Chapter 487: Side of the Bed
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The soldiers participating in the pacification of Shandong were rewarded according to their contributions. The officials who helped Yin Huaixi pacify the various prefectures in Shandong were all praised by the imperial court.
The emperor summoned Chang Ningbo alone. Chang Ningbo said bluntly,
“Although Li Qiguang has been eliminated and the clan has been dealt with by General Yin, the remaining forces will still cause trouble. If we can’t take this opportunity to completely control the situation in Shandong, I’m afraid the clan will still be in danger.”
This was also the emperor’s worry. “Minister Chang, do you have a good strategy?
Chang Ningbo said, “Lord Yin has left Shandong. The officials of various prefectures are afraid of suppressing the remaining forces of the clan, afraid that the clan will make a comeback. In my opinion, we need to send troops to Shandong to intimidate the remaining forces of the clan and help the officials of the various prefectures govern Shandong.”
The emperor twirled the jade bracelet in his hand with an inexplicable expression.
Chang Ningbo’s words hit the nail on the head. However, the battle in Shandong had already ended, and the imperial court needs a good reason to send troops. As such, to do so would be a difficult problem.
Chang Ningbo already had a solution in mind, but he was not stupid enough to speak bluntly in front of the emperor. He knows that he was a just military official and could not be compared to the vassal lords.
As expected, the emperor pondered for a moment before asking, “King of Dongning’s fief is the closest to Shandong. There’s no need to deliberately send troops. We only need to order him to send troops to the border area adjacent to Shandong to deter the clan. We then also order him to assist the officials of the various prefectures to govern Shandong. What do you think of this plan?”
Chang Ningbo thought to himself that Master Yin had guessed correctly.
Among the various vassal lords, the emperor trusted the King of Dongning the most. The eastern border was far away from Jingzhao, separated by
Shandong. A detour is necessary, which would be at least a thousand miles.
Most of the roads were mountainous and rugged, and very difficult to walk.
Asking the King of Dongning to temporarily assist in governing Shandong was no different from handing Shandong over to the him. If the King of
Dongning had any ulterior motives, he did not need to take a detour around
Shandong. He only needed to go through Langya Mountain to get close to Jingzhao.
It was impossible that the emperor did not think of this, but he still made this decision.
Firstly, Shandong had accumulated a lot of ills and needed to be dealt with urgently. However, the clan raised private soldiers and could only be suppressed by sending troops.
Secondly, it was because he trusted the Marquis of Dongning.
Thirdly, the battle with Yin Huaixi in Shandong had brought out the prestige of the imperial court and the people’s support. No matter how stupid the Marquis of Dongning was, he cannot consider rebellion at this time. After all, he had to have a reason to revolt.
Yin Huaixi had also considered all of this, which was why he hadn’t been shy about mentioning the King of Dongning when they’d discussed this matter.
Chang Ningbo contemplated it, but did not show it on his face. “Your Majesty has thought it through. General Yin has an extremely good reputation in Shandong. After the war, he praised much about the emperor’s benevolence and kindness in ruling the people.”
It was a simple sentence, but the emperor understood the meaning behind it.
Asking the King of Dongning to temporarily help govern Shandong was also a helpless move. What he was most worried about was not the King of
Dongning’s disloyalty, but the fact that the King of Dongning had accumulated a lot of power in Shandong.
However, Chang Ningbo’s words made it clear that the people were on the side of the imperial court.
The emperor made up his mind and said, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, To govern Shandong, we still need to be benevolent and empathize with the people.”
The hearts of the people had already been reciprocated. If he continued to be benevolent, there would be nothing left for King Dongning to do.
Whether it was Chang Ningbo himself or the emperor, they both ignored what Chang Ningbo had said just now. “General Yin has an extremely good reputation in Shandong. After the war, he praised much about the emperor’s benevolence and kindness in ruling the people.”
At first, there was nothing wrong with this sentence.
However, after thinking about it carefully, it is understood that there is a cause and effect.
First, there was Yin Huaixi’s prestige in Shandong, then came the emperor’s benevolence and kindness to the people.
At this moment, no one could understand the subtle difference.
The next day, the emperor ordered the King of Dongning to send troops to the border between the eastern border and Shandong to help the prefectures to govern Shandong.
When the news reached the Yin Residence, Yin Huaixi was drinking tea with Sir Xian Yun.
Sir Xian Yun sighed inwardly. Yin Huaixi hadn’t gone to Shandong yet, but he was already prepared for today. “How can you be so sure that the King of Dongning will do as you’ve imagined and abolish the clan’s ancestral code to eradicate the evils in Shandong? If he really has the intention to disobey, then he should understand that destroying someone’s ancestral code will harm one’s morals and reputation. He shouldn’t be that stupid.”
Emperors from ancient times would be labeled as tyrants if they were to burn books and waste scriptures.
The founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu, could kill mercilessly just because of a disagreement. Although the people he killed were all people who deserved it, such bloodthirsty nature was very rare in history.
But why did no one dare to call him a tyrant?
This was because after he ascended the throne, his first move was to appoint the last prime minister of the previous dynasty, Yu Xiang, as Duke Zhonglie.
At that time, the Yu Family was famous. Together with the Ye Family of Linjiang Prefecture, they were known as the Northern Yu, Southern Ye.
Emperor Gaozu’s actions were an act of respect for the Confucian Empire.
The second step was to implement the revival of the old dynasty system.
Confucianism was advocated.
Yin Huaixi held a teacup in his hand. The high-quality Ru kiln porcelain was like a pile of fat, white and smooth. Young ladies liked Ru kiln very much, and among the items the emperor had bestowed this time were a few pieces of Ru kiln porcelain that had been passed down through the generations.
She would probably like it very much.
Yin Huaixi chuckled as he thought about it. “Do you think the emperor ordered the Prince of Dongning to temporarily assist the prefectures of Shandong in governing Shandong because he trusts him?
Sir Xian Yun frowned and did not say anything.
There was definitely trust, but most of it was probably out of helplessness.
How could one allow others to sleep soundly in their own bed?!
Li Qiguang was wild like a grassland, a motley crew. Although people wanted to get rid of him, compared to the vassal lords who had heavy troops and could fight well, it was obvious who was more of a threat.
Yin Huaixi laughed coldly. “The dog emperor is very suspicious. He still has some trust in the King of Dongning. Once the King of Dongning really sends troops to the border between the Eastern Region and Shandong to help the prefectures govern Shandong, the dog emperor will probably be sitting on pins and needles, unable to eat or sleep in peace. King of Dongning once earned a bit of trust by presenting the Four Seas Dragon dagger to the dog emperor, when he ascended the throne at a young age and his foundation was unstable. By then, this bit of trust would have dissipated.”
Sir Xian Yun understood immediately. “In order to reassure the dog emporer, the King of Dongning has no choice but to damage his reputation and morals. He risked the world’s gossip and condemnation of the writings. He did not hesitate to become enemies with the clan to carry out such a ridiculous act of abolishing the clan’s ancestral code?”
Yin Huaixi had predicted all of this from the very beginning!
He really didn’t know if he should take pity on the King of Dongning for being so unlucky. Why did his fief have to be closest to Shandong and give Yin Huaixi a chance to plot against him?
One has to sigh, for King of Dongning probably did not even know that he had been reduced to a pawn.
Tsk, how pitiful~
Still, thinking of the Prince of Liang, who had risked his life to send his son into the capital to be a hostage, Sir Xian Yun felt that he could not blame the Prince of Dongning for being unlucky and choosing the Eastern Region as his fief..
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