Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5184 Divide the world
The carriage swayed as it passed the stone bridge over the Longshou Canal. The towering walls of the Taiji Palace looked like a long dragon with no end in sight.

In the car, Fang Jun looked at Wang De who was sitting respectfully opposite him and said with a smile: "Now, the chief steward is like a fish in water in the palace and has everything under his control. This is cause for celebration."

Wang De was terrified. "Like a fish in water" was fine, but "covering the sky with one hand" was not a good thing...

"Why do you say that, Grand Marshal? You are really embarrassing me! Although I am fortunate to have the trust of two generations of emperors and have been entrusted with important tasks in the palace, I know in my heart that I am where I am today because of Grand Marshal's protection. Otherwise, I would have been carried away by wild dogs long ago... I have no other intentions towards Grand Marshal."

Fang Jun was surprised and said, "What do you mean you have no ill will towards me? You are the chief steward of the inner palace, and a servant of His Majesty. You can only be loyal to His Majesty and the Empire!"

Wang De: "..."

So what should I say?
It's not right no matter how you say it, right?

Fang Jun restrained his dignity and softened his voice: "Although we have different identities and responsibilities, we should all be loyal to our duties. We are loyal not only to Your Majesty, but also to the Empire and the orthodoxy! What is 'orthodoxy'? 'To occupy the righteousness of the world and unite the world is orthodoxy'!"

What is "orthodoxy"?
"Orthodoxy" is the system of primogeniture, it is the cultural distinction between Chinese and barbarians, it is in line with Chinese etiquette and implements the principles of the Spring and Autumn Period!
Wang De suddenly realized it, and hurriedly leaned forward in his seat, saying respectfully: "I now understand the teachings of the Grand Commandant!"

No matter what you say, do, or what position you hold, you must adhere to "orthodoxy".

And for every Tang person, what is his "orthodoxy"?
It's the "primogeniture system"!
In other words, the crown prince is the legitimate heir of the empire, and everyone must work hard and strive for the interests of the crown prince, because at this stage, the interests of the crown prince are equal to the interests of the country.

The interests of the country are paramount...

Fang Jun smiled and said gently, "I am not scolding the steward, but encouraging him."

Wang De said solemnly: "I will do whatever it takes to be of good character and courageous!"

He was a eunuch, but his ambition was not limited to the high walls and deep palace. Even though he was physically disabled, he wanted to leave behind an account that was unique to him in such a turbulent era that would surely create a magnificent story in history.

……

In the imperial study room.

There were still only the king and his minister, and no one else was present.

Fang Jun held the kettle and poured tea, and asked, "Your Majesty is so anxious to summon me, what is the urgent matter?"

Li Chengqian took the teacup and drank a sip of tea: "It is very important, but it is not urgent."

Fang Jun sat upright and said, "Your Majesty, please tell me what you have to say. I will help you with your advice."

Li Chengqian held the teacup in his hand, but changed the subject and asked, "Did Erlang just go to the East Palace and meet the Queen?"

Fang Jun hurriedly said, "When I left Beijing, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was ill. I was very worried about him all the way. After returning to Beijing, I hurried to visit him in the East Palace. Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was healthy and lively, and I also happened to meet the Queen."

Although they met both the crown prince and the queen, the priorities were clear.

As a minister, you can visit the prince, and you can also meet the queen by the way, but if you want to go mainly to see the queen... what do you want to do?
Li Chengqian did not comment: "What is the Queen's attitude? Is she willing to return to the palace?"

Fang Jun spoke cautiously: "I did give some advice, and the Queen also considered it, but I don't know what the final decision was."

Li Chengqian laughed and said, "Why are you so cautious? Are you afraid that I will say that you are too close to the Queen?"

Fang Jun couldn't figure out whether he was joking or testing, or both, and he was extremely terrified: "I used to be the Prince's tutor. Fortunately, I was very close to His Royal Highness, so I was often invited by His Royal Highness to enter the East Palace, but I am not familiar with the Queen."

There were rumors about him and the queen that were widely spread among the people. How could His Majesty not know about it? Therefore, it was normal for him to have some prejudices in his heart. He had to avoid them as much as possible to avoid dissatisfaction in His Majesty's heart.

Li Chengqian was silent for a moment, his face expressionless: "Erlang must have some complaints about me, right?"

What he was referring to was naturally the discord between him and the Queen, and the fact that they treated each other with respect.

Fang Jun paused and said, "This is a family affair of the royal family. I cannot interfere."

Of course, the source of the current situation lies with Your Majesty.

Why did the queen stay in the Eastern Palace and not return, and why did she repeatedly hint at him as a minister?
Is the Queen shameless and wants to have a taste of Fang Jun?

of course not.

The reason why the Queen reminded Fang Jun again and again not to forget his promise was because she was afraid.

The atmosphere in the palace was very tense. She, the queen, was not in harmony with the emperor, and her position was precarious. Once the queen's position was deposed, it would mean that the East Palace would be in danger.

And because she had never been involved in political affairs, her family was not strong enough, and there were no intermediaries in the court or the country, so she could only place her hopes on Fang Jun.

In short, the queen's marriage and status are all threatened, and she must show her attitude to everyone in order to save herself.

Li Chengqian shook his head and sighed, "This is quite complicated, I don't want to say more... Let's talk about business."

