Pei Ju took the opportunity to turn around and quickly gave Yang Hao a wink, meaning don't cause trouble.
Yang Hao also received it, but he didn't understand the meaning at once. Mr. Pei, your eyes are too complicated.
Ning Changzhen still held the wine glass in his hand. Hearing this, he stood up and said, "May I ask who you are?"
Pei Ju smiled and introduced: "This is His Royal Highness Prince Liang, your Majesty's nephew and the prince's cousin."
Oh. This status is so awesome. Ning Changzhen also saw that the other party was not a good person, so he took the initiative to please:
"Lingnan Ning Changzhen has met His Royal Highness Prince Liang. His Highness has an extraordinary grace, which is rare in his life."
Yang Hao saw that the other party was unhappy, and originally wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but he found that the others were also winking at him, and the other party's small mouth was quite sweet, so he could only say in a normal way:
"Well, you can sit down."
After saying this, Yang Hao ran to Yang Ming to whisper. Seeing this, the others continued chatting.
"Are you too polite to him? Now everyone in the capital is scolding this bastard," Yang Hao complained.
Yang Ming frowned and said, "You know nothing. I asked you to learn from Yang Xiong, but you didn't learn anything. In the future, use your brain first and don't speak with your mouth."
"I know, you want me to be more stable," Yang Hao said with a smile, "I'm really angry, after all, this old guy is not doing human affairs."
Yang Ming knew in his heart that it was unrealistic to change Yang Hao. His temperament had long been set, and he had suffered so much in the past, but he still didn't let him change. What virtue and ability could he have to change him?
"Talk less and do more," Yang Ming said solemnly.
Yang Hao nodded quickly: "I understand."
That night, Feng An and Ning Changzhen were placed in Jinyang Tower. It seemed inappropriate. It seemed inappropriate for such a high-ranking border official to live in that place.
In fact, it doesn't matter, Jinyang Tower is now the highest-grade restaurant in the entire capital. You can think of it as a five-star hotel in the Sui Dynasty, and it is the most suitable for reception.
The next day, Xuangan will take them into the palace and slap the person in the face, just once, not a second time, unless you want to kill him.
Even if Yang Guang really wanted to kill Ning Changzhen, he would never want to kill Feng An, at least not right now.
Yang Ming sent someone to Prince Yuande's Mansion that night to agree on the next meeting time with Wei Ying. He was more interested in knowing what secrets Wei Ying was hiding.
At the court meeting the next day, Yang Guang did not summon Feng Ang and the others in Daxing Palace. Instead, after the court meeting, he held a banquet in the palace to entertain the two of them alone.
The attendees were still the same dozen or twenty big guys.
This was the first time Ning Changzhen met Yang Guang. Although he had heard a lot about Yang Guang when he was in Jiangdu, this meeting broke the image of the emperor in his heart.
The tiger father has no son, the prince is already rich enough, and the current emperor is even more extraordinary.
"I heard about you when I was in Jiangdu, and Mrs. Changcheng often mentioned you to me. I heard that you have a good relationship?" Yang Guang said with a smile.
Ning Changzhen nodded: "I have been friends with Mrs. Changcheng since childhood. They are brother and sister."
Yang Guang added: "During the founding of the Emperor, your relationship with the imperial court was probably more than a simple brother-sister relationship, right?"
Feng Ang moved and wanted to interrupt, but Yang Guang raised his arm: "I didn't ask you."
Ning Changzhen smiled: "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. When I was young, I admired my adopted sister and intended to marry her, but things are unpredictable and things go wrong."
"That's right, I only listen to the truth here," Yang Guang laughed.
Ning Changzhen took the opportunity and said, "I am in Beijing this time. I wonder if I will have a chance to see Mrs. Changcheng again?"
He said this deliberately so that the emperor would think that he was more affectionate.
"Chen Shubao's widow, you'd better not see her. We in the Sui Dynasty pay attention to etiquette, and the customs in Lingnan must be changed in the future." It was Su Wei who spoke. He was insinuating that Ning Chang really didn't understand etiquette. Can you see it? What does a widow do?
As everyone knows, Yang Guang often plays chess with this widow.
There is a reason why Yang Guang did not summon Feng and Ning in Daxing Hall today.
Because the imperial court was going to have a showdown with Lingnan, and Feng and Ning actually came to negotiate terms with the imperial court.
When it comes to negotiations, don't do it in a place like the court.
Su Wei's words are actually just the beginning. It has been more than thirty years since Lingnan surrendered to the Sui Dynasty, but the policies of the imperial court and the etiquette of the Central Plains still cannot be promoted over there. This is not good.
Of course Feng Ang heard it and said: "In the land of Lingnan, the people's sentiments are complicated. The aboriginal people are still mainly mixed tribes. They respect the chieftains of each tribe as their leaders. Each tribe has its own inherent beliefs and customs, and does not follow etiquette and law." According to this standard, although there are migrants who have improved local water conservancy, cultivated fields, and spread the etiquette of the Central Plains, the results have been very little. Lingnan's desire to integrate into the Central Plains will not be achieved in a day."
What he said is actually quite pertinent. In Lingnan during this period, each tribe was the basic administrative unit, and the leader was called the chieftain, which was consistent within the tribe.
With countless tribes and various ethnic groups gathering together, there must be a lot of conflicts, and the three major tribes play a role in balancing Lingnan.
The imperial court has always adopted the strategy of restraining Lingnan, that is, using the barbarians to control the barbarians and governing their customs. Feng Ang and his friends also treat other tribes in the same way. I respect your culture, will help you, and will not interfere with yours. Internal matters, but you have to stand with me.
