Even though Li Shan thought he was thick-skinned, he couldn't help it. The chopsticks he held in his right hand still held half a piece of freshly grilled meat, and he was holding a wine glass in his left hand. The door was suddenly pushed open, with a tired Wen Yan on his face.
Behind Bo, Liu Shirang, Zhang Zhongjian and Xi Duo was Zhang Shigui with a face as deep as water.
After blinking, Li Shan didn't know what was wrong with his mouth, but he actually asked: "Everyone... let's eat something together?"
Wen Yanbo sighed, "In the second year of Wude, the sage issued an edict to prohibit the slaughter of wine in the pass due to the high value of grain. In the sixth year of Wude, the sage issued another edict to ban alcohol. Although the jade pot was traveling outside the Great Wall, there was a secret in the country.
Great merit, but it is really inappropriate for Huairen to drink privately."
He was caught red-handed... In fact, Li Shan doesn't drink much at ordinary times. Isn't this a big deal? He can just rest for a few days.
Li Shanqian laughed, drank it all in one gulp, smacked his lips and said, "What Yan Bogong said is absolutely true, the cup is pure water."
Wen Yanbo was also speechless. He had heard for a long time that the jade pot was as clear as water in spring.
Xi Duo watched this scene with great interest. He had never thought of such a Li Shan... In his impression, the King of Handan seemed gentle, but in fact he was aggressive, as dazzling as a half-unsheathed sword.
I didn't expect him to be so rogue.
"In the first year of Wude, the sage issued the "Edict on Reducing the Use of Animals", which stipulated that cattle were used for farming and were not used for sacrifices." Zhang Shigui snorted, "Your Majesty sacrifices pigs and sheep in the Tiandi Ancestral Temple, killing cattle, and eating cattle.
All need to be convicted.”
Wen Yanbo smiled and said: "This year's "Wu De Law" is issued, and those who kill cows and eat cows will be punished for one year."
Xi Duo opened his fingers in his sleeves and silently calculated how many years Li Shan should be apprenticed... In the past six months, Ma Yi had delivered beef to Dai County more than a dozen times.
Zhang Shigui added: "His Royal Highness mentioned that slaughtering cows is a serious crime. Although it is only a prison sentence, it cannot be pardoned."
Zhang Shigui said it lightly. Historically, after Li Shimin ascended the throne, he asked Changsun Wuji to preside over the revision of the law. The latter was not completed until the reign of Emperor Gaozong. That is the famous "Tang Law Review". Cow slaughter is related to conspiracy to rebel.
Disobedience to parents, making counterfeit money, robbery with a knife, etc. are listed as "heinous crimes".
The disgraced Li Shan swallowed his saliva and argued forcefully: "The road was bumpy and the calf's legs were broken, making it difficult to use for farming..."
Anyway, the cow has been dismantled. If you have the ability, go and check whether the cow's leg broke on its own.
"No wonder it's so." Xi Duo smiled and smoothed things over: "Since King Handan took office, many people in Shuo and Shuo Prefectures have lived on them. His Highness personally collected the goods and treated the people kindly. Everyone in the county said they had never seen such parents in their lives..."
Wen Yanbo winked at Zhang Shigui, sat down and said with a smile: "Zhang Hongshen from Wutai County is still worried about the cattle. Why don't you... Your Highness pay for some food and grass, and send more people over?"
When Li Shan heard this, his expression changed, he took the hand towel handed by the guard at the side and wiped it, and said slowly: "Send someone from the Daizhou Governor's Office?"
"That guy Xue Wanche may not be willing to let him go."
"I will be returning to the court soon, why should I offend the prince's trusted generals for this?"
Zhang Shigui raised his eyebrows, "Isn't it that the King of Handan wants to build..."
"Isn't this matter beneficial to the country?" Li Shan sneered: "Is it possible that building a fort here to protect Shuozhou and cover Daizhou would benefit Li Huairen?"
