Fu Shanhe

Chapter 8 Aftermath
In the palace.

Emperor Tianyuan, who was worried about the failure of the war on the front line, turned green with anger after listening to Prince Fu's narration.

It was already annoying enough, and the Jinyiwei, whom he regarded as his right-hand man, jumped out to cause trouble for him.

As a secret service and law enforcement agency, it is understandable that the means used are a bit rough, but there must be limits.

This time it was a negative example. Not only did a large number of civilians get hurt by mistake, but seven palace guards were also killed.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to have the commander of the Hanzhong Guard who was in Beijing to perform his duties in the teahouse, his brother might have fallen into the hands of the thieves.

"Royal brother, I already understand what happened, you go down and rest first.

I will definitely give you an explanation for the unforeseen disaster you suffered today!"

Emperor Tianyuan said with a tired look on his face.

"Royal brother, take care of your health!
There is no rush for my brother's affairs. Nothing has happened anyway, so you don't have to take it to heart."

Prince Fu immediately persuaded.

There was no need for the emperor to take action to deal with a few Jinyiwei soldiers. The impeachment letters from the censors would be enough to make these people pay the price.

The reason I ran to the palace to file a complaint is mainly because today's incident is of such a serious nature that as a party involved I must make my position clear.

"Well, I know!"

Emperor Tianyuan nodded slightly.

Normally, as a good brother, he would definitely comfort his younger brother, but not today.

The great defeat in Liaodong was waiting for him to deal with. In comparison, the minor matter of the Jinyiwei's dereliction of duty was not worth mentioning at all.

As soon as he left the imperial study, Prince Fu bumped into the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had hurried over to apologize.

"Gu Yuansong, Sir Gu, why are you in such a hurry to go? What do you want to do?"

The Yin-Yang Taoism that made Prince Fu unhappy.

If the younger brother gets into trouble, the boss will be held responsible.

A Jinyiwei captain who was destined to be unlucky was not worth him lowering his status to target.

Even if he wanted to have a fight, he should have it with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so that he would be worthy of his status.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!
What happened today was due to the ignorance of the people below. I have arranged for someone to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

When the results are out, I will come to your house in person and apologize to you.

It's just that the military situation is urgent now, I must see the emperor immediately, please forgive me for my negligence!"

Knowing that the person in front of him was not easy to deal with, Gu Yuansong decisively gave in.

After seeing this scene, Prince Fu frowned.

After all, the person in front of us is the emperor's confidant. If we do things too ruthlessly, it will lose face for everyone.

If Gu Yuansong chooses to fight to the end, he will definitely fight back.

But since the other person apologized right from the start, it would be difficult for him to continue targeting him.

"Remember to take good care of your men. I don't want to see something like this happen again!"

……

In the evening, Li Yuan dragged his tired body back to the Marquis' Mansion, feeling very heavy-hearted.

As one of the core figures of the noble group, he was the most opposed to military reform before; now that the front line has been defeated, he is the one who most hopes that the reform will succeed.

Although the military reform damaged the interests of the nobles, it was of great benefit to the country.

Li Yuan had read history books and knew very well what a combat-ready army meant to a country.

Emperor Tianyuan was able to complete the military reform not only because of his strong political skills, but also because the opposition from the noble group was not resolute enough.

The interests of both parties are so thoroughly intertwined that they all prosper together and suffer together.

Of course, the change in mentality is also related to Emperor Tianyuan's openness.

Influenced by Confucian culture since childhood, the idea that the emperor is the leader of the ministers has long been ingrained in his bones. The emperor has admitted his mistakes in private, so the unpleasantness of the past will end here.

Then it’s time to clean up the mess.

"Master, today Mu'er..."

Before the Marquise could finish, Li Yuan interrupted her with a wave of his hand:
“I know everything.

Your Majesty mentioned his name in the palace just now, and I sent someone to check it out.

What happened during the day was purely an accident, but this time Mu'er could be considered a blessing in disguise as he entered His Majesty's sight ahead of time.

This matter concerns the reputation of the imperial court and needs to be handled in a low-key manner. It is not convenient to make public commendations.

The royal family will compensate him after he enters the officialdom.

I will remind Mu'er later to be careful about how he handles his relationship with Prince Fu."

The vassal king was a special existence in the Dayu Dynasty.

You can neither offend them nor get close to them.

Emperor Tianyuan promoted the royal family reform largely because he was angered by these incompetent guys.

They either bully men and women in their fiefdoms or rob people by trickery and plunder. Local officials can't afford to offend them at all.

The worst thing is that these guys themselves have to bear the blame, while the bulk of the profits go into the hands of the local big families.

The Lu Wang case a few years ago is a typical example.

Relying on trickery and robbery, he seized 40,000 hectares of fertile farmland and also engaged in private salt trade, causing the local tax revenue to almost collapse.

After the incident became a big deal, Emperor Tianyuan decided to make an example of Prince Lu.

He thought he could make a fortune and ease the court's financial difficulties, but when his property was confiscated, he found out that the annual income of the palace according to the account books was only 40,000 taels of silver.

Without considering commercial income, all income was amortized into land rent, and the average annual income per hectare of good farmland was only one or two taels of silver.

After an in-depth investigation, it was discovered that local gentry had bribed the chief historian of the royal palace to register the illegally annexed land under the name of the royal palace in order to evade accountability from the court.

Prince Lu bore the bad reputation, but the bulk of the profits were taken away by others. Even the chief secretary in the palace earned more than him.

For a time, the name of the Confused Prince resounded throughout the Dayu Dynasty.

The angry Emperor Tianyuan dragged out all the officials in the palace and beheaded them, and sent the foolish Prince Lu to guard the imperial tomb.

There are more than one such fool among the princes.

Prince Fu was not yet an adult and was enfeoffed. He now seemed to have the potential to become a wise king. However, it was precisely because he had the potential to become a wise king that he could not be approached.

The emperor doesn't care if stupid princes make friends with court officials, because those guys are always causing trouble and not helping anything.

The highly respected wise kings are different. These people have normal minds and good reputations. It’s okay if they don’t cause trouble, but if they do, it will definitely be a big deal.

"My Lord, Madam, Young Master Mu is outside the door asking to see you!"

The servant's voice sounded, and after the two looked at each other, the lady of the Marquis's Mansion spoke:
"My Lord, you talk to Mu'er. I have something else to do in the backyard, so I'll leave first."

After a little thought, Li Yuan understood his wife's concerns.

Although the emperor only mentioned it, the obstacles for Li Mu to enter the officialdom were cleared in advance.

The following conversation will definitely be related to state affairs.

Women are not allowed to interfere in state affairs. This is the rule passed down from our ancestors.

The noble families are not very strict in this regard, and it is okay for the couple to chat a few words in private.

But doing so in front of outsiders is a sign of lack of education, even if the person is your own nephew.

"Ma'am, please do as you please.

Take Mu'er to the study, I'll be there soon!"

……

(End of this chapter)