After Ethan Yun finished praising him eloquently, he stared at Emperor Henry with a face full of admiration. His clear and bright eyes were filled with his great and heroic father.
Being looked after so wholeheartedly by such a son, Emperor Henry felt a tenderness in his heart. For the first time, he actually felt the fatherly love and filial piety that he had been longing for for many years.
He changed his usual seriousness and patted Yunshu's head lovingly, "You are already young, why are you still so unstable? Hurry up."
He was reprimanding, but his words were without any force. The princes and court officials present could not help but glance at Ethan Yun who stood up obediently. In their hearts, they could not help but re-evaluate the Fifteenth Prince who had re-entered Emperor Henry's sight.
Ethan Yun's cheeks flushed slightly. He stood up shyly, took two steps back, and bowed to Emperor Henry again. "Father, your teaching is correct. I will remember it."
Emperor Henry nodded with satisfaction, but did not ask him to leave. Instead, he asked him to listen from the side.
In Emperor Henry's opinion, all the other adult princes were present. He had not been notified before because he saw that Yunshu's body had not recovered yet. Now that Yunshu was here, he might as well let him stay and listen in.
However, this action made others think more. After all, in their opinion, the position where the Fifteenth Prince stood was too close to His Majesty, which was a privilege that other princes did not have.
Before Yunshu came in, everyone had just congratulated Emperor Henry. Since Xizhou fell into the hands of the Tule when the previous emperor was in power, the victory in Xizhou was considered to be the fulfillment of the previous emperor's last wish.
Therefore, the Sixth Prince Caleb Yun proposed that this great victory should be celebrated throughout the country, so that the people of Dayong could also be happy. However, the Ninth Prince Nathan Yun directly rejected this idea because the Crown Prince's coffin was still in the East Palace before the seventh day of mourning.
The ninth prince Nathan Yun is the younger brother of Crown Prince Duanhui.
Wang Juming, the left prime minister, also agreed with Nathan Yun's point of view and suggested that this matter should not be publicized too much. It would be enough to post a happy notice. After all, it was less than seven days since the death of Prince Duanhui. If the whole country celebrated at this moment, it would make people feel that the royal family was shallow. Emperor Henry had long been dissatisfied with the former Prince Duanhui.
Emperor Henry's joy was immediately extinguished by these two people, which is why he had a serious and stiff face when Ethan Yun came in.
At this moment, Emperor Henry was coaxed by Yunshu and asked again in a friendly manner.
"Do you have any other suggestions?"
Of course, it was impossible for everyone to celebrate together, but he still hoped that there would be some other good way for him to show off.
Right Prime Minister Xiao Wu secretly gave a look to the Minister of Revenue Du Changming, and then Du Changming stepped out leisurely and bowed to Emperor Henry.
"Your Majesty, Xizhou was originally the territory of Dayong. Now that General Xiao has recovered the lost territory, I think we should re-establish the provincial capital in Xizhou as soon as possible and reduce taxes in Xizhou. The Tule were brutal, and the people of Xizhou must have suffered a lot in the past few decades. It's time to let them feel the grace from Dayong and your majesty."
Everyone nodded in approval of Du Changming's proposal.
Xizhou is located west of the Hexi Corridor, far away from the Central Plains. The land in the territory is barren and mostly desert, and the people are mostly nomadic. Although the culture is very different from that of the Central Plains, it is their own land after all, and people should be sent to govern it as soon as possible.
Du Changming's action was for the public good of the people of Xizhou in Dayong, and privately to remind Emperor Henry that it was time to reward Adrian Xiao, the son of the right prime minister Xiao Wu.
Adrian Xiao is the general of this westward expedition.
Speaking of Adrian Xiao, he is also a strange man.
His grandfather was a minister of the imperial court, and his father was the right prime minister. However, he had no interest in literature and loved to wield swords and guns since he was a child. When he was thirteen years old, Adrian Xiao was thrown into the Imperial Academy by his grandfather because he was ignorant. Unexpectedly, on the first day of his enrollment, he beat a group of noble children to the ground and cried "grandpa".
Later, he became the leader of all the playboys in the Imperial College. His father Xiao Wu could never understand why so many royal relatives in their early twenties would listen to a thirteen-year-old boy like him.
In the end, Xiao Wu had no choice but to throw him into the military camp, hoping that he would mend his ways.
Unexpectedly, Adrian Xiao felt at home in the military camp, doing better and better, and even becoming a captain. Only then did Xiao Wu give up the idea of letting him enter the officialdom through literary skills.
In the past ten years, Adrian Xiao was promoted from an unknown ordinary soldier to a general who could command tens of thousands of troops and horses. This time, he even recovered the territory that had been lost for nearly fifty years. How could Xiao Wu not be happy?
He used Du Changming's mouth to ask for more benefits for his son.
Otherwise, why do people say "it's easier to get things done if you have someone in the court"?
Emperor Henry said: "Then re-establish Xizhou Prefecture in Xizhou, promote him to General Guide, and appoint him as the governor and Sima of Xizhou."
