Volume 5
Fei Guang Fei Guang, let me offer you a glass of wine.
I do not know how high the sky is, or how thick the earth is.
I only see the cold moon and warm sun, which are here to burn people's lives.
Eating bear makes you fat, eating frog makes you thin.
Where is the God? Where is Taiyi?
In the east of the sky there is a tree called Ruo, with a dragon holding a candle in its mouth placed below it.
I will cut off the dragon's feet and chew its flesh, so that it cannot turn back in the morning and cannot lie down at night.
Naturally, the old do not die and the young do not cry.
What does it mean to take gold and swallow white jade?
Who is like Master Ren, riding a green donkey among the clouds?
There are many stagnant bones in Liu Che’s Maoling Mausoleum, and there are many abalones in Ying Zheng’s cypress coffin.
Chapter 1: First Snow
In the sixth year of Jianyan, autumn turned to winter and the first snow fell in Tokyo.
But when the first snow comes, it is not as romantic as covering the ground with snowflakes. On the contrary, most of the snowflakes turn into snow water the moment they fall to the ground, and the snow falls intermittently, making the dampness and coldness rise up and hit people directly.
You know, people are not only afraid of heat and cold, but also afraid of the process of getting hot and cold itself. They also hate the incompatibility between weather and temperature. And right now, it is undoubtedly the worst situation.
Therefore, on the day of the first snow, the once bustling Tokyo city suddenly became quiet. Hanfang Garden in the north of the city even posted a notice early in the morning asking spectators to pay attention to the weather. The Cuju match was temporarily postponed indefinitely in order to keep the venue clean, and small vendors also avoided it for a while.
Of course, all kinds of warehouses and shops with storefronts must still be opened.
In this situation, the shop assistants who were carrying food boxes, gift boxes, or even transporting food on mule carts all over the street became somewhat more efficient.
That's right, ordering, calling and delivering food, which had been popular in Tokyo in early years, has now reappeared in Tokyo with the recovery of Tokyo's population and business, especially the attraction of the capital to the powerful and wealthy, and on a larger scale... This is because nowadays it is not just the powerful and wealthy who do this. According to the government's proposal and arrangement, starting from this autumn, in addition to the Imperial Academy which has its own cafeteria, the six ministries, nine ministers and five academies of the capital, the Privy Council, the Imperial Camp Headquarters, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Military Academy and the Hanlin Academy, all have officially funded free outsourced lunch services.
This is a small design that actually works surprisingly well.
For some petty officials who are not very wealthy, it is a rare opportunity to enjoy the delicacies of the official restaurants during working hours. Some even simply stop eating breakfast... This has improved their centripetal force and work efficiency to a considerable extent. At the same time, the official restaurants are also very happy to compete for this qualification. You must know that once a certain dish or certain snacks are made on a large scale, the cost will be greatly reduced, and the merchants will not be unprofitable due to the so-called low bidding price.
In addition, the official stores that own this business will often have a better reputation and more prosperous business because of this business. Many wealthy families will compete to use the same dishes as the prime ministers, so that a business called follow-up orders is created... If someone's family is involved in the provincial government or the Privy Council, servants from the powerful families will come to them in the evening and order this kind of takeout.
There are even rumors that Emperor Zhao himself would randomly draw lots to select a regular restaurant that participated in the outsourcing and have someone deliver lunch directly to the Shiting in the harem... Many helpers in the regular restaurants claimed that they had delivered meals to Yiyoumen... and this kind of food was basically out of stock.
It sounds like the real thing.
But no matter what, this was a very effective way for the court to win people's hearts when the finances were not abundant enough.
However, there are also problems with this matter. For these regular shops that have outsourced the imperial court offices, the results of the temporary lottery will usually be notified to the shops by the imperial guards in the morning every day. These shops will not know which specific government office they will provide services for at noon until the lottery arrives.
So, at noon, the streets were filled with mule carts carrying food with flags of the Imperial Guard flying on them. Even the prime minister's guard had to give way, otherwise the reputation of someone being harsh on his colleagues and subordinates would spread immediately.
