Han Shizu

Taizong Chapter 8 Principality
The greenhouse became quiet, and there was almost no other sound except the curtains rustling in the gentle breeze.It was an honor for Li Zongkai to be able to accompany the king. To exaggerate, it could even completely establish his status in the Li family. However, at this moment, he only felt uneasy. He stood at the side with a solemn face and an air of dignity. I didn't even dare to take a breath.

Others don't know what Li Shaoyou's physical condition is, but Li Zongkai knows it clearly. Strictly speaking, this is deceiving the emperor, and it is basically impossible to hide it from others.What would happen if His Majesty exposed him on the spot? Even Duke Shou would not be able to bear the charge of bullying the king.

Compared with Li Zongkai's worries and uneasiness, Li Shaoyou, as an old man, was much more stable. He lay there calmly and stared at Liu Yang calmly, without any panic. Of course, his morbid state had basically disappeared.

As for Liu Yang, he looked very serious. He put three fingers on Li Shaoyou's pulse and even closed his eyes to feel it carefully. The scene was almost forbidden, except for the occasional movement of his fingers.

After almost a quarter of an hour, Liu Yang opened his eyes, turned his head, and said in a somewhat mysterious tone: "Shou Gong is so sick..."

"Is it possible that the old minister is terminally ill?" Li Shaoyou said immediately: "Your Majesty, you might as well speak out!"

Liu Yang waved his hand: "No matter how serious the illness is, when seeking medical treatment, the first thing is to find the cause, prescribe the right medicine, and eradicate it. In my opinion, Shougong's disease is somewhat special. The special thing is that it is not a physical illness, but Heartbroken!"

Hearing what the emperor said and meeting his playful eyes, Li Shaoyou sighed and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty's discerning eyes are as sharp as a torch, and I admire you greatly! But, as your Majesty said, this doctor's good medicine is easy to obtain, but his heart medicine is rare!"

Liu Yang looked at Li Shaoyou, his tone was still relaxed, but his expression was more serious: "I have a medicine here, I wonder if it will be useful to Lord Shougu?"

"There are so many treasures in the palace, this is going to be an eye-opener for me!"

Liu Yang said calmly: "How about serving the minister, Tongping Zhangshi, and adding Kaifuyi and Tongsansi?"

"The old minister is old, dull and mediocre. How can he assume the important position of prime minister?" Li Shaoyou shook his head.

"The minister's order was given to Lu Duan, which has wronged Duke Shougong!" Liu Yang thought for a while and said this.

Li Shaoyou immediately said: "For national public offices, appointments are based on talents, not people! Thank you for your majesty's love, but the old minister is self-aware, and it is difficult to call him a prime minister. Your Majesty, there is no need to embarrass him!"

Liu Yang frowned, pondered for a while, and then said: "Bachelor of the Cabinet, promoted to Prince of Shouyang County!"

Li Shaoyou was really confused after receiving this "great kindness". After being frightened, he quickly regained his composure and said solemnly: "Please don't say this again, Your Majesty! Your Majesty has the heart to care for me, and I am inexplicably grateful. But how can I be so virtuous?" How can you dare to assume the king's title for your merits?"

Li Shaoyou's attitude was decisive and he even propped up his body for this reason. Liu Yang, after carefully examining him for a while, said leisurely: "How should we reward Duke Shougong for his merits?"

"I just did my due duty, Your Majesty really doesn't need to worry about it!" Li Shaoyou also fell silent for a while and said slowly: "If you want to reward me, the late emperor has already rewarded me, I have nothing else to ask for!"

Hearing his statement, Liu Yang's eyes flashed with deep thought. After looking at each other for a long time, he suddenly smiled: "There is still one less seat in the Political Hall. If Lord Shougong does not give in, I will be hurt again!"

"Your Majesty has given you too much praise. The Han Dynasty has a lot of talents for your Majesty's use!" Li Shaoyou paused, and then said: "If your Majesty feels pity for the old minister's meager hard work in the past, and must reward him, just give him some yellow and white things! The old minister has many heirs. , it’s not easy to make offerings, so I have the audacity to ask for rewards.”

Hearing this, Liu Yang opened his mouth slightly and said in a joking tone: "Master Shougong wants to imitate Wang Jian!"

Li Shaoyou immediately responded: "Who am I, veteran? How dare you compare yourself to a famous commander of the same generation!"

"Shou Gong doesn't have to be humble! Of the 24 ministers of Qianyou, only Gong is still alive. How can he not be compared to others who are admired by the world?" Liu Yang sighed lightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said very seriously:

"Listen to the imperial edict! Duke Li Shaoyou of the State of Shou has been loyal to the royal family for 46 years. He has worked hard and made great achievements. He is the pillar of the country. He will be given the title of Grand Tutor, a hundred catties of gold, a thousand catties of silver, and an additional 20 hectares of land in Beijinzhou!"

Paying attention to Liu Yang's expression, Li Shaoyou knew that this was the emperor's final decision, so he did not pretend to be reserved and declined. He straightened up, bowed on the couch and said, "Old minister, thank you for your kindness!"

"No courtesy! Let's stop here today!" Liu Yang waved his hand, stood up, looked at Li Shaoyou who was still kneeling on the couch, and said meaningfully: "Shou Gong, please rest in peace and recuperate!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.Seeing this, Li Shaoyou hurriedly bowed again and said loudly: "I respectfully send your Majesty back to Luan!"