Cui Zhongfang said: "Lingnan is our important land in the south of the Sui Dynasty. We will not change some things that cannot be changed, but there are some things that can be changed, such as tributes, which we still need to change now."
From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the present day, the taxes Lingnan has paid to the imperial court are not actually called taxes, but called tribute. In fact, they are tributes based on what you have.
There are mainly three types, slaves (including eunuchs), gold and silver, and medicinal materials.
No food.
First of all, the grain production in Lingnan is limited, and there will not be much grain if it is handed over. Moreover, the journey is long and transportation losses are too great, so the compromise is gold and silver.
Lingnan was a place rich in gold and silver during the Sui Dynasty. Historically, half of the total gold and silver in the Tang Dynasty came from Lingnan. The gold and silver production areas were mostly concentrated in eastern Guangdong and western Guangdong.
Slaves, in a semi-civilized area, the status of poor people is very low, and it is normal for them to be used as slaves.
Feng Ang knew that today's test was the most difficult one in his life, so he answered cautiously:
"The three major tribes in Lingnan are willing to do this to the imperial court, but other tribes may have resistance, and we can't control it."
Cui Zhongfang smiled and said: "I haven't said how to change it yet, so you just deny it?"
Feng Ang said with a bitter face: "I would like to hear the details."
Cui Zhongfang said: "In the past, the taxes in Lingnan were all tribute paid by you. Although the court clearly stipulated the amount of tribute, after so many years, the local officials who were decentralized still knew a lot about the situation in Lingnan, and the court also knew a lot about the situation in Lingnan." Clearly, if we calculate it based on tribute, the country will suffer a huge loss."
Ning Changzhen frowned and said: "The quota of tributes increases year after year. More and more are paid every year. Lingnan has done its best. I wonder how Cui Gong wants to change it?"
Cui Zhongfang smiled and said: "There is nothing in the world that is not the land of kings. In the Sui Dynasty, we had a great industry law and an equal land system. Lingnan is always outside the law. It is really inappropriate. However, the court is still lenient to you. The people of the Central Plains pay taxes, so as to Ding plan, Lingnan can be calculated on a household basis from now on. In our land system during the Sui Dynasty, Ding men paid a rent of 3 shi per year, which was then converted into "diao" cloth, plus two shi, which is five shi. As for Lingnan, we must be tolerant. The upper household has one stone and two dou, the second household has eight dou, and the lower household has six dou. If it is a barbarian household, they all lose half of it, do not accept the silk, and break it into gold and silver and hand it over to the court."
Feng Ang and Ning Changzhen suddenly turned pale.
It sounds like Cui Zhongfang's proposal is indeed very loose. People in the Central Plains pay taxes on a per-capita basis. It's complicated over there, so they pay taxes on a household basis. Moreover, the tax paid by one household is not as good as the tax paid by a male in the Central Plains. many.
But the actual situation is that the annual tribute in Lingnan is collected by the three major tribes for the court, and the remaining tribes do not pay taxes at all.
Why should I give you the food grown on the land I planted?
This is the conflict between the imperial court and Lingnan. The country will definitely not let Lingnan continue like this for a long time, but the people of Lingnan do not want to pay taxes.
This is not something that Feng and Ning can decide, because it is not easy for them to steal food from people's mouths.
Food is the most important thing for the people, and food is their life.
"It is almost impossible to implement this policy in Lingnan," Feng An said: "If we impose it forcefully, we might cause chaos. I hope your Majesty will learn from it."
Yang Guang did not speak, but Pei Ju said:
"Will the twenty counties in Lingnan continue to be like this forever? Your Majesty trusts you and hands over Lingnan to your management. It is up to you to implement the court's policies. A temporary difficulty is better than an eternal one. Mingda should be considerate of the court. You are lax enough as it is.”
Ning Changzhen looked ugly and lowered his head in silence. He had already guessed that if he didn't agree, there would be no chance of returning to Lingnan.
Damn you, you are so courageous. You have been in Yangzhou for more than ten years. You don’t know what is going on in Lingnan. You want the two of us to implement it? Aren’t the Lingnan people going to peel off our skins?
Ning Changzhen is no longer thinking about policy issues, but about his life. People always value their own lives more than anything else.
"As long as the court deploys it properly and implements sound policies that can take care of the local situation in Lingnan, it can actually be implemented step by step," Ning Changzhen said.
One sentence has made everyone here think that this person cannot be allowed to go back.
Why don't you bargain? Are you determined to cheat? I agree verbally now, and then deny it completely when I let you go back?
Yang Guang looked at Feng Ang with a sneer: "What does Mingda think?"
Feng Ang had a bitter look on his face and said: "The relationship is too big. I don't have the ability. Even if the Holy Mother is here, I can't do it. Your Majesty, would you like to think about it again?"
These words are more sincere and easier for people to trust.
Yang Guang smiled and said: "Of course you can consider it. The Ministry of Civil Affairs' method is just a plan, and the details are negotiable. I will not embarrass you, but you can't embarrass the court, do you understand?"
Feng Ang's face was ashen, and he nodded bravely.
Yang Guang said calmly: "Okay, Shangshu Provincial Council, together with Menxia Provincial Department, Neishi Provincial Department and Shiyi Temple, will work with Feng An and Ning Changzhen to draw up a detailed plan for the future policy of Lingnan and submit it to me for preview. There is no deadline. , but it must be taken care of thoroughly and everyone is happy, that is the result I want.”
"I obey," more than a dozen central bosses stood up one after another.
There is no time limit. It is already impossible for Ning Changzhen to go back in the short term. These four words are aimed at him.
