"I advise you all to lay bare your hearts and minds, wash them clean, and tidy them up! I'm becoming increasingly clear that the trouble plaguing my heart isn't outside, with the barbarians, but within you, right here in this room!"

"We are guilty, we deserve to die ten thousand times!"

In the great hall, from the prime ministers down to the ordinary civil and military officials, all knelt on the ground.

Emperor Yan, Ji Runhao, sat on the dragon throne, looking at the kneeling officials below. He felt no sense of accomplishment as the supreme ruler.

This position belonged to that family;

This position belonged to another family;

And this position, for a long time, had belonged to yet another.

His court, his officials, were not arranged as he wished, but were the established domain of various powerful clans for nearly a hundred years.

There were occasional shifts, occasional infighting,

But it was merely this family replacing that one.

Official positions, important instruments of the state, were like stalls in a vegetable market.

My grandfather sold vegetables here, my father also sold vegetables here, so it's only natural that I should sell vegetables here too!

Even if I can't tell the difference between vegetables, I still have to occupy this stall.

The farmers in the fields boasted that the emperor could eat ten greasy pancakes in the morning, which was a joke.

But the Yan Emperor's court was no different from the market the farmers went to every day.

Although Ji Runhao had promoted many officials from humble backgrounds since his ascension, they were far from being able to form a significant force, lagging far behind the powerful clans.

However, at least everyone still pursued a sense of ceremony.

The one on the dragon throne was angry,

Those below the dragon throne immediately knelt down,

Everyone calmly pleaded guilty,

To complete today's performance.

Of course, there was a reason for the emperor's anger today. In recent years, the conflict between the imperial court and the Zhenbei (Pacifying the North) Marquis's estate had become nearly white-hot.

But with the issuance of the edict of self-reproach, this formerly turbulent situation was being broken. Soon, this antagonistic relationship between the central government and the powerful local lords would be brought out into the open.

And once it was on the table, it couldn't be reconciled.

The edict of self-reproach was the Yan Emperor's declaration of war against the Zhenbei Marquis's estate.

Therefore,

In the past few days,

The court officials had been rapidly moving, each representing their respective families, to put pressure on the emperor.

Some said the Zhenbei Marquis's estate was the pillar of the empire's northern border and could not be moved lightly;

Some said the three hundred thousand Zhenbei Army was the foundation of Yan's survival;

Some said the act of weakening the vassals would shake the foundation of the country;

In short,

Because of the emperor's edict of self-reproach, the officials had to immediately stand up and become the conservative faction opposing the weakening of the vassals.

But only Ji Runhao knew,

These people,

Were all willing to see him take action against the Zhenbei Marquis's estate in the first place.

If the aristocratic families were to exclude the prosperity of their descendants, then the Zhenbei Marquis's estate in Beifeng Prefecture would be the foremost family in Yan!

It was normal for the emperor to weaken the vassals, and the officials and their families behind them could understand it;

After all, as long as the emperor wasn't stupid, he would definitely weaken the vassals. Centralized power and absolute authority were the lifelong pursuit of every emperor.

Since he was going to weaken them, it was naturally the most pleasing thing for everyone that the emperor would gnaw on the toughest bone, the Zhenbei Marquis's estate.

Because it was tough, because it was hard to gnaw on, so let the emperor slowly grind it down himself.

But now it was different, the emperor was determined to tear off that fig leaf!

Once the Zhenbei Marquis's estate was completely cornered,

Could the three hundred thousand Zhenbei Army be easily dealt with?

Beifeng Prefecture was only so big, and it bordered the desert, so there wasn't much profit to be made.

But once these three hundred thousand iron cavalry were unleashed, could the six prefectures of Lesha, Tiancheng, Xiahu, Sanshi, Huwei, and Yinlang escape?

The foundation of the aristocratic families was not in the court. The court was just their spokesperson; their foundation was in the localities.

And once war broke out in the localities, who would know who you were?

When that time came, without the suppression of the Zhenbei Marquis's estate, and with the barbarians joining in, the Great Yan would be completely thrown into chaos.

Although the Qian Kingdom outside was disappointing and the Jin Kingdom was in internal turmoil, it didn't mean that the emperor of the Qian Kingdom and the great clans of the Jin Kingdom were willing to give up this great opportunity to do something while the Yan Kingdom was in chaos.

In short,

There must be no war, absolutely no war!

"Six garrisons of the Zhenbei Army, three of which have already been dispatched.

One garrison has entered Tongcheng, which borders Beifeng Prefecture and Lesha Prefecture; one garrison has entered Liangcheng, which borders Beifeng Prefecture and Sanshi Prefecture; one garrison has entered Chuicheng, which borders Beifeng Prefecture and Xiahu Prefecture.

