Xichun was taken to Fengzao Palace by Baoqin beside Yuanchun, where her little sister Princess Chun'er was waiting.
When Jia Cong came to the palace gate, the monarchs and ministers inside were blushing because of the dispute over government affairs.
It seems that the matter being discussed today is quite important, and almost all the big bosses from the Cabinet, the Five Military Governor's Mansion, and the chief officials of the Six Ministries and Five Temples have been summoned.
Since the death of Mr. Wei, there has been a major change in the cabinet and the six ministries and five temples. The old ministers of the Zhaowu Dynasty have either aged or retired. Today's central ministers are almost all the emperor's cronies.
Even the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army also followed the Emperor's edict. Except for the British Duke Zhang Yue who continued to sit in charge of the Chinese Army with the honorary title of Commander-in-Chief, almost everything was changed.
The commander-in-chief of the left army was replaced by Cao Jiugong, the commander of Longjing Guards.
Liu Fang, the first-class son of the former Governor of the Right Army, was demoted, and Han Yang, the emperor's confidant and the Marquis of Jiyang, was transferred to the capital to take over as the Governor of the Right Army. He was also in charge of the Youwu and Youwei Imperial Guards.
The former military governor was Jia Cong's father, Jia She, the Marquis of Rongguo, who was also the deputy envoy of the Jingying Festival. He was one of the future governors personally selected by the old man for the emperor.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Rear Army was quite special, being led by King Jing Liu Yiyuan. It was said that the suggestion was made by Emperor Liu Heng personally to the Supreme Emperor, which was probably the emperor's way of balancing.
The first assistant of the cabinet is Zhou Jiong, a bachelor of Zhongji Palace, the second assistant is Xia Lingxing, a bachelor of Jianji Palace, Zhou Peigui, a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, and Wen Tongxuan, a bachelor of Wuying Palace. Except for Zhou Jiong, a veteran who was specially retained by the Second Sage, these four people were all talents re-selected by the emperor.
Cifu Xia Lingxing will obviously succeed Zhou Jiong in taking charge of the center within three or two years. He is not only one of the emperor's teachers back then, but also a veteran in the literary world. Although his prestige is not as good as that of Mr. Wei, he is also well-known among the people and is very suitable for implementing the new law. .
Wang Molin, the minister of the Ministry of official affairs, Lin Ruhai, the minister of the Ministry of household affairs, Jian Zifang, the minister of the Ministry of war, Duan Jun, the minister of the Ministry of industry, He Yaomin, the minister of the Ministry of rites, and Cai Quan, the minister of the Ministry of punishment. As well as Gu Zhongyan, the minister of Taipu Temple, Shen Ke, the minister of Honglu Temple, Zhai Sigong, the minister of Taichang Temple, Luo Qi, the minister of Guanglu Temple, and Wang Zhiwei, the minister of Dali Temple, most of them are from the Qingzhuang sect and are members of the imperial party promoted by the emperor in the past two years. .
Among them, the futures of He Yaomin, the Minister of Rites, and Lin Ruhai, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, are visible to the naked eye. After Mr. Zhou Jiong becomes an official, either He Yaomin or Lin Ruhai will join the cabinet.
It is common practice for the Ministry of Rites to join the cabinet, and with He Yaomin's qualifications, there is basically no suspense in the court's recommendation.
The only difference between Lin Ruhai and He Yaomin is age and seniority, but they can't stand up to their talent.
Just the two major political achievements of rectifying salt classes and piloting sea opening are enough to be proud of the six departments. According to statistics from concerned people, since the fifth year of Yuanyou, Lin Ruhai has sent more than 35 million taels of silver to the capital.
Why did Wen Tongxuan recommend Lin Ruhai to replace him in charge of the household department? The God of Wealth has a vicious eye. It was obvious at a glance that Lin Ruhai was shocked... Ahem, I digress.
The God of Wealth's recommendation to the emperor was just one sentence: With Lin Ruhai here, no matter how hard Daxia goes, the Ministry of Revenue will not be short of money.
