Ru Lan was carrying a bamboo basket of corn, dragging Minglan and Yu Yanran to the courtyard. Several geese were taking a leisurely walk in the small courtyard to enjoy the scenery. When they saw the bamboo basket in Ru Lan's hand, they knew they were there for feeding.
, Sayazi ran up to Ru Lan one by one, saying "Quack, quack, quack" eagerly, that attitude was so enthusiastic.
"Stand still, don't crowd!" Rulan gave the order, and several geese immediately stood in a row. Rulan took out five rice bowls of different colors from the bamboo basket and placed them one by one. Yanran Minglan found it interesting.
They also helped pack food rations.
Seeing Rulan Minglan's stroking enthusiasm, Yanran couldn't help stroking a gray goose in front of her. It was fluffy, smooth and felt great. Da Hui, who was immersed in cooking, raised his head and looked at the stranger with mung bean eyes.
The two-legged beast glanced at her, and if she hadn't been a friend of the benefactor, she would have definitely scolded her twice. She let out a dissatisfied sound and then shoved her head into the food bowl. This scene made her laugh heartily, and she turned to Ru Lan and said,
"No wonder you brought a few little ones with you. I can't bear to leave them at home."
Sheng Minglan said, "You don't know. Not long ago, the second brother got engaged and asked the fifth sister for two wild geese. The fifth sister scolded the second brother..."
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Ru Lan stretched out her hand and stroked two handfuls of Xiaobai, and hummed, "Second brother has no sincerity at all. How can he give someone else's betrothal gift as his own betrothal gift?"
Minglan suddenly said, "If Yanran marries my second brother, my fifth sister might be willing to borrow it..."
Yu Yanran blushed. The two families had mentioned this matter. Mrs. Sheng also talked to her grandmother about it. Unfortunately, her father did not like Sheng Hong, a small family with no money and family background.
He had no backer, he belonged to the "Three No Family", and the family tradition of the Sheng family was not very good, so he left it alone.
Rulan rolled her eyes and said, "Let's forget it. If Yanran marries her second brother, both of them will be bored. They won't be able to speak more than two words a day, and they won't die of boredom after a long time!"
Seeing that her friend was a little embarrassed, Minglan immediately changed the subject, "Yanran, what do you think of my cousin?"
Yu Yanran said blankly, "Who is your cousin?"
Minglan hurriedly explained, "There are three scholars who came with us today. The tallest one, wearing a blue gown, is my cousin, his name is Li Yu. He studied at Songshan Academy before coming to Beijing, and he is very honest. But
I'm afraid your father won't look down on you because his family has been in business for generations..."
Yu Yanran smiled bitterly in her heart. Minglan had misunderstood. In the eyes of her father, she was just a bargaining chip. As long as she was given enough benefits, she wouldn't care what the other person's family was doing...
Wang Lidong walked into the backyard, said hello to the three girls, came to Ru Lan, squatted down, picked up Xiao Bai and masturbated him twice. His coat was shiny and he was in good spirits. It seemed that he was living a very miserable life.
Si. But this weight is very heavy, at least ten kilograms. I touched my belly and saw that it was bulging. I said to Ru Lan, "I'm already fat. If I keep feeding like this, I won't be able to fly in the future."
Ru Lan said, "Every day I will let Xiaobai and the others fly for half an hour. By the way, Brother Heng, please help me catch another wild goose with a coat like Xiaobai's. The other four are all in pairs, and Xiaobai is alone."
Yes, so pitiful..."
Wang Lidong looked at Xiaobai's features and found out that he was a single dog. He nodded and said, "I'll catch a female in two days and let the little guy marry a wife."
"Brother Heng, how do you know Xiaobai is a male?"
Wang Lidong briefly explained the identification method. Female wild geese: have smaller bodies, short and round bodies, short necks, small heads, short and narrow beaks, longer and round eyes, and feathers on the wing corners. If these conditions are not met, that is
male.
Minglan asked aloud, "Brother Heng, it doesn't seem to be so noisy outside."
