si-mexico Chapter 589: Li Che, 'anxious'
Chapter 589: Li Che, 'anxious'
Prince Yan's Mansion.
After reading the information sent by Qiu Bai, Li Lin slowly put it aside and sighed.
Then he looked at Zhu Chun who was standing beside him and said, "The Jinyiwei have stopped arresting people. This farce is finally over."
"The Emperor has issued an edict to strip the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin of their respective titles, demoting them to the rank of County Prince, and reducing their fiefs to 800 households."
Zhu Chun took a sip of hot tea and shook his head, saying, "This is nothing. Demotion is just a matter of a word from His Majesty. It's far from enough to cause any serious damage."
Li Lin nodded and continued, "But the Emperor has also taken away their ruling power and sent officials from the former Prince's party to Shu, Qin, and Jin. These three regions will begin paying taxes to the court starting tomorrow."
Even a political idiot like Li Lin knows that the so-called former prince party is actually the emperor's party.
Now that the King of Shu has become the crown prince, this group of people immediately turned around and began to support the King of Shu.
But everyone in the court knew that the King of Shu was just a puppet.
The fact that this group of people would support a puppet shows that they are not loyal to a particular prince, but to the position of prince. Even if Emperor Qing ties a dog to the position of prince, they will support it.
Emperor Qing's move was clearly to consolidate power, let his own people take over the territories of the princes, and return them to the court.
Zhu Chun also spoke up, "The Ministry of War has issued a clear order to investigate the private armies of each prince. No prince's army can exceed the limit."
"Furthermore, the economy, politics, people's livelihood, laws, punishments, etc. of the fiefdom are no longer under the jurisdiction of the prince. The prince is only responsible for managing the military within the fiefdom."
Li Lin was slightly startled and asked in surprise: "Including me and Lao Liu?"
Zhu Chun looked at him with a smile: "Of course, this includes you. Although you have made contributions, they are not so great that His Majesty can make an exception for you. As for His Royal Highness Prince Feng..."
Zhu Chun paused, put the teacup on the table, with a complicated look on his face.
"Prince Feng is not just Prince Feng, he is also the Grand General of Tiance of Daqing!"
"The General's Mansion of Tiance can appoint officials below the third rank on its own, and naturally can recruit its own soldiers, and is not restricted by the number of vassal kings' armies."
"Before His Majesty bestowed the title of Prince Feng, I thought His Majesty was simply creating a prestigious title to commend Prince Feng's achievements and appease the generals of Feng State."
"But now it seems that His Majesty is very far-sighted and has probably made preparations for this day long ago."
There is one more thing Zhu Chun did not explain.
The reason why Emperor Qing did this might not be because he was so optimistic about Prince Feng.
When Emperor Qing went to Fengguo, Zhu Chun went with him. When Emperor Qing and others visited Fengguo University, he went to see the Fengguo military camp.
Even he, the founding duke, was shocked by the Fengtian Army's current combat effectiveness, and even felt a little scared.
To this day, Your Majesty may have completely lost control of Feng State. Emperor Qing can reduce the power of the vassal states, but he dare not touch Feng State.
Moreover, although the Fengtian Army was powerful, the King of Feng never showed any intention of rebellion.
The prince's interest in things beyond the grasslands and the sea far outweighed his interest in the throne.
Rather than taking the risk of weakening Feng State, it is better to cooperate with Feng State. After all, Prince Feng is your Majesty's biological son, and this country will be handed over to Prince Feng sooner or later.
Seeing the worry still on Li Lin's face, Zhu Chun couldn't help but persuade him, "Don't worry, although your Yan army's organization far exceeds the standard, you are different from other vassal kings. You still have a way out."
"At that time, you only need to send the excess troops to Feng State and incorporate them into Feng State's organization. His Majesty will not do anything to you."
"Wait until the storm has passed and then call the troops back. But I also want to advise you that Yan State is no longer under external pressure and there is no need to maintain so many troops. It would be better to give them all to Prince Feng."
Li Lin nodded slightly. Now that the Northern Hu had been turned upside down by Yue Yun, not to mention invading the Yan vassal state, even protecting themselves had become a problem.
The purpose of the Yan army's existence has gradually changed from defending against foreign enemies to defending against domestic enemies... He really doesn't need to maintain so many troops anymore.
"Besides, hasn't His Majesty already given you the best reward?"
As soon as the words fell, a silver bell-like child's voice came from behind Li Lin: "Father!"
Li Lin's expression softened. He turned around, hugged the little Li Xian who rushed over to him, and carried him on his shoulders: "Xian'er, do you miss daddy?"
"I do." Li Xian opened his eyes wide and nodded, "I also miss my mother and Uncle Feng."
"Okay, in a few days, Daddy will take you back to Yandi to see your mother. After that, you and I will go to Fengguo as guests. How about letting Uncle Fengwang play with you?"
