It would be a shame to say that he didn't get anything, but at least Zhao Ningxiu's attitude towards him was very good these days. Not only was he well-dressed and well-fed, but he was also extremely attentive to his bed. So much so that when Xu Xian was standing guard in front of Chongyuan Hall,

I had to keep beating my waist before I could stand upright.

The sky was not yet bright. Following the eunuch's shout, hundreds of officials walked through the palace gate and came towards the main hall. In the faint light, Xu Xian saw a familiar figure at the head of the civil servant team.

Feng Dao, who was riding Hexi to the west.

Xu Xian thought that the old man was overthinking and would beg to return his bones so that he could become an official. Unexpectedly, he would come to the court to exert his remaining enthusiasm. After being an official for a lifetime, even if he lost his power, it would not be easy to let go.

Feng Dao's face didn't look good and a little pale, and his figure seemed to be more stooped than before, but he was in good spirits. He walked up the steps step by step, and when he saw Xu Xian standing in front of the palace door, he smiled slightly and raised his head.

Crossed the threshold.

Not long after, Xu Xian heard Li Tingfang shouting in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty is here!" Then there was a cry of long live the mountains.

Xu Xian leaned against the wall and looked into the hall through the crack in the window. He saw Chai Rong, who was wearing a long-winged turban and a red dragon robe with dark patterns, sitting down on the dragon chair. He opened his mouth and asked, "Yesterday, I was with you."

I think you must have some ideas in mind about the renovation and expansion of Kaifeng Mansion mentioned by your ministers, so let’s talk about it again today.”

Chai Rong was a man who acted swiftly and resolutely. After conducting on-the-spot inspections, he took the map of Kaifeng and planned it for a few days. Then he proposed it at yesterday's court meeting and changed the city of Kaifeng beyond recognition in front of all the ministers. It was even worse than the plan proposed by Xu Xian.

Be radical.

Wang Pu was Chai Rong's confidant, and he didn't agree with it at first. Now when it was brought up in the court, it was a big deal. The ministers were so excited that they jumped in opposition on the spot.

It is not a bad thing that the officials are opposed. To some extent, it shows that the officials recognize Zhou and Chai Rong. If it is like when Li Zicheng besieged Beijing in the late Ming Dynasty, when Chongzhen asked the officials for advice but no one answered, it would be a big trouble.

.

Besides, there is nothing that the officials do not object to. Chai Rong recently decreed that prisons in various places in the Zhou Dynasty should not treat prisoners harshly, and that each person should be provided with three kilograms of food per day. In Xu Xian's view, this was very humane.

The policy was also criticized by officials.

Yesterday, someone banged his head against a beam and died to dissuade him. Xu Xian wanted to see what tricks someone would pull out today.

Sure enough, as soon as Chai Rong spoke, some people couldn't sit still. Prime Minister Fan Zhi was the first to jump out, "According to what Your Majesty said, repairing and expanding Kaifeng will cost a lot of money. Why not use this money to reorganize the army and reward hundreds of officers and soldiers? Furthermore,

, Your Majesty’s large-scale demolition and construction may arouse public resentment. If the capital is not stable, the world will be uneasy. I hope your Majesty will think twice before taking action.”

Before his death, Guo Wei had repeatedly urged Chai Rong to reuse Fan Zhi and Li Gu. Now he has come out to oppose Chai Rong. It cannot be said that he is not loyal enough. His concerns are completely justified.

With Prime Minister Fan Zhi taking the lead, officials from various ministries jumped out again, and their words were almost the same as Fan Zhi's, and they cried out about their difficulties.

Chai Rong seemed to be used to facing opposition. From the day he ascended the throne, whether he wanted to personally conquer Longyou, regain Longyou, or destroy Buddhism, there was no shortage of opposition. However, as long as he issued an edict,

They obeyed the order obediently.

At this time, only one person was heard shouting "Alas", which attracted everyone's attention. They saw a green-robed junior official putting his official hat on the ground. He had a white scarf wrapped around his head, and his forehead was still stained with blood.

There was dried blood, but he took off his official robe and was actually wearing a plain white mourning dress.

This man came out and faced Chai Rong, "Your Majesty wants to demolish the streets and houses, leaving the people homeless and suffering from hunger and cold. I dare not compare your Majesty to Jie and Zhou, but your Majesty is a tyrant who is far away from Yangdi. If your Majesty continues to insist on your own way, the Great Zhou Dynasty will be destroyed."

Exactly. Yesterday, I hit a pillar and Mingzhi was lucky enough to survive. Today, my blood will be splashed in Chongyuan Hall. I just hope that Your Majesty can repent..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw someone walking towards him quickly, raising his hand and slapping him in the face. He covered his face in disbelief and said, "Why did the grand master want to slap him down?"

