"Sir, the Zhu family is considered a landlord in Yuquan Town. They have thousands of acres of fertile land and a fortune. I heard they are engaged in the business of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
The housekeeper said softly: "His family has access to leather from Mobei, yellow sheep from Datong, ginseng and deer antlers from Northeast China, and even sugar from Taiwan. He is a first-class businessman."
"It is said, it is said..."
"What?" King Liao narrowed his eyes.
"It is said that he met His Majesty when he was in Nanjing, and even had an affair..."
"Absurd!" King Liao immediately refuted: "How could the royal bloodline leave out the common people?"
"Let this matter end here. Don't talk too much, lest you die without a complete body in the future."
"yes!"
King Liao's breathing quickened a little, and he felt as if he had come into contact with something extraordinary.
After thinking about this, he focused his eyes on the portrait again:
The two people look more and more alike, and they are even fifty-six percent similar to their brothers.
The blessings and misfortunes are unknown...
After serving the tea that had been cold for a while, King Liao drank it in one gulp, and his whole mind became clear in an instant.
The next day, the King of Liao meditated hard in his house and figured out the original script of the play:
During the Tang Dynasty, a certain person was an illegitimate son accidentally born to the emperor while he was living among the people. The emperor did not know it and he was living among the people...
Being lonely and poor since childhood, he had to be a knight-errant like Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty.
The noble daughter took pity on her and threw hydrangeas to find her husband.
The noble girl is not recognized by her family, and her husband and wife are bullied, so they have to appoint a high official, that is, the prime minister...
Living in a cold kiln, eating and picking wild vegetables, the couple suffered torture and were reunited...
No, men have to be forced to serve as soldiers, go to the front line and die, and then be reunited after having made great achievements in battle...
The more he thought about it, the more excited the Liao king became.
The plot has ups and downs, there is a prince, there is a prime minister, the couple is tortured, the script is sure to be a hit.
"Master, the emperor has summoned me."
"Oh!" Putting down his pen helplessly, King Liao changed his clothes and left in a carriage.
"I heard you've been very busy lately!"
The cold wind howled, but it still couldn't stop the emperor from fishing.
Big holes were dug in the ice, and tents, stoves, and barbecues were set up on the shore.
Of course, there are two favorite dogs, Godai, standing guard.
Looking at their rice bowls, it was obvious that they were eating fish.
"I don't dare." King Liao said with a smile, "Didn't it snow recently? I'm a bit lazy."
"Competing with others for money and throwing actors, and still using the name of Lingshou Bo."
The emperor snorted coldly, and King Liao's legs trembled.
"My son, Meng Lang, is here..."
"Forget it, it's just a small matter."
Suddenly, the emperor lost interest again: "Publish your book carefully to match your seed."
"When spring comes, you can go to Beijing Camp to practice."
"Father, my son is weak!" King Liao begged in a low voice.
"It's just a shame, that's why I have to exercise."
The emperor decisively rejected his plea for mercy: "Your third brother also went to the army, why can't you go?"
"Besides, when I go to the Liao Kingdom to join the vassal state in the future, I will inevitably lead troops to fight. You might as well get used to it in advance."
King Liao wailed in his heart and responded with reluctance written on his face.
"The man is the king in Xiliang, and the woman has been guarding the cold kiln for eighteen years. If the husband and wife are separated, you will die of misery——"
Sitting in the carriage, King Liao became more and more indignant and tormented by this play.
"The man came back to inherit the throne, and the woman died after being the queen for eighteen days..."
"Fourth Master, your book is amazing."
The choir members from Chang'an Theater came forward and looked at the play, showing admiration.
"I just provide a story, specific lyrics and arias, and I want you to arrange the filling."
The King of Liao was enjoying the flattery and was in a very happy mood.
"Master, why don't you and your wife have names?"
A middle-aged scholar asked.
"I didn't think of it!" King Liao hesitated for a while and said casually.
As long as your surname is not Zhu.
"The story I wrote here is somewhat similar to Xue Rengui's in the early stage. Both wives worked hard in cold kilns and married foreign princesses. It's just more miserable and full of twists and turns..."
"I simply learned from it and named it Xue Pinggui Wang Baochuan to borrow from his reputation."
"Okay -" King Liao clapped his hands in agreement.
With such a follow-up work, who could tell that it was arranged by the emperor?
"Let's call Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan. Can you give me a detailed arrangement? This drama will have to be arranged in the spring -"
…
Winter, Shunjing.
Kang State, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is plunged into snow.
The twenty-two-year-old Kang Wang Li Si was in charge of politics in Changchun Palace.
Li Zicheng and Li Zijing, one laid the foundation and the other established order. In particular, Li Zijing surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and completely stabilized his rule.
