Cai Yong stood there, staring at Liu Bian's back.
He was not executed and was even promoted?
Cai Wenji watched Liu Bian go away in shock, then walked to her father and whispered: "Father, is that your Majesty?"
Cai Yong suddenly came back to his senses, and hurriedly chased after him. When he reached the door, he bowed at Liu Bian's back from a distance and said loudly: "Your Majesty, Cai Yong, I take this order to thank you!"
"No courtesy!" Liu Bian, who had his back turned to him, raised his right hand and responded loudly.
Cai Wenji followed out. Liu Bian could no longer be seen. She pursed her lips slightly and said, "Father, is he your Majesty? Isn't it rumored that he is very domineering and willful and will not listen to anyone else's words? Look at it. Not quite."
Cai Yong frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
All the worries he had been feeling were gone, and instead he felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
Cai Wenji saw her father's expression, which was slightly pale, and there was some curiosity on his sad face.
Cai Yong stood there, somewhat complacent, and said: "It's been too long for me to take office this time, so I should do something!"
In the past, although Cai Yong shone brightly in the literary world, and all dignitaries asked him to write an epitaph, but in the officialdom, he did not have any practical achievements, and his duties were basically empty.
"Inspector Hongmen..."
Cai Yong murmured that with his reputation, it would be easy to establish private schools in various states. He didn't know how many people would rush to help.
But thinking about Liu Bian's requirement of "education without distinction", he looked a little hesitant.
Today's private schools are basically for children of aristocratic families. Common people, let alone enrolling, cannot afford even the minimum tuition fees.
Reading, practicing calligraphy, apprenticeships, study tours, socializing... I don’t know how much money I spent on food! And it's not just one or two years, it's often ten or twenty years. Ordinary people may not be able to support a large family.
Furthermore, how can a child from a wealthy family associate with the common people?
In an instant, Cai Yong thought of countless difficulties and fell into a deep silence.
Cai Wenji looked at her father quietly, and when he saw that he was silent for a long time, she said softly: "Father, go back home."
"Oh..."
Cai Yong suddenly woke up and walked back, saying: "By the way, you won't be leaving the house for the next few days. You will help copy some documents for my father. Your Majesty also wants me to write a memorial to impeach the Yuan family, along with some As people say, there will be a banquet at home these days, so don’t come out and be quiet."
Cai Wenji, a newly widowed woman, smiled sadly and said, "Thank you, father."
Cai Yong walked with his head buried in his chest, his mind filled with thoughts and thoughts, jumping up and down.
On the other side, Liu Bian left Cai Mansion and stayed not far from Yang Mansion.
Liu Bian looked at Yang Mansion, thoughts slowly turning in his mind.
The Yang family is also the leading aristocratic family today, with one of the best reputations. With the endorsement of the Yang family, it can further reduce the negative impact of annihilating the Yuan family.
Zuo Li stood aside, shooing away the guards who reported the news, and stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Dai, the prefect of Jiyin, has just entered Sikong Mansion."
Liu Bian's expression moved slightly, he turned back to look at him and said, "Liu Dai?"
"Yes." Zuo Li lowered his head and said.
Liu Bian wrapped his clothes, looked at the bright moonlight in the sky, and tilted his head slightly.
This Liu Dai, like Liu Hong and Liu Yu, are all members of the royal family.
When his advantageous father was in power, he felt that the world was about to become time-space, so he distributed the clan members of the old Liu family to various places.
Liu Yu was the pastor of Youzhou, Liu Yan was the pastor of Yizhou, Liu Biao was the governor of Jingzhou, and so on.
This Liu Dai got a Jiyin prefect.
"Liu Dai, Jiyin County..."
Liu Bian said to himself that the location of Jiyin County is almost in the middle of Yanzhou!
'At this time, did Liu Dai come to Beijing to avoid trouble or to run for office? '
"Is there any news from Yanzhou?" Liu Bian raised his feet and passed through the gate of Yang Mansion.
