"Your Majesty, Li Dan has met." Since entering the room, Li Dan has not taken his eyes off the man sitting at the table.
He was wearing a blue robe with dark brocade patterns. He held a jade-pendant Japanese fan (folding fan) in his right hand like a tester, and wore a flat scarf on his head. The light beard on his lips showed that he was not very old. His eyes were sharp but his complexion was slightly pale.
"Qing Pingshen." Zhao Tuo used his left hand to support him while looking at the tall young man in front of him with great interest.
"You are taller and stronger than I expected. Although it is not as exaggerated as the storytellers in the teahouse said, it is rare for a descendant of Jiangnan." He nodded and pointed to the embroidered pier under the table: "Qing Sit down and talk."
If you ask other ministers, they will definitely say: "I dare not, it is unreasonable" and so on. After having enough coercion, I sat down tremblingly.
After Li Dan bowed and thanked him, he moved the embroidered pier over and sat down diagonally across from the emperor, putting his hands on his knees and not looking away.
Zhao Tuo laughed dumbly: "Young man, please relax, we are not in the palace, just treat it as a chance encounter and have a casual chat."
After hearing this, Li Dan laughed out loud: "Your Majesty, you really know how to joke. On this street, by chance...?"
Zhao Tuo was stunned and laughed loudly: "As expected of Jieyuan, his thinking is really quick." After laughing, he sipped his tea and nodded to Eunuch Liu: "Let them serve some food and wine, I'm a little hungry too." Eunuch Liu Understanding, he turned around and took Liu Funian out.
When there were only two of them left in the room, Zhao Tuo stretched out his hand and took Li Dan's hand: "I'm expecting you to come. I'm in the palace, but I ask Liu Daban where you are every day. I don't dare to show it on my face. I'm worried." ah!"
"Your Majesty!" Li Dan was indeed a little moved. After all, he was the emperor, so why did this scene look like an underground party lurking in the palace had just contacted the organization? Could it be that the emperor also joined the Tea Mountain Society? "How can I be so virtuous and capable that Your Majesty is so worried about me?"
"Oh, you don't have to be polite. I have been exchanging letters with you for a long time, and now I have exchanged several letters every month. We have been on good terms for a long time!
I always feel that I have endless things to say and endless questions to ask you. Every time I read your letters, I always have the effect of enlightenment. You often break down what others say in a roundabout way.
I am really curious about what kind of person you are, but I am always anxious and cannot talk and discuss with you face to face often. Well now, you have finally arrived in Shangjing. It will be much more convenient for me to consult with you! "
He seemed very excited, as if he could not wait to pour out many words at once. Li Dan did not interrupt or interrupt, just smiled and listened to what he said, while observing the emperor's temperament and behavior.
He felt that Emperor Jingwu was a monarch who was independent and courageous, but a little impatient and lacked self-confidence. The formation of this character was probably related to the care and protection he received from his grandmother and mother since he was a child.
Li Dan should discover his strengths and weaknesses and give him the necessary encouragement and guidance.
"Actually, I didn't come up with any good ideas," Li Dan said. "I just said based on historical experience, how a good monarch should think, judge, restrain himself, and control the balance inside and outside the court.
The really big ideas, such as the restrictions on mine owners, the protection of miners' rights and interests, and other newly enacted laws and regulations, are all the wisdom of His Majesty and all the ministers who participated in the work. "
"I was about to consult you on this." Zhao Tuo said: "The various edicts issued recently have not encountered any resistance from the court, but the progress is very slow.
I want to know whether this is because the law is not enacted or is not enacted, or is it the inaction of the courtiers, or is it deliberate delay due to their inner opposition? "
"Your Majesty thinks they are delaying?" Li Dan asked.
"Ask about the progress today, ask about the progress tomorrow, and ask again the day after tomorrow, but the answer will always be: I am working hard. And then? No! When will I see the results? I am at a loss!" Zhao Tuo spread his hands in distress.
Li Dan smiled and said, "Excuse me for being presumptuous. I am afraid that this cannot be judged as the ministers' incompetence in doing things, but because of your majesty's improper methods." After he said this, Zhao Tuo was startled for a moment, and he quickly raised his hands and said, "I'm Tangtu. Yes, Your Majesty, forgive me!"