Glancing at Minglan, the little girl was quite perceptive. Wang Lidong said, "King Yan has already ordered his head to be executed."
"So soon...the rebellion is over?" Minglan opened her mouth in surprise and looked at Brother Taiyang. It was around four or five quarters (2 p.m.), not even a day. This kind of thing has always happened in the past.
It's been more than ten days and half a month, and this time it's like playing house... "Are daddy and second brother okay?"
Yu Yanran asked anxiously, "Brother Heng, are my grandfather and grandmother okay??"
"My uncle and Chang Bai are both safe, and the old master and his wife are also fine."
The three women all looked happy.
Yu Yanran continued to ask, "Brother Heng, have my grandfather and the others left the palace?"
"Let's talk in the house." Wang Lidong took the three girls into the house. After Mrs. Sheng and Mrs. Wang arrived, he briefly told what happened in the palace.
Knowing that the rebellious King Yan was dead, Mrs. Sheng and Mrs. Wang were overjoyed. Mrs. Wang clasped her hands together and sincerely said a few words of thanks to the three saints.
Wang Lidong continued, "The rebellion is almost over now, but the news has not spread yet, and a small number of rebels are still causing trouble..."
Although Mrs. Sheng really wants to go home, she has such a large family that no matter whether she encounters rebels or the imperial army, she can't get a good deal. As the old saying goes, 'Thieves are like a comb, soldiers are like a grate, and swordsmen are like a grate.
, heads fell to the ground.'
The thieves and bandits plundering the people are like combing them with a comb, but they still survive; the officers and soldiers plundering the people are like combing them with bamboo grates, and then plundering them all.
So they decided to stay in the Duke's Mansion of Qi for one night, and then go back after all the people in the capital took to the streets.
Rulan's eyes brightened, and she secretly glanced at Wang Lidong. This scene happened to be seen by Wang...
At night, after dinner, Wang Lidong accompanied Mrs. Sheng and Mr. Wang to chat for a while before saying goodbye and leaving.
After coming over for a while, Rulan held her belly and said, "Mom, I'm going to go outside to eat."
Mrs. Wang caught Ru Lan who was about to eat it and said, "I just want to eat it too."
"Ah?" Ru Lan looked surprised and glanced at my mother's belly, which was flat and said, "Mom, you didn't seem to have eaten much just now, right?"
Wang said, "I heard that the small garden at Brother Heng's house is very beautiful, but I haven't visited it yet. I just took the opportunity to take a look."
Seeing my mother staring with a pair of eyes, as if she would eat her if she didn't agree, Ru Lan could only nod her little head...
No matter where Rulan planned to go that night, Wang never left her. She fell asleep in the middle of the night and held on to one of her arms tightly, causing her to collapse...
Early the next morning, the emperor issued an edict to confer Dongxiang Bo Zhao Zongquan as the crown prince of the Song Dynasty and give him the title
Zhao Shu. As for the canonization ceremony, there was no mention of it. However, according to the news from the palace, the new prince felt that the ceremony was too much of a waste of gold and silver, so he proposed to save the money and spend it on the people. This made the people of the capital feel uncomfortable with this strange prince. Good impression 10.
However, anyone who understands can probably guess that Zhao Zongquan has always been cautious and timid. This guy must be worried that something will go wrong again, so he kills two birds with one stone... What a good plan!
With the issuance of the imperial edict, the city of Tokyo gradually returned to normal. By noon, more than half of the shops on the street had opened their doors, and there were no traces of the imperial guards in the city. Wang Lidong personally stepped in and safely sent his mother-in-law and her family to the city. Jiying Lane.
Sheng Hong and Chang Bai had been waiting at the door of their home for a long time. The family could not help but cry and cry with joy when the family reunited. The touching scene made all the maids and servants shed tears.
After venting his anger, Sheng Hong pulled Chang Bai and walked to Wang Lidong. He bowed deeply and said, "Thanks to Brother Heng's help this time, my Sheng family was unscathed."
Wang Lidong hurriedly took a step aside and said, "Uncle, what are you doing? We are all a family and we should do everything."