The General of Guide was a third-rank official, and the Governor of Xizhou was only a fourth-rank official due to its remote geographical location. However, the general and Sima were in charge of military affairs, while the Governor was the highest administrative official in a place.
In other words, Adrian Xiao is no longer just a military general.
Xiao Wu was quite satisfied with this. He bowed and thanked Emperor Henry for his great grace on behalf of Adrian Xiao.
Others had no objection to Emperor Henry's arrangement. Their minds were mainly on the Central Plains. If it was a governor or Sima from any place in the Central Plains, they would at least have a hand in it, and they couldn't let Xiao Wu get all the benefits.
But even dogs don't like to go to the Western Province. There is nothing there, and it is of no benefit to us.
Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, someone suddenly spoke.
"Father, if General Xiao is victorious all the way and conquers all of Qiuci, Yanqi, Yutian, and Shule to the west of Xizhou, then should our Xizhou Prefecture expand a little further west?"
As Ethan Yun spoke, he seemed to have thought of a difficulty and continued:
"But in that case, wouldn't Xizhou be too big? Just using the name Xizhou Prefecture doesn't seem appropriate."
Ethan Yun seemed to be talking to himself, completely ignoring the gazes of the people around him. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he said to Emperor Henry in surprise:
"Father, how about we change Xizhou Prefecture into Xizhou Protectorate? In this way, all the lands conquered by General Xiao in the west can be included in Xizhou Protectorate. What do you think of this proposal?"
Ethan Yun looked naive, as if he had no idea how outrageous what he said was.
Everyone present widened their eyes, staring at Ethan Yun who was looking forward to the future with great excitement.
According to Yunshu, if all those places can really be incorporated into Dayong, then the jurisdiction of Xizhou Protectorate will be half of Dayong. Although the area is vast and sparsely populated, and it is all desert, it is also real land!
Do you know who was the last person who brought the Western Regions under the jurisdiction of the Central Plains?
That was eight hundred years ago, Emperor Wu, who was hailed as the greatest emperor of all time!
You are comparing Emperor Henry to Emperor Wu!
Everyone couldn't help but gasp: The pie you painted for His Majesty the Emperor is too big, aren't you afraid of choking?
Emperor Henry was actually choked.
He couldn't catch his breath and started coughing violently.
Ethan Yun was quick and swift in pouring a glass of water for Emperor Henry and handed it to him. While Emperor Henry was drinking the water, he stroked his back and said sincerely:
"Father, we need to take a long-term view."
Emperor Henry actually listened to Ethan Yun's previous suggestion.
Which emperor doesn't want to leave his name in history? He has just surpassed his father, and now what's wrong with that? He wants to be on par with the greatest emperor of all time, Emperor Wu.
Although Emperor Henry is past the age of knowing the destiny, he never thinks of himself as old. Now, inspired by Ethan Yun, the ambitions of his youth are ignited in his heart again.
He slapped the dragon table, stood up suddenly, and said with great passion:
"Just follow Shu'er's advice and change Xizhou Prefecture into Xizhou Protectorate. Set up a government office in Xizhou. All the conquered areas in the Western Regions will be under the jurisdiction of Xizhou Protectorate. I will serve as Xizhou Protectorate."
Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect that Emperor Henry was really persuaded. Although Adrian Xiao, the Protector General of Xizhou, was just making empty promises and he still had to fight for the land by himself, and it was not comparable to other large Protectorates, but the Protector General was a real third-rank official.
Even Xiao Wu did not expect that the fifteenth prince's words would lead Emperor Henry to directly promote Adrian Xiao from the third rank to the third rank.
This angle of promotion was something that even he, the right prime minister, could not have imagined.
Because Adrian Xiao was promoted again, Xiao Wu developed a good impression of Ethan Yun. He couldn't help but say in his heart: The fifteenth prince was poisoned a few days ago, but not only did he survive, he also won the favor of Emperor Henry. It's true that fools have good luck.
And this good fortune also brought to his son.
Xiao Wu was satisfied, but others were jealous.
The first one is the left prime minister Wang Juming.
The two fought overtly and covertly for more than ten years, with no clear winner, but Wang Juming always felt that he was better than Xiao Wu because his son was much more obedient and sensible than Xiao Wu's son. Not only did he not cause trouble for himself, he also smoothly entered the Ministry of Personnel and served as the Minister of Personnel.
He is countless times stronger than Adrian Xiao, who fights on the battlefield and doesn't know when he will be beheaded!
However, he did not expect that Adrian Xiao could actually recover Xizhou and be rewarded by Emperor Henry. So when the Sixth Prince proposed that the whole country celebrate together, he joined the Ninth Prince in opposing it. He did not want to see Xiao Wu's smug face.
It was within Adrian Xiao's expectations that he would be promoted from the fourth rank to the third rank. After all, he had conquered Xizhou, and no one could take away this credit. The land of Xizhou could be given to him.
But he didn't expect that this stupid fifteenth prince could make Adrian Xiao jump from the third rank to the third rank with just a few words, which was two levels higher than his son's fourth rank assistant minister.
Moreover, the third-rank protector general not only has military power, but also has the actual power to govern an area.
