These words were said in this harem with people close to her.
In front of others, of course he was still the filial son. Even if his father said that he wanted to move away, Li Er would not agree.
"It's not difficult."
Xu Fenglei smiled lightly and said,
"I would like to ask, how many maids and attendants are there in the palace now?"
Li Shimin was stunned and turned to look at Changsun Wugou.
As the master of the harem and in charge of the accounting books, the Queen naturally knows best.
"No less than six thousand."
Changsun Wujia responded.
Li Shimin was startled and said somewhat unexpectedly:
"There are so many?"
This is a huge difference from the number he expected!
Changsun Wujia said softly:
"Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, women from all over the Tang Dynasty have been selected into the palace every year, either as show girls or as slaves."
"Five to six hundred people are selected every year. In the past nine years, there will naturally be more than 5,000."
"However, most of them are redundant. Take our East Palace as an example. It is enough to have about a hundred maids. But in fact, there are no less than two thousand maids waiting in the East Palace, and my father has even more. Three thousand, and those who serve the concubines in the harem..."
Li Shimin's face gradually darkened.
"This is too much..." he murmured.
"Such redundancy is actually a huge burden for the palace."
Xu Fenglei said,
"Thousands of people are idle. Even if they don't have to pay much money, they still have to take care of three meals a day. This is equivalent to an army of 5,000 people eating empty pay."
"Now, the population of the Tang Dynasty is declining, and it is the time when marriage is needed. If these thousands of palace maids can be released and allowed to have free marriages and children, in a few years, they can bring thousands of new lives to the Tang Dynasty. Son! In two generations, there will be an additional population of tens of thousands of households!"
"This time, it's a world of difference."
Li Shimin's eyes lit up.
"That's a good idea!"
He clapped his hands and said,
"It is indeed a pity that these thousands of palace ladies are single in the palace!"
"But...what does this have to do with my father?"
Xu Fenglei smiled.
"Your Majesty, you can find an excuse. Too many Yin people are not good for the court, or you can let them out to get married and have children. Anyway, if you release the palace maids, the Emperor will naturally release them as well."
He said,
"If you show it a few more times, the Liangyi Palace will naturally become deserted. The Supreme Emperor knows what you mean, so he will naturally give in."
"This is a conspiracy. Letting the palace maid out of the palace is something that will be praised by the world. Everyone must call you benevolent! In this way, you will have face and dignity."
"What we pay attention to when doing things is dignity. If the Emperor wants to be dignified, it would be best. If he doesn't want to be dignified, Your Majesty will help him do so."
Li Shimin thought about it for a while, and the corners of his mouth could not help but raise slightly.
"This is indeed a good idea..."
He murmured, then quickly stopped his smile and sighed softly,
"Alas! I don't have to ask my father to move out. It's just that I have to manage the affairs of the East Palace. The ministers have already complained a lot, especially the Ministry of Rites. They have complained several times."
"I'm also under a lot of pressure!"
"As a prince, it's not a problem for him to live in the East Palace, don't you think so?"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"The Son of Heaven is the lord of the world. He should be the sky and the Qian. The East Palace is the place where the prince lives. It should be the place where the emperor trembles and thunders."
He mused,
"The Son of Heaven resides in the East Palace, and Qian resides in the Zhen Palace, which is the Tianlei Wuwang Gua."
"This is not a good hexagram. It is easy to suffer unreasonable disasters, such as sudden natural and man-made disasters, such as drought and locust plagues. These are all unreasonable disasters."
"So in both public and private matters, Your Majesty should move into the main palace as soon as possible to improve your fortune!"
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows when he heard this.
"You are so particular about it?"
He was surprised,
"I don't know this..."
"Of course there is. Everything from the heaven and earth to the streets in a farmhouse are all in the shape of the Yin and Yang Bagua." Xu Fenglei said seriously, "The geography of the Yang house and the dragon veins of the Yin house. The two together are the Feng Shui pattern, which can determine a person's fortune. Thirty percent, Your Majesty must not take it lightly."
Li Shimin's expression suddenly became serious.
"Since you said that, then this matter should really be put on the agenda."
He responded, turned to look at Changsun Wugou, and said,
"Guanyin, please make some arrangements."
"First draw up the first batch of dismissal lists, list those palace maids who really have nothing to do, and let them go home!"
"Remember to take your time. Cut off our place first, then cut off those in other places, and finally touch Father's place, so as not to have any gossip saying that I am unfilial."
Changsun Wugou nodded and immediately stood up.
"I can lay off 1,800 people just from the Dong Palace."
She said,
"How many servants did the Tiance Mansion originally have? It's only five hundred if you add them all up."
"I'll keep the old ones who are used to me, and I'll just lay off all the other newcomers."
Li Shimin nodded.
Xu Fenglei suddenly added:
"The empress should first list the maids whose fathers and brothers died in the war. Without the backbone of their families, their situation will be very difficult even if they return home."
"They should be compensated. Otherwise, they will be alone after leaving the palace, and they will have no capital to settle down and live, and it will be difficult for them to live."
Hearing this, the eyes of several slaves serving in the courtyard turned red and they shed tears.
"Huh? What?"
Li Shimin said in surprise,
"Why are you crying? Are your father and brother..."
Hearing the emperor's question, one of the slaves held back his sobs and said:
"Your Majesty... my father died in the war four years ago. Several brothers also died on the battlefield. I don't know what happened to my mother and sister at home..."
"Many slaves in the palace are like this. The slaves are lucky to be able to serve His Majesty and His Majesty in the palace, but they are also worried that their mothers and sisters at home will not be able to support them... After listening to the young master's words, the slaves can't help but shed tears as they think of the past. Please, Your Majesty Forgive me..."
"Woooooooo..."
Li Shimin was startled, and there was a ripple in his heart.
"In the turbulent times of the late Sui Dynasty, when the country was fighting in the north and south, the foundation for repeatedly defeating powerful enemies was built on the fearless sacrifices of their father and brother."
Xu Fenglei sighed,
"From eight million households to more than two million households, how many wives and children were separated, and how many families were broken up..."
"Your Majesty, please... treat these palace maids kindly. Although they are as humble as grass, they also represent the future of our Tang Dynasty and the vitality."
"Your Majesty treats them well and treats the Tang Dynasty well."
These words caused continuous weeping in the court, and several palace maids were already in mourning.
That's how people are, no matter how difficult or painful it is, they won't shed tears, they will just endure it silently.
But if someone takes care of you and touches the softest part of your heart, then the defense line in your heart will be broken, and the tears will burst and can no longer be held back.
…
(End of chapter)
