Two hundred and seventy-seventh chapter fooling the emperor
Feeling uneasy, Liu Che followed his father to a relatively quiet side hall.
As soon as he entered the door, Liu Che smelled a faint smell of herbs.
Liu Che felt depressed. Things in the palace could not be hidden from outsiders, let alone such a major matter as the emperor's health.
In fact, almost everyone in the government and the public knows that the emperor has been in poor health recently.
However, it is difficult for outsiders to know whether the emperor had a cold or something else.
Even Liu Che doesn't know the true condition of his father's body.
The only one who knows all this is probably the doctor, Ling Zhou Ren.
At this moment, Liu Che thought of Liang Wang Liu Wu's instructions, and also thought of the rumors he had heard during this period. Combined with the current situation, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew that his father's health might be in trouble.
Now, Liu Che had two choices before him.
One immediately knelt down and with tears streaming down his face advised Jun's father to take good care of his health and not to overwork himself.
The benefits of doing this are obvious.
This is also the subconscious choice most princes make when encountering this situation.
but……
The emperor's health is undoubtedly a state secret.
Dad didn't even tell Chao Cuo and asked Zhou Ren to keep it a secret. Obviously, this was not a minor illness.
If Liu Che knelt down and said those routine words at this time.
There is no doubt that it will be recorded by the historian hiding behind the curtain.
Then, the whole world will know that the emperor of the Han Dynasty is ill, and the problem is serious enough to hide it from the ministers and the prince.
As a result, Wu Chu and other countries are still not happy?
What’s even more terrifying is that if this disrupts some of dad’s arrangements, it will definitely be the fault of the prince, Liu Che!
Don't think that historians are very strict?
Half of the things in the palace were spread by the talkative eunuchs, and half were leaked by the historians...
Otherwise, where do you think the idioms like "sweat profusely, like rays on the back" and "uneducated and incompetent" come from?
Liu Che remembered clearly that in his previous life, when the emperor deposed Zhou Yafu, as soon as he gave the order, various versions came out that filled the streets.
And those vivid stories that are so detailed that even the details of how the emperor became angry and how Zhou Yafu talked back are obviously not something ordinary people can tell...
At least, the current level of education of the palace eunuchs is enough for them to tell such a good story.
Liu Che's second option was to pretend not to smell the medicine.
Doing so avoids the shortcomings mentioned above.
But one thing is that the emperor is not a fool. Although the smell of the herbs in this palace is very weak, you can still smell it as long as your nose does not lose its function.
The king's father is sick. As a son, judging from the morality at this time, he should kneel down immediately. From then on, he would not take off his clothes, taste the soup and medicine himself, and serve around the clock, just like Liu Che's imperial grandfather, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, served Empress Dowager Bo.
.
Anyone who doesn’t do that must be unfilial!
The key point is that the emperor's father will definitely feel uncomfortable in his heart.
Back then, the late emperor had gangrene on his back. Liu Che's father was just a little reluctant to suck the late emperor's juice, but he immediately gave him a scolding!
"What should we do?" Liu Che's mind was racing.
There is no doubt that no matter how Liu Che chooses these two options, there are risks.
But there is not much time, he must make a decision immediately!
Thoughts are racing in my mind. It seems that there are many things on my mind, but actually not much time is spent.
In just ten breaths, Liu Che made a decision.
He immediately knelt down and said: "My son and I are unfilial, and our father's holy body is not in good condition, but he didn't know it. It is a capital crime!"
As he spoke, Liu Che shed tears, and the expression on his face became solemn and lonely, looking like a standard filial son.
Obviously Liu Che chose the former.
In Liu Che's view, since both options have risks, choose the one that is relatively safe!
The reason is very simple. He is a son first and a prince secondly. Without the protection of his father, he is nothing!
To put it bluntly, the overall situation and politics have nothing to do with Liu Che right now.
Emperor Liu Qi looked at Liu Che's appearance and felt somewhat warm in his heart.
His heart softened, and he waved his hand and said: "I'm fine. Doctor Zhongling has prescribed a prescription. Just take a few doses of medicine and you'll be fine. Prince, don't worry too much!"
