49. State monopoly on salt and iron

◎Mother, please take good care of your health.◎

"You want the Xiongnu to return to Xiongnu a month later?"

Qi Gu lowered her head, looked at the floor of Changxin Hall, and said with downcast eyes, "Yes."

"For Li Qiao, who lives in the same village as you?"

Qi Gu slightly raised her head and looked at her mother, who was still handling state affairs at this hour. She said, "Yes and no."

"Oh?" Empress Zhou Zhong stopped writing, seemingly interested, and looked at the top of her daughter's head.

Qi Gu sensed a hint of interest in her mother's tone and continued, "Li Qiao has now been granted the title of Princess. Giving her more time to prepare will help her adapt better when she arrives in the Xiongnu. This might not be a bad thing for the Great Jin."

"I didn't expect you to have such good taste. What else?"

"Furthermore, the Xiongnu's visit this time is not out of genuine desire to make peace with the Great Jin. Their request to marry a princess of the Great Jin is merely a test of the strength of the newly established Great Jin. In the few months they have been in the capital, they have learned that although the Great Jin has achieved initial stability, the famine cannot be kept secret from them. If we let them leave easily, wouldn't they think that the Great Jin is afraid of them? It would be better to show them the 'fist' of our Great Jin so that they will think twice before going back and consider whether they dare to oppose the Great Jin."

Actually, this second idea was just something Qi Gu came up with randomly. Whether it was feasible or not, she would only ask her mother for her opinion.

She just remembered what her father had once said: sometimes, to show strength, you don’t have to use real weapons or words. Her father said, “The best way to intimidate the enemy is to put your strength in front of them. This is called subduing the enemy without fighting. Of course, you can also call it: ‘Please ask the great Confucian scholar to debate the classics for me.’”

Just like that year in our village, at first, many people didn't believe that the wheat seeds my father cultivated could increase the yield by 20% compared to ordinary millet and wheat, and even ridiculed my father for his wishful thinking.

The father didn't explain. He simply spread out the millet and wheat they had planted, piled up like small mountains, all golden and gleaming, on the ground when the harvest came the following year. Word spread quickly among the villagers, and people from far and wide flocked to see them.

Those people were so envious that they couldn't help but step forward and ask how his father had done it. His father didn't answer them one by one, but instead told them that if they wanted to know, they should come here in three days and he would naturally tell them the method. If they didn't want to come, so be it. He spoke in a profound and mysterious way, which immediately made them believe him.

Her father spoke of it in a very cryptic way at the time, and she didn't understand then. But now, thinking back on it, she thinks that this method might not be bad for fooling the Xiongnu.

If it succeeds, the Xiongnu will not dare to act rashly for a short period of time; if it fails, it doesn't matter, they will still do what they want anyway.

She didn't expect her father's method to actually work, but at least she could buy Li Qiao some more time to stay in Chang'an.

Empress Zhang listened to Qi Gu's suggestion without saying yes or no. Instead, she asked, "When you went to Shanglin Garden today, it was Sima Xiuyuan who escorted you back."

Empress Zhang and Sima Taigong had some prior acquaintance. Initially, it was she who requested Sima Taigong to come out of retirement. In order to show their closeness, the Emperor and she treated him as a junior like a nephew, always addressing him by his courtesy name rather than his official title.

"Master is still residing in Lord Sima's villa, so it was quite a coincidence that we met in Shanglin Garden today," Qi Gu answered truthfully. In fact, she knew that all of her whereabouts had already been laid out on the Empress Dowager's desk before she even arrived.

"It's not a bad thing for you to spend more time with him, but..." Before Empress Zhang could finish speaking, Qi Gu already knew what she wanted to say.

"Mother, rest assured, I have absolutely no improper thoughts. Besides, Sima Langjun and I are now called brother and sister. I know my own limitations and have absolutely no such intentions. I would never ruin the relationship between our family and the Sima family."