It was impossible to mobilize people. The reason was very simple. The people Li Shan could mobilize were from local powerful tribes, and it was difficult to bypass Xue Wanche, who was a recorder and a member of the military.
And once this is done, the balance of power in the East Palace and Prince Qin's Palace in Daizhou will be broken. This will be a bad result for Li Shan who is about to return to the court... Well, in fact, it is no longer balanced now, but after all
I'm still barely able to hold on, so I'll leave the rest to Li Jing.
Li Shan's words showed his position, and at the same time he analyzed himself. Wen Yanbo was moved when he heard what he said. Indeed, Li Shan may have the intention to make contributions, or he may not be willing to give up all the credit to Pharmacist Li, but in the end, it is beneficial to the country.
, has no direct benefit to itself.
After Zhang Shigui was stunned for a while, he suddenly sat down and glanced at Zhu Shitou beside him, "Why don't you go get some pairs of chopsticks!"
Well, Li Shan did it... let's eat some together.
With a few pieces of beef down his belly and two glasses of strong wine down his throat, Li Shan then brought up the fact that the government has repeatedly banned the slaughter of cows... Why is the slaughter of cows repeatedly banned?
Of course, it is forbidden to kill cows, but in fact, cows are killed and eaten frequently.
"It's hard to do, it's hard to do." Li Shan patted the case gently, shook his head and said, "Even if it is classified as a felony, it is difficult to prohibit people from killing cattle."
Zhang Shigui said seriously: "Lishui produces gold!"
The so-called "Lishui produces gold" refers to the famous legalist Han Fei's allusion in the article "Han Feizi", which also shows the legal scholar's point of view. Once caught, his head will be chopped off, but so many people still illegally mine gold.
Mine, that's because those people may not be caught.
Han Fei believes that to put an end to this kind of thinking, it is necessary to emphasize severe punishment.
Li Shan picked up a piece of beef brisket that had just been served, chewed it, and said, "There are eight farmers in a family, two soldiers, and a hundred acres of land to raise two healthy cattle."
"Among the 100 acres of fertile land, there are 20 acres of permanent land and 80 acres of subdivided land. Today there is little land buying and selling, and there is little savings at home."
"As for a healthy cow, if it is sold, it only costs five to ten guan, but if it is slaughtered and sold for its meat, horns, fur, etc., you can get at least 20 guan."
"If they need money urgently, do you think they will kill the cows, sell the cows or sell the fields?"
Everyone was silent. The difference of more than ten thousand dollars was a huge amount for ordinary farmers. Even if it means risking a year's imprisonment, it is still worth a try... Even if the penalty is increased, it will not be of much use.
After all, you can't kill a person for a cow.
In the final analysis, this is the choice of the market. It is strictly prohibited to kill cattle, causing the prices of beef and cowhide to skyrocket, making things more expensive due to scarcity. However, at the same time, because cattle are a necessary production resource for farmers, the selling price of cattle is not high. This kind of
The contrast led to the imperial court repeatedly banning the killing of cattle but without any substantial effect.
Zhang Shigui ate meat and drank wine, Xi Duo smiled and smoothed things over, while Wen Yanbo carefully calculated in his mind. Many people in Chang'an City said that the King of Handan was good at business, and was quite like Fan Li, and some said he was more like Guan Zhong.
The former was both civil and military. He first helped Gou Jian to destroy the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period in Wu Dynasty, and later became a wealthy businessman, calling himself "Tao Zhugong"; the latter even encouraged business to rejuvenate the country, and Qi State became a hegemon.
After Li Shan's series of actions in Daizhou were spread to Chang'an, someone had already hit the target. This was Guan Zhong's policy, "If the country has more wealth, those from far away will come; if the land is developed, the people will stay."
While they were chatting, Zhang Shigui suddenly frowned, "How does the King of Handan know the price of beef and cowhide in Chang'an City?"