Sheng Hong grabbed his son-in-law and thanked him sincerely for a long time. This time Wang Lidong not only kept his wife and two daughters safe and sound, but also helped save the Sheng family's belongings. Yesterday, Wang Lidong put two children in the Sheng family before leaving. Ten guards captured more than thirty thieves and five slaves who had stolen the family's property and were about to run away in one day.
The debt of favors abounds.
............
Song Dynasty Palace, Zichen Hall
Prince Zhao Zongquan looked at the memorial in his hand and frowned. The content was that three days ago, the Yellow River flooded. Farms in Huazhou, Chanzhou, Caozhou and other states were flooded, and many houses collapsed. The tragedy was unprecedented. He hoped that the court would immediately To carry out disaster relief... it is necessary to recruit 100,000 civilians and 3 million yuan in disaster relief funds...
"Pa!" He slapped the memorial on the eucalyptus table and rubbed his temples. After being the prince for more than ten days, he never had a day to worry about. There was a disaster almost every day, whether it was drought or earthquake. In the end, it boiled down to two words--- money!
But there are only more than 5 million yuan left in the tmd treasury, which is the monthly salary for the Song Dynasty officials and more than one million troops for the next month. They cannot touch it at all. If they dare to touch the pockets of civilian officials and soldiers, they dare to touch his position under the PG!
But if disaster relief is not provided... Huazhou is only more than thirty miles away from Feng, and when the victims flood into Kaifeng in overwhelming numbers, the reputation of the newly-appointed prince will be completely ruined!
Looking up at the roof---it's so difficult for me!
"Your Highness, have you forgotten the internal storage?" Crown Princess Shen handed over a cup of hot tea and reminded the official when she saw the sad look on his face.
Hearing the word "nei-tang treasury", Zhao Zongquan became even more angry. He looked at the chief counselor and said, "Tell the princess how much money there is in the nei-tang treasury now."
The chief counselor Li Jixun stood up and bowed his hands, saying, "Prince Concubine, only the treasury remains!"
The income of the emperors of the Song Dynasty came from special sources, such as mountain, river and forest tax, salt and iron tax, market tax, etc. In addition, there were tribute items from vassal states, property confiscated from family registers, and things robbed from neighboring countries. These money were placed in
A specialized money-saving institution is called a "built-in bank".
Prince Zhao Zongquan patted the bookcase hard and sneered loudly, "The private treasury of the great Song Dynasty official family only has a pitiful 50,000 coins left!"
Crown Princess Shen was shocked and said, "Why is it only 50,000 guan? This... Taizu hid more than 10 million guan in the treasury..."
One major event that Taizu Zhao Kuangyin never forgot was to recover the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun". Fighting meant making money, so after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Kuangyin began to save money. Unfortunately, he died suddenly and mysteriously before he could save enough.
Zhao Zongquan smiled bitterly and said, "Madam, this all happened a hundred years ago. During the period of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the inner treasure trove could only be entered and exited. I have read the records. When Emperor Zhenzong took over, the inner treasure trove contained more than 30 million coins. But now
There are only more than 13 million guan left in the hands of the officials. After more than 30 years, there are still more than 50,000 guan left, which is pretty good..."
Emperor Zhenzong was too prodigal!
Crown Princess Shen murmured twice, and finally shut her mouth. No matter how outrageous the ancestors did, their descendants could only swallow it... "Why don't you call Ce'er, Congxing and the others can think of a solution together,
As the saying goes, three cobblers are as good as Zhuge Liang."
Zhao Zongquan smiled, nodded and said, "Remember to call Gu Tingye, I just have something to ask them."
After picking up the tea cup and taking a few sips, Zhao Zongquan took the next memorial and opened it. He was a little stunned. The memorial was handed over by Qi Hai, the envoy of the third department. The content was about one thing, please resign!
When he went to inspect the salt affairs on Jingdong Road this time, Qi Hai accidentally fell and couldn't move half of his body!
This time...Zhao Zongquan thought it was too coincidental.
