Chapter 461 Restaurant Chapter
Chapter 461 Restaurant Gossip
At noon, at the Xiaoqingmei Restaurant in Qinghuafang, Right Prime Minister Yang Su and Left Prime Minister Yang Da were sitting on the second floor having a drink and lunch.
"My lord, it's a bit strange that the emperor received the Prince of Jin today!" Yang Da took the initiative to fill Yang Su's glass with wine.
"Why do you find it weird? They are father and son. It's normal for fathers and sons to have secret conversations! Isn't it the same in every family?"
"If they were talking about family matters, there would be no problem, but they were talking about state affairs. Isn't it a bit disrespectful to the court to have such a secret conversation?"
Yang Su smiled and said, "You are a member of the royal family. When the previous emperor was alive, there were not many secret talks like this. Don't take it too seriously. I know very well that the Prince of Jin is not the Prince of Qi. The Prince of Qi is doted on by his parents, and the emperor will agree to whatever he wants. The Prince of Jin is not like that. The emperor has always been wary of him. Without the ministers to mediate, the secret talks between father and son have become even more harsh."
"Please tell me in detail, sir!"
Yang Su thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about the warships and navy! The King of Jin wanted more than a thousand warships in Jiangling, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that. The emperor gave them to him and asked him to pay for their maintenance. But what if there are ships without soldiers? Ships are just weapons, but the root is still the navy. The emperor's condition lies in the navy. He agreed to let the King of Jin build a navy, but in the end he took away the wartime command power."
Yang Da shook his head and said, "This wartime command is actually just a formality. The navy and warships are in the hands of the King of Jin. The emperor sent a general to serve as the admiral of the navy. Can he suppress the King of Jin and take the military power? Impossible. Even if the emperor has wartime command, he still has to appoint the King of Jin as the admiral of the navy. The navy and warships are actually still in the hands of the King of Jin."
Yang Su hesitated for a moment and said, "We can transfer the Prince of Jin back to the court, abolish the Jiangnan Road General Administration Office, and transfer the navy to Luoyang, and the problem will be solved."
Yang Da sighed, "If we have to go this far to solve the problem, then the problem is serious. You have to think about it. Why did the emperor put the King of Jin in Jiangnan? In fact, he was separated from the throne. If the King of Jin is to be transferred back from Jiangnan, what else can he be compensated with, unless he is the crown prince? Either the whole Guanlong or the whole Bashu is given to him, and the military, political and financial power is given to him, so that he can become an out-and-out King of Shu. If he has to give up such a great power, I believe the emperor would rather let him stay in Jiangnan for a long time."
Yang Su nodded, "You are right. The emperor summoned the Prince of Jin to the capital this time to appease him, stabilize him, and prevent him from having other ideas!"
"Ming Gong, are you referring to the Crown Prince?"
Yang Su sighed and said, "If the crown prince was safe and sound, the King of Jin would not have any improper thoughts. Now that the crown prince has become a fool, we have to change the crown prince. Will the King of Qi and the King of Jin not be tempted?
That was why the emperor summoned the Prince of Jin to the capital at this critical moment, to appease him, give him some sweet treats, and let him stop having any unreasonable thoughts for the time being.
So what you just said about the wartime command of the navy is just a formality. I believe the emperor also knows that including minting coins, official recommendations, etc., are all benefits given to him by the emperor to appease the King of Jin, so that the King of Jin will return to the capital with satisfaction and can peacefully manage the south of the Yangtze River. The next step is to let the King of Qi come to the capital and give him benefits to appease him. "
Yang Da gave a thumbs up and said, "Ming Gong is indeed very insightful. It seems that the emperor is planning to establish the eldest grandson as the emperor."
"That's what it means at the moment, but it's not certain. We'll have to wait ten years to see clearly."
In the afternoon, Emperor Yang Guang issued an edict, clarifying all the agreements reached in secret talks between him and the Prince of Jin in the form of an imperial decree, including financial power, administrative power, naval warships, etc., but added an agreement that had not been disclosed beforehand. The emperor allowed Xiao Xia's Prince of Jin's guards to recruit another 20,000 soldiers, bringing the number of directly recruited soldiers to 50,000.