The one who beat him was Feng Dao. Not to mention the fact that he was shocked by the beating, everyone in the civil and military court was also shocked.

Feng Dao has always been an easy-going, elegant and amiable elder. He is cautious in his words and deeds throughout his life, and he will not look down on others because of his high status. He can treat others with courtesy, whether they are slaves or eunuchs, let alone colleagues. Like this, he was violent at the court meeting.

Regarding the colleagues who were beaten to death, I couldn’t imagine that Feng Dao was responsible for beating them to death.

Feng Dao asked with an old face: "What is your surname, and what is your official position?"

"The lower official Li Dai is currently the seventh-rank supervisory censor of the Censorship Station."

"Do you have parents, wife and children?"

"The lower official has both parents, a wife and a daughter, but no children."

"Do you have any outstanding achievements?"

"Uh... I have been in Luoyang Xingtai before I went to the official position. The Grand Master knows that there are mostly idle jobs there and I haven't had the opportunity to make any achievements yet."

Just after Li Dai finished speaking, he received another slap from Feng Dao on the face. He only heard Feng Dao say in a deep voice: "You have parents who want you to be filial, and you have a wife and daughter who want you to raise them. However, you are neglecting and slacking off when you receive the salary from the court.

He has no merits and deeds. He came to Kaifeng to show off what he has learned to repay God's kindness, but instead he invited famous people to sell in the main hall and asked for death at every turn. He is really an unfaithful, unfilial, unkind and unjust person!"

After scolding Li Dai, he turned around and walked to Fan Zhi again, "When the late emperor raised troops to quell the crisis, there was chaos in the capital. Wen Su and his family were hiding in civilian houses. The late emperor sent people to search everywhere. Seeing that Wen Su's clothes were thin, he took off his clothes.

The robes on his body were worn by Wen Su.

After the late emperor ascended the throne, Wen Su was ranked as the prime minister and assistant. Wang Jun wanted to replace Wen Su many times, but His Majesty fought hard to keep the position of prime minister and assistant. The favor he received from the emperor was not unimportant.

However, after the late Emperor's great success, you have stuck to your old ways, opposed His Majesty's policies in every way, and have no regulations and countermeasures. You have no ability to govern and assist, and you have no feelings of being a minister. You have failed the late Emperor's kindness and are not worthy of being a son of man!"

It's good to stay in court for a long time. Feng Dao is very familiar with the past embarrassing things of his colleagues. You can't even retaliate against a burst of bloody curses. No matter how unconvinced you are, you can only hold it in your stomach.

"You have all lived in Kaifeng for many years, and you know best what she is like. Do the people really like the temples here so far away that you can't see them? Why don't even the beggars and homeless people live in those well-maintained houses?

Go and stay! This is a dereliction of duty on your part. Now His Majesty wants to clean up your mess, but you are doing everything you can to stop it. How can it be reasonable?"

Feng Dao paced back and forth in the hall, his triangular eyes scanning everyone's faces one by one, like an old wolf patrolling his territory, "Huh? Zhao Hongyin, why do you, a warrior, get involved in these things? I heard that you are now changing

Now that we have moved into the mansion, we have forgotten the days in Poluo Alley."

Zhao Hongyin gave a bitter smile, "The Grand Master misunderstood, and the subordinates objected, just because many of the places His Majesty wants to demolish are inhabited by military dependents. If the houses of common people are to be demolished, there will at most be public resentment, but if the houses of military dependents are to be demolished, Shit, one move is unlikely to cause a mutiny."

As soon as these words came out, the official who had been shamed by Feng Dao immediately found an excuse to speak for the family members of Gouqiu Ba, who had always looked down on him. Perhaps Chai Rong had not thought of this before, and his sword-shaped eyebrows were twisted into A bunch.

Feng Dao stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "I would like to recommend someone to your Majesty who can relieve your worries!"

"who?"

Feng Dao pointed outside the hall and said, "Everyone in the four squads of Xiaodi in front of the hall knows Xu Xian!"

Feng Dao is definitely trying to trick people. Xu Xian, the military dependent in other places, doesn't understand, but he knows the people in Liuhewan best. If anyone touches the garlic sprouts in front of Aunt Liu's house, she can scream at her for three days for touching her. I definitely dare to risk my life with a knife in my house. Every household in Liuhewan has the potential to be a nail household. Going to Liuhewan for demolition is simply too long.

Unexpectedly, Chai Rong was even less particular. He called Xu Xian to the palace and without saying a word, he gave him the temporary title of "Deputy Supervisor of Construction" and walked down to the palace.

Xu Xian couldn't wait to pull Feng Dao aside after entering the palace, "Grand Master, you don't know that those Buddhist men and women have been cursing me every night. You want me to die badly."

"That's wrong. If you don't do well, of course some people will resent you. If you do well, those people will accept your favor. Not only will they not curse you, but they might even provide you with a memorial tablet for immortality. .”

