Chapter 696: King's Power and Prime Minister's Power
Chapter 696: King's Power and Prime Minister's Power
On the tenth day of the fifth month in the second year of Shengui (318), Liang Palace.
The window was gently pushed open and the south wind immediately rushed in.
The sky was covered with dark clouds and there was a hint of thunder.
There were slight ripples on the lake and the boat was drifting.
In the nearby pine forest, there were waves roaring and the birds were startled.
After a while, a few drops of rain fell, clearing the dust in the air and seeming to dispel the boredom in people's hearts.
"There are three good things about this rain." Shao Xun turned around, collapsed on the recliner by the window, and said with a smile: "The first good thing is that it nourishes all things. The sunflowers I planted in the garden will probably not die of drought. The spring millet planted in February can thrive again."
"My dear, I have watered the plants for you, so the sunflowers in the garden will not die from drought." Wang Jingfeng's cheeks were puffed up, and he kept eating like a hamster.
"Ayu, if you don't know how to speak, just say less." Shao Xun said helplessly.
Wang Huifeng walked out from the inner room, her cheeks rosy and her hair slightly wet.
She gathered her hair as if no one was around, looked outside, and said, "Since this spring, there has been plenty of rain, so I'm sure the autumn harvest will be plentiful."
Shao Xun looked at the woman strangely.
She has always been very opinionated.
After making up her mind, she no longer cared about what others thought, and she no longer acted coyly. Instead, she was open and honest, and never concealed the fact that she was Mr. Liang's new wife.
Even sister Wang Jingfeng was dumbfounded by this attitude. Does it mean you really don’t care about what others say?
"The second good thing about this rain is that it can greatly replenish the water volume of the Bian River, Ji River, and Suiyang Canal, which will facilitate the north-south and east-west transportation." Shao Xun added: "Without the canal, we can only transport it by land. I don't know how many refugees we can accommodate."
Wang Huifeng stood in front of the high-legged desk, searched for a while, and put a few official letters on the top, saying: "It's time for the three Longxiang Prefectures of Nanmen, Jiwu, and Chengkuang to allocate the second batch of grain, oxen, and farm tools. Since you mentioned the convenience of grain transport, distribute them as soon as possible."
"If I don't go to the battlefield, I have to manage the government at home. It's hard to say which is more annoying." Shao Xun sighed.
After eating the pastries, Wang Jingfeng felt very bored and quietly slipped away.
The two men ignored her and continued to discuss the details of the three Longxiong mansions in the south that were officially established only this year.
According to the data, there are already eight Longxiang Prefectures near the city of Bianliang, with a total of 9,600 soldiers.
Among them, Cangyuan (located in the north of Bianliang), Chuitai (located near Muze in the southeast of Bianliang), and Bajiao (located in the west of Bianliang, near Zhongmu) have been established for some time and have been operating normally for a long time.
The two Longxiang Prefectures in Pingqiu (located in Fengqiu County) and Donghun (located in Xiaohuang County) were put in place at the end of last year.
Jiwu and Chengkuang Longxiang prefectures were both located in Xiangyi County, and their land and population were all taken from the local small nobles and powerful families.
Nanmen Longxiang Mansion is located in Weishi County. It was directly renovated from the manor of the exterminated Ruan family - all of them are prime land and are located near the city wall, hence the name.
These three Longxiang Prefectures were officially established after the beginning of spring. Now the personnel have been put in place, but because they missed the spring sowing, they can only plant some short-growing grains, and they need the court to provide all the necessary supplies.
These are the things Wang Huifeng was urging us to do.
"This little secretary!" Shao Xun thought angrily, "She keeps finding work for me all day long."
The rain outside the window was getting heavier, hitting the window with a crackling sound.
Wang Huifeng walked over, closed most of the window, and said, "Some time ago, someone swore an oath that he didn't want to be a tyrant, and asked me to correct him."
After closing the window, she knelt beside the recliner and looked at Shao Xun.
Shao Xun stretched out his hand and reached into his clothes to feel around.
Wang Huifeng let him do whatever he wanted for a while, and after giving him enough sweetness, he advised: "Men and women should exercise moderation."
After saying this, her face slightly reddened, she turned her head away and said, "Didn't I give you one just now?"
Shao Xun thought about it carefully, sighed with satisfaction, stood up and said, "Yes, there is still a lot to do, so don't slack off."
In fact, there is one thing that is relatively friendly to the monarch in this era, that is, he does not have to lead every campaign personally.
The root cause is still the problem of cultural atmosphere.
The social atmosphere is killing people!
In some times, if you dare to hand over your army to a general to lead it into battle, the soldiers will prepare yellow robes and do a great job for you.
But at this time, because of the inequality in personality, the clear distinction between superiors and subordinates, and the strict hierarchy, there is no need to hold the army tightly in one's hands or even lock it in a safe.
"Eight Longxiang Prefectures in Chenliu are enough." Shao Xun finished reviewing the letter, stamped it, and put it aside.
Wang Huifeng checked it carefully again, put it away and placed it in a wooden box.
In the evening, a servant would come to collect it and deliver it to the Prime Minister.
"Someone in Luoyang has started to manage a manor again, and it's causing people to follow suit. Don't you do anything about it?" Wang Huifeng picked up an official letter sent by the traitor supervisor, handed it to Shao Xun, and asked.
“Don’t worry about it for now. Actually, not many people will do it.” Shao Xun glanced at it and was about to throw it aside when he suddenly got a bad taste in his mouth and wrote the three words “Got it” at the end.
"Yang Bao requests to recruit more transport troops and purchase more ships." Wang Huifeng took out another one.
