Volume 4 Chapter 53: Bright Moon
On the fifteenth day of August, the full moon is as round as a copper coin, the edges are white like ice chips, and the middle is slightly darker in color, just like the translucent shadow of a lamp, which is very inspiring.
The area around Yuetai was still shrouded in smoke. Most of the people in the city had already gone back, but many people from the villages outside the city were still coming and going. What's more, the place was brightly lit, the moon was full, the roads were clear, and there were monks and Taoists performing rituals.
At the same time, the heat was boiling in the central military hall of Yuetai Camp, and there was another world.
Inspired by the words "helping the rich and the poor", Emperor Zhao threw away the script and left the central army hall early to go outside to admire the sky and the moon. However, the prime minister and the officials of the secret cabinet continued to stay here to "discuss" a so-called package plan with the .
It is called a discussion, but in fact the outer cabinet only has the "right of suggestion" but not the "right of veto", and the two sides are not talking on the same level at all.
After all, the merchants were stage-frightened and seemed to have no say at all; and the Taoists basically chose the upper-class route because of the fact that many generations of emperors of the Zhao Song Dynasty worshipped Taoism. This made the real Da Dao Temple, like the Wuyue Temple, Dongxiao Palace, and Mingdao Palace, completely belong to the royal property and it was impossible for them to have any extra say; as for the nobles, the core clans were expelled to Nanyang, and the remaining people were obviously headed by the two fathers-in-law of the emperor... In fact, this was also the reason why Zhao Jiu had concentrated on dealing with the monks before.
The monks of the Song Dynasty were not only better than the Taoists in terms of religious expertise, but also better at getting down to the grassroots. In terms of financial business, they were a generation ahead of the Taoists and landlords… Historically, Shaolin Temple, Daxiangguo Temple, and Lingjiu Temple were all recognized as major financial institutions. Southern Shaolin, which was a long way away, was simply a financial pioneer specializing in maritime trade credit business in those days.
It is said that the front courtyard receptionist is the lobby manager and counter operator, the Sutra Library is responsible for accounting and auditing, the Arhat Hall is responsible for security and armed escort, the Discipline Courtyard is responsible for personnel management, and the Dharma Courtyard is responsible for board meetings.
All I can say is that with such a small land area and a population of 120 million, except for the productivity problems caused by the limitations of scientific and technological development, everything else that can be done would have been done long ago.
In fact, it was precisely because of this that Zhao Jiu had always been afraid of the core issues of domestic affairs. He always felt that he was just an ordinary college student with no experience. The imperial power was so serious that once he intervened wantonly, the result would be that the emperor would say a word and thousands of families would go bankrupt.
Of course, he was also afraid of military affairs and personnel matters. This was his personality. He was usually quite tolerant and tactful, and was easy to accept opinions and willing to compromise. However, once he was pushed into a corner, he would often do something drastic.
This is a flaw in his character, but it is also an advantage, because no matter good or bad, he is himself. I think the prime ministers, ministers, generals and commanders have all adapted to it.
"His Majesty."
The ministers came out of the hall and went to the front of the military camp to meet Emperor Zhao. Seeing Emperor Zhao staring at the moon in a trance under the protection of Yang Yizhong, it was still Lu Hao who asked the question. This minister, whose family has been devoted to Buddhism for generations, was not sure if it was because this matter involved Buddhism, but he was more concerned about it. "The rough plan has been made..."
Zhao Jiu, who was looking at the moon with his hands behind his back, turned around without saying a word.
"In general, there is no big difference from what was discussed before." Lu Haowen hurriedly stepped forward and reported roughly. "Retired soldiers of the imperial camp and the families of the heroes will enjoy a very low interest rate green seedling loan quota; all the major temples in the Central Plains that are under control will be the same as Taoist temples. The succession of abbots must be approved by the court, and of course the court can also directly appoint and dismiss; the abbots and masters of each temple and temple shall be designated by the big business houses, the big noble landlords and their families, and they must bear joint legal responsibilities and accept the court's audit; the right of temples and temples to purchase "wasteland" shall be abolished, and the old right of temples and temples to be exempted from paying the body tax (that is, the head tax, monks in the Song Dynasty were exempted from the head tax, but had to pay land tax and auxiliary labor money) shall be abolished... The period is one year, and if things are done properly, it will be pushed south."
As he listened, Zhao Jiu suddenly sighed, "These people may be muttering that I am just relying on the troops to rob them. If I agree to it now, I will be at the mercy of others. I will definitely be very dissatisfied in my heart. Who knows when I will cause trouble with me."
"Not necessarily." Lu Haowen shook his head. "The world is big, and the royal family is the biggest. For more than a hundred years, Taoist temples all over the world have almost become royal family temples. In the early years of Jianyan, the court publicly asked all Taoist temples to donate their wealth to the government. I dare to ask, what are the monks? If there are really monks who are dissatisfied, or rely on the power of Buddhism in the south to bully the north and come to the Central Plains temples to talk, I think I know a little about Buddhism, and I will connect with the government..."
