Chapter 147 My Useless and Lazy Queen
In the past, when Empress Xia Fengxiang was working, she liked to review memorials on the dragon couch in the imperial study. If she met one or two officials alone, she would meet them in the imperial study.
But if an official was summoned, the meeting would take place in a small hall on the side of the Tianhe Hall.
Today, Grand Tutor Su Wenqing, Grand Tutor Yang Shanchang, Minister of the Central Secretariat Su Zimu, Minister of Revenue Li Jiulang, Minister of Rites Cao Shen, Minister of Honglu Temple Li Chunfang, Vice Minister of Revenue Zhang Gu and other officials were summoned to meet in this hall called Wuyi Palace.
With so many adults present, everything seemed normal, except for Xun Kuang who was at the very end.
Xun Kuang stood at the back, feeling somewhat nervous. He didn't know why His Majesty wanted to call him over among so many people.
Let's talk about the imperial examination. There was no inspector, examiner or chief examiner.
At first glance, it was either the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Rites. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find any of them as the Director of the Imperial College.
So Lord Siye was worried and was wondering what was going on.
Xia Fengxiang was wearing a black robe with a golden dragon on it. He sat on the dragon throne in the front, leaning back, supporting his face with one hand in a half-fist, looking at the ministers below who could be regarded as the superiors of the people.
His expression was calm and he looked intimidating without being angry, which was completely different from his appearance in front of Su Changan.
Li Jiulang was standing in the middle, talking about the trade goods with Japan over the years, some trade activities this year, and the current situation in Japan.
However, although Xia Fengxiang was listening, he had actually read it long ago. After all, there were files in the imperial study.
After returning from Su Changan, she looked through all the files from Japan. After reading them, she discovered that her father had actually guessed about it a long time ago. Even when she looked carefully, she found that what his father was going to do was exactly the same as what Su Changan said.
But her father's real purpose was to station troops in Japan to deter the northern barbarians. As for the gold, it was just a guess.
But just this alone made Xia Fengxiang a little surprised.
I felt that the bastard who had revealed that he was a man, not only was thinking about taking advantage of me all day long, but he also had such plans and plots.
Love and hate!
Especially when I think about that dirty bastard always thinking about touching my butt, it makes me so angry!
Especially today, before leaving, he even said something like "why don't you stay?" How could she not know what he was planning?!
No one knows what the empress is thinking while keeping silent.
In the small hall, only Grand Tutor Su Wenqing and Grand Tutor Yang Shanchang were allowed to sit, while the rest could only stand.
Everyone present didn't quite understand why His Majesty suddenly summoned them here.
Originally, everyone thought they were just going to talk about the wedding. After all, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites was here, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was here, the Minister of the Chancellery was here, and there was also Xun Kuang from the Imperial College. Together, they were indeed talking about the wedding.
But unexpectedly, the first thing His Majesty asked Li Jiulang to talk about the trade with Japan in recent years, which surprised everyone.
After saying this, Li Jiulang bowed and returned to where he was standing.
Xia Fengxiang said softly, "I was chatting with my queen today and talked about Japan. My queen said that Japan has a lot of gold and silver, so the exchange rate of gold and silver is one tael of gold for five taels of silver. I found it interesting, so I asked everyone to come here today to talk about this country called Treasure Island."
When everyone heard this, they were all shocked.
'My Queen' said it clearly.
Everyone knew that they were talking about Su Changan.
As for the fact that she was called queen before they were officially married yet.
Does anyone dare to speak out?
The emperor claimed it, so you jumped out and committed suicide? The empress has been acting more and more like the late emperor these days. If you don't want to live, just jump out.
But what really surprised everyone was the golden ratio.
The ratio of gold to silver in the Great Xia Dynasty was one to eleven, and one tael of gold was equal to eleven taels of silver.
And it's not just their Daxia, but also the barbarians in the north and many countries in the Western Regions have such a ratio.
But in Japan, the exchange rate between gold and silver is 1:5. The difference is so huge.
If we trade this with Japan, wouldn't we be making twice as much money, directly earning twice as much gold!
Everyone present was smart, and without further explanation, they noticed the huge business opportunities hidden in these two simple sentences.
At this time, Li Chunfang, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know how long it is..."
