"Avoid suspicion?" Guo Chong felt a little strange.
"Yes. Many of the candidates this time are students of Mr. Fang's original Songshan Academy in Hangzhou, and one is a disciple of Fang Dunru. Therefore, in order to avoid suspicion, he cannot serve as the examiner. As for the minister, it is also because of Fang Dunru.
This student, I have a very good personal relationship with in Hangzhou, this time he is taking the Spring Examination, and I don’t want people to gossip and delay his future, so I chose to avoid suspicion." Yan Zheng said with a smile.
Guo Chong suddenly realized, waved his hand and said with a smile: "How can this avoid any suspicion? Could it be that you Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru would still practice favoritism and cheating? Even if everyone in the world would practice favoritism and cheating, I'm afraid you two would not do this.
"
Yan Zhengsheng looked a little excited. The emperor's words were undoubtedly the greatest compliment to his ministers.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. Naturally, we will not disappoint His Majesty's expectations and will never do anything selfish. But after all, rules are rules. I and Fang Dunru are both important ministers in the court. We must take the lead in observing the rules if we stand upright."
, Otherwise, how can we convince the public?" Yan Zhengsheng said, cupping his hands.
Guo Chong nodded and smiled: "It's true, it's always right to follow the rules."
Yan solemnly nodded and said: "So I and Fang Dunru must avoid suspicion. Especially Mr. Fang's student is very likely to be in the top few in high school. If we don't avoid suspicion, it will be even more unclear."
"Oh? Who is that? You dare to say such things before the exam is over. It sounds strange to me. If I didn't know you very well, I would have suspected that you had done something wrong beforehand.
Is it so easy for me to take the imperial examination in the Great Zhou Dynasty? Hahaha." Guo Chong said with a half-joking smile.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty should be impressed by this person. His name is Lin Jue, a native of Hangzhou." Yan said solemnly.
"Lin Jue...Lin Jue...oh! I remembered it. Is it the Lin Jue who offered his plan to suppress the bandits last year and I gave him a reward? Is he the nephew of Lin Bonian from the Sansi Yamen?"
Guo Chong suddenly remembered.
"The emperor has a good memory, and it is this Lin Jue. At that time, the emperor even rewarded him with the name of a righteous man. He was the first Jieyuan of our Liangzhe Road in the autumn of last year. He has excellent poetry and first-class literary talent. He is indeed a talent.
"Yan Zheng smiled solemnly.
"Took the exam to understand the Yuan Dynasty? It seems that he is really a talented person. From this point of view, he is capable of literary and military skills. I was amazed by the strategy of suppressing bandits at the beginning. He also had to learn the Yuan Dynasty in the imperial examination. No wonder you think he will definitely be able to pass the high school
Already."
"Yes, your Majesty should know that I do not praise others easily, but I have high hopes for this Lin Jue. Therefore, we do not want to cause trouble. If it is because of the relationship between I and Fang Dunru and Lin Jue,
Delaying his future is something we never want to see. I, Dazhou, need such talented backers who can serve as the backbone of the court in the future. The capable ministers in the court are either old or few.
It's a pity, we need to select a group of young people and train them through experience."
Guo Chong nodded heavily and said: "That's true. You have also worked hard. I understand you. You are selecting talents for me, Da Zhou. You have good intentions and are commendable."
He said solemnly: "I have done what I deserve, so there is no need to praise me."
Guo Chong nodded and asked in a deep voice: "Has the Liao envoy left?"
"Your Majesty, we left Beijing yesterday. If we fail to reach an agreement this time, there will be another war in the border towns. Privy Council Yang has ordered the border troops to be on alert to prevent the Liao people from venting their anger and attacking." He said solemnly.
"What do you think?" Guo Chong frowned. "I think the emperor did the right thing and refused his unreasonable request. Yelu Zongyuan is also rude. What do you think of me, Dazhou? We should discuss whether we want to increase the annual coins."
Then, he actually sent an envoy to threaten him. If he succeeds, where is the majesty of the Zhou Dynasty? The emperor did not even see the envoys of the Liao people, which is right. If he did not blast him out of the capital, he would have given face to the Liao people." Yan Zheng
Su Dao.
"But Prime Minister Lu and others said that I should agree to his promise. They said that we can negotiate and add an additional five hundred thousand two-year-old coins every year. That's nothing. The key is to ensure the peace of the border town. What do you think?" Guo Chong said.
He said solemnly: "I don't want to praise or criticize the remarks of Prime Minister Lu and others. Ordinarily, what Prime Minister Lu said is correct. In the past, the alliance between Yan and Yun guaranteed the peace of our border towns with the Zhou and Liao people for hundreds of years. Some people say
The alliance back then was humiliating and treasonous, and demoralizing. But overall, I think the benefits of the Yanyun Alliance are obvious. The two countries have been at peace for a hundred years, and the border towns have traded with each other. The benefits from trade have exceeded 500,000 yuan a year.
Two years old coins. Not to mention that the peace in the border towns has brought peace to the people of the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun and the harvest of food crops. If the peace in the border towns has made the people of the Sixteen Prefectures unable to farm, the imperial court will also allocate funds for grain relief. 1
Pros and cons, more than hundreds of millions have been lost in the past hundred years? Therefore, I still have a high opinion of the Yanyun Alliance."
Guo Chong nodded slightly and said softly: "What you said makes sense. But why did you say that I was right to reject the request of the Liao envoy? If this alliance has such great benefits, I promise them to increase it by fifty per year.
Long live coins, that’s nothing.”
He said solemnly: "Half a million years old coin is nothing, but that was in the past. Now even if I have to spend an extra five hundred thousand a year, it is still a heavy burden. Because this five hundred thousand has no source.
