"The old things in Yunnei are still like dreams when I think about them now.
Since Guangda has been to Yunnei, he should know what it was like there before and what it is like now. Your Majesty has always spared no effort in governing the people. At that time, Your Majesty always said that food is the first priority for the people."
Dou Dan agreed: "Yes, your Majesty loves the people like a son, and everyone in the government and the public knows it. Therefore, whenever there is a policy to benefit the people, there is no need to hesitate, just go straight to it."
Su Dan waved his hand and said: "When I talk about this, I don't want to sing praises to His Majesty. It is our great fortune that Your Majesty cares about his subjects.
So when you do something, remember this.
Let's talk about it, the re-establishment of Sinong Temple was not just for the purpose of dividing the power of the household department. In the past few years, there were wars everywhere, and there were also things like checking people's registrations and distributing land.
There is also the case of Gao Shen, which involves a lot of people in the Ministry of Revenue.
At that time, there were two people in the Ministry of Hubu working for each other. It was the time to hire people, so it was the right time for Guangda to come. As soon as Fang returned to the Tang Dynasty, he took up the important position of Minister of the Ministry of Hubu.
For those of us who are officials, we first need someone to recommend us, family background, talent, etc., but in the end, it all comes down to luck, otherwise how can we be in a high position?"
Dou Dan couldn't help but nodded, but in his heart he felt that Su Yuanzai was a bit verbose. Didn't Dou Guangda understand the way of being an official? Besides, he was talking about himself, so why should you, Su Yuanzai, comment?
But he didn't interrupt again. You went so far in detours, and I'd like to hear what insights you have.
That is to say, it is the end of the year. Otherwise, given their positions, other than going to the mansion to talk privately, how would they have the opportunity to have such a quiet conversation in the government hall?
Su Dan was excited by what he was talking about. He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued: "Both the Ministry of Husbandry and the Sinong Temple originated from the great Sinong of Jiuqing in the old days.
There is bound to be a lot of duplication of responsibilities. What should be managed by the Sinong Temple, and what should be assigned to the Ministry of Household Affairs. In the Northern Qi Dynasty, it was based on personnel matters, and it is actually the same now.
Your Majesty blamed you and me before, and that was basically the reason. But when it comes to it, what your Majesty really blames is not this, but the quarrel between you and me, which delayed the business, which is why we harmed the country and the people.
Your Majesty attaches great importance to this, so you and I are not wronged. We must find ways to make amends in the future, otherwise Your Majesty will not just talk about it."
Dou Dan nodded in agreement, and then asked, "In the opinion of the minister, how should we remedy it? Is it just a matter of repairing the warehouse, or is there another comprehensive method?"
Su Dan laughed and nodded at Dou Dan, "Guangda is too impatient, I'm afraid it may have lost its stability."
Dou Dan took a deep breath, suppressed the sudden fire in his heart, and secretly cursed that bastard, rambled on and on without saying a single honest word.
I am Dou Guang, a seven-foot-tall man... When you fall into my hands one day, I will make sure you know my methods.
Su Dan glanced at Dou Dan's ugly face, knowing that the other party was not happy, but so what? Not to mention the position, just the title of Founding Duke was more than enough to suppress this guy.
Do you think it's a joke for us people to sit on the Lingyan Pavilion? That's an achievement that can last a lifetime, and you won't feel guilty if you encounter anyone.
Of course, he did not go too far, and then said: "Everbright wants to clarify the duties, Yi Er, but I think we should start with ourselves first. There are so many official offices in Sinong Temple, and the management is too broad.
Even if I take one or two steps back, the other people in the Ministry of Revenue will not agree. The trouble has been there from beginning to end, so how can we talk about living in harmony?"
After talking for a long time, the tea soup was changed twice, and these words were the most true.
Dou Dan frowned, pondered for a moment and said: "The fifteen department supervisors of Sinong Temple are all set up according to regulations. What does the minister think..."
Su Dan waved his hand and interrupted him, "There is no need to mention these words. What should be included and what should be abolished... Neither the Ministry of Revenue nor the Sinong Temple are our private property, and our opinions do not count."
Dou Dan shook his head, "Although it is not our private property, it is our responsibility. If the minister and I cannot communicate with each other, it will be difficult to grasp the right balance, right?"
Speaking of this, Dou Dan finally couldn't help but reveal the sharp blade that he had hidden for a long time, "What's more, His Majesty told me that agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery should be taken care of as much as possible without worrying too much.
The Minister has been following His Majesty for a long time. Do you know what His Majesty’s intentions are?”
After hearing this, Su Dan's expression suddenly changed, and he stared at Dou Dan sharply, as if he wanted to judge whether what the other party said was true or false.
If it is true, then the worst situation has finally occurred. The fifteen government offices of Sinong Temple manage a very wide range of affairs.
Farming, animal husbandry, warehousing, gardens, hot springs, water conservancy, salt administration, tea administration, cotton, linen and bamboo industry, wine making, fishery, even palaces and gardens, private properties of noble officials, etc., are all under the supervision of Sinong Temple.
If they are allowed to fulfill their duties and powers, they will become a yamen that can compete with the six departments. Needless to say, the biggest victim is of course the household department.
If we really want to divide the powers and responsibilities like this, if the administrative power belongs to Sinong Temple and the Ministry of Household Affairs only retains the tax power, then we will suffer a big loss.
