Chapter 304: The Lost Dog (2-in-1 Debt Repayment)

It’s the New Year. Today is the fifth year of Jianyan, and tomorrow will be the sixth year of Jianyan, or the second year of Huangtong of Jin, or the sixth year of Zhengde of Western Xia.

On this day, Tokyo was bustling with activity... This is nonsense. Which city wouldn't be bustling during the New Year? Especially in the world's largest city?

Besides, the Song Dynasty had its own established precedents. There were seven days of holidays during the New Year, three days before the New Year and four days after the New Year. Not to mention buying New Year's goods before the New Year, the four days after the New Year were a special window period for "buying spree".

The so-called "pounce buying" refers to adding a certain gambling element to normal business activities. This was a very common phenomenon in the Song Dynasty. However, because gambling was wrong after all and it was repeatedly banned, the government relaxed a certain legal period for small daily consumer goods after the New Year and allowed legal gambling in the market.

Of course, commercial transactions must be subject to taxes, and it also means promoting the internal circulation of the economy.

However, for the emperor, civil and military officials, nobles, and even the students, that is, almost everyone with a political status and living in the capital, this holiday was no more comfortable than for others, because in the middle of the holiday, that is, on the first day of the first lunar month, a grand court ceremony had to be held.

To be fair, this New Year's Day court meeting where no business can be discussed is meaningless.

It is still more of a formalism. If we have to classify it, it is better to say that it is the so-called sacrifice in the military and sacrifice. And to put it bluntly, if we really want to carry out internal politics among the ruling class, the Imperial College, the public cabinet, and the secret cabinet, plus the provincial system established in Nanyang, and the recent reform of the name-to-actual reform of various ministries and local officials, which one is not better than this?

But then again, it is, after all, a grand ceremony, a traditional political activity with a long history. Even if it is just a pretense, it has to be done in a presentable manner.

Besides, isn't this year a continuation of the past and a counterattack instead of defense? Moreover, the pacification of the south and the destruction of the pseudo-Qi are enough to support this grand court meeting.

The only problem was that after the New Year's Eve, they had to go to court, which was hard for some older officials. Therefore, on New Year's Eve, many experienced officials and nobles went to bed early. If they couldn't sleep, they would rest or meditate in their rooms. They usually got up in the evening to prepare for the next day's hard work.

"Does the official really want to have a meal at my house today to celebrate the New Year?"

In the late afternoon, there were already sporadic sounds of firecrackers, and in the backyard of the old house of the Lu family, the most prominent family in the dynasty, which had been passed down for four or five generations, beside a few plum trees, on a winding corridor, only Lu Haowen, the chief of the cabinet, was playing chess with ease.

Opposite him was the official of the current dynasty.

"Why not?" Zhao Jiu looked at the Go board in front of him, frowning slightly, with a rather puzzled look, as if he was at a disadvantage. "Does Lu Qing think I'm joking? I even brought you chicken and fish... The chicken is not in good shape, it was indeed purchased from the market, but the fish fry were quite large at the beginning, and now they are indeed usable. I specially asked someone to fish them out for you from the palace... Let's see if your family will still eat vegetarian food today?"

"Your Majesty, things like being a vegetarian..." Lu Haowen looked up and glanced at his eldest son, the newly appointed Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Lu Benzhong, who was standing behind the Your Majesty. The latter understood and immediately opened his mouth to explain.

"Being a vegetarian is a last resort for poor families, but it is a perverse practice for a family like yours. Eating vegetarian food is more troublesome than eating meat, and it wastes manpower. It's just a pretense." Zhao Jiu was merciless when he heard that it was Lv Benzhong who spoke up, and he scolded him directly. "Do you really think I can suppress Buddhism and respect the original by pointing to a chicken and a fish? I certainly respect the original school, but I won't use this kind of thing..."

Both Lu and his son were embarrassed.

After a while, Lu Haowen asked a chess piece to fall on the board, and then he smiled bitterly: "This old minister does not mean that, but today is the New Year after all. Doesn't the emperor need to show filial piety to the two queen mothers? And the two imperial concubines..."

"We've already arranged a family dinner during the day, and in the afternoon we've asked people to go to Yanfu Palace to perform a new play, Elder Sun's three fights against the White Bone Demon... It's taken from "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", and it can be considered 'entertaining parents with colorful clothes', a different way to show filial piety." Zhao Jiu looked at the chessboard, picking up pieces while raising his eyebrows. "As for the two concubines, it's a month like this, and if they have premature births, it will be troublesome. If they only go to one place, or go to one place first, they will inevitably get angry. It's better for them to have fun with their families... Besides, isn't it a proper business to visit the old ministers of the country during the New Year's Day?"

Lu Haowen just smiled bitterly, and Zhao Jiu just said it casually without paying much attention... They both knew that this was just a way to resolve the embarrassment just now, and it was just a so-called forced change of subject.

After a while, as Emperor Zhao and Chief Lu made a few moves back and forth, Lu Benzhong went to the backyard door to instruct his brothers who were waiting there about kitchen matters. When he came back, he stood side by side with Yang Yizhong. The topic between the monarch and his subject finally turned to some serious matters.

"I wonder what Wanyan Wushu meant by his drama with the living woman across the river? He was just an ambitious rebel with only 20,000 soldiers, but Wanyan Wushu was reluctant to take strong action?" Lu Hao asked in a serious tone. "Does he really want to give Yan'an to Xixia?"

"We are used to our own way of doing things, so naturally we cannot understand the Jurchens' ideas." Emperor Zhao responded calmly, but his answer seemed a bit irrelevant. "Where is the foundation of the Jurchens' country? It's still the 200,000 households in the east and west, and the clan tribes left behind by these 200,000 households! Compared with these 200,000 households, the territory and population are not unimportant, but for now, they are just appendages of the 200,000 households..."

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