Prefect Pang was taken away by the Forbidden Dragon Guards, and Censor Chu was locked up by Lord Yao. A brief calm descended upon Suzhou Prefecture, but with the murders of Prefect Zhang and Qian Shipeng still unresolved, Zhan Feiyu could not leave for the time being.
"When Ah Sheng returns, tell him to come over," Zhan Feiyu said to He Nuan, then turned her attention back to the essay question she was reading, "The Zhou and Tang Dynasties were internally strong and externally weak, while the Qin and Wei were externally strong and internally weak; each had its merits."
Zhan Feiyu frowned in thought. On the surface, this was a historical essay question. The so-called "externally strong and internally weak" referred to the Zhou Dynasty's enfeoffment system, which eventually led to the powerful feudal lords and the Zhou emperor being sidelined.
The prosperous Tang Dynasty implemented the Fanzhen system, which led to powerful military governors and de facto regional separatism. Local power was too great, with a tendency for "generals outside the capital to disregard imperial orders." While outwardly still respecting the emperor in the capital, in reality, governance was localized, and even neighboring prefectures would form alliances, leaving the emperor afraid to act.
As for the Qin and Wei, the opposite was true. All power was concentrated in the hands of the emperor, including military power in the regions. To separate generals from their troops, command was rotated every three years, with the soldiers remaining constant while the generals changed.
However, although "internally strong and externally weak" avoided the threat of separatism, it suffered from external threats. The surrounding foreign tribes of the Great Qing Dynasty were covetous. With no internal strife but external dangers, the common people on the borders suffered, and there were constant wars. In severe cases, the nation could be destroyed and its people annihilated.
When He Sheng returned, He Nuan entered the room and saw Zhan Feiyu still deep in thought, with not a single word written on the paper. She was surprised. Miss's homework speed had always been very fast. It had been half an hour, and not a single word had been written. Could the homework assigned by Scholar Gu be too difficult this time?
Zhan Feiyu put down her brush. "Ah Sheng is back?"
"Yes," He Nuan replied, watching Zhan Feiyu rise and continued, "Big Brother is a bit dirty. I'll report back to Miss after a simple cleanup."
Having gone to the secret stronghold of the Forbidden Dragon Guards, it was likely not just dirt but bloodstains. Zhan Feiyu didn't mind and simply tidied her desk. "Let's go for a walk in the courtyard."
It was almost the Qingming Festival. If it were in Jiangnan, it might already be drizzling. Although Longyou Road was cold, the rainfall was not much. After the heavy rain earlier, it was unlikely to rain again for a month or two.
He Sheng strode over, having completed his washing in less than fifteen minutes. "Miss."
"I'll go prepare lunch," He Nuan said. Even in the prefectural office, she didn't feel at ease. With Big Brother here, she didn't have to worry about Miss's safety.
"Did Prefect Pang confess?" Zhan Feiyu asked, walking slowly along the winding path.
Prefect Zhang did not prioritize luxury. The rear courtyard of the prefectural office had sparse trees, with withered wild grass beside a few appropriately placed rockeries. It lacked any refinement, but standing in the sun was quite comfortable.
He Sheng quickly glanced around before replying in a low voice, "He has confessed, but he didn't know much."
"He's only a fifth-rank prefect. Truly confidential matters wouldn't pass through his hands," Zhan Feiyu nodded in understanding.
Although Prefect Pang had been in contact with the palace, in the end, he didn't even know which prince he was loyal to.
The people who contacted Prefect Pang were always disguised, and they communicated through a screen, late at night, with only a single candle lit in the room, making it no different from pitch darkness.
"According to Prefect Pang, the person who contacted him was an old man, thin and frail, with what seemed to be an injured left leg, causing him to limp. His voice was hoarse, and he didn't speak much. Each time, he would verbally convey the palace's orders to Prefect Pang."
He Sheng, who had also participated in the interrogation, spoke again, "If Prefect Pang had any needs, he only had to write them down on paper and have someone place them in the merit box of the temple on the mountain. The old man in charge of contact would then send someone to retrieve it."
After walking a short distance and circling back through the garden, Zhan Feiyu sat down on the covered walkway. "Didn't he send someone to investigate?"
Curiosity was human nature, and knowing Prefect Pang's ambition, how could he be content to be a pawn manipulated by others? Such passivity was definitely not Prefect Pang's style of operation.
"The year after Prefect Pang first contacted them, he did send someone to investigate," He Sheng had to admire Prefect Pang's patience; he waited for more than a year.
