Chapter 3344 Appointment
On September 21, the autumn tax revenue in various places was basically completed, and there was a basic feedback in the court. The emperor convened a grand court meeting to discuss major financial expenditures for the next year so that there would be a rough outline.
After resting in Beijing for five days and recuperating, Zhou Man and Bai Shan changed into their official uniforms early in the morning. They went out together and arrived at the side door. Daji had prepared the carriage and horses.
Bai Shan looked at Zhou Man and asked, "Would you like to take a car or a horse?"
Zhou Man said, "Let's ride a horse. It's boring to sit in a car so early in the morning."
Bai Shan handed Chiji to her, and then went to pick up Daoli. The two of them pulled the horse out, and Daji also followed behind with a horse.
The three of them mounted their horses and leisurely rode towards the imperial city.
There were not many people on the street, so Bai Shan and Zhou Man rode together, and Daji followed behind. When they entered the main street of the imperial city, there were more carriages and horses on the street, and they were all on one side.
A military officer passed the two of them from behind. As he passed them, he turned around and shouted to Zhou Man, "Master Zhou, are you back in Beijing?"
He glanced at Bai Shan and said, "Oh!" "Master Bai, it's time to go to court!"
Bai Shan always felt that their tone was not very kind, but why?
In terms of friendship, he had also been on the battlefield and had some minor military achievements.
Before he could figure it out, the general had already run past him, and neither the couple had time to say hello.
There was a sound of a horse-drawn carriage chasing behind them. Bai Shan and Zhou Man looked at each other, then kicked their horses to speed up, refusing to let anyone overtake them.
Yang Heshu, who was chasing after him, said: ...
When they arrived at the palace gate, Bai Shan and Zhou Man dismounted, handed the horses to the guards in charge of horses at the palace gate, took out the hu tablets at their waists, and entered the palace gate.
When Yang Heshu got off the car, only the backs of the couple were left.
Yang Heshu was no longer in a hurry. He walked slowly into the palace as usual. When he arrived at the gate of Taiji Hall, he saw that Bai Shan and Zhou Man were surrounded by people.
Especially Zhou Man, many ministers expressed their longing for her and asked her with concern whether her journey was smooth.
Yang Heshu stood aside with his hands in his sleeves, watching them. Zhou Man and Bai Shan noticed his gaze, smiled and greeted their colleagues around them, then walked towards Yang Heshu.
Yang Heshu is notoriously aloof in the court. Although he is handsome and looks gentle, not many people would get close to him.
So there was nothing around him.
Bai Shan and Zhou Man walked over and asked curiously in a low voice, "Xiaoxue Brother Yang, is there something wrong in the court?"
I haven't heard Mr. Zhuang mention it either.
Mr. Zhuang is old, and he is only a lecturer at the Chongwenguan. Unless necessary, he no longer attends grand court meetings.
This is also the emperor's preferential treatment for old ministers. Ministers over the age of sixty in the court who do not hold important positions or have no important matters to attend do not have to attend court meetings.
But Mr. Zhuang did not attend court, but he was still aware of court affairs. I haven't heard him mention them in the past few days.
Yang Heshu asked, "You submitted another memorial two days ago requesting the repair of the river and the opening of canal transportation?"
Bai Shan nodded bewilderedly. "Yes, Master said that the court has been discussing this matter, but it has been taking a long time to reach a decision. I thought I would also like to return to the court on my leave, so I thought I would bring it up again."
"After you submitted this memorial, Yi Ziyang colluded with Feng Zongping to submit a counter-memorial, suggesting that the Ministry of Works take charge of this matter, with the assistance of local garrisons and the recruitment of civilian workers to dredge the river. They believe that the river can be opened within three years."
Zhou Man: "So determined? I'm afraid it will take a lot of effort, right?"
Bai Shan recalled the scene of being harassed by military officers when he entered the palace that morning. He said, "...The Ministry of War and the generals from various regions want to take charge of this matter, but they can't defeat the Ministry of Works for the time being. Do you think I was the one who came up with this idea?"
"Not only the generals leading the troops from various places, but also many idle generals in the court are interested in this job. After all, the main job is to use soldiers."
Bai Shan frowned, "But do they know how to dredge the river and build embankments and dams?"
Yang Heshu smiled slightly and said, "No one in the Ministry of Industry will understand this."
He said, "I'm just reminding you to be careful during the morning court session."
Bai Shan decided to wait and see and say nothing for the time being.
To dredge the river, especially the river in the main water network of the country, no one knows how much money it will cost, where to start dredging, and whether docks may need to be built along the way. The wide range of areas involved and the huge interests involved make everyone in the court feel uneasy.
Of course, except for a few individuals, most people see the achievements involved behind the scenes.
Let’s not talk about the distant past, let’s just talk about the Ministry of Works. Minister Han was known for his stability, but he couldn’t help but become impetuous at this moment. If the canal transportation could be opened and the rivers across the country could be connected together, then he, the Minister of Works, would be able to be famous for all eternity.
So not only was there a dispute within the court, but there was also a dispute within the Ministry of Works over who would be in charge.
There were also local officials who were proficient in water conservancy and geography and wrote letters to the emperor requesting that they should be appointed as the emperor's governor. There were also people who were recruiting talents to send to the court. For example, someone from the folk was well-known for his virtue, had great insights into water conservancy projects, and had written several books. They requested that the emperor appoint him as the governor.
For the past fifty days, Bai Shan and Zhou Man basically lived a life separated from the court. Although there was news, that news was like a leaky hole, and they could only hear a little.
At this moment, they were standing in the court. The leaking hole was suddenly opened, and the whole cave was filled with wind. The two were almost stunned by the news that came in so suddenly. Neither of them expected that this matter would become so serious.
The emperor himself hadn't expected this. The court was already in chaos, with one person saying something after another. The emperor simply raised his hand to stop everyone and said, "Let's postpone the issue of river transport for now and talk about other things first."
Minister Liu finally found his chance to speak. Holding his hut, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the autumn harvest has concluded across the country, and many areas are now planting winter wheat. This year, with the exception of Guizhou and Liuzhou in the south, and Bingzhou and Daizhou in the north, where drought is quite severe, the harvest elsewhere is quite good."
The emperor asked, "Don't sea breezes land in the Taizhou area in June and July?"
"Yes, but Yuezhou and Hangzhou have enough food, and they have already provided aid nearby, so there is no need for further support from the capital. Moreover, the harvest in Jiangnan is generally good this year, and the price of rice has dropped to seven cents per dou, and the price of grain has dropped to five cents per dou."
The emperor asked, "Let's put the canal construction aside first, and then order all prefectures and counties to build granaries, purchase grain to fill them, and stabilize prices."
This decree had been issued more than a month ago when Bai Shan's memorial returned to the capital, but it was obviously not very effective. Except for a few places that tried hard to implement this regulation, most areas did not do a good job in stabilizing prices, so that now the food prices in some places are falling like the steps they took down from the Taiji Hall.
The emperor pondered for a moment and then said, "Yang Heshu."
Yang Heshu, who was standing beside Zhou Man, stood up and stepped out of the line, bowing and saying, "I am here."
(End of this chapter)
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