This sentence has really come true. The Ministry of Households now has 27 million taels of silver and countless grains, which is enough for Daxia to attack the surrounding vassal states with disloyal intentions.
Of course, the Celestial Empire is benevolent and righteous. As long as he doesn't jump too hard, Master Wang will not draw his sword.
However, today’s topic is of epoch-making significance, including the expansion of the household contract responsibility system in imperial villages and official land in various places, the abolition of corvee, and the implementation of a government employment system.
The first item was actually implemented at the end of the sixth year of Yuanyou in various imperial villages and official fields in the capital after being reported by Jia Cong and Daiyu.
It has been a year now and has benefited hundreds of thousands of poor and landless people in Gyeonggi Province. In addition, the crops in Huangzhuang and Guantian had a bumper harvest in two seasons. The treasuries of all the governments in Northern Zhili were full. The people had food in their hands and did not panic. It can be said that both the officials and the people benefited.
For this reason, the emperor paid a private visit incognito and traveled around the capital. Looking at the chubby dolls in Zhuangzi, the emperor felt very happy.
He felt that this method was mature and could be gradually implemented in various places to benefit all people, and officially launched a charge towards the title of one emperor through the ages.
All the important officials in the central committee thought that this was acceptable. Although the reduction of rent and interest on the official land in Huangzhuang would affect the rent of private land, the possible turmoil would not be overwhelming, so it was passed after a rough discussion.
Only the second item is stuck between the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War.
If corvee was abolished, the pressure on the Ministry of Revenue would increase exponentially, and there would also be huge pressure on the Ministry of War.
Lin Ruhai roughly calculated that unless the annual income of the imperial court could reach 80 million taels of silver, the huge gap caused by the abolition of corvee could be plugged.
According to the current growth of wealth and income, it will be at least five years later. This is still an ideal state.
After he told this situation, the hot-blooded emperor finally calmed down a little.
But who is Liu Heng? The title of Stubborn Fourth is not for nothing.
Since corvee cannot be abolished in its entirety, let’s abolish some of it first. Services such as river management, road construction, and expedition logistics were among the first to be cut off and abolished.
Fortunately for Duan Jun, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, corvées such as river work and road construction are mostly handled by the local government and have little to do with the ministry.
But Jian Zifang, Minister of the Ministry of War, felt like he was going crazy. Are you kidding me? Without military service, who would send the food and grass to Jiubian every year?
Hire? The Ministry of Husbandry has been a stingy minister for two consecutive terms, so why should our Ministry of War still be choked by the Ministry of Husbandry? Besides, aren't the most painful, tiring, and dangerous among the corvees the military service and river work?
Even if the imperial court paid for them, few people would be willing to transport food and grass to Jiubian.
No, absolutely not!
"Your Majesty, military service must never be abolished. Without military service, I can't even send food and grass to Jiubian."
Several big bosses in the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion also held negative views. Liu Heng also knew that he was too idealistic, but he was very firm on the reform of the military service system.
Because some time ago, during his private visit incognito, he saw with his own eyes the destruction of a family due to military service.
The man who headed the family died on the way to Jiubian to transport grain and grass. Later, the old father died of illness because he missed his son. His younger brother was unbearable, his children were young, and his wife was molested by naughty people. He couldn't bear the rumors and hanged himself...
The military service system must be abolished. No matter how strong the resistance is, Liu Heng will not compromise.
However, as the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army Governor's Office and Jian Zifang said, military service is of great importance and one must be cautious.
After the emperor expressed his firm attitude, a heated discussion began in the Qinzheng Palace. However, after a long discussion, no useful solution could be come up. Instead, Duan Jun, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, "gloated" about misfortune, which angered Jian Zifang, who was in a state of anxiety.
As a result, the Minister of Industry and the Ministry of War staged a full-scale martial arts show in front of the imperial court. The Minister of Hubu went to break up the fight, but was punched by the Minister of War intentionally or unintentionally...
When Wen Tongxuan saw that his successor was beaten, he rolled up his sleeves and rushed forward. This time it became even more lively.
Which of the Five Military Governor's Mansion, Six Ministries and Five Temples has not had money stuck by the Ministry of Household Affairs? If you don’t report today, when will it be updated?
