It has been more than half a month since the land tax case came to an end, but a group of Chang'an officials and members of the Xian clan were sitting in the hall, all with gloomy expressions on their faces.
Someone looked at Luo Anyuan, the Supreme Protector, and asked, "General Luo, the court has strictly inspected the land tax. Most of the land under our names has been confiscated by the government. Is there any way to get rid of it now?"
"
Luo Anyuan glared at the person who spoke, and said in a deep voice: "The separation of the two powers of land is a rule set by His Majesty long ago. In the past, you just annexed some idle fields, and the emperor turned a blind eye, and that was it.
.However, you are becoming more and more courageous. You actually signed a death contract with the tenants, and you were caught and sued to the court... You should be lucky to be able to escape unscathed this time after abandoning the land. You should be lucky.
I know that many people have lost their lives because of the land tax case."
Luo Yingcai, who was next to Luo Anyuan, said with a grimace: "Brother, not to mention other people this time, the Luo family alone has had tens of thousands of acres of farmland confiscated, and the losses have been huge. It can be said to be a crippling injury. What's even more troublesome is that
, that group of ordinary people elected by the people actually climbed into the court through this case, which is tantamount to a great humiliation for us."
Hearing Luo Yingcai mention that democratically elected representatives could enter the court to discuss politics, Luo Anyuan also became irritated.
The latter shook his head and said, "Let's wait until Duke Yuan comes."
After everyone heard this, they could only give up.
After a moment of burning incense, the sound of horse hoofbeats came from the distance, and dozens of horses stopped outside the front hall door.
Yuan Zai led several royal guards into the hall, ignored the greetings of others, sat down directly next to Luo Anyuan, and asked: "I don't want to hear any complaints. I just want to ask you, but I don't plan to
Are we going to let those common people ride on our heads to show off their power?"
Hearing this, the people in the hall were filled with indignation and shouted one after another, demanding that the elected representatives be driven out of Chang'an.
Yuan Zai looked at Luo Anyuan, who hesitated for a moment and said: "Today's court is a mess. Of course Luo still hopes to be cleaner, but I don't know that in the palace..."
Yuan Zai lowered his voice and said to Luo Anyuan at a volume that only two people could hear: "A few days ago, Concubine De (Hua Yue) gave birth to a prince."
Luo Anyuan was stunned.
Yuan Zai: "In the past, Concubine De had only a princess, but now she suddenly gave birth to a prince. Not to mention how lively the palace has been recently."
Luo Anyuan hesitated and said: "Where is the Queen..."
Yuan Zai: "Not only did the Queen know about it, but she also sent people to send congratulatory gifts."
Luo Anyuan originally thought that the queen would be angry, but he did not expect that the queen would be calm.
Yuan Zai: "The Queen is no better than ordinary people. She is not only courageous, but also determined. She will naturally not lose her position at this time."
Luo Anyuan: "What does Yuan Gong mean...?"
Yuan Zai: "Your Majesty is very affectionate. You can count the concubines of high rank in the harem on two hands. But among the four concubines below the queen, only De concubine is the only one."
Luo Anyuan: "Although Concubine De is favored, her prince is unlikely to pose a threat to the prince."
Yuan Zai: "Oh? Why?"
Luo Anyuan: "Firstly, Concubine De is a cannibal, so how can a son of a foreign race become a prince? Secondly, Concubine De is born as a slave and has a low status and cannot be promoted to the public. Thirdly, Concubine De is without help in the court, so she is alone."
Yuan Zai: "I have a somewhat different view... Let me discuss the first point first. Speaking of foreign blood, did General Luo forget someone?"
Luo Anyuan: "Who is it?"
Yuan Zai: "Taizong's mother was the Dou family of Xianbei nobles. Taizong was a descendant of Han and Xianbei people."
Luo Anyuan was stunned. Tang Taizong Li Shimin had Xianbei blood, but he had forgotten this.
Yuan Zai: "Let's talk about the second point. Concubine De was originally a slave in His Majesty's family, but later she went to Dashi to inherit the throne and became the queen. In terms of status, she is not considered low."
Luo Anyuan was silent.
Yuan Zai: "As for the third article... Concubine De returned to the Tang Dynasty alone and did not have any assistance in the court. However, things are different now. If Concubine De wants to promote her son to the throne of the crown prince, she now has
The right group of allies."
Luo Anyuan: "Who is it?"
Yuan Zai: "Those elected representatives are all common people. Now they are highly valued by His Majesty. Couldn't they just serve as the imperial concubine's aid in the court?"
Luo Anyuan opened his eyes wide, and after a while, he hesitated and said, "Isn't this unlikely?"
Yuan Zai: "How is it impossible? That group of democratically elected representatives now has the power to enter the DPRK to discuss politics, but their power is still weak and they urgently need to seek support from the DPRK. However, the ministers in the DPRK either regard them as hostile, or they are
I disdain to associate with him. But the concubine De who has just given birth to a prince, as long as there is someone to pull the strings, she can help each other and achieve great things together."
Luo Anyuan was stunned for a while.
Yuan Zai: "Everyone in the court knows that the Luo family has formed an alliance with the empress because of the relationship between the crown prince and the empress. The family is the only one in the court, and there is a hint of the Tianbao Yang family. The general may wish to think about it carefully. Your majesty also thinks about the Luo family.
What kind of attitude?”
When Luo Anyuan heard this, the expression on his face became increasingly ugly.
Yuan Zai: "If you let Yuan Mou guess, your Majesty will probably be more wary of the Luo family."
Luo Anyuan looked at Yuan Zai: "If Duke Yuan has something to say, you might as well say it directly, there is no need to beat around the bush like this."
Yuan Zai nodded first, then turned around, looked at everyone in the hall and said: "Listen to me, everyone is now a grasshopper on a thread. Naturally, we must work together to overcome difficulties. After experiencing Wen
The ultimatum case, the land tax case, etc., His Majesty is now very suspicious of the court officials, so he has introduced elected representatives as a means of balancing power. If we want to drive these common people out of the court, we must find a way to make His Majesty lose control of the court.
Their trust.”
Someone asked: "What can be done to make His Majesty lose trust in elected representatives?"
Yuan Zai: "If you want to ruin a person's reputation, it is nothing more than uncovering dirty information, throwing dirty water, exposing shortcomings, etc. These techniques are not only familiar to Jin Yiwei, but anyone who hangs around the court should be familiar with them."
After hearing these words, everyone in the hall fell into thinking, and a few people suddenly realized it.
Yuan Zai: "Now that we have decided how to do it, you might as well divide your work. In the next Shuo Dynasty, fifty newly elected political representatives will participate in the court meeting. These people are the ones we focus on. Whether it is their private life or not
, or personal ability, as long as you can attack these political representatives, if you collect them, it will be the best weapon."
Everyone responded loudly.
Seeing the people in the hall gearing up and planning to show off their skills, Luo Anyuan frowned and said nothing.
In Luo Anyuan's mind, instead of attacking the enemy, he was more worried about whether Concubine De's birth of a prince would have an impact on the prince.