Chapter 1117: Meeting at the Royal Palace
Chapter 1117: Meeting at the Royal Palace
Throughout late February, King Shao Gui of Chu was summoned to the court for audience as many as four times.
During this period, people led by their teacher Cui Yue, their friend Xian Yuqu, the lieutenant Gai Hou, and the director of agriculture Li Jun gathered in the palace every day and were busy all the time. Among the four, Director of Agriculture Li Jun was the new one. The predecessor had gone home to mourn. When Shao Gui went south, he learned in Nanyang that this person was good at farming, so he appointed him as the director of agriculture.
Nanyang is a place with a "evil nature". Since the Later Han Dynasty, it has produced many wealthy merchants, such as the Wancheng Li family, and the families of He Jin and Empress Dowager He.
Li Jun is still running a business, and his family is very wealthy. Whenever there is a war, he often "willingly donates".
But precisely because the donation was so generous, the Li family had no choice but to curry favor with the King, so they took the initiative to become dependent on him under the pretext of being the King of Chu's "countrymen".
For some unknown reason, Shao Gui directly appointed this wealthy merchant owner from Nanyang, who had no family background, as the chief farmer of the Chu Palace, to manage the family business for him.
Li Jun was also very happy to do this, so he gave up his business and left it to his sons and nephews, and focused on becoming an official.
At this moment, he was talking attentively: "As far as I know, your Highness's fief is actually more than ten thousand households, it should be around twelve thousand households. When your Majesty conferred the title in the past, he gave a map and a tablet. All those included in the map were households in the fief. Your Highness can strive for this and collect an additional twelve thousand hu of grain, nine thousand pieces of silk, six thousand catties of cotton, and ten thousand bundles of hay every year. In this way, then-"
Cui Yue, the teacher of King Chu, coughed, and Li Jun shut up.
"How is the Prince of Qi's Palace?" Cui Yue looked at the servant Tian Li and asked.
"Replying to Lord Cui, according to my inquiries, the King of Qi cleared out 11,000 households, and Qi County only distributed food and silk according to 10,000 households." Tian Li replied: "In addition, the counties of Nanyang have external levies, but Qi County does not, so the King of Qi received slightly less than Your Highness."
The so-called extra-taxation is a kind of miscellaneous taxes imposed on top of taxes. Every household in Nanyang County was required to pay five bundles of hay per year to support the army. This miscellaneous tax had existed for many years, and even after the capture of Xiangyang and Jiangling, it was still not abolished.
To be honest, collecting taxes is quite fun, but it is really difficult to get officials to cancel them on their own initiative, unless they get attention from higher-ups.
Cui Yue thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "Perhaps Your Highness can submit a petition to request that this tax be abolished."
After saying that, he looked at everyone.
Wang Youxian Yuqu and Wenxue Li Huai looked at each other and nodded.
"Mr. Cui is right." Li Huai bowed and said, "Your Majesty came from humble beginnings and has always paid attention to the suffering of the people. The donation is a small matter, but it will let Your Majesty know that the king sympathizes with the people's difficulties and has a heart of love for the people."
"Your Majesty once said that when issuing government orders, you must first ask about the sufferings of the people." Xian Yuqu said, "You can submit a petition to suspend the tax and collect it when there is a war in the future."
Xian Yuqu's words subtly revised the suggestion put forward by Cui Yue, that is, it was not to cancel it permanently, but to suspend the collection, after all, they still had to attack the State of Jin next.
Cui Yue heard it, so he looked at Xian Yuqu and said, "Let's do it this way."
After that, he mentioned another matter: "All the kings have to go south to build manors, so this should be done as soon as possible. Lian Fang, how is Quling going?"
"Lord Li of Jiangxia was indifferent when he heard that I was leaving on Your Highness' orders." Li Huai said, "The head of Quling is quite close to him, but he said that the county is often hit by floods and wants to dredge the river and build ponds, but there are no men to recruit and no money to use. When I returned to Nanyang, Zhuge Hui of Wuchang sent 3,000 barbarian soldiers by boat to plunder Quling. The head of the county could only defend the city. This place is indeed difficult. Only Your Highness and the two families of the Wei family in Hedong have come here to open up the wasteland. If we want to make a difference, it will cost a lot."
Cui Yue frowned, as if thinking.
Everyone looked at him but said nothing, as if they were afraid to interrupt his train of thought.
The princes of Daliang were all nominally appointed, so there was no prime minister or internal historian, only a great farmer who was responsible for collecting taxes on the fief. When His Highness was away, the royal teacher Cui Yue was in charge of all matters, so in theory, the officials in the royal palace were all his subordinates.
Of course, this is the rule of His Royal Highness the King of Chu. It may not be the case in other royal palaces. After all, the royal teachers are often quite old and may not be in charge of things. In some palaces, the head of the agricultural department is in charge of all the affairs. It all depends on how the lord of the palace arranges it.