If we calculate according to the situation of future generations, someone may actually build a memorial tablet for him. Unfortunately, it is not possible now. People’s demand for houses is not that great, and demolition will not produce much economic benefits. If you demolish someone’s house, you must be grateful to others. Idiots talk about dreams.

Feng Dao sighed and said: "Rather than leaving this harmful errand to others, it would be better to leave it to you, I will feel more at ease."

"The Grand Master knew that this matter would harm people, yet he still supported His Majesty unreservedly?"

"There are more disadvantages now, but in the long run there are more benefits. Do you think Fan Zhi and others can't see the pros and cons? It's just that everyone is used to muddle along. After all, no one knows when the dynasty will change again. .As for why I support Your Majesty so much, it’s still because of you.”

Xu Xian pointed to his nose and said, "Because of me?"

"I was scolding people in the palace just now, but I just followed the trend and never persisted. You gave me a little hope of living, so I will bet my remaining years to clear the way for Your Majesty's ambition!"

Chai Rong has always been a resolute and resolute person. No one can stop what he is determined to do. He asked the Ministry of Industry to survey the terrain and determine the scope of the outer city wall. At the same time, he recruited 100,000 civilians from around Kaifeng to make preparations.

More than ten brick kilns have been built in a short period of time, firing wall bricks day and night. These officials from the Ministry of Industry have no environmental awareness at all. Brick kilns, a highly polluting business, don’t know how to find an outlet. .

Every day, puffs of black smoke surround the city of Kaifeng. Unfortunately, there is one outside Liuhe Bay. If you forget to close the window before going to bed, you will inevitably have a light layer of black ash in your nostrils early the next morning.

The work outside the city is in full swing, but there is still no movement in the city. It has been almost a month and no house has been demolished. The main reason is that Xu Xian is under a lot of pressure. The source of the pressure is not from the nail-biter, but from people close to him.

people.

The first one was Zhao Hongyin. When Xu Xian was released from office that day, he found Zhao Hongyin waiting for him at the palace gate with his horse in hand. He thought Zhao Hongyin was going to ask him to come home for dinner, but Zhao Hongyin actually asked him to ride a horse and take a walk outside the city.

By the way, if you break your leg, you don't have to do this unscrupulous job.

The second one was his mother-in-law. Zhao Ningxiu said that he had already offended the Buddha before, and if he did such outrageous things again, it would be nothing if he would have a baby. She also advised him to simply resign and concentrate on business to avoid being poked in the back in the future.

.

But Chai Rong looked impatient, saying that it was difficult to recruit the peasants during the slack season, and if he didn't take action, he would have to wait until next year. He also pretended to be asking for money and people.

Xu Xian was waiting for his words, and immediately asked Chai Rong for two thousand civilians and headed straight to Liuhewan. The military family members of Liuhewan, who had always supported him, heard the news and blocked him at the intersection.

Aunt Liu pulled her hair and said sadly: "Da Lang, Da Lang, Aunt Liu has always regarded you as her own child. If you dare to demolish a brick or tile here today, you are no longer from Liuhewan."

Xu Xian replied with a smile: "Aunt Liu, you misunderstood. I'm not here to demolish the house, I'm here to bring people to build it."

"The Liuhe Bay is already full, where can you build it?"

Xu Xian pointed forward with his toes, "Willow Forest!"

Chai Rong said before that Liuhe Bay is a treasure land, and he was not just saying it casually. Liuhe Bay is close to the entrance and exit of Bianhe River in the city. It can be said to be the most convenient place for goods to enter and exit the city. Xu Xian's father saw this at the beginning.

, just bought land and built a house here.

If a large number of military dependents hadn't suddenly arrived and occupied this place, within a few decades it would have been occupied by docks, warehouses, and shops like other places along the Bian River, and it would have become a prosperous place.

Xu Xian wanted to make this place a big fishing bait, and he couldn't believe that no one would not take the bait. There were two thousand people and there were ready-made bricks and tiles, and even ready-made wood, but he had already built five trestles in twenty days.

, five warehouses.

Merchants have always had the sharpest sense of smell. Before Xu Xian finished the renovation, merchants had already come to his door. Xu Xian negotiated the price with them, and five cartloads of copper coins were delivered to Xu Xian's home that day and piled on top.

The courtyard looked like a hill, and Aunt Liu happened to be looking at it.

"Dalang, has your house been sold? This house looks ordinary. Why did it sell for so much money?"

Xu Xian grabbed a lot of golden copper coins and said, "Aunt Liu, you are mistaken. These are just rents. One warehouse charges one hundred guan a month. The total annual rent for five warehouses is 6,000 guan."

Aunt Liu clicked her tongue and said, "The rent is 6,000 yuan a year?"
Chapter completed!