Chapter 844: Meeting Yang Guang
Luo Su flipped through the information albums he had brought from various places. The more he looked, the tighter his brows furrowed, and the quieter he became. At first, he read out numbers and asked Luo Xuanjing to calculate them, but then he started flipping through the books quickly.
Some of the things in his hand were the information that the Luo family took away when they moved away. Among them were a large number of land registration books about the Central Plains, as well as many land registration books that were "voluntarily" presented by others.
The latest data is naturally the data from the land measurement in the Sui Dynasty. There is no data for all the prefectures and counties in the world, but the data for Guanzhong is relatively complete. The officials in Guanzhong are more sensible and "actively" provided it without much effort.
The reason for choosing Guanzhong for investigation is that, firstly, it is easy to get the investigation in Guanzhong along the way; secondly, Guanzhong has been the location of the imperial capital since the Qin Dynasty, so there are fewer hidden lands, unlike Guandong and Jiangnan, where a large number of gentry have hidden lands.
As soon as Luo Xuanjing saw Luo Su's expression, he knew something was wrong. He blinked his eyes and asked curiously, "Grandfather, the data of the Sui Dynasty is wrong? Is it because the hidden land and population are very serious?"
Luo Su shook his head solemnly and said solemnly: "The situation is more serious than this. The Sui Dynasty has too much land."
ah?
Luo Xuanjing's face was full of question marks. Isn't it a good thing to have more land? Luo Su said solemnly: "It should be said that there is too much land on the books.
If we say that during the Later Han Dynasty, there were two million hectares of land in Guanzhong, then the population of various countries that ruled Guanzhong later fluctuated roughly between 1.8 million and 2.5 million.
As a result, the Sui Dynasty now has 6 million hectares of land in Guanzhong. Do you think this is a big problem?"
There was no trace of smile on Luo Xuanjing's fair little face anymore, she was left with gaping eyes. She was shocked by what Luo Su said.
He couldn't help but blurt out: "Is the Emperor of Sui Dynasty crazy?"
Yang Jian is crazy!
This is the common idea of Luo Xuanjing and Luo Su.
The aristocratic families and those wealthy households concealed their land, hiding at most one-fifth of the land. Even if Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty had a great power to survey the land, even if all the aristocratic families in the world were bankrupt, he could not survey so much land.
Eight hundred miles of Qinchuan, eight hundred miles of Qinchuan.
The Guanzhong Plain is not large in area, with three million hectares of farmland, and every inch of land must be utilized.
How could there be six million hectares of land? If it were said that there was so much land in the Kanto and North China Plains, it would still be believable.
These lands are not simply recorded in the books, they are all subject to tax. The land area has increased several times, and if taxes are collected again, isn't this naturally increasing the taxes several times?
Luo Xuanjing came back to his senses and asked in confusion: "Ancestor, the court collects such heavy taxes, plus the local officials are bound to exploit, and those big families are reaping the spoils, it stands to reason that the Sui Dynasty should have been full of wars, but now it seems that it is relatively stable, this is obviously not right."
Luo Su nodded and said, "You are right. We have to mention the two imperial rulers, Emperor Yang Jian and Empress Dugu Jialuo. They advocated frugality, so they never drew on the people's manpower.
Moreover, Yang Jian lowered the tax rate a lot, which resulted in the overall tax rate of the Sui Dynasty being high but not actually increasing several times.
The most important thing is that it is still the early days of the dynasty, and the politics are relatively clear. Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo are not the kind of incompetent monarchs, so the situation in the Sui Dynasty is relatively stable. "
Luo Xuanjing breathed a sigh of relief and said briskly, "That's not bad. I thought the people were so tolerant now. They didn't rebel even when the taxes were several times higher. Then our Luo family has really been promoting for nothing for more than a thousand years."
Luo Su did not relax at all, still frowning and saying: "The Sui Dynasty is stable on the surface, but there is an extremely serious crisis in the interior, which is no less than the mid-term crisis of Qin Shihuang's reign.
