Chapter 4747 Trust remains
The days are long in summer, and at the turn of Shen and You, there is still a trace of the setting sun on the horizon, pouring slantingly from the trees outside the window into the imperial study.
The lamp beads have been lit, and Li Chengqian is writing and reviewing memorials at his desk.
The queen walked in lightly from the door holding a cup of ginseng tea. Seeing the emperor burying his head in his desk, the queen frowned slightly. She stepped forward and placed the ginseng tea in the corner of the imperial desk. She stood behind the emperor and stretched out her slender jade fingers to knead the emperor. He pressed his temples and said softly: "I don't even need dinner, how can my body survive?"
Li Chengqian dropped the brush and leaned back against his wife's soft body. He closed his eyes for a while and then opened them again. He looked at the pile of memorials on the desk and the wall and sighed in annoyance.
"Where is the time for meals? These must be dealt with today and delivered to the Secretary. Tomorrow, they must be implemented according to the approval. There can be no delay."
"Just deal with the important issues, why do you need to take care of everything?"
"There is no harm in delaying it for one day, but day after day, over time, the affairs of the country have piled up. As an emperor, I can be compared to the people of Jie and Zhou. Believe it or not, it only takes three to five days, and the imperial officials will have to do it." Standing outside Chengtian Gate and calling me a hedonistic, stupid and lazy fool?”
Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and shook his head.
He is determined to be a good emperor. Not only to be on par with the previous emperors, but at least to be one of the wisest emperors in history, he has to endure no matter how hard and tiring he is...
The queen also sighed: "But how can I review so many memorials day after day? If something goes wrong, it will be a serious matter. I know your majesty's thoughts and am determined to be a good emperor who is not inferior to Emperor Qin and Emperor Han. , but you must also know that times have changed, and the Tang Dynasty today is far from comparable to the Qin and Han Dynasties.”
Li Chengqian took a sip of ginseng tea and clicked his tongue, a little helpless, but he also admitted that the queen's words were not bad. Although the Qin and Han Dynasties unified the world, how much territory did they have in total? What is the population?
Nowadays, the empire has a vast territory. It is already bright in Liaodong in the east, Suiye City in the west is still full of stars in the middle of the night, the island in the south is fragrant with coconut fruits and waves, and the North Sea in the far north is still cold and snowy and frozen. The earth...
The country is divided into ten provinces, 360 prefectures, and more than 1,550 counties. There are also several Duhu Prefectures and Jisi Prefectures, with a population of tens of millions. Such a huge land area and population mean that there are countless government affairs. No matter how energetic the emperor is, it is impossible for one person to control the world's affairs, so the "Government Hall" came into being.
The original intention of the birth of the "Government Hall" was to assist the emperor in handling state affairs. It was an organization equivalent to a "secretariat". However, as the empire's territory became larger and the population increased, the corresponding government affairs became more and more important. It is cumbersome and the power of the "political affairs hall" will inevitably increase.
Today, the "Zhengshitang" has long become an existence that "seizes imperial power." Even if Li Chengqian feels deeply in crisis and is unwilling to do so, he still has to watch the "Zhengshitang" erode the imperial power bit by bit.
After all, there are too many government affairs in the country. Even if the "Zhengshitang" is abolished, there must be another institution similar to the "Zhengshitang". Otherwise, the overwhelming daily memorials will tire the emperor to death...
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It is completely impossible to think about life and death and being arbitrary and arbitrary like Emperor Qin and Han Wu. It would be great if we could hold important matters in our hands and handle them properly without being ignored by the ministers.
But it is easy to decentralize power, but it is difficult to arrest it. If you are not careful, you will be ignored by the ministers...
When the imperial power falls and he, the emperor, becomes a puppet, won't it be an eternal humiliation?
But even if he wanted to set up another "inner court" to assist him in handling state affairs, the ministers in the "political affairs hall" would definitely not allow it...
So Li Chengqian was in a dilemma.
The queen saw his expression changing and his face tangled, so she said no more.
The husband and wife have known each other very well for many years, how could she not know Li Chengqian's true indecisive character underneath his seemingly generous appearance?
"Your Majesty, Duke Ying, Duke of Yue, Zhongshu Ling, Jing Zhaoyin and other ministers are asking to see you outside the palace, saying that they have something important to report to Your Majesty."
Seeing Wang De coming in to report, Li Chengqian looked at the sky and asked, "Have the ministers just finished discussing matters in the political hall?"
"Exactly."
"Then we are here to talk about the tax increase by the Buddhist and Taoist sects. This is an important matter and cannot be delayed. Let them come over."
"Here."
Wang De accepted the order and bowed out.
The queen looked at Li Chengqian's tired face and suggested: "It's already this hour, and all the ministers must not be able to eat. Why don't I ask the imperial kitchen to prepare a simple meal and send it over, and your majesty and the ministers will eat together?" Discussing things on the side?”
Li Chengqian thought for a while and nodded in agreement: "That's very good. There is no need to be extravagant. An ordinary meal will suffice. Let's all just eat a little."
The emperor cannot always put on airs and show off his majesty. He must also get close to his ministers at the appropriate moment. Although he cannot drink with his ministers at the same table and dance with the demons after getting drunk like the late emperor did, it is still good to have a relaxing meal together. of...
"Here."
The queen retreated from the back hall and went directly to the imperial dining room to deliver the message.
