On the second day of February, the dragon raises its head, which is an auspicious day.
The emperor wants to welcome the bride into the palace, and the entire journey from Chengtian Gate to Ninghua Palace where the bride lives is decorated with lights and colors, making it extremely festive. Ninghua Palace was even more magnificently decorated, with all kinds of camellias placed all over the place. It was said that the bride liked camellias.
"Huh, he didn't marry me so grandly." Cheng Hehe said angrily while listening to the melodious music.
Fu Qingchu gathered under the lamp and looked at the memorials that Situ Ce had reviewed carefully, as if he had never heard them.
"Can you stop reading?" Cheng Shuhe swiped the memorial from her hand, "Others have bullied you, why are you still in the mood to read the memorial?"
Fu Qingchu sighed, "What else can I do if I don't read the memorial? Pretend to be sick and trick him into coming here?"
"It's not impossible."
Fu Qingchu: "..."
She opened a memorial again and continued reading. Seeing this, Cheng Shuhe was so angry that he snatched the memorandum from her hand, picked it up with a piece on the table, and called the palace attendants.
"Take all of these to the Qinzheng Hall, and take all those that His Majesty has not approved."
Fu Qingchu wanted to stop it, but when he couldn't, he said nothing and turned to look at her, "Your Majesty can't help himself."
"Yes, he can't help himself. I won't share his worries. What's the point of showing you the approved memorandum? If you have the ability, I will leave full power to you in state affairs. He feels sorry for his cousin, so let him feel sorry for him. It hurts every day. , I love you every day, go and bring him to court." Cheng Hehe said in a rage and without hesitation.
Hearing this, Fu Qingchu couldn't help but laugh, stretched out his hand and pinched her face, "Oh, that mouth is very powerful. If he quarrels with the minister in the future, he will call you to see who can be more fierce than the other."
Cheng Hehe opened her hand and said, "I'm very angry now. Don't be playful with me. You understand him, but I can't. If you ask me, if Cui Yunxi is going to die, let her die. When we write history books in the future, let her die." She was the first woman in the biography to fulfill her reputation."
When Fu Qingchu saw that she was angry, he couldn't persuade her. He thought for a while and said, "How to help her is up to His Majesty. Don't be angry with yourself."
Hearing this, Cheng Shehe was furious. He stood up angrily and looked at her with wide eyes, "Who am I so angry for?"
"Of course it's for me." Fu Qingchu hurriedly apologized, took her hand and asked her to sit down, "For my sake, you shouldn't be angry. Think about it, even if she enters the palace, you are the one in charge. Lady Gong, no matter how capable she is, can she still destroy your order?
"We have to behave like a married woman and make her feel ashamed. What kind of skill is it to snatch a man alive by crying and moaning? We disdain her method. We have to act upright and sit upright, My mother is in the world, so she can’t grab this position even if she wants to, it makes her mad to death.”
Cheng Hehe frowned and looked at her with suspicion, "Your tone is just like my father coaxing me to study when I was a child."
Hearing this, Fu Qingchu burst into laughter. Well, he is no longer a child, so it is hard to coax him.
"But it is indeed the case. If she finds out about our faults, something might happen." Speaking of this, Fu Qingchu thought of Cui Yunxi's words that day. She must compete with Cheng Hehe. In the future, it is said that she may not seek the position of queen.
You should have made plans for Cheng Hehe in advance.
Hearing this, Cheng Hehe also calmed down a lot, "If I leave the palace in the future, Mrs. Cui will definitely seek this post for her. How will you and your child get along then?"
This is what Fu Qingchu has been worried about.
Although Situ Ce had promised her, he was now being coerced into welcoming Cui Yunxi into the palace. No one could predict what would happen in the future.
"People are harmless, but tigers have the intention to hurt others." Cheng Hehe said solemnly, "The Cui family already has enmity with the Fu family, why don't we attack first?"
"But she is His Majesty's cousin after all, and His Majesty still has some affection for her. If we are cruel..."
"Where are you thinking?" Cheng Shehe frowned, "What can she accomplish if she is willing to die for a man?"
"you mean?"
Cheng Hehe raised his eyebrows and smiled: "The Fu family is not the only one that Cui looks down upon."
Seeing that Fu Qingchu was puzzled, Cheng Hehe continued: "My family is from a poor family. Fortunately, the late emperor appreciated it, and my father was able to achieve the rank of Zhongshu Ling. But my father is a scholar after all, and he is a Jinshi, but in some families, it is because of his elder sister."
Hearing this, Fu Qingchu was enlightened and couldn't help laughing.
Of course Cheng Hehe would not scold the Fu family in front of her, then only the Lu family. The Lu family does not rely on their elder sister, but on their elder sister who can no longer give birth to children.
Empress Dowager Lu was unable to have children, so she naturally became the best candidate to raise Situ Ce, who lost his mother at a young age. Naturally, the only concubine to raise the prince was the queen.
That's how the Lu family got up.
"As long as Lu Dingyue and Cui Qi fight, and we help Lu Dingyue overtly and covertly, I think Cui Qi can be free for a few days." Cheng Hehe sneered and said very proudly.
"Oh, I can't tell that our queen has such a good plan." Fu Qingchu said with a smile.
Cheng Hehe snorted arrogantly, "Originally, I was planning to be his good wife, but it happened that he didn't want me."
"I'll go tell him right now. He will definitely be happy."
"No," Cheng Shehe hurriedly stopped him, "I was just joking, if there is anything with him... eh, it's like incest."
Fu Qingchu: "..."