According to unreliable rumors, an official who was scheduled to be exiled to a large county to come to Beijing was banished to Guangnan West Road because he blocked the Ministry of Personnel's lunch car, causing the entire Ministry to have a meal of half-cold noodle soup.
It was a joke, and few people really believed it, but it spread anyway, and indeed attracted the attention of officials coming to Beijing - this rule had only been implemented for more than half a month, and it was said that officials from outside the city who had dinner or food at regular restaurants, including takeout at Wuyue Guandian, had an unspoken rule of only using the food after noon.
On the evening of that day, the first snow continued. Lin Jingmo, the Minister of Revenue, returned home from his official housing and was wondering whether he should ask his family to order the sweet and sour fish that he had had for lunch. However, as soon as he entered, he heard the nephew of the head of the family come to report that Mei Li, a nephew of the Jiangning Mei family, a family friend of the Lin family, had arrived after lunch and had been sitting there for the whole afternoon... Minister Lin was slightly startled, then he immediately came to his senses, and asked his nephew to order the sweet and sour fish while quickly asking the younger generation surnamed Mei to come over.
It turned out that the descendant of Minister Lin, a family friend, was a Jinshi in the third year of Jianyan. As the result of the first large-scale imperial examination after Emperor Zhao ascended the throne, that batch of Jinshi was particularly prominent in the current political landscape of the court.
Not to mention anything else, in just three years, three people have already become the top figures in the court.
The first is that he controlled the increasingly large and powerful official reporting system, and was powerful but in a low position, and was vaguely as famous as Hu Yin and Hu Hongxiu. He was known as one of the Three Hus (of course, there are also those who say there are Four Hus, which is because Hu Yin's brother Hu Hong was forcibly inserted)... This person's actions were enough to directly influence the court and government.
The second is Yu Yunwen, a third place winner of the imperial examination who also holds a low position but great power. Not only does he control the Military Statistics Department, which is no less powerful, but he also has a strong background. His father is a close confidant of the then Prime Minister Zhang Jun, and he himself is of course a direct descendant of Zhang Jun . His father-in-law is Zhang Rong, one of the generals... In theory, little Yu Yunwen, the third place winner, is still a subordinate of Minister Lin.
As for the last person, it was of course the No. 1 scholar of that period, Zhao Boyao. He was a distant relative of the imperial family, and he also inherited the legacy of his father-in-law, Mr. Wang. He had already finished his career as the magistrate of Zhengzhou and returned to the central government. According to the current simplification and transformation of various positions by the court, this person should be directly appointed as a sheren or a scholar, and then he can compile history while maintaining his reputation in front of the emperor. His future is more stable than that of Hu Quan and Yu Yunwen, and it is rare that his official career is so upright.
As for Yue Fei and Qu Duan of the same period, it is better not to mention them.
Mei Maoxiu, who ranked second in the second class, was certainly one of the best as he was a lifelong friend of Academician Lin. He started out as a military judge in Wuwei. Later, due to problems with manpower and expertise, he was directly recommended by Minister Lin, who was formerly Academician Xiao Lin, to be the director of the Maritime Customs during the period when Lu Yihao was in charge of the affairs of Liangzhe. He was transferred to the position of Supervisor of the Maritime Customs. Now, after three years of serving in an external post, he was personally named by Emperor Zhao and transferred back to the capital after this major personnel transfer.
Of course, I'm afraid that Minister Lin is still involved in this... So, from the perspective of secular officialdom, this person can be regarded as a person brought in by Minister Lin, or a kind of political resource for each other.
It was normal for this person to come to Beijing, complete the official procedures, and then visit Lin Jingmo.
Without further ado, the two sides met in the hall, were served hot tea with ginger juice and milk, and sat down. Mei Tiju was indeed young and promising, with the temperament of a scholarly family, but Shangshu Lin had many years of experience in internal affairs and had also served as a military governor, so he was more dignified... The two chatted for a while, without any vulgar words, just talking about the scenery of their hometown, local anecdotes, weather and seasons, literature and poetry.
However, no matter what, the two are typical bureaucrats, and they are in the same political party, so they cannot avoid doing business.
