Liu Chengyou's enthronement ceremony only followed one principle: keep everything simple. In other words, he kept it simple, the etiquette system was incomplete, the national conditions were limited, and the situation was unstable. Liu Chengyou didn't have much thought at all to spend time on those tedious details. In addition, The budget was not enough, and Liu Chengyou asked Wang Zhang to use all the funds from the treasury to prepare for Liu Zhiyuan's funeral.
When the imperial court is in a tight situation, it can be saved if possible. But even so, Liu Chengyou's enthronement ceremony was not too simple. At least the scene was large enough, the momentum was enough, and there were many people.
After all, the enthronement ceremony was just a ceremony. It showed the world that the country of Han Dynasty had completely changed its owner. Even if the ceremony was reduced and kept as simple as possible, it still cost Liu Chengyou a lot of energy and physical strength.
Of course, the most important thing in the enthronement ceremony is naturally Liu Chengyou’s first edict on his ascension to the throne, which reads as follows:
First, the reign name remains unchanged and still follows the Qianyou reign. This was mentioned in Liu Zhiyuan's legacy.
As for his name, Liu Chengyou has plans to change it. Previously, his cousin and adopted brother, the Protector Zuo Xiang, pointed out that Liu Chengyun paid homage to him, and he was already known as "Chen Liu Yun" as he should be called "Chen Liu Yun". But what exactly is the change? The name has not been decided yet. After all, it is an imperial name and cannot be arbitrary. It would be difficult for Liu Chengyou to "create the characters" by himself, so he left it to the bachelors of the Hanlin Academy for discussion.
Secondly, Queen Li, who respects her mother, is the empress dowager and still lives in Renming Hall. Mrs. Fu is the queen, Mrs. Gao is the noble concubine, and Mrs. Geng is the concubine Shu.
Third, Yang Bin, the prime minister, is the Shanling envoy, Prime Minister Dou Zhengu is the deputy envoy, Taichang Qing Zhang Zhao is the ceremonial envoy, Lu Jie, the minister of punishment, is the official envoy, Cheng Bianwei, the imperial censor, is the ceremonial envoy, and Shi Hongzhao is the envoy of ceremony. As the guardian of the mausoleum. The others mentioned above are just foils. Yang Fu, Shi Hongzhao, and Liu Chengyou are mainly responsible for Liu Zhiyuan's funeral matters. Before this matter is over, there is a need to worry less about military and political matters. Liu Zhiyuan's The mausoleum is still under construction, so I have to bother him to lie in the Long Live Hall for a while longer...
Fourth, the civil and military officials were also given favors, and the Tokyo cavalry and infantry officers were given as gifts to show the new emperor's favor. The promotion of civil and military officials to be promoted to nobility has yet to be discussed later, but the rewards for the officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army were quickly implemented. After going down, although the money and food in the treasury was immediately reduced a lot, there was nothing he couldn't bear to part with. Liu Chengyou could treat himself harshly, but he really didn't dare to be careless about the army.
When the enthronement ceremony was successfully concluded and the edict was issued to the whole city, some dull cheers could be heard in the city...
Originally, according to convention, the new emperor Liu Chengyou should offer a general amnesty to the entire empire. However, Liu Chengyou himself had doubts about the practice of pardoning criminals to show the emperor's kindness.
Since ancient times, whenever there is a flood or drought, a new emperor ascends the throne, or other important festivals, there is always an edict to forgive the world and forgive criminals. It seems that apart from pardoning sins, there is no other way to show the emperor's rule. The emperor's Mercy needs to be used on a group of criminals, but what benefit does it have to ordinary people who abide by the law and abide by the law? How can it be fair to those who have been wronged and victimized.
Regarding this point, his cousin Li Shaoyou seemed to have seen his thoughts in advance. When Liu Chengyou went to Tokyo from north to south, the two had a simple exchange about the "amnesty" matter.
Li Shaoyou submitted an article to Liu Chengyou, called "Refutation of Pardon". According to him, it was an essay written by Zhang Yun, the Minister of War, more than ten years ago. Liu Chengyou read it and liked it very much. He felt that it spoke about himself. His heart is ordinary.