According to Su Tan's previous thoughts, Sinong Temple could assist the Ministry of Hubu, just like the Ministry of Hubu had an extra minister, so forget it. Anyway, Dou Guangda was originally the minister of the Ministry of Hubu.
But now...if His Majesty speaks in person...
Thinking of His Majesty's character, Su Dan trembled in his heart. Things are not easy to handle. This shows that His Majesty already has an idea in his mind.
Thinking of this, Dou Dan suddenly became disgusting in his eyes.
"It seems that His Majesty has great trust in Everbright." Su Dan was not stupid enough to ask Dou Dan directly whether his words were true or not, he just said a snarky remark with a smile on his face.
Dou Dan replied, "How can it be compared to Shangshu? Maybe... His Majesty just said that?"
Su Dan cursed secretly and said he was not a son of a man.
The intrigue between two third-rank officials, every sentence seems to be full of swords and swords. You come and I go, no one can get the upper hand. It can be said to be extremely exciting, but neither of them breaks their skin. It can be regarded as a solid representation of the struggle for power in the officialdom.
A great performance.
However, as Su Quan said, the power dispute between the Ministry of Revenue and Sinong Temple is not decided by the two of them. Now that the two are talking, it is like Dou Dan said, it is a private communication first.
This will inevitably involve compromise and competition. In court battles, victory without compromise is often the same as failure in the overall situation.
What Su Quan wanted was not to abolish the Sinong Temple, and what Dou Dan wanted was not to regain the position of Great Sinong. In this way, they had room for compromise.
Of course, before compromising, Su Dan must first understand the emperor's intentions.
Dou Dan's meaning has been made very clear. Instead of arguing with me, you might as well go and see what the Ministry of Industry has gained.
The Ministry of Industry is not a place to run industries, everyone knows this, so the Ministry of Revenue has a lot of room for manipulation, and once there is an increase in taxes, that is where the merits of the Ministry of Revenue lie.
As for the hard work, it's better to leave it to Sinong Temple.
The two of them were destined to fail to reach a conclusion through their discussions. What they had in common was that they had to work together to repair the warehouses in the counties and counties in the coming year, and they could not delay it any longer.
In this discussion, both of them also expressed their attitudes. The final arena will be in Zhongshu or Yuqian. Looking at the situation, it is still too early to make a conclusion.
…………
The sixth year of Yuan Zhen's reign arrived unexpectedly. It started to snow lightly in the sky, and the whole city of Chang'an seemed deserted.
All government offices in the capital were closed, and most people hid at home, having a few reunion dinners with their families and not going out any more.
While recuperating, everyone is waiting for the arrival of the Lantern Festival this year, which is when Chang'an City releases its enthusiasm.
The same is true in the palace.
On New Year's Eve, to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, the emperor and the empress held a banquet in Qingning Palace, and invited all the concubines in the palace to celebrate New Year's Eve with singing and dancing.
Looking at the grand scene in the hall, Queen Li Bi raised her glass to invite you to drink, "I hope this happens every year, and every year, my husband's achievements will be even better in the coming year."
Li Po raised his glass and said, "Since we have reached a higher level, how can we keep it like this every year? I think it's best to keep it the same every year, otherwise it won't be very boring."
Li Bi smiled and said: "My husband is still very grand. Come on, I will give you a toast."
Li Po laughed and drank the wine in the cup.
Seeing this, the concubines took advantage of the breaks in singing and dancing to toast the emperor and empress one after another, and their toast words were even more innovative.
After a round of drinking, Li Po was already a little tipsy, and thought to himself that the wine in the palace was indeed much stronger than last year. Well, that's right. Life is getting better year by year, and it's not in vain that I spent so much effort.
But Li Bi acted like a monster again, and sighed in a fake way: "Look, they are all familiar faces. They have been there for three or four years, right? There are still these people in the palace, so my husband doesn't want to admit new people into the palace?"
Li Po was not afraid of this, "It is said that clothes are not as good as new and people are not as good as old. Your husband is not the kind of person who likes the new and hates the old."
His words were so heartwarming that Li Bi couldn't even think about being unhappy, so she gave her husband another toast.
Li Po then asked: "Why haven't you seen the real concubine?"
The real concubine was Jin Shengman, the princess of Silla. She arrived in Chang'an from Luoyang with the emperor this year, and then entered the palace as a concubine. She was also the first person in the Tang Dynasty to marry a foreign country after the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Po discussed with others and set up another position in the palace. From now on, all foreign women who enter the palace will always follow this rule.
This is actually similar to the appointment of officials in the court, and the underlying meaning is also obvious. Foreign women can enter the palace as concubines, but the children they give birth to have no inheritance rights.
Their status in the palace was not as good as that of the concubines of the Tang Dynasty.
Noble concubines, third wives, and nine concubines were all regulated by the imperial court and had extremely clear legitimacy. However, when foreign women entered the Tang Dynasty, no matter how noble their status was, the emperor would just grant them casually, which was obviously different from those before.
At this time, Li Bi rolled her eyes at her husband, knowing that her husband would ask who was looking at whom with those big eyes and who was confused...
"The New Year period in Silla is different from that in our Tang Dynasty. According to the custom of Silla, the eldest daughter does not see outsiders. At this time, she is accompanying her sister to pray for blessings."
Li Po laughed and said, "Then we have to change it for them in the future. Buddha's control is too lenient."