"The Buddhist sect is just a loan shark." Zhao Jiu also shook his head. "The key is usury. Since ancient times, rent and interest have been the two major reasons why the poor cannot make a living. The root of today's matter is to borrow people outside the government to restart the Qingmiao Law in the Central Plains, reducing interest while taking money. It's not really for the Buddhist sect... Whoever comes to argue can argue, and whoever doesn't agree can disagree. As long as they don't incite rebellion, I don't bother to pay attention to them, and it's best for Prime Minister Lu not to pay attention to them either."
"You don't have to care if the emperor doesn't care, but I have many familiar monks here, and they are all sitting in the south. If they really want to come to me, I really can't refuse..." Lu Haowen smiled bitterly, but hesitated. "But this is not the key point I want to talk about."
"What do you mean, Lord Lu?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly. "Do you still disagree with my decision to use martial arts students as Qingmiao loan supervisors and auditors? I have already said that there is no way around it."
"Your Majesty." Lu Haowen replied solemnly under the moonlight. "I have thought about this matter. Your Majesty is right. The Central Plains has experienced war and resettled many refugees from Hebei and retired or injured imperial soldiers. We also need to ensure that the lenders cannot deceive these people. It would be best to let someone who has a connection with the army do it... But there is one thing I have to say."
"Please speak, sir."
"That is, the person in charge must be selected from the regular civil servants. The government can directly supervise and interfere, but it must be properly affiliated with the Ministry of Revenue. In particular, Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan must not be allowed to touch this matter. This is because the martial arts school is in Yanfu Palace. The martial arts students are suspected of being subordinates of Yang and Liu. If they are allowed to supervise, it will undoubtedly add to the wealth of the imperial guards. I am afraid that there will be a disaster like the Shen Ce Army in the Tang Dynasty." Lu Haowen responded seriously, which attracted the attention of several ministers behind him. Yang Yizhong was even more embarrassed and could only lower his head and pretend that he didn't hear it. "In other words, you can follow the precedent of the court report, but you shouldn't follow the precedent of the Imperial City Department and the secret memorial."
"How about Yu Yunwen, the attendant?" Zhao Jiu sighed and responded with a serious look. "Let him be the first doctor of the Military Statistics Department under the Ministry of Revenue."
"Who to use specifically is naturally a matter for the government and the provincial government. I cannot say much about it." Lu Haowen replied earnestly.
Zhao Jiu nodded slowly.
Prime Minister Lu Gong hesitated for a moment, and then continued: "There is another small matter. I think that the emperor claims that he doesn't care about Buddhism, but he is actually overly cautious, and even self-defeating... In the past, it was difficult for monks to even contact the emperor, but the emperor first went to the Great Xiangguo Temple and then the Shaolin Temple, and personally paid homage many times. He also sent the Emperor Taishang Daojun to the Shaolin Temple for resettlement, and appointed Fahe as the abbot of the Shaolin Temple. Today, the Qingmiao Law was restarted, and it also started from the Shaolin Temple. It seems that it has involuntarily improved Buddhism."
Zhao Jiu thought about it and was incredulous for a moment: "Mr. Lu means that I am honoring the monks by slapping them in the face?"
Lu Haowen nodded repeatedly, but then slowly shook his head.
Zhao Jiu was speechless for a moment.
"That's exactly what I meant." Lu Haowen replied with a wry smile. "I'm not trying to imitate the monks ' wit, but I just think that the emperor is willing to reason like this, whether it's with the monks or the ministers, it's always a good thing for the whole world... Compared to this, the emperor asked the Zen monks to endorse the Tantric Bodhisattvas, and gave the Arhats, who are despised by Mahayana Buddhism, to the abbot Fahe as a favor, which is really a matter of course."
At this point, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but laugh: "So, the worst and most unreasonable person in the world is actually the emperor?"
Unexpectedly, amid the suspicion of the other four officials behind him, Lu Haowen actually nodded slightly: "This is what I mean. I hope that the emperor can continue it in the future and encourage himself to serve his virtue."
"I understand." Zhao Jiu nodded, and then slowly asked in the silence of the ministers, "Does Prime Minister Lu have anything else to say?"
"Yes." Lu Haowen said helplessly under the moonlight. "Lü Yihao, the governor of Lu, is a fierce person and cannot be a prime minister, but he is a good hand at practical work. While he is still in the southeast and in good health, if the New Green Seedling Law in the Central Plains is done well, he can be allowed to implement it in the southeast earlier..."
"I understand." Zhao Jiu didn't know what he remembered, and he chuckled with his hands behind his back.
"There is also the Market Exchange Law. Although it has the same drawbacks as the Green Seedling Law, both are about officials seeking profit and exploitation, but the New Green Seedling Law is feasible, but it cannot be said that the New Market Exchange Law is feasible... The government should be cautious."
"I see. Anything else?"
"Also, I would like to resign from my position as Minister of Military and National Affairs and Chief of the Secret Council." Lu Haowen continued slowly, and the people around him did not look too surprised.
"Why?" Zhao Jiu obviously didn't look too surprised.
