The next day.
It is said that the first thing a new official does when he takes office is that a new prime minister must establish some new rules and change some of the regulations that have been used in the past. But when the new magistrate of the Salt Affairs Bureau came up, he did nothing but ask for all the files.
After five or six days of being tepid, Zhao Gao called the salt officials together before starting work every day, gave them a few words of encouragement, and told them to go about their business as usual.
And what about himself? Before Zhenri buried his head in the case. Many people passed by the main hall and could not see others. All they could see were neatly stacked files stacked on top of each other. In other words, others are completely submerged behind the bamboo slips and cannot be seen.
However, Zhao Gao was also very efficient. He finished reading everything that took more than ten days to read on the sixth day. At this moment, most of the bamboo slips piled on the big black case were moved away, leaving only a small part, and the main hall suddenly looked a lot more refreshing.
This afternoon, he finally asked the boy on standby to call everyone to the main hall. The salt officials had been busy with official duties for a day. At this time, their minds had begun to feel dizzy. In private, they looked at each other blankly. , I don’t know what kind of medicine he sells in his gourd.
Zhao Gao raised his finger and pointed at the files that had been sorted into categories, and said to the boy: "Give these to them." The boy had very smart hands and feet. After receiving the order, he picked up the things one by one and distributed them to the salt officials. Unexpectedly, Zhao Gao suddenly said: "Slow down." The boy paused and turned to look at him. He leisurely raised his hand and pointed to the side and said: "That scroll is for the king."
The boy was ashamed that he had remembered the wrong order and was afraid of being blamed. He was eager to apologize to him, but he waved his hand to stop it: "Continue to send it." At this time, those who got the files first looked through the files. The content inside had already turned pale, and when the rest of them saw the situation and picked it up again, their faces looked particularly ugly and their expressions were particularly solemn.
When the sound of rustling bamboo slips stopped, all the salt officials finished reading the files, and the main hall became silent. If you drop the needle to the ground at this time, I'm afraid it will still make a sound.
Everyone knows how deep the water in the Salt Service is, so no one can guarantee that no trace of sludge will stick to their body if they go back and forth in the Salt Service. Besides, no matter how upright you are, sometimes it’s not because of your inability to think. Not so much. However, everyone knows how strict Qin Law is. Think about your own life, if something happens...
One of them was named Bai Ju. He couldn't bear it and asked first: "What does your Majesty mean by doing this?" Bai Ju was confident because he was related to Bai Heng, the governor of Su Nei. Although Bai Heng said it first: there is no talk of intimacy in the official office. But when Ling Cheng took office, he still gave him three points, intentionally or unintentionally. When something happened, the salt officials naturally looked at each other and pointed at him.
As soon as he said that Zhao Meng was taking advantage of the situation, he forced himself to stand up and asked: "When your Majesty took out these things, did he intend to hand them over to the king to punish us?" Zhao Gao looked at him leisurely and said nothing. Bai glanced at Zhao Meng and said, "Don't talk nonsense." Zhao Meng knew that Chen Bai was the most active mind among them. When Chen Bai stopped him, he knew that his mouth must be doing something bad, so he took a step back hurriedly. No more words.
Chen Bai looked at Zhao Gao's face and saw that there was nothing unusual before he continued confidently: "If your Majesty wants to report these things, why bother today and show them to me for a look?" Zhao Gao was amused in his heart. This Chen Bai is a bit clever.
Seeing that the time was almost ripe, Zhao Gao stopped beating around the bush and said with a solemn expression: "Chen Bai is right, I brought out these files not to threaten anyone or to punish anyone, but to give you a warning. The king attaches great importance to the salt introduction method. Once the new salt method is implemented, I will often personally check it. Everything in the past will not be mentioned, including the person you are worried about, I can hide it. But if you don’t think about it anymore Repentance is not as simple as threatening punishment. Remember?"
The person Zhao Gao was talking about was actually the previous Ling Cheng, because many things in the past were tacitly approved by him even if they were not directed by Ling Cheng. The salt officials below were afraid that Zhao Gao would expose the matter, so they took out the previous Ling Cheng. You must know that the former Lingcheng is now the deputy in charge of Su Neishi. If he is not pulled down, then the former Lingcheng will threaten private revenge, and no one will be able to please anyone present.
Seeing that things had turned around, the people below all breathed a sigh of relief. Then Zhao Gao suddenly felt a little more "kind" and agreed obediently. Most of them already knew what was going on with this new salt law in advance. When they thought about implementing it, all the oil and water in the past might be gone. Who wouldn't feel aggrieved?
However, Zhao Gao was already prepared: "Your Majesty promised to allocate a certain amount of the profits from the sale of salt to the Salt Service Administration. From now on, the Salt Service Administration will implement monthly assessments. If you do your job well, your salary will never be the same." It is worse than before. But I would like to emphasize once again that if there are any mistakes in behavior again, we will not tolerate it according to the law."