The Zhenbei Marquis's estate's intentions are, I believe, clear to all of you.

They are forcing me to abdicate, they are coercing me to retreat, they are waving knives in front of my eyes, asking me if I am afraid!"

Ji Runhao stood up from the dragon throne,

And continued loudly:

"The difficulty of establishing and defending our Great Yan is unprecedented!

Among the emperors of Great Yan throughout the ages, few have not personally led expeditions, and three have even died in battle!

I know what you are concerned about, and I understand what you are worried about, but now is no longer the time to cover your eyes and pretend that nothing is happening.

If the fifteen thousand Zhenbei iron cavalry march south, how long can Lesha, Sanshi, and Xiahu Prefectures hold out?

If the Zhenbei Marquis's estate dares to be even more presumptuous, ignoring the barbarians in the desert, and even directly borrowing troops from the barbarian royal court, then hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry can drive straight in, and soon they will be able to reach Tiancheng Prefecture,

They will be able to reach the foot of the capital!

You are now advising me to take a step back, but have you ever thought about what will happen if I retreat and the Zhenbei Marquis's estate does not?

Have you ever thought about,

Is it easier to talk to me, the emperor, is it easier to talk to the Ji family,

Or is it easier to talk to the iron cavalry of the Zhenbei Marquis's estate?"

The officials below dared not speak, and could only bury their heads lower, even lower.

"That's all I have to say. Yesterday, I ordered the Grand Prince Ji Wujiang to lead the Tiancheng Prefecture army to garrison Shishan Camp;

The garrisons of Huwei and Yinlang Prefectures also received my decree yesterday and began to transfer troops to the capital. The imperial guards in the capital have also been ordered to prepare for battle.

I will give you half a month,

Within half a month,

I want to see your attitude!

For hundreds of years, the emperors of my Ji family have always relied on the imperial guards as the main force and the tribal armies as the auxiliary force in their expeditions. After many hardships, they have protected the Great Yan to this day;

I don't want to hear any more advice. My mind is made up;

If the Zhenbei Army dares to make any more unusual moves,

It will be considered treason!"

After speaking,

Ji Runhao waved his hand and turned around,

"Dismiss court!"

…………

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince is waiting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

"Tell him later to pay more attention to the matter of the imperial guards, and not to run to me for instructions at every turn. He is not a child anymore."

"This humble servant obeys."

"Change clothes."

"Where does Your Majesty want to go? This humble servant will arrange it."

"West Garden."

…………

West Garden was built during the reign of the late emperor.

When the late emperor was old, he lamented the inconvenience of living in the capital, so he sent envoys to the Qian Kingdom, saying that he admired the Jiangnan gardens of the Qian Kingdom.

The Emperor of the Qian Kingdom, for the sake of diplomatic relations, sent his Minister of Works with a group of skilled craftsmen to Yan to build the West Garden.

The Qian Kingdom even used this as propaganda, saying that the Yan barbarians admired Qian culture, and the Emperor of the Qian Kingdom was benevolent, sending people to build a garden for them, which made the Yan people very happy, all of them country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

However, most Qian people did not know that there was an extra sum in the annual tribute silver that the Qian Kingdom gave to the Yan Kingdom, which was the fund for building the garden.

The late emperor died in this West Garden, but Ji Runhao did not like the small bridges and flowing water in the West Garden, and basically never lived there.

However, after the guest from the north entered the capital, Ji Runhao ordered him to stay in the West Garden.

Ji Runhao and Wei Zhonghe had just walked into the courtyard of the West Garden's front hall when they smelled a strong aroma of wine and meat.

In the courtyard,

A man in his fifties with graying temples was sitting by a stone table.

At his feet, there were five large jars of wine, and on the table, there were more than a dozen plates of hard dishes, from chicken, duck, fish, and meat to pork, dog, beef, and mutton, everything.

Seeing this, Ji Runhao took off his cloak and threw it to Wei Zhonghe beside him, while rolling up his sleeves as he walked in,

While scolding:

"You rascal, you have a good appetite."

When the Zhenbei Marquis saw Ji Runhao,

He smiled,

Without getting up,

He sat there and said directly:

"I've really been living a hard life in the Marquis's estate with clear soup and water for too long. I can't get enough of this wine and meat. Moreover, the dishes in the north are also rough. How can they compare to the craftsmanship of the imperial chefs in the capital's restaurants?"

As he spoke,

The Zhenbei Marquis personally tore off a duck leg and handed it directly to Ji Runhao.