"I am nearly seventy years old, my health is declining, my energy is weakening, my mind is becoming confused, and I have also experienced the past events of Fengheng and Yuda. I have personally witnessed Cai Jing, in his seventies, holding the position of prime minister and fighting for power with the thieves. I have a sense of caution in my heart and do not want to wield power and be looked down upon by the world. This is one of the reasons..."
Hearing this, Zhao Ding instinctively wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't open his mouth.
"I was first appointed as the Minister of State, then the Minister of the Secret Council, and now I have been appointed as the Minister of State. In addition, I have to study the original knowledge, which is complicated. I will only lose everything and cannot study it in depth. I want to go to the Secret Council and the Minister of State, and only serve as the chief of the Minister of State for one year, and then study the original knowledge in depth. This is the second option." Lu Haowen continued to speak seriously. "And my eldest son Lu Benzhong is 48 years old this year. The rest of my sons have also come of age, but because of me, they have not been able to enter the officialdom. As a father, I also want to lick my calves and do not want to hinder their official careers... This is the third option."
Zhao Jiu finally nodded slowly.
"Thinking back when Ming Daogong was appointed as prime minister, his peers, such as Li Boji (Li Gang), have been out of office for several years, Huang Qianshan ended up like that, Zong and Wang died for the country, Zhang Xianggong (Zhang Que) died of illness on the way, Xu Xianggong retired at the height of his career, and even Yuwen Xianggong (Yuwen Xuzhong) and Lu Jinglue (Lv Yihao), who became prime ministers later, are now only governing in the local area and have actually lost the power of the prime minister... I actually wanted to retire a long time ago, but the emperor has to take care of the orphans, so I had to delay." Lu Haowen spoke more and more fluently. "Now that the peace talks have been stopped, the two saints have been settled, the appeasement officials in the court have left, the pseudo-Qi has been destroyed, and the country is actually stable. Today's grand sacrifice is to show that the offensive and defensive situation of Song and Jin will change. It's the time and the situation. I really shouldn't stay any longer... This is the fourth!"
"Before Xianggong Xu left, he specifically said that Lu Yihao was unfit for use, and that it was safer for Lu Qing to remain as Xianggong." These words sounded a bit heavy, and Zhao Jiu hurriedly smiled. "Who would have thought that you would leave today and use his abdication as an excuse? I wonder how I should respond to his questions in the future?"
When everyone heard that Zhao Jiu had changed his address, they all understood.
"That was because Prime Minister Xu was afraid that the government would ignore the people's livelihood, so he was directly instigated by Lu Jinglue to hastily launch a northern expedition... But now it seems that the government's prudent and responsible governance is not what he thought." Lu Haowen said indifferently. "Besides, he just left and fished in Wenzhou all day, leaving the generals here. Why should we deal with him?"
Zhao Jiu was about to nod when he heard this, and several ministers were also ready to compliment Prime Minister Lu.
"Since the emperor is willing to talk about reason, I should also be honest... and there is another fifth." However, Lu Haowen hesitated for a moment, but finally said it clearly. "I have received great favor from the emperor, so we have this encounter between the emperor and his subjects. But in the past, during the chaos, I was also favored by the Supreme Emperor Yuansheng. Before, for official business, I sent Emperor Yuansheng to live in Dongxiao Palace in Shaoxing. Naturally, I have no regrets, but I am a little uneasy in my private heart... I know the emperor's intentions, but I still hope that the emperor can treat Yuansheng a little better."
Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help but sneered: "If that's the case, Lu Qing might as well take good care of your health and study more in Tokyo City. The better your health and the greater your ability, the more I will listen to you... Don't say I didn't warn you."
Lu Hao asked with a sigh.
At this moment, Zhao Ding, who had been cautious and silent for a long time, could not help but glance at Zhang Jun. The latter understood and knew that it was not appropriate for the former to come forward at this time, so he took a half step forward, bowed and smiled: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lu and your Majesty have been king and minister for four or five years, and have achieved great things. Today I am resigning. Don't you have a good poem to give to you? I still remember that when General Yue left last month, your Majesty comforted him with 'Three hundred and sixty days a year, most of the time I was on horseback'. It can be said that he was simple and extraordinary..."
Zhao Jiu also laughed, but pointed to the sky: "Deyuan, are you confused? Why are you going to write new poems or lyrics today? Even if it's an old poem or lyrics, there's only one masterpiece."
Lu Haowen and several other ministers, including Yang Yizhong, were all startled, but as soon as they raised their heads, they almost all came to their senses.
Words:
When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup to ask the sky.
I don’t know what year it is in the palace in heaven.
I want to ride on the wind to go back, but I am afraid that it is too cold up there in the beautiful building.
Dancing with my shadows, it doesn't seem like I'm in the human world.
Turn around the red pavilion, lower the beautiful window, and shine on the sleepless.
There should be no hatred, why does the moon always appear full when we are parting?
People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions; the moon waxes and wanes; it is impossible to have everything in life.
I wish you a long life, and we can enjoy the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands miles apart.