"Look at you like this..." Emperor Liu Qi shook his head, asked a eunuch to help Liu Che up, and said softly: "The reason why I kept it from the prince is because I was afraid that the prince would think nonsense. Don't worry, I'm fine!"
Liu Che then wiped away his tears, tried his best to look like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, and asked happily: "Really?"
Seeing the serious and concerned look on Liu Che's face, Emperor Liu Qi couldn't help but sneered and cursed: "Why did I lie to you?"
"My son, I'm relieved..." Liu Che immediately nodded happily and even jumped a little.
This cheerful and warm scene immediately brought the relationship between father and son closer.
The atmosphere has also become much more relaxed and no longer dull.
When Liu Che sat down, the emperor Liu Qi chose his words a little and asked: "What exactly is going on? Why are the Cheng Zheng family and the Zhuo family in Linqiong willing to spend 100,000 yuan to repair the Baoxian Road? The prince followed
Let me tell you carefully..."
Although he has many sources of information.
However, the spy he placed on the prince* would only pay attention to who the prince met and could not grasp anything too detailed.
As for the report by Yan Yi and others, since it was a formal occasion and recorded by the historian, it was naturally impossible to give a detailed report.
What he knows now is that the prince used some tricks to get the big businessman in Linqiong to relent and be willing to contribute one hundred thousand yuan.
But there is so much mystery surrounding these matters that even he, the emperor, can't figure it out.
When did businessmen in the world become so easy to talk to?
The emperor Liu Qi remembered clearly that when he was still the prince, Chao Cuo would spend most of his energy going to Chang'an to get money for the prince* every year, and he could only make an income of thousands of dollars a year.
What kind of magic did Liu Che cast to make the two big businessmen in Shu County so obedient?
Liu Che was slightly startled.
This is troublesome to talk about.
However, Liu Che knew very clearly that this matter could not be concealed. If his prince wanted to continue his work safely, he could not hide anything from his father.
So, he bowed slightly, typed a draft, and replied: "This is what I want to report to my father..."
After listening to Liu Che's narration, Emperor Liu Qi's eyes widened, and the anger on his face could not go away.
"Shameless!" Emperor Liu Qi immediately slapped the armrest of the imperial couch with murderous intent.
The local officials of Shu County and the eunuchs he sent to Shu County actually joined forces with businessmen to trick the emperor. Deng Tong's assets that should have been confiscated and put into the treasury were actually turned into the business's property by those guys.
Emperor Liu Qi felt that he absolutely couldn't bear this kind of thing!
Must be thoroughly investigated!
but……
Suddenly, Emperor Liu Qi thought of a question.
Where did the prince know these things?
Why did the prince let the Cheng Zheng family and the Zhuo family go?
So Emperor Liu Qi asked: "How did the prince know this?"
Liu Che lowered his head and replied: "Reporting to my father, a few days ago, didn't I ask my father to give me the details of the Shaofu's accounts over the years for me to read and study? It was from the accounts that I discovered..."
Liu Che had naturally thought about how to answer this question for a long time.
In fact, such a possibility does exist in theory.
Probably because the entire civil affairs system of the Han Dynasty was completely copied from the civil affairs system of the Qin Dynasty!
It is completely different from the later Song and Ming systems!
Under the policy of establishing households to equalize the people, the Han Dynasty could even proudly shout to the later Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties: There are no hidden houses here!
You have to ask why?
Probably because the land tax and corvee policies of the Western Han Dynasty government were quite sharp, almost rivaling the household registration policy of the later Great Celestial Dynasty.
Businessmen have city registration, farmers have household registration, soldiers have military registration, slaves have slave registration, and even the palace has palace registration!
The powerful civil administration system inherited from the Qin Dynasty enabled the entire Han Dynasty to control almost the entire registered population.
As for what you said about hiding?
If you knew how the Western Han Dynasty government collected taxes, you probably wouldn't ask this question.
The Han government collected taxes by watching the people harvest on the spot in the fields, then weighed them, and then levied taxes according to the output...
As for the apportionment of corvee labor, there is another method.
These are common sense at this time, and every official knows it, and there is also a book "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" written by the former Prime Minister Beiping Hou Zhang Cang as a book of governance. It is clearly recorded in the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, what should be done
Taxation, how to distribute corvee.
