Chapter 1 The Marquis of Pingxi

The Marquis of Pingxi, the Marquis of Pingxi.

Ji Laoliu wasn't surprised by Zheng Fan's title as marquis; he wasn't even surprised by the words "Pingxi" (Pacifying the West).

The eldest brother was the Marquis of Andong (Pacifying the East). Matching the titles of the four marquises of the southeast, northwest was of the same rank, but the problem was that the eldest brother couldn't be pointed to "West."

Because to the west of Dayan was a desert, the territory of the barbarians.

Ji Laoliu was clear that his imperial father had always been extremely tough on the barbarians, but that was a political stance.

Under this tough stance, it didn't affect the eldest brother marrying a barbarian princess and having a prince with barbarian blood.

His imperial father and the Old Barbarian King actually had a tacit understanding.

Dayan wanted to expand eastward, surpassing the old four eastern countries, inheriting the Jiangshan (territory) of the Great Xia, and recreating the unification of Zhuxia (Han people);

The Barbarian Royal Court needed time to integrate the various tribes of the desert, reshaping the glory and majesty of the Royal Court;

Everyone had their own things to do, so naturally, they could reach an external tacit agreement. The two major groups deliberately created an atmosphere of "drawing swords and brandishing knives" to appease the country and "mixing honey with oil" to appease the other side in an extremely experienced manner.

But if the title "West" was given to the eldest brother, it would be a destruction of this tacit understanding.

The eldest brother had already married a barbarian princess, completely isolated from the succession sequence. Holding the title of marquis and in command of the military seemed to be in control of real power, but in reality, he had been removed from the treatment of a prince.

Logically speaking, no matter how big a mistake the eldest brother made, as long as he didn't rebel, the restoration of the title of king was inevitable when the new emperor ascended the throne. The emperor, no matter who it was, was his younger brother.

Fraternal love and brotherly respect was a necessary process.

Then, the eldest brother's children could enjoy a higher title, even if they just loafed around, they could loaf around for many generations.

Isn't this what many people strive for in their lives?

Throughout history, how many members of the imperial family participated in rebellions? Only a small number of them were truly aiming for the throne, and the vast majority were still aiming for that "hereditary title."

But since the eldest brother was granted the title of marquis, it was actually the treatment and errand of a person with a different surname. Conferring the title of king... unless the eldest brother could make achievements no less than those of the Zhenbei (North Suppressing) and Jingnan (South Pacifying), it was simply impossible.

It could be said that his imperial father was completely sacrificing the eldest brother, and even the line of the eldest brother, for the sake of the overall situation.

On this basis, adding the word "West" to the eldest brother's title, both those with intentions and those without intentions could immediately think of the desert in the west.

Firstly, it would easily stimulate the nerves of the desert barbarians,

It was said that the Old Barbarian King was also dying soon, and the Barbarian Little Prince might still be a bit young and vigorous. The Old Barbarian King might not care about these things, but the Little Prince might feel greatly humiliated because of this.

His most beloved sister married into your Ji family,

What,

Your Ji family still wants to use my brother-in-law to fight my barbarians?

Secondly, it would also easily put too much pressure on the eldest brother, creating a rebellious mentality, because this was really treating people as tools too much.

It was precisely because the eldest brother couldn't be associated with the title "West"

That made the "Marquis of Andong" most suitable for sitting in Jindong, resisting the wildlings in the north and blocking the Chu people in the south. At the very least, he was indeed in the east. The Zheng Boye (Lord Zheng), under duress, was only left with the title "West."

Anyway, if the direction was messed up, it was messed up. Southeast, northwest, predicting the four directions, didn't refer to specific directions.

The Marquis of Pingxi,

The Marquis of Pingxi,

If he gained favor again in the future,

Either pledge allegiance, or appease,

Conferring the title of king wasn't impossible,

That would be...

The King of Pingxi.

Ji Laoliu was chewing on these three words in his heart.

In fact, there was something he had discovered a long time ago, but he had never thought about it that way.

Perhaps it was rare to meet someone he could chat with,

Perhaps it was rare to encounter such a wonderful person,

Perhaps he felt that he was the most intelligent person in the world and was afraid of being lonely,

Or perhaps,

He enjoyed this process very much and deliberately ignored the possible outcome in the future.

That was,

The relationship between himself and Zheng Fan.

When Zheng Fan was in Hutou City and Cuiliu Fort, he helped to operate in the Ministry of War, allowing Zheng Fan to escape from Beifeng County to Yinlang County, catching up with the next stage of Dayan's war against Qian. At the same time, the early warhorses and armor were all of the highest configuration.

