Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 190 Bone Burial Ground

Jinyang.

Gao Yan sat in the upper seat, wearing a crown and robes, and the ministers sat on both sides, bowing to him.

The etiquette officer first read out several imperial edicts from the emperor.

"When King Wu conquered Yin, he first enfeoffed two generations, the Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties, without abolishing this tradition. When the Yuan Dynasty took over the calendar, it did not follow the old rules. I am the successor of the great cause and want to promote the classics. However, the two kings and three Ke have different opinions. We can discuss the right and wrong and list the names and make a memorial. I also hope that their rituals and forms will be discussed."

"The Imperial Academy can be equipped with officials and students, and asked to study the classics and take exams every year. The stone classics transported by Emperor Wenxiang should be displayed in the academy, and the universities in other provinces should also be asked to supervise the classes diligently."

"In the temple of Emperor Taizu Xianwu, the music of Wude and the dance of Zhaolie should be played; in the temple of Emperor Shizong Wenxiang, the music of Wende and the dance of Xuanzheng should be played; in the temple of Emperor Xianzu Wenxuan, the music of Wenzheng and the dance of Guangda should be played."

The Han officials were quite delighted when they heard the imperial edicts, and there was light in their eyes when they looked at each other.

However, those nobles had stern faces at this moment, and listened to the imperial edict helplessly, with nothing to say.

Engage in rituals, study of classics, and Han sacrifices
The nobles really didn't have much interest in it. At the moment, they were more concerned about the affairs on the border.

After finally waiting for the imperial edict to be read out, they were about to speak when another important official jumped out, arguing that since the emperor had appointed a crown prince, he should reward all fathers in the world with an upgraded title.

After the emperor approved this matter, Liu Honghui finally stood up.

He knelt before the emperor, "Your Majesty! I have something to say!"

Gao Yan looked at this close confidant who had made great contributions in helping him to ascend to the throne.

"What does Liu Qing want to report?"

Liu Honghui then said loudly: "Your Majesty! I want to impeach General Liu Taozi."

"Liu Taozi threatened meritorious generals and humiliated the people. Previously, when a general led troops from various border areas to go to war, Liu Taozi instigated the soldiers and ordered the generals to pay tribute, saying that the imperial court had not rewarded them. If they refused, he threatened them with their ancestral homes. Several generals were forced to obey his tyranny. The carriages and servants they sent were all detained, and the messengers were whipped. The people of the country were terrified and the common people were frightened."

"I hope Your Majesty will send a minister to monitor this matter and make the decision for the generals!"

After Liu Honghui finished speaking, more than a dozen important officials came out in an orderly manner and knelt down to pay homage to Gao Yan.

Looking at the ministers kneeling before him, Gao Yan glanced slightly at the important ministers standing on the left.

Most of these people were important officials of Han descent.

But at this moment, faced with such an obvious hint from the emperor, all the ministers lowered their heads, avoided glances, and dared not speak.

When Yang Yin was still around, these ministers could unite and fight against each other, but Yang Yin's affair caught all the senior Han ministers who dared and were qualified to stand up, implicating many people, and the situation in the world immediately became unbalanced.

At this moment, Zhao Yanshen, the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Left Prime Minister, who was the head of the Han ministers, looked blankly ahead. He looked old and frail, as if he could not see anything.

Just as Cui Jishu said, this old man looks old-fashioned, harmless and ignorant of the world.

And since he didn't speak, the other Han officials were also unwilling to speak at this moment.

Cui Jishu and Lu Yao looked at each other.

Cui Jishu slowly closed his eyes. Lu Yao hesitated for a moment and walked out quickly.

He bowed to Gao Yan, "Your Majesty!!"

"During wartime, generals led border troops to fight, and those who had military merits were rewarded. This was a rule that existed in the past. But now, generals are ordered to return after the battle without being rewarded. This is really inappropriate. The number of border troops has been greatly reduced. Take the border troops outside Hengshuo as an example. The military households are in name only. In the seventh year of Tianbao, there were still more than 23,000 military households, but now there are only over 10,000 households left! Half of them have been lost, and they have been sent to civilians, but it is far from enough to replace them."

"General Zhen is asking for rewards for the border soldiers. This is his duty. How can it be called extortion or intimidation?!"

Hearing these words, everyone in the audience slowly raised their heads and looked at him.