This number of measured fields, which was several times higher than the actual number, was a source of crisis that could cause the Sui Dynasty to collapse at any time. The Sui Dynasty was now like a person dancing on eggs. What if the next emperor really believed this data?
He was ambitious and wanted to collect taxes according to this data. Then the entire Sui Dynasty would fall apart in just a few years, and might end up in the same situation as at the end of the Qin Dynasty.
The second emperor of the Sui Dynasty is too crucial. He must not be someone like Hu Hai. Even if he is Fu Su, at least he will listen to advice."
This was the first time that Luo Su felt that things were beyond his expectations. When he came out of seclusion, he was still thinking about finding a suitable angle of entry to have a deeper connection with the Sui Dynasty. However, after only a brief study, he discovered that the Sui Dynasty seemed to be about to be destroyed just after its founding.
Luo Su felt that he had really learned a lot from this founding monarch who dug a hole for the dynasty, a hole that would explode in just twenty or thirty years and could shake the rule of the entire empire.
There were big problems with the Sui Dynasty!
There is something seriously wrong with the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty!
Luo Xuanjing's white, slender fingers like green onion roots unconsciously moved the beads of the abacus. After listening to Luo Su's analysis, he frowned and asked, "Ancestor, is it difficult to solve these problems?"
Luo Su closed the account book in his hand and pondered slowly, "We need a very outstanding king. He must not only have outstanding abilities, but also have the quality of perseverance. A person who only wants to retreat when encountering setbacks cannot become an excellent king."
Luo Xuanjing's eyes rolled around, and he asked curiously, "Grandfather, if it was a monarch like King Yi of Zhou or Emperor Renzong Xiaohui of Han, it would probably be possible, right?"
Luo Su was stunned. The two monarchs cited by Luo Xuanjing were both extremely famous monarchs in history who ruled by inaction and basically never really held power in their lives. King Yi of Zhou had Duke Xuan of Luo as regent, and Emperor Renzong of Han, Xiaohui, had Empress Gaozu of Han and King Wen of Luo before him, and King Wen of Luo assisted him later. They only needed to stamp their seals.
Luo Su understood what Luo Xuanjing was saying, that if Luo was allowed to be regent, these problems could also be solved, he shook his head and said, "It's very difficult, very difficult.
The family has served as regent four times. Prince Su and I will not mention it because our regent periods were not long, just a few years.
The remaining Acheng and Axin met monarchs like King Yi of Zhou and Emperor Xiaohui of Han who had little desire for power, and their relationship was like that of father and son.
As for King Yi of Zhou and Emperor Xiaohui of Han, don't think that they were mediocre. They were both rare monarchs.
His biggest advantage is that he is not suspicious. Although he is easily influenced, he will not change his trust when it comes to Ah Cheng and Ah Xin.
What a monarch fears most is someone who is easily influenced, incompetent and suspicious. No matter how many loyal ministers there are, they will all die.
No matter how powerful my Luo family is, we have no choice but to leave the center when faced with such a suspicious monarch.
There are so many suspicious people, or rather, how many people in this world are not suspicious?
Rather than hoping for a less suspicious monarch to appear in the future, it is better to hope for outstanding monarchs to appear, see the value of our Luo family, and then cooperate with us to sail the dynasty together."
"Boom boom boom."
Luo Xuanye came back so quickly, with a cold look on his face, "Grandfather.
The prince entered the palace, and they already knew that we killed his palace maids.
I caught a close minister of the prince and learned that the incident was blamed on Gusu Luo's head. The prince wanted to use this incident to frame Jin Wang Yang Guang. "
Gusu Luo family?
Luo Su raised his eyebrows and rubbed his head. The Gusu Luo family was really in trouble. They didn't know what happened, but they met with disaster.
Luo Xuanye said in a cold voice: "Ancestor, the prince of the Sui Dynasty was wrong first, but he still wants to use this incident to vent his anger. You can imagine what kind of rubbish he is. Do you need me to kill him?