At this point, the somewhat plump old minister bowed and said, "I wonder how the Queen knew this. Because from what I know about Japan, it is not only barbaric, but the Japanese people there are starving and miserable. Only the officials and nobles have a good life."
Xia Fengxiang said, "He has been going to the Hanlin Academy a lot recently, saying that he read books there. He is not very talented, and doesn't want to read other books. He likes to read strange books. He lies in the yard all day long, and it makes me angry when I see them."
Hearing
Su Wenqing and Su Zimu smiled.
Others were ashamed.
The one you are talking about is the most talented woman in the capital today. In her two articles, she has praised all the beauties in the world, sung the snow scenes in the world, and made the Mid-Autumn Festival poetry unique throughout the ages. Yet you say she has no talent.
If she had no talent, she wouldn't have to take the winter exam this year.
Xun Kuang was even more ashamed, and he thought that the emperor was finding ways to scold him for not doing his job and spending his days in debauchery.
Xia Fengxiang smiled and said, "But I remember when I was reading the files of the Honglu Temple, I saw a record that the Japanese delegation sent to Daxia was rewarded with 100 taels of gold, but they exchanged it for 500 taels of silver."
Li Chunfang, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was stunned for a moment.
Minister of Rites Cao Shen stood up and said, "Your Majesty, that was a file I read when I was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. At that time, the Japanese delegation did not have enough gold to share due to the number of people, so they specifically exchanged it for 500 taels of silver. And I remember that it was they who suggested exchanging 500 taels of silver."
Li Chunfang was ashamed. He looked up and saw Xia Fengxiang looking at him and smiling. Cold sweat broke out on his back. He cursed himself inwardly for skipping so many things when he was checking the files!
His Majesty has been silent in the past few years, never saying much, just watching people. But in recent months, he has stopped watching people and taken action. His thundering means are witnessed by everyone.
Li Xuanfang didn't know about other people, but in Li Xuanfang's opinion, this person looked more and more like the late emperor, smiling at people.
So scary!
Xia Fengxiang looked at Li Chunfang and smiled, then said, "Lord Li is the only one among us who has visited Japan. I only read in the embassy books that many noble officials in Japan used gold cakes to buy things, but I have never seen the details with my own eyes, so I want to ask Lord Li, is it really so?"
Li Chunfang shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, when I was on a diplomatic mission, I saw that the people of Japan were all ragged and hungry. There are some markets in their coastal ports and the capital, but they are only open to the nobles, monks, and merchants of that country. The common people are very miserable. It really doesn't look like a country with a lot of gold."
After that, Li Chunfang immediately said, "But I remember one thing. Last year at this time, a Japanese delegation came. One of them wanted to buy something. I asked someone close to me to take him there. He liked a piece of silk and asked for five taels of silver. Then the Japanese threw in one tael of gold and left. I thought it was ridiculous when I heard it at the time. I just thought the Japanese were pretending to be lavish. Because the Japanese are always very vain and exaggerated to show off their arrogance, I didn't think much about it."
When everyone heard this, they were all surprised.
Because after talking about these things, it really proves more and more that what the Queen said is true.
But could such a poor country really have so much gold?
If there really are so many, would they be so poor that they need help from Daxia?
Xia Fengxiang said, "My useless queen said that Japan is rich in gold and silver minerals, but lacks natural resources. It is a barbaric island country composed of several large islands. The land suitable for farming is limited, natural disasters and earthquakes are frequent, and food and other products are very scarce."
"And when I returned to the Imperial Study just now, I also flipped through some volumes about Japan left by the previous emperor, and these were indeed written on them."
Li Chunfang thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, it is true. When I went to that island, I was really shocked because it was so barren. Although the people in some places began to grow rice under the guidance of our Great Xia, many places are not suitable for farming. When I talked with the official, he also said that he envied our Great Xia Dynasty for its vast land and abundant resources."
The Minister of Revenue stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the trade between Japan and our country was mostly daily necessities. Now, after many years of development, it has gradually become more and more luxury goods such as porcelain and silk."
At this time, everyone in the hall was slowly remembering everything about Japan.
It's really not their fault. After all, they never cared about such a small country in the past. After all, there are so many small vassal countries doing trade with Daxia.
Japan doesn't even make the list!
Moreover, Xia Fengxiang asked so suddenly that everyone was a little confused at first.
