After hearing what Jia Quan said, Huang Qiong fell silent. He is really not sure what the old man's attitude will be towards his original statement. Huang Qiong asked herself that she was not a very open-minded person. Huang Qiong still remembered the old man's destructive words that day to sow discord between him and the prince.
If what happens next is really what Jia Quan expected. If I submit this statement, the consequences are really unpredictable, and I might even be implicated. Having never been exposed to politics, I really underestimated the articles in this article. What the book says goes back to what the book says, but reality is reality.
The old man gave him an errand for the first time, and he really got carried away. I really regarded the old man as a progressive and progressive reformer, but I forgot that the old man was conservative in his heart. It is better to have no books than to believe in books. The ancients really did not deceive me. Thinking of this, Huang Qiong even began to doubt the emperor's true intention behind entrusting him with this errand.
After a long silence, Huang Qiong smiled bitterly and said: "In your opinion, sir, what should we do about this matter? The old man personally explained this matter. We can't fool the old man with such a cut-off statement. Right. Besides, with the old man’s shrewdness, it’s hard to fool him.”
In response to Huang Qiong's concerns, Jia Quan smiled and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, our revised articles are not just cutting off the beginning and ending. It is just a delaying strategy and changing the matter step by step." Just come. My lord, starting a war at this time is probably the most taboo thing for the emperor."
"Quan, it's the same sentence. In the past two years, the emperor's governance has been focused on stability. It is difficult for the emperor to accept such a big move. On the contrary, this slow-cooking method is in line with the emperor's policies. So Quan This modification will be easier for the emperor to pass. If you are really unwilling to do so, then add allotments and sea bans as well."
"Your Majesty, you must also understand the emperor's holy will. The emperor's move has only two ideas. One is to solve the increasing shortage of revenue for the imperial court, and the other is to alleviate the conflicts between the people and the imperial court caused by the clan's invasion of people's fields. . When the emperor made this decision, I am afraid he has already conducted a careful investigation on the number of refugees in the world due to the occupation of civilian land."
"With the increasing number of refugees, not only will the imperial court be unable to collect the money, but once these refugees gather in the mountains and forests, they may cause local unrest. Once this situation occurs, I am afraid that the imperial court will be thinking of ways to suppress it, which will not only disrupt the imperial court's The deployment of military strength will create an opportunity for the Northern Liao invaders to take advantage of. In terms of military expenditures, I am afraid that a large amount of expenditure will be needed to maintain it."
"Although the emperor is focused on stability when it comes to governance. But if you underestimate the emperor's vision, then you really have misjudged the emperor. Being conservative does not necessarily mean being short-sighted. In fact, on some issues, the emperor's vision is more important than anything else. Everyone understands. But as the emperor of a country, the emperor must consider things comprehensively."
"It is estimated that the emperor is now considering transferring the princes back to the capital and changing the enfeoffment system into a salary system. However, it will take a long process to make this determination. After all, this kind of change of the ancestral system will make the emperor immediately It is impossible to make a decision. The emperor needs support now, even if it is nominal support."
"This is also a right. I hope you will add this to it, and even take the lead in proposing the abolition of Yongye Tian and changing it to a salary system when necessary. But there is one thing. The prince must not propose the abolition of the enfeoffment system. Even if the emperor thinks so, you can It must not be brought up. In one sentence, if the vassal territory is to be moved, the salary system can take the lead in its implementation."
"Abolition of the enfeoffment system, only the emperor can mention this. Because you are also a prince, and you stay in the capital and don't want to go to the vassal territory. What are your thoughts? Once this matter is brought up through your mouth, it is not private or private, but for the public good. It’s not public either. Therefore, you can only propose changes to the salary system in the articles of incorporation or during the interview, and you must not mention anything else.”
Jia Quan roughly guessed the emperor's true intention in handing over this job to his master at this time. Jia Quan is still not sure about some of the ideas. At least he would not exaggerate to the extent that just because the emperor gave his master an errand, he would think that the emperor had the idea of easy storage.
Although Jia Quan had not been able to make friends with high-ranking officials during his many years of wandering around the capital, some of the lower-level officials he came into contact with gave him a certain understanding of the emperor's character and conduct, especially his political policies and strategies. Again, among the people he came into contact with, although there were no powerful ministers, there were many well-informed people.
As the saying goes, there are seven officials in front of the prime minister. Although he is also a slave, there is still a difference between a slave and a slave. A personal servant of a first- and second-grade official in the court knew more than some sixth- and seventh-grade officials. Even if they don't know the core secrets, they can grasp some gossip faster than anyone else.
Especially when some slaves are competing with each other, as long as you are willing, you can master a lot of useful things. Unlike his father who was obsessed with fame, Jia Quan gave up the idea of entering an official career through the imperial examination long after his father failed the exam for the first time. He is a person who likes to take the wrong side of the sword, which means going astray.