Liu Honghui shouted, "What does Lord Lu mean? Are you accusing us of embezzling military merit? Have we ever failed to give rewards? Can you blame us for the sharp decline in border troops?!"

Several more people shouted and scolded loudly.

Within a moment, Lu Yao became the target of everyone's fire. Several people lowered their bodies slightly towards him, as if they were about to rush up and beat him up the next moment.

The Han officials, however, acted as if nothing had happened. Some lowered their heads, or looked aside. Even Cui Jishu had a frown on his face, but he did not step forward to speak.

Lu Yao raised his head and loudly refuted them, "If the general gave the reward in time, would it be necessary for General Zhen to come forward?!"

"I never insulted the general. This is the imperial court. His Majesty just said that we should respect etiquette. What do you want to do?!"

"Please don't spit blood at me!!"

Lu Yao spoke to the people in front of him. As they stared at him, he became more and more passionate. In the end, he pointed his finger at Liu Honghui in front of him and cursed him.

"Mr. Lu is right!"

The next moment, a man from the Han minister's side walked out and glared at the ministers.

This person is Shangshu Su Zhenzhi.

He sat directly next to Lu Yao and also looked at the many ministers in front of him.

After a while, four or five more people came out and sat around Lu Yao.

Lu Yao was finally no longer alone.

Gao Yan looked at the situation, clenching his hands gently, seeming excited, but not participating.

Seeing the increasingly chaotic situation, Taibao Heba Ren walked out slowly. He stopped many generals with his eyes, looked at the few people who came forward, and finally bowed deeply to Gao Yan.

"Your Majesty, this military matter really shouldn't be participated in by Han officials."

Lu Yao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly started laughing.

Gao Yan suddenly let go of his hand and looked aside.

"What Taibao said is wrong."

A man walked out slowly and looked at Heba Ren unhappily, "Ministers of the same dynasty, how can we differentiate between them?!"

Heba Ren was stunned when he saw the person who suddenly appeared. The man in front of him was tall and handsome, and looked very similar to Gao Zhan, both of them had the kind of good looks that could make people's eyes light up.

He walked out slowly, towards Heba Ren, and said as he walked: "Emperor Shenwu never said such words when he was alive. My two brothers never said such words when they were alive. Taibao."

He had already walked to the opposite side of Heba Ren, and the two of them were confronting each other, with a stern face.

"Don't speak out of turn in the temple."

Heba Ren took a few steps back and saluted him. "Yes."

This person was none other than Gao Yan’s elder brother, King Gao Yin of Pengcheng, the fifth among the sons of King Gao.

He is known for his courage, bravery, love for the people and integrity, and has an excellent reputation.

And now, he serves as the Grand Marshal in the court.

After him, another person came out and walked in front of the ministers, bowing to Gao Yan, "Your Majesty, the rewards for the border soldiers must not be neglected. They should be fully paid. You can send envoys to monitor the military merits and rewards, punish those who swallowed up the military merits, and take back the rewards given to them."

The ministers were shocked again.

This man had a long beard, a dignified appearance, and the generosity of an elder, which made people dare not look down on him.

He is another elder brother of Gao Yan, King Pingyang Gao Yan, the fourth oldest.

He was known for his prudence and generosity, a man of no great talent but a generous and kind heart.

And now, he serves as Taifu in the court.

The two spoke one after another, and the whole temple was silent. Liu Honghui and others looked at each other, with anger evident in their eyes, and they seemed to be hesitant to speak.

At this moment, Gao Yan spoke.

"General, what do you think?"

At this moment, a man who was standing in front of the ministers, but squinting his eyes slightly, as if he was taking a nap, suddenly woke up. He looked around in astonishment, his eyes were bright and he looked very likable. He looked at the ministers behind him, then at the emperor, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it's just that I don't know if I can participate in this military matter."

This person is Duan Shao, King of Pingyuan. He is not from the Duan tribe of Xianbei. His ancestors are descendants of Duan Jiming, a famous general of the Later Han Dynasty from the Wuwei Duan family of Xiliang.

He has another identity, his mother's surname is Lou.

Hearing Duan Shao's words, Heba Ren's face turned red and he didn't know how to refute.