"No!" Liu Yangyang raised his hand.

In the room, it was not until it was confirmed that the holy driver had left, that the kneeling father and son stood up, looked at each other, and let out a long sigh of relief.Before he could say anything, Li Shaoyou's children, grandchildren, wives, and concubines all poured into each room in the palace, and they couldn't even fit into the huge space.

Facing the eager eyes, Li Shaoyou immediately scolded: "Why are you all crowded here? Where did they come from? Go back to where they came from. Don't affect my recovery!" Although the group of people were unwilling, they really did not dare to go against Li Shaoyou's wishes. I could only leave aggrievedly and reluctantly.

Although the room was empty again, Li Shaoyou seemed to dislike the polluted air. After thinking about it, he ordered to Li Zongkai: "Let's go out for a walk with my father!"

"Yes!" Li Zongkai was having doubts in his heart, so he said he was very happy to ask for this.

The father and son took a stroll in the courtyard path that was just covered with a layer of light green. After receiving permission, Li Zongkai finally asked: "Your Majesty obviously wants to reward my father for his service in protecting Zi Palace. Why did my father refuse so many times? "

"Do you think that's credit?" Li Shaoyou tilted his head and stared at his son seriously.

Li Zongkai had a look on his face, lowered his head and said, "I just feel sorry for my father!"

"What's a pity? You can't be crowned king?"

Li Zongkai was not that naive, but with fame, wealth and power ahead of him, he could not help but have extravagant hopes in his heart. He said, "What about the position of prime minister? With my father's ability, can't he still have a place in the political hall?"

Li Shaoyou smiled when he heard this and asked lightly: "Have you ever thought about it, if the emperor intends to appoint me as prime minister, why doesn't he announce it on the day of the ceremony?"

"This" Li Zongkai couldn't help but fell into thinking, pondered for a while, and hesitated: "Then what do you mean by your Majesty's coming here?"

"Diagnose a disease for me!" Li Shaoyou raised his finger and pointed at himself, and said helplessly: "I am also included in this illness!"

"Father, is this your Majesty's order before leaving?" Li Zongkai thought of something.

"Our new emperor has always been kind to others!" Li Shaoyou put his hands behind his back, looked up at the light blue sky above his head, and sighed: "However, if someone thinks that they can be bullied, that would be stupid."

Li Shaoyou's words obviously meant something. Before Li Zongkai could figure out the reason, he listened to his father's instructions again: "Your Majesty has given you the land in Beijinzhou. Let's arrange for some people to go out to sea for reclamation. If the brothers in the house are interested, please give them your support." !”

"Yes!" Li Zongkai responded immediately, but after thinking about it, he couldn't help but ask: "The personnel arrangement is not a big problem. There are still some brothers and nephews in each house who are willing to go to sea. However, the land given by His Majesty is only land 20 hectares, but the specific direction is not specified! Besides, Beijinzhou is the fiefdom of the King of Qi."

Sensing Li Zongkai's concerns, Li Shaoyou looked relaxed and said: "The King of Qi always has to return to the capital to pay tribute. No matter how far the journey is, it is time to arrive. When he returns to the capital, just go to the King of Qi with the gold book. !”

"Is His Highness King Qi happy?"

"Do you think these overseas feudal countries can develop by relying solely on their feudal kings, armies and unorganized merchants?" Li Shaoyou said quietly:
"To be honest, I actually have doubts and am not very optimistic about the overseas confederation promoted by the late emperor. Even now, it is the same. There is no other reason. The gains outweigh the losses. With the late emperor's government and rich family fortune, sooner or later, They will be dragged down! The war in Nanyang is still going on. If it does not stop, the country will shed blood every day.

According to the style of the new emperor's governance, he will definitely not sit back and watch such a situation, and will definitely take action, but it will only happen sooner or later.Even if one day, His Majesty issues an edict to outlaw the feudal state, it is not impossible!

However, the reward your Majesty bestowed upon me, the Li family, today gave me a glimpse of another possibility!
If the previous emperor could grant kingdoms, now he can grant principalities, princes, and lordships!If the countries outside the Daozhou of the Han Dynasty were just the Tian family and the royal family to carve out foreign lands, then their supporters would be limited. However, if the nobles were tied to warships and worked together, it would be difficult to say how the future would develop. "

Li Zongkai was dumbfounded by his father's analysis. Looking at many things from another angle, he really felt enlightened.

A strange emotion surged in his chest. After a while, he stabilized his mind, raised his hands and said to Li Shaoyou: "Father has far-reaching knowledge, and I admire him greatly!"

"What do you admire? I just mentioned it casually!" Li Shaoyou said casually: "How can it be so easy to guess His Majesty's thoughts?"

"You, on the other hand, seem to hope that my guess will come true!" Li Shaoyou stared at Li Zongkai and said hehe.

Li Zongkai was obviously choked, but he noticed the playful look in his old father's eyes and bowed: "Even having a fiefdom overseas is of great significance to the Li family! What's more, with these decades of After accumulation, Nanyang is not exactly the barren land it once was, but it still has its merits, especially Beijinzhou."

"Let's see!" Seeing his reaction, Li Shaoyou chuckled again: "Even you are tempted! How many of the heroes of the Han Dynasty can keep their minds still?"

"Get ready! Turn the fiefdom of Jinzhou into the first principality of the Han Empire."

(End of this chapter)