Li Shimin wore a bright yellow dragon robe, a black soft-legged head, and stepped into the imperial study with his hands behind his back.

Li, Qin Qiong, Li Ji and eight other princes quickly stood up to greet each other and bowed to salute. Li Shimin smiled and waved, making everyone more casual, "This is the imperial study room, not the Golden Palace, there is no ritual supervisor, so there is no need to be so restrained, just be casual."

He held Li's hand and smiled at him kindly, "The military parade was very successful, greatly boosting the minds of the people in the capital, and also sweeping away the uneasiness left by the Han-Beijing Rebellion. The Khitan, Tuyuhun and other foreign countries shocked the national strength of the Tang Dynasty and became more respectful to our Tang Dynasty. Even those soldiers were very excited and proud."

"All this is your Majesty's credit."

Li Shimin laughed at this flattery and finally sat in his seat in the imperial study room.

Cheng Qian smiled at Li Weiwei and walked to the seat next to the emperor and sat down.

Li's position is closest to the emperor. There are eight kings in this study, only Li is the king, and the other seven are princes, and Li's official position is also the highest, so he was naturally invited to this position. Even if this is just a summoned by the imperial study, the position cannot be messed up. No matter what occasion, the position ranking is the top priority, and no one will make a mistake.

Everyone sits there.

Li was under Qu Tutong, who was the Privy Councilor and the chief of the Central and Southern Court of the Third Court. This veteran general Qu Tu, who was already very famous during the Sui Dynasty, was the most fair and strict. When the Li family went south to Taiyuan, Qu Tutong resolutely resisted, which gave the Li family a headache. Later, he finally persuaded him to surrender.

The other princes, Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, Su Dingfang, and Guo Xiaoke, were all from Guandong. Among them, Qin Qiong, Li Ji, Guo Xiaoke, and Cheng Yaojin were all from Wagang Army. Su Dingfang was originally a member of Dou Jiande, and Yuchi Gong was a subordinate of Liu Wuzhou.

They later all surrendered to Li Tang and went to Li Shimin's troops to fight. They also had another characteristic, that is, they were almost all from small landlords and little gentry. Li Jicheng Yaojin was a landlord before, and Qin Qiong was a small gentry before, but later joined the military mansion. Guo Xiaoke was also a small landlord and was still a scoundrel when he was young. Yuchi Gong was not much better. He was from Shuozhou, Hedong, and was a blacksmith.

But heroes emerged from chaos, and these small figures from the past are now princes of the Tang Dynasty.

Seeing that the emperor seemed to have no idea what they were asking for a visit, Li Xin thought that the emperor's acting skills were getting better and better. He was sure that what Changsun Wuji said to him was instructed by Li Shimin, at least he had acquiesced.

Otherwise, why would Changsun Wuji dare to say those things blatantly like this?

Perhaps Li Shimin didn't want to be crowned king, but the crown prince had already been conferred, so it would be impossible not to admit it. But now that the rebellion has been quelled, the emperor is a little reluctant to admit it, so he asked Changsun Wuji to come forward to persuade Li and the others to resign themselves.

In this way, it is not that the emperor refuses to reward, but that the ministers are unwilling to accept it.

This kind of routine is not uncommon.

Li came forward to find several princes and mentioned Changsun Wuji's words, and everyone understood it. Although it was good to be a king, it was the emperor willing to be granted. If the emperor was unwilling to be a lie, it would be better if this king didn't want it.

"What are you asking for a meeting with my eight great heroes in the Tang Dynasty today?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.

Li Xiang, how can you not know why we are coming? "Your Majesty, I am grateful to Your Majesty for your reward, but I am not allowed to be kings in another surname. This is a system that was set at the beginning of Zhenguan. I have no intention of breaking this system, so I came together today to meet the saint and ask Your Majesty to take back the will to be king."

Li Shimin said oh, and his eyes swept over the Eight Kings.

"Wenyuan, all my dear friends, it was you who managed the king and protected the country and recreated the Tang Dynasty. If it weren't for you, the Tang Dynasty's country might have been overthrown. Although the reward for being a king is heavy, you are fully qualified to take over this reward."

"Your Majesty, I dare not accept it, the reward is too much." Li refused.

Li Shimin sat down, "Wen Yuan, all my dear friends, being a king is a major event for the country. This is my decision after repeated careful consideration. The emperor gave the order and said nothing, and he did not repent casually. If I do that, then I will be ashamed of the heroes and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty."

"I know that Wenyuan's Bashang Li family has a saying that you will have to pay if you have debts. It is precisely this credit that the Li family in Bashang can do business so much and so popular. I often tell the prince that our royal family will be rewarded for their achievements, and if they are wrong, they will be punished. Pei Ji, Xiao Yu and others are plotting against rebellion, and I will execute them all by Lingchi. You will serve the king and save the emperor, so I will honor the reward you will give!"

"This is my final decision, so don't refuse. Wang Chengen!"

The eunuch bowed and said, "Your Majesty will prepare a grand ceremony for the title of kings for you. At that time, you will be enthroned at Zetian Gate and witnessed by all the civil and military generals of the court."

As he said that, he took out a pair of scrolls and opened them.

"This is the territory map of the country that Your Majesty gave you. Each prince will obtain a piece of territory to establish a country. The princes have a country of two hundred miles, and the king has a country of three hundred miles. The princes will enjoy one-third of the income from domestic taxes, and the other third will be left to be used to enfeoff the expenses of the domestic imperial garrison and the officials, and the remaining third will be handed over to the national treasury......"

The more Li listened, the more he felt something was wrong.

It turns out that the fence is an independent kingdom, it has greater authority than the aristocratic territory. The selection of officials, civil affairs, and taxes should all belong to the fence, and even the fence can have its own armed forces.

But now, according to what Wang Chengen said, this feudal country is actually no different from the original feudal territory.

The court selected officials to be stationed, responsible for civil affairs, taxation, justice, finance, and even the imperial army stationed. The income from the fiefdom can only be one-third of the king's income, even less than the original territory, and it was actually two-thirds.

What is the difference between Li and the others’ titles of kings compared to the real nobles?

The founding of the country is allowed, but this founding of the country is to open a royal palace and allow a set of state officials. But these people are actually just retainers who have been appointed as kings, and at most they can assist in the collection of taxes.

The number of guards who were conferred a title was also strictly limited.

Well, after all, the title of King actually sounds better, and the fiefdom is given a bigger one.

This is very different from the feudal states of the Han and Wei dynasties, and it is not really feudal. For such a feudal state, Li might as well have a truly independent small castle and manor.

He couldn't help but admire Li Shimin, who was so good at playing tricks.

On the surface, Li Shimin still named Li and the others as kings, but he did not go back on his word and the emperor had the credit. But on the other hand, these titles of kings are actually the same as those of the royal family and the kings in the past. They are all the same, and they cannot threaten the royal family or the imperial court.
Chapter completed!