And his pledge was to attack the Heshuote Khanate, which is now the Weizang Kingdom.
The two countries hate each other and have heavy troops stationed on the border.
In this way, the military generals have always maintained an overwhelming advantage in Kang State, suppressing the royal power.
In Kang's country, as a compromise with the military generals, except for the three counties of Shunjing Prefecture, the remaining sixteen counties were all equipped with defense envoys to guard hereditary military generals.
Local officials were appointed and removed by the court, and taxes were divided into 30% and 70%, with 30% turned over and 70% retained.
Of the 70%, 40% goes to the generals to raise troops, and 30% is used for expenditure.
As hundreds of thousands of Shun troops took over, the population structure of the Kham region began to change.
Today, the population of Kang State has increased to 1.4 million, but the Shuntian Mansion under the direct control of King Kang has only 600,000 people.
In terms of military strength, the Forbidden Army only has 30,000 soldiers, while the military commanders and defense envoys from various places have more than 50,000.
The defense envoy is just a smaller version of the Jiedushi envoy.
The royal power was destined to be difficult to regain from the beginning.
However, after Li Si married the daughter of King Qin as his concubine, the local military generals became much less domineering.
They may not be afraid of King Kang, but they are afraid of the Ming army.
The stove in the palace was burning brightly. King Kang was sitting upright with a pile of memorials in front of him.
The Prime Minister Song Qijiao, the Left Assistant Su Wende, and the Right Bi Ding Zhijie each sat quietly with a small table in front of them.
As for the former Prime Minister Niu Jinxing, he died of illness in bed last year, and Song Xiance was even more frail and sick, so he could only submit a letter to become an official.
"Your Highness!" Song Qijiao raised his head and said: "Last year, the imperial court made a profit of 200,000 yuan from the tea-horse trade alone. We also sold a lot of highland barley wine. Over the years, the national inventory has reached nearly one million yuan."
"I suggest that the officials' salaries can be converted from grain into silver coins. This will reduce losses and facilitate the expenses of the officials."
Li Si nodded slightly: "Our country's pepper, mutton, yak, highland barley wine, and medicinal materials are also sharp weapons exported to Sichuan. They cost no less than 500,000 yuan a year."
"That's right, let's give up the food and give out silver coins instead!"
"My Lord, Holy Ming!"
Several people hurriedly raised their hands in admiration.
After talking about this matter, Song Qijiao said seriously: "Your Highness, you know that a gold mine and two silver mines were recently discovered near Kangding.
This matter is of great benefit to our country, but if it is not handled well, it is also a disaster in a certain situation. "
Li Si's expression became serious.
"Are you worried about Akito?"
"It's thousands of miles away and there are high mountains. How could the Ming Dynasty send troops here?"
"No, I am worried about what is within Xiao Qiang."
Song Qijiao sighed.
"As far as I know, these gold and silver mines only produce a few thousand taels or more than a hundred thousand silver coins every year. How dare those warriors act so recklessly?"
Li Si was full of disbelief.
"Your Highness, I have a gold mine in Shunting Prefecture, but don't the other sixteen counties have gold or silver mines?"
Song Qijiao said hurriedly: "I dare to say that people in those ten or so counties have already started mining, but the imperial court doesn't know about it."
"Otherwise, how could those defense envoys be able to raise an army of fifty thousand?"
These words made Li Si fall into thinking.
"Your Highness, the defense envoys from all over the country are mining secretly and have accumulated a lot of money. Who can guarantee that they will not be distracted?"
Song Qijiao's face turned red: "If you have money and soldiers, if things go on like this, how can the three counties of Shuntian Prefecture compare to the sixteen counties?"
"The royal power of this generation is stable, but perhaps in the next generation, the Li family will be in danger..."
"What do you mean by becoming a prime minister? Cutting down the feudal vassal?"
Li Si said in surprise.
As soon as the words "cut off the vassal" fell, the entire hall fell into silence instantly.
The expressions of the three prime ministers were as usual.
Song Qijiao suddenly calmed down at this time: "This matter should be done sooner rather than later."
Li Si raised his eyebrows and said: "Prime Minister, do you know that over the years, anyone who wants to reduce the vassal status will lose everything if he is not careful?"
"The Battle of Jingnan in the former Ming Dynasty is still vivid in my mind!"
"Your Highness, boil the frog in warm water."
Song Qijiao said softly: "Isn't there a good opportunity now?"
Li Si suddenly realized.
This is about the Batang defense commander Hao Yaoqi. Due to his constant troubles when he was young, he has never had an heir.
Now he is already on the sickbed, with few days left to live. A few days ago, he went to the court to let his adopted son Hao Qingfeng inherit the title and official position and guard Batang again.