"Public opinion in the South is quite different from that in the Central Plains. Is there anything to say about the country's political situation?" Minister Lin, who was sitting in the main seat and holding a cup of hot milk tea, asked casually.
Mei Tiju thought for a moment and laughed, "Let my uncle know that Li Xianggong (Li Gang) can't control his mouth when he's there. What's more, most of the Taoists now go to the famous mountains and rivers in the south to establish themselves. After the White Horse Shaoxing incident, the officials who returned to their hometowns are mostly from the south... Even Lu Xianggong (Lv Yihao) can't control so many people. How can he not talk about the country and the political situation?"
"What did you say?"
"After borrowing money from temples, wealthy merchants, and relatives and nobles to expand the Jiaozi business, people in the south immediately said that this was actually Wang Shuwang's Qingmiao loan, but the government knew that the officials were unreliable, so they selected the original loan sharks from the people to work together to issue Qingmiao loans... It's still taking away the benefits of the people, and there is still a suspicion of getting out of control and causing harm." Mei Tiju quickly responded. "But..."
"What do you think, nephew?" Minister Lin suddenly interrupted him, then sat down to sip his tea. "What do you think of their discussion, nephew?"
Mei Maoxiu hesitated for a moment, but finally said seriously: "My nephew's view is actually similar to theirs. It's still Qingmiao Loan, but the government has some new ideas. Knowing that it won't work if the government is the only one, they want the government to supervise the people. And since it's supervision, then this kind of thing, if the supervision is a little weak, or if the government and the people collude, it is bound to be out of control... However, my nephew thinks that even so, it still needs to be done. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater, especially when the country needs to do things, and there is no lack of financial needs."
Minister Lin nodded, without making any comment. The important official became more dignified and asked, "Besides this matter, what other major issues are there in the South?"
"Besides this, of course, there is the great debate that was triggered by the extermination of Western Xia by the imperial court." Mei Maoxiu responded immediately. "As for this matter, the discussion in the south was divided into three parts due to the news from the front..."
Minister Lin smiled when he heard this, as if he understood it instantly.
Mei Li knew that his uncle was a talented person and had come to his senses, but he still had to smile and continue speaking:
"At first, the imperial court suddenly mobilized troops in the northwest, and naturally the whole of Jiangnan was worried. The academies everywhere were beating their chests and stamping their feet, just worried that the government would lose the victory at Yaoshan in one day; then, the imperial court suddenly swept across the northwest, not only taking all of Xixia, but also forming an alliance with Jinhepo, which made people speechless. Many people directly changed their minds according to the court reports, saying that the government and the imperial court were scheming and planning, but the tricks were not good, and the imperial camp soldiers were so elite that they could be compared with the Jurchen cavalry; but later, the three routes in the northwest were reorganized, and there was no The figures of over 3 million people and 60,000 to 70,000 standing troops were published in the court newspapers, plus... plus the later Shanghe incident and Yang Zheng's case... but they said that Xixia was not as strong as Qi, and when the Jin people retreated to accumulate strength, the court took advantage of the opportunity to attack and succeeded. This does not mean that the military of our dynasty is strong enough to be compared with the Jin people, but this statement itself is actually weak... because the posters in their own academy all said that if Xixia was so weak, how could it have been unconquered for a hundred years before? "
"These people!" Lin Jingmo shook his head and laughed after listening. "They are not stupid, disloyal, or without moral integrity. They just don't understand military affairs and think that fighting is as ridiculous as they think... But it's not their fault. How can you understand war without experiencing it? Who dares to say that Minister Hu doesn't know military affairs? The key is that these people are timid and unwilling to follow the government to face difficulties at the beginning. This is why they gradually drift away and finally become ridiculous."
"Uncle, what you said is very true." Mei Li responded, but he was serious. "However, these discussions have given rise to some things... It is said that Li Xianggong took the lead and hoped to start a folk newspaper in the south, but it was under the banner of exchanging Taoism, but was suppressed by Lu Xianggong... However, Li Xianggong persevered and was said to be writing directly to the court to ask for the lifting of the national newspaper ban so that he could establish a southern newspaper system."
