The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 769: Feudal System (I)

Li Yan showed a proud expression on his face and said with a smile: "Father, what do you think will happen then?"

With a "click" sound, as Li Yan continued to narrate, Li Shimin's mind seemed to break through some shackles and instantly became extremely open. He thought that if a book was sold for five or ten cents, then wouldn't it be possible for anyone in the world to easily buy a book and study it?

"Huh!" Li Shimin could no longer suppress his inner excitement and trembling, and stood up suddenly.

He was born into a noble family, so how could he not know that the fundamental core of aristocratic families is the monopoly of knowledge? Even if Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty came up with the imperial examination system, those aristocratic families were not afraid, because most of the people who could desecrate books were still from aristocratic families.

The imperial examination system was actually a mere form; it merely provided a shortcut for aristocratic families to enter officialdom. Ordinary people could not enjoy it. Apart from the control of power, it was more limited by the economic conditions of ordinary families, who could not afford to study.

But if a large number of cheap books could be put on the market, it would only take ten to twenty years for the ordinary people at the bottom of the society, who make up the majority of the people in the world, to become talented people through reading. Once there are many talented people, the court would no longer have to rely solely on the children of the great families.

A large number of children from poor families can be recruited as officials. Over time, the system maintained by the aristocratic families will collapse. This is a plan to cut off the source of the problem!
Without raising weapons or engaging in fighting, and without targeting any family, he could subtly undermine their foundation. This was countless times better than his previous idea of ​​supporting a new family to replace the old one, which would only be a replacement of a group of people.

Replacing the old aristocratic family with a new one is only a temporary solution and does not address the root cause.

However, this method can fundamentally solve the problems of aristocratic families.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin was extremely excited. He held the light silk tightly in his hand, as if it weighed a thousand taels of gold.

No, this is not just a piece of silk, nor a technology, it is the country and people of the Tang Dynasty.

It would allow it to disintegrate the aristocratic families that had existed for four hundred years since the end of the Han Dynasty, and take back into its own hands the imperial power that only the emperors of the Qin and Han dynasties could enjoy.

Let Li truly control his own destiny and become a worthy emperor himself, instead of acting according to the wishes of the aristocratic families.

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Li Shimin could not suppress his excitement, his hands were shaking slightly: "Cheng Qian, Cheng Qian, Cheng Qian, you are really the real wealth given to our Li family by God. Father is a little jealous of your talent."

"However, fortunately, you are my son, Li Shimin, and the crown prince of my Tang Dynasty."

"only."

At this point, Li Shimin's eyes narrowed, and the caution and wisdom of an emperor instantly returned to his mind, and his expression became extremely serious: "This thing is too precious, and too dangerous. If those big families knew the existence of this weapon, even if you live in the East Palace, they will rush in at the risk of their lives to get rid of you."

"Because if Father were not the emperor, as a member of the noble family, he would do the same."

"So, this kind of thing is now handed over to the emperor for safekeeping. The emperor will find someone to secretly manufacture it, and after it is printed into a book, it can also be distributed in the outer areas such as Jiangnan and Shandong, so as not to attract the attention of those aristocratic families."

"These are things you, a prince, cannot do, and they are too dangerous. You are the future of our Li family. From now on, you should stop getting involved in this matter. Just pretend that you know nothing and do what you should do."

"Well, those people don't want a wise prince to inherit the throne, so you should continue to bide your time, be idle, and work hard in secret."

Li Yan knew that what Li Shimin said was right, so he just drew the picture without even testing it, because there was no guarantee in the East Palace, and there were many people watching him, so he nodded and said, "Yes, father, I know the importance of this. Besides me, only father has seen this piece of silk."

"Well, that's good!"

Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction. Yes, the prince is so smart that he can see the core problem of the Tang Dynasty. How could he not know the importance of this matter?

Li Shimin solemnly folded the silk and carefully placed it in his lapel, then returned to the table, picked up the wine jug, and poured a full cup for Li Yan.

Then he stood up, raised the cup, and said in a serious tone: "Cheng Qian, in exchange for this piece of silk, father toasts you a glass."

"Your Majesty, you are the father and the monarch, and Cheng Qian is the son and the minister. How can I deserve such courtesy from your father?" Li Yan declined hurriedly and fearfully.

"No, you deserve it!"

Li Shimin said decisively: "When I defeated Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, your royal grandfather also came to greet me in person and toasted me. Although you are young, you are already a meritorious official of the Li family. The importance of this item is no less than that of your father in conquering the world and your royal grandfather in establishing the foundation."

"Your merits include conquering the world and expanding the territory, as well as governing the world and consolidating the foundation. Your movable type printing is an unprecedented achievement. If you were not the crown prince, it would not be an exaggeration to make you a king if you were an outsider."

"This is a magical skill. Although it is not known to the world, it can benefit the world for a long time. Everyone in the world will benefit from it, and my Li family will be the biggest beneficiary. Because from now on, my Li family can get rid of the situation of being controlled by others and truly dominate the Tang Dynasty."