That night, Xiao Xia came to visit Yuan Xiaoju, the head of the Yuan family. Five years ago, Yuan Xiaoju invited Xiao Xia for tea, and they formed a good relationship, which led to today's visit.
Yuan Xiaoju personally came to the gate to welcome Xiao Xia. Yuan Xiaoju bowed and said, "I didn't know Your Highness was coming, so I wasn't prepared. Please forgive me for my impoliteness!"
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "The master and I have a long-standing friendship. No need to be so polite. I came for tea last time, and I will come for tea again this time!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Your Highness and I have a long history. Please come in!" Yuan Xiaoju invited Xiao Xia to the VIP Hall. The maid came in and served tea. Xiao Xia took a sip of the tea and said in surprise, "This water seems to be different from what I drank yesterday."
Yuan Xiaoju smiled and said, "If Your Highness has no special requirements, then it should be the same as ordinary people, all well water from Luoyang. In fact, the water quality in Luoyang is not very good, but I value the water for making tea very much. When I was in Chang'an before, the water was delivered from Lantian County every day. Now in Luoyang, I traveled all over Luoyang and finally chose the Laojun Spring in Minggao Mountain. I specially hired servants to deliver water. They set out from Minggao Mountain at three o'clock every morning and arrive in Chang'an at dawn. They deliver a cart of water to me every day. If Your Highness comes in the morning, you can drink the freshest spring water and feel the spiritual energy of the sweet spring."
Xiao Xia nodded, "I don't have too many requests in Jiangdu, but after drinking the tea from the patriarch today, maybe I will have to make some requests when I go back."
"This is the sweet spring bestowed by heaven and earth. As Your Highness, you deserve it!"
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "Now that the rivers in the Central Plains are frozen, does the cargo from the south to the north have to go by land?"
Yuan Xiaoju stroked his beard and said, "Your Highness, this question is very timely. We were discussing this a few days ago. It takes time and effort to travel by land from Jiangnan, and the freight is very high. It is far less convenient than traveling by ship. How to solve this problem still needs to be discussed with Your Highness."
"Is there any good plan?" Xiao Xia asked.
Yuan Xiaoju nodded, "We did think of a good solution, which is to build a warehouse complex in Shanyang County. In the winter, the goods will be stored in the Shanyang warehouse and no longer go north. Luoyang will use the inventory before the ice forms. After the spring, the goods will be transported from the Shanyang warehouse to Luoyang."
"That's a good idea. Shanyang County is also a good place. This time when I went north, I encountered more than a thousand bandits in Shanyang County. They looted the entire city. They were really bold!"
Yuan Xiaoju was shocked. Is Shanyang County so unsafe?
"Excuse me, Your Highness, where did these bandits come from? What is the current situation like?"
"They are bandits that fled south from Donghai County. The bandit leader is called Miao Haichao. He is the uncle of Shanyang County Magistrate Miao Zhi. It can be said that they are working together from the inside and outside! But don't worry, I happen to be in Shanyang County. I have led the army to wipe out this bandit group. No one escaped. Miao Zhi was also killed by his nephew. I will station troops in Shanyang County in the future."
Yuan Xiaoju nodded, "Garrison is necessary, safety is the most important!"
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "How Shanyang County builds a warehouse requires collective efforts. After the Spring Festival, the General Administration Office will take the lead and consider a plan that everyone is satisfied with."
Yuan Xiaoju said quickly: "It's best to sell the land, and everyone can build warehouses according to their own needs. It doesn't matter if the price is a little higher. The main thing is that we have special needs for warehouses and we can't agree."
"Selling land and building warehouses is fine! I am in charge of Jiangnan to develop trade and encourage trade. Next year I will also reduce commercial taxes. I welcome Guanlong nobles to come to Jiangnan to invest in business, such as large textile factories, large shipbuilding factories, etc."
Yuan Xiaoju also smiled hopefully and said, "We are all looking forward to seeing a new scene unfold in Gangnam next year!"
(End of this chapter)