Lin Jingmo hesitated for a moment, then smiled again, but changed the subject directly: "Do you know that Yuan Sheng sent a congratulatory letter to the emperor from Dongxiao Palace in Hangzhou?"
"Of course I know. Yuan Sheng is young after all... He has endured two years in Dongxiao Palace, and finally he can't stand it anymore." Mei Li forced a smile. "Even the royal relatives in Nanyang and Yangzhou are making a fuss and asking to return to Tokyo, right?"
Lin Jingmo laughed: "The emperor returned them as they were, as did the one from Nanyang. The emperor from Yangzhou said a few good words and gave Empress Dowager Yuanyou a lot of face."
Mei Li finally fell silent.
No matter what, as a newly promoted official who had only seen Emperor Zhao briefly in the palace examination, although he had heard many stories about his own emperor, he would always use reason to remind himself that those stories were exaggerated to a certain extent. At this time, facing an important official of the level of Minister Lin, who was also an important official with such a close relationship with his family, and who personally told such a level of royal secrets, he had to face an incredible reality, that is, this official was indeed an official who dared to speak and do without scruples - it was too rude to throw his brother's congratulatory letter directly in front of him .
And this time when he came to the capital, he would most likely stay there to work, and in all likelihood he would be a servant, and then face this unsophisticated official.
Even more directly, why did he come to see his uncle today? Wasn't it because he was hoping that he could give him some advice as a former confidant of the government and an important official of the court today, and teach him how to face the current emperor?
In fact, Minister Lin was indeed teaching.
"My dear nephew." Seeing this, Lin Jingmo continued to speak seriously. "Do you know where the court wants to use you when you come to Beijing this time?"
"It should be trade, right?" Mei Li came back to his senses and quickly replied. "Since the imperial court has opened the two major cities of Lanzhou and Hetao, it is natural that they want to control the central Ministry of Revenue and connect the Western Regions, the grasslands, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Goryeo... With China in the middle, they can take advantage of it, take advantage of it and control its behavior, and then encircle the Jurchen bandits. My nephew thinks..."
"That's right, and well said." Lin Jingmo nodded slightly. "But there's no need to elaborate here. I'm the Minister of Revenue, and sooner or later these words of yours will be turned into official documents and sent to my desk in the Ministry of Revenue... You can save them for when you meet the emperor... Remember, say what you have to say, say what you know, don't bend over backwards, and don't flatter. Although the emperor may get carried away sometimes, he is basically smart and powerful, and knows everything."
Upon hearing this, Mei Tiju's heart moved, and he instinctively stood up immediately and bowed in the hall.
At the same time, seeing this, Minister Lin just picked up the already cold milk tea, took a sip, and suddenly waved his sleeves: "Our two families are old friends, and your uncle and my elder brother are close friends and relatives. But I am now the Minister of Revenue, and you are a newcomer who has returned to Beijing for an official appointment. Before you are appointed, it is not appropriate to keep you at home to arouse suspicion. You wait in the front hall until your brother comes back, get a portion of sweet and sour fish, and then go back to the official post early to wait for orders."
Mei Li was caught off guard when he heard this and was even a little flustered... After all, although there were some obvious points in this exchange, the most crucial issue was the three major cases in the capital right now. The other party only mentioned one thing vaguely, and his uncle did not say anything about the other two major events involving the generals of the imperial camp.
If this were to be brought up when I meet the emperor, how would I respond?
Just telling the truth?
However, Mei Li was confused but did not dare to say much, especially since the other party did have some suggestions. He had to suppress his uneasiness and said goodbye respectfully. Then, he waited for a takeaway of sweet and sour fish from the concierge and took it back.
The next day, the snow stopped for a whole day, but started again the day after, causing the dampness and cold to continue to cause trouble. The day after another, which was the last day of October, Mei Tiju suddenly received a summons, saying that the government was finally going to summon him.
Mei Li did not dare to neglect it. Although he knew that he might be disliked, he could not help but trimmed his eyebrows according to his habit. Then he went to Donghua Gate to convey the order of the capital province... At this time, Mei Tiju realized that the emperor was too busy and summoned five people at the same time, including Zhao Boyao, the top scholar in the same exam, Chao Gongwu, the first in the second class of the same exam, in addition, there was also Cui Tongling, the commander of the Imperial Navy who was restless, and Huang Tongpan, a border county magistrate who came from northern Shaanxi.