The reason why Zheng Boye could repeatedly lead troops south, flying kites at the Qian people, was also because his military equipment was too high. One person had two horses or even three horses. How could the Qian people compare in terms of mobility?

But after attacking Qian,

Even before attacking Qian,

Zheng Fan had already boarded Jingnan Wang's (Prince of Jingnan) ship.

Ji Laoliu would sometimes wonder why Jingnan Wang would value Zheng Fan, who was just a small garrison commander at the time?

It wasn't that he couldn't think of a reason,

But there were too many reasons.

Ability,

In terms of personality,

Zheng Fan was impeccable.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to impress himself in the Zhenbei (North Suppressing) Marquis's mansion.

It could only be said that,

It was fate.

Since then,

In name, he and Zheng Fan were still close comrades-in-arms,

But Zheng Fan's station was getting farther and farther away, and the level of his participation in the war was getting higher and higher.

To put it nicely,

Zheng Fan still needed his support,

But to put it bluntly,

He was actually rushing to send money, food, and talents.

Zheng Fan's demand for him was getting lower and lower,

And his demand for Zheng Fan was getting higher and higher.

This was an inevitable change. Political support and assistance had always been this process.

When the wings of the supported party became stronger and stronger, you inevitably needed to change your attitude towards them.

The so-called underlings,

Were no longer suitable;

What was even more helpless was that you had already paid too much of a price and effort for him. If you wanted your previous efforts not to be completely wasted and come to nothing, you still had to coax him, appease him, and follow him.

Owe one hundred taels of silver, you're the grandson;

Owe ten thousand taels of silver, then you're the master. Does the bank have to worry about whether you're eating well and sleeping well?

Leaving the back garden,

Getting into the carriage.

Ji Laoliu still felt a little confused.

Fortunately, he was a smart person, a smart person that even Zheng Boye had to admit.

He was able to say back then: If it wasn't for Father Emperor favoring one side, which of you brothers could beat me?

This wasn't boasting, it was a fact.

His opponent had never been his brothers, but his imperial father, an emperor who was getting older and whose health was getting worse, and whose desire for power was getting stronger.

But this emperor was really very wise and martial.

Ji Laoliu took out his snuff bottle, took a sniff, and calmed down his somewhat restless mood.

In fact, after grasping the essence of even the most complex things, they often become very simple.

One,

Did he need Zheng Fan?

Undoubtedly, he needed him.

A rising star,

No,

He could no longer be described as a "rising star,"

Now, he had the qualifications to be at the table.

Because of the war, because of the Jingnan Wang's (Prince of Jingnan) promotion, because of his own well-known and convincing abilities,

He,

Already had his own chips and was qualified to place bets.

This kind of regional marquis,

A prince, needed to win over;

The future new emperor must also win him over.

In Ji Laoliu's view, the imperial court was actually very similar to a business. A business also had various shareholders and owners, and the owner was actually elected by the shareholders to manage things.

Now, Zheng Fan had become a new shareholder who had entered the circle, and you could no longer ignore him.

So,

How to win him over?

There were only two ways to win people over.

One was interest, the other was affection;

Appealing to emotions and moving with benefits seemed extremely clever, but often those who grabbed both ends would think themselves clever, and in the end, they would not get the results they wanted at all.

Zheng Fan,

Was a very pure person.

Ji Laoliu was very clear about this.

Therefore,

He had to treat Zheng Fan in a more pure way,

Interest, let's not talk about it;

Affection,

Must continue.

When talking about affection,

You can't put interest on the table,

Be friends,

Be brothers,

Everyone should be more open.

This was what his imperial father taught him;

The former Zhenbei (North Suppressing), the current Jingnan (South Pacifying), actually had the military strength to subvert the court, but his imperial father still gave them the greatest degree of trust.

Not taking back power was actually a big way of taking back power;

The art of the emperor was essentially about taking risks, not like in a business where everyone was good to each other and discussed things together, handling things harmoniously.

The above situation would cause problems.

Using the Secret Spy Division to monitor officials, wooing two factions in the court to check and balance each other, gathering people's hearts, and suppressing new trends were what people were keen on, but they were definitely not the real art of the emperor.

Because changing the skin, you would find that it was extremely similar to the methods used by the head of a dock coolie gang to control his subordinates.

Ji Laoliu reached out,

And rubbed his eyebrows.

He took out paper,

And picked up a pen,

And wrote a letter,

The letter,

Was very short,

Only two words:

"Help me."

Then,

Ji Laoliu crossed out the two words above,

And changed it to:

"Help me, brother."

After thinking about it,

Ji Laoliu crossed out this line again,

"Help your younger brother."

Hesitated for a moment,

And crossed it out again,

Wrote and wrote,

Crossed and crossed,

In the end,

Ji Laoliu finally wrote two words:

"Bastard, help me!"