Cui Yue thought for a long time before smiling and said, "As for money, we still have to focus on business. Judging from the words and deeds of the emperor, he seems to attach great importance to business. In this way, we can cater to his interests. Business can make money, and with the money, we can build a manor in Quling and open up wasteland. This is also something that the emperor values..."
The more Cui Yue spoke, the clearer his thoughts became.
At this point, he smiled confidently and said, "But what to do with this manor house must be done with care. Last year, most of the people who went south reclaimed wasteland and planted millet, rice, wheat, and beans. For the nobles, this is not wrong. After all, food is not abundant, and reclaiming wasteland must first fill the stomach, right? But for Your Highness, this cannot be done."
Everyone was thoughtful.
When the newly appointed Left Regular Attendant Deng Tao heard this, the first thing he thought of was that the King of Chu had recently been appointed as the Junior Supervisor of Water Conservancy and inspected the rivers and ponds in Jingzhou. He immediately understood.
It seems that Cui Gong is determined to lean towards the business side, which is to please the emperor. Whatever the emperor likes, just do it for him, it's that simple.
Suddenly, he felt his chance had come.
The Xinye Deng family was no longer in good shape, and the King of Chu did not take a fancy to the Deng family when he went south. The reason why he entered the Chu Palace was mainly because he had made great contributions in persuading Deng Yue to surrender, and the emperor could not find a suitable official position to reward him, so he stuffed him into the Chu Palace and appointed him to the vacant eighth-rank left attendant.
At this point, he had no other way to go. Even if he left the Chu Palace, it would be difficult for others to accept him. The Chu King's Left Attendant was his only chance to be an official.
Maybe it’s time to send my son back to Xinye.
******
Shao Gui returned from the palace after nightfall. Cui Yue, Li Huai and Gai Hou had been waiting for him.
Before entering the study, he gently rubbed his face and adjusted his mood. Soon, the deep and even sinister look in his eyes disappeared, and the well-trained smile reappeared.
He strode in and said, "Mr. Cui must have come here for something important."
Cui Yue smiled and said, "The food in the palace is really delicious. I couldn't help but stay and have a meal."
Li Huai and Gai Hou smiled at each other and said, "Who in the capital doesn't know that the chef of the Prince of Chu's Palace is good at cooking deer tail? Today we finally get to eat it."
Shao Gui didn't say much. He just greeted everyone with a formulaic smile, then sat down behind the desk and looked at Cui Yue.
"Your Highness, we were just discussing the transfer of fiefdom money and grain." Cui Yue said.
"Oh? How to transfer it?" Shao Gui asked.
"I would like to send all the grain in the fief to Quling." Cui Yue said. "Why?" Shao Gui did not look surprised when he asked this question, but just looked at Cui Yue with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.
Cui Yue looked directly at Shao Gui and said carefully, "Your Highness, have you made any impressions on your inspection of the four counties of Nanyang, Xinye, Xiangyang, and Jingling?"
Shao Gui withdrew his gaze.
The candlelight flickered, and the jade seal in his hand was emitting a dim light. After a moment, he stood up and took two steps, saying, "The ponds have been in disrepair for many years, and many river channels are blocked. We need to recruit people to clean them up. In recent days, I have been summoned to the court several times to discuss these matters. This year, we will start to clean them up. At least the river channel from Wancheng to Xiangyang will be widened and dredged."
Cui Yue smiled immediately after hearing this, and he said, "If all the food and grain in the fiefdom are transported to Luoyang, there will be a lot of loss on the way. But if it is shipped to Xiangyang or even Jiangxia, there will be almost no loss. Sixty thousand hu of grain a year can feed a thousand families. Some people say that this is for land reclamation, and sixty thousand hu is not enough, but Quling also has wild fruits, mulberries, vegetables, and fish and salt. With these as supplements and the food and grain as the main source, it can support five thousand men, women, old and young to open up wasteland. As for the 45,000 pieces of silk and 30,000 catties of cotton, these are light items, so it is okay to transport them to Luoyang, or use them to buy farm tools and oxen, or to distribute rewards and salaries."
"Is it enough?" Shao Gui looked at Cui Yue with some doubt.
The taxes collected from the 10,000 households were not enough to support the 200 guards in the palace, as well as entertainment, salaries and other expenses. Apart from other things, when he hired Cui Yue as the king's teacher, he offered 500 pieces of silk.
Once all 60,000 hu of grain are transported to Quling, there will not be enough in Luoyang.
"Princess..." Cui Yue said vaguely.
Shao Gui did not answer immediately, but just looked at Cui Yue, secretly guessing what he meant by saying this.
Life was not easy for the Fanyang ancestral family. Located in Youzhou, they often sent men to fight in wars and also had to deliver grain and cloth to the county government to support the garrison troops.