Now that he had this idea in mind, he didn't put much energy into studying at all. After arriving in the capital, he focused more on making friends with some people. Carefully try to figure out the character of the current emperor, as well as the administrative principles and policies over the years.
I have to say that this guy still has some talent in this area. Although he had only been in the capital for a few years, through his deliberate friendship, he got to know a large number of dissatisfied officials from various central government offices. The information obtained from their mouths gave a rough idea of the thoughts of Huang Qiong, the emperor.
Of course, he was in the opposition after all and had no access to the emperor. You can only judge it through the opinions revealed by the lower-level officials you have made friends with, or through some evaluations of the emperor's policies. It is quite difficult to do this.
Naturally, Huang Qiong couldn't tell what Jia Quan was thinking. But after Jia Quan finished speaking, Huang Qiong said: "Sir, according to what you said, it is useless for the imperial court to impose a maximum land rent, abolish the general office of the craftsmen, and allow the craftsmen to open their own workshops. Yes. You can’t offend this and you can’t offend that. It’s useless if you have these things.”
Seeing that Huang Qiong was somewhat depressed, Jia Quan thought for a while and then said: "Your Majesty, it is better to keep these two items. Mandating a maximum land rent, although it does not help the court's annual income, it is in line with the emperor's second thought. Relief The conflict between the clan and the people has become increasingly acute."
"As for the abolition of the General Administration of Craftsmen, it actually doesn't matter whether these things are disbanded or not. Your Majesty, the General Administration of Craftsmen set up by this dynasty actually only produces ironware, papermaking, and some royal products. This dynasty's ironware has been in existence since the founding of the country. Since then, it has only been sold by the government, and people are not allowed to operate on their own."
"As long as we have control over the craftsmen who make weapons, armor, and guns, and the rest of the craftsmanship of hoes, sickles, plowshares, etc., there will already be self-operated workshops among the people. Even for papermaking, there are also many private workshops. . Even the paper produced is much more exquisite than the government-run workshops."
"Not only can the General Administration of Craftsmen no longer play the role it played at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but it has become a profit-making place for some officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Household Affairs. Disbanding the General Administration of Craftsmen will at best offend some officials from the Ministry of Works. With officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs, this doesn’t matter.”
After saying this, Jia Quan looked at Huang Qiong's somewhat unhappy face, adjusted his words slightly, and then said again: "My lord, I care about the people of the world, and always want to cut through the mess with a quick knife, thinking about solving this matter." It will be handled within the shortest time. Quan is naturally clear about this and will bring justice to the people of the world."
"But Your Majesty, the ancients said that governing a big country is like cooking a small dish. This sentence is not without purpose. As a superior, you should consider every move and decision, and you should not act on impulse. Your Majesty is well-read in history, and haste makes waste. This principle does not apply to Quan. I told the prince. Be more steady, separate everything, and do it step by step. This is the fundamental way to solve the problem."
"It has been more than a hundred years since the founding of the country. After more than a hundred years of reproduction, the clan has flourished. Quan looked at the files and found that as of last year, the number of clans in the world had reached more than 10,000. Although these more than 10,000 people We have no power and no soldiers, but where is our status after all?”
"Even if the emperor is strong-willed, he has to resort to the most powerful method when dealing with these people. Using the method of redemption, Quan still has no idea. Not only is the court unable to come up with such a large amount of money at the moment, Come on, even if it can be taken out, it cannot be solved through this method."
"Even if it is solved through this method, I am afraid that the imperial court will be severely weakened within a few years. Your Majesty, the imperial court is not only responsible for the salaries of the officers and soldiers, and the salaries of the officials. It also has to pay for the river engineering of the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, and the construction of the Great Wall. Maintenance and repair. When rice prices are low, a large amount of money must be allocated to purchase grain to prevent low prices from hurting farmers."
"When the price of rice is high, some grain must be sold at a fair price to balance the price of grain. Food must also be prepared to cope with famines that may occur at any time. If all the money is spent in this place, according to the land currently controlled by the clan, Judging from the quantity, the imperial court will not do anything."
"So, not only will the problem not be solved through redemption, but more problems will easily arise. As for how to solve this problem, Quan's meaning remains unchanged. In one sentence, it will make it unprofitable for these clans to hoard land. That’s the best way to solve the problem.”
"Your Majesty, a moment of radicalism can cut through the mess quickly, but it is more likely to cause more problems. Even if these problems do not break out for a while, once they accumulate, they may become uncontrollable when they really break out. Plan it slowly, step by step, That’s the way to solve the problem.”
Huang Qiong has not yet answered Jia Quan's words. The door of the study room was suddenly opened, and at the same time there was a very familiar shout from Huang Qiong: "Okay, well said, and the analysis is extremely thorough. This is what an old man says when he plans a country. Qiong'er, you are still a little too young." "
Huang Qiong, who was awakened by the voice, quickly looked up and saw that his emperor had already stood at the door of the study at some unknown time. And from the cheers from the emperor, I can tell that he has listened to a lot of things outside the door.