No, no, no... you heard it right, there are such good things in the world? You must know that the Qin law is strict, especially when the new law is first implemented. Who wants to test the law personally? You can think about the fate of King Huiwen and Gongzi Qian when Xiaogong and Shangjun reformed the law in the past. So at least when you are first starting out, don’t even think about oil and water.
And even in the past, they acted at their own risk. But now Xin Lingcheng is telling them that as long as they work hard, their real profits in the future will be no worse than before, and the money will become legal income. Who wouldn't be tempted to listen?
"Do you really mean what your Majesty said?" Some people were still hesitant to believe it. Zhao Gao was good-tempered and said patiently: "For more than a hundred years, our Qin State has used incentives to encourage military morale. When has it ever been fake? The Salt Yin Law is to liven up business, benefit the people, and strengthen the country. In other words, In the future, your efforts will not only be for yourself, but also for the Qin State. In ancient times, there was a generous chant in "Wu Yi", and now I should keep my ambition to serve the country."
Although Zhao Gao's voice was not loud and he was not very excited, the last two sentences were resounding. Although his voice had been dispersed by the wind for a long time, his meaning still lingered in his ears. Everyone present was filled with the spirit of Lao Qin. Being aroused by him, he immediately cheered up and said: "We are willing to serve Qin."
one day.
News came from the State of Zheng that a big thing was discovered in digging canals. It was said that a large instrument was dug down and a large snake hole was dug. There was a nest of snakes in it, which made people's scalp numb. The most troublesome thing was accidental accidents. He cut off a snake king as thick as a child's waist. Rumors spread for a while that Zheng Guo's canal construction could not tolerate even the sky, and that it had cut off the dragon's veins. This was an ominous sign and should be stopped immediately.
Zheng Guo ignored it at first and ordered the entire nest of snakes to be removed and continued repairs. Unexpectedly, several nearby clan leaders braved the cold wind and organized many people to block the canal to prevent it from being repaired, and the two sides started to waste money. Seeing that the situation was out of control, Zheng Guo did not dare to act rashly. He could only send someone to Xianyang to ask Zhao Zheng for instructions.
When the news reached Qutai Palace, it was already midnight. Zhao Zheng finished reviewing the memorial, took a bath, and was about to sleep comfortably. When he received the news, he didn't care much anymore and got up from the bed immediately. Shen Yu saw that he came out of the inner chamber and only ordered the eunuch on standby to invite a few courtiers to come over. He was wearing a black tunic and was barefoot without realizing it, so he sighed helplessly. Knowing that he didn't like people to serve him closely, he touched a fox fur from the side and handed it to him.
Zhao Zheng was thinking about something at this time, so he casually took it and wrapped it loosely around his body before going to the case and reading the memorial attentively. Zhao Zheng's subordinates worked very efficiently, and soon Wang Wan and others were hurriedly summoned. On the way, they simply listened to the whole story. Now Zhao Zhao personally handed the memorandum to them for them to circulate. Once everyone read it, they knew that the gaffe was serious, and the voice of dissatisfaction gradually spread to the whole country.
"I have no choice but to disturb everyone's dreams today. Please don't blame me." Don't say that Wang Wan and Feng Quji are old. Even Li Si, a few middle-aged people, have not calmed down their anger at this moment. , plus there was a bit of cool breeze blowing on the road and I was feeling uncomfortable. When I heard him apologize so sincerely, I suddenly felt a sense of drowsiness in my chest, and I just felt very sad.
They all understood Zhao Zheng's temper, so they simply said, "Your Majesty's words are serious," and then turned their attention to the matter of the water canal. Everyone present knows how much the king attaches to that canal. They have all seen how Zhao Zheng has treated the people over the years. Now that something like this has happened, with the canal on one side and the people on the other, caring about the head and not the tail, it is no wonder that Zhao The political fire is burning.
"It will only take a day or two for this matter to spread throughout the country, and by then I am afraid that public dissatisfaction will boil. It will be completed in three months. If it is temporarily shelved, how can I sleep peacefully... My idea is to set out overnight to personally If you go there, all matters in the DPRK will be handled by you for the time being. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty is going to leave, so Zhou Wu will naturally protect you all the way." Wang Wan and Feng Quji always advocated playing it safe when it came to troubles, so they spoke out according to Zhao Zheng's idea. Although they thought it was a solution, they still hesitated, so they couldn't do anything for the moment. talk. However, Li Si's ideas often coincided with Zhao Zheng's: "It is indeed safer to persuade the people in person with the dignity of the king."
Afterwards, everyone discussed for a while and finally settled the matter. Zhao Zheng did not waste a moment, and ordered the guard Zhou Wu and the new doctor Fan Cheng to prepare for leaving the palace. In less than half an hour, his carriage galloped out of Xianyang Palace.