Fortunately for Lin Ruhai, among the five generations of princes of the Gusu Lin family, Tanhua Lang was the most capable of their generation. Except for Niu Jizong, who is a tough guy, the other five ministers and five temple ministers, Lin Ruhai, can fight three of them one by one.
It’s just hard on Mr. Wenge...
When Liu Heng had no choice but to call General Han to pull the central group of important officials away, except for a few melon-eating bosses who did not end up, every one of his intimate officials had bruises and swollen faces.
My heart is so tired, this is my subject.
There was a fight at the Fengtian Palace and a fight at the Qinzheng Palace. Will the fight start at the Ancestral Temple next time?
There was a lively fight inside, and seeing that his father-in-law did not suffer any loss, Jia Cong hid outside the palace gate and did not dare to go in. The emperor happened to see him poking his head around.
"Jia Xiaosan, get out of here!"
Lin Ruhai wanted to cover the bruises on his face, but unfortunately Jia Cong had long been hiding at the palace gate and watched the whole process of the group of big guys fighting each other.
Jia Cong suppressed his laughter and moved into the palace.
"Greetings to Your Majesty, I have met all of you."
Liu Heng asked with a dark face: "Didn't I ask you to go to the East Palace first?"
"Ah, I'm here to see the fun... No, I have something to report to His Majesty."
Jia Cong couldn't bear to look at the faces of the court princes, and cupped his hands and said: "But before that, I still want to talk about the corvee. I have something to ask Lin Shangshu..."
"oh?"
Liu Heng and all the ministers looked at Jia Cong, and Lin Ruhai asked, "What's the matter?"
Jia Cong asked: "How much food and grass is lost on the way to Jiubian every year?"
"At least 30%."
Lin Ruhai's answer actually gave the Ministry of War face. Coupled with the corruption and extortion of officials at all levels, it would be good to have three people actually sent to the army.
Jia Cong nodded, cupped his hands to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I propose to trial the military procurement system."
"What is the military procurement system?"
Jian Zifang became interested, struggled to open his eyes that were swollen into a line, and asked, "Is it similar to palace procurement?"
Jia Cong suppressed a smile and replied: "Jian Shangshu is right, but the procurement of military supplies needs to be more stringent. After all, it is supplying the army, and there is no room for sloppiness. The Ministry of War will provide information to the people based on the data reported by each town and each guard station every year. Conduct a bidding process, and qualified merchants can become suppliers to the Daxia military after passing the review..."
In fact, Daxia already has an extremely complete procurement model, and has more than ten qualified merchants - Huangshang.
As long as a few regulations are slightly changed, it will be enough to supply grain and grass to the Daxia military. It can even expand the scale of procurement, strengthen competition, and minimize the consumption of transporting grain and grass.
The central bosses in the palace were the top talents in the country, and they immediately understood that this was an excellent method. They had never thought before that it was not that they were not smart, but that the experiences of past dynasties had bound their minds.
The princes no longer bothered to fight. It seemed as if the fight just now had never happened. They talked to each other about their opinions and quickly perfected the trial version of the "Great Xia Military Procurement System"...
As for Jia Cong, who first proposed this method, let's play...
Liu Heng called the resentful Jia Cong closer and asked in a low voice what was the reason for his sudden visit to Qinzheng Hall.
Jia Cong muttered to the emperor about the missionaries. Liu Heng initially didn't take it seriously. After Jia Cong talked about the tradition that Western monarchs need to be crowned by the pope, the emperor suddenly became angry.
The Central Plains dynasty also had the divine right of kings, but it was very different from the divine right of kings in the West.
After all, the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty is the spokesperson of God, but in the West there is also a spokesperson of God on earth - the Pope.
"You have done a good job on this matter. I will let the Ministry of Rites handle this matter..."
"Your Majesty, the dangers of missionaries are not just religious matters. In fact, many missionaries in the West are not just missionaries, they are also spies. We must guard against them."