Ji Runhao did not dislike it, reached out and took it, sat down, and took a big bite.

The Zhenbei Marquis got up and poured a cup of wine into the wine bowl in front of Ji Runhao, and asked:

"Did you scold anyone?"

Ji Runhao heard this, not caring that his mouth was still full of duck meat, holding the duck leg in one hand and pointing at the Zhenbei Marquis with the other,

Scolding:

"These beasts, someone gave you a message as soon as I dismissed court?"

"Isn't it? This message must be sent early, and this show of goodwill must also be done early. You specifically used the soldiers of the city defense camp to garrison the West Garden instead of the imperial guards, isn't it just to make it convenient for them to send me messages.

There is a big box of letters in my latrine, from all the families, all using good paper. Hey, I was thinking that if I wipe with them for a long time, maybe I can have some scholarly aura down there.

If you want to see them, go dig them out of my latrine yourself. There are still a lot of unused ones."

Ji Runhao swallowed the duck meat in his mouth, picked up the wine bowl, and took a big gulp,

Saying:

"I won't look, I think it stinks, unbearably stinky!"

"Alas, it's really not necessary to look, anyway, in the end, they will all be thrown into the latrine."

After eating the duck leg,

Ji Runhao picked up the chopsticks, brought a plate of fish to himself, and ate it in large mouthfuls.

The Zhenbei Marquis was not to be outdone, brought a basin of pork knuckle in front of him, and while gnawing on it, he scolded:

"If the Qian people see you eating like this, they will definitely go back and say that my Yan Emperor is so poor that he can't even afford to eat!"

"Damn it, eating with you is delicious!"

"Hahahaha, yes, when we were kids, we fought for a chicken leg, whoever won ate it, the taste of that chicken leg was really delicious;

Now, I still can't forget it."

"I was really crazy at the time, I even competed with you to see who could eat more."

"Hahahahaha, who told you to be stupid? I grew up in the north since I was a child, eating the same food as the soldiers. When I entered your palace, my eyes were green when I saw those dishes. You actually competed with me in appetite, hahahaha!"

"Come, let's have a drink."

"Okay, let's have a drink."

The emperor and the Zhenbei Marquis raised their wine bowls together and clinked them.

The Zhenbei Marquis lowered the mouth of his bowl, and the emperor also lowered the mouth of his bowl, clinking them evenly.

Then they drank it all in one gulp,

And wiped their mouths with their sleeves very unceremoniously.

"Shu Lan's fiftieth birthday, I couldn't let you be by her side. When I see Shu Lan in the future, she will definitely scold me."

"Hey, Shu Lan is virtuous, she will understand."

"Of course, I know she is virtuous!"

After two big bowls of wine, Ji Runhao's emotions were obviously a little high, and he continued:

"If it wasn't for you shameless rascal back then, how could Shu Lan have followed you to eat sand in the north for most of her life?"

"Get out! Shu Lan is right to be with me. I only have Shu Lan as a woman in my life. What about you?"

"I did that to carry on the family line of the royal family, I had no choice, I was…………"

"Okay, okay, don't make yourself sound so great and helpless."

"…………" Ji Runhao.

"Ah ah ah ah!"

Ji Runhao shouted,

Picked up the wine jar and started pouring wine into his mouth.

Then, he slammed the wine jar on the table,

Pointing at the Zhenbei Marquis and scolding:

"You bastard, you always deliberately use Shu Lan to stab me in the back!"

"I said, Ji Runhao, don't wrong people just because you drank a little horse urine. Who the hell mentioned Shu Lan first this time?"

"You, you, it was you!"

"…………" The Zhenbei Marquis.

"However, that girl Qian, looks so much like Shu Lan, really exactly like Shu Lan when she was young."

The Zhenbei Marquis immediately stood up,

Pointing at Ji Runhao,

Scolding:

"You old shameless thing, is that how you talk about your daughter-in-law?"

"Bah, Qian is my daughter-in-law, my son is going to marry your daughter, I'm happy, I'm happy, in the future Qian's child will follow my Ji family name, not the Li family name!"

"Don't think I don't know about your royal family's scandalous customs, have there been few of them throughout history?"

"Damn it, I won't let you take advantage of me, don't think you can make me call you father!"

"Call you what?"

"…………" Ji Runhao.

Ji Runhao held back and didn't speak.

The Zhenbei Marquis sat down somewhat disappointed.

"To be honest, I really don't want my daughter to marry into the royal family."

"As long as Qian gives birth to a royal grandson, I will make him the royal grand-son, if I live long enough, and can live until the royal grand-son comes of age, I can directly let the royal grand-son ascend the throne!"

