If Li Qinzai were in the Golden Palace of Tai Chi Palace, he would like to call Li Zhi "Xiu'er".
In the more than ten years since he ascended the throne, he has been a sage inside and a king outside, carrying on the legacy of Zhenguan. Most of the evaluations of the emperor by the government and the public are positive, and Li Zhi rarely makes mistakes.
The purpose of deposing the king and queen and expelling the eldest son Wuji and Chu Suiliang was out of political needs, and suppressing the family members was for the purpose of centralizing power.
In addition, the liquidation of the nomadic tribes in the north, the gentle treatment of Tibet in the west, the three-sided blockade of Goguryeo in the east, the annihilation of Baekje, etc.
In the past ten years or so, Li Zhi has indeed done a good job. In the years from Yonghui to Longshuo, the Tang Dynasty has improved on the basis of the Zhenguan rule, and there is a hint of transcendence.
However, this time, in the eyes of the courtiers, Li Zhi's performance was disappointing.
On such a solemn occasion, the imperial court made public decisions such as building roads and building ships, regardless of the consequences. The important thing is that this decision was not recognized by the prime minister and officials of the six ministries.
Generally speaking, the atmosphere of the court in the Tang Dynasty was good. Government and state affairs were discussed together by the emperor and his ministers. Even if they disagreed with each other, they would be shelved for the time being. The emperor would continue to discuss with several important ministers in private, trying to persuade each other, and finally he would discuss it with the important ministers.
Once an agreement is reached, it will be announced to the public.
This time Li Zhi unilaterally announced the construction of roads and ships, which really shocked the courtiers.
Then the Golden Palace suddenly exploded.
The left and right ministers Xu Jingzong and Master Xu Yu stood in silence in the courtroom with gloomy faces. Several servants and imperial officials came out to object fiercely. Someone took the lead, and the rest had no hesitation and spoke out one after another.
Ban objected.
From the perspective of a courtier, Li Zhi's decision to build roads and build ships was a waste of money and people. Now there is a severe drought in the north and the autumn harvest is coming. The already empty national treasury does not know how much food relief will be spent, and it may not be able to recover next year.
At this critical moment of a natural disaster, Li Zhi had to start building roads, which was simply insane.
Oppositions arose one after another in the palace, and Li Zhi reluctantly explained to the courtiers the principle of providing relief through work, but the courtiers did not accept it.
Because it is too difficult to implement it, and if there is a problem in any link, it will be a big mess.
Among the many voices of opposition, one courtier jumped out. This courtier's name was Liu Rengui.
Of course Liu Rengui did not agree with Li Zhi's decision, but the angle of his opposition was quite strange.
Even if "relief for work" can be implemented, it may be detrimental to the country in the long run. When people are used to working to earn family income, in contrast, farming has lost the motivation.
After all, the risks of farming these days are not small. In this era without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, farming depends entirely on God's grace. If there is any natural disaster, a year's hard work will be in vain.
But work is much safer. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will definitely be rewarded. The government will distribute money and grain, and the harvest will be guaranteed during droughts and floods. If things go on like this, who among the people will be willing to go back to farm? If no one is farming, what will people in the world eat?
I have to say that although Liu Rengui’s thinking angle is strange, it still makes some sense.
The people in the Golden Palace were suddenly stunned, and then they all agreed.
Seeing the opposition from the courtiers and the uproar in the Golden Palace, Li Zhi's face became increasingly gloomy.
Before the process of the court meeting was completed, Li Zhi got up angrily and walked away.
Returning to the Chengxiang Hall, Li Zhi was so angry that he threw several tribute celadon. At this time, Empress Wu hurried over after hearing the news.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I heard about it just now. There is no need to get angry because of those stupid people..." Empress Wu comforted her warmly.
"A bunch of old men with their bodies lying on their backs!" Li Zhi cursed.
Empress Wu hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but said: "It seems that your Majesty is too impatient today. At least he has convinced the two prime ministers first, and then it is not too late to make an announcement to the courtiers."
Li Zhi said angrily: "How can I not be anxious? Seeing that the autumn harvest is coming, the people in the north are in panic all day long. I must implement this policy before the autumn harvest to calm the hearts of the people in the north. Otherwise, there may be some trouble."
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Empress Wu sighed: "But your Majesty is in a hurry to make a decision, and the courtiers object, isn't it counterproductive?"
Li Zhi's face was ashen and he said: "I didn't expect that they would be so opposed to it. It is obviously a good thing that benefits the country and the people. Why don't they understand?"
Empress Wu shook her head: "Your Majesty thinks too simply. Relief for work is certainly a good thing, but it may not be a good thing for powerful landlords and aristocratic families. That's why the courtiers are so opposed today."
Li Zhiqi asked: "Why do the powerful and aristocratic families oppose it?"
"Your Majesty, providing work-for-relief has broken the balance between the powerful and the farmers. Originally, the farmers relied on the sky for their livelihood, while the powerful relied on the farmers to cultivate the land and collect rents. In other words, the farmers not only rely on the sky, but also rely on the powerful and the landlords."
"But once farmers have another way to make a living, and they find that they can support their families by going out to work, and farming is no longer the only way for them, then the farmers' dependence on the powerful will decrease year by year."
"The rich and powerful rely on farmers to support themselves by farming. If farmers all work for the government, what will the rich and powerful do? Not only will their income plummet, but their prestige and appeal among the people will also decline. This is something that the rich and powerful will never allow.
Yes, I am afraid that most of the courtiers who oppose His Majesty today have this little thought in mind."
Empress Wu increased her tone and said: "Anything in the world, if the balance is broken, there will inevitably be pain and turmoil until another balance appears. That's why I say that your Majesty is really too hasty today."
Li Zhi looked stunned, then he sighed and said with a wry smile: "I was reckless. Thanks to the queen for reminding me, I didn't expect that there are so many ways to do this little thing. I was really too hasty."
Then Li Zhi gritted his teeth and said: "But I still have to push forward with this matter. There will be labor pains sooner or later. It is better to come early than to come late, and it is better to have long-term pain than short-term pain!"
Empress Wu nodded and said: "Yes, I also feel that the long-term pain is not as good as the short-term pain. Since your Majesty has spoken out in the court today, and there is no turning back, let's continue to implement it."
Li Zhi nodded: "We still need to summon the two prime ministers to discuss, and at the same time, we need to give a blow to the family members. This is a century-old national policy. Don't cause trouble for me at this time."
Empress Wu thought for a while and said: "It is not appropriate for Your Majesty to come forward in person. If the courtiers still object, Your Majesty's imperial prestige will be damaged again and again, which is detrimental to the imperial power."
"What do you think of me, Queen?"
"Your Majesty, work-for-relief was proposed by Li Jingchu, why not..."
Li Zhi's eyes lit up: "How about leaving it to Jingchu?"
Empress Wu smiled and said: "Jingchu is still very young, but he is very practical in his work. Jingchu handled the Bingzhou grain case very well. I think it will be good to leave this matter to Jingchu."
"Besides, Jingchu is a minister that your Majesty values especially. He should practice more while he is young. Your Majesty doesn't want him to stay in Ganjing Village and be a teacher all his life, right? That would be too unworthy of his talent."
"It's hard to keep talented people in the court. Jingchu is the future minister of the Zhuguo. Give him more opportunities to hone his skills so that he can share your majesty's worries in the future."