A while ago, Zu Huan was appointed as the lieutenant general, and it was heard that he and Cui Yue had a bad quarrel. Cui Yue angrily accused Zu Huan of ruining the situation, and Zu Huan ran to his younger sister (the princess) to slander Cui Yue.
The relationship between the two was rather bad. Although they reconciled with his mediation, who knows whether it was true or not?
However, Cui Yue's suggestion of letting the Zu family pay is not a bad idea.
Among his 200 guards, there were a full 100 armored cavalry, which were provided by the Lu and Zu families. During those years in Zuoguoyuan, these 100 armored cavalry were the mainstay, and even played a big role when he went to Daiguo on business.
Let them pay more?
The amount needed to build the manor was not small. According to my father's wishes, the royal palace would pay 70% and the junior palace would pay 30%. But even if only 70% was paid, considering the difficulty and huge risks of land reclamation, it would still be a big burden - even if everything went well, the people who were reclaiming the land would have to be supported for about three years.
"Your Highness." Seeing Shao Gui was silent, Cui Yue continued, "At the beginning of autumn last year, His Majesty ordered the kings to go south to select wasteland and build their own manors. Last month, the Shaofu began to prepare farm tools, seeds, oxen, household items, medicinal materials, and vehicles. Obviously, this is not just talk. I heard that the King of Zhao and the King of Qin have sent people to the south to survey. The King of Zhao is interested in Jingling. The King of Qin's friend Xin Zuo and the Right Attendant Lu Shang have traveled back and forth between Jiangling and Huarong several times. Your Highness chose Quling early, so you have already taken the lead. Now you can allocate food and beans nearby, which is even more advantageous. It would be a pity if you don't seize this opportunity."
After hearing this, Shao Gui was moved, but there was no change on his face. He just paced slowly in the study.
After a moment, he stopped.
The candle flame suddenly jumped, and in the shadows, Shao Gui's narrow eyes gradually brightened. He walked up to Cui Yue and said, "My sister made a lot of money in Yangkou and Jiangling. Can I do the same?"
Cui Yue immediately said, "I was just about to mention this. Commerce is also important to the emperor. After the Quling Manor is built, commerce should be the main focus, and grain planting should be supplemented."
"Oh?" Shao Gui was stunned.
"We should vigorously develop local products that can be sold at a high price in the north." Cui Yue said, "We can try to develop products such as kudzu cloth, medicinal materials, fish salt, brocade, bamboo products, lacquerware, and dried fruits. Once we succeed, the emperor will surely be pleased."
Shao Gui thought for a moment and then asked, "If the kings of Qi, Zhao, and Qin reclaim wasteland, where will the food come from?"
"The King of Zhao must have relied on the Wei family." Cui Yue said, "During the Former Jin Dynasty, the Wei family's manor was in Jiangxia. Now it has moved to Quling, and the people are still there, and there is a lot of food stored. Madam Wei, the mother of Jiangxia Governor Li Chong, is also the younger sister of Wei Zhan. It is not difficult to transport some food to Jingling."
"King of Qin..." When he said this, Cui Yue frowned and said, "Earlier, the Yu family led a lot of people to the south to trade and settle. I didn't understand the meaning at first, but now I know. But how did the Yu family know that the kings went south to build manors?"
After hearing this, Shao Gui was a little disappointed and his face became even gloomier.
The empress was the emperor's bedmate, so was it strange for her to hear a few words from him? Even if the empress didn't understand, did Yu Liang not understand? If Yu Liang didn't understand, he would have his guests and staff to analyze it for him.
"The grain from the merchant settlements can only be sold to the Jiangling Military Governor's Office." After a long while, Shao Gui said, "When Zhuge Hui attacked Jiangxia earlier, Li Chong was helpless. Is this true?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Yue immediately said, "Your Highness, you can't do that."
Shao Gui looked at Cui Yue and nodded after a moment.
He knew that to be honest, there was still a sense of "brotherly friendship" among the princes, at least on the surface. The reasons were complicated, including the high prestige of the emperor and the fact that the princes had been enthroned not long ago and were not very old.
This kind of atmosphere or tacit understanding is unstable and can be easily broken.
As time went by, the emperor grew older, and the kings grew older and more powerful, so this tacit understanding could no longer be maintained.
But you'd better not accelerate actively and destroy the tacit understanding.
The emperor cannot tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. Do you really think he only knows how to control women?
Shao Gui had fought in wars with his father. His father's commanding presence, or his heroic and bravery, was like a mountain weighing on his heart.
At the critical moment, he was afraid.
"Lian Fang." He turned to Li Huai and said, "You should go to Xiangyang and Jiangling, choose a location to build a warehouse, and take a look at what local products can be sold to the north."
"Yes." Li Huai stood up and responded.
"Let's go to Suyu Palace on the way and give me... a gift." Shao Gui said.
(End of this chapter)