Sixteen defense envoys expressed their agreement one after another and also wrote a letter asking Hao Qingfeng to inherit the title.
But the prime ministers obviously had other ideas.
They wanted to use an excuse to bring Batang County back to the imperial court and centralize power.
And once this is feasible, it will not be far away to have great power in the future.
Because six of the sixteen generals have no heirs and only have adopted sons.
It is conceivable that in less than ten years, according to the precedent, King Kang will gradually take back six of the sixteen counties of Kang State, occupying an absolute advantage.
When the time comes, cutting the fan will be as easy as cutting a melon.
"This matter needs to be considered in the long term -"
Li Si shook his head and rejected the proposal.
He is not stupid, he knows that his father Li Zijing was established by this group of warriors, and the defense envoy is the product of compromise, and he can't move easily.
Seeing this, Song Qijiao was helpless.
But he still didn't give up in his heart, and he couldn't give up on the matter of reducing the vassal.
Back in the harem, Li Si was worried.
Seeing his appearance, the princess couldn't help but asked softly: "Why is the king so sad? Is there anything else that worries the entire Kang country?"
"The princess doesn't know something."
Li Si didn't hide anything and simply told everything.
As he spoke, he stroked his wife's big belly, and finally sighed: "If a boy is born, he will be the heir apparent of our Kang Kingdom."
The princess didn't know much about government affairs and could only be a listener, but when she talked about the fetus in her belly, she became energetic:
"When the crown prince is born, will the king give him a good name?"
"My father's generation is called heir, and I am an only son. It is not in line with the rules to have only one name."
Li Si said with great interest: "Now my son's generation will be designated as the 'Fan' generation."
"The last word can be auspicious."
"Li Fanrui? Not bad."
The couple talked and laughed, and the whole palace was full of warmth.
Soon Kyung delayed the succession procedures, which made the military commanders very angry.
Li Laiheng angrily shouted: "What the hell is the court thinking?"
"Brother Hao is almost dead, and we are still fighting for power at this time. We took down this great country of Kang, how can they have the nerve to take it back?"
On the bed, Hao Yaoqi couldn't help but said: "Yes, we conquered this place ourselves. Even if it is given to a dog, the court should recognize it."
"Why take it back?"
Others were also furious and cursed.
Tian Jianxiu hurriedly reassured: "This matter may not be His Highness's idea. Those people must be greedy and want to take our money."
"A little money is nothing."
These words are reasonable, and the warriors think so too.
They all felt that this was a way for civil servants to make money.
Because although the sixteen counties have only half the population, they have vast grasslands and forests, and countless minerals.
In this case, even ordinary soldiers were assigned hundreds of acres of cultivated land and thousands of acres of pasture.
As the local emperors, the warriors naturally made a fortune and occupied nearly half of the local land.
Minerals, cattle, sheep, and medicinal materials are all so fat that it is so lively to have wives and concubines.
The county government also gave them 40% of the tax revenue to help support the army.
And what about the civil servants?
Except for the land rewarded by King Kang, the salary was nothing at all, and there were only a few grains of rice in a small pot.
A mere prime minister's net worth is less than 10% of that of a defense envoy.
Therefore, Hao Yaoqi was forced to send 30,000 silver yuan to the prime ministers, and an additional 20,000 to King Kang.
Song Qijiao pointed to the 20,000 silver yuan and said, "Your Highness, just one county can easily come up with 20,000 yuan."
"It is conceivable that his family may be richer than the national treasury!"
King Kang was silent now.
Good guy, his internal funds are only about 100,000 yuan a year, and the remaining money every year is less than 20,000 yuan. You gave away so much at once.
So rich!
Song Qijiao took advantage of the victory and pursued the attack: "If these military counties are returned to the imperial court, it will no longer be possible for the national treasury to receive one million yuan a year. By then, the internal funds will probably be doubled!"
The huge benefits made King Kang somewhat breathless.
Silk, books, porcelain, and tea all cost money.
"Your Highness, as long as you speak to General Hao, we will wait until he dies..."
Song Qijiao said softly.
Li Si glanced at him for a long time, then nodded slightly.
After Hao Yaoqi received this reply, he immediately became furious.
Who can bear to lose fifty thousand silver dollars?
What's more, the territory is not guaranteed.
"This matter must be discussed properly."
Li Laiheng was furious, his face full of anger.
The imperial court openly violated the promise it made back then. If it dares to cut off Hao Yaoqi today, tomorrow it will cut down the vassalage for those who have heirs.
You must not coddle them.
In this way, the defense envoys of the sixteen counties responded and raised tens of thousands of troops to threaten Shunting.
