Chapter 191 Killing Four Birds with One Stone, the Beginning of Chaos
Chapter 191 Killing four birds with one arrow, the beginning of the chaos
. I feel the vicissitudes of life, and look to the horizon.
The evening sail is as light as an arrow, and the setting sun is as big as a dustpan.
The wind is tired of the flags and the carriages are in a hurry in the fields.
The big dream is back to the moon on the river, and it jumps out of the Golden Scale Pool.
The sixteenth year of Tianji, the twenty-second day of the first month.
If it is recorded in history books in the future, today will be a day that will be planted
in the history of Daning. But for Wei Changtian at this
moment, today may be a little different, but that’s all. At sunset, Li Huaizhong slowly walked out of Wei’s house alone.
Wei Changtian stood in front of the window and watched him leave, his fingers slowly tapping the window sill, his expression thoughtful.
Everything went smoothly. Or too smoothly.
Li Huaizhong has revealed the conspiracy of the Liu family without reservation, and what he said is so detailed that it doesn’t sound false.
Is this old eunuch so eager for a way to make up for the Yin-Yang Gong?
Or is there another purpose?
Wei Changtian was not very clear, and glanced through the window lattice at Xu Qingwan and You Jia who were sitting and talking in the front yard.
As if they had noticed his gaze, the two women quickly turned their heads and looked back at the same time.
They both had a faint smile on their lips.
It was just that one was very simple, and the other was somewhat meaningful.
Daning Palace, Ziluan Hall.
”Your humble servant greets the emperor!”
In the empty hall, a man in a purple robe embroidered with cranes bowed respectfully to Ning Yongnian.
He was the head of the Daning Xu family, the Minister of Revenue, Xu Shixing.
”Well, my dear Xu, take a look at this first. Let me finish reviewing these memorials before talking to you.”
Ning Yongnian threw a booklet on the table and continued to look through the long and boring memorials with his head down, seeming to be a little unhappy.
”.”
Seeing this, Xu Shixing did not dare to say much, and hurriedly stepped forward to take the booklet in his hand.
After he opened the booklet and read a few lines, it was like a cold water poured on his head. In an instant, a chill exploded from head to toe.
”Your Majesty! This…”
”I said, wait!”
Ning Yongnian did not look up, but there was an invisible pressure in his words.
”Yes, yes”
Xu Shixing’s body trembled suddenly, and he trembled for a long time before he turned his eyes back to the booklet in his hand that was already soaked with sweat.
One by one, all of them were the shady things that the Xu family had done.
The Xu family was the richest family in Daning, and they were involved in countless business transactions, among which there were inevitably some unclean things.
Xu Shixing knew some of these things, and some of them he, the head of the family, had never heard of.
But only the part he knew, if it was really strictly investigated, would be enough to seriously damage the vitality of the Xu family.
As the Minister of Revenue for more than ten years, Xu Shixing was not a businessman who only knew how to make money.
He was also well versed in the ways of the court.
So what really frightened him was not the content written in this booklet, but why Ning Yongnian showed this booklet to him.
”Liu, Wei, Xu, the people of Daning all know these three surnames. There are even jokes in the streets that the power of these three families is far greater than mine.”
Suddenly, Ning Yongnian spoke.
”My dear Xu, what do you think?”
”Plop!”
Xu Shixing didn’t even think about it, and the next second he knelt on the ground trembling.
”Your Majesty! Your loyalty to Your Majesty is known by the sun and the moon! What is written in this booklet…”
”I didn’t ask you that!”
Ning Yongnian threw the memorial in his hand on the table with a “pop”, his eyes slightly narrowed.
”Answer my question just now! Are the three families of Liu, Wei and Xu really so powerful?!”
”Your Majesty.”
Xu Shixing suddenly looked up, tears streaming down his face: “I dare not say much about the Liu and Wei families, but the Xu family is definitely not like that!”
”Really?”
Ning Yongnian stared at Xu Shixing and suddenly asked: “Mr. Xu, since you are the Minister of Revenue, you should know how much silver is currently in the treasury of Daning.”
”Reply, reply Your Majesty”
Xu Shixing felt bad, but still answered with a stiff upper lip: “Nearly, nearly 500 million taels.”
”Okay, then after deducting the salaries of officials of all sizes, military pay, relief and other expenses, how much money can I allocate?!”
”Almost, almost 10 million taels.”
”10 million taels”
Ning Yongnian slowly stood up, walked around the table, and walked step by step to Xu Shixing.
He leaned down slightly, and asked softly with a smile:
”Mr. Xu, how much silver is in the Xu family’s treasury?”
How much money did his family have?
Xu Shixing may know the answer, or he may not know the exact number.
But whether he knows or not, this question cannot be answered.
