ject and said, "Sir, as you've just arrived, there must be many inconveniences. Xiao Wang has thought long and hard, but still feels inadequate in helping. I have prepared a few small gifts out of cou...Chapter 1302: The Red Thread of the King

They exchanged glances, both seeing the seriousness reflected in each other's eyes.

Things have escalated.

Su Zhen Ting and Zhao Xuan Ji frowned, feeling incredibly stumped.

It was still Zhao Xuanji who spoke first: “The laws of the Qin Dynasty state that vassal kings have absolute control over all aspects of civil and military affairs within their fiefdoms. However, there are a few red lines that absolutely cannot be crossed.”

“The strictest rule was the absolute prohibition on vassal kings from privately manufacturing military equipment. Any weapons required by the armies and soldiers of their fiefdoms had to be reported to the imperial court, where the Ministry of War would conduct an inventory. After confirming the types and quantities that genuinely needed to be supplemented, the matter would be submitted to the emperor and his ministers for discussion. Only after the emperor's approval could the imperial court proceed with centralized production and transportation.”

"This rule was personally set by the Taizu Emperor, and for over three hundred years of this dynasty, no vassal king who has transgressed this red line has ever met a good end."

Li Chen's face was ashen. He said, "Your Excellency is well-informed and knowledgeable. Please enlighten me, over the past three hundred years of our dynasty, has there ever been a prince who crossed this line"

"Yes."

Zhao Xuanji nodded and replied: "Gaozu's own brother, then the King of Huaiyang, Zhao Yang, was reported to have privately forged one hundred and sixty sets of standard weaponry. Even though Gaozu couldn't bear to do it, he could only weep and issue an imperial decree. Zhao Yang was beheaded, and all officials in his fiefdom and palace were severely interrogated. That time, a total of six hundred and fifty-nine people were killed, and over a thousand were exiled to the border or conscripted into the army."

From then on, the title of King Huaiyang was permanently revoked and could not be used again.

In the seventh year of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the first rebellion by a feudal prince in the history of our country broke out. The cause was that King Wu, who held office at the time, was found to have secretly hoarded three red-clad cannons. When the court questioned him, King Wu directly rebelled. Although he was suppressed by the imperial army within just three months, it still caused a considerable stir.

Apart from these two instances, the most recent one occurred during the reign of the late Emperor Tianyuan. He dealt with King Nan'an who had privately set up an arsenal, also by beheading him.

“Over the three hundred years of this dynasty, there have been no more than these three instances of vassal kings crossing the line. Because the imperial court has decided not to tolerate or condone such actions, the vassal kings have also been extremely careful and cautious. Regardless of what they might do in private, at least on the surface, they have acted with integrity.”

Zhao Xuanji's tone grew increasingly grave as he said, “But this time, the Ning Wang’s arsenal, with so much weaponry exposed to the eyes of the world, is impossible to hide. It’s likely to cause a great upheaval.”

Even if Your Highness wanted to turn a blind eye, the people of the world would see it clearly. Therefore, Your Highness and the court absolutely cannot remain inactive. Once any action is taken, for King Ning, it would be…a provocation.

When he uttered the last two words, Zhao Xuanji's gaze grew profound. He looked at Li Chen with a very strange expression and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, if this matter is not handled properly, the state may be overthrown."

This statement is essentially meaningless, and Li Chen heard it with a hint of schadenfreude.

Li Chen remained silent, looking at Su Zhen Ting and asking, "General Su, in your opinion, what do you think"

Su Zhendong's expression was grave as he said, "What the governor said is very true. The biggest problem right now is not how many weapons and red-clothed cannons King Ning has hidden. Whether it's one piece or a hundred, or even 200,000 pieces, they all lead to death. There's no difference between having a few lice and having many; the nature of the problem remains the same."wder; even the slightest spark could cause an explosion.That explosion was truly earth-shattering.Unconsciously, Wu Yong sidled up to King Ning's ear and whispered, "Your Highness, it is really not su...