Ah. For those who have a lot of money, spending an extra hundred taels of silver is nothing. For a poor family, it is just enough to survive every day. Spending an extra ten cents will make one person in the family hungry. This is the difference. Moreover, this is not just
Regarding the increase of 500,000 taels of silver, after Yelv Zongyuan seized the throne, he was demonstrating to us, the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Yanyun Alliance is a contract between our Great Zhou Dynasty and the Liao people, and so is the 500,000 taels of silver.
The number stipulated in the covenant cannot be changed by anyone if they want. Yelu Zongyuan's move is just to abrogate the covenant. At this moment, he promised to increase the amount by 500,000. Maybe in less than a year, he will go further and ask for an increase of 100,000.
Wan. So what then? My appetite will grow bigger and bigger. The more I satisfy him, the less prestige I, the Great Zhou, will lose. It is related to the prestige of the Great Zhou and to the observance of the terms of the covenant. How much money is that?
You can’t buy it either.”
Guo Chong nodded and said: "Exactly, I think so too."
He solemnly said: "So I think the emperor did the right thing. However, there will be no peace on the border. In the final analysis, although we, the Zhou Dynasty, have many soldiers, they are not sophisticated. Many things have gone wrong. Fighting at this moment is also extremely detrimental to our country, the Zhou Dynasty."
Fortunately, there is still time, and they don’t have the guts to really invade on a large scale. But if I don’t seize the time, it will be very troublesome in the future. If the financial problem is not solved, once there is a crisis, there will be very little room for maneuver.”
Guo Chong's face turned gloomy. He knew what Yan Zhengsheng meant. After all, the court still had no money. The court's current situation is quite pessimistic. If a war breaks out now, the situation will be even worse.
"I have decided not to reward the ministers for this year's summer festival. I will save two million taels of silver and use it where it should be used." Guo Chong said softly.
"Your Majesty is wise, but this is not enough. Two million taels is not even enough to pay the border troops for three months. It is not enough to pay the officials in the capital for one month." He said solemnly.
"I have also ordered to stop the construction of Gen Garden of Yanshou Palace. The Queen Mother has stopped talking to me because of this. She said that I am unfilial. She wants a garden to live in for the elderly, but I don't agree. I am unfilial as a son, and for the sake of just a mere
A few million taels of silver, then...hey!" Guo Chong sighed softly as he looked at the swaying green trees on the corridor.
"The Queen Mother is a wise and virtuous person, she will understand the emperor's difficulties. The millions of taels of silver saved can be put to many uses, but it is still not enough! I, Da Zhou, cannot always rely on frugal means to save money.
We can save money by making things difficult for the emperor. Without the means of increasing revenue, we cannot rely on cutting expenditures. The current annual fiscal revenue of 60 million taels is really too little. If nothing else, when the fiscal revenue increases by 3,000 to 4,000 taels,
Wan, do you still need your Majesty to be so frugal? Are you still worried about the army's food and salary, the court's expenses, and the disasters caused by famine? If you can't treat the symptoms, you have to treat the root cause." said solemnly.
Guo Chong nodded and stood up, walking slowly along the stone steps to the flowers and trees in the garden. Yan Zhengsu also quickly got up and followed slowly. Guo Chong seemed to be admiring the scenery, and for a while he looked at the flowers blooming on the roadside around him.
After a while, he looked up at the dense tree crown again, looking thoughtful.
Yan Zhengshen followed Guo Chong slowly without saying a word. He knew that the emperor must have something to say when he called him. After a long conversation a few days ago, Guo Chong had not seen anyone for several days. Suddenly
If you invite yourself to see the driver, you must have made a decision. Yan Zhengsu is waiting for Guo Chong to give the final result. If it is the result he wants, Yan Zhengsu will naturally be relieved. If it is the opposite result, Yan Zhengsu also wants to
Well, if he wants to request on the spot to leave the capital and go to other places, even if he is to serve as a small county magistrate, he will never return to the capital.
"Seriously." Guo Chong stopped in front of him, put his slender fingers on a rockery stone, and turned around.
"Your Majesty is here!" Yan Zhengsun stepped forward and said in a deep voice.
"I know you are waiting for me to make a decision. I will not hide it from you. It is difficult for me to make this decision. But I also know that I have to make this decision. I am a little scared. The comfortable life has passed for a long time. In fact, I
I have lost my will and don't want to bother anymore. But I am even more worried about the current situation in the court. The current situation may be able to survive, but the situation will become worse and worse. I have traveled most of my life, and when I am here
Maybe I can, but I'm worried that my children and grandchildren who will inherit my position won't be able to. Therefore, I feel that I can't do nothing and pass the responsibility to my children and grandchildren. While I still have some energy, I still have some energy.
With people like you here, I am determined to change. We cannot allow the Great Zhou Dynasty to sink day by day, and we cannot leave a mess to our descendants. This is what I want to say when I call you here today. I believe in you, and I am determined to make this happen.
I entrust you with the authority. You cannot let me down."
Under the setting sun, beside the rockery, Guo Chong, who had a fair complexion and was slightly chubby, turned his head to look at Yan Zhengsun and said these words. In many subsequent memories and difficult moments, Yan Zhengsun often recalled this scene,
This scene gave him great motivation, but also prompted him to walk into darkness and never look back.
"Your Majesty!" His solemn voice was trembling, and his heart was beating fast. After waiting for the best result, the Emperor finally made up his mind.
"Seriously, in ancient times, Duke Xiao of Qin appointed Lord Shang to carry out reforms, which made the country rich and powerful, and unified the world. Now you are my Lord Shang, and I hope you can also save our great Zhou Dynasty, so that our country will be rich, the people strong, and the military will be strong again."
If you have enough refined food, you will last forever. Can you do it?" Guo Chong asked in a deep voice.