At least, this is how Guanzhong implemented it at this time.
As for the horns that are as high as the mountains and as far away as the emperor, there are naturally two opinions on the possibility of a vacuum.
But Liu Che also found traces of the same system in Hejian Kingdom in his previous life, but it was just not as strict as Guanzhong.
In the two thousand years of feudal dynasties in later generations, there was no longer a scientific and rigorous civil affairs system like the Qin and Han Dynasties. This was because the landlords began to rise from the Eastern Han Dynasty and began to take power. The emperor had to compromise with these guys. Naturally, it was no longer possible.
Like the Qin and Han Dynasties, a pervasive network was created.
It is precisely because of this that the Han Dynasty government can afford the land tax system of thirty to one tax.
Because it has a huge tax population, there are basically no hidden households.
Wenjing's rule was even created under the situation of thirty-one taxation. Not only did the people live a relatively easy life and had a relatively light burden, but even the central government's fiscal revenue was never in short supply.
At the end of Wenjing's reign, what was left to Xiaozhu was a warehouse full of grain in all the countries, the ropes stringing money in the money bank were all rotten, the horse farms at the border had more than 300,000 war horses, and the world's population was between 5,000 and 6,000.
Ten thousand, the largest empire in the world with five to six million registered households!
After the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, which dynasty still dared to use thirty taxes per tax?
Fifteen taxes and one tax means you love the people like your own children!
Thinking of this, Liu Che also sighed in his heart.
The systems created and perfected by the Qin people are extremely close to the systems of modern countries.
It's a pity that because it is too advanced, it is difficult for people to accept and recognize it.
On the contrary, after the old Liu family accepted it, various Liu family characteristics came into being, which made them backward and ignorant, which made the entire country gradually prosperous and powerful.
It can only be said that every ruler of the Qin Dynasty was a master of seeking death!
After listening to Liu Che's statement, Emperor Liu Qi thought about it a little and found it reasonable.
At this time, the ruling class still attached great importance to mathematics.
Later, among Xiaozhu's five sons, three had good achievements in mathematics, especially Liu Dan, King of Yan, who was recognized as a master of mathematics.
As for Liu Che's brothers, Liu Pengzu and Liu Sheng are also good in mathematics.
As for the officialdom, they hold a copy of "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic" as the truth and worship it. Basically, every local official has a copy...
Therefore, Liu Che's explanation that he discovered something fishy from the Shaofu's accounts is fairly acceptable.
So the emperor Liu Qi asked again: "What do the princes think? Why do you want to let the Cheng Zheng family and the Zhuo family go?"
Liu Che listened, and of course he knew what he couldn't use. I wanted to keep these two guys to make steel or something.
Dad would definitely sneer at it.
For smelting iron and steel, it is enough to have a young manor!
How can the lifeline of the country be in private hands?
But Liu Che knew that although the Shaofu could fully meet the military's demand for iron and steel, don't count on relying on the Shaofu bureaucrats to popularize and promote iron among the people!
Only businessmen like Cheng Zhengying and Zhuo Wangsun who are full of "pioneering spirit" and "market awareness" can have that motivation and patience.
Otherwise, after Xiaozhu set up the salt and iron government camp in the previous life, why did the popularity of iron tools among the people suddenly lag behind? It had to wait until Zhao Guo came out to slowly popularize iron tools that had appeared in Guanzhong decades earlier, such as
Advanced technologies such as Erniu Lifting Rod?
But it is politically incorrect to say these things.
Liu Che sorted out his thoughts for a while and said, "Go back to my father. Although this generation of profiteers is extremely cunning, they have expanded thousands of miles of territory for our Han Dynasty and contributed to the civilization of the barbarians in the southwest. Therefore, I have the courage to ask my father."
The emperor begs for mercy, spares his life, and allows him to make meritorious deeds!"
"Ten thousand miles of land?" Emperor Liu Qi's eyes suddenly lit up.
No Chinese emperor can resist the temptation to expand his territory!
The emperor claims to be the common master of the nine states and all directions, the pastor of hunting on behalf of heaven, and the master of the four seas.