He took a sip of tea and said, "I want to inherit the ambition of Emperor Taizong, divide the land and establish feudal empires. What advice do you have for me, Erlang?"

Fang Jun was stunned.

Divide the land and establish feudal world?
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that Emperor Taizong was indeed prepared to do so...

At that time, Emperor Taizong had ascended the throne. The monarch and his ministers worked together to govern the country. The country was stable and prosperous. He then followed the example of the Zhou Dynasty and planned to enfeoff princes and meritorious ministers throughout the world to reward them for their contributions. At the same time, he would also be able to make the fiefdoms serve as barriers to the country and protect the center.

Of course, it is unknown how much sincerity and how much testing there is in this...

But in the end, the plan failed because Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others disobeyed the order and resolutely declined.

Moreover, Li Chengqian had had this idea before. For example, when King Wu Li Ke went to Silla and was canonized as the King of Silla, he had this intention. However, due to multiple military mutinies, political turmoil and other reasons, the matter was shelved.

I don't know why His Majesty brought it up again now...

After thinking for a while, he said, "I don't know your majesty's intention, so I dare not speak rashly."

Li Chengqian drank tea with a relaxed expression, and said, "Emperor Gaozu conquered the world, and Emperor Taizong unified the world. Two generations of emperors built this splendid country and passed it down for generations. Although I am Taizong's eldest son, my brothers are also Taizong's bloodline and have the qualifications to inherit their father's and grandfather's legacy. How can I steal it all? Thinking of this, I often feel anxious and want to divide the world and fight against each other."

In fact, in the early Zhenguan period, all the sons of Emperor Taizong who were granted titles of king would go to their fiefdoms to gain experience. However, after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, the King of Qi and the King of Jin successively participated in the mutiny, and all the princes were placed in Chang'an and monitored.

Fang Jun didn't know what Li Chengqian was thinking. It was almost the same as Emperor Taizong's back then. It was hard to tell whether he really wanted to do this or was just testing the waters...

"Your Majesty, where do you want to confer the title? If it is too close to the capital, there may be the 'Eight Kings' disaster.'"

After the establishment of the Western Jin Dynasty, it also divided the kingdoms into different states. As a result, the "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" can almost be called the most serious royal internal strife in Chinese history. It tore the already underpowered Western Jin Dynasty into pieces and caused chaos, resulting in severe damage to the social economy and directly laying the seeds for the demise of the Western Jin Dynasty and the Five Barbarians Rebellion.

Li Chengqian nodded: "I am also aware of this, so I want to grant them overseas lands."

Fang Jun understood.

The overseas places naturally refer to Japan, Lusong, and the South Pacific Islands. These places in this era were synonymous with "wilderness", barren, backward, ignorant, and full of smoke and miasma... So the so-called "dividing the world and sharing wealth among brothers" was, in other words, "exile."

Fang Jun pondered for a long time, and said slowly: "Your Majesty should know that there is no perfect method in the world. The world is divided into yin and yang, and the sword has two edges. Everything has two sides. If Your Majesty has weighed the pros and cons clearly and knows the pros and cons, I have no objection."

In fact, if the kings were enfeoffed overseas, it would be contrary to Fang Jun's consistent strategy. He had never coveted those territories. He paid more attention to the economic effects and regarded those overseas countries as dumping grounds for Tang Dynasty's goods, so as to earn a steady stream of wealth for Tang Dynasty.

After all, the Tang Dynasty has a vast territory with a lot of undeveloped land. Apart from some extremely high-quality arable land overseas, where can it find so many people to cultivate those smoky and unhealthy places?

Therefore, the navy's strategy in various overseas locations was to "support one group, suppress another group, and divide and conquer." It did not occupy land, but only completed economic plunder by supporting local forces.

If we want to divide the kings into different places, we can only destroy their countries, slaughter their clans, and wantonly attack and occupy their territories...

It is not impossible.

The reason why overseas countries were not occupied was that there were not enough people to cultivate the land and the land was indeed barren, and it was also impossible to recruit too many officials to manage them.

If the kings were enfeoffed there, these difficulties would naturally not be considered by the court, and the kings could just be left to their own devices...

Li Chengqian nodded: "Then I will inform the Political Affairs Hall about this matter later, and the Political Affairs Hall and the Military Affairs Office will jointly discuss and draw up a plan, and I will discuss it with the emperors."

Although it seems that there is more freedom in going to the fiefdom, after all, they are all smoke-filled and barren places, and the living conditions are far inferior to Chang'an. The kings may not be willing to leave the rich and prosperous Chang'an for a piece of fiefdom and never return to the capital for the rest of their lives.

Fang Jun also agreed: "As long as a decision is made, the navy will cooperate."

The navy is needed to occupy the land, the navy is needed to protect the security of the fiefdom in the future, and the navy is even more needed to supervise and monitor the movements of the kings in the fiefdom...so the navy must cooperate in this matter, otherwise it will not work at all.

The most difficult person to place is Prince of Jin Li Zhi. In view of his previous precedent of rebellion, his loyalty is infinitely close to zero. If he is enfeoffed overseas, will he repeat the same mistake in the future and launch a counterattack against the Tang mainland?
But if the other kings were all given fiefs outside the capital, and the King of Jin was left in Chang'an, it would inevitably cause controversy in public opinion...