Li Yan was startled, then he stood up and picked up the wine glass, saying seriously: "My humble contribution is unworthy of your father's high regard. Rather than saying that movable type printing was my idea, it is better to say that it was a mercy from God, who could not bear to see the people of the world suffer in the troubled times again."

"I have seen that your father cares about the world, works hard, and loves the people, which has moved the heaven." "That is why I, your son, have given you such a powerful weapon to help you stabilize the world and govern the world. Your father should work diligently, be self-disciplined, and be kind, so that this beautiful land will be peaceful and prosperous, and the people will live up to the millions of lives entrusted to you by heaven!"

'hiss'

Li Shimin was stunned, and suddenly his face turned solemn. The feeling of facing his grandfather came back, as if the other party was still the person he entrusted his son to.

Li Shimin felt that the prince's words were extremely inappropriate in terms of his age, knowledge and status. However, the prince's expression and demeanor at this moment seemed natural, without any sense of incongruity, as if it was natural and reasonable for him to say so.

Many things that happened tonight overturned Li Shimin's cognition.

Li Shimin could only think that this was God's will. Just like what the prince said, God saw everything he did and was giving him guidance through the prince's mouth. So, God did not blame him for the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

When he thought of this, Li Shimin felt an extremely excited emotion deep in his heart, slowly dispelling the haze that had been buried in his heart for a long time.

The act of forcing his father to kill his brother at Xuanwu Gate has always been an eternal pain in Li Shimin's heart. The Tang Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, and his own actions could not be justified no matter how you looked at it, although no one dared to criticize him to his face.

But Li Shimin knew that the people of the world were actually not ashamed of their own words and deeds.

I can only work hard and diligently to govern the world well and let the people live in peace to prove that my choice is right.

But less than four years into the Zhenguan period, there were disasters every year, either floods, droughts, or locust plagues. The aristocratic families within the court held power, and the Turkic cavalry was pressing on the border of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was like a newborn baby that could die at any time.

The reason why he seized the throne with such an iron fist was because Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were not cut out for it and could not support this devastated country.

Others either think that they are obsessed with power, cruel and ruthless, and would not recognize their relatives for the throne; or they think that as an emperor, they are high and mighty, enjoying all the glory and power, but who can know how great the pressure in their hearts is.

Internal and external troubles, all kinds of problems are like a mountain hanging over my head, weighing me down and making me almost collapse.
Now, God finally understands me, recognizes me, and gives me support and encouragement. I can finally put my mind at ease.

After Li Yan said this, Li Shimin quickly accepted this point of view. Tonight, the prince's various hints to him, as well as the movable type printing in his arms, weren't they God's recognition of what he had done?
God gave me an excellent prince, which means he gave the Tang Dynasty a future full of hope. Isn’t the prince’s excellence God’s support for me?

Li Shimin turned around, walked to the window, knelt down solemnly, and Li Yan hurriedly followed him.

The father and son looked up at the vast and mysterious starry sky respectfully, kowtowed solemnly in thanks, and then poured the wine in the cup onto the ground.

After a long time, Li Shimin returned to the table. He seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden from his heart and started to drink with Li Yan.

It is estimated that Li Shimin has never had such a relaxing moment since the Xuanwu Gate Incident, so he was in an extremely excited mood. He did not look like an emperor, but more like a general. He pulled Li Yan to start drinking and chatting.

Both the father and the son no longer restrained themselves, and began to act without regard for age, interacting with each other and enjoying this rare moment to their heart's content.

"By the way, Cheng Qian, didn't you say you had two sharp weapons?"

"That movable type printing is one thing, what is the other?"

Because of the magic of the first thing, Li Shimin couldn't wait to know what the other way was and whether it could bring him the same surprise.

From this we can see how great the pressure those aristocratic families brought to Li Shimin was.

Li Shimin was not unaware of the existence of these people and that they were detrimental to the long-term stability of the court, but he knew that these people should not be touched lightly.

Originally, we could only adopt the method of boiling a frog in warm water, and through the efforts of several generations and more than a hundred years, slowly and steadily weaken the influence of the family bit by bit. We cannot be impatient about this kind of thing. If we are impatient, we will end up like Emperor Yang of Sui.

But as time goes on, the longer the night, the more trouble there will be. Wouldn't it be better if it could be resolved within the time of one emperor, leaving behind a stable kingdom?

After all, the imperial power is eroding the influence of the aristocratic families, while the aristocratic families are also stubbornly eroding the imperial power.

Now that he saw the hope of solving the problem of the aristocratic families in the short term, Li Shimin felt great ambition in his heart.

After thinking for a while, Li Yan looked at Li Shimin with a serious face. After thinking for a long time, he said solemnly: "Father, another way for me is to ask you to implement the feudal system."

"What, feudal system?"

Li Shimin exploded like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

(End of this chapter)