At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

My time at Shanglin Garden could be summed up in one word: pure bliss!

Waking up naturally, without having to think about the morning's affairs or anything else, Chu Ling could do whatever he wanted here, without the three emperors pressing him down.

That's what an emperor should be like.

However, Chu Ling also knew that this was just an illusion. Without real power, these things that belonged to him could be taken away at any time.

"Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince has arrived."

Shanglin Palace.

main hall.

Li Zhong walked in with his head down, heading towards Chu Ling who was having a meal. Li Zhong's words broke the silence. The noble sons of Li Bin, Sun Ben, Zong Zhi, Chang Feng, and Dong Heng, who were dining with the emperor, showed different expressions on their faces. They looked at each other, their eyes all focused on Li Zhong.

Is the Eighth Prince coming to Shanglin Garden?

Some people are suspicious of this. Why would the Eighth Prince, who was living in the Tenth Prince's Mansion, come to Shanglin Garden?

"Summon him to see me."

In contrast, Chu Ling remained calm.

"Here!"

Li Zhong bowed and said.

'It's been several days, and Chu Hui has only just arrived at Shanglin Garden.' Watching Li Zhong's departing figure, Chu Ling ate something, but secretly pondered, 'It seems the Yu Palace is not peaceful. The ripples caused by Li Jin's matter, the gains and compromises of all parties, have most likely been completed.'

Thinking of this, Chu Ling glanced at Li Bin.

Sensing something, Li Bin looked up and saw the new emperor staring at him. He couldn't help but lower his head nervously, but a question arose in his mind.

"I am tired today, so I will not practice riding and archery."

Chu Ling put down his chopsticks and said calmly.

"I will obey your orders!"

Li Bin and his entourage quickly rose and bowed in respect.

Since coming to Shanglin Garden, Chu Ling would invite some noble sons to dine with him every day, ostensibly to keep him company, but in reality to create a psychological gap between them.

The matter of Li Jin's rebellion has been settled, at least on the surface. It was not a rebellion. This has greatly affected and changed the sons of noble families who were on duty in the Imperial Guard.

Some people began to feel awe towards the new emperor.

However, there is one thing that everyone agrees on: their opinion of the new emperor has changed after this incident.

The old guys in power are all thinking about interests and scheming, especially the nobles. But their children and grandchildren, these youngsters who haven't yet shown their talents, aren't thinking about these things.

Even if they are mature in character, they have not been corrupted by power until they reach a certain position. Therefore, when they consider this matter, they all take Li Bin's perspective.

If one day their grandfathers and fathers do the same thing, but no one supports them, then Li Bin's present is their future.

There is no such thing as true empathy in this world, but there is such a thing as empathy.

People seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Many people would take the lessons of others as a warning to themselves to avoid such things from happening.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

No sooner had Li Bin and the others left than Chu Hui arrived. Upon hearing that familiar voice, Chu Ling smiled faintly.

The moment he saw Chu Hui, something came to mind.

It was snowing that day.

"Brother Wang, you have become the heir apparent."

Chu Ling can still vividly recall Chu Hui's expression at that time.

A sense of surprise mingled with a hint of complexity.

Although Chu Hui is only seven years old, people in the Dayu royal family are precocious, after all, they are in different environments.

"It's only been a short time since we last met, and you've already become so distant with me?"

Chu Ling stood up and walked towards Chu Hui, "What does my imperial brother have to say about me?"

"Brother Royal?"

Chu Hui hesitated for a moment.

"From now on, you shall call me Imperial Brother!"

Chu Ling stepped forward and gently patted Chu Hui's shoulder. Although he could feel Chu Hui's body tense, Chu Ling still smiled.

With such a significant change in identity, some things can never be undone.

In Chu Ling's eyes, he was a puppet emperor without real power; in the eyes of many, he was just a mascot, used to serve as a facade.

But over this period of time, some things have quietly changed.