When he returns to the East Palace from the Imperial Palace, the guards will not be too tight. Give me a strong crossbow, and I will be able to kill him with one strike."
Luo Su waved his hand and said, "Killing the crown prince is a big deal. It will change the direction of the dynasty and benefit Prince Yang Guang. This is not what we should do.
We will stay here for a few more days and reveal our whereabouts, then we will leave Chang'an.
Follow the Han River and the Yangtze River all the way to Jiangnan to visit Gusu Luo Clan, and then head west. "
When Luo Xuanjing heard about Xixing, he couldn't help but ask, "Ancestor, the problems of the Sui Dynasty are so big, why don't we stay in the Central Plains to solve them?"
Luo Su said indifferently: "If the Sui Dynasty can't even solve this problem, then it has no right to cooperate with our Luo family.
I traveled west because the ancestor Su Wang said that there is civilization in the far west. I want to go and have a look. I think learning from others’ experience can help me improve myself and perhaps it can give me some inspiration.
This is called sharpening the knife before chopping wood.
But I don’t plan to go too far, I will try to return to the Central Plains within ten years.”
Luo Xuanye didn't understand and didn't know what serious problems the Sui Dynasty had, but he still bowed together with Luo Xuanjing.
…
However, Yang Yong rushed into the palace. After he really arrived at the palace, he became a little scared. After all, he was scolded by his parents every time, and he was almost psychologically traumatized.
Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo were sitting at the top, listening to Yang Yong crying as he told the story, they could no longer suppress their anger.
Dugu Jialuo said directly and sternly: "You have really brought shame to the royal family. You failed to rob the daughter of a noble family, and you even had your maid killed by them. Now you come to the palace to cry. You are so useless. How could I have given birth to a waste like you?"
Yang Yong knelt down and cried, "Mother, how dare your son rob a noble lady?
That was all my own decision!
The reason why my son entered the palace was because, despite being the crown prince, his reputation was abused at will by a poor family. I really don’t know who gave them the courage. Is the majesty of my royal family so not worth fearing?
These Jiangnan families were originally subjects of a lower country. They could only beg for surrender in front of the heavenly army of the Great Sui Dynasty. The imperial court has given these families great respect, but now it seems that these old families have become arrogant, perhaps because they think they have someone backing them up and therefore have nothing to fear.
My son is now the crown prince, and a small noble family dares to rule over him. How can this not make people feel chilled? "
Yang Yong had no grudges against the Luo family. What he meant was that there must be someone behind the Luo family, a Jiangnan gentry. That person must be my good brother, your good son, Prince of Jin Yang Guang.
Now that the Luo family is riding on the head of me, the crown prince, what will King Jin do?
Do you really only want Prince of Jin Yang Guang and not me, and don't care about my life or death?
Yang Yong knew that he had no status in his parents' hearts, but he was the crown prince after all. If nothing unexpected happened, Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo would still be unwilling to depose him.
"Your Highness Prince Jin is here to see you!"
At this critical moment, Yang Guang actually came!
After Yang Jian let Yang Guang into the hall, he formed a sharp contrast with Yang Yong. The prince's attire on Yang Guang looked a little shabby, and there were no gorgeous decorations on his body. Compared with Yang Guang, Yang Yong was extremely bright and handsome. This strong contrast made Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo frown slightly.
Yang Guang is very handsome. Perhaps it can be said that he and his brothers inherited the looks of the Dugu family, which is a family that makes a living by its looks.
A hint of satisfaction flashed in the depths of his eyes. He looked at Yang Yong with a little contempt, and saluted Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo seriously and properly, and said in a loud voice: "Father, mother, a monk from Jiangnan came to Chang'an to preach recently. The princess asked for a Buddhist treasure. Your son remembers that tomorrow is the birthday of my late grandmother, so I specially offer it to you. May you have great fortune and live long and peacefully."
When Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo heard that it was a Buddhist treasure, they both smiled and said, "Erlang, you are thoughtful."
