"Then the legislation he mentioned, does the Queen Mother think it should be implemented?" Zhao Tuo asked.
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled and looked around her room: "Does the Emperor think this decree is necessary?"
"Of course I think what Li Sanlang said makes sense."
"Then the emperor is confident in persuading those veterans to support him?"
"this……."
"Without the support of ministers, wouldn't it be like sending eunuchs to serve as mine supervisors? Li Sanlang said that it is unrealistic for ministers to work willingly and honestly with just a piece of edict. This speaks volumes about people's hearts. It’s clear. When the Ai family saw that the Empress Dowager insisted on sending people down, no matter how many people tried to persuade them, they couldn’t persuade them. As a result, they couldn’t stand and withdrew in dejection. Oh, what a lesson!” After she finished speaking, she glanced at the emperor.
Zhao Tuo frowned, he was unwilling to admit defeat. After thinking for a while, she asked softly: "What do you mean by the Queen Mother, this matter should be discussed in the long term? It's a pity that such a good suggestion, if left like this, will be left behind for who knows how many years!"
Seeing that his mood was low, Empress Dowager Zhang looked at her personal female officer Rong Xi. Rong Xi immediately bowed slightly, then waved the dust in his hand. Only two or three people were left in the room, and the rest immediately retreated. go out. The Queen Mother took the emperor's hand and said, "Let me ask you three things. Please think of the answer."
"Excuse me, Queen!" Zhao Tuo quickly sat up straight.
"The first thing is to implement the new law. What is the emperor's purpose? What does he want to get from this matter?"
"According to Li Sanlang's suggestion, the new law will be implemented to implement the mine contracting system. The mine owners will pay the contract fee according to the contract amount and make production and safety commitments. The new law can restrain the mine owners so that they cannot act arbitrarily; it will protect the lives of miners and prisoners and reduce The source of trouble. Encourage the use of new technologies and new tools to expand production; rate according to the management level of the mine, with high tax exemptions and low ones shutdown for rectification or subcontracting. In this way, the court gets the safe operation of the mines, and the local area can charge large contracts Part of the fee will be turned over to the national treasury, and part will be used for local construction and government daily expenses.”
"Well, then if this new method is implemented, who will benefit and who will be unlucky?"
"Of course the ones who benefit are the court and the localities, oh, the miners also count, right? The unlucky ones are of course the mine owners and foremen!"
"Isn't it more than that?"
Zhao Tuo was stunned for a moment, then looked at his mother and suddenly understood: "The Queen Mother is pointing out that some mine owners may be colluding with officials behind their backs? If all the mines are contracted, are the officials likely to take advantage of the opportunity to grab profits?"
"If this mine is yours now, and if you want to openly contract it, others may reach out to you. Would you be happy?"
"Yeah, I understand. Be careful about the fights behind their backs."
"The emperor doesn't care how they fight. As long as the fight is legal, it doesn't matter, but you have to be careful that the person who is eating it now will protect it, so he will fight against the new law. There is another situation, that is, those who are determined to take advantage of the opportunity. Those who have interests will try their best to break free from the constraints of the new law, or simply make it full of loopholes from the beginning. This is the most terrifying thing!" Empress Dowager Zhang sighed: "Look at Wang Anshi, a person who is so dedicated to his family and country. Is the new law really bad? In the end, weren’t the reasons that got the most criticism the most for the reasons of disturbing the people, being violent, and striving for profit? Look carefully, which of these reasons is related to the problem of the new law itself, and isn’t it all about the execution of the law by officials from top to bottom? What went wrong? After talking for a long time, most of the failure of Wang Anshi's reform was due to man-made disasters! That's why I said that Li Sanlang was right. A piece of edict cannot buy loyalty. This is really profound!" She patted the back of Zhao Tuo's hand: " If the emperor wants to implement new laws, he also needs to be on guard against these ministers. There will be loyal ministers, but who can have no self-interest at all?"
