Chapter 4718: Family Ambition
Asking herself, Princess Changle also felt that she was too willful sometimes. Because she followed her parents' orders and took the burden of the royal family on her shoulders, which led to an unhappy marriage, so after meeting Fang Jun, she refused to listen to anyone's dissuasion and went her own way. To be with Fang Jun, he had to have a child even regardless of his own reputation and royal reputation.
Putting myself in Li Chengqian's shoes, I also feel that such a sister is really heartbreaking...
Now he is able to put aside his dignity as an emperor and speak softly and modestly in front of himself. Although there are no words of apology in his mouth, his expression and behavior are full of apologies.
An emperor can value brotherhood so much, what else is there to ask for?
The slightest rift between the brother and sister disappeared in an instant, and the old grudges were buried.
After taking a sip of tea poured by Princess Changle herself, Li Chengqian said: "You are the eldest princess. You cannot run to Zhongnan Mountain all day long. You should stay in the palace and help your brother manage his brothers and sisters. After all, the queen is separated by one floor. Sometimes it’s not good to be too harsh.”
Speaking of the queen, Princess Changle frowned slightly: "Why did those rumors originate?"
She firmly refused to believe that Fang Jun was having an affair with the queen. She knew very well who her man was.
Li Chengqian also had a headache, shook his head and said: "Rumors only stop the wise. As long as you ignore them, they will dissipate in a few days and are not worth mentioning."
Although he said this, the gloom and anger in his expression could not be hidden.
Princess Changle did not continue this topic. After all, if her wife was involved in a scandal, anyone would be dissatisfied, let alone the supreme emperor of the 95th?
She brought up another big royal problem: "Si Zi is getting older. If she still can't get married in the past two years, she will be in big trouble. Does your Majesty have any plans for her marriage?"
Li Chengqian was very distressed: "That girl is so confused that she doesn't even want to go on a blind date. How can we get married? I can't show off the majesty of the emperor and order her to find a random family to marry, can I? Either one or two will be trouble! Alas, In the past, when my father was around, I watched him do whatever he wanted. Everything seems to be easy and he is confident, and nothing is difficult for him. But now that I am sitting on the throne, everything seems to be difficult to solve. In the end, it is still inferior to my father's talent and ability."
He dreamed of proving that his father was wrong about him and that he had the ability to be a good and qualified emperor. However, he found that he was trapped in every corner. Everything seemed to be woven into a huge web and trapped him in the middle. We are in a dilemma, and we are at a loss as to where to go.
This hit him hard.
Princess Changle can only shut up, she is also one of the "troublesome" in the emperor's mouth...
*****
The Fang family's huge fleet was escorted by the navy and sailed down the Yangtze River until it reached Huating Town. The climate in Guanzhong is getting hotter and the political situation is becoming more and more urgent. The high status of the elders of the two dynasties like Fang Xuanling will inevitably be affected. It is enough for the Fang family to have Fang Jun to move around in the officialdom. If It would be unwise to involve even Fang Xuanling.
It happened that Fang Yi went back to Huating Town to recuperate, so Fang Xuanling took his old wife, third son, fourth son, Xiao Shu'er, Jin Shengman, Qiao'er and several children to the south of the Yangtze River.
Huating Town is located at the estuary of the Yangtze River. Although there are still strong sea breezes and abundant rain in midsummer, it is not as hot as Guanzhong, making it a good place to cool off.
It was no secret that Fang Xuanling arrived in the south of the Yangtze River. It could be inferred just from the high-profile actions of the navy. Therefore, when the Fang family's fleet arrived at the port, many Jiangnan aristocratic families sent people to wait at the port.
Only the Xiao family directly dispatched the current head of the family, Xiao Yu...
After landing at the port, Fang Xuanling smiled and greeted the representatives of each family, and accepted the gifts from each family. She said that she would hold a banquet until the settlement was completed, and then she sent the representatives of each family away in the flower hall of the town office. Entertain Xiao Yu personally.
The two families are related by marriage, and they were once colleagues. Whether it is a good friendship or a relationship, it is much deeper than other families...
Xiao Yu accepted Xiao Shuer's greetings in advance, hugged the child, and gave him a generous greeting gift. Now he was sitting in the flower hall drinking tea, and saw the obvious look of exhaustion on Fang Xuanling's face after entering the room after socializing. He sighed and said: "We have been traveling all our lives as officials, and we have met each other in official circles. I was so tired and exhausted from all the drama. I thought that I could take care of myself and spend my days in the forest and springs after returning home. But to my surprise, I still couldn't take care of this human relationship. I often felt exhausted and wished I could escape into Buddhism. This is the end of my life.”
Fang Xuanling took a sip of tea and laughed when he heard the words: "People are always dissatisfied. Life is not over and the desires are hard to satisfy. It feels annoying when someone flatters and flatters them, and it feels boring when others ignore them and no longer pay attention to them. When people leave, their hearts are not as old as before. It’s just that you make yourself uncomfortable. Only by being able to endure prosperity and loneliness can you pursue the true meaning of life. ”
"Haha, the prime minister is mocking me for being hypocritical?"