Jia Cong knew the virtues of this group of missionaries very well. Believe it or not, these missionaries would go around the inland and be able to draw a map of Daxia that was even more detailed than that of the Ministry of War.
He recounted all the possible things that Western missionaries had done in his mind, and suggested that the Emperor ask the Ministry of Rites to take action openly and secretly mobilize the Dragon Guards to investigate these missionaries to see what other conspiracy they had behind them.
When the time comes, just do it all at once, and maybe you can make a lot of money. After all, the missionaries are all wealthy owners. For example, the three people on Zhengyang Street today made hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
"It's all money, Your Majesty. The richest people in the West are these missionaries!"
"What money? Where did it come from?"
The monarch and his ministers were talking in whispers when a sound of surprise suddenly came from their ears.
Wen Tongxuan came over with a pair of panda eyes and asked: "Uncle Yongfeng has found a way to get money again? Tell me quickly."
Good guy, when it comes to money, Old Man Wen's ears are sharper than anyone else.
The corner of Liu Heng's mouth twitched. Whatever evil he had done in his previous life, few of his ministers were normal.
Jia Cong reluctantly held up his hands: "Mr. Wen Ge, there is no way to get money. I was talking to your majesty about those Western missionaries. By the way, have you finished discussing, sir? Is it possible to purchase military supplies?"
Wen Tongxuan nodded and presented a freshly prepared trial version of the "Great Xia Military Procurement System" strategy to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I have only discussed the general direction so far. The specific process needs to be discussed carefully. At present, this plan is feasible. It will not only reduce the loss of people's power, but also greatly reduce the loss on the way."
Lin Ruhai added: "Although this method is good, there is one point that needs to be paid attention to. Military supplies are of great importance. In order to prevent officials from being corrupt and merchants from shoddy goods, I believe that supervision should be strengthened. It is best to have the Ministry of War as the supervisor and the general inspector. The hospital is responsible for supervision, and the Ministry of Household Affairs finally allocates funds based on the document jointly signed by the Ministry of War and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.”
"What do you mean? Are you saying that my Ministry of War is corrupt? Well, Lin Ruhai, you are specifically trying to get in trouble with me, right..."
"I didn't mention anyone by name, I just discussed the matter."
The two ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, who had just been working together as "brothers, friends and brothers", turned into fighting cocks again and were about to start a fight.
Jia Cong was thinking about how to break up the fight so that his father-in-law and I could take advantage.
In the end, the emperor sighed and stopped the two of them.
"Okay, this matter will be led by the cabinet, and will be handled jointly by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. If you have nothing to do, please step aside and quickly ask the Taiyuan Hospital to apply some medicine to all your beloved ministers to reduce the swelling. All of them are important officials of the imperial court. , we fight and fight with each other every day, and we don’t feel ashamed..."
"No, Your Majesty, Cai Chen just heard it true. Uncle Yongfeng said the money. Those Western missionaries have money..."
Wen Tongxuan grabbed the emperor who was about to leave, grabbing his sleeves to prevent him from leaving.
Liu Heng had no choice but to sit down again and let Jia Cong tell the missionary story again.
Regarding this matter, the ministers in the palace had different reactions.
Some people are disdainful, and some people frown.
Finally, He Yaomin, the Minister of Rites, said with a solemn face: "Uncle Yongfeng's concerns are actually the concerns of the old minister. Does your Majesty still remember the old events of the Southern Dynasties?"
"There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, and there are many towers in the mist and rain. We finally suppressed Buddhism, and now there is a religion coming from the West. Your Majesty, we must be on guard against it!"
The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the world's religions. How could He Yaomin, the Minister of Rites, not understand the harm of religion to the imperial court?
Taoism is okay, as long as there is no Taoist emperor, and as long as the king does not take elixirs to seek immortality, the Ministry of Rites does not bother to care about this kind of religion that you believe in or not.
But if a religion like Buddhism, which encircles land and money in prosperous times, brings troubles to the world in troubled times, is enough to endanger the rule of a country, He Yaomin has to be on guard.
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
That’s it for today, and we’ll continue tomorrow.
Happy Chinese Valentine's Day to everyone!
(End of chapter)