Chu Ling summoned Chu Hui to Shanglin Garden as a test. He wanted to see if the Third Empress had increased the restrictions on him, and at the same time, he also wanted to find out the Third Empress's attitude towards him wanting to meet with members of the imperial family.

After all, he was doing well in the Yu Palace, but was inexplicably sent to the Shanglin Garden. Chu Ling couldn't just do nothing.

Chu Hui's presence is a test of their attitude.

Chu Hui did not arrive on the same day, but came several days later, and Chu Ling sensed some signals.

But it doesn't matter, as long as Chu Hui can come.

This means that some things can be gradually improved upon in the future.

Chu Ling wants to win over a group of members of the royal family.

Chu Ling has already chosen his target.

These were the sons of various princes and nobles who lived in the Hundred Grandsons' Residence.

Unlike the Ten Princes' Mansion, the sons of the current emperor had to leave the Yu Palace at the age of six and move to the residences of the Ten Princes' Mansion. Those in the Hundred Grandsons' Mansion were sent from various places to Yu Capital at the age of eight to receive royal education. They would be gradually released back when they turned eighteen. During this period, they were not allowed to leave Yu Capital without an imperial edict.

In Chu Ling's view, this was a way to control the various clans and vassals, and at the same time, to teach these clans and vassals' children about hierarchy and rules from a young age.

This model is quite good.

However, Chu Ling did not feel good about the matter of enfeoffing princes to other regions. Even though Chu Ling understood that enfeoffing these adult members of the royal family as kings and sending them to various places to assume their fiefdoms was to strengthen control over the borders. These borders were not only the northern border, but also the western border, the southern border, and the eastern border, after all, there were still many powerful enemies around the Great Yu.

For example, the Murong Kingdom in the north.

For example, in Xichuan in the west.

For example, the Dongyu in the east.

For example, the Nanzhao Kingdom in the south.

The two places that the Great Yu Dynasty most wanted to destroy were Xichuan and Nanzhao, so it had the most vassal states in the two neighboring regions, numbering more than a dozen.

In addition to princes, there were also dukes.

The current Great Yu clan is divided into the line of Emperor Taizu and the line of Emperor Taizong. As for Emperor Xuanzong, he had no children. If he did have children, Chu Ling would have no chance.

In Chu Ling's eyes, granting fiefdoms and granting titles to kings could indeed strengthen control over the frontier and promote its development. This was not apparent in the early days of the dynasty, but over time, various drawbacks became apparent.

Granting titles of kings is acceptable; it's a measure to strengthen rule.

If the royal family members have a weak foundation, it will cause some trouble and may even affect the royal power. After all, no matter how useful outsiders are, those with blood ties will still be given important positions.

Therefore, Chu Ling believes that if members of the royal family are to be granted the title of king, they should be granted a very distant fiefdom, becoming kings who expand the territory, so as not to affect the homeland or create hidden dangers.

Alternatively, they could stay in Yudu and promote the talented among them, making them ministers and important members of the Great Yu court.

Once this system is established, with proper checks and balances and effective oversight, the imperial clan will become a powerful tool for the Emperor of Dayu, enabling them to play a corresponding role.

"Next, we need to think of a way to make contact with those princely sons of the Hyakusōin clan."

Chu Ling thought to himself, 'I won't accept those who are too old, unless they can pass my tests. I need to select a group of people around Chu Hui's age to stay by my side. Those who can accomplish this task will have a corresponding impact.'

However, Chu Ling also knew that this matter had to be handled gradually and could not be rushed. Otherwise, it would be a minor matter if the three empresses became wary of him, but if they developed other ideas and then tightened their restrictions on him, Chu Ling would have nowhere to turn to cry.

After all, in the eyes of normal people, suddenly choosing to get in touch with a group of people, especially teenagers, means that they want to use these people to get in touch with their elders, and then what they want to do next seems to be traceable...