Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 72
Chapter 72 Yunmeng People
Emperor Ye, who was thousands of miles away from the capital, rushed back overnight. Despite the fatigue from the long journey, he woke up his left and right prime ministers and General Kuo Lao from their sleep and secretly summoned them into the imperial palace. These powerful ministers were still sleepy and quite resentful.
“I have decided to strip King Zhenbei of his military power and take back his military talisman.
The powerful officials were horrified and instantly came to their senses.
“Your Majesty, you must not do that!
The powerful ministers and generals almost said in unison that Emperor Ye had expected this result a long time ago. He had already mentioned the matter of reducing military power to the cabinet elders, but he had too many concerns. Emperor Ye did not make up his mind and put it on hold.
“Your Majesty, let me speak frankly. When you ascended the throne, the King of Zhenbei served you wholeheartedly and made great military achievements. Later, he guarded the North City and fought against the Xiongnu, forcing the Xiongnu to sign a ten-year non-war agreement. The King of Zhenbei played an indispensable role. It can be said that most of Dajing was guarded by the King of Zhenbei. Now that Your Majesty has suddenly reduced his power, won’t it disappoint the soldiers?
“Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenbei is arrogant and has formed a clique to occupy the northern city of Dajing. He should be executed if found guilty!
“Your Majesty! The King of Zhenbei is extremely powerful. If Your Majesty rashly takes back the military token, I’m afraid he will become suspicious and not only disobey the imperial edict, but also start a rebellion…
“It is precisely because the Zhenbei King is so powerful that his military power must be reduced. Only by gradually disintegrating his power can we achieve this without bloodshed.
“Do you think the King of Zhenbei is so easy to fool?”
“If not, will the beach really force the King of Zhenbei to rebel? By then, Goryeo, the Xiongnu, Dali, and Persia will be in trouble at the same time, and Dajing will be surrounded by enemies, internal and external troubles. Who will quell the civil strife and recover the King of Zhenbei? You?
“The Prince of Zhenbei is loyal and devoted to the emperor. He has guarded the bitter cold land for many years. Why does the emperor insist on reducing his military power? If the Prince of Zhenbei is not here, who will fight against the Xiongnu for Dajing?
The generals of Ge Guang were talking at the same time, which gave Emperor Ye a headache. Except for one or two who were close to Prince Zhenbei, all the others agreed to deal with this serious problem of Prince Zhenbei. The problem was that Prince Zhenbei was not soft mud that could be kneaded at will. How could they pick out this thorn in the side?
Emperor Ye sat on the dragon throne tiredly.
“I remember that Xuan Xiao assisted me in ascending the throne and saved me countless times on the battlefield. He and I are more connected than brothers by blood. I granted him territory, gave him the tiger talisman, and married my sister to him. Even if he is powerful, I only owe him…
“But… I’ve been sitting on the throne for too long, and I’m getting more and more restless! That’s why I’m going on this northern tour…”
“You all say that Beicheng is a cold and war-torn frontier, haha… frog!” Emperor Ye’s eyes were firm, “Since Xuanxiao guarded Beicheng, merchants have been coming and going, the people are living in peace, and the prosperity of Yedu is not inferior to that of the capital! Do you know that the people of Beidu knelt to welcome me but there was no sound! How many of my armies can do that? The people of Beihong only know the King of Zhenbei, and don’t know the emperor Lian! I just need to raise my arms, and they will surely respond with flags! How can I feel at ease?
“I don’t want to be a suspicious and incompetent ruler, but I can’t sit on this throne safely. Every step I take is a nervous scare! If I take a wrong step, I will lose everything! Go… don’t blame me for being narrow-minded, just blame yourself for being more powerful than me. You forced me to do this…”
“Xuan Xiao, oh Xuan Xiao, I can tolerate all of this, but… you should never, ever hide a person from Yunmeng.
When they heard the word “Yunmeng people”, some younger officials didn’t quite understand, and only two old ministers fell off their chairs.