"Mr. Xiao is indeed very smart. Can you understand such a subtle hint?"
"Hahaha!" The two old friends met again and ridiculed each other. Xiao Yu was laughed out loud by Fang Xuanling's "smart" words, and burst into laughter.
Fang Xuanling also laughed.
The people in the court had different interests and different camps, and they were scheming and quarreling with each other. Now that they have all taken off their official seals and official uniforms, the barrier has been significantly reduced. Sitting together is less scheming and it is more comfortable.
However, Xiao Yu came to greet him in person. It was obviously more than just reminiscing about old times. Today, there are not many things that the head of the Xiao family in Lanling can do in person. No matter how you calculate it, meeting old friends and reminiscing about old times is not possible. Count among them...
With the status and experience of the two of them, there is no need to hide the art of expressing language. Xiao Yu goes straight to the point: "I know that 'paper money' is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface. I have been thinking about it for a long time but I still can't figure it out. I can't figure out the real intention contained in it, but it's nothing. What's the relationship? Who is Erlang, the uncle of our Xiao family? If we don't support it, who will support it? Please tell Erlang, the Xiao family, to set an example. These 'notes' will not be used to redeem land, but to pay taxes. , and used in large transactions.”
He didn't understand the essence of coins and the circulation effects, nor could he understand them. However, in order to ensure the stability of the Lanling Xiao family in Jiangnan, he must keep up with current events and respond to the court's call.
Based on his understanding of Fang Jun, since he went to great lengths to print "paper money", it is definitely not as simple as using it to redeem land. This new model of "money notes" must be given an extremely important purpose.
"Circulation" may be one of them.
If a coin cannot be circulated and no one recognizes it, what kind of coin is it?
Therefore, Xiao Yu was keenly aware of the key and was willing to support Fang Jun in exchange for Fang Jun's support for the Lanling Xiao family.
In fact, the so-called political marriage cannot truly bring about seamless cooperation and closeness between the two parties. The Xiao family's real gain from marrying their daughter to the Fang family is an opportunity to abandon others and enter the family.
How can a mere woman really influence a family's decision on the future?
This was a good thing, but Fang Xuanling did not agree immediately. He took a sip of tea slowly and his mind was spinning rapidly. After a while, he asked: "But what happened?"
Visiting in person to express support for "paper money", such a simple purpose is not in line with Xiao Yu's character, there must be another reason...
Sure enough, Xiao Yu smiled bitterly and said: "At that time, everyone in the government and the public praised 'Fang's plan to stop everything'. Looking at it now, Xuan Ling is really resourceful and resourceful, and he can't hide anything from you."
To this day, it has been many years since I heard such a comment as "Fang's plan can be eliminated". Fang Xuanling even felt dazed for a moment, but then he woke up and shook his head with a smile: "The loess is buried up to the neck, why bother with these little tricks?" ? Just ask Brother Shi Wen to speak out.”
Xiao Yu nodded: "I heard that the Navy has leased a piece of land in Luzon Island, which is very suitable for growing rice. Xi Junmai wants to hire local natives to farm for him. How can the natives cultivate the fields? They just sow seeds and wait for the harvest. That’s all, God will make such a land It is a waste of money to give them. In my opinion, if the Navy can sublease this land to the Xiao family, the Xiao family is willing to sign a contract with the Navy, stipulating that the Navy will hand over a fixed share of grain every year to ensure that the Navy can maintain harvests during droughts and floods and reduce risks. "
Fang Xuanling frowned and said nothing.
It was just a piece of land, which was cultivated by the navy hiring local natives of Luzon, or subleased to the Xiao family for cultivation. In fact, it was essentially the same, as long as enough food was transported back to the Tang Dynasty.
But in principle it is absolutely different.
After pondering for a while, Fang Xuanling said: "There have been endless debates in the court about overseas lands, but there has been a tacit understanding since Emperor Taizong's time, that is, more immigration strategies will be adopted for Liaodong, Japan, and Annan, and the people who have no land to farm will If you voluntarily go to these places, you can obtain land and farm with peace of mind. However, for other overseas countries, they only encourage trade and do not allow excessive immigration.”
Datang's land strategy was not to simply acquire and occupy land, but to make distinctions.
Places such as Japan, Liaodong, and Annan were closer to the Tang Dynasty and easier to control. More immigrants would occupy those fertile lands. As long as they took root, these places would become the territory of the Tang Dynasty. There is no doubt about it.
But places like Luzon and Java are different. These places are floating overseas and across the ocean. No matter how powerful the navy is, it is difficult to completely control it. The ships have to run back and forth at sea for several months. How can it be completely controlled? ?
Although the Tang Dynasty had been established for a long time, most of the household registrations had not been restored after the Sui Dynasty. After the huge increase in population during the Zhenguan period, the number of household registrations in the world was only 3 million households and 16 million people. Once the immigration policy is liberalized, a large number of people will flow to uncontrolled remote island countries, which will not only cause a sharp decline in the population of Datang, but will also create many hidden dangers.