Zhao Shenyan suddenly opened his eyes. He seemed to have just discovered the chaos in the court. He walked out tremblingly and saluted Gao Yan. "Your Majesty, I think the rewards for the border soldiers were distributed late. This is because the rewards from the court were not issued in time. This is because I, an old minister, have not done my job well."

"This has nothing to do with the generals. Your Majesty, please punish me and don't blame the generals for this!"

The court meeting was thus dispersed.

Everyone left with their own plans.

Liu Honghui looked extremely bad as he walked around Gao Guiyan and Heba Ren. None of them spoke, but just had stern faces.

It was not until they walked out of the palace that Liu Honghui spoke up, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty is determined to favor Liu Taozi!"

"How can this be tolerated?"

Gao Guiyan glanced at him and asked, "What do you want to do, General?"

"Several great kings have come forward. Are they going to go against them?"

“How can this be possible!!”

Liu Honghui was so angry that he jumped up and down, "I will go to see the general later. They should support us. How can they favor outsiders?" Gao Guiyan narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

To those people, it’s hard to tell who is an outsider.

"Don't worry, the current Prince Changguang is in Ye. He doesn't know about these things yet. I will send someone to inform him and then make a decision."

Some nobles were furious and complained, "That's not what we said when we asked the Prince of Jinan to come down!"

"What about Jinan Wang Wude? Who is he now?"

"shut up!"

Gao Guiyan scolded and then led his men away in a hurry.

And inside the palace.

At this moment, Gao Yan was sitting together and chatting cordially with several of his important ministers.

"Your Majesty, this is the right thing to do. They have no right to object."

Gao Yu said solemnly with a straight face, "Many of the bad policies of the past have now reached a point where they must be changed."

"If we need to change, we should change it from the root."

"Equal land distribution is no longer worthy of its name. We should re-issue equal land distribution. On the basis of equal land distribution, we should completely relax the rule that Han people cannot serve as soldiers. For families with equal land distribution, they will serve at the age of 20 and be exempted at the age of 60, regardless of whether they are Chinese or Han people. This will enrich the national strength."

Gao Yan pursed his lips and said, "Well, I can consider it."

Gao Yan just looked at his two younger brothers calmly without saying a word.

At this moment, Duan Shao suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I am curious about one thing."

"Oh?"

Duan Shao said, "Your Majesty, in the past, these people were always swift and resolute in their actions. They would kill people first, and if they couldn't kill them, they would report to the emperor. Now, they know how to send gifts to the general together, and then jointly report to the emperor. The ministers of today have really become much more capable."

Duan Shao smiled, but there was obviously something else hidden in his words.

Gao Yan's face was solemn, "I understand."

Everyone chatted for a long time before Gao Yan sent them out. After they left, several soldiers hurried to Gao Yan's side and bowed to greet him.

"Your Majesty, they were discussing outside the palace just now, saying that they would send someone to discuss with Prince Changguang. Also..."

"What else?"

"They talked about the King of Jinan."

Gao Yan was silent for a moment, "I understand."

Cui Jishu and Lu Yao sat in the carriage. The carriage swayed towards the mansion. Cui Jishu looked helpless.

"In fact, Mr. Lu doesn't have to show up."

"Your Majesty must have been well prepared if he dared to call a court meeting. If he had not been informed in advance, why would you have gone there? What if you ruined His Majesty's plan?"

Lu Yao smiled bitterly, "His Majesty needs us the most at this time, how could we ruin his plan?"

"You have offended everyone this time."

"I have offended them a long time ago. There are only a few people left in the court who I have not offended."

Lu Yao has let it go.

Thanks to a good disciple he recommended, it only took more than a year for him to go from having friends all over the world to being hated by everyone.

Anyway, he doesn't care, his family is not a small family.

"Oh, I've been called a Han official. These people don't care about Chinese or Han people. Those who are good to them are Chinese people. Those who are not good to them, like me, are Han people even though my ancestors were Xianbei chieftains!"

Lu Yao said a few self-deprecating words and couldn't help laughing again.

Cui Jishu stroked his beard and said, "It seems that your Majesty is quite determined this time. He is determined to complete the cause that the two emperors had never accomplished."

Lu Yao's eyes brightened.

"That's true. In the past, whenever Your Majesty encountered them, you would beat them to intimidate them and ignore them. But this didn't solve any problems. But today is different. Your Majesty didn't attack them, but actually repelled them in the temple. He didn't hide. Instead, those people were in a hurry to leave, fearing that Your Majesty would punish them for the reward!"