"It's okay!" Zhao Tuo waved his hand: "Since I ascended the throne,
Come on, all you hear and see is flattery. It’s good to have someone who can directly address the weaknesses of others! What I want is you, Wei Zheng! go on. "
It's really dumbfounding. It turns out that the emperor likes to scold himself. He seems to like the person who scolds harshly and accurately. Li Dan smiled secretly in his heart, but he couldn't say that.
"Your Majesty, whenever you ask your ministers to do something, you must give an explanation. Just like a farmer giving a piece of iron to the blacksmith to make a sickle, he will ask: Can it be done? How long will it take?
The blacksmith promised him a time when the farmer would be able to get the farm tools he was satisfied with, and he would be given at least one penny or two penny more for hard work. However, if the blacksmith exceeded the deadline, the farmer would be unhappy. He would make one trip today, two trips tomorrow, and Three trips the day after tomorrow, getting more and more urgent.
If he still can't make it on the fourth day, the farmer will not let him do it, and he will take the iron block and go back to find another master.
You see, the farmer knows that he cannot delay. Procrastination means delaying the farm work and the whole family may go hungry. Therefore, he will first ask, then make an agreement, urge during the matter, and dismiss or even hold him accountable afterwards.
If His Majesty can also ask his ministers to do this, he will work hard, report and communicate with you on time.
If there is no such request, the minister thinks that since you are not in a hurry, he can give priority to other important tasks, so this matter will be left behind.
Therefore, I believe that your Majesty must first come up with methods and requirements to restrain the other party. Completing it as scheduled will test his ability and meet the requirements of his position;
If you cannot complete it, your points will be deducted from the official examination, which may affect your future promotion, transfer, etc.
If the other party is not touched by this method and the deliberate delay and shirk is obvious, those who should be dismissed or demoted can just follow the law. "
"I understand, this is what is called not to be punished without teaching, right?"
"Your Majesty is right!"
At this time, the conversation was temporarily interrupted because Eunuch Liu knocked on the door and came in. He watched the waiter bring a big plate, six exquisite dishes, a pot of wine, and two glasses on the table.
Li Dan glanced at it and asked the waiter with a smile: "Ask the cook, can he cook this dish?"
"Speaking to the young master, he has just learned this dish." The waiter glanced at the emperor and replied with a smile: "Recently, more and more people have come here, so I have made it a few times and it has been well received. The young master asked this because he wanted to try it. Try his knife skills?"...
"Tell him to work hard. There are distinguished guests here, so there is no room for sloppiness! If he does well, he will receive a 20% salary increase this month. If he does not do well, then go back to Jiangxi!"
"I understand, sir, please wait a moment!" The waiter said and left.
Zhao Tuo looked at Li Dan in surprise: "Why, you and this cook are from the same hometown?"
"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, this restaurant is my property. There are currently four Sihaiju restaurants in the capital. They all have the same shareholders, cook the same dishes, and provide the same standard services. Even the dress and etiquette of the store staff are uniform. .
The dishes are prepared in strict accordance with the requirements for cutting ingredients and calculating the heat. I call this a chain store, just like the rings on a chainmail chain, each one is the same.
If your Majesty is in an emergency and cannot find your minister, you can send someone to any Sihaiju home to deliver the message. " He said nonchalantly, as if he didn't notice Eunuch Liu poking the food with a silver needle.
After he finished his work, Li Dan poured himself a glass of wine: "I am finally able to see His Majesty, and I am very happy. Please allow me to drink this wine first, and wish Your Majesty long live, long live!" He drank it all in one gulp.
Zhao Tuo was very happy and took a drink, but his eyes suddenly opened wide. Li Dan quickly told him to swallow slowly and think about it gradually. "W-what kind of wine is this?" Zhao Tuo's eyes lit up, which startled Eunuch Liu.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, this wine is Yuliuchun brewed by my men. It is cooler, sweeter, and has a longer aftertaste than the wine you usually drink in the palace. It uses rice grown near Poyang Lake as raw material, and Anren Made from cave spring water."