"You..." Looking at her overly insightful daughter, Empress Zhang suddenly didn't know what to say. She was too smart and too clear-headed.

She was indeed afraid that she wouldn't be able to resist Sima Xiuyuan and would fall in love with him. After all, there weren't many people in the entire capital who could resist Sima Xiuyuan.

She and Sima Taigong had agreed that Sima Xiuyuan's wife would be decided by their Sima family. She worried that if her daughter really went headfirst into it, how would she persuade that stubborn and domineering Sima Taigong?

Moreover, in her opinion, Sima Xiuyuan was suitable to be a subject, but not a husband or son-in-law. That's why she wanted to remind her daughter. But she didn't expect that Qi Gu would seem to be avoiding her, as if she was afraid that she might have something going on with Sima Hong. It was really strange.

That's good, it saves her from worrying anymore. She then asked, "Did Guo Ji give you a gift today?"

"After returning to my mother's house, I sent her some gifts for social occasions."

"Didn't she say anything else?" Empress Zhang probed further.

Qi Gu shook her head. In her previous life, she couldn't understand her mother's probing, but in this life, she could understand her mother's unspoken meaning immediately. She would never be like she was in her previous life, fooled by Madam Guo and the Second Princess, and actually plead for Consort Guo in front of her mother.

"No." Empress Zhang nodded in satisfaction. Guo Yuan wanted to take advantage of her daughter. Humph, then let her stay in the Pixiang Palace to recuperate before coming out.

Both mother and daughter acted as if it were business. After finishing their business, Aunt Qi was about to take her leave.

Just as she was about to leave, Aunt Lu spoke up: "It's already this late, why doesn't the eldest princess stay and have dinner with the empress?"

Empress Zhang looked at the scrolls on the table, then looked up at the kind-faced Lu Ao. Lu Ao didn't look at her, seemingly unafraid of being punished by the Empress for acting on her own initiative.

Over the past few days, she had noticed the estrangement between the mother and daughter. As someone who had been through it all, she believed that the past should be left in the past. In her opinion, the Empress was being too serious.

I thought that once the eldest princess returned, she would be somewhat closer to the empress. But I never expected that the eldest princess would be just like the empress in every way, even her personality is so cautious and prudent.

She thought that things couldn't continue like this. Madam Guo's methods were simple and straightforward, but if the Empress and the eldest princess couldn't open up to each other, it was hard to guarantee that others wouldn't try to sow discord between them.

Today, the eldest princess took the initiative to request an audience, giving her hope for breaking the ice between them.

Unexpectedly, the eldest princess pleaded with the Empress for Li Qiao's sake, clarifying that she and Sima Langjun had absolutely no ulterior motives, and flawlessly thwarted Madam Guo's scheme. She saw through everything, but deliberately kept her distance from Empress Zhang, her biological mother.

If it were the eldest prince, he would also offer to stay and dine with the empress when it was time for dinner. He might even advise her to take care of her health and eat and rest on time.

Seeing how polite the mother and daughter were, acting more like ruler and subject than mother and daughter, she had no choice but to act as the mediator.

Qi Gu thought that her mother's time was precious and she had too many things to deal with. Having a meal with her would probably delay her, so she decided to forget about it.

"Your Majesty, I dare not delay your work, but I still ask you to take care of your health. No matter how busy you are with state affairs, you must eat and rest on time. I cannot live without Father Emperor or Mother Emperor. I will take my leave now. Please take care of your health, Your Majesty."

After saying that, Aunt Qi stepped back and left...

Empress Zhang's deep disappointment was undisguised, but Qi Gu, with her head bowed, couldn't see it.

"She's still blaming me."

Aunt Lu comforted her, "No, how could that be? Look at all the things the eldest princess has done since entering the palace. Every single one of them is exactly what you wanted. She has done them so beautifully. Isn't this exactly what you expected?"

Empress Zhang sighed softly, "Yes, that's what I hoped for."

