On the waterside pavilion, after the prince left, the third prince immediately turned back to the central waterside pavilion, and did not try to win over Jia Lian as the prince had guessed.
However, as soon as he left, many of his descendants came to establish friendship with Jia Lian.
Among the younger generation of non-clan disciples, without King Beijing, Jia Lian can basically be said to be the leader today.
And King Beijing was sent to Beijing by Emperor Ningkang half a year ago. It was said that he was on a hunting tour on behalf of the emperor.
But for Jia Lian, it is now difficult for him to truly have a heart-to-heart relationship with these young disciples. This is a matter of mentality. After all, he was in the Chongqing Hall before and talked with many of their fathers and grandfathers on an equal footing...
On the second day of the lunar month, the birthday banquet was all prepared and ready to be held.
All the princes, ministers and princes lined up outside the main hall of Chonghua Palace to enter the banquet.
Because there were so many people coming to celebrate the birthday, low-ranking officials could not enter the palace at all and could only enjoy the outdoor banquet in the wind and snow outside the palace.
Jia Lian was lucky. He was arranged to enter the palace, and his position was not far back, but in the middle. As soon as he sat down, he noticed that there was a little boy in his teens next to him, but Jia Lian did not dare to ignore him at all. As soon as he sat down, he clasped his fists and saluted to the person opposite him, who also nodded and smiled very politely.
"Hey, fifth brother, let's change places!"
"This...isn't good, Master said: There is order between elders and young ones. How dare I take the lead among the imperial brothers..."
"I'll just change it if I ask you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
After receiving a caring slap on the head from his elder brother, the young fifth prince had no choice but to lift his buttocks and move forward to a seat.
The fourth prince sat down on the seat he had grabbed. When he saw Jia Lian looking at him with a smile, as if he was mocking him for bullying the younger ones, he said angrily: "This boy just needs a beating. He is so young and has learned so much." He's rotten and not as cute as he was when he was a kid. It's all because of the stubborn old guys in the study who taught my good brother the wrong way. I'll have to find a way to deal with them when I turn around."
The Fourth Prince was just talking nonsense, but when he said this, his eyes suddenly became serious.
Back then, he was also the one who was tortured in the study room. At that time, he was a student and did not dare to make trouble with the bachelors. But now that he has "graduated", can he take revenge...
Seeing this, Jia Lian turned around silently and poured himself a glass of wine. He could already imagine that if this unscrupulous guy really took advantage of the darkness to attack the bachelors who went to the study room, he would be kneeling in the south study room and being criticized the next day.
"Jia Lian, when will your firearms battalion be established? How about I go to your place and be a deputy general? To be honest, I am particularly interested in the 'Zhenyuan Cannon'. Believe me, as long as you let me in, I can definitely improve it and make it more powerful."
"Also, when your new warship is built, don't forget me. Then we will go to sea to kill the Japanese pirates. Damn, I have grown so old, and I have never gone to sea in a ship..."
Hearing the chattering words of the fourth prince next to him, Jia Lian finally realized that this fourth prince seemed to recognize him as the boss. In the past, this guy used to be a little arrogant when talking to him, but since then, it has completely disappeared.
Not only is it gone, but she still likes to cling to him.
After casually dealing with the fourth prince, Jia Lian glanced at the center of the hall. Just because of this, a group of dancers and musicians had already filed into the palace to perform for the officials in the palace before the banquet.
However, after a few glances, Jia Lian's interest was greatly reduced. Without him, the beauty of these palace dancers is much inferior to that of Shen Pan's son and four daughters in his family. They are better than just a large number. After two rounds of performances, there is no repetition.
It seems that those salt merchants did not deceive him at the beginning, and they really selected the beauty for him.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has arrived."
Following the eunuch Gao Hang's voice, the dancing music girl stepped down, and all the princes and ministers in the palace exited their seats. They knelt down uniformly in the lower left corner of their seats, kowtowed and sang: "I wait for you to welcome the Holy Master~~"
Hearing the deafening sound echoing in his ears, Jia Lian couldn't help but complain. He finally understood why the ministers in the previous TV series congratulated the emperor on his birthday, and their speeches were so neat.