...Restrain one's desires, be diligent and frugal, show compassion for the widowed and widowed, punish the widowed and the widowed appropriately, do not give up excessively to those who have committed crimes, do not kill without cause, so that beautification can be carried out in the world, and holy virtues can be heard above...
This is almost a policy agenda. Although many similar words can be found in the vast volume, the last sentence of the article fully expresses Liu Chengyou’s heartfelt thoughts: How can we save his disaster by indiscriminately pardoning his sins? Huh? To show his virtue?
Although I don't know what Zhang Yun's practical ability is, at least in theory, it is very consistent with Liu Chengyou's wishes, and he has already thought of using him to perform actual duties. At the same time, Liu Chengyou also made up his mind not to carry out an amnesty.
However, if you don't pardon the criminals, how can you show your virtue? How can you show your kindness? After discussing with the ministers, Liu Chengyou decided to do something practical.
For Tokyo, all exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes other than the regular tax were directly abolished. For example, the tax on leaving the city. In Tokyo, regardless of whether it is a scholar, farmer, or businessman, a tax is collected when entering the city, and a tax is collected once when leaving the city.
In addition, weddings and funerals are also tax-free. It sounds ridiculous to say that, under the rule of the Han Dynasty, taxes were levied on marriages, and taxes were also levied on funerals and coffins.
As for begging tax, street tax, residence tax, etc., there is no need to go into details. Just listen to the names and you will know what is going on.
All of this was done by the three ministers at the end of the autumn of last year when the war against Du was urgent and the finances were in dire straits. Although it had only been implemented for a few months, there was a lot of criticism and resentment. Wang Zhang was the instigator and was even more criticized. He cursed down his spine. At that time, facing criticism, Wang Zhang was so reviled that he did not dare to go out. It was Yang Bin who suggested that Shi Hongzhao finally sent troops to arrest those who "insulted the ministers" and imprisoned them for rectification. Only then did he calm down. However, he could be sealed Although it can't contain the population, it can't contain the unreleased anger in people's hearts...
In this regard, when Liu Chengyou was supervising the country, he had already wanted to clamp down on it, but he tolerated it until he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, winning a wave of popular support.
During the discussion, Wang Zhang couldn't help but remind Liu Chengyou that the imperial court spent a lot of money, and as a result, there would be less money and taxes. Liu Chengyou's determination could not be shaken at all. These exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes were an act that destroyed the foundation and people's hearts. , it is a drop in the bucket for the entire country's imperial government. If those in power need this method to amass wealth and wealth, they will perish.
However, Liu Chengyou subconsciously ignored the "consumption-saving" and "move-saving" laws that Wang Zhang had introduced. For small gains, you can be generous to reassure people and win public opinion. But for big gains, you can be generous. You have to be cautious. After all, the court also has to survive. For now, pretend to be deaf and mute, and make the people suffer for a while, and then we can alleviate the difficulties and reduce the burden in the future...
On the second day, Liu Chengyou's edict produced remarkable results. The whole city cheered, and the officials and people were happy. Although it was not enough to praise Liu Chengyou as a wise king, these measures finally gave the people of Tokyo a little hope of good things. .
In fact, for the people, the exemption from these harsh taxes that they did not dare to exist can only be regarded as a small favor. However, in many cases, small favors have a greater effect.
On the second day, Liu Chengyou issued another edict, stating that envoys such as Dao Jiedu, observation, defense, regiment training, etc., as well as the governor, did not need to go to mourning. Although this has been the practice since the Tang Dynasty, the due expressions must still be made.
However, even so, the nearest ones, such as Liu Shenjiao of Zhengzhou, Wu Xingde of Heyang, and Guo Congyi of Huazhou, still came in person. Especially Wu Xingde, who personally escorted him to pay part of the autumn tax to the central government before the end of the year.
Although this Wu Xingde showed off his talents and suddenly rose to prominence last year, he is really a very smart person.
PS: Can anyone help me think of a royal name for the protagonist? I subconsciously considered Min, Yu, and found that none of them fit...