”.”
There was a moment of silence in the Purple Luan Hall. Looking at Xu Shixing, who was shaking like a sieve, Ning Yongnian did not ask any more questions, but just silently reached out and took the booklet back.
”Xu Qing, I am not the kind of person who does not remember the old friendship.”
”The Xu family helped me to ascend the throne, and it is precisely because of this that I have repeatedly condoned the Xu family’s actions.”
”But this time, I really don’t know what to do. How about you tell me?”
”.”
The afterglow of the setting sun shone into the hall, reflecting on Ning Yongnian’s robe, as if giving the golden dragon with bared fangs and claws a layer of blood color.
After a brief panic, although Xu Shixing still looked trembling, his mind was no longer stagnant.
Obviously, Ning Yongnian’s move was to test his bottom line.
The Xu family has been rooted in Daning for hundreds of years and has prospered for more than a hundred years. Such a complex power cannot be overthrown by just a few words or a piece of evidence.
Ning Yongnian knows this, and Xu Shixing knows it even better.
So the key lies in how much the Xu family will have to pay to satisfy Ning Yongnian’s appetite.
”Your Majesty, my people have committed such a disaster, and I know I am not innocent.”
”I am too ashamed to bear the heavy responsibility of the Minister of Revenue, and I am willing to resign and return home!”
”I beg Your Majesty to grant me this!”
”Dong!”
After knocking his head heavily, Xu Shixing decided to hand over the power first.
According to his judgment, the treasury of Daning is abundant and not short of money, so Ning Yongnian must have done it to control the money and politics.
Under normal circumstances, this idea is not wrong.
However, what Ning Yongnian wants to do this time is far more than that.
”Resign and return home?”
Ning Yongnian sighed softly and said calmly: “Xu Qing, do you really think that you can wear and take off the flower feather on your head whenever you want? Do you really think that you can come and go in the capital whenever you want?”
”If you really want to resign, it’s not impossible.”
”Since you are from Jizhou, I will give you a house in Jizhou Prefecture, and you can spend your old age with your wife and children.”
”As for the rest, stay in the capital.”
”What, what?”
Hearing this, Xu Shixing looked up suddenly, his eyes full of disbelief.
He never thought that Ning Yongnian’s appetite was so big that he actually asked for all the family property accumulated by the Xu family for hundreds of years!
”Your Majesty, even if the Xu family is wrong, I’m afraid it’s not so bad!”
”If Your Majesty thinks that my resignation is not enough, then I am willing to die to apologize!”
”But if you want me to hand over the entire Xu family, I’m sorry I can’t obey!”
At this moment, Xu Shixing knew very well that he could not retreat anymore.
If he lost his position, he could train his descendants.
If he lost his money, he could earn it again.
But if the Xu family’s hundreds of years of foundation were destroyed by him, he would not only be ashamed to face the ancestors of the Xu family even after death, let alone living!
”Bang!”
As he spoke, he kowtowed again.
But this time, Xu Shixing’s action was not cowardly at all, and there was even a hint of wanting to compete with Ning Yongnian.
He was betting that Ning Yongnian would not dare to risk causing chaos in Daning and really break off relations with the Xu family.
And with the background of the Xu family, Xu Shixing believed that he had the confidence.
However.
”My dear Xu, I underestimated you.”
Ning Yongnian shook his head, and seemed not to care much about Xu Shixing’s “disrespectful” behavior
just now. “I thought that compared to the Liu and Wei families, you should be the most loyal to me.”
”I am indeed loyal to the emperor!”
Xu Shixing actually interrupted directly: “But I am also a member of the Xu family!”
”Hahaha! What a member of the Xu family!”
Ning Yongnian raised his head and laughed: “So you think I dare not touch your Xu family, right?!”
”I have no such intention!”
Although he said “no such intention”, Xu Shixing’s tone was very tough.
Compared with the Liu family, the Xu family is slightly less powerful,
but its followers are also spread
all over the court and the country. Compared with the Wei family,
the Xu family is slightly inferior in military power, but it also has a large number of masters under its command.
More importantly, the Xu family is rich.
At any time, money is a panacea that can make up for all gaps.
So. What if you are the Son of Heaven?
In a flash, the atmosphere in the Purple Luan Palace has reached the point of drawing swords.
If Wei Changtian was here at this time, he would probably be surprised.
Before crossing, his understanding of the feudal imperial society mostly came from TV dramas and novels.
In these works, the emperor seems to have absolute supreme authority, and how could he be challenged by a minister like this.
But in fact, in real history, there are many situations that are far more exaggerated than this.
From Cao Cao, to Zhao Gao, to Zhang Juzheng, and then to Aobai, each of them does not take the emperor seriously at all.
