eurekapd Chapter 608: Named by Emperor Qing
Chapter 608: Named by Emperor Qing
Wang Yongnian uttered the two words "Li Huan", which was like throwing a huge rock into the quiet study.
Li Che's pupils suddenly shrank, and his sharp eyes locked onto Wang Yongnian:
"Are you serious? The King of Shu was just a child back then!"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Li Che knew that he had not thought it through.
Not to mention two years ago, isn’t the current King of Shu just a half-grown child?
The royal family's descendants cannot be viewed with common sense. They all grew up in the intrigues of the palace. How many of them are naive and innocent?
"Absolutely true!" Wang Yongnian replied.
Li Che frowned and asked, "Is he the only one behind this?"
Wang Yongnian felt the pressure of that gaze and didn't dare to hide anything. He shook his head anxiously, "No, Your Highness, there are far more than just the King of Shu!"
"From what I know, behind the King of Shu is a complex and intertwined group, formed by the secret alliance of several aristocratic families with thousands of years of history. The Wang family is just a pawn in this group, and the King of Shu is just a chess piece they chose among the princes!"
"A thousand-year-old family?" Li Che frowned.
Although I know that the so-called thousand-year-old families are just fictitious and most families actually have only a few hundred years of inheritance, there are still too many families in this world and they are simply impossible to kill and destroy.
Their power is deeply rooted in all classes and government offices in Daqing.
Even someone as ruthless as Emperor Qing had no good way to deal with them. Even in the next few thousand years, there would be fewer people like the "County Brahmins"?
Li Che put his thoughts aside and asked again, "Why did they choose the King of Shu?"
Wang Yongnian spoke quickly, but his pronunciation was still clear: "Because among all the princes, the King of Shu has the deepest ties with these aristocratic families!"
"The former crown prince lives in the Eastern Palace, right beside Your Majesty, making it difficult for them to infiltrate."
"Your Highnesses, the King of Qin, the King of Yan, and the King of Chu... Please forgive me for speaking frankly. In the eyes of those noble families, your Highnesses are too rigid and unyielding to conspire for 'greater things'."
"His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin has deep roots in Jin. He has the support of Jin merchants and local powerful families, and it is difficult for aristocratic families to interfere."
"Only the King of Shu. He may seem young and mediocre, but in fact he is very scheming and relies heavily on the aristocratic families. He is the best candidate for them to support and control!"
Li Che's eyes became colder, his body leaned forward slightly, and he asked:
"A few days ago, the King of Shu sent someone to assassinate my brother. Are these families involved in this incident?"
This was the first time Wang Yongnian heard this secret, and he was shocked.
Then he nodded without hesitation and said in a firm tone: "Yes, there must be!"
"Your Highness, the audacity of these noble families is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people! In order to seize power and maintain their unshakable position for a thousand years, what would they not dare to do?"
"Not to mention plotting to murder the prince..." Wang Yongnian lowered his voice, a hint of fear in his voice, "They...they even plotted to attack His Majesty!"
Even though Li Che was determined, he couldn't breathe when he heard the words "attack His Majesty".
"Do you know which ones they are? And who is the mastermind behind this?"
Wang Yongnian licked his cracked lips and listed a few names: "The leader is the Xingyang Zheng family, whose chief is Zheng Xuan; there is also the Taiyuan Wang family, secretly managed by Wang Gui; there are also the Qinghe Cui family and the Boling Cui family, with Cui Hao as their leader..."
"These few are the core. As for the King of Shu, it is his trusted confidant, Chief Secretary Zhang Shu, who will be the specific liaison."
Li Che had a blank expression on his face, and he had these noble families and their heads firmly engraved in his mind.
He was silent for a moment, staring at Wang Yongnian and saying sternly, "What you said today came out of your mouth and entered my ears. I have never heard it, and you have never said it. If even a little bit of it leaks out, do you understand?"
"I understand! I swear on the lives of my entire family that everything I said today will be kept to myself and I will never reveal a single word!" Wang Yongnian swore hurriedly, cold sweat oozing from his forehead.
"Go down." Li Che waved his hand.
"Yes, I'll take my leave." Wang Yongnian retreated with somewhat unsteady steps as if he had been pardoned.
Li Che sat alone, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, his eyes as deep as the abyss.
Aristocratic family, King of Shu, regicide, assassination of the king...
What a deep calculation, what a boldness!
When Emperor Qing founded the country and broke the chaos, and rebuilt the country, he was too merciful and left so many insects behind!
The murderous intent in Li Che's eyes gradually solidified.
What happened before this had nothing to do with him. No matter how corrupt Daqing was, it would not be as corrupt as Fengguo.
But what about the future? How could he allow the Daqing he inherited to be such a mess?
The aristocratic families are omnipresent. Not only can the imperial power not reach the countryside, but it is likely that it cannot even reach the provincial capital.
If I remain indifferent, not only will Daqing be in a state of irreversible decline, but I'm afraid it will also drag Fengguo down with it!
“Aristocratic family…ha!”
Li Che sneered and waved his hand to extinguish the candle beside him.
. . . . . .
The dancing candlelight illuminated the room as bright as day, and also stretched the figure of Emperor Qing behind the imperial desk, casting it onto the white wall behind him.
Next to the pile of memorials on the desk, there was a birdcage, and a bird with colorful feathers was squatting on the birdcage, drowsy.
Huang Jin had been standing in the shadows with his hands down. Seeing Emperor Qing put down his red brush, he coughed lightly at the right moment:
"Ahem... Your Majesty, the congratulatory letter from His Royal Highness has arrived a while ago. Please see..."