Can it be untidy? There is a script for everything. Even before entering the palace, the etiquette eunuchs took turns conveying the agenda and specific arrangements of the birthday banquet to the ministers. Who dares not to remember it carefully? Make a mistake in this scene and the consequences can be serious.
Ya Que was silent. After a long time, he faintly heard a strong and deep voice coming from the top: "Everyone, get up."
"Kowtow to the Supreme Emperor, I wish the Supreme Emperor a long and prosperous life, and good health. May our country be strong forever and our country be long-lasting..."
After a series of praises, nearly a thousand princes and ministers inside and outside the palace stood up one after another, returned to their seats, and sat upright.
At this time, Jia Lian had the opportunity to look towards the top of the hall.
Sure enough, right in front of the hall, the two dragon chairs, one high and one low, one upright and one side empty, were now occupied by people.
Emperor Ning Kang didn't know when he was sitting on the low dragon chair. Next to him, the virtuous empress also sat upright beside him.
And on the large dragon chair directly above, it is obvious that there is also an emperor and a queen sitting. Naturally, the Queen Mother is still as graceful as ever, with no need for extra decorations. She just sits so upright on the pinnacle that represents the highest power, with endless light that makes people dare not look directly at her.
Jia Lian quickly turned her gaze and looked at... the old man next to her?
The old man looked a bit ordinary, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, and a slightly stooped body. If it weren't for the loose and majestic dragon robe on his body and the relaxed eyes that casually glanced at the countless princes below, no one would believe that he was the current Supreme Emperor and the longest reigning emperor since the founding of the Wei Dynasty. emperor.
The first time I saw the former supreme Jia Lian, his eyes were narrowed, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Suddenly Jia Lian glanced at it and discovered keenly that there was clearly a short chair placed on the left side of the dragon chair of the Emperor and the Queen Mother. This short chair is still empty. I don’t know who actually dared to come to the birthday banquet after the Supreme Emperor, Emperor Ningkang and others?
Like many ordinary state banquets, someone needs to make a speech before the banquet begins.
The first minister of the court clearly shouldered this important task. He stood tremblingly in the middle of the hall, knelt down, took out the manuscript from his sleeve, and began to give an emotional speech.
First, he expressed congratulations to the Supreme Emperor on behalf of the court and the ministers of civil and military affairs, and then went on to praise his merits in a long and gorgeous way.
It means that under the blessing of the Supreme Emperor and the diligence of Emperor Ningkang, the great Wei State was peaceful and peaceful, the people were prosperous, the country was becoming stronger and stronger, and the people's lives were becoming more prosperous and happy.
If that was all, that was all. After expressing these words, he changed the topic and actually started to report the government affairs to the Supreme Emperor again...
When he got here, Jia Lian was confused. This chief minister must be mentally ill. The Supreme Emperor got tired of being an emperor, so he abdicated and enjoyed his leisure time behind the scenes. It is rare for people to live a long life these days. Isn't it inappropriate for you to talk about these "bad things"?
But Jia Lian looked around and found that the civil and military ministers present seemed to be used to it. Even Emperor Ning Kang at the front, looking from a distance, Jia Lian couldn't see the change in expression on his face.
However, he glanced at the Supreme Emperor, and there was indeed a look of displeasure on his face. When the first assistant took a breath, he waved his hand and said, "Okay, no need to read anymore, please step back."
The first assistant blinked, as if he still had some unfinished thoughts, but he did not dare to disobey the Emperor's wishes. After bowing, he returned to the first row on the left with the help of the eunuch.
Just when everyone thought that the process had come to this point and it was time to start the banquet, suddenly among the seats of civil servants, an old man in his sixties suddenly stood up, came to the main hall with great energy, knelt down, and said loudly: " I would like to report to the Supreme Emperor, I have a story to tell you!"