Then,

Signed – Bitch.

………

Returning to the palace,

He first went to see his pregnant Wangfei (official consort), He Sisi,

Then went to see his concubine, Lingxiang,

Finally,

He went to play building blocks with his son, Chuanye, for a while.

After that,

Ji Laoliu sat down in his study.

In the study,

Two people were waiting.

One person was short, looked old, and had an abacus and a writing brush hanging from his waist;

The other person was tall, slender, and a man, but he looked very charming.

The former,

Was the boss of the wharf outside Yanjing City, and behind his back, he was related to the fourth prince.

When the Deng family didn't fall, the fourth prince's power was actually very large. Many businesses derived from the military were mostly related to smashing, looting, and grabbing. In essence, it was about who had the bigger fist.

The wharf area was a territory that had to be protected by toughness.

The Deng family fell because of the failure of the first Wangjiang War, and the wharf area was liquidated, but because the fourth prince ran around, it was finally preserved.

Perhaps,

In Lao Si's view, this was the last remaining influence of him as a prince.

But in fact,

It was because this place was no longer the property of the Deng family or his Ji Laosi.

Money,

Was given to him,

Lao Si wanted to enrich and train the Beijing camp,

People,

Were also given to him from here;

Some information,

Was also given to him;

But in essence, this was the territory of his Ji Laoliu, but he was borrowing the name of Lao Si and putting it there.

Jianghu (martial world) fights still emphasized laughable loyalty;

But the imperial court didn't favor this;

Peaceful coexistence was built on the basis that I couldn't eat you,

The reason why he Lao Si was able to retain some of his basic foundation after the Deng family collapsed was not because he, the fourth prince, still had any face, but purely because someone wanted to borrow his skin.

The tall and thin person was an indoor person, but not an indoor person of Ji Laoliu, but a steward of the Neiku (Imperial Storage).

The court's finances were divided into two departments,

One was the Guoku (National Treasury), theoretically under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue;

One was the Neiku, which was the emperor's own small treasury.

But the Neiku and the Guoku were not so clearly separated.

If the Guoku was out of money, the Neiku would definitely have to contribute. As long as an emperor didn't have any major problems with his brain, it was impossible for him to stubbornly stick to his Neiku and sit idly by while the Guoku was running out of money.

As the actual manager of the Ministry of Revenue, Ji Laoliu was also quite clear about the situation of the Neiku. His imperial father didn't like to enjoy himself and had always been public in state affairs, so the scale and turnover of the Neiku had always been compressed very low.

But Ji Laoliu judged his old man by himself,

Even if there was no evidence, he could guess that his imperial father must still have a backup plan,

This backup plan was not because of greed,

But as a necessary means for an emperor to have.

Otherwise,

How was that hidden government office in charge of Lu Bing operating outside the Secret Spy Division?

No matter how talented and ambitious an emperor was, it was impossible for him to completely keep himself in a state of "leaving the house clean."

The short person reported:

"Your Highness, some ships have come to the wharf these days, very well hidden, but they should be transporting military armor from Sanshi County."

The Deng family of Sanshi had failed,

But a skinny camel was bigger than a horse.

Now,

Lao Si finally had a real errand,

The Deng family would definitely do their best to support him.

Sanshi County was the Deng family's base. There, the Deng family still retained some influence.

Transporting military armor and equipment was a reasonable thing to do. After all, in the current situation of Dayan, where could he Lao Si get real troops, food, and military equipment to train a new army?

His side didn't contribute a single hair, but the crown prince issued an edict to allocate some funds, but at most, it would only maintain a fancy appearance.

If Lao Si wanted to get some "real money" and train an army, he would definitely have to invest heavily, emptying the last remaining elite talents and foundation of the Sanshi Deng family and investing them in this Beijing camp was also the meaning of the title.

But the problem was,

Ji Laoliu was a person who was good at playing conspiracies,

So his perspective on things,

Often liked to go in the direction of conspiracy theories.

"Your Highness, the Neiku has recently shipped a batch of goods."

"Where to?"

"Unknown."

Ji Laoliu nodded and said:

"You guys go down."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Yes, Your Highness."

One tall and one short went down.

Ji Laoliu sat in his chair and rubbed his eyebrows.

Zhang Gonggong (Eunuch Zhang) walked in with tea and placed it in front of Ji Laoliu.

"Master, this servant has already instructed people to send the letter and the previous manuscript to the east."

Ji Chengjue nodded, picked up the teacup, and took a sip of tea.

"Master, it seems that something is going to happen?"

When the emperor was old and declining, it was naturally a troubled time.

Especially now that the external war was about to end,

Without external threats to unify the internal,

The internal,

Would inevitably begin a "dragon fight."