It is obvious that the five people are here to report for their positions, and their future will be decided during the audience with the emperor, which is already very tense.
In fact, the last two of the five had already been restless, probably because of their backgrounds and the fact that it was their first time meeting the emperor, but the top three Jinshi in the first class were also obviously uneasy... because they had keenly realized that when they got together, they would probably have to face some complex and sensitive issues directly.
The five people were worried. After having their working lunch... it was still sweet and sour fish... they set off for the famous place in the harem in the afternoon. The sky gradually darkened, and intermittent snowflakes began to fall again.
It is estimated that the Hanfangyuan Cuju competition will be delayed again.
"Zhengzhou Tongpan Zhao Boyao, Mizhou Signing Judge Chao Gongwu, Liangzhe Jinglüe Si Director Wenzhou Maritime Customs Mei Li, Imperial Navy Commander Cui Bangbi, Qingzhou Tongpan Huang Sheng..."
The summoning ceremony was extremely simple. Hanlin scholar Fan Zongyin went forward to check the list with the officials of the provincial government who were seeing him off, and then led the five people to the stone pavilion. Then Lan Gui, the chief escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, came forward and called out the names on the list one by one. After receiving a response, he immediately turned around to report. "Your Majesty, the five people have arrived today!"
"It's snowing, come into the pavilion and sit down!"
When everyone heard this, they knew it was the official's words, so they hurried to thank him, then nervously entered the pavilion and carefully sat down opposite Official Zhao under the watchful eyes of many servants, scholars, attendants, soldiers, and officers. There was no cushion on the stone bench here, but it was warm. It was not because someone had warmed it up, but because there was obviously underground heating under the stone pavilion and the surrounding areas.
Although all five people came here for the first time, they all knew about this matter because it was reported in the court gazette around the beginning of winter. Some people had opposed it... not against installing some heating facilities in this famous stone pavilion, but against using ground heating, because ground heating was obviously learned from heating the kang, which was brought by the Jurchens.
The court newspaper published some "take it as it is" remarks, starting with King Wuling of Zhao's adoption of the Hu clothing and horse riding, and refuted the opponents.
Then everyone in the world knew that Emperor Zhao had burned a ground dragon in a pavilion in the harem.
Later, it became popular throughout the North and Central Plains, and even some people in the South were crazy enough to follow suit.
Not to mention the earth dragon, just say that the moment they sat down, the five of them almost seemed to have telepathy. They secretly looked up at the same time, stole a glance at Emperor Zhao who had just thrown down some documents, and then quickly lowered their heads, just to look at the cracked stone patterns under the stone bench... These patterns have been seen and studied by countless people over the years, and they are afraid that they will continue to be seen in the future.
"No need to be so formal, and no need to stand up. I have questions, and you just answer them."
Zhao Jiu, who was wearing a cotton robe, of course noticed the little movements of the five people opposite him, but he had seen so many that he was too lazy to complain. "Before Bo Yao left Zhengzhou, it should have been winter. Do you know if the people along the way were cold and hungry?"
"You are joking!" Zhao Boyao was shocked and raised his head to answer seriously. "Zhengzhou is called another prefecture, but it is actually the same as the rest of the country. If the people along the way are starving and freezing, what will happen to the world?"
"That's right." Zhao Jiu nodded, then sighed. "That's a ridiculous question. Actually, after the snow fell the day before yesterday, I rode to Huazhou to have a look... Most of the villages along the Yellow River were converted from military settlements, and they were well protected from the cold. On the contrary, in the surrounding prefectures and cities, some poor people in the cities were suffering from the cold due to lack of firewood... Although the Emperor Taizong of this dynasty sent charcoal in the snow to win people's hearts, if you think about it carefully, from the perspective of the poor, it was ultimately a life-saving act, which is worthy of praise."
Zhao Boyao heard this and pretended not to have heard the words "buy people's hearts" and just flattered: "The emperor has this intention, which can be said to be inherited from the same lineage."