Yang Guang turned to look at Yang Yong and asked curiously, "Is your Royal Brother also offering a gift for our Father, the Emperor and the Empress? Your Royal Brother's family is very wealthy, not as poor as mine. It must be a great gift, not as shabby as mine. Can you let me see it?"
hiss.
Yang Yong's face turned green. He gasped and looked at Yang Guang's handsome face. He wanted to punch Yang Guang hard twice, but he didn't dare. He was worried that if he beat Yang Guang now, the decree to depose the crown prince would come down tomorrow.
Yang Guang was a professional at stirring up trouble. Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo had already accumulated many grievances, which exploded directly under Yang Guang's instigation.
Yang Jian angrily said, "This wicked man's subordinates forcibly robbed the women of Gusu Luo's family, but Luo killed the palace maids instead. He even had the nerve to come to me and cry. He really brought shame to our Great Sui. The position of crown prince actually fell on such a person. I am really blind."
Dugu Jialuo also said angrily: "As a prince, he can't set an example and even did such a shameful mistake. What's the use of him?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Guang's face changed drastically and he looked at Yang Yong and said, "Brother, did you really forcefully seize Luo's daughter?
this……
My Great Sui Dynasty was established by winning over heroes from all directions. I was in Jiangdu for ten years before I made the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River return to my Great Sui Dynasty and have the peace we have today. The Luo family attaches the most importance to this kind of face. Are you being so reckless and want to destroy my Great Sui Dynasty?
How many women are there in the world?
My royal brother, although you are lustful, you cannot ignore the concerns of the country. If there is a shortage of women in your palace, I still have some connections in Jiangnan and can select a woman for you from Jiangnan to enter the Eastern Palace.
I just hope that in the future, there will never be such a thing as forcibly robbing noble ladies from the aristocracy again!"
Yang Yong's face flushed red after hearing Yang Guang's soft words. His rationality was broken. He could no longer hold back and shouted angrily, "Prince Jin, what nonsense are you talking about?
I didn't rob Luo's women!
Are you the one backing the Luo family behind the scenes, so they dare to kill my palace maids?
Do you want to seize my position as crown prince, so you framed me like this?"
Hiss~
Yang Guang gasped and looked at Yang Yong in disbelief. He had only one thought in his mind, that Yang Yong was crazy. The second thought was that he was so stupid, countless times more stupid than expected!
After Yang Yong finished speaking, he regained his senses and immediately realized that he had gotten into big trouble. He fell to his knees in the hall, sweating profusely and filled with despair.
Yang Guang also knelt down beside him, his face full of panic and grievance.
The hall was very quiet and silent. Even if a needle fell, one could clearly hear the sound. Even if someone breathed loudly, one could feel the frequency of the breathing.
The air seemed to stop flowing, and the dust floating in the air seemed to be still.
The eunuchs and palace maids knelt down, trembling with fear, almost every muscle in their bodies trembling in extreme fear.
Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo sat at the top, motionless, like two sculptures, with expressionless faces, calm and majestic, and an awe-inspiring aura bursting out of them.
"Crazy and rebellious!"
A sharp voice like a flying knife shot out from Dugu Jialuo's mouth. Her voice was so high that it seemed to lift the roof of the palace up, "Rebellion!"
Just four words.
The temperature in the palace seemed to drop to freezing point. This was the first time that the Queen criticized and even blamed the Prince so harshly. Yes, everyone knew that she was blaming Yang Yong. Yang Yong's face turned pale and he was trembling with fear. He dared not say a word and could not utter a word.
After saying these four words, Dugu Jialuo seemed to be at a loss for words. Yang Jian shouted angrily, "Rebellious son, get out, go back to your East Palace, I never want to see you again!"
These words made Yang Yong feel as if he had been pardoned. He quickly ran out of the hall, looking extremely embarrassed, like a dog that had fled in panic. Yang Jian and Dugu Jialuo looked at Yang Yong as he left, their chests heaving, and it was obvious that they were very angry.