"My child, remember, I would like to be taught!" Zhao Tuo bowed deeply and then remembered: "What is the Queen Mother's third question?"
Empress Dowager Zhang pursed her lips and smiled: "Emperor, you haven't answered the second question completely, so you want to ask the third one?"
"Why didn't you answer everything?"
"There are still people who will benefit from this."
After thinking for a long time with his head raised to the sky, Zhao Tuocai said: "If the new law is implemented, new yamen will be set up and more officials will be needed. Then these officials who get the opportunity, as well as the new scholars next spring, can also be considered beneficiaries. ?"
The Queen Mother nodded: "As long as he benefits, it will definitely
Be grateful to the emperor and do things with confidence. Therefore, who the emperor chooses to draft new laws and who to implement new laws is very important. You need to find a few people in advance who can serve with sincerity and are familiar with the law! "
"I understand, kid! What about the third thing...?"
"The third thing is actually a human matter. The emperor has thought clearly. If a new law is to be implemented, who in the court will agree and who will oppose it. How many people can your majesty rely on?"
"This..." Zhao Tuo shook his head: "I haven't had time to think about it carefully yet."
Empress Dowager Zhang nodded: "That's right. Your Majesty came here in such a hurry that you probably don't have time to think about it. How about you think about it and we will discuss this topic in detail later?"
"Thank you, Queen Mother!"
The Queen Mother smiled with satisfaction and warned: "The new law is implemented, but the situation varies from place to place. The emperor must act cautiously. The experience of the previous Song Dynasty can be used as a reference. For example, when Wang Anshi implemented the Qingmiao Law, he did not consider this matter. The consequences of preventing wealthy businessmen and gentry from practicing usury, and their opposition to the new law, brought heavy resistance to the new law. Coupled with the improper employment of people, Nv Ganxie took the opportunity to grab profits, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of the new law, and he deserved to be slandered. The truth. It is a pity that all laws have been gradually abolished since Shenzong! Your Majesty will definitely not be happy to see the laws he implemented may be abolished by subsequent emperors a few years later, right? In this case, let’s not be in a hurry and take our time. . Work slowly and carefully. Be well prepared and everything will come naturally!"
After she finished speaking, she nodded towards the door: "Look, the Queen has sent someone. They must be waiting anxiously over there. The Emperor will put this matter aside for now and go back and write a note and put it by his bedside to read every day." Concubine Yun is a good child, don't let her be wronged in her good days. Besides..." She raised her eyes and said to Zhao Tuo thoughtfully: "She is the only one in the palace whose family is engaged in mining. Be careful if you go late. Others bully her!"
Zhao Tuo was stunned for a moment and immediately understood: "I understand. In that case, the mother should rest early and the child should leave."
Empress Dowager Zhang escorted the emperor to the door, told Eunuch Liu not to let his majesty play too late, and then watched him get into the chariot.
"Your Majesty, take off!"
Under the guidance of Eunuch Liu, the Holy Driver meandered out of Deqing Palace, and Empress Dowager Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her son didn't speak until he was five years old, and was almost forced to give up his throne by the old ministers. Empress Dowager Zhang was extremely resentful about this. She could only endure it for the sake of her son's rule, but it cannot be said that she was not wary of these civil servants. Although King Fan has gone to Dingxing to become a vassal, there has been a strange trend of praising King Xiang recently. Empress Dowager Zhang knows that the emperor has just taken over the throne, his position is unstable, and he has no confidants, so she must not do anything at this time. Do it too hastily, lest you give someone a leg up.
After going to court the next day, Yang Zhen walked out with full of thoughts. When he arrived at Nanxunmen (the place where the emperor received New Year greetings, and further south were Wuchaomen and Chengtianmen), he was hesitating whether to return to the cabinet when he suddenly saw the Yellow Gate. The chamberlain (see Note 1) came in a hurry with a man in dark clothes, a terry-padded terry-padded headdress, and a cowhide and jade belt. When he saw him, he stepped aside.
