Han Shizu

Ziwei City, Chui Gong Hall.

Emperor Liu Yang sat upright behind the imperial desk, concentrating and meticulously reading the memorials submitted by the Political Affairs Hall.

The sky in early spring was still getting dark very quickly, and the lights in the imperial palace had already been lit by the chamberlains. The master of the big man had changed, and the entire empire was undergoing some not-so-obvious but real changes. Even the palace's His temperament has changed intuitively.

The light and atmosphere of the palace have become dimmer than before. Unlike Emperor Shizu who liked to light dozens or hundreds of candles and oil lamps around him at any time, Liu Yang directly cut down the number of lamps by [-]% after he succeeded to the throne. , to save resource waste.

This is not only true of the Chui Gong Palace, but also of the entire palace. Not only the use of candles and oil lamps, but also all palace expenses. Those extravagant and wasteful behaviors that were once allowed were put on the brakes by Liu Yang and he implemented strict frugality. , Avoiding waste is also a new requirement Liu Yang, the new emperor, put forward for the management of the Han palace.

The reduction of palace staff has also been put on the agenda, with the first batch of 5000 palace staff planned to be released or dismissed.

What has to be said is that by the time Liu Yang ascended the throne, there were more than 3 people serving in palaces, palaces, temples, and temple supervisors and attendants in the Ziwei Palace in Luoyang alone. If those left behind in palaces in Tokyo and other places are included, then It directly exceeded 4 people.

This kind of quantity has increased almost a hundred times compared to the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China.You must know that when Emperor Shizu ascended the throne, all the eunuchs and palace servants in the Kaifeng Imperial City totaled only 400 people.

Even around 20 years after the opening of the treasure, the number of palace people did not expand to the current level. Now it seems that the number of palace people that was bleak decades ago was the foundation for the establishment of a dynasty and the plan for an emperor to rejuvenate the country. At the beginning of the treatment.

Therefore, when Liu Yang decided to reduce palace expenses and eliminate the size of the palace staff, and implemented it in action, the response was enthusiastic. Except for some eunuchs and palace maids who were unwilling to be removed, almost the entire government and the public praised it.

There is no way not to praise him, after all, Liu Yang's behavior is really a standard act of a wise king.However, the most direct reason why Liu Yang did this, besides refreshing the customs of the Han Dynasty step by step, was to save money. It was too resource-intensive to support so many palace people...

At the same time, mediocre people will only follow others' opinions and sing praises, praising the benevolence of the saints, while keen people can see that behind these measures, the new emperor has the intention to correct the political style of the Han Dynasty and the people.

Political things are often not as simple as they appear on the surface, and the higher you go, the more so.When the emperor began to take the lead in self-discipline and frugality, it would inevitably have a huge impact on the court and the country, and some of the impacts may not be popular with the current dignitaries of the Han Dynasty.

Unless the emperor only disciplines himself and not others, but obviously, judging from his past performance, Liu Yang is not a master who will indulge his subordinates. In terms of moral and legal requirements, he is even stricter than Emperor Shizu.

Compared with the "superficial efforts" of advocating frugality and keeping people in the palace simple, the dignitaries of the Han Dynasty obviously hope that the new emperor can be more conscious about the self-restraint of imperial power. However, for an emperor with a deep foundation like Liu Yang, it is not possible. Big reality.

The dim light cast Liu Yang's figure on the curtain wall behind the throne. Unlike Emperor Shizu's back, which was always described by words such as majestic and sacred, Liu Yang did not have such a strong influence, but his back But it can give people a sense of solidity and peace of mind, rather than pure awe and fear. This may be the biggest difference between Liu Yang and Emperor Shizu.

The biggest change that has occurred since Liu Yang ascended the throne is the inexplicable self-confidence lingering in him. This is an external self-confidence that has not appeared in him for decades.After all, there was no one in the world who could roughly influence his will or change his decision unreasonably.

In the final analysis, it is the changes brought about by power. Although Liu Yang behaved very restrainedly as always, Liu Yang's career as emperor for only half a year has already made Liu Yang intoxicated. This is a supreme feeling that is difficult to share with others.

"Officials, Murong Defeng, the chief envoy of Liaodong, wants to see you!" Zheng Yuan, the head of the chamberlain, stepped inside and reported to Liu Yang.