Li Dan said: "If folk wine is six or eight, steamed wine or shochu is twenty or twenty-two, this wine is about fifteen. It can be said to be clear but not light, pure but not messy. Your Majesty is probably the first Anyone who drinks it for the first time will be surprised."
"You also made this thing?"
"In addition to this wine, I made 30% Fengquan and 45% Fengru wine through mixed grain fermentation and multiple distillations.
The reason for making wine is that when I led the troops, I ordered people to steam the wine repeatedly, and finally got 70% alcohol, which was used to clean the wounds of the wounded soldiers and prevent ulcers.
In this stage, he got different spirits, so he got Lou Zishi's youngest son drunk and took his camp.
Later, when I returned to Yugan, some people quit the regiment training and had no other livelihood, so I simply gave them a sum of money to build a winery. Currently, more than 200 veterans and hundreds of refugees have been accommodated. "
After speaking, he pointed to his feet: "The reason why Sihaiju can open so many shops is that they are famous for their dishes and fine wines!"
"Hey!" Zhao Tuo exclaimed, "I love you, if only I could make the emperor as smooth as you do business, that would be great!"
"Your Majesty, you don't know. There are all kinds of troubles in doing business, such as the tastes and pickyness of the customers, and whether the waiters are diligent or not. Is the cook good-tempered? Is there a small amount of money hidden in the purchase? There are a lot of things to worry about. of."
"Oh?" Zhao Tuo thought about it: "Sihaiju is yours, Yuliuchun Wine is yours, and the carriage is also yours. I'm afraid you have other properties, right? But I see that you are sitting here calmly and not in a hurry. Ah?"
Li Dan laughed, then suppressed his smile and said, "Family affairs, business affairs, state affairs, people in different positions care about different things.
Ruchen's third uncle was thinking about how to run his own small family well.
I was thinking about how to make more money by expanding my business without my father and brother to support my family and my aunt who raised me. As the emperor, I naturally thought about how to make the world peaceful and the Zhao family's foundation stable. "
After saying that, he took out the pamphlet he had taken notes from, took out a pencil from his pocket, and drew a big triangle on the paper (the emperor's eyes widened instantly when he saw the black line):
"I have a theory called the social triangle theory. You see, at the bottom are the people at the bottom, such as clerks, farmers, female silk factory workers, etc.;
The people above are people like my third uncle. He has to manage farmers, servants, and female workers. For example, the shopkeeper of Sihaiju is also this type of person;
Above them are the ministers who manage them, and above them there are the government and the imperial court. Your Majesty, you are the top of this mountain top.
You assign responsibilities to each minister and let them oversee them, and they manage the officials at all levels below for you.
In the same way, Chen's business has different people responsible for vehicles, porcelain, wine, grain, restaurants, etc. These people then manage the shopkeepers and shops in various regions.
Therefore, I don’t actually need to meet too many people or ask too many things every day. As long as they do their job responsibly and don’t cheat on women, that’s fine. "
"Well, what you mean is that I only need to take care of things from the outside, and there is no need to do everything personally?"
"If Your Majesty has to do everything personally, the Chief Assistant will not know what he should do." Li Dan said with a smile:
"However, if you want to treat it by hanging on top of the arch, it also depends on whether you have the conditions. For example, if there is a silverfish below, your pursuit of curing by hanging on the arch will inevitably lead to the collapse of the building. There are many lessons in history, such as Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and the former Song Dynasty. Emperor Huizong is a famous example."
"Oh?" The emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise: "I can agree with the last two. Why do you include Emperor Yang in this list?"
"Yangdi is not a foolish and violent person.
Your Majesty, think about it carefully, Emperor Yang destroyed Nanchen, initiated the imperial examination, built the Daxing Palace, built the Eastern Capital, opened Hangou and other canals, conquered the Turks and Khitan in the north, attacked Goguryeo and Ryukyu in the east, defeated Tuyuhun in the west, and captured the city in the south. Which one? Isn’t it an unprecedented big move?