Naturally, every Chinese ruler will have a strong desire for expansion. As long as conditions permit, the Emperor of China does not mind the expansion of his territory at all.
But unlike Westerners, the Chinese are expansionists and don't like killing much. They prefer to use cultural invasion, slowly plan, and use color to expand their territory.
Therefore, what Chinese rulers are best at is to first defeat the enemy, then make the enemy recognize their supremacy, and then spend a hundred years to erase the enemy's culture and traditions. Naturally, the enemy becomes one of their own.
.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, many vassal states in the world were within the sphere of influence of Yi and Di.
At that time, Hao Jing was even under Rong Di's nose.
But during the Warring States Period, where were Rong Di, Dong Yi and Jing Chu?
In the early Spring and Autumn Period, the current Shu County was the territory of the Ba people. Are there any Ba people in Shu County now?
It’s the barbarians in the southwest. Go to Dian and Yelang to see what kind of writing they use? Basically, they evolved from Chu’s writing...
When Liu Che said this, Emperor Liu Qi immediately asked with great interest: "Are these two people related to the barbarians in the southwest?"
"Back to my father, yes!" Liu Che kowtowed and said, "I was just about to report to my father. According to what Cheng Zheng Ying said, there is another man named Shendu to the west of the southwest barbarians, two thousand miles away from the Dian Kingdom.
s country!"
At this moment, Liu Che transformed into a little devil with bulging cheeks, and said in a very inflammatory tone: "Father, according to the people of the Dian Kingdom, this country is poisonous, the country is huge, and the people are extremely stupid, but the land
It is extremely fertile and can harvest rice three times a year, and gold and jade can be picked up easily throughout the country, making it extremely rich!"
Liu Che did not hesitate to praise India at all. He could exaggerate it as much as he could. Liu Che could not wait to tell his father that India is a paradise on earth, with milk flowing in the Ganges and everywhere in the land.
It's gold.
Liu Che even plans to find a few novelists in the past few years to write about how India is rich and rich. Anyway, it's not a crime.
The purpose of doing this is to pave the way for the march to India decades later.
Liu Che learned this from Westerners.
Why do those poor people in Europe want to make a big voyage in later generations?
Because these idiots were deceived by the book "Marco Polo's Travels" and thought that China was full of gold and paradise.
The early navigators and adventurers were all headed for China, but they accidentally circled the earth and ended up in the Americas. Only then did they realize that it was easy to rule with stupid people and lots of money!
And there are so many poor people in China as a whole.
Who doesn’t want to get rich!
Getting rich is a desire shared by all human beings.
In order to make a fortune, human beings can overcome all difficulties and obstacles!
The gold rush in America and various East India companies in later generations told Liu Che that the long journey was nothing, and the deaths on the road were nothing.
As long as someone gets rich, everyone will stick out their necks and run towards the land of gold risklessly.
Therefore, Liu Che felt that Journey to the West was not a book.
Why write so many monsters and monsters?
Why not write about Tang Monk and his entourage on their way to India, where they pick up a princess and hold a pile of gold in a country?
It is guaranteed that the people of the Ming Dynasty will risk their lives and run towards India as fast as they can, so that nothing will happen to the British.
So, from this point of view, Jin and Pingmei are more valuable than Journey to the West...
"Is Shendu really that rich?" Emperor Liu Qi was a little dazed. If there really is such a rich place, and it is so fertile... then... it's a pity... it's far away. Otherwise, he really wants to send an army along the southwest
direction, to find out the details of body poison.
But we can't send an army. How about sending an envoy to find out more?
Chinese people are inherently passionate about all land suitable for farming.
In the previous life, the little pig dared to farm in Luntai, pretending to turn the grassland into cultivated land!
The current land of Jingchu is so difficult and the living conditions are so harsh. The pioneers from the Central Plains have already taken root there and occupied an absolute dominance.
The so-called South Vietnam, Fujian Vietnam, and East Vietnam are actually political regimes established by Chinese colonists. They are even vassal states that accepted the canonization of the Chinese emperor!
Liu Che nodded and said: "When I returned to my father, I heard that I was indeed very wealthy. Therefore, I asked Cheng Zheng to send someone to Shendu via the Dian Kingdom to see if that foreign country was really like this.