Yang Guang felt a little sorry. He understood that his father and mother still had some expectations for Yang Yong. Now was not the right time to abolish Yang Yong. With tears in his eyes, he said, "Father and mother, my brother must have misunderstood me just now. He was anxious and said something he didn't want to say. There is no hatred between brothers. I won't care about this matter. Father and mother, don't take it too seriously. When we have time, I can explain it to my brother."
Dugu Jialuo walked down from the top, stroked Yang Guang's head and said with emotion: "You are a good child, how great it would be if you were my eldest son?
You will definitely be much better as the crown prince than your elder brother."
Yang Guang suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and continued to act like a filial son. In the palace, mothers were loving and sons were filial, and the rising sun of the Sui Dynasty seemed to be a little brighter.
…
There is no impenetrable wall in the world. What happened in the palace cannot be hidden from those who are willing to investigate, especially when Yang Yong left the palace in a daze, which makes people even more curious about these things.
Luo Su, who had been paying attention to this matter, immediately understood that something had happened in the palace. The crown prince had suffered another great defeat, and the Prince of Jin was one step closer to the position of crown prince. "The crown prince can basically be given up. He is indeed a very useless person. Go contact the Prince of Jin."
Luo Xuanye said at the right time: "Ancestor, the King of Jin Yang Guang loves Buddhism and poetry. He hosted a poetry meeting in the suburbs of Chang'an to entertain those literati. We can go and observe him.
If you want, you can even 'run into' him and see what kind of person he is.
Seventh sister can go and "accidentally" meet the Princess of Jin.
It is said that the Princess of Jin is gentle, intelligent, well-educated, proficient in medicine, good at divination, and also proficient in music and poetry. Because she was born in Jiangnan, she admires Buddhism, which happens to be what the seventh sister is good at. "
Luo Xuanye is a rather stubborn person, but since Luo Su entrusted him with such an important task as monitoring Yang Guang, he is certainly not a brainless warrior. This arrangement is enough to prove that, despite his roughness, he still has some meticulousness.
…
Men and women in Chang'an usually go for an outing in spring, when everything is renewed and the world is full of vitality.
Chang'an in autumn is also very beautiful. The mountains are still solemn, the birds are still flying, the cool breeze is blowing, and the leaves are falling. It is quite poetic. Compared with the scorching summer and the cold winter, autumn is really a good season for travel.
Yang Guang and Princess Jin traveled separately. Princess Jin had to contact those women and noble ladies, and her work was even busier than Yang Guang.
She was indeed Yang Guang's virtuous wife, and she was half responsible for Yang Guang's smooth succession to the throne.
It was easy for Luo Xuanjing to sneak into the table of Princess Jin. She looked like an aristocratic woman, with fair and soft skin, polite manners, and the protection of servants (spiritual soldiers). She wandered around the courtyard alone to see if she could find a chance to get acquainted with Princess Jin.
If everything goes smoothly, then there's nothing to say. If not, Luo Su said that she could just show the holy marks directly. Now it's rumored that a direct descendant of the Luo family has appeared in the world, so it wouldn't be bad to show it to the world.
And if the emperor was smart, he would know that they were the ones who killed the crown prince.
Originally, Luo Su was reluctant to give this help to Yang Guang, but now that Yang Guang has basically won a great victory, it doesn't matter.
Luo Xuanjing was in the courtyard, which was full of chrysanthemums. In this season, other flowers had gradually withered, leaving only this kind of flower that blooms in autumn.
So even though it is autumn, the courtyard is still very beautiful.
Luo Xuanjing sniffed the flowers lightly. Even though she was wearing a bamboo hat, her graceful figure showed that she was absolutely a stunning woman. When she appeared in the yard, many people had already noticed her.
She lifted the lower end of the veil of her hat and sniffed the refreshing fragrance of the chrysanthemums. Her white jaw and rosy lips were revealed, and it was unclear whether it was the beauty of the flower or her own.
"The whole garden is filled with golden chrysanthemums, but there is one solitary chrysanthemum that looks like frost."