But Emperor Zhao immediately said solemnly: "Boyao, this is what happened. After the fall of Western Xia, the historical materials were also seized. I want to make you a Hanlin scholar and keep you to compile the "History of Western Xia", but in addition to this, you still have to do some work... I will allocate some coal and food to you, and you will inspect the surrounding areas on my behalf, and use work instead of relief as much as possible to reduce the number of people who freeze to death."
"This is a benevolent policy. How dare I disobey it!" Zhao Boyao responded immediately, but with some hesitation.
"What?" Zhao Jiu certainly understood.
"Your Majesty." Zhao Boyao looked at him carefully. "Whether it's compiling history or inspecting relief, they are both top-notch tasks. Since I have accepted the order, I naturally have no objection. However, this time you directly transferred me to the internal affairs department, which is too much favor... Before the Jingkang period, the newly-appointed Jinshi who served in the local area and returned to the cabinet position had never been transferred so quickly."
"So what do you want?"
"I would like to offer my services to the government for the next few days, and then I will go back to serve as a local official."
Zhao Jiu thought about it and nodded immediately: "Alright! It is very appropriate for you to have this intention! Let's see the result of this relief. If you do well, you will be directly appointed as the official seal of a state."
Zhao Boyao was overjoyed... Obviously, the emperor was very tolerant of his first son-in-law, who was also a number one scholar and a martyred prime minister. Of course, it was also because this number one scholar understood current affairs.
You know, the court has always been somewhat dissatisfied with the simple and crude approach of cleaning up the libraries and directly merging them into two classes: Sheren and Bachelor. Especially now that the new scholars have gradually returned to the central government, once they are directly promoted to Direct Sheren, Sheren, Direct Bachelor, Bachelor and other close ministers, they will inevitably be suspected of being lucky. If they are simply left idle to compile history, the official, who has always been particular about doing things, will be dissatisfied first.
Therefore, this number one scholar's request for an external appointment was a good start.
After saying this, Zhao Jiu looked directly at the second person: "Chao Qing."
"I am here."
"Many people below say that you are very knowledgeable in writing. I intend to give you the title of Sheren and make you Bo Yao's deputy. Then you decide whether to compile history or go to the local area..."
"Your Majesty..." Chao Gongwu had never thought of choosing himself, and was nervous for a moment, but he did not dare to hesitate. "Your Majesty really wants to write history."
"Okay!" Zhao Jiu nodded, but he didn't know what he was thinking.
"Thank you..." Chao Gongwu hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
But at this moment, Emperor Zhao suddenly interrupted him and said, "You are in Mizhou. Do you know that Zhang Zongyan sent troops without authorization?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere inside and outside the stone pavilion suddenly stagnated.
Now, the three most discussed issues in Tokyo are the so-called three major cases of winter - one is the case of Pan Guozhang's cousin secretly selling treasury bond shares in advance; another is the case of Yang Zheng, a favorite general of Wu Jie in the rear army of the imperial camp, killing his concubine and skinning her alive; and the last one, which is the most controversial, is the case of Zhang Zongyan, the commander under Zhang Jun of the right army of the imperial camp, who crossed the Yellow River without authorization in October and was defeated by Wang Bolong, a ten-thousand-householder of the Jurchen army, in Shanghe, Dizhou, and returned in defeat.
Of the three cases, the first one was about personal greed, but it also involved relatives and national debts, while the second two involved the most sensitive imperial camp and generals, which might affect the basic policies of the court in the next two years... None of them were simple. And every case had its arguments. Even in the Yang Zheng case, some people pleaded for him with his merits in pacifying the Western Xia, not to mention Zhang Zongyan.
However, at the same time, it is also a fact that the main culprits in the three cases have all been imprisoned, and there are corresponding calls for severe punishment in each case.
And this matter is also the topic that the local officials who came to take office this time fear the most.
"Your Majesty." Chao Gongwu was nervous, but he answered quickly. "Of course I know about Zhang Zongyan's dispatch of troops and the use of supplies. Mizhou provided him with civilians and military equipment early on. And it's not just me who knows about it. There are few people in Jingdong who don't know about it... But at that time, I and Liu Zhizhou only thought that he was... he was..."