His voice made everyone pay attention. Why do I suddenly feel that I am not here to celebrate my birthday today, but as if I am here to attend the morning ceremony.
Emperor Ningkang looked at the veterans in the palace calmly and said calmly: "Today is the birthday of the Supreme Emperor. Mr. Xiao Ge should not disturb the Supreme Emperor's elegance with government affairs. If there is anything important, you can come in person after the banquet. Come and discuss with me. It’s the birthday banquet of the Supreme Emperor. As an old minister, Mr. Xiao Ge shouldn’t even know this bit of etiquette.”
Under normal circumstances, even if there was a big emergency, when the emperor said this, he would have the sense to back down.
But Mr. Xiao Ge seemed to be abnormal. He didn't seem to hear the displeasure in Emperor Ning Kang's words, and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, if it is an ordinary and trivial matter, I will naturally not dare to disturb the Supreme Emperor. But this matter concerns me. The stability of the country in the Wei Dynasty is related to the survival of the ancestral temple, but the veteran has to respectfully ask the Supreme Emperor to make a decision."
In the main hall, it became unusually quiet again, and it was eerily quiet.
Even the most obtuse person wants to be aware of something unusual.
Logically speaking, shouldn't the stability of the country, the country, and the survival of the ancestral temple be a matter that should concern Emperor Kangdi, the current emperor? Why did Xiao Jing say, "I have to respectfully ask the Emperor to make a decision"?
The implication is that Emperor Ningkang still can’t make the decision? I don’t know how big of a deal this is!
Emperor Ning Kang stared at the man kneeling below him for a long time. He did not speak, but even from a distance, Jia Lian could guess that his big boss was in a bad mood.
But Emperor Ningkang did not argue with Xiao Jing in the end. He stood up and faced the Supreme Emperor. He raised his hands and asked about another topic: "I dare to ask my father, I wonder why my son, minister, mother and concubine did not come to attend my father's birthday banquet today? "
As Emperor Ningkang asked the question, many ministers noticed this problem.
Yes, why didn’t Mrs. Li show up today? This is indeed a bit strange. Because according to previous practice, Concubine Li would have to attend the Emperor's birthday.
Although Mrs. Li's name is the concubine, everyone knows that she is actually another queen mother. After all, her biological son ascended the throne and became the emperor.
In previous dynasties, Concubine Li was just the Queen Mother of the West Palace. However, it seems that this Concubine Li was lacking in virtue and was deeply disliked by the Supreme Emperor, so she was never given this title.
The Emperor's eyes were calm, "She is not feeling well. I asked her to rest well in the palace."
"But my father, when I went to pay my respects last night, I didn't notice anything strange about my mother and concubine."
"You mean, I'm lying?"
"I dare not..."
Seeing that Emperor Ningkang relented, the Supreme Emperor was too lazy to argue with him. He looked to the left and right and ordered: "From now on, my birthday banquet only requires the Queen Mother to accompany me. Please withdraw."
Following the words of the Supreme Emperor, the eunuchs behind him came into battle and carried away the empty short chairs next to them.
Seeing this scene, not to mention Emperor Ningkang, even many ministers below him trembled in their hearts, and they all speculated in their hearts what the Supreme Emperor meant by this move.
Is it because he simply doesn’t want Concubine Li to attend his birthday party, or is it something else? If you just don't like her, it's okay. After all, a country's head deserves a country's mother, and the mother is more important than the son. She is not the queen mother after all. Her reputation is not legitimate, so it is normal for her to be removed.
Removing Concubine Li's position seemed to be a trivial matter to the Emperor, as there was not even a slight change on his face.
When he turned around and saw Emperor Ning Kang still standing in front of him stupidly, he said displeasedly: "Aren't you going to step back?"
"yes."
Emperor Ningkang silently retreated to his seat. The queen next to him saw that he looked unhappy and quietly stretched out a hand on his sleeve.