Luo Xuanjing recited this poem, and a gentle voice came from behind him, "What a beautiful poem, reciting poems about chrysanthemums. I haven't seen such beautiful sentences for a long time. But did the young lady write it herself?"
After Luo Xuanjing turned around, the person who appeared in front of her was Princess Xiao of Jin. She was a gentle woman, a typical Jiangnan girl, with red makeup on her brows. This was a makeup style that became popular in Jiangnan, starting with the Sangha. Because of the prevalence of Buddhism, it became increasingly popular among ladies.
Luo Xuanjing bowed slightly, her understanding was classical and beautiful, which made Xiao's eyes light up again, "Greetings to Princess Jin, I wish you a long life, peace and happiness."
Xiao asked happily, "Whose child are you from?"
…
Yang Guang's travels were not grand. Apart from having sufficient guards, he always maintained a frugal image to the outside world. He had endured for many years, and for the sake of the throne, he could endure even longer until he got that position.
He was thinking about what to do next in the carriage when he suddenly heard a song full of vast meaning and extraordinary lyrics. He listened attentively and found that it was about autumn. This new tune made him quite curious. He lifted the curtain and asked, "Where does the song come from?"
The guard heard this and looked over and said, "Your Highness, it's a fisherman."
Fishing?
Yang Guang's eyes lit up when he heard this. He himself was quite fond of fishing, and fishing had other meanings in history. Taigong Wang, an important official who founded the Zhou Dynasty, was a fisherman.
Yang Guang thought this was a good sign, so he immediately said, "Go ahead."
The guards then drove the carriage over. After Yang Guang got off the carriage, he saw a gurgling stream in front of him. The water was so clear that one could even see the stones at the bottom of the river. There were willow trees by the river, but the leaves on the trees were now bare, giving off a desolate vibe.
There was a man sitting by the river, wearing a bamboo hat and plain clothes. Just by looking at the back of the fisherman, Yang Guang felt that he was quite extraordinary and noble.
He knew immediately that this was no ordinary person.
The guard was about to speak, but Yang Guang stopped him, walked to Luo Su, faced the river and asked with a smile: "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. In such clear water, are there any fish?
And it’s a straight hook.”
Luo Su said calmly: "Those who are willing will take the bait."
Yang Guang looked down at Luo Su. He finally saw Luo Su's appearance. He was very young, but no, not young.
Yang Guang frowned and wanted to rub his eyes. He thought he must be seeing things, otherwise why couldn't he even tell the age of the person in front of him?
He seemed to be a young man, but he gave people the feeling of not being a young man, but rather an old antique who had experienced endless years. This strange feeling made Yang Guang involuntarily feel a sense of fear.
No one can remain calm in the face of time.
And Losu.
It is the embodiment of time in the human world!
Yang Guang didn't know what to ask, so he asked, "Was that the fisherman's song you sang earlier?"
"Exactly."
Yang Guang finally felt the rhythm was normal and made himself laugh again. "In autumn, everything in the world declines and will return to silence. Therefore, since ancient times, autumn poems are always sad. This is the first time I have heard such a cheerful poem. It is really refreshing. The teacher is extraordinary. Maybe he can teach me this poem."
Luo Su said calmly: “It’s just a poem.
Please remember this.
Since ancient times, autumn has been a sad and lonely time. I say that autumn is better than spring. A crane flies above the clouds in the clear sky, and it brings poetry to the blue sky. "
Yang Guang couldn't help clapping his hands and cheering, "What a great poem! My surname is Yang, my given name is Guang, and I am blessed by heaven to be the current King of Jin. May I know your name, sir?"
————
When Emperor Gaozu had the whole country, he was about to take the Sui territory and books. Duke Wen stopped him and said solemnly, "It would be better to take the documents of the chaotic times. The Sui Dynasty was very arrogant. If we take the Sui documents, we will be doomed to ruin. These are things that bring chaos."
The Sui Dynasty was at its peak because of the blood and sweat of the people. The Tang Dynasty abandoned it, so it rose again.
(End of this chapter)
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