After hearing this, Yan Liang suddenly became enlightened. He nodded frequently and took a sip of tea: "My brother is still better than me. My stupid brother is too impatient."
"You should not be so impetuous when working in Dali Temple. Remember to be calm in the future and not make such mistakes again." Yan Wen said seriously.
"Young brother understands. I just don't know what my brother wants to do next? I don't know for sure yet."
Yan Wen sighed: "If you want to compete with him, you must achieve something great. He made a lot of noise this time, and with the help of Ye Yongjia, a capable minister, he actually accomplished a great cause. It is really a fluke. If we and others If you only talk about benevolent policies and do not carry out major projects, he will take over your position sooner or later. So I am also planning to implement new policies and eliminate national evils."
Yan Liang raised his eyelids slightly, seeming to have understood what he was thinking, but still asked: "Nowadays, there are stubborn diseases everywhere, and it is difficult to cure them all. I wonder where brother wants to start?"
"I told you earlier," Yan Wen stood up and opened the window behind him. "The reason why this dynasty is declining and becoming more turbulent has nothing to do with military affairs. It is all caused by internal affairs. Niu Yuan and others People don't understand this truth, and instead work hard on border affairs, ignoring the livelihood of the world and the people. The money cannot be collected year after year, the national treasury is tight, and they have to reorganize their armaments. Isn't the deficit increasing every year?"
Yan Liang replied: "Brother's words have always made sense. After all, Niu Yuan is from a military background and has not passed the scientific examination. His vision is not as good as those of us literati."
"Do you think those civil servants and civil servants are just fine? You are totally wrong!" Yan Wen patted the window sill, "They all pride themselves on being noble. They only show off their pen and ink, and have no idea about the country's plans! Just because I took refuge in Liuzhou back then. Duke, they often laughed at each other. Although they didn't dare to do so later, they still regarded me as a sycophant. Don't you know that only a character like Liu Gong can inspire moral integrity! Corrupt Confucians do not understand the principles of the sages and foolishly read dead books. On the other hand, they say that I have betrayed ethics and been disloyal and unjust... It’s really chilling.”
Yan Liang looked at him sympathetically: "Brother, it has never been easy. Brother Yu knows your sincerity."
Yan Wen waved his hand and said to himself: "But I don't care. As long as the ideals of the Confucian scholars can be realized, I can bear any infamy and tolerate any noise. Today, I can finally show off my grand ambitions and don't have to wait any longer. "
"Nowadays, the public sentiment in the local area is fierce, and the officials and subordinates are also using cunning as a trick to deceive people and want to kill people and plunder money. How can the country not be in chaos? On such a basis, any reforms are just talk. . If the morals are not right, no matter how good the governance is, if it is messed up by the people below, it will only end up with both personal and financial losses. Therefore, before reform, we must correct the customs. I read in the book of the sage that Zhou Shi The people of the country are not lacking in intelligence and are simple and knowledgeable. Even the farmers in the countryside also know a little bit of ethics and literature. Therefore, the princes from all over the world regard population as the foundation of a strong country. Today, selfish and treacherous learning has spread all over the world, and no one can tell the people about the sages. Due to their righteousness, the government only regarded them as tools to make money and enslaved them in every possible way. As a result, the farmers were illiterate and illiterate. They only knew how to plow the land honestly, and they gradually became crude and reckless."
"If we can organize the people to read the books of sages and recite articles in every household, then the gap between them and the literati and officials will gradually become shallower, and they will naturally know which is good governance and which is bad governance, and their eyes will not be blinded by others. By then, everyone will They are all familiar with the past and present and understand the truth deeply. Not only will it be easier to implement new policies that benefit the country and the people, but also major national affairs can be agreed upon together."
Yan Liang immediately clapped his hands in admiration, with a bright golden light in his eyes: "If my brother's proposal can be promoted, it will not only benefit today, but also benefit future generations! I remember that Wei Huai in Nanjing had a close relationship with my brother. Insights, but you see further than he does!”
"Wei Huai?" Yan Wen turned around, "That man is indeed a genius. But after all, he has no power in his hands and it is difficult to compete with the government. But I have it in my hands! In this way, there is a possibility of success."
Yan Liang also became excited and said hurriedly: "If Master Yan's plan can be implemented, it will be hundreds of times better than Niu Yuan! I will ask Li and Hong to come to see you!"
Yan Wen smiled relaxedly, with a springy smile on his face, and held his brother's shoulders: "Look, are you still unable to calm down? Your intelligence is not inferior to mine, you just rely on the passion in your heart to do things." , it’s not enough to think about. You just call them over, what do you think of Niu Yuan? Have I really become what others call a clique? I happen to have a few reports from local places, so you can discuss them with me In the name of official business, I called the two of them into the meeting hall."
Yan Liang accepted the order happily, said goodbye to him in a hurry, and staggered out of the threshold.
"Be careful!" Yan Wen looked at his back and warned him with a smile.
Four people sat together in the meeting hall of Zhongshu Province. Yan Wen, as the de facto prime minister, sat under the gold-lettered plaque that read "Gong Zhong Ti Guo". There was a lifelike painting on the big wall behind him. Crane picture.
Deputy Political Councilor Hong Lizhen sat on his left hand, twirling the Buddhist beads hidden in his sleeve with one hand; Li Wenshou sat on his right hand upright, staring straight at Hong Lizhen opposite, sometimes frowning His eyebrows were extremely serious.
Yan Liang was in a corner, watching the two men's actions and winking at Yan Wen in the distance.
"I called you here today for a document. As provincial ministers, we should attach great importance to it and not neglect it," he said with a solemn face as he picked up the report on the table. "This was sent to us by the Ministry of Household Affairs. It said that the two lakes have been severely affected by the disaster recently. The local government treasury does not have much money and it is difficult to cure the disaster quickly. Please tell me if I want to send disaster relief money. The national treasury is very tight now. Everything needs to be considered before taking action. Everyone What do you think?"
Hong Lisan was not in a hurry to speak and looked at Li Wenshou as if nothing had happened. The latter couldn't hold it in anymore and answered first: "Although the national treasury is tight, we cannot just sit back and watch the victims of a province fall into trouble, otherwise it will trigger a civil uprising and make it even more difficult to deal with. I think Now it is not only time to allocate money for disaster relief, but also to exempt all taxes in the hardest-hit areas to show the court's love for the people."
"What do you think?" Yan Wen looked at Hong Lisan again.
Hong Lizhen bowed and said: "I think Li Gong's words are reasonable. But I hope Yan Xiang can make a clear decision."
Yan Liang immediately put down the document in his hand and said with a slight smile: "What you think is good, but it is a pity that this method alone cannot cure it. There have been frequent disasters in the local area, but they have never been dealt with properly. This is the result of corrupt officials. Now I want to rectify it. Ichiban is trying to implement the new policy, what do you think?"