Zuo Li glanced at Yang Mansion and said quickly: "Yesterday's report said that Da Sima and Ding Shijun combined 30,000 troops to march eastward. They have recovered the entire territory of Chenliu and are preparing to divide their troops to attack Dongjun and Jiyin. Zhu Shijun will follow Qingzhou led his troops into Jibei Kingdom and Taishan County, and is expected to encircle Shanyang County in five days."
This Liu Bian knew that Huangfu Song and Ding Yuan wrote to report almost every day, and at the end they would inadvertently urge for money and food.
Recruiting young men and women requires money and food, fighting wars requires money and food, and after the people are pacified, the money and food will be renewed!
"Money and food..."
Liu Bian took a deep breath. Now, this money and food was the biggest stone weighing on his heart.
"Go back to the palace." Liu argued.
Zuo Li waved his hand and followed closely with others.
After walking some distance, Liu Bian suddenly asked: "Can't Jin Shang still be found?"
The situation in Yanzhou was still in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more serious the matter became.
Zuo Li's expression tightened and he said: "He disappeared in Shanyang County, and I'm trying to find a way to find him."
Liu Bian said as he walked: "Place people in various state offices to gather information and keep an eye on the people I want to pay attention to."
"Yes." Zuo Li's tone became more humble and cautious.
Liu Bian didn't speak any more and speeded up his pace unconsciously.
At this moment, Wang Yun and Zhong Yao were still arguing in the Chancery.
Wang Yun looked at the two people opposite and said: "The words are not enough. They must be strict and vigilant enough."
Zhong Yao looked solemn and said: "Your Majesty, what matters in judgment is impartiality, fairness and strictness, without mixing emotions."
Wang Yundao: "This is your business. I request that you use strict words to scare the Yuan Party members all over the world!"
Just when Zhong Yao was about to say more, Xun You couldn't stand it any longer and suddenly interrupted, saying: "Your Majesty, please report to the whole country, and send a copy of the verdict, and then issue an official document in the name of Shangshutai, severely reprimanding the Yuan family, to warn the Yuan party members."
Wang Yun looked calm and said: "Okay. I will make the decision. When will you send it out?"
When Xun You saw Wang Yun relenting, he immediately said: "After the Yuan family is executed tomorrow, it will be sent to Luoyang immediately after the signatures of all the ministers."
Wang Yun looked at him and said, "Then, is my appointment together?"
Xun You was startled. He almost forgot about Wang Yun's appointment and hesitated to speak.
be cheated.
Zhong Yao secretly thought that Wang Yun seemed to be obsessed with the verdict, but in fact it was just for personal gain!
Seeing that the two of them were silent, Wang Yun suddenly realized something and said, "Do you also have a list?"
Xun You and Zhong Yao didn't expect Wang Yun to be so sharp, so they couldn't help but look at each other.
Wang Yun straightened up and said coldly: "Without my permission, you can never appoint anyone!"
Xun You and Zhong Yao opened their mouths to speak, but suddenly there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, and the three of them immediately turned their heads to look.
"What are the three Qings discussing?" Liu Bian walked in with a smile.
Wang Yun, Xun You and Zhong Yao stood up and saluted: "I will see your Majesty."
"No need." Liu Bian waved his hand and sat on the main seat.
The three of them thanked each other and sat down. Wang Yun glanced at Xun You and Zhong Yao from the corner of his eye and said, "Your Majesty, I have finalized the case regarding the Yuan family."
Xun You and Zhong Yao did not speak, and they tacitly agreed not to mention the matter of filling vacancies in the imperial court.
Liu Bian looked at the three of them and said, "It's up to you to handle this matter. Yanzhou is in danger and urgently needs money and food. What can you say?"
When Wang Yun heard this, he thought without moving.
The Han Dynasty had only a few sources of taxation. If you wanted to raise military pay in a short period of time, you could just 'increase taxes'.