No, he would not let Xiao Wu's son have it so easy. He must find someone to check and balance him and make things difficult for him!
Wang Juming naturally could not open his own mouth to object, so he looked at the Minister of Rites who was always stubborn.
The Minister of Rites was puzzled by his stare, not knowing what Wang Juming meant, so he asked in a low voice: "Prime Minister Wang, what's wrong with you? Are your eyes uncomfortable?"
Wang Juming was so angry at him that he rolled his eyes, turned around and looked at the Ninth Prince to signal for him.
In fact, it was not only Wang Juming who was anxious, but also Ethan Yun who was standing next to Emperor Henry.
The most fundamental reason why Ethan Yun turned Xizhou into Xizhou Protectorate was that he also had his eyes on that piece of land.
Xizhou was remote and barren, and no one was willing to go there. If he went there, the disputes in the Central Plains would have nothing to do with him.
He stays at home and does whatever he wants behind closed doors.
But now he seems to have made things difficult for that guy named Adrian Xiao.
He glanced quietly at the people standing there.
Why hasn't the person in the original book, who suggested that the prince be sent to guard the border as a mascot, appeared yet?
Although this proposal in the book was ultimately rejected, it’s not as if the person who proposed it is gone now, right?
Just as he finished thinking, someone came out from the crowd, saluted Emperor Henry, and said:
"Your Majesty's grace is great and has benefited all people. The people of Xizhou are all grateful for your kindness. However, Xizhou is more than 6,000 miles away from the capital Luoyang. The journey is too long. I am afraid that the people of Xizhou will never be able to see the emperor's true face in their lifetime. It is really a pity."
The person who spoke was Li Taifu, one of the three masters. Old Taifu Li was very old and usually did not express any opinions on state affairs. When he spoke out at this moment, everyone else nodded in agreement.
However, the next sentence from Old Tutor Li left everyone present, especially the princes, stunned.
"I suggest that Your Majesty send a prince to Xizhou to show Your Majesty's grace and let the people of Xizhou see the royal style of our Great Yong."
No one dared to respond to what Old Master Li said.
They secretly glanced at the seven princes who had been crowned kings, whose faces were stiff.
The princes' relatives had to travel from Kyoto to Xizhou, which took at least three months one way. Adding the political orders in Xizhou, the round trip would take at least seven or eight months.
And now is the critical moment when the crown prince has passed away and the position of heir to the throne is undecided. Whoever leaves at this time will have no chance of becoming the heir to the throne at all.
If they recommended any prince to go, they would be at odds with that prince. None of the seven princes were easy to deal with. As for the two princes who were sixteen or seventeen years old, eighteen or nineteen years old, they could not think of anything.
The princes below him were all under ten years old, which made them even more inappropriate.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, everyone seemed to have forgotten that there was a powerless and extremely suitable candidate present.
Of course, it wasn't that they didn't want to pick him, but because Emperor Henry didn't adopt Old Master Li's suggestion, they didn't need to pick Yunshu directly. What if Emperor Henry felt that everyone agreed to pick a prince, but was not satisfied with the fifteenth prince and had to change another prince? What should they do?
The Left Prime Minister Wang Juming was very conflicted at the moment. If a prince went there, he could naturally restrain Adrian Xiao, but he was afraid of offending those princes, and if things went wrong, the Ninth Prince might be implicated.
Just when he was struggling, he happened to see Ethan Yun's bright eyes looking at him. He suddenly had a sudden inspiration and said to Emperor Henry:
"Your Majesty, I think what the old Master Li said is very true. But I think it would be better to directly make Xizhou a prince's fiefdom and send a prince to receive the title."
Wang Juming meant to exclude the princes who had been granted the title of prince. Those princes who had been granted the title of prince had already had fiefs in good locations. It was impossible for Emperor Henry to take back the fiefs originally awarded to them and change them to the barren Xizhou.
Wang Juming: Fifteenth Prince, you promoted Adrian Xiao with just a few words. Now let me show you what it feels like to have a disobedient and powerful troublemaker in your fiefdom.
At the same time, pushing Ethan Yun over would also cause trouble for Adrian Xiao.
Emperor Henry naturally saw the reactions of the crowd since the old tutor Li made the proposal. When he heard Wang Juming's proposal, he asked back: "Who do you think is the most suitable person to send?"
Ethan Yun was afraid that something unexpected would happen again, so he simply knelt down in front of Emperor Henry again.
"Father, I am willing to go to Xizhou!"
After all, he was kneeling to the father of this body, so he didn't feel uncomfortable.
Emperor Henry was startled by him and asked gently, "Why do you want to go?"
In Emperor Henry's view, Little Fifteen cries all the time, just like a tearful person with countless tears. Besides, she looks so beautiful, how can she be associated with the northwest desert?
"My elder brothers are well-read and hardworking, and can help my father a lot. My younger brothers are too young, and I don't want them to suffer. After thinking about it, I think it's best for me to go. I ask to go to Xizhou, please grant me permission!"
After saying this, Ethan Yun bowed deeply to Emperor Henry.
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