After this episode, everyone's eyes returned to the kneeling Xiao Jing again.
The Supreme Emperor also looked at him and said nonchalantly: "Just say what you want to say."
Xiao Jing was not disturbed by what just happened at all. His expression was as upright as before.
"Reporting back to the Supreme Emperor, since Taizu established the kingdom, he has granted many titles to meritorious officials, and has done little in favor of corvees and small gifts in order to consolidate the country. Emperor Taizong and Mu Zong followed suit.
After the Taishang Emperor succeeded to the throne, he also upheld the ambition of the Taizu, had the world in mind, treated the heroes with kindness, and benefited the world. As a result, all the capable people in the world rushed to serve the imperial court and be loyal to the Supreme Emperor. In this way, we in the Wei Dynasty gained decades of stability, no more wars at the border, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.
However, there are some people in the court today who have forgotten the aspirations of their ancestors, belittle the meritorious ministers, slander and deceive the superiors, and want to take actions to shake the foundation of the Wei Dynasty! "
Xiao Jing's voice was high, his tone was full of righteousness, and his words were shocking.
The people who can sit in the Chonghua Hall this time are basically people who are at the center of the Wei Dynasty. As soon as they heard Xiao Jing's words, they immediately realized what Xiao Jing was going to say.
After all, in addition to the Emperor's birthday, the only thing the court has recently decided to do is "clearing the land" that can be considered a major national event. Only this is worthy of what Xiao Jing said was the chaos that shakes the foundation of the Wei Dynasty!
Emperor Ningkang's mood, which had just been comforted by the queen, suddenly became violent. He tightened his eyes and stared at the upright Xiao Jing.
You thief, so brave! !
"Xiao Jing, don't you dare to slander others. Who is slandering and deceiving me? Who wants to cause chaos in government?!"
The Minister of Revenue stood up from his seat and glared at Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing snorted coldly: "Whoever cares about Taizu's ambitions, cares about the stability of the country and the country of the Wei Dynasty in vain, and advocates for the clearing of land and land, is the person who slanders and deceives the superiors and wants to cause chaos in the government!"
"you……"
"quiet!"
The old eunuch beside the Supreme Emperor keenly observed that the Supreme Emperor frowned and immediately shouted in a sharp voice.
Xiao Jing ignored the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue and continued to kowtow to the Supreme Emperor: "Your Majesty, since the beginning of dynasties, the soldiers who fought against the country and the civil and military personnel who patrolled the sky are the foundation of a country's stability.
Without the bloody battles of border officers and soldiers, the country would be under the prying eyes of foreign enemies and the country would be in danger.
If there are no civil and military officials who are loyal to their duties and patrol the four directions on behalf of the emperor, the enemy will rise within without knowing it, and the country will surely perish.
Both of these are the foundation of the stability of the country. There is no better way to govern a country than to 'reward those who have merit and punish those who have made mistakes'. Nowadays, because the imperial court wants to increase the annual revenue of the state treasury, it has forgotten the ancestral precept of Taizu that he should take corvee lightly and pay little in taxes, and easily deprive the country estates awarded to meritorious ministers.
How can such hasty behavior last long? Let me ask, if the soldiers who fought with blood cannot hold the land they bought with their lives, and the officials who are loyal to their duties do not have the farm property to maintain the livelihood of the people, and everyone is in danger, how can the soldiers use their lives and the officials be loyal?
Therefore, the old minister implores the Supreme Emperor to issue an edict to cancel the "field clearing" policy that has not yet been promulgated by the imperial court, and restore peace to the world! "
"What a wonderful world!"
Emperor Ning Kang simply laughed angrily when he heard this.
"According to what Mr. Xiao Ge said, if I insist on carrying out the policy of clearing the land, wouldn't I be destroying the foundation of the Wei Dynasty?"
"I have no intention of doing so, and your Majesty just misunderstood the slander. As long as the policy of clearing the land is canceled in time, it will not be too late."