It was because he had accidentally saved a martial artist who had been sentenced to death. After the man recovered from his injuries and worried about being hunted by enemies while traveling, he pledged allegiance to Prefect Pang.
"That man was named Hu Baiyu. His Qinggong was excellent, and he was most skilled at reconnaissance. Prefect Pang made arrangements three months in advance, having Hu Baiyu disguise himself as a traveling monk and stay in the temple. Three months later, Prefect Pang sent someone to drop a letter and silver notes into the merit box..."
Prefect Pang originally intended to have Hu Baiyu secretly follow and trace the old man's identity. Unfortunately, despite his meticulous actions, he was ultimately exposed.
Fortunately, it was his first offense, and the old man only warned Prefect Pang once. However, he leaked Hu Baiyu's whereabouts. By the time Prefect Pang saw Hu Baiyu again, he was already a corpse.
Hearing this, Zhan Feiyu couldn't help but think of the historical essay question. Whether it was the Zhou and Tang's "internally strong and externally weak" or the Qin and Wei's "externally strong and internally weak," it all boiled down to the issue of imperial power.
Although the Emperor had not yet established a crown prince, the court had already been in turmoil, but it was suppressed by the Emperor's strong methods.
There could only be one crown prince, but the other princes were also the Emperor's biological sons. Zhan Feiyu gazed at the northern sky. With the teacher posing such a historical essay question, did it mean the Emperor intended to grant titles to the princes?
If a prince were to be made a king, he would necessarily have a fiefdom. Although the fiefdoms of the Great Qing Dynasty's princes were very small, usually only a medium-sized prefecture, and the fiefdoms were still governed by local officials, the prince would receive a portion of the taxes annually.
However, Zhan Feiyu knew that enfeoffed princes had their own personal guards. Historically, military power, to some extent, represented political power. If the Emperor were to emulate the Qin and Wei, the enfeoffed princes' fiefdoms would be modest, and their personal guards would not exceed ten thousand. The guards of the prince's mansion would be at most two to three hundred.
But if the Emperor, out of concern for his other sons, feared that the new emperor would hunt down his brothers after his death, he would inevitably increase the military power of the other princes, and the military power of the garrisons in their fiefdoms would also be handed over to the princes, giving them the capital to protect themselves.
If each prince had twenty to thirty thousand troops, and five or six princes combined would exceed one hundred thousand, not to mention the princes' consorts, the families of the princes' consorts, and the families loyal to them. This force, once united, would be enough to contend with the new emperor in the capital.
In this way, even if the situation in the Great Qing Dynasty was not as "internally strong and externally weak" as that of the Zhou and Tang, the power that the new emperor could control would likely be only half of the current emperor's.
If the two sides were to check and balance each other, it would be fine, but the worst fear was that the other princes would unite to force the emperor's hand, which would inevitably lead to a situation of internal strife and external threats.
Seeing Zhan Feiyu in thought, He Sheng, who was following her, also remained silent.
...
As night fell, a sweeping servant secretly balled up the discarded paper, stuffed it into his sleeve, and then hurried towards the inner quarters.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Zimo reprimanded in a low voice. "Walk lighter. His Excellency just fell asleep."
Lord Yao, despite drinking ginseng tea every day, still woke up after less than two hours of sleep. The two murder cases in Suzhou Prefecture had not yet been solved, and they involved the princes of the palace. Whenever Lord Yao closed his eyes, all the people and events would flood his mind, making it impossible to sleep.
"I understand, I won't dare again," the servant said repeatedly, lowering his head and hiding the fear and unease in his eyes.
In this way, even if the situation in the Great Qing Dynasty was not as "internally strong and externally weak" as that of the Zhou and Tang, the power that the new emperor could control would likely be only half of the current emperor's.
If the two sides were to check and balance each other, it would be fine, but the worst fear was that the other princes would unite to force the emperor's hand, which would inevitably lead to a situation of internal strife and external threats.
Seeing Zhan Feiyu in thought, He Sheng, who was following her, also remained silent.
...
As night fell, a sweeping servant secretly balled up the discarded paper, stuffed it into his sleeve, and then hurried towards the inner quarters.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Zimo reprimanded in a low voice. "Walk lighter. His Excellency just fell asleep."
Lord Yao, despite drinking ginseng tea every day, still woke up after less than two hours of sleep. The two murder cases in Suzhou Prefecture had not yet been solved, and they involved the princes of the palace. Whenever Lord Yao closed his eyes, all the people and events would flood his mind, making it impossible to sleep.
"I understand, I won't dare again," the servant said repeatedly, lowering his head and hiding the fear and unease in his eyes.