The previous chapter 123 has been lifted.
In the former dynasty within the Imperial City, it was located near the Shunyi Gate of the Zuojinwu Guard Office. The suburban social office, which was originally used for temporary parking and storage of auspicious objects from various parties, has become a place where an endless stream of people stop and visit temporarily after the civil and military officials retire.
As the contemporary lord of the Yu clan and the head of the Xiao family, he now worships Zuo Shaojian of the Shaofu Temple and appoints Zuo Shang as his minister. He was sent to too many visitors with different identities, and his face, which was a little stiff and numb from laughter, let out a sigh of relief.
Because, in response to the recent incidents of ferocious beasts injuring people and public opinion that suddenly appeared in the capital, the ministers in charge of the political hall have already decided on the next propaganda caliber; that is, the only living ferocious beast captured will be compared with The auspicious auspicious gifts from past dynasties are put together for public display.
Therefore, first of all, the important officials of the imperial court and many relatives visited and appreciated it; then, it was extended to the people inside and outside Gyeonggi Province for a symbolic fee-based visit. And after completing the visit to the capital, you can also tour the surrounding counties to provide subsidies and pensions.
In this way, no matter what the public opinion inside and outside the capital was before, and what kind of material discussions and disturbances there were in the court, it would all naturally subside. After all, once this thing can be captured and loses its mystery and freshness, it will naturally lose its corresponding deterrence and the possibility of creating panic.
And there are countless new things happening every day in the capital. An ugly and huge ferocious beast will not be able to maintain the popularity of the topic better than the ostriches and emus that dance for joy, or the white elephants and giraffes that worship you when they see you.
However, as the left young eunuch of the Shaofu Temple, Xiao Ding, the Marquis of Yu, took the initiative to take on the responsibility of displaying and patrolling the ferocious beasts, which was a little surprising. Of course, some people have speculated based on this that this is some kind of appeal that he wants to further expand his interpersonal relationships.
You must know that, in a sense, he was promoted to Zuo Shang as a young eunuch. Although his official rank was only from the sixth rank, he was one of the most profitable positions among the five departments and three eunuchs under the Shaofu. . Especially when the various metallurgical supervisors, various money-casting supervisors, and mutual market supervisors are all under the jurisdiction of the three ministers/planners.
The Zhongshang Department was originally in charge of the jade for suburban sacrifices, the emperor's utensils, and the concubine's clothing, carvings, and colorful decorations. The Zuo Shang Department was in charge of the carriage covers and engravings and the wax torches in the palace. They have become today's One of the most important money bags at home. And this involves an enduring folk joke in the capital.
It is said that a foreigner who came to Beijing for the first time asked: Who is the richest person in Chang'an? The people in the capital replied: Of course he is the emperor who is rich all over the world. Then the stranger asked: Who is the poorest family? , the people in the capital said: Of course it is the Tianjia. Of course, behind this implicitly ridiculing political joke is a reflection of reality.
Even though all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty followed the ancient style of ruling from the top down, but with the power of the whole country, they thought that they were dedicated to the desires of one person; even if they sang and sang in the wine ponds and meat forests every night, traveled and banqueted every day, and supported a large group of people, The accompanying ministers and attendants, who are all over the sixteen palaces in the world, cannot waver at all.
But on the other hand, the wealth and resources that support the royal family, plus the income created by the royal houses and villas all over the world, seem to be extremely considerable, but when placed in the category of the world, it is not feasible. Not a few big things. What's more, there are a huge number of three inner provinces and many subordinate personnel consumption.
According to the customs/ancestral family laws inherited during the period of Empress Dowager Ruiming's support, the annual allocation of royal materials and support money for the clan by the princes in the court has increased very steadily. Therefore, according to the close relationship between the living emperors, the large number of clans that have been reproduced through the ages may not necessarily be easy for everyone.
Therefore, in order to subsidize these clan relatives who are still within the fifth server, the Tian family has become a particularly considerable burden on the internal treasury. However, due to the ancestral law left by Empress Dowager Shen, except for certain matters such as weddings and funerals, they cannot withdraw money from the treasury at will or even create special tax collections;
If the emperor wants to insist on doing this, he will have to brave the huge public opinion in the world, first call the sitting prime ministers in the small inner court to discuss, and obtain a third-rank or above seat at the enlarged political hall meeting specially convened for this purpose. Only if the courtiers agree unanimously. And this kind of thing is also inevitable.
Therefore, routine tributes and irregular contributions from foreign vassals became a particularly important source of income for the royal family. In order to bypass the restrictions and constraints of the outer court and obtain more financial resources for the Tian family to increase revenue and reduce expenditures, all kinds of people involved racked their brains for this, and it can be said that they used all kinds of methods.
Therefore, as a related person of the Tian family, invest and sponsor some kind of business in overseas new lands; or even directly provide money and people to participate in the armed exploration of foreign lands and the conquest of foreign countries, in order to seek long-term and short-term benefits. Progress. It became the most common place for emperors’ internal funds and royal materials to spend their money.