Emperor Ning Kang wanted to kill this man in his heart, but he had no intention of quarreling with him. He sneered and said, "Never mind that I have never had any intention of taking back the property of the meritorious minister. Let's talk about people who have a lot of land in the world. Are they all ministers who have made contributions to the country? You said that the soldiers who fought in bloody battles and the civil and military personnel who were loyal to their duties, I admit these. Could it be that in the state capitals of the world, except for those gentry members who dominate one area, they have also become the lords of the country? No merit?
Or don’t you know that most of the world is pocketed by these people through various visible and invisible secret means? "
After saying that, Emperor Ningkang looked at the princes and ministers in the hall and said seriously: "I have never thought about getting anything back from you. As Mr. Xiao Ge said, most of you are meritorious service members of the country. As a minister, or as a meritorious official, whatever the court rewards you is what you deserve.
However, I will never tolerate those powerful and evil gentry who rely on their power to buy and sell by force, arbitrarily annexing land all over the world, causing the people to be displaced, and damaging the foundation of the Wei Dynasty. The purpose of the imperial court's policy of clearing out acres of land this time is to expose these people to their true colors and leave them with no place to hide!
Do you think this is a policy that benefits the country and the people, or is it a disorder of government? "
Seeing that Emperor Ningkang's few words tended to convince more people, Xiao Jing hurriedly shouted: "Your Majesty's words are wrong! Even the local gentry and clans that Your Majesty looks down on are important foundations of our Wei Dynasty.
I, the great Wei Dynasty, have cultivated my health for hundreds of years and have tens of millions of people. However, if we count the official list of our great Wei Dynasty, regardless of whether it is outside Beijing or big or small, the total number of civil and military officials is only one hundred thousand! One hundred thousand is compared to ten thousand, how can the disparity be measured in terms of Tao? However, all the prefectures and counties in the world can still maintain peace and stability. Isn't it these local gentry and clans that the court and government rely on?
If there were not these countless local clans in the world, who strictly abide by the court's laws and government orders, govern and restrain their respective tribesmen, how could the court govern tens of thousands of people with tens of thousands of people?
As your Majesty said, the purpose of clearing the land this time is to identify the powerful and evil gentry in the local area. But how can your Majesty find out from the countless clans in the world which are the powerful and evil gentry causing harm to the local area and which ones are loyal to the local people? Someone from the imperial court?
If not, once the imperial decree is promulgated, it will at least put the clans who are truly loyal to the imperial court in danger and despair, or at worst it will cause turmoil. How will your Majesty deal with it then? Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to think twice and cancel the policy of clearing the land. "
It has to be said that Xiao Jing's remarks made many people who thought the same as him secretly nod.
In fact, ever since the imperial court discussed the matter of clearing the land of the world, the vast majority of people have opposed it. This is not just because it involves their own interests.
A stable country is a chain of interests from top to bottom. Every time a dynasty changes, it can basically be said that because the stability of this chain is completely broken, it can no longer maintain the sustainable operation of the country.
Now the imperial court suddenly said that the land must be cleared, and everyone must expose the land and property they own, and then pay taxes in accordance with national laws... Even if there are parts with unknown origins, they may be severely punished by national laws...
How can you bear this?
It is conceivable that once this policy is promulgated, even if it cannot overturn the country of Wei, it will definitely be a complete earthquake from top to bottom for the entire Wei.
Many people can see the risks involved.
Can't you see Emperor Ning Kang and his supporters? Not necessarily, perhaps what they value more is the achievements that will be of great significance to future generations after the earthquake.
Emperor Ning Kang looked at Xiao Jing with a gloomy look. Xiao Jing did not look at him, but looked earnestly upward at the Supreme Emperor, whose expression did not change much from beginning to end.
Emperor Ning Kang seemed to have reacted, and he also looked at the Supreme Emperor. But what's different from others is that his eyes are more complex and earnest.
(End of chapter)