After Shao Xun read it carefully, he decided not to write it down this time - it was not appropriate to write it down because it was going to be sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Prime Minister Yu Chen had already agreed, but had set a limit, limiting the number of new ones that could be added each year in order to reduce financial expenditures. Shao Xun readily accepted the offer.
Yang Bao was previously the Duzhi Xiaowei in Luoyang. He was recently transferred to Liang State and took up the newly created post of Duzhi Zhonglang Jiang (sixth rank), in charge of military farming and transportation.
In other words, the Duzhi school lieutenants who were originally of the same rank now have a superior, namely the new Duzhi Zhonglang Jiang Yang Bao.
As an old man from Yuan Cong, this fellow's official position is getting higher and higher. There are many miscellaneous affairs to be dealt with, such as the land designated for grazing and farming for the Luoyan Army;
For example, they obtained more than 100 hectares of land from the Jiang family in Kaocheng. Tian Cao asked for permission to exchange them with the neighboring Yu family and try to connect them into one piece for greater use.
For example, a group of Qingzhou disciples brought by Wang Pei were, in principle, arranged to serve under the clerks of various Caos to fill vacancies, which still required approval.
For example, a new batch of equipment delivered to the hotel was unqualified and needed to be sent back for re-processing.
For example, Yu Liang asked for permission to recruit refugees to go to Mi County to cut down large trees.
There are so many things to do. I really don’t know how some diligent monarchs can keep up.
After Zhu Yuanzhang took control of Nanjing, he did not go out on expeditions himself, but only sent his subordinates to lead the troops to fight. Perhaps he was hindered by these trivial matters, right?
He continued working until the heavy rain stopped and the sky gradually darkened. Only then did Shao Xun put down his brush and prepare to eat.
Wang Huifeng sorted out the various official letters again before leaving and going to take a shower.
The area between the legs is extremely sticky, so you need to wash it quickly.
While bathing, her face was a little red and there was a hint of determination in her.
Today Mr. Liang wanted to go fishing, but was stopped by her. In return, she gave him a lot of treats. It can be said that she fed the tiger with her own body. How heroic.
In fact, these political affairs can be completely fought back. When the prime minister sees it, he will naturally understand it and handle it for you directly.
The system with a prime minister and a chancellor is different from the system that abolishes the chancellor and has the six ministries directly responsible to the emperor.
To be conferred a title of nobility and appointed as prime minister, the prime minister had to be "worshipped", which shows how high the status and the great power were.
In theory, the prime minister can let the monarch "just sit inside" and "let me handle external affairs", and this is completely in line with the law and tradition.
Of course, the monarch can also interfere with the prime minister, and this is a struggle between the monarch's power and the prime minister's power.
Wang Huifeng asked Shao Xun to work harder, which actually weakened the power and influence of Prime Minister Yu Chen. To put it bluntly, it was against the rules because you should not interfere with the Prime Minister's handling of state affairs like this.
As to whether there are other reasons, it is unknown to outsiders.
Moreover, this also depends on what others think. For example, if Yu Chen has no say in anything, how is he different from the scholars who were nominated by later generations?
******
"Hutou, call me grandpa." The courtyard was refreshing after the rain. Wang Jingfeng said with a smile while holding a chubby child.
When Hu Tou saw Shao Xun coming, he immediately twisted around and tried to get down.
"Grandpa." After coming out of his mother's arms, Hu Tou walked unsteadily. When there were only a few steps left, he pushed hard a few steps and threw himself directly into Shao Xun's arms.
Shao Xun held his son high up in his arms, grinning from ear to ear.
Hu Tou's name is Shao Yu. He was born in November of the ninth year of Yongjia (315). He is four years old this year - only two and a half years old if you count his actual age.
This child is the fourth child in the family. He is relatively younger than his three older brothers, but he receives just as much attention.
The two sisters Jingfeng and Huifeng doted on him very much, and Wang Yan and his son Wang Xuan also visited him several times.
I don’t know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate to have a grandfather like Wang Yan.
My grandfather just boasted a little bit about how special and "unique" this seed was, and then made up some fake news and short stories, and Hu Tou became famous. This was his luck.
But this is also where the misfortune lies.
Shao Xun had only held his son for a short while when a lot of thoughts entered his mind.
The child didn't understand all this. He just opened his big black eyes, looked at his father carefully, and laughed.
As he laughed, two bubbles came out of his mouth.
Wang Jingfeng covered his mouth and laughed, saying, "Hutou is so stupid."
She said she was stupid, but in her heart she treasured him very much. She came over, hugged both father and son, and said softly, "My dear, you should be good to me and also to Hutou."
Hutou made two "wuwu" sounds, as if agreeing with his mother's words.
Wang Jingfeng chuckled, stood on tiptoe, put his face between Shao Xun and his son, and said with a smile: "Hutou is so strong, he will become a great general in the future."
Shao Xun felt that the smile on his face was a little stiff.
He suddenly began to reflect.
When fishing, will the fishing rod break and you be dragged into the water?
"Hutou is indeed very strong." Shao Xun echoed absentmindedly.
He was tall and strong.
Wang Jingfeng is also tall and has a strong frame.
Due to his parents' body shapes, Hutou was born bigger than other babies. It is hard to say what he will look like in the future.
"That's right." Wang Jingfeng proudly took the child back and said, "Among so many children, Hu Tou is the most like you."
"How can you tell it when it's so small?" Shao Xun said helplessly.
"That's right." Wang Jingfeng said with a smile: "Hutou is the most filial. He looks forward to seeing you every day and makes a fuss several times a day."
Filial piety? Shao Xun had many concerns.
Never mind, it’s too early to deal with these things. The most important thing right now is to wipe out Liu Cong and Sima Rui.
Guo Rong and the others are leaving, and Wen Qiao will follow them north. I will take time out tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to meet with them and give them some instructions.
(End of this chapter)