"Alas, I'm not worried about my daughter being bullied in the palace."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried that after you die, your old Ji family will be bullied by Qian."

"…………" Ji Runhao.

"Your second son is an honest man, maybe not so honest, but even if he's not honest, he's still the most honest one among your children.

Qian, like Shu Lan when she was young, is naturally intelligent and has a clear mind;

But unlike her mother, she has been by my side killing barbarians since she was a child.

What if, I said what if, what if there really is such a day;

You're gone, your second son ascends the throne, your second son is gone too..."

"…………" Ji Runhao.

"Tsk tsk, don't let your Ji family princes and nobles be slaughtered by Qian until there are none left. If that's really the case, when we drink together in the underworld, I'll feel a little sorry for you."

Ji Runhao didn't get angry at all after hearing this,

And said directly:

"Those good-for-nothing members of the royal family, living is just wasting rice and grain, I can't kill them, but Qian can kill them well, kill them well!"

"You really see things clearly."

"Hehe, I chose my second son to be the future crown prince, don't I know what kind of person my second son is?

I chose Qian to be the crown princess, don't I know what Qian is…………"

"Is what?"

"Is what kind of family education she has."

"What's wrong with my Li family's family education!"

"I didn't say there was anything wrong, you're already blowing your beard and glaring, look, you're already feeling guilty yourself."

"I'm not!"

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are!"

"Okay, I am."

"That's right, you and I, can still live for another ten or twenty years, right?

When the two of us work together, do what we really want to do,

Give Great Yan,

Give our Yan people,

Fight for a big territory,

Give our children and grandchildren, fight for a big foundation!

As long as the family is big and the business is big, we are not afraid of them making trouble!

To take a step back, even if Qian really wants to rule the roost, wants to be the empress of our Great Yan, let her be!

The child in her belly is still my grandson, let her be the empress, in the end, when she has had enough fun, when she's old, when she can't play anymore, and wants to rest, doesn't she still have to return the power to my grandson?"

Speaking to here,

Ji Runhao reached out and grabbed the Zhenbei Marquis's hand,

The Yan Emperor's eyes had completely reddened,

"I really can see everything clearly, I really can let go of everything.

The only thing I can't let go of is one thing!

For hundreds of years,

Hundreds of years!

My Yan people have been defending against the barbarians for the entire East for hundreds of years!

If it weren't for my Yan people, dying in the desert generation after generation, relying on those wastes from the Three Kingdoms, they would have long been slaves to the barbarians!

But even so, they still scold my Yan people as barbarians!

Do you know,

In their eyes,

My Yan people,

And the barbarians,

Are the same!

They are all barbarians, all uncivilized savages!"

The Zhenbei Marquis heard this, let Ji Runhao hold his hand, closed his eyes, nodded, and said:

"Yes, yes."

"I can't forget, a hundred years ago, when the barbarian army marched south and fought a decisive battle with my Great Yan!

The Emperor of the Qian Kingdom actually dared to lead an army of five hundred thousand to sneak attack my Great Yan's empty rear!"

Hearing this, the Zhenbei Marquis also gritted his teeth.

His family, the Zhenbei Marquis lineage, established its foundation from the battle that crushed the Qian Kingdom's five hundred thousand troops!

"Liangting, do you still remember what we said when we were kids?"

The Zhenbei Marquis nodded and replied:

"I remember."

…………

At that time,

Two ten-year-old boys,

For a chicken leg,

Had just fought.

Ten-year-old Li Liangting was enjoying the chicken leg,

Ten-year-old Ji Runhao was watching enviously with a bruised nose and swollen face;

After a while,

Ji Runhao spoke:

"I heard outsiders say that the people of the Qian Kingdom call us Yan people Yan barbarians, just like we call the barbarians."

"Yeah, I heard about it too."

"They can call us barbarians; in the future, when I become emperor, I will let them see just how terrifying real barbarians are;

I will capture their emperor, their princesses, all to the capital, lock them up in pigsties, let them dance for me, sing for me, write poetry and compose songs for me!

I will trample everything they think is right under my feet!"

"Unfortunately, I can't become emperor."

Ten-year-old Li Liangting, who had just finished eating the chicken leg, said fearlessly.

"Then you're useless, you can't even retaliate when others call you a barbarian." Ten-year-old Ji Runhao, who had just been beaten up, said sarcastically.

Ten-year-old Li Liangting, who was still licking the oil on his lips and still savoring the deliciousness of the chicken leg, listened,

Smacked his lips a little unconvinced,

Trying hard to think of a way to fight back,

Thinking and thinking,

Seemed to finally think of something,

And said:

"My family has an army of three hundred thousand."