freenovelworld Chapter 415 The first confrontation!
Chapter 415 The first confrontation!
The combined population of the five prefectures is now nearly 200,000 people who are starving and poorly clothed!
The grain they have can last for a few months, but it won't be enough when next year's harvest comes. Add to that the large number of people, and they only have a few hundred tents in total, each holding ten people, which only allows them to accommodate a few thousand. Compared to the vast number of civilians, that's pitifully small.
"This can't go on. We need to solve the problem at its root. It seems we still need to find a way to invite Mr. Liu over. Also, I heard Aze mention something about opening a mine, I wonder how that's going?"
"Oh, Your Highness, Madam Lu is still waiting in the front hall."
Reminded by her, Mu Xin Nuan remembered that there was such a person, and immediately smiled, "Unintentionally, I gave her a warning, not bad."
When Mu Xin Nuan appeared in the front hall dressed in the princess's everyday clothes, Madam Lu's face was already full of impatience.
"Greetings, Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled and sat down. "Madam Lu, please excuse the formalities. Someone, please have a seat."
"I've long heard of the Princess's beauty, and seeing her today, it truly lives up to the reputation." Madam Lu flattered with a smile, but to others, her words sounded somewhat sarcastic. Was she implying that Mu Xin Nuan, at such a young age, was already using her looks to please men?
If she hadn't been so beautiful, why would the Prince of Chang Le have sought her hand in marriage?
Mu Xin Nuan seemed oblivious to the implication in her words, and smiled innocently, "Madam Lu, what you said is inappropriate! Everyone knows that the famous Xie Yilin in the capital is incomparably beautiful! Compared to her, I admit I am inferior. By the way, I heard that she and Madam Lu are related?"
Madam Lu's face instantly turned ugly. She knew that Xie Yilin had feelings for Prince Chang Le, but failed to become his princess and didn't even get the title of concubine. How dare Mu Xin Nuan bring it up so openly in front of her? This was clearly a slap in the face to the Xie family!
"Your Highness is too kind. This Xie Yilin is my own niece."
Madam Lu even emphasized the words "my dear niece," but her smile remained undiminished.
"Oh? I see. I was wondering why Madam Lu looked so familiar; it turns out you two, aunt and niece, look quite alike. That makes sense! People say that a niece resembles her aunt, and it seems that's true. Although Madam Lu is getting on in years, her charm is still not to be underestimated."
This is a blatant way of saying that she's too old to worry about so many things.
Madam Lu narrowed her eyes slightly. Was she referring to Madam Liu, or Xie Yilin?
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I was unwell a few days ago and was unable to come to pay my respects. I hope Your Highness will not take offense."
Perhaps seeing that Mu Xin Nuan had not mentioned the Crown Princess, Madam Lu could not help but speak up, "Speaking of which, before the Princess came here, the Crown Princess wrote a letter, specifically instructing me to cooperate well with the Princess and help the Prince to govern Yan more stably. In this way, the Crown Prince can rest assured."
The implication was clear: even though the Prince of Chang Le was the master of Yan, he was merely a minor master. Ultimately, the entire Great Yong empire would belong to the Crown Prince. Therefore, the true master of Yan was none other than the Crown Prince!
Don't be so smug about being a princess now. Who can say for sure about this fiefdom? Who knows, the Crown Prince might take it back one day after he ascends the throne!
Mu Xin Nuan didn't need to think too much to guess what she was thinking.
She felt even more curious about this Madam Lu. She knew a little about the Xie family's upbringing and family traditions, but how could they have raised such an unreasonable person?
How could the emperor simply revoke a prince's fiefdom? If that were the case, why would the emperor have gone to such lengths to coordinate with the princes in various regions throughout history?
Of course, the title of Prince is not granted in large numbers in any one generation. Unless the child is born to the Empress, no one is qualified to be granted the title of Prince. Otherwise, wouldn't the entire Great Yong Dynasty, except for the capital, become the fiefdoms of those vassal kings?
In this generation, the Empress had the most sons born to the Empress, a total of four princes, three of whom were granted the title of Prince. Going back three generations, there was only one prince in total. Moreover, this system of princes was governed by specific rules.
A princely title can be inherited for three generations. By the fourth generation, unless there is a great achievement, the title will be reduced to that of a prince. Although the title is only missing the word "princely" from a princely title, the level of prestige is vastly different.
Moreover, ordinary princes could no longer inherit their positions; below them were dukes and so on. As for fiefdoms, they would naturally change according to the different ranks.
This explains why, despite the existence of a system of vassal kings throughout the centuries-long history of the Great Yong Dynasty, there were only a handful of instances of rebellions by these vassal kings. Moreover, only one such rebellion was truly successfully orchestrated.
The feudal system of the Great Yong Dynasty was simple: every five years, the imperial court would send a prefect from the main prefecture to the capital. The reason for rotating the prefecture every five years was to prevent high-ranking officials on the frontier from colluding with the local feudal lords and causing harm to the imperial court.
The current prefect, He Jiajun, took office last year. Although his family members came, his other relatives were not in Yan. This is the rule for every prefect of a vassal state when he takes office.
Local officials can never become governors of a vassal state.
After thinking about all this, Mu Xin Nuan basically just felt that this Madam Lu was a bit foolish! She thought too simply about everything. As long as Duanmu Chu Ze behaved himself and didn't make any big mistakes, at least for three generations, this Yan land could only belong to their lineage!
By any measure, it's not up to a lowly woman from outside the official family to have a say.
"Madam Lu, you're mistaken! The Crown Prince and the Prince are brothers, and their relationship has been close since childhood. To put it somewhat presumptuously, the Prince was practically raised by the Crown Prince and Princess. With the Prince in Yan, the Crown Prince has absolutely nothing to worry about."
Madam Lu's expression stiffened slightly. They were brothers, weren't they much closer than she, an outsider? Even the Crown Princess wasn't necessarily this close to the Crown Prince. After all, there were many beautiful women in the Eastern Palace, but he only had three brothers at most!
Yang listened quietly to the whole time. She had no right to interrupt. How could a commoner with no rank be so presumptuous in front of the princess?
However, seeing that the princess was young and had a gentle temperament, Lady Yang couldn't help herself.