Nowadays, outside of traditional China, there are many new and old factories, mines, plantations, shipping companies, and commercial establishments at home and abroad, all of which have members related to the royal family, or are sponsored by the Imperial Household Ministry, Soshoji Temple, etc. An industry run by the next generation. This is something that all the gentlemen in the political hall are theoretically beyond the reach of.
For another example, the days of the emperor and the queen mother's eternal life, and the weddings and funerals of successive princes; these are also the locations of these young mansions, Zongzheng, and palace provinces, and are great opportunities to generate income; the Tian family usually follows the rules. Special carriages, uniforms, and ceremonial guards were given, and as a measure of dignity for the princes, there must be some progress as a thank you.
Of course, snakes have their passages and rats have their dens. As a down-and-out clan in the fifth server with no real business, if you are willing to show off your shame, there is a way to make money quickly. That is to say, marry as early as possible and have as many daughters as possible, and then when they are thirteen or fourteen years old, they can have haircuts, and then marry out to those princes from other vassals whose ancestors were not very good;
It can also be made outside the Middle-earth, pretending to be a blood source of marriage with the royal family. As for those existences outside the fifth server, in addition to being able to continue to bear the national surname, they are not even allowed to enter the clan's music book; they are no different from ordinary common people. At most, after winning the election, the family tree will be traced back three generations and the family tree will be re-registered.
This was not only to recruit talents who were scattered among the clan and nation, but also to avoid the joke of marrying someone from the same clan because some people were eager to catch their son-in-law. But no matter what, the three generations of the Xiao family, who have held the multiple identities of imperial merchants, foreign ministers, and nobles/spylords; are also extremely generous and good at dancing, have always been the most popular guests of a prominent and high-class family in Beijing.
And when Xiao Ding became the person in charge of this exhibition and tour, he was also meticulous and measured in his dealings with others. Whether they are ministers in power who are nobles or cardinals, or ordinary low-ranking officials or retainers of foreign vassals, they can all be treated like spring breeze or appropriately by him, leaving a deep impression on them.
Therefore, even the subordinates of Shaofu Temple began to speculate secretly. After completing the display and tour of the ferocious beasts that disrupted the capital, will this chief official who is kind to others and has a good reputation take a step further and take the position of the Shaofu Temple Superintendent who is recovering at home and is in vain? Five grades of qualifications.
Just when Xiao Ding consciously completed his duty for most of the day, he planned to take a break for a while. He told the Jinwu guards who were guarding him and left, and came to the big shrine established by the emperor to pray for the people and repay their merits, and to worship the earth god and the grain god. Beside the five-colored soil. Just then he took out a glass tobacco bottle, but saw a young man from the yellow door hurriedly walking towards him.
I saw this Xiao Huangmen, who was familiar with him on weekdays, shouting in an excited tone:
"Hou Yu, congratulations to Hou Yu, your little girl who went missing the day before yesterday has probably been found."
"What!"
Xiao Ding's body trembled when he heard this, but the glass tobacco bottle with the beauty in the bamboo engraved in his hand accidentally fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. He showed an expression of shock and joy, and grabbed the opponent's arm and shouted:
"Where is it? Take me there quickly..."
"Let me take a leave first..."
Then he seemed to have come to his senses again and said quickly: Then he took out a few money notes he was carrying and stuffed them all into the opponent's hands.
"Thank you for the report, eunuch. I'll be back as soon as I can."
However, after a while, Xiao Ding, who seemed to be extremely happy, did not go to the vestibule of the East Palace and the main office of the Shaofu Temple in Zuozang Waikuyuan to take a temporary leave; instead, he changed his outfit somewhere with a gloomy face. , took a car and appeared at Yanxi Gate in the east of the imperial city, and handed over his ID card requesting to go out.
"It seems that this Xiao family has failed the Tian family's favor after all!"
At the same time, Hai Gong, who was standing on the top of Yanximen City, watching the carriages and horses carrying Xiao Ding gradually disappearing, and secretly monitoring the whole process, sighed heavily and said:
"You can't blame Mr. Hai for this," a close eunuch nearby repeatedly consoled him: "Who would have thought that the Xiao family, who has been blessed by the emperor for many years and has been rich and honorable for many years, would actually be a home for male thieves and female prostitutes."
"Not only is the head of the family closely related to the legendary owner of the ghost market; even the wife who was born as a noblewoman from a foreign vassal secretly protects and supports the Five Immortals Sect; she abducts orphans and widowed children on the streets for many years and uses them as blood food to feed poisons."
"And Jingkong, the abbot of Ruolin Temple who has close daily contacts, is actually the leader of the remnant who secretly worships the Wutong evil method. Even his children and relatives are secretly having affairs with him; privately, he is even more harmful to many people. My dear family."
"Of course Yu Fan is finished, but how many people has he made friends with over the years, and how many people are there inside and outside the imperial city, so he must bear the responsibility for negligence, incompetence, and even inaction? For the next thing, we only need to Take good care of the inside of the imperial city, and others will take over the follow-up work outside."
Hai Gong continued to shake his head and sighed:
"Are all the places that Mr. Xiao has been under control?"