Originally, he was still thinking about finding some reason to move Qi Hai away. He could only rest assured if the money bag was in the hands of his own people. However, Qi Hai has done really well in these years, and his income has increased significantly every year. This year, the third division
Bian's income is estimated to exceed 90 million yuan, which is 20 million yuan more than before Qi Hai took over... He has done such a good job, and if he wants someone to move his position, there is only one way... to get promoted.
But this is not what he wants.
Qi Hai is a member of the current official family, and he is also the queen's cheap son-in-law...
"Father, what are you looking at?" Zhao Ceying walked into the hall. Seeing his father's troubled face, he stepped forward and took a look.
When Zhao Zongquan saw it was his son, he handed over the memorial in his hand.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zhao Ceying took it and looked at it carefully, and said with great joy, "Father, this is a good thing. I didn't expect such a coincidence."
Zhao Zongquan said, "Do you mean to approve it directly?"
Zhao Ceying understood his father's worries and hurriedly advised, "Of course I agree. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Regardless of whether the Duke of Qi is really ill or pretending to be ill, he took the initiative to resign. Even the officials and the queen cannot make a fuss about this matter."
.
I didn’t expect that the Duke of Qi is so sensible. After taking down the three envoys, my father can speak much more forcefully."
Zhao Zongquan was still a little hesitant at first, but after hearing the last sentence, he immediately made a decision, took the memorial, and wrote a big word "accurate" in the blank space with a pen!
Half an hour later, Gu Tingye walked into the Zichen Palace and saw that Zhao Zongquan seemed to be in a good mood, which was rare. He poked Zhao Ceying and asked, "Did something good happen to His Royal Highness?"
When Zhao Ceying saw her good friend coming, she hurriedly whispered about Qi Hai's resignation. Gu Tingye looked surprised and said, "What a coincidence? I think it's probably pretending to be sick, but it's okay, it's good for everyone."
Zhao Ceying smiled and said, "This is a rare piece of good news these days."
Next, two more people came in one after another, namely Shen Congxing, the prince's brother-in-law, and Lu Dafang, the former magistrate of Yuzhou.
Seeing that all his confidants had arrived, Zhao Zongquan finished approving the memorial in his hand and asked his chamberlain to send it to the Ministry of Education.
After chatting with his confidants for a few words, Prince Zhao Zongquan picked up several imperial edicts on the side and handed them to several people one by one.
When everyone spread out and took a look, they all shouted with joy...
The crown prince Zhao Ceying was granted the title of Duke of Ying.
The prince's first confidant, his brother-in-law Shen Congxing, was granted the title of Marquis of Weibei and the commander of the Infantry Guard Division.
Lu Dafang, the former magistrate of Yuzhou, became a bachelor of Zizheng Palace and had the right to know Kaifeng Prefecture.
Li Jixun, the chief counselor, was promoted to bachelor of Longtuge and promoted to minister of Zhongshu.
Gu Tingye became the deputy commander of the Infantry Guard Division.
Everyone bowed down and said, "My lord, thank you so much, Your Highness!"
Prince Zhao Zongquan raised his hand and said with a smile, "You have done a great job in rescuing me. These are rewards from the officials. It is only right to thank the officials."
After everyone heard this, they bowed their hands towards Funing Hall again, with extremely perfunctory expressions.
Zhao Zongquan said to Gu Tingye, "Zhong Huai, I originally wanted to make you a marquis, but I told the officials that you want the title of Marquis of Ningyuan. Now the title of Marquis of Ningyuan is occupied by your eldest brother, and the officials have not agreed for the time being.
, you should stop thinking about it..."
Gu Tingye cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I have made up my mind."
"Not all are marquises. Your Gu family has two marquises. How glorious is that? Why are you so stubborn?!"
Zhao Zongquan cursed a few words, but when he saw that Gu Tingye still had a determined look on his face, he put his hands on his forehead and said that he would go to the official to discuss the matter if he had a chance.
Gu Tingye hurriedly bowed down and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness."
