In Ganjing Village early in the morning, just after dawn, the farmers started digging ditches with their farm tools.
According to Li Qinzai's arrangement, the trench was dug and tamped with wooden piles, and then the surface was coated with cement.
This is a big project that will be completed by the end of the year. In order to meet the construction deadline and before the busy autumn harvest, Li Qinzai hired laborers from neighboring villages to burn kilns, dig canals and build roads.
A short section of the road leading from the village entrance to Zhuangzi is being paved with cement. It is considered a model project. It will not only facilitate the entry and exit of villagers, but will also be open to outsiders for visits in the future.
The bankers were busy and the students were working hard, but Li Qinzai slept leisurely until morning.
The expedition last night was too much. I was ridden by Cui Jie for half a night, and my waist was a little sore. The female knight was heroic and fast-paced. The ups and downs were like the ups and downs of life. It was both refreshing and tiring, and in the end it was boring.
After washing up in the morning, Liu Asi came to report that someone from the British Government in Chang'an was here.
The visitor came specially to convey Li Ji's words.
A few days ago, Li Ji bought a mansion for Li Qinzai and his wife in Yongningfang, Chang'an City. It has a four-door courtyard, a pond, a rockery, a pavilion and a flower hall. It covers an area of more than 20 acres and cost more than a thousand dollars.
Li Qinzai was surprised. He had not considered living in Chang'an City at all. He had regarded the other courtyard in Ganjingzhuang as his home, but Li Ji didn't seem to think so.
As Li Qinzai was promoted to a higher rank, he was more and more valued by Li Zhi, and he was getting closer and closer to the center of power in the court. Li Ji believed that it was necessary to establish a separate family for his grandson.
The Li family is a double noble family, and as Li Qinzai's status as county uncle, he should have a decent house in Chang'an City.
Li Qinzai was a little moved in his heart. He was already married and had a career, and he was not short of money. He didn't expect that he would end up eating old age unintentionally.
——Actually, it’s not that troublesome at all. If there are valuable things like a white jade Pegasus in the Duke’s palace, giving them to Li Qinzai would be better than anything else.
After the messenger left, Cui Jie walked to Li Qinzai and said softly: "Husband, grandpa bought us a mansion. Are we going to move to Chang'an City?"
Li Qinzai said thoughtfully: "Where do you like to live?"
Cui Jie hesitated for a moment and said: "I still like to live here. There are mountains and rivers, and simple farmers. Qiao'er can also play with the children without any worries. If we live in Chang'an City, right or wrong? There will be more grievances."
After Li Qinzai understood her thoughts, he smiled and said: "Then let's live in Zhuangzi. The house in Chang'an will be taken care of by the servants of the Duke of Guo. We can live there for a few days occasionally. There are still a group of unsatisfactory people in Zhuangzi. Students, I can’t just let them go.”
Cui Jie chuckled, rolled her eyes at him, and said: "My husband, as a teacher, only occasionally asks about their studies. Fortunately, there is Di Renjie to supervise them, otherwise they would all be wild children."
"What do you know? The meat of free-range animals is tender, plump and juicy. As a husband, I am too talented to watch them study every day. As long as I tie a dog in the school, they will be very well-behaved."
Cui Jie said: "You are just herding sheep. How can there be a gentleman like you? When I was young, my father invited a great scholar to teach me. The old gentleman arrived earlier than me and left later than me every day.
He forced me to read with a ruler and never stopped for a moment..."
Li Qinzai smiled: "If I do this, those unsatisfactory bastards will hate you, my wife, to death."
Cui Jie snorted: "Isn't this how we all come to study? I was beaten by my husband when I was a child, so why should they be sacrificed? My husband just keeps an eye on them and beats them when they deserve it."
Li Qinzai's eyes suddenly darkened, he looked at the mountains in the distance, and sighed: "I'm afraid I have no time to take care of their studies recently..."
"Why?"
"Because there may be a storm in the Chang'an court soon."
…………
Li Qinzai's guess was correct, and the Chang'an court really caused a storm.
After Li Zhi and Empress Wu returned to Chang'an, they summoned the right prime minister Xu Jingzong and the left prime minister Xu Yushi that day. In front of the two prime ministers, Li Zhi proposed to build roads in the next few years, use work as relief, and build sea ships to find new land.
and many other ideas.
The two prime ministers were stunned for a long time, and then they unanimously expressed strong opposition.
Li Zhi's idea was too naive. To carry out such a huge project, it would be difficult to sustain it without a rich and wealthy country. The amount of money consumed and the number of craftsmen and people used were so huge that he could not even think about it.
Li Zhi had been drafting for several days and was about to work hard to make some achievements. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was blocked by two prime ministers.
Li Zhi was very unhappy, but the two prime ministers did not tolerate him, and earnestly advised Li Zhi to slow down everything.
Although the Tang Dynasty has not had many foreign wars in recent years, every time Li Zhi raised troops, it was a major war. The little money he had accumulated in the treasury after more than ten years on the throne has been completely depleted. What kind of road construction does Li Zhi want to do now?
, shipbuilding, this is simply adding insult to injury to the treasury, which is not well-off.
There is a red line in the treasury. When the money in the treasury falls below a certain number, the world will be in danger of instability. The country and the country are not easy to come by. The two prime ministers will not allow the emperor to make a dangerous move on the chessboard.
Li Zhi was a little surprised. He didn't expect the two prime ministers to confront each other so fiercely. It turns out that Xu Jingzong, the right prime minister, and he were business partners. They had been advancing and retreating with him for several months, and they had a clear stand. Unexpectedly, this time the partners were not involved.
He's on his side.
Of course, Li Zhi was not a willful emperor, and he understood the good intentions of the two prime ministers, but he agreed with Li Qinzai's analysis, so he tried to persuade the two prime ministers.
In fact, Li Zhi was not so disregardful of reality. He knew that the world was tired for a long time and that the national treasury was poor. However, his philosophy can be summed up in one sentence, which is to exchange the bitterness of one generation for the sweetness of a hundred generations.
The two prime ministers firmly opposed it. Their philosophy was that this generation has suffered enough. If you suffer even more, do you still want to be the emperor?
Seriously speaking, the ideas of both sides actually have their own truths. There is no sharp contradiction. It is very common for monarchs and ministers to have political disagreements in the court.
However, Li Zhi was the emperor after all and was used to being courted by courtiers. This time the two prime ministers refused too harshly. Li Zhi was patient and reasonable at first, but then he got angry and finally got angry in front of the two prime ministers.
Already.
The king and his ministers parted ways unhappily, making each other unhappy.
If the topic is stopped here, it would be okay to continue the discussion another day after both parties have calmed down. After all, only the monarch and his ministers know about this matter, and the two prime ministers will not talk nonsense everywhere.
Unfortunately, Li Zhi couldn't calm down. After being rejected by the two prime ministers, he felt that the emperor's majesty was offended, so he developed a rebellious mentality.
The next day coincided with the New Year's Eve Festival, also known as the Great Chao Hui.
At the great court meeting, all officials with an official rank of fourth rank or above in Chang'an City were required to attend. There were one or two thousand officials standing inside and outside the Taiji Hall.
On such a grand occasion, Li Zhi got excited, and in front of one or two thousand officials, he revealed his plan to build roads and ships, and announced his intention to make this a century-old national policy.
This can be considered as stirring up a hornet's nest, and the whole Tai Chi Palace is boiling.