Emperor Qing's gaze was drawn to the brocade box beside him, and his expression became complicated.
Emperor Qing already knew about the pacification of the Northern Hu at the beginning of the year.
What kind of power was the Northern Hu? They had threatened the Central Plains dynasty for thousands of years and had always been the country's top threat. However, they were defeated by Li Che and surrendered, and even respected him as the "Heavenly Khan".
How presumptuous of a title to hold. Although the Northern Hu leader also honored himself as "Haotian Khan", Emperor Qing knew very well that it was just Old Six's way of making up for it.
However, Emperor Qing did not care too much about it. Now the situation in the court was a foregone conclusion, and the throne would be passed to the sixth brother sooner or later.
If it were any other prince, Emperor Qing might be worried, but it was different for Li Che. Emperor Qing knew what Li Che's ambitions were.
It's funny to say that the throne that other princes fought for with blood and gore is probably not as attractive to the sixth prince as a piece of land outside the sea.
Although Li Che's strength was astonishing and could threaten the imperial power, it was of no benefit to him to rebel.
"Well, bring it over."
Emperor Qing's voice was filled with anticipation. Perhaps listening to his son's experiences on the frontier would help dispel some of the gloom in his heart.
Huang Jin carefully picked up the brocade box, took out the scroll of silk, and presented it to Emperor Qing with both hands.
When the silk was unfolded, a faint scent of ink wafted to the face.
The handwriting was written by Li Che himself, with a strong and powerful tone. It began with a series of flattery:
"Your son, Li Che, respectfully wishes your father eternal health and long-lasting blessings.
At the beginning of this new year, when everything is renewed, I, as your son, am far away in my fiefdom, gazing at the heavens, hoping that my father will be in good health and that the country will be forever stable.
Although Fengdi is cold, thanks to the great blessing of my father, the military and civilians are united, and the border is relatively safe.
I, your son, will fulfill my duties conscientiously and live up to your father's expectations..."
Emperor Qing's eyes slowly swept over the text, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
Although Lao Liu's congratulatory letter was inevitably full of flattery, it was always more pleasing to the eye than those official documents full of flowery words.
It’s just... he’s so good at taking photos. I don’t know who he learned this from.
Emperor Qing continued to read:
"I have a family matter to report to your Majesty. This past spring, Princess Chang Ningxue, blessed by the protection of our ancestors and the blessing of your Majesty, gave birth safely to a baby boy."
Emperor Qing's fingers, which were holding the silk cloth, tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
The sixth brother has a successor!
A warm feeling suddenly dispelled the gloom in his heart, and he could hardly wait to read on:
"However, I am a poorly educated and illiterate child. I have only chosen a nickname for him. After much thought, I find it crude and unsophisticated, and I fear it would dishonor the royal bloodline. I boldly ask your father, the learned and talented Emperor, to grant your grandson a noble name, to bring honor to the family and relieve my worries."
When Emperor Qing saw this, he was stunned at first, and then he couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Huang Jin, take a look, take a look!" Emperor Qing pointed at the letter and said to the curious old eunuch beside him, "This Sixth Brother! He's very cunning!"
Huang Jin quickly bowed, a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness, this is..."
"He's playing dumb here!" Emperor Qing smiled and shook his head. "Unable to write? Uneducated? Humph! Has he forgotten his poem '沁园春·雪'?"
"Also, look at the nickname he gave this grandson of mine. Qubing! Li Qubing!"
"Hahahahaha!" Emperor Qing laughed heartily, the gloom he had been feeling for the past few days seeming to be dispelled by this laughter. "Such a rough name suits him and his princess's personalities! Children born to the daughter of a military commander should be strong!"
"Get rid of illness... Great! Getting rid of illness and disasters, keeping you safe and healthy, this has a real meaning, better than those fancy words!"
Huang Jin listened and nodded repeatedly, but was secretly shocked in his heart.
Ever since the incident with the current Crown Prince, Emperor Qing has become increasingly gloomy. Apart from reporting to the ministers, he hardly says a single word all day long.
But now I have only read a letter from the Sixth Prince, and he said more than all the words in this month combined.
Huang Jin quickly said, "Your Highness Prince Feng's filial piety is commendable. He is trying every possible way to please His Majesty and also hopes that His Majesty will grant him a name. It is a blessing for the young prince."
Emperor Qing cursed a few times with a smile, but his mood actually brightened up.
He put down the silk, leaned back in his chair, and tapped the armrest with his fingers.
His heart was no longer filled with the heaviness he felt when reviewing memorials, but was instead filled with the loving care of an old man caring for his children and grandchildren.
What name should I give it?
Emperor Qing’s thoughts were wandering.
This is the first child of the sixth brother. This child is destined to be extraordinary. The name must carry the royal demeanor, have beautiful meanings, and also overwhelm the nickname given to him by his father. It cannot appear too weak.
One word after another emerged in Emperor Qing's mind.
睿？
Intelligent and knowledgeable, but feels a little lacking in depth.
晟？
The light is bright and blazing, and although the meaning is good, it is a little sharp.
煜？
Shining brilliantly, with a tendency towards literary elegance.
Emperor Qing's brows sometimes relaxed and sometimes frowned slightly.
Suddenly, a word jumped into his mind clearly like a star in the dark night.
"Huang Jin, grind the ink!"
Huang Jin responded quickly, and deftly spread out a piece of fine paper, added some clean water, and carefully ground a piece of imperial pine soot ink.
The fragrance of ink quietly permeates the warm room.
Emperor Qing picked up the imperial brush, dipped it in thick ink, and wrote a character in a flamboyant style on the clear paper.