexperienced, and had been overwhelmed by the majesty of the Celestial Empire, forgetting all etiquette.

However, the resulting public opinion ultimately pointed subtly at Li Shuang.

The system of rites and rites is the general principle by which the imperial court governs the country.

No matter how courteous Li Shuang, the King of Qin, was to all officials, he could not openly receive treatment surpassing that of the emperor. Therefore, this gave the ministers and officials a reason to voice their opinions.

Of course, their primary concern is the situation of those 100,000 households.

Just as public opinion in the court was getting worse, the eunuch beside Yuan Baoju struck the bronze chime next to him.

All the officials and nobles fell silent.

The emperor was about to speak.

The assembled officials waited for Yuan Baoju to stand up. Yuan Baoju, who had been listless moments before, turned serious and began to speak:

"I and the King of Qin are ruler and subject, but our relationship is like that of brothers. This empire was not acquired by me, but entrusted to me by the King of Qin. Now that there is disturbance and unrest among the ministers, it is my fault. I intend that the King of Qin may henceforth raise the imperial banners in Chang'an, and all ministers shall not cause any further disturbance!"

These words surprised not only the officials present, but also the Goguryeo envoy who had just been criticized but was actually cooperating with the ministers.

What's the process?
The nobles, who had been well-versed in the classics since childhood, outwardly expressed their disdain for usurping the throne, yet each of them was quite knowledgeable about the process of doing so.

Even if one were to usurp the throne, wouldn't one first need to bestow upon him the Nine Bestowments, appoint him as the Grand Chancellor, and grant him the privileges of "not having to hasten his steps when entering the court, not having to name himself when being praised, and being allowed to wear a sword and shoes in the palace"?

We have to take it one step at a time!
How did it suddenly jump to building the emperor's banners!
Each step has its price, and in an instant, he has jumped to the point where he is only one step away from usurping the throne. How can we negotiate with Li Shuang now?

How much less money will we make?

Your Majesty is so unprofessional!

Not only were the officials and foreign envoys surprised, but Li Shuang himself was also astonished.

Yuan Baoju's actions were not pre-planned; they were entirely spontaneous.

Yuan Baoju's move was so powerful that even Li Shuang was struggling to keep up.

"Your Majesty, no!"

Seeing that Li Shuang was the first to come out and stop him, Yuan Baoju swallowed back all the words he had to say.

In the imperial court, there was an unusual unity of purpose, with everyone working towards the same goal.

Finally, after much persuasion from Li Shuang and the officials in the Taiji Hall, Yuan Baoju withdrew his order.

……

Jinyong City.

"Your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. The Goguryeo envoy had been colluding with Jeong Eom-jo, Go Gon, Lu Wenwei, and others. The plot was premeditated in the court that day."

Hu Sichun stood beside Li Shuang and said cautiously.

Li Shuang looked at a document but didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Hu Sichun felt a little uneasy and continued:
"Yuwen Tai's campaign against the Khitan was a great victory, and he also seized the wealth that Goguryeo had collected from the Khitan and Xi tribes. King Gao Baoyan was very dissatisfied with this."

Since the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons, the Northern Dynasty has been in chaos for ten years. The order on the border is also fraught with uncertainty.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Goguryeo subjugated many tribes that were not originally subject to Goguryeo.

Although Goguryeo paid tribute to both the Northern Wei and Southern Liang dynasties from time to time, it was also a hegemon in itself, establishing a small tributary system that incorporated the surrounding tribes into this system and frequently levied taxes on them.

Now that the Northern Dynasties have moved from chaos to order, the attitudes of the tribes that originally surrounded Liaodong have become ambiguous again.

After all, these tribes in the northeast already had some connection with the Xianbei people. Since they could join the major tributary system, why would they join the minor tributary system, acknowledge a second brother under the eldest brother, and then suffer another blow?
Goguryeo wanted to maintain its status as a minor hegemon in Liaodong and eliminate the hopes of these tribes, so it naturally hoped that Luoyang would not interfere too much in the affairs of the northeast.

Thus, stirring up internal strife in Luoyang naturally became one of his objectives.

After Hu Sichun finished speaking, Li Shuang placed the document submitted by Gao Huan from Yecheng regarding the recovery of Liaodong on the table and said:

"He Liuhun is quite decisive!"

Hu Sichun was taken aback. Was this a compliment to Gao Huan?
……

(End of this chapter)