"What is he?" Zhao Jiu urged with a frown.
"He was fighting for supplies with the Imperial Camp Navy on behalf of the Imperial Camp Right Army. Who could have thought that he would take the initiative to cross the river to attack Dizhou?" Chao Gongwu bowed his head. "But now that I think about it carefully, I was also confused at the time... With the achievements of the Imperial Camp Front Army, Left Army, Rear Army, and Cavalry on the Western Front, it is normal for Zhang Zongyan to be unable to restrain himself. We should have taken precautions against such actions... This is my dereliction of duty."
Zhao Jiu didn't comment and looked directly at Cui Bangbi: "Commander Cui, what about you?"
"I, the Imperial Navy, think so," Cui Bangbi responded immediately. "After Li Bao learned that the military supply inventory in Laizhou had been emptied, he almost went to war with the Imperial Navy... Your Majesty should know about this."
Zhao Jiu shook his head again after hearing this: "In fact, this matter cannot be blamed on you. You are just good at guessing, but even if you guessed it, who would have thought that he would be so bold? So many soldiers of the imperial camp were killed for nothing, and the morale accumulated after Yaoshan was lost a lot in vain."
The few young men who were reporting on their work did not mention it, and most of the close ministers around them were also silent... It was obvious that Emperor Zhao intended to punish them severely.
"What about you, Huang Tongpan? You are an old acquaintance of Minister Hu and General Wu, and you have been a neighbor of Yang Zheng for several years. Do you know what the attitude of northern Shaanxi is towards Yang Zheng?"
"Of course..." Huang, the judge, stood up and wanted to speak, but when he saw the emperor's calm face, he was shocked and immediately changed his words. "Of course, most people want to plead for mercy. They all say that the emperor killed a meritorious official for a woman, which is too much, and Minister Hu is too harsh."
Zhao Jiu nodded, still without making any comment. In fact, he had made up his mind about these three cases from the very beginning, and Yang Zheng's case had been decided very early on. It all depended on whether the man surnamed Huang was honest.
Regardless of whether this person had reacted or was truly honest, there was no need for him to delve into it.
With this thought in mind, Emperor Zhao looked at the last person again: "Mei Tiju... I heard that you translated a book of foreigners? How is that? Can you learn a language in two years?"
When it was his turn, Mei Li was still extremely nervous even though he had rehearsed it thousands of times in his mind. Moreover, he had never expected that the emperor would ask about this matter. However, he still remembered his uncle's reminder and told the truth:
"So that the emperor knows, when I was young, my father worked in Quanzhou, and the house was next to the Arab merchant warehouse, so I learned some of the Arab language. Later, I was promoted to the Maritime Customs and came into contact with them again. Although I can recognize the characters, I can no longer understand them. So I use this incident as an exercise to restore my previous diary habits..."
Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly and asked again: "You are in Wenzhou, which is adjacent to Fujian. Is the custom of killing infants still common there?"
Mei Li became increasingly panicked, but he followed Minister Lin's instructions and continued to speak the truth: "Not much has changed."
"Why is infanticide so prominent in Fujian?" Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged.
"So that the government can know that there is little land and many people in Fujian, and the property of a family is limited. Once there are too many children, even the scholar family cannot support them, so they simply drown them at that time... For example, Minister Hu (Hu Yin) almost drowned, but was saved by Professor Hu (Hu Anguo)."
"Hu Yin?"
"yes."
"So all the way north... do you feel there are any differences in people's livelihood between the south and the north?"
“…”
"Why don't you speak?"
"Reporting to the government, there are differences between the north and the south... The people in the south are more concerned about the heavy taxes, while the people in the north are more concerned about the shortage of supplies."
"That's right." Zhao Jiu finally sighed. "The north experienced wars and had military settlements and land grants. The main problem was how to restore production when the population decreased. This was not something that could be changed by Tokyo, which had gathered the essence of the country. The south was the opposite. There were too many people and the taxes were so heavy. The main contradiction was how to maintain survival... But the most important point is that the people in the north and south still had a hard life, but some people only cared about military merits and thought that it was a big deal to destroy Xixia, which had a population of three million. There were also people who fell into their old habits as soon as they were born into peace and always demanded excessively... Little did they know that the reason why the people did not rebel again immediately was that the suppression in the south had only been suppressed for a few days and they were afraid. In the north, it was because nine out of ten houses were empty at one time and their tolerance was higher."