Although he widely accepted the harem, there are no examples in the history books of the Sui Dynasty of the harem interfering in politics or foreign relatives taking power, which shows his methods. Even before he died, he was sober and knew that he could no longer control the country.
Will such a monarch be fatuous and unprincipled? He was countless times stronger than the ignorant Liu Chan and Sun Hao. Didn't he lay the foundation for the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty? Didn't he lay the groundwork for the surrender of the Turks and the destruction of Goguryeo? "
"According to Qing's words, Emperor Yang is actually a holy king?"
"No!" Li Dan shook his head: "Yangdi made two major mistakes: he was too hasty and overconfident in doing things, he carried out huge projects and attacked frequently, and he did not spare the people's power. This is one of them;
They are eager to promote imperial examination scholars, suppress powerful families and regain their power, and even do not hesitate to use the hands of female officials to expel or kill them, resulting in no distinction between right and wrong and failure to follow the right path. This is the second! "
Zhao Tuo looked at Li Dan, picked up the wine glass and took a sip: "Is this... parodying the past and satirizing the present?"
"Having said that, I didn't prepare a script." Li Dan smiled: "Emperors in ancient times had different personalities. In fact, for example, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Li Shimin also had a vigorous and resolute personality. But why was Taizong a holy king while Emperor Yang died? The reason is actually It lies in the word 'careful'.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty used history as a mirror, governed carefully, and did not waste people's power in pursuit of personal merit. But Emperor Yang was too confident and arrogant and refused to listen to advice, so his country perished.
But I don't think Emperor Yang was a fatuous monarch, because he was not only very smart in nature, but also accomplished in poetry and literature. It is really disappointing that he actually lost a unified and powerful empire in the end.
Your Majesty, please see that Daxing City was located in the west at that time, and the concentration of the population put great pressure on the land in Guanzhong. The long-distance transportation cost of opening a canal was huge. This was the real reason why Emperor Yang went to Luoyang to build the eastern capital;
The Turks, Tuyuhun, Khitan, and Goguryeo lived in the highland grasslands and posed a great threat to the Central Plains and could not sit idly by.
Since the Wei and Zhou Dynasties, the family lineage has become more and more powerful, and there are many officials who can threaten the imperial power, such as the Li family in Longxi, the Dou family in Hebei, etc. He has taken all of these into consideration, and it can be said that he has made every plan.
But he forgot that the children of the aristocratic families would also rebel. When the people were about to explode due to exhaustion and dissatisfaction, those children of the aristocratic families were happy to guide them to severely weaken the imperial power.
When he realized it, it was too late! He also wanted to flee south to seize Jinling, but he didn't know how the big families in Jiangnan would allow him to cross the river?
He originally thought that he could use the Yuwen family to deal with the world's wealthy families, but unexpectedly, his repeated connivance led to the military power of the Yuwen family overthrowing him.
Emperor Yang failed to firmly control the Yuwen clan, but instead set up a ladder for them to usurp the world. How sad? This is the reason why Emperor Yang lost his kingdom!
Therefore, when a silverfish like Yu Wenshi appears, if the emperor does not extinguish the source of the fire in time, it will only cause the fire to burn himself. If he wants to cure it by looking at it, isn't that too ideal?
I believe that the prerequisite for governing from the ground up is strong imperial power, a wise and decisive monarch, relatively clear administration, and the support of courtiers, all of which are indispensable!
Yangdi thought about this, but he did it too hastily, and ended up turning the pot of fish into pieces without thinking about the future. "
Zhao Tuo had already stood up at this time, walked to the window, looked at the sea of traffic and lights below, and sighed softly: "You are very kind, I should think of it and stop it!"
Li Dan walked over, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is a wise and decisive monarch. I hope that you can be like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, a confident leader of the ZTE who is neither arrogant nor impetuous and does not forget his original intention. In the end, you will leave your name in history. Future generations will regard him as a holy king!"
"Okay!" Zhao Tuo turned around and said, "I have this ambition, can you help me?"
"I am willing to serve His Majesty at any time, even if I die!" Li Dan replied generously.
"Brother Dan finally saw the living emperor."
