On the fifteenth day of August, the full moon is as round as a copper coin, the edges are white like ice chips, and the middle is slightly darker in color, just like the translucent shadow of a lamp, which is very inspiring.

The area around Yuetai was still shrouded in smoke. Most of the people in the city had already gone back, but many people from the villages outside the city were still coming and going. What's more, the place was brightly lit, the moon was full, the roads were clear, and there were monks and Taoists performing rituals.

At the same time, the heat was boiling in the central military hall of Yuetai Camp, and there was another world.

Inspired by the words "helping the rich and the poor", Emperor Zhao threw away the script and left the central army hall early to go outside to admire the sky and the moon. However, the prime minister and the officials of the secret cabinet continued to stay here to "discuss" a so-called package plan with the nobles, monks, Taoists, and wealthy merchants in the outer cabinet.

It is called a discussion, but in fact the outer cabinet only has the "right of suggestion" but not the "right of veto", and the two sides are not talking on the same level at all.

After all, the merchants were stage-frightened and seemed to have no say at all; and the Taoists basically chose the upper-class route because of the fact that many generations of emperors of the Zhao Song Dynasty worshipped Taoism. This made the real Da Dao Temple, like the Wuyue Temple, Dongxiao Palace, and Mingdao Palace, completely belong to the royal property and it was impossible for them to have any extra say; as for the nobles, the core clans were expelled to Nanyang, and the remaining people were obviously headed by the two fathers-in-law of the emperor... In fact, this was also the reason why Zhao Jiu had concentrated on dealing with the monks before.

The monks of the Song Dynasty were not only better than the Taoists in terms of religious expertise, but also better at getting down to the grassroots. In terms of financial business, they were a generation ahead of the Taoists and landlords… Historically, Shaolin Temple, Daxiangguo Temple, and Lingjiu Temple were all recognized as major financial institutions. Southern Shaolin, which was a long way away, was simply a financial pioneer specializing in maritime trade credit business in those days.

It is said that the front courtyard receptionist is the lobby manager and counter operator, the Sutra Library is responsible for accounting and auditing, the Arhat Hall is responsible for security and armed escort, the Discipline Courtyard is responsible for personnel management, and the Dharma Courtyard is responsible for board meetings.

All I can say is that with such a small land area and a population of 120 million, except for the productivity problems caused by the limitations of scientific and technological development, everything else that can be done would have been done long ago.

In fact, it was precisely because of this that Zhao Jiu had always been afraid of the core issues of domestic affairs. He always felt that he was just an ordinary college student with no experience. The imperial power was so serious that once he intervened wantonly, the result would be that the emperor would say a word and thousands of families would go bankrupt.

Of course, he was also afraid of military affairs and personnel matters. This was his personality. He was usually quite tolerant and tactful, and was easy to accept opinions and willing to compromise. However, once he was pushed into a corner, he would often do something drastic.

This is a flaw in his character, but it is also an advantage, because no matter good or bad, he is himself. I think the prime ministers, ministers, generals and commanders have all adapted to it.

"His Majesty."

The ministers came out of the hall and went to the front of the military camp to meet Emperor Zhao. Seeing Emperor Zhao staring at the moon in a trance under the protection of Yang Yizhong, it was still Lu Hao who asked the question. This minister, whose family has been devoted to Buddhism for generations, was not sure if it was because this matter involved Buddhism, but he was more concerned about it. "The rough plan has been made..."

Zhao Jiu, who was looking at the moon with his hands behind his back, turned around without saying a word.

"In general, there is no big difference from what was discussed before." Lu Haowen hurriedly stepped forward and reported roughly. "Retired soldiers of the imperial camp and the families of the heroes will enjoy a very low interest rate green seedling loan quota; all the major temples in the Central Plains that are under control will be the same as Taoist temples. The succession of abbots must be approved by the court, and of course the court can also directly appoint and dismiss; the abbots and masters of each temple and temple shall be designated by the big business houses, the big noble landlords and their families, and they must bear joint legal responsibilities and accept the court's audit; the right of temples and temples to purchase "wasteland" shall be abolished, and the old right of temples and temples to be exempted from paying the body tax (that is, the head tax, monks in the Song Dynasty were exempted from the head tax, but had to pay land tax and auxiliary labor money) shall be abolished... The period is one year, and if things are done properly, it will be pushed south."

As he listened, Zhao Jiu suddenly sighed, "These people may be muttering that I am just relying on the troops to rob them. If I agree to it now, I will be at the mercy of others. I will definitely be very dissatisfied in my heart. Who knows when I will cause trouble with me."

"Not necessarily." Lu Haowen shook his head. "The world is big, and the royal family is the biggest. For more than a hundred years, Taoist temples all over the world have almost become royal family temples. In the early years of Jianyan, the court publicly asked all Taoist temples to donate their wealth to the government. I dare to ask, what are the monks? If there are really monks who are dissatisfied, or rely on the power of Buddhism in the south to bully the north and come to the Central Plains temples to talk, I think I know a little about Buddhism, and I will connect with the government..."

"The Buddhist sect is just a loan shark." Zhao Jiu also shook his head. "The key is usury. Since ancient times, rent and interest have been the two major reasons why the poor cannot make a living. The root of today's matter is to borrow people outside the government to restart the Qingmiao Law in the Central Plains, reducing interest while taking money. It's not really for the Buddhist sect... Whoever comes to argue can argue, and whoever doesn't agree can disagree. As long as they don't incite rebellion, I don't bother to pay attention to them, and it's best for Prime Minister Lu not to pay attention to them either."

"You don't have to care if the emperor doesn't care, but I have many familiar monks here, and they are all sitting in the south. If they really want to come to me, I really can't refuse..." Lu Haowen smiled bitterly, but hesitated. "But this is not the key point I want to talk about."

"What do you mean, Lord Lu?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly. "Do you still disagree with my decision to use martial arts students as Qingmiao loan supervisors and auditors? I have already said that there is no way around it."

"Your Majesty." Lu Haowen replied solemnly under the moonlight. "I have thought about this matter. Your Majesty is right. The Central Plains has experienced war and resettled many refugees from Hebei and retired or injured imperial soldiers. We also need to ensure that the lenders cannot deceive these people. It would be best to let someone who has a connection with the army do it... But there is one thing I have to say."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!