To put it bluntly, “Son of Heaven” is just a title, and who holds the “power of the Son of Heaven” depends on the strength of each force.
The Xu family’s power may not be enough to “ignore Ning Yongnian”, but it is more than enough to support Xu Shixing in saying a few tough words.
”Your Majesty! I dare to say a few more words!”
”When Prime Minister Liu was alive, the Liu family’s power almost dominated the court and the country. From the prefectures to the court, from the eighth-rank county magistrate to the third-rank vice ministers of various departments, the appointment and promotion of most officials, big and small, required the approval of the Liu family!”
”Has Your Majesty ever seen such a serious crime of forming a clique for personal gain?!”
”The Wei family has controlled the Xuan Jing Division for hundreds of years. The three guards and three offices are in charge of almost all military affairs in Daning! They can kill any official at will and wipe out a family or clan with a wave of their hands. Even Wei Changtian dared to bring thousands of people to the Prime Minister’s Mansion!”
”How did Your Majesty react to such lawless acts?!”
”Even if the Xu family has made a thousand mistakes, I think they are not as guilty as the crimes committed by the Liu and Wei families. Why can’t Your Majesty tolerate our Xu family?!”
”Your Majesty!”
”I don’t understand!”
”.”
The loud questioning voice echoed in the hall, and Xu Shixing’s eyes were full of grief and indignation.
His question was actually reasonable.
The Liu family and the Wei family are obviously a greater threat to you than me, and I have always been low-key. Why do you have to deal with me? Do you
really think my Xu family is a soft persimmon?
It is both a vent and a pressure.
After Xu Shixing finished speaking, he stared at Ning Yongnian, and the latter was silent for a long time before slowly speaking again.
However, he didn’t seem to be answering Xu Shixing, but more like talking to himself.
”It seems that it is right not to wait any longer”
”Can’t accommodate the Xu family?”
”Hehe.”
He chuckled and looked at Xu Shixing with a frown.
”Xu Qing, you are wrong.”
”It’s not that I can’t accommodate the Xu family, but…”
”Hula!”
The wide robe suddenly fluttered without wind.
Xu Shixing felt something was wrong for a moment, but he still didn’t believe in his heart that Ning Yongnian would really dare to put Daning in chaos.
He raised his head high, puffed out his chest, and was ready to show his determination to die to show his attitude again.
As long as this hurdle is passed, the Xu family will be fine!
However,
the palm filled with the power of an emperor was getting closer and closer.
It was not until this palm was imprinted on the crane on his chest that Xu Shixing finally understood
that he was wrong.
But why?
”Bang!!”
With a muffled sound, the official hat with a long flower feather suddenly flew into the air, and then rolled down again. In his eyes that were about to burst out of their sockets, there was still a strong sense of confusion.
”.”
”Alas, Xu Qing, you didn’t have to die.”
Xu Shixing, who was already lifeless, slowly fell to the ground, and Ning Yongnian seemed to have some regrets.
But this regret only lasted for a moment.
Turning around, he completed the sentence that he had not finished just now.
”It’s not that I can’t tolerate the Xu family, but…”
”No one can tolerate it.”
Half an hour later.
There was no abnormality in the Ziluan Hall. Ning Yongnian was still sitting behind the desk reviewing memorials, and in front of him stood a man in a purple robe again.
”Your Majesty, why did you summon me here?”
Wei Xianzhi stood up straight, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
”Hahaha, my dear Wei, please sit down. I have two things to tell you.”
Compared to before, Ning Yongnian’s attitude at this moment could be described as “affable”.
”Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat.”
Wei Xianzhi was not polite, he sat down and waited for the next
words. As Ning Yongnian spoke, his expression became more and more complicated.
There was anger, shock, confusion, and hesitation.
Fortunately, at least he walked out of the Purple Luan Palace alive, but his steps were a little heavy.
Another half hour passed.
”Your Majesty.”
”My dear Liu, please sit down. I have something to discuss with you!”
”Yes, Your Majesty, please speak.”
”.”
From dusk to nightfall.
When Liu Zhongchun, the current head of the Liu family, the second brother of Liu Yuanshan and the Minister of Personnel, walked out of the Purple Luan Palace thoughtfully, it meant that Ning Yongnian’s initial layout for gathering domestic forces was about to be fully launched. To resist
foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country.
Liu, Wei, Xu, and a Buddhist sect.
Who should start with?
After thinking about it for a few days, Ning Yongnian’s final choice was-all.
Kill
four birds with one stone.
”Let’s make it chaotic.”
Standing at the door of the palace, looking up at the yellow dragon of luck in the night sky that only he could see, Ning Yongnian laughed softly:
”The more chaotic, the better.”
Two chapters in one
(end of this chapter)