Cheng Hehe's idea was certainly advisable, but the infighting among the important officials in the imperial court hurt the country and people's livelihood, and Situ Ce was in trouble because he was caught in the middle. Therefore, Fu Qingchu would not do this unless absolutely necessary.
On the second day, Fu Qingchu was waiting for Situ Ce to go to court outside Ninghua Palace. Seeing Cui Yunxi wearing a cloak and looking weak, he personally sent Situ Ce outside the palace gate.
"Greetings to Your Majesty, and greetings to Concubine Shu." Fu Qingchu knelt down and saluted.
Situ Ce looked at her with guilt on his face and hurriedly reached out to help her, "Get up quickly."
"I'm here to take His Majesty to court." Fu Qingchu lowered his eyes and said calmly.
Situ Ce looked back at Cui Yunxi, "Go back quickly, don't catch a cold."
Cui Yunxi nodded, straightened his collar, and said softly: "Go early and come back early."
Situ Ce hummed and walked away without getting into the sedan chair.
Fu Qingchu saluted Cui Yunxi and then followed Situ Ce.
Fu Qingchu didn't say a word along the way, and Situ Ce was in great torment. He wanted to say something, but didn't know how to say it. The two of them stayed silent all the way to the Tai Chi Hall.
The Ministry of Rites reports on matters related to the imperial examination, the Ministry of Household Affairs reports on this year's budget expenditures, and the Ministry of Industry reports on the minting of new coins. After hearing this, Situ Ce was right and discussed again and again.
"Your Majesty, regarding the new tax policy, after discussions with various ministries, I all believe that the land tax levied in summer and autumn is feasible. However, the change of the per capita tax to the household tax, and the officials and gentry paying the grain as one, really should be discussed." Cui Qi Please come out and play.
Situ Ce looked at Cui Qi and said in a deep voice: "Then let's discuss it. Let's discuss it now."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. How could anyone discuss this matter in the court? Don't they need to stand in line face to face? Offend the emperor in person?
The ministers were talking a lot, but they were not talking about changing the capita tax to the household tax, nor were they talking about how officials and gentry should pay grain as one body, but how this matter could be discussed in the court.
Seeing this, Situ Ce couldn't help but sneered, stood up and looked at his ministers, "I don't know something, and I want to ask you for advice."
When all the ministers heard this, they were speechless. Situ Ce looked at one person and said, "Tian Hanlin, tell me, why are you studying?"
"Your Majesty, it is my lifelong wish to cultivate one's moral integrity, manage one's family, govern the country and bring peace to the world." Tian Qinglin, a Hanlin scholar, said.
Situ Ce nodded and turned to look at everyone: "I believe this is also the wish of all the ministers, isn't it?"
"Yes." The ministers said.
They all read the words of saints, who dares to say otherwise?
"Tian Hanlin has a long history of family education. I believe he has done a good job in cultivating himself and bringing peace to his family. The only thing left is to govern the country and bring peace to the world. Tian Hanlin, please answer me again, what does it mean to govern the country and bring peace to the world?"
Tian Qinglin looked around and hesitated for a while before saying: "The one who governs the country is the one who manages the government affairs of the country; the one who makes the world peaceful is the one who makes the world peaceful."
"What does it mean for the world to be peaceful?" Situ Ce continued to ask.
"There is no war on the frontier, and the people are not hungry or discouraged."
"Can Tian Hanlin do these two things?" Situ Ce asked with a smile.
"I am incompetent." Tian Qinglin said and hurriedly knelt down.
Seeing this, Situ Ce smiled and said, "Get up. Throughout the ages, there have only been one Wei Qing and one Huo Qubing. I won't make it difficult for you. But the people are not hungry, so you can still do it. Your family pays two per acre of land. Ten kilograms of grain and a household tax of 100 Wen are paid. You are paid a salary from the court, which is enough for you to cultivate yourself and your family. And the people in your hometown have a family that pays less grain and less household tax, so naturally they don’t have to pay it. You don't have to be a starving man to beg for food in other places. Do you think this has fulfilled your wish to govern the country and bring peace to the world?"
Hearing this, Fu Qingchu secretly laughed in his heart. It's a good idea to take steps back to make progress, step by step. Since these people all regard the words of saints as the criterion for their official career, they will use the spear of the son to attack the shield of the son, leaving these sanctimonious hypocrites who speak the words of the saints but shut up the common people to have nothing to say.
"Why don't you speak? Am I wrong? Or are you unwilling to govern the country and bring peace to the world?" Situ Ce asked with a smile.
After all the talk, how could Tian Qinglin dare to say "no"? He had no choice but to bow his head and say, "I am willing."
"Good!" Situ Ce praised, walked down the terrace in person, and helped Tian Qinglin up. "Having loyal people like Tian Hanlin is a blessing to all people. Are you willing to work with me to rule the country and bring peace to the world?"
How else can the ministers answer? All I can say is: "I am willing to follow Your Majesty."
Situ Ce smiled and said, "In that case, do we still need to discuss the household tax and the government and gentry's unified payment of grain?"
"I will draw up a charter with the Ministry of Household Affairs and leave it to Your Majesty to decide." Shen said.
Situ Ce nodded with a smile and turned around with a smile: "Fu Sheren, please immediately draft a decree that the tax law reform will be led by Shi Lang Shen."
Fu Qingchu lowered his eyes and said yes.
"If there is nothing else, I will read the new policy when I go down, talk about it when I get home, and then implement it." Situ Ce looked at the ministers and smiled warmly.
The ministers were bound by the sage's words and couldn't find a suitable reason to refute for a while, so they could only say yes.