The following day, in the Chengming Hall, Sima Hong, Marquis Dingyuan Wei Xin, and Left Minister Gao Yi were discussing matters.

"My dear ministers, the reason I've kept you here today is to ask you to think about this. The national treasury is empty, the people can't grow enough grain, so naturally we can't collect taxes. And those merchants are wandering around aimlessly, so taxes are hard to collect from them either. If we can't collect taxes, the army won't have enough to pay, and the Xiongnu are eyeing us covetously on the border. You must help me figure out a way to solve the problems of money and grain, otherwise I won't be able to eat, and I might as well come to your homes for a meal!"

Emperor Yuan of Jin spoke of state affairs with a joking smile, but even Wei Xin, a meritorious official who had fought alongside the emperor from Yu County to the present day, knew that the emperor's seemingly joking words were anything but lighthearted.

If taxes cannot be collected, then those well-fed and well-clothed ministers will be the ones to be punished. As for who will be the first to do so, that will be determined by merit.

Of course, the emperor would not easily take action against meritorious officials, but if the current urgent problem cannot be solved, then the future is uncertain.

Wei Xin made great contributions in the conflict between Jin and Yan, not only protecting the emperor but also offering suggestions. However, governing a country is not like fighting a war for him. After all, no matter how capable he is, he is just from a small place and has no experience in governing a country.

Therefore, he looked at Sima Hong and Gao Yi. One of them was an outstanding rising star of a century-old clan. Since the Zhou Dynasty, the Sima family had been a powerful clan, serving as the right-hand men of the Zhou emperor for more than a century. They had also assisted the previous dynasty's founding emperor.

Although Sima Hong was young, he was a rare talent nurtured and cultivated by the Sima family with all their efforts. His abilities were worthy of the emperor and empress's high regard.

From the day he entered the court, he was like a rising star, illuminating the sky of the capital, and... the eyes of the women of the capital, as fierce as wolves and tigers. Wei Xin chuckled to himself, hehe.

As for the Gao family, although they were not as famous as the Sima family, they were still well-known ministers in the previous dynasty. Gao Situ's grandfather once served as the Grand Minister of State. Unfortunately, during the reign of Emperor Mi of the previous dynasty, the Gao family offended Emperor Mi's favorite minister and were demoted to commoners. Later, the Gao family sought refuge with the Prince of Yan.

This was the only stain on the Gao family's reputation. However, Chu Pei was always broad-minded and knew how to use people effectively. During the war between Jin and Yan, the Gao family was ostracized by Yan generals and confidants such as Cong Yi and Yao Zhan, who were close to the King of Yan. As a result, Qu Yan used a divisive tactic to persuade them to join the Jin camp.

Both the Sima and Gao families are quite capable, and in his opinion, the position of Grand Minister of Works will either belong to the Gao or the Situ family in the future.

However, it is said that Gao Yi intends to form a marriage alliance with the Sima family. The eldest daughter of the Gao family has already married the eldest prince, and this second daughter is of marriageable age. If she were to marry Sima Hong, it would be a perfect match, with both a good-looking man and a good-looking woman.

Wei Xin thought to himself, "That old bastard Gao Yi is really cunning. He married his daughter to his rival. Will Sima Hong still have the nerve to compete with his father-in-law for the position of Grand Minister of Works? Even if we take a step back, whether Gao Yi or the Sima family gets the position, they'll all be one family in the future."

Tsk tsk tsk, these civil officials, they all look so noble and upright, but their hearts are dirtier than anyone else's.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan that can solve the urgent problem of tax collection."

Chu Pei's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, "Xiuyuan, there's no need for formalities. Tell me quickly."

"The salt and iron monopolies are state-run." These four simple words struck Emperor Jin Yuan and the other two with the weight of a thousand pounds, like the resounding tolling of a bell in an ancient temple, followed by a profound silence after the deafening sound ended.