Sitting in the carriage, I remembered that something unexpected happened today and I hadn't even had time to say goodbye to Zhao Gao. I felt that I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and I was afraid that he would misunderstand that there was no summons today, so I felt a little uneasy. If he hadn't thought about the big things to do tomorrow and forced himself to divert his attention, Zhao Zheng would not have had to sleep that night.
Zhao Gao went to the Salt Affairs Bureau the next day and learned that Zhao Zheng was no longer in Xianyang. As for why he was not summoned last night, Zhao Gao did not think much about why he was not summoned last night, unlike what Zhao Zheng was worried about, except that he was concerned about his safety. , I worked as usual that day, and even forgot everything when I was busy.
Zhao Zheng arrived at the place on the second day. When we arrived, the surrounding area was already crowded with people. Both Zheng Guo and the local people were a little surprised when they saw his car driving. For a while, they forgot about the previous things and only focused on picking up the car. The tense atmosphere between the two sides also subsided. It's rare to see the king's true appearance. Today, he came with a six-horse carriage with the king's flag and a guard of honor composed of a hundred cavalry. He got off the carriage and stood openly in front of everyone. Everyone was stunned.
Earlier, Zhao Zheng stood on the carriage and looked around before his feet landed on the ground. Suddenly his eyes fell on one place. Without anyone helping him, he jumped out of the carriage and walked slowly over. As he walked forward, a soldier shouted: "Everyone, stand back." Zhao Zheng turned around and waved his hands and said, "No need." After saying that, he turned back to the people and said, "I have rashly come here and disturbed your peace. I am here to apologize to you." , you are doing everything as usual."
As he spoke, he walked towards an old man in his seventies who was still sitting on the ground. The scene just now was chaotic. The old man couldn't stand up despite his old age, which was already a violation of etiquette. The people around him thought something was going to happen, and they all looked here with bated breath. Who would have thought... Zhao Zheng knelt down in front of his father-in-law, looked at the wine jar in his hand and said: "My father-in-law, Zhao Zheng has been traveling for two days and is really thirsty and hungry. He shamelessly asks you for a bowl of wine. Do you think it still works?"
After all, the father-in-law was a veteran who had carried swords and killed enemies in battle, but he had never seen such a battle. Dozens of elite warriors stood in front of the big... er... king who was dressed in ordinary black clothes and had a friendly smile. Standing behind him was a forest. Although the king's aura was there, he seemed to be very friendly to others. He walked over casually without any scruples and just asked for a bowl of rice wine.
How many people have fought for a lifetime and killed enemies for a lifetime, but they may not even be able to see the face of the general, let alone the king. Seeing him so easily now made the old man feel like he was still dreaming. When he came back to his senses, Nana picked up the wine pot, took a pottery bowl and said awkwardly: "It makes... it makes... But this wine... and there are only these coarse pottery bowls in it, they are all used, untouchables" Afraid of the king..."
Zhao Zheng took the bowl from his father-in-law without hesitation. The father-in-law didn’t say anything more. He opened the lid with shaking hands and poured him a bowl with trembling hands. He even splashed wine on Zhao Zheng’s sleeve. Zhao Zhenghun didn’t care. , raised his head with the bowl in hand and drank it all, and then used his sleeve to wipe the water stains on his chin proudly, and said with a resisting smile: "Haha, this wine is really turbid. It has enough lees to satisfy your hunger."
There were many women and girls around who came to deliver drinks and meals, and they were dazzled for a while. The man from the neighborhood who wiped water with his sleeves looked vulgar, but Zhao Zheng looked graceful when he did it. It is indescribably pleasing to the eye. Little did they know that after Zhao Zheng left, so many girls fell in love with him.
"I heard that all the kings drink clear wine, why does the king also like turbid wine?" At this time, the old man was no longer as nervous as before and asked kindly. Zhao Zheng smiled bitterly and replied: "Zhao Zheng was hungry in the past when he was in Zhao State. He saw people drinking turbid wine full of lees. He was greedy and hungry. Unfortunately, he couldn't take a sip in the end." He said this. Everyone present was a little upset when they thought of the time when he was held hostage by Zhao Guo in the past.
Zhao Zheng was completely unaware, his eyes lost focus, and he murmured to himself: "Fortunately, a kind-hearted aunt saw me later and gave me a white-flour steamed bun, which I shared with... and my mother. Oh, after that, I still thought about that bowl of wine all the time. Later, when I had the conditions, I also always thought about that bowl, thinking about what it would taste like if I could take a sip at that time."
After Zhao Zheng finished speaking, the atmosphere became a little solemn, and he consciously made a mistake. He waved his hands indifferently and said: "Anyway, thank you for this bowl of wine, my husband. It can make up for Zhao Zheng's regrets for many years. I would like to thank you here." At the end of the sentence, he had already stood up. , and bowed to the old man in a dignified manner.