Zhao Zongquan picked up the tea cup and took a few sips, moistened his throat, and sighed several times.
Weibei Marquis Shen Congxing asked curiously, "Why is my brother-in-law sighing?"
Zhao Zongquan immediately poured out his bitterness. He got up earlier than a chicken, went to bed later than a dog, and worked more than a donkey. The most embarrassing thing was that he was short of money, and the rewards for his confidants could only be paid in vain for the time being...
Shen Congxing said in surprise, "I heard that the imperial court's tax revenue has exceeded 90 million guan, which is 20 million guan more than the previous two years. Isn't this enough?"
Zhao Zongquan explained, "The more you earn, the more you can spend. In the past two years, disasters have continued in various places. The cost of disaster relief and pensions has increased by more than 10 million yuan every year. In addition, there will be tens of thousands more troops every year. By the end of the year,
There is no balance at all..."
Whenever a natural disaster breaks out in an area, the imperial court will recruit a large number of victims in the disaster area to serve as the Xiang army to provide food and clothing for them, so as to prevent them from gathering in crowds to rebel and occupy the mountain as king, which will become a factor that is not conducive to rule.
Li Jixun, the assistant minister of Zhongshu, said, "In the next two months, the imperial court will have several large expenses.
For His Highness's enthronement ceremony, it is customary to reward the courtiers, the common people of Bianliang, and millions of soldiers, and exempt a certain amount of money and food taxes. The total cost of all the expenses is almost 15 million yuan. Next, we have to..." said
When I got here, I looked at the prince. The prince immediately understood and waved all the officials in the palace to go out.
Seeing that he was the only one left in the hall, Li Jixun whispered, "When an official family dies today, the cost of funerals and mausoleums is about 35 million yuan..."
The funeral expenses of the royal family in the Song Dynasty mainly include two parts: one is rewards, and the other is the cost of building mausoleums and offering sacrifices.
Rewards follow the practice of previous generations: when the old emperor dies, rewards should be given to his subordinates in his name to make them remember him.
According to records, after Song Zhenzong's death, 11 million guan was spent on rewards to the army alone, and 4 million guan was spent on ministers...
Then Emperor Renzong's expenditure in this area must not be less than that of Emperor Zhenzong.
It was also necessary to report the funeral to the Liao and Xia dynasties, along with gifts and so-called "legacy", which was also a considerable expense.
The construction of mausoleums in the Northern Song Dynasty began only after the emperor's death, and all projects had to be completed within seven months. Building mausoleums was a "money crusher". According to the cheapest construction method, at least 15 million yuan was needed.
All the confidants took a breath after doing the calculations. These alone would cost almost 50 million yuan. If we add the rewards of these heroes from the dragon...
Prince Zhao Zongquan looked at the crowd of confidants and said, "Let's all think about what we can do..."
After waiting for a while, everyone was silent. Lu Dafang, the new governor of Kaifeng, came out and cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I have a plan to solve this urgent problem."
Zhao Zongquan hurriedly asked, "What good advice do you have?"
Lu Dafang said: "The wealth in the world is limited to this amount. It is not in the people, but in the officials.
In this rebellion of King Yan, many noble families have their children involved. We will use the excuse of "pursuing those who rebel against the party" and arrest all those involved in the imperial edict... If the crime is not serious, the criminal will plead guilty.
If you have a good attitude, then pay some fines..."
Zhao Zongquan stroked his beard twice, knowing that Lu Dafang still had a lot to say. In this way, not only could he earn a large amount of gold and silver, but he could also win over many officials. With evidence of "treason" in hand, in the future
No one dares to rebel, and if anyone is disobedient, they will be punished directly. This will just free up the official position and arrange for one of your own people to take the position. It can also shock the courtiers and let them know that the prince himself is not from Zhihu.
.....
Everyone couldn’t help but praise, how wonderful!
Shen Congxing said jokingly, "Then let's give this operation a code name?"
Everyone looked at the prince. Zhao Zongquan thought for a while and said, "Let's just call it hunting lions, swatting mosquitoes, and catching foxes."