"There are also wise ministers and wise rulers in the court."

Lu Yao laughed, "Why worry about not accomplishing great things?"

Cui Jishu nodded, "Maybe so."

Today's events have indeed inspired many ministers and made them full of confidence in the future again.

Yecheng, Imperial Palace.

Empress Dowager Lou sat in the upper seat, looking at Gao Zhan in front of her with a bewildered look on her face.

The female officials did not dare to approach.

In the huge palace, there were only the mother and son.

"blackmail??"

"Humiliation??"

Empress Dowager Lou looked disdainful, "Do these people think I'm old?"

"I still don't know what kind of people they are. Can they admit their mistakes to Liu Taozi? Can they send people to give him gifts? This is obviously nonsense!"

Gao Zhan smiled and nodded, "That's true. I didn't believe it when I heard it."

"My son, please don't be fooled by these people. They are very cunning and never tell the truth. They are jealous of Liu Taozi's promotion to general because of his military merits and want to murder him."

"There are not many truly talented nobles nowadays. The ones who remain are just pretenders who rely on their father's family background."

"Well, it's not that they are disloyal, they are loyal to Da Qi, and it's not that they are incompetent, many of them dare to fight and kill people, but they dare not lose their current wealth and do not dare to accept any changes."

Listening to the Queen Mother's words, Gao Zhan just smiled and did not answer.

After the Queen Mother finished speaking, Gao Zhan spoke up, "Mother, Liu Taozi has made military achievements and was promoted to Zhenjiang General, but he has never officially come to Jinyang or Yecheng."

"I think the generals are resistant to him, firstly because they don't know his background, and secondly because they are not familiar with him enough."

"Mother, I think you should issue an imperial decree to summon Liu Taozi to Yecheng."

"First, let everyone know that Liu Taozi is a follower of my family, not an outsider. In addition, I heard that this man is brave and courageous. Mother can find a girl from the clan and arrange a marriage for him. In this way, the generals will naturally not dare to oppose him."

When Empress Dowager Lou heard Gao Zhan's words, her eyes lit up.

"He hasn't got married yet?"

"Mother, it is true that she never had a family."

"Oh, Liuzi, why didn't you tell me earlier? If he doesn't have a family, it would be a good opportunity for him to choose a girl from the royal family and marry her to him. Isn't that great?"

Empress Dowager Lou was very partial to her own family, and at the same time, she also liked to turn capable people into her own people.

Just like Yang Yin, she thought he was talented, so she made him her son-in-law.

However, between her son-in-law and her son, she obviously favors her son more.

Empress Dowager Lou suddenly asked, "Wuchuan is quite far from Yecheng. It's freezing cold right now, so it won't take too long to travel back and forth, right?"

"Don't worry, mother. Liu Taozi is strong and healthy. How could she be afraid of a cold?"

"Besides, in this cold winter, there are no wars or political affairs anywhere. It is safest to let him return to Yecheng now."

Empress Dowager Lou nodded, "Okay, okay, let's do it this way."

Gao Zhan was very happy. "I have heard of this person a long time ago. This time, thanks to my mother, I can meet him too."

Empress Dowager Lou was quite fond of her son. She took him to eat a lot of food and only let him go back when he felt tired.

Gao Zhan walked out of the palace, and the smile on his face gradually froze.

He Shikai hurried forward, "Your Majesty."

Gao Zhan's face was cold, and he slowly said: "Gao Yan, Gao Yu"

He Shikai lowered his head hastily, "My king, the wizard said that within half a year, it is not suitable to do anything big."

"Oh, I see. So, send people to the surrounding areas, such as Cheng'an and Linzhang, to secretly gather some bold bandits with rebellious intentions. Don't use my name, don't have anything to do with me, just use any name, and don't need too many, just a few dozen will do. Support them first and keep them as a backup."

"only!!"

"As for Liu Taozi..."

Gao Zhan smiled slowly, "Send someone to tell Liu Honghui that the person he wants will soon lead more than ten riders from Wuchuan to Yecheng. There is no need to say anything else."

"There are countless checkpoints, cities, and fortresses along the way. There must be one that can bury him, right?"

(End of this chapter)