If we say that there were only two people who were most trusted by Liu Yang in the current dynasty, one was Ma Huaiyu and the other was Murong Defeng.Needless to say, Ma Huaiyu was raised in the palace since he was a child, and his relationship with Liu Yang was not that of brothers, but more than brothers.

As for Murong Defeng, even when he was in the East Palace in his early years, he was Liu Yang's closest minister. He relied on him as a confidant and treated him as a buttock. He was forbidden to go in and out, and talked about everything.

At the top of the power pyramid of the new dynasty, it was naturally impossible for Liu Yang to forget Murong Defeng. In fact, the last phase was reserved for Murong Defeng.That day at Duke Shou's mansion, what he said to Li Shaoyou was naturally untrue.Upon hearing Murong Defeng's request for an audience, Liu Yang's serious expression softened a lot, and he even showed a slight smile, and immediately announced the call.

"Your Majesty, Murong Defeng, comes to see you!" Murong Defeng entered the palace to pay homage. Although Murong Defeng was reserved, his steps and demeanor showed a spring breeze, which was of course brought about by Liu Yang's accession to the throne.

"Okay, no need to be polite." To Murong Defeng, Liu Yang was very kind to others: "Come, please give me a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Murong Defeng straightened up, looked at Liu Yang for a while, and looked at the memorials divided into two piles on the imperial case. After sitting down, he said with emotion: "Your Majesty is so hardworking and diligent in government, it is really impressive. I am ashamed of myself!"

"It is not easy to work hard!" Liu Yang shook his head and said softly: "If you want to achieve something and benefit the country, it will be worth it even if you work ten times as hard!"

"The honey water just prepared by the palace servants is delicious. You should try it too!" Liu Yang picked up a bowl of clear honey water, took a sip, and signaled to Zheng Yuan who was waiting.

Murong Defeng saw this and thanked him again.

Liu Yang looked at Murong Defeng. This confidant was only two years older than him, but the white hair on his temples looked so obvious at this moment. In a daze, Liu Yangfang realized that people of his generation His age is not too young.

Putting away the strange emotions in his heart, Liu Yang smiled at Murong Defeng and said, "Rixin is here, what do you mean?"

Facing Liu Yang's gaze, Murong Defeng also took a sip of the palace's secret honey water, feeling the sweet taste, and then said: "Luoyang City is particularly lively today. I wonder if your majesty has heard about it?"

"Oh?" Liu Yang seemed to have heard nothing and said casually: "In Luoyang City, there are countless lively things to see in the imperial court every day. It's just that you, Murong Rixin, can care about it and mention it to me in person. , it’s not that interesting anymore, let’s talk about it!”

Murong Defeng's eyelids drooped slightly and he whispered: "It's hard to say it's interesting, but I suggest that Your Majesty should pay attention to it. After all, it's a very important matter!"

Hearing this, Liu Yang curled up the corners of his mouth slightly and said, "There's no need to beat around the bush, there's no harm in speaking out!"

Looking at the emperor, Murong Defeng pondered for a moment, and then said: "Two things. One, there was a conflict between King Kangju and Liu Fuyin's family in Kaifeng, killing people in the street, and the whole city was in an uproar; second, King An Dong sent an invitation , invite all the kings to gather at Taihe Tower for a secret meeting."

When Murong Defeng mentioned the two matters, Liu Yang remained calm, with a slight smile on his lips, and asked casually: "What do you think of these two matters?"

Seeing this, Murong Defeng frowned slightly and said with some seriousness: "The first thing is, no matter what the reason is, killing people in the street is against the law of the country. King Kang Ju's brazen act was a violation of the law knowingly and provoking the court. , must be punished and treated with justice;
As for the second thing, isn't Your Majesty curious about what the kings talked about in the Tower of Supreme Harmony? "

Obviously, Murong Defeng was more concerned about the second thing, and after noticing his expression, Liu Yang did not say anything for a moment, but stood up, walked to a cabinet in the palace where secret files were stored, took out the key, and took it out after a few movements A secret report.

"Look!"

After receiving the secret report, Murong Defeng quickly read it and soon showed surprise. This was a report from the Imperial City Division, and the content was the specific content of the gathering of the kings of Taihe Tower during the day.

The key points of everyone's conversations were recorded in detail, covering more than twenty pages.