"This is Concubine Yun's third brother Sun Shu, named Zifang." Yang Zhong, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, walking behind Yang Zhen, said softly.
"Oh?" Yang Can nodded to the other party, took a few steps forward and asked in confusion, "Why did he enter the palace?" Kanshu La
At this time, I heard that Sun Zifang seemed to be greeting and chatting with a minister whom he knew well. Yangzhong turned around and waved to the official, calling out: "Fang Gong!"
The official came over quickly, but it was Cui Ye, the Right Shaoqing of Dali Temple. "Brother Minzhou is looking for me?" He bowed to Yang Zhen first, then turned to Yang Zhong and asked with a smile. This man always had a smile on everyone's face, so he was nicknamed "Wooden Buddha".
"Fang Gong (Cui Ye) is greeting Uncle Naguo. Why did he come to the palace?"
Yangzhong asked, but he was obviously speaking for the person next to him. Cui Ye glanced at Yang Zhen and replied with a smile as before: "Yesterday was the birthday of Concubine Yun. The emperor got drunk at the birthday party and stayed in the concubine's palace. When he woke up early this morning, he said that concubine Yun's family was in the south and it was strange to see him. , so I conveyed the order of grace and asked my mother-in-law’s family in Beijing to come in to wish me a happy birthday. Oh, this is also God’s grace. Your Majesty is merciful!”
"Oh, that's it!" Yangzhong nodded: "I wonder why I saw a commoner rushing in so early in the morning."
"hey-hey,
Brother Yang doesn't know something. I'm afraid this is the first time this uncle has dressed so formally. This is because he entered the palace. He is the laziest among the three brothers! Cui Ye lowered his voice.
"How did you say this?"
"You all know, uncle Daguo, right? Sun Tong, now the magistrate of Xinzhou, was the third-ranked first-class official in the palace examination back then, and was determined to be released. That's when the Queen Mother found out that he had a girl... . Uncle Sun Xi of the Second Kingdom, a master of calligraphy and painting, is famous all over the world, right? Only this uncle of the Three Kingdoms does not like classics all day long, and only reads miscellaneous books. He likes to go to the mountains and fields to pick up stones to make elixirs, and even chats with those Thai and Western monks. The fight was fierce. You can see that he has dark circles under his eyes. He has been awake all night and wonders what he has been thinking about all day long. It happened that he was at home when the imperial edict arrived today, which is a rare sight on weekdays..."
"That being the case, what kind of business does this person run and what does he do for a living?" Yang Zhen was a little impatient when he heard this.
"I heard that his family bought some mines and shops, but the two brothers had no intention of running them, so they left them all to him."
"Oh, so you're just a businessman." Yang Zhong looked dumbfounded: "The Sun family has passed down poetry and calligraphy to the family, but unexpectedly there was such an anomaly."
"What's weird?" Yang Zhen sighed: "The ten fingers are not evenly spaced. Everyone has their own ambitions!" After that, he went to the cabinet and forgot about Sun Shu.
"Tai Ge, stay!" After Yang Zhong broke up with Cui Ye, he hurriedly chased Yang Zhen from behind and stopped him.
"What's the matter? I'm in a hurry to go to the cabinet to wait for today's report from the Ministry of War." Yang Zhen seemed a little distracted.
"Teacher, are you still worried about the war in Jiangxi?"
Yang Zhen quickly took a look in private: "This is in the palace, and we cannot treat each other as teachers and students, lest others hear that you and I are suspected of forming a clique."
"Yes, yes." Yang Zhong responded, but he actually disagreed and felt that the old man was too careful.
"I have something unclear, I would like to ask the boss for advice."
"Huh? Please speak."
"Today in court, the emperor suddenly asked about the recent rice and charcoal prices in Chengtian Mansion. Sir, are you paying attention?"