Be it Mei Li or Zhao Boyao, these five people either knew the connections or were related people. They all thought of something but did not dare to speak.
The close ministers around him were even more certain that Emperor Zhao was determined to severely deal with the three major cases.
After a pause, Emperor Zhao asked again, "Are there still wastelands in the south?"
"Yes, but compared with the previous two years, there are very few." Mei Li became more honest.
"Over at the Maritime Customs, Prime Minister Lu has come to the memorial, suggesting setting up a spice and medicine market to monopolize the business. Do you think there will be any benefit from it?" Emperor Zhao asked without delay.
"It should be possible... Most of the aromatics are sought after by wealthy families. If we increase the price a little, we should still be able to make some extra money."
"About how much?"
"I would venture to speculate that if all places were to set up such a system, the amount of money would increase by 200,000 to 300,000 strings of cash a year, and then it would increase year by year, and finally stop at the upper limit of 500,000 strings of cash."
"It's not a small amount. The revenue of the Maritime Customs Office before was only 1.2 to 300,000 strings of cash."
"Yes...but the court pacified Xixia, communicated with the Western Regions, and added the tea and horse trade on the grasslands, which can be beneficial to the country's overall trade. Who knows, in the next few years, the revenue of the Maritime Customs will increase, regardless of spices and medicines."
"The country's current priority is still finance..." Emperor Zhao nodded, obviously impressed by this man's honesty and extremely satisfied. "Minister Lin of the Ministry of Revenue recommended you, saying that you are a rare person who understands the basics of finance and commerce. I see that you are honest today... First, you will be appointed as a servant, and go back to write a proposal on how to connect the east, west, south, north and business, so that the country can benefit a little!"
"I will obey your order."
"Mr. Cui... first give him the title of deputy commander, then go back and tell Li Bao that I know what he means, but right now the navy needs money to expand, and I can't just give it away, so tell him to be patient."
“Yes!”
"Huang Qing..."
Emperor Zhao nodded and was about to continue speaking, but unexpectedly, Yang Yizhong came hurriedly in from the other side amidst the fine snow, with a stern look on his face. He handed a box directly to Lan Gui and whispered something. Lan Gui hesitated for a moment, but still interrupted Emperor Zhao's summons and bowed to present the box.
Zhao Jiu was puzzled, but he still looked directly at the stone table. However, as soon as he opened the box, before he could open the silk inside, the official Lan beside him had no choice but to carefully explain:
"It was the Emperor Taishang Daojun who sent a congratulatory letter, congratulating the emperor on his victory over the Western Xia... Perhaps the Emperor Taishang Daojun knew about the Emperor Taishang Yuansheng's congratulatory letter, but he didn't know that the emperor had already returned it."
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then became furious. Without even reading the contents, and regardless of the five ministers reporting to him and the countless close ministers around him, he took out the silk from the box and tore it with all his might.
However, the silk was tough and Emperor Zhao was a useless man, so he didn't manage to tear it apart immediately. He simply reached out from somewhere under his waist and pulled out a sharp dagger, then slashed the congratulatory letter into pieces on the stone table.
Then, after Zhao Guanjia had taken a deep breath, he stuffed the messy silk fragments in his hand back into the box, and handed it to the frightened Lan Daguan beside him: "It's the same as before, send it back as it is! By the way, say a word to the monks in Shaolin Temple and ask them, doesn't the Emperor Taishang Daojun recite scriptures and pray for blessings to study Buddhism in depth? Why is he using pen and ink?! I have conquered Xixia, what does it have to do with them?! One by one, come to congratulate me?!"
The five officials in front who had been serving as officials and soldiers in the local area were already dumbfounded, but they were all like wooden chickens and dared not say a word... The three major cases and sweet and sour fish had long been thrown into the Java Sea.