Upon entering the palace, Gu Sinian detailed his border trip to Emperor Chongwen. The Emperor's expression darkened. He had already received Gu Sinian's secret correspondence mentioning several old aristocratic families. During this time, his hidden guards had been busy, indeed unearthing a considerable amount of hidden information.
Emperor Chongwen felt he had been quite lenient with the noble families, allowing them to place their people in the harem and their descendants in various positions. As long as there were no major disturbances, he had turned a blind eye. Yet, these families' appetites grew larger. Merely because he had issued a decree to regulate land enclosure, they could no longer sit still? Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. His primary duty as emperor was to ensure his subjects could eat their fill.
However, too much fertile land had been seized.
The officials of Da Feng were somewhat better; at most, it was a few farms.
But these aristocratic families were different. It was common for them to control land spanning a hundred li, and many held vast swathes of fertile land stretching for a thousand li. Consequently, the common people could only become tenant farmers, toiling laboriously, their efforts barely enough to avoid starvation, let alone afford a full meal, which was a luxury.
As a result, after he promulgated the regulations on land enclosure, these aristocratic families were dissatisfied. They still held many businesses, still had numerous sources of income.
"Your Majesty?" Gu Sinian called out when Emperor Chongwen remained silent.
"Continue," Emperor Chongwen, having regained his senses, replied.
"The matter of raising death warriors, I do not yet have definitive proof. Judging by the number who pursued me, these death warriors are vast in number. Furthermore, they lack pain sensation and independent thought, obeying only their master's commands. This point is particularly troublesome. Consider this: if two forces clash, one tireless and impervious to pain, the other, with a comparable number of combatants, would find it difficult to resist. Moreover, their attacks are poisoned," Gu Sinian revealed the aspect that troubled him most.
On the journey to the border, several men had been injured. Initially, their wounds seemed minor, but they later worsened. The medicine he carried was completely ineffective, forcing those injured to resort to self-mutilation to preserve their lives.
These were men who had followed Gu Sinian for a considerable time. Witnessing their plight, Gu Sinian's anger was beyond measure.
Generally, prominent families would maintain their own forces, such as hidden guards. However, these hidden guards were flesh and blood, capable of independent action and possessing their own thoughts.
Unlike these, who were like living dead.
"Investigate this. I do not wish to be constrained by these old aristocratic families. If they interfere in secret, they will throw my entire realm into chaos," Emperor Chongwen said, his face grim.
Gu Sinian acknowledged, "There is one more matter."
Emperor Chongwen nodded, "Speak."
"Li An, the Minister of the Grand Court of Revision."
Emperor Chongwen's expression froze. His mouth remained slightly agape for a moment before he found his voice. "You know? Qian Yuanbao told you? That rascal, he promised me he would keep it a secret. It's true, I should have expected it. Given your relationship, it's no wonder he couldn't keep anything from you if it concerned you. And from your aunt, you absolutely must not mention it, otherwise, I will have no peace."
Gu Sinian felt the information conveyed was quite significant. Qian Yuanbao had a secret with the Emperor, which the Emperor had asked him to keep confidential. Yet, the Emperor now assumed Qian Yuanbao had told him and still wanted him to keep it secret, not to tell his aunt.
Could it be that the Emperor also had certain preferences? For instance, was he tired of the three thousand beauties in the harem? Did he wish to change his taste? And that taste was Li An? A ruler of a nation having such a preference would likely be criticized by the censors, hence the need for secrecy? And then he feared his aunt's anger, so he didn't want him to tell her?