Yang Zhen finally stood firm: "What does Minzhou think about this matter?"
"The emperor is getting older, it is a good thing to care about people's livelihood!"
Yang Hao nodded.
"Your Majesty actually said: Those who sell rice and the officials who collect grain taxes benefit from exploiting others, but it is harmful to the country, just like foremen and mine owners exploiting miners. He also said that the exploitation is excessive. It's hard to guarantee that it won't be like Lou Zishi. If Mi Zishi and Tan Zishi appear, the Three Hundred and Sixty Movement will continue to be chaotic. When will the country be stable?" After he finished speaking, he looked at Yang Zhen and said, "Don't you think it's strange, sir? ?」
"What's so strange? Your Majesty knows how to understand the people's sentiments and is showing his benevolence. Isn't it great?"
"Of course this is a good thing. But... why is it so sudden?" Yang Zhong sneered: "His Majesty ordered Yushitai to send people to Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanxi, Shandong, and Henan to interview and inspect mining, smelting, There are many abuses in the charcoal industry, and they also say that if each person can clear up five unjust cases in the local area, he will be given a special certificate and be promoted to a higher level. Sir, it seems childish, but in fact... isn't it a direct reference to the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dali Temple and even What’s wrong with the cabinet?”
Yang Min turned around suddenly and shouted in a low voice: "Yang Minzhou, how dare you underestimate the king? Are you confused?"
Yang Zhong seemed to be taken aback, and hurriedly bowed and crossed his hands: "Minzhou is confused and forgetful, please punish me."
"Hmph! It's not your turn to tell the emperor what to do and how to do it! Go back and think about it carefully. If you violate it again, don't blame me for ignoring my past feelings!"
Yangzhong Nuonuo retreated continuously. Yang Zhen squinted at his back, stroking his beard with his hands, feeling surprised and uncertain. This Yang Zhong was an official promoted by himself, and now he suddenly reached the position of a powerful force in Zhong Zhong. Did he take the wrong medicine today to dare to openly question the emperor in front of him, or was he instigated or instigated by someone? Yang Zhen wasn't sure, he just felt that this was something unusual.
The emperor's sudden appearance today really made people a little confused. It seemed that he was out of compassion, and then he suddenly sent six secret visits to the censor. Yang Zhen knew very well that these people had been beaten with chicken blood, even if they were not wronged
He can pick out the bones of any case, not to mention that there are no unjust cases in a province. How is that possible? If thirty cases are really brought forward, I am afraid that it would be too much for me, the chief assistant, to take the blame and resign. Thinking of this, he took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The little emperor grew up and began to have his own ideas. The question is, is this what he thinks, or is there someone behind the scenes? Yang Zhen suddenly thought of the uncle of the Three Kingdoms whom he met just now, the most useless youngest son of the imperial concubine's family. Could this have something to do with him? The more Yang Zhi thought about it, the more confused he became, and he worriedly wondered who the six people sent by Yushitai would be. According to the rules, this kind of unannounced visit to the censor appointed by the emperor is secret, and his identity and whereabouts will not be revealed until he returns to Beijing to report on his duties. Oh, what a hassle!
While he was hesitating, he suddenly heard someone calling from behind: "Mr. Yang Taige, please come back to the cabinet quickly. The Jiangxi victory report has been reported to the Ministry of War. The giant bandit Chen Yuanhai and his son have both been awarded the title. They have wiped out two thousand enemies. What a great victory!"
"Note 1: Those who are not eunuchs can travel in the previous dynasty. Their status is above that of Huangmen Shiren who walks outside the palace, and below Huangmen's ministers, they are low-level servants of the outer court. It is a rule of this dynasty that eunuchs cannot leave the inner court without orders. Therefore, Huangmen's attendants became the main body of the emperor's dispatches to the outer court. For example, it was a Huangmensheren who was sent to the Wei Secretary's Office to arrange the meeting in advance."