Li Chengqian stood up and stretched out to stretch his muscles, and there was a loud crackle in his joints. Then he washed his face and wiped his hands under the service of the palace maid, and the ministers filed in.
The monarch and his ministers greeted each other and then knelt down on the mats by the window. The servants brought a short table and placed a table in front of each person. Seeing that the ministers were confused, Li Chengqian smiled and said: "My dear friends, you haven't had your dinner yet." ? I haven’t used it either. The queen has already asked the royal kitchen to prepare the meal. Let’s talk while eating. ”
"Here."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
In the end, Li Chengqian still couldn't hold it back, looked at Ma Zhou and asked: "How did the Buddhist and Taoist parties react to the imperial court's tax increase?"
Ma Zhou said: "Your Majesty, both sides are very supportive and there is no resistance at all."
"Huh?" Li Chengqian was very surprised: "It shouldn't be..."
Everyone explained the various reasons discussed previously, and Li Chengqian nodded repeatedly in approval.
"It seems that the Duke of Yue has a good grasp of the current situation. He happened to launch a tax increase during the fierce battle between the two factions. This made both sides wary and worried, so they had to show a 'submissive to the people' attitude. For fear that the imperial court would become angry and support their opponents, the so-called good warriors have no great achievements. The Duke of Yue made great achievements in strategizing and winning thousands of miles away. "
Fang Jun said with a smile: "Your Majesty is making ridiculous compliments. How dare you take the role of a minor minister? Brother Bin Wang is responsible for this matter, and the credit will naturally belong to brother Bin Wang. The minor minister is just a mention, and he must not take credit."< br>
It has been a long time since the monarch and his ministers had been so harmonious and friendly. With the exchange of words, it seemed that all the barriers in the past had disappeared and they were reconciled.
Ma Zhou looked indifferent: "Not only was the Duke of Yue the first to propose this matter, but the detailed strategy was also designed by the Duke of Yue. It should be the credit of the Duke of Yue. The lower officials dare not be greedy."
Fang Jun was speechless: "You are such a boring person. I am just being humble. When His Majesty gives you a few more words of encouragement, I will take the credit and take the credit. Who would really give the credit to you? You are being sentimental."
Seeing Ma Zhou's embarrassed and helpless look, the emperor and his ministers all laughed.
Although there are civil and military conflicts within the imperial court, although there are turmoils within the clan, although the aristocratic families still have their roots intact, and although the Hu tribes in the border areas are ready to move... the empire's national power is booming, the people live in peace, all industries are prosperous, and the army is on land and sea. Vertical and horizontal, invincible, some hidden dangers are not worth mentioning compared with the overall prosperity.
The waiter brought the meal and placed it on the low table in front of everyone. Li Chengqian picked up the chopsticks and picked up the bowl: "It's already late today, so we won't prepare drinks. Just use some meal pads to cushion your stomach. We'll wait till noon." In the Yuan Dynasty, I held a banquet in the palace to entertain all my dear friends.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
No one spoke during the meal. When Li Chengqian finished eating, everyone quickly put down their chopsticks. The waiters took the food away, wiped it clean, and served fragrant tea. Then they began to discuss government affairs.
Li Chengqian drank tea and asked Ma Zhou: "Since both Buddhism and Taoism have cooperated in the implementation, let's seize the time this morning to prevent changes."
"Don't worry, your majesty. We have already mobilized capable officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and also loaned out dozens of students who are good at arithmetic from the academy. They will immediately go to the temples and Taoist temples in various places in the Jingzhao Prefecture to first measure their fields and then inspect them." For real estate and shops, be sure to check the properties of various temples and Taoist temples. ”
The two sects of Buddhism and Taoism are very special existences. At the beginning of the founding of the country, they relied on the power of these two sects. After the founding of the country, these two sects naturally took the opportunity to become powerful. Because the imperial court granted them various preferential treatment and privileges, coupled with their unique influence, the imperial court turned a blind eye to its rapid development and was helpless. To this day, it is completely unknown how many industries the two factions own and how many people they hide. known.
Now it is appropriate to take advantage of the opportunity of tax increase to explore the land clearly.
If the two major sects with such powerful power and influence cannot be firmly controlled by the imperial court, it will be a very dangerous thing. Once changes occur, not only Guanzhong will be in turmoil, but the entire world will be involved in the flames of war...
Li Chengqian nodded, and then told Fang Jun: "You are personally in charge of Xuanwumen. During the period of measuring the land and real estate of the two sects of Buddhism and Taoism, you will control the Jinwu Guards left and right. You must ensure the peace and tranquility in Guanzhong. If anyone has evil intentions, suppress them immediately!"< br>
The two sects of Buddhism and Taoism are too powerful, and their internal factions are numerous and complex. They are willing to cooperate with the court in taxing taxes now, but they may not be consistent in the future. If there is another wave of trouble, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the capital. There must be strong people who are always vigilant and will deal with it if something goes wrong. Killer, no one else can do this kind of thing and dare not do it. Only by putting the safety of the capital in Fang Jun's hands can he sleep peacefully.
Liu Ji, who was drinking tea on the side, was filled with helplessness. His Majesty and Fang Jun had been estranged from each other recently and had been having troubles. It seemed that they were already alienated. However, the slightest incident could show the importance of Fang Jun in His Majesty's heart. No matter how noisy or noisy, Fang Jun is still the person whom His Majesty trusts the most. Looking at the court and the clan, no one can surpass him...