Xun You had been dealing with this matter for a long time and immediately said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the salt tax should be levied in advance as soon as possible."
"No!"
Wang Yun immediately interrupted, and then argued with Liu: "Your Majesty, the people are dissatisfied with the high price of salt and are miserable. If taxes are imposed again, the people will not be able to afford salt, and there will inevitably be another disaster, and the gain will not be worth the loss!"
Liu Bian glanced at him and thought about the feasibility of pre-levying salt tax.
The Han Dynasty changed its salt tax several times, going back and forth on monopoly and taxation.
Monopoly means that the court monopolizes production and sales; taxation means that the people produce and buy and sell at will, and the court levies salt tax.
This method of taxation directly led to the reduction of nearly half of the tax sources of the Han Dynasty, and the price of salt among the people was high. Only the middle aristocratic families and salt merchants benefited greatly.
Xun You ignored Wang Yun and continued to argue with Liu: "Your Majesty, I believe that the price of salt can be set and then taxed."
Wang Yun glanced at Xun You and said: "Your Majesty, if you do this, the salt seller will not be able to sell the salt. What should you do?"
Xun You said: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you to set up another salt official so that official salt and private salt can be used in parallel. This can not only control the price of salt, but also collect salt taxes."
"No!"
Wang Yun turned directly to Xun You and said: "Wang Mang's time was like this, so that the world was in chaos. Has Xun Shangshu forgotten it?"
Xun You also looked at him and said: "My lord, the chaos in the world is not caused by the salt policy, but because Wang Mang rebelled against his ministers and usurped the throne, and the whole world was put to death."
Wang Yun wanted to speak, but Liu Bian said calmly: "Okay."
Wang Yun turned around, raised his hand, and said: "Your Majesty, the salt administration is of great importance and should not be taken lightly. Competing for profits between the court and the people will cause endless harm. I ask your Majesty to think twice."
Liu Bian looked at Wang Yun and frowned slightly.
Call it angry, a little, but just a little. Wang Yun's intentions are not bad, and what he said makes sense.
Zhong Yao, who had been thinking about it, raised his hand and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I have three strategies. First, the court will reduce expenditures, and the official salary and military pay that are not urgently distributed can be postponed for ten days to January. Second, encourage Beijing. Wealthy businessmen from aristocratic families donated money. Third, the summer grain is coming soon, so the court can borrow money from large households in advance and pay it back when the tax revenue comes in. It is estimated that 50 million yuan can be raised."
Fifty million yuan, that is, 50,000 yuan, equivalent to 50,000 taels of silver.
Although it's not much, it's enough to meet an urgent need.
Just as Liu Bian was about to nod, Wang Yun said: "Your Majesty, delaying the court salary may shake the minds of all officials, especially at this time. Donations have been made many times, and I dare not say how much can be raised. As for borrowing money, Your Majesty, the late emperor... also borrowed money, and the more he borrowed, the less he borrowed."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, and he started to feel really angry.
Zhong Yao looked at Wang Yun and hesitated, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Wang Yun is right, these methods are not new. If there were fresh methods, the Han court would not be in such a dilemma.
Liu Bian picked up the tea cup, took a sip of tea, and said, "Wang Qing's family, do you have any good ideas?"
Wang Yun lowered his head, hesitated, and said: "I am still considering the appropriate method."
Liu Bian was too lazy to pay attention to him and said: "We don't have time to wait, just follow what Zhong Qing's family said. Officials with low grades will not be delayed. To make donations, please ask some important ministers and celebrities to come forward. To borrow money, the Shangshutai will coordinate it. If necessary, You can pay some interest when the time comes.”
"His Majesty,"
Wang Yun straightened up immediately, eager to speak, but Liu Bian waved his hand, stood up, and said, "It's late at night. Everyone, please go to bed early. There are still a lot of things to do tomorrow."
After saying this, Liu Bian looked at Xun You again and said: "Xun Qing's family, please discuss the method of transshipment seriously with other Qing families and come up with a detailed plan for the day."