"It should be... right."

Ji Chengjue nodded slightly.

"Master, the more we delay, the more unfavorable it will be for us."

In any case,

The crown prince was the master of the East Palace, the heir apparent of the state, the foundation of the country.

If everything went smoothly,

When the death knell rang,

The crown prince would ascend the throne,

The mandate of heaven was upon him,

It would be difficult to do anything again.

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Ji Laoliu waved his hand gently,

And said:

"Zhang Banban (Eunuch Zhang), you think our time is tight, I estimate that Li Yinglian Li Banban (Eunuch Li) may also be saying the same thing to my second brother.

I kick, the father emperor pulls, I kick, the father emperor pulls;

Without the father emperor's favoritism,

He would have been pulled down by me long ago,

The roots are not solid,

So his heart is empty.

We are afraid that the father emperor will die and he will be justified;

The opposite side,

May also be worried before the father emperor's death,

How we will do something desperate.

The more it comes to this,

The more we must calm down.

The father emperor is a wise ruler, a good emperor, I believe the father emperor will not make the kind of mistakes that most emperors make in their later years.

Before,

I didn't see it very clearly,

Now,

As the war on the Chu side is about to end,

The bottom,

Can also return to the right track."

"Master, this servant is ignorant, what is the right track?"

"The right track?"

Ji Laoliu took another sip of tea,

And said:

"First, give the order, those of our people who haven't shown their faces, don't show their faces, and those who have shown their faces are not allowed to make any rash moves.

Now, it's about waiting, waiting for the East Palace to be unable to hold back first.

I'm not afraid of the East Palace,

But the people in the East Palace,

Must be very afraid of me.

Furthermore,

Let me tell you about the right track.

If the war outside doesn't stop,

The desert barbarians in the west are eyeing us covetously; the war against Chu is like sinking into a quagmire; the three borders of Qian are harboring illusions, trying to pick chestnuts out of the fire;

In that case,

The struggle for that dragon chair,

Would be interesting.

Lao Si still had a chance, in that kind of environment.

My second brother and I would inevitably have to fight,

My second brother has been hiding his backhand over the years, the subordinates he has cultivated, we have infiltrated a lot, but in our place, it is estimated that there are also many nails buried by the second brother;

Lao Wu is still repairing the river in Yingdu and hasn't returned, but his presence there is an invisible, wonderful move, staying away from the vortex of Yanjing and waiting for the price.

Even this Lao Qi, he is not without a chance.

In short,

Under the imminent threat of external troubles,

Internal troubles must be resolved with the speed of a sharp knife cutting through a mess,

Perhaps,

In the end, my second brother and I will have to pinch our noses and each take a step back,

And let Lao Qi come up as a reconciliation.

Don't think it's incredible,

There's nothing impossible about this,

After all, we all have the surname Ji.

Now,

Everything is back on track,

Even if the father emperor is going to leave, he must first review the accounts of the family.

In the end,

It will still be arbitrated by the father emperor himself.

When families are divided among the people, they have to invite respected elders..."

"Master, what do you mean?"

Ji Laoliu nodded,

And said:

"So, don't act first, no matter how many clever plans, no matter how many secret spies, no matter how much foresight, no matter how much of the various miscellaneous things..."

"Heh."

Ji Laoliu smiled,

And said:

"Just like the family heads of the past thought, Dayan can't do without them; they think they are clever and can speak their minds in the court and in the local areas, and they can also do things.

In fact,

Among them,

There is no shortage of outstanding people.

But,

It's useless."

Ji Laoliu sighed,

Turned the cup lid gently on the table,

And slowly said:

"If the two kings of the north and south enter the capital again, sit down with the father emperor, and decide on a successor, Zhang Banban (Eunuch Zhang), you say, how much of our arrangements over the years can be considered worth a fart?"

Looking up,

Ji Laoliu said with some sadness:

"What is the art of the emperor's mind, what is the emperor's method, it's not family trifles, it's not harmony, and it's not pulling one faction and attacking another, pressing down here and pulling out there;

The art of the emperor lies in balance,

Bullshit,

Those who say this kind of thing,

Are as naive as a farmer who thinks that the father emperor can eat dozens of oil cakes a day.

The essence of the art of the emperor lies in,

As an emperor,

He,

Can flip the table."

"What defense, what arrangements, what plans, even if my second brother and I are fighting each other like crazy..."

"The flags of the two kings of the north and south,

If you put them in front of the back garden,

My second brother and I would have to kneel in front of the back garden,

And listen to the imperial edict."

Ji Laoliu suddenly rolled his eyes,

And imitated the words of his brother surnamed Zheng:

"Tch, nothing."