"Okay!" Li Xian's eyes flashed with surprise, "Xian'er likes to serve Uncle Wang the most!"
Zhu Chun, who was standing by, couldn't help but smile with relief when he saw this scene.
The Prince of Yan has such a versatile ability at such a young age.
He not only cares about his mother, but also about His Royal Highness Prince Feng. It can be seen that His Royal Highness Prince Feng must also like this lovely little nephew very much.
Li Lin and Li Che do have a very good relationship now, but no one can guarantee that their next generation will maintain such a good relationship.
However, Li Xian's performance gave Zhu Chun peace of mind. With this good grandson around, perhaps the lineage of the Prince of Yan could continue to prosper.
"Father-in-law, it's over. I'm going to tell my sixth brother." Li Lin suddenly said, "My son-in-law has been out for so long, and I haven't told my sixth brother yet. He must be getting anxious waiting."
"Well, go quickly. Prince Feng has been waiting outside the pass for so long, we need to send a message to reassure him."
. . . . . .
"Good...good legs! They deserve a reward!"
Li Che was reclining on a large soft couch, with two sleeping tigers leaning against his feet.
In his hand, he was playing with a crystal clear glass cup filled with warm honey water, which exuded a sweet fragrance.
His narrow eyes were slightly narrowed, with a lazy appreciation as he stared intently at the center of the warm room.
More than a dozen beautiful women with graceful figures are dancing gracefully to the melodious Hu music.
They were not women from the Central Plains, but dancers from Goryeo, Khitan and Shiwei, forming an exotic dance troupe carefully assembled by Li Che.
The Goryeo dancers wore long, snow-white tulle skirts, the hems of which were boldly slit to the base of their thighs. As they walked and turned, a pair of straight, slender, jade-white legs were faintly visible.
Khitan girls, on the other hand, possessed a completely different kind of wild beauty. They wore tight leather miniskirts and equally tight fur tube tops, revealing expanses of healthy, tanned skin and toned waists. As they danced wildly and unrestrainedly, their eyes were bold and fiery, like flames burning on the grasslands.
The costumes of the Shiwei dancers are the most bizarre and bold. Their short skirts, carefully sewn from colorful feathers and light animal skins, barely cover their hips, with a fluffy hem adorned with vibrant feathers. As they dance, they resemble a peacock spreading its feathers.
Three completely different styles intertwine and collide in this warm room.
Snow-white long legs, tight waist and abdomen, flying colorful feathers, crisp bell sounds... form a vivid and exciting picture.
The musicians played the hujia and plucked the pipa with all their might, and the drum beats were dense and provocative.
Li Che was so engrossed in watching that his eyes lingered on those boldly exposed snow-white legs and waists, and he couldn't help but feel a heat in his lower abdomen.
Well, it is indeed a bit "anxious".
After a month of polishing, the entertainment team in Li Che's mind has begun to take shape.
The next step is to build an entertainment club in Chaoyang City, and then let these dancers live in it to attract merchants from all over the world to come and consume.
The subjective initiative of lustful people should not be underestimated. As long as the club is attractive enough to attract businessmen, they will become the best publicity ambassadors and spread the beauty of Chaoyang City Club to all parts of Daqing.
By then, he would be able to form teams in various places, set up branches one after another, and reap huge sums of money from the rich.
It's not just about money. Brothels allow people to indulge and relax, and have always been the best place to collect intelligence.
He could also get all kinds of information or dirty laundry on officials from the drunken guests.
Tuk-tuk-tuk——
There was a gentle knock on the heavy door of the warm room.
The laziness in Li Che's eyes faded a little, and he said, "Come in."
The door was carefully pushed open a crack, and Ying Bu came in quietly and sideways, walking up to Li Che without looking around, as if he was oblivious to the vivid scene before him.
Seeing him serious, Li Che became playful and clapped his hands: "Girls, the guests are here."
The dancers immediately stopped dancing, stood in formation facing Yingbu, bowed 90 degrees, revealing a large area of snow-white chest, and said in unison:
"Good evening, guests. Welcome. Please come in."
The simple Ying Bu had never seen such a scene before, and his face turned red immediately.
Seeing this, Li Che couldn't bear to tease his own sword-carrying general anymore, so he asked with a smile, "What's the matter?"
Ying Bu was as if granted amnesty and quickly said, "Your Highness, Lord Luo has urgent news: 'Taxue' has returned home."
Li Che's fingers holding the glass cup paused slightly, and the honey water in the cup swayed gently.
"Treading on the snow?" Li Che's eyes finally moved away from the dancer and turned to Ying Bu and asked, "Are you sure it's this?"
"Absolutely true, Your Highness." Ying Bu nodded. "Lord Luo has personally inspected it. The claws are intact, and the wax seal on the letter tube is intact. This must be news from the capital."