"I accept the order." Xun You saluted quickly.
Wang Yun wanted to speak, but Liu Bian had already left.
Xun You and Zhong Yao didn't want to continue arguing with Wang Yun, so they looked at each other and stood up to leave.
Wang Yun looked at their backs, his face expressionless, but anger welled up in his heart.
'Incompetent people! ’ He snorted in his heart.
Liu Bian returned to Jingfu Hall from the Chancellor's Desk, not feeling sleepy at all.
He took the map, spread it on the table, and studied it carefully.
From north to south, from east to west, he patrolled back and forth in Yanzhou, Sili, Bingzhou and Liangzhou.
After a long while, Liu Bian couldn't help but sigh softly and said: "There is really nothing good about it..."
There were problems everywhere, and there was no place where he felt comfortable.
His finger tapped lightly on Shanyang County, and then slowly slid across Jiyin, Hanoi, Luoyang, Hongnong, and Sanfu from east to west. After a pause, his finger landed on Hanzhong.
"Hanzhong..."
Liu Bian's eyes flashed, Hanzhong was also a critical place.
"Who should I send?" A person flashed through Liu Bian's mind, and he finally discovered that there were actually only two people he could send who were qualified and powerful: Gongsun Zan and Cao Cao.
There are two people, Gongsun Zan, he is not at ease, and Cao Cao is not at ease either.
He still has to cultivate direct descendants who are loyal to him as soon as possible!
"time……"
Liu Bian sat back on his chair and nodded calmly.
He needs time now, needs time to train courtiers and generals.
But the rickety ship of the Han Dynasty is drafty on all sides, and rain comes from all directions.
Pan Yin stepped forward and whispered: "Your Majesty, Miss Tang is here."
Liu Bian raised his head and saw Tang Ji quietly walking in with a bowl of porridge. Her eyes were watery and she said softly: "Your Majesty, it's late at night. Let's warm up with a bowl of porridge."
Liu Bian smiled and felt a little hungry. He took two bites and suddenly said, "By the way, let your father enter the palace tomorrow."
"Yes, I have written it down." Tang Ji did not ask why.
Liu Bian reached out and pulled her over. Just as he was about to speak, there were hurried footsteps outside the door.
Tang Ji quickly retreated and saluted: "Your Majesty, I am leaving."
Liu Bian hummed and looked at Zuo Li.
Zuo Li came closer and whispered: "Your Majesty, Taiwei Dong is pretending to be a civilian husband again and wants to leave the city. There seems to be someone outside the city to help him."
Liu Bian's face straightened and he let out a long breath from his nostrils.
"Have you found out about the people outside the city?" Liu Bian asked as he picked up the soup bowl.
Zuo Li said: "It's too dark. I don't know how many people there are. I was worried that I might scare someone away, so I didn't send anyone out of the city to investigate."
Liu Bian nodded. Dong Zhuo must be anxious and trying his best to escape from Luoyang.
The situation in Bingzhou is very complicated, with various forces intertwined and Qiang people and Huns also eyeing it. It needs to be handled carefully to avoid causing major chaos.
"Keep an eye on him, don't let him get away."
Liu Bian ate the soup and said, "I can still use him if I keep him."
"I understand." Zuo Li lowered his head and said.
Liu Bian put down his bowl, looked out the dark door, thought about it in his mind, and said, "I'm sending you an edict that tomorrow we will discuss matters at the Secretariat's desk with Xun You and Zhong Yao. No one is allowed to take leave."
The court was basically stable, and he had one hand free.
'It's time to resolve the annexation. 'Liu Bian said secretly with burning eyes.
Compared with Yanzhou, Bingzhou is more difficult to deal with, but it has to be dealt with.
By solving Bingzhou, he not only saves himself a worry, but also gets an elite army to deal with the increasingly complex and changeable situation more calmly.
Please give me a monthly pass. Please give me a monthly pass~~
(End of chapter)