?”
"In addition, I think that the Cheng Zheng family and the Zhuo family can go to the southwestern barbarians to promote the kindness and generosity of the father, so that these small barbarian countries and the Yi Di who have not yet become kings will know the greatness of the father and Chinese civilization, so that they can
Pay tribute to Chang'an!" Liu Che bowed.
Emperor Liu Qi was very satisfied after hearing this!
Among the barbarians in the southwest, Emperor Liu Qi naturally knew about the existence of these barbarians.
It's just that, all this time, I haven't had time to pay attention to them.
But now I heard that besides the barbarians in the southwest, there was another Shendu who was so wealthy, so the emperor Liu Qi couldn't help but become interested.
If the national border could be pushed hundreds or even thousands of miles to the southwest, it would be equivalent to shortening the distance between the Han Dynasty and that country called Shendu.
By the time……
At the beginning, the Tang capital was Hedong, the Yin capital was Hanoi, and the Zhou capital was Henan. These three rivers constituted the world and China.
What now?
The territory of the Han Dynasty spans thousands of miles, and Three Rivers is just a corner!
For China, as long as it works hard and grinds its way slowly, the world will naturally be the shore of the land. Is it the king's ministers, and the whole world is the land of the king!
only……
"I guess I can't see it..." Emperor Liu Qi couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and then said to Liu Che: "This matter is left to the prince to handle, but the Cheng Zheng family and the Zhuo family must guarantee that within two or three years,
Make achievements, otherwise, I will never save face for the prince again!"
"No!" Liu Che bowed happily.
Of course he knows, what is dad's so-called achievement?
Of course, it is not true that the barbarians in the southwest will be turned into counties. That would be unrealistic.
Instead, let the chiefs and kings of these southwestern countries come to Chang'an to pay tribute.
Don't underestimate the tribute system in ancient China. It is true that after the Song and Ming Dynasties, the tribute system became rigid.
But at this time, the tribute system played an unparalleled role.
In short, as long as a country or nation accepts the canonization of the Emperor of Chang'an, it is equivalent to recognizing that it is part of China. This will give the Han emperor a legitimate excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of these countries in the future.
Historically, Xiaozhu's use of troops against South Vietnam and North Korea was based on this foundation.
The one who thrives is the upright teacher of the king.
Therefore, as long as those small countries in the southwest recognized the supreme status of the Emperor of Chang'an, professed their vassal status, and received titles, the Han Dynasty would be able to expand thousands of miles in name.
Then, it will take at most ten or twenty years. Judging from the capabilities of those small countries in the southwest, I am afraid that not many can still retain their power!
This trick has been tried many times in Chinese history.
So, how can those guys in the West who only know how to fight and kill understand the breadth of Eastern civilization?
…………………………
After leaving the Weiyang Palace, Liu Che returned to his crown prince*. As soon as he returned to the palace, Wang Dao came to report: "Your Highness, Your Majesty, Servant Yuan Si, Duke Yuan wants to see you!"
Liu Che quickly said: "Please come quickly!"
Not long after, the familiar figure of Yuan Ang appeared in front of Liu Che.
"Your Majesty, Yuan An, pays homage to your Majesty!" Yuan Ang bowed and said, "I don't know what your Majesty has ordered me to come here."
Liu Che smiled slightly and asked Wang Dao to give him a seat. When Yuan Ang sat down, Liu Che held his hands and said, "There is something unclear about inviting Si Gong here this time!"
"Please tell me, sir!" Yuan Ang said with a slight smile.
"Does Mr. Si know the heart of Guanzhong hero Ji?" Liu Che asked with a smile.
When Yuan Ang heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt bad!
He knew that Ji Xin might have caused him trouble again.
At this moment, a multiple-choice question also appeared in front of Yuan An: Should he draw a clear line with Ji Xin or continue to protect him?
For Yuan Ang, this choice is difficult!
Probably because Ji Xin is his eyes and ears!
After thinking about it, Yuan An gave a wry smile and replied: "I'm reporting this to my family. I know that this person is the younger brother of Ji Bu, the former governor of Hedong County. He has always been on good terms with me. I don't know why my family asked me about this?"