Xia Fengxiang smiled slightly: "It seems that what my queen, who does not do her job and only writes poems for fun, said is true?"
No one answered.
But some of them didn't know what to say.
If she opens her mouth, she is a useless queen. If she closes her mouth, she is not doing her job and writing poems for fun.
If the Queen wants to write poetry for fun, then the poems written by everyone present over the years would be better off being thrown away like Xun Kuang did.
And what a lazy guy! !
Not to mention the book "Dream of Red Mansions", who in Luoan city doesn't know about the rouge "Dian Jiang Chun"!
Even the cheapest rouge can only be purchased by appointment. The business is so good that even Li Jiulang is amazed. It is really unexpected. You say you are not doing your job?
However, Xun Kuang was the most sensitive and felt that the emperor was scolding him.
Xia Fengxiang said this on purpose. Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, he suppressed his laughter and continued softly, "That man is bored in the yard now, so he reads these books all day long. He is even too idle to do anything but write new books. I asked him to do something serious, and he talked to me about Japan. I am a little curious about Japan, so I specially asked you to come and have a chat."
New storyline?
Among the crowd, the Minister of Rites Cao Shen's eyes lit up, as he couldn't let go of the Empress's "Red Mansion".
Is this going to be a new story?
Cao Shen was extremely looking forward to it.
But the others didn't smile.
But everyone felt helpless, and some people felt that His Majesty was clearly showing off the Queen today.
But while thinking so.
Everyone also felt that he really had something to show off.
Poetry is a kind of literary talent, which means that the Queen Mother has read many books, has brilliant literary talent, and has deep feelings in her heart, so she wrote poems that make people yearn for it.
There are tens of thousands of words in the world, but only the Empress can write such stunning words as "sharing the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart."
But to understand Japan and create new rouge, one needs to read a wide range of books.
Especially for a small country like Japan, which only has a few words of records about its affairs, it is surprising that people could think of these things.
It really made everyone present marvel at the Queen's intelligence.
but
Everyone thought that His Majesty was talking about not doing serious things. Was he deliberately talking about them? After all, the matter of Japan was actually a good thing that was of great benefit to Daxia. Such a thing was actually not discovered by the officials of the court.
But it's just a thought.
but.
Chat here
Everyone also understood what the empress meant.
This might be an attempt to seize Japan's gold business.
Li Jiulang stood up and bowed, then said, "Your Majesty is very knowledgeable and talented. You have noticed all the things about a tiny country like Japan after only visiting the Imperial Academy a few times. I am really ashamed of myself."
When everyone heard what Li Jiulang said, they all looked at Prime Minister Li with contempt.
Cao Shen stood up and said, "This minister is astonishing."
Good man, you, the Minister of Rites, are even more straightforward!
However, although Li Chunfang wanted to flatter the emperor, he also guessed what the emperor was going to do, so after thinking for a while, he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, does the Empress want us to take the gold from Japan? If so, I think it is not possible."
At this point, Li Chunfang bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, this is not acceptable. Daxia is the leader of all nations. Although this is extremely profitable, Daxia is known as a benevolent and righteous country among all nations. If such an act is exposed, it will damage the reputation of Daxia. Moreover, the amount of silver in Daxia is tight. Although the territory is thousands of miles, the silver production is not much. If it is used to do this, I am afraid it will also collapse the gold exchange, so."
Li Jiulang interrupted the honest Minister of the Ministry of Rites at this time: "Lord Li, you can do it appropriately, but you don't have to take it all. And you know the Japanese better than I do. Not only are they extremely cunning, but if it weren't for the prosperity and strength of our Great Xia, would they be so humble? The late emperor once sent you to Japan as an envoy, and you know his purpose better than I do. And the Queen's move is also to fill the treasury of our Great Xia. Do you think the Queen is wrong?"
Li Chunfang frowned at Li Jiulang and immediately said, "Li Jiulang, don't talk nonsense. I just think this move is detrimental to the reputation of our Great Xia. When did I say this method is not good? Moreover, I know better than you how despicable the Japanese are. For such a nation, it is not worth it to damage the dignity of our Great Xia!"
Li Jiulang smiled before he spoke.
Xia Fengxiang said, "Please stop for a moment, my lords. My man who has nothing better to do than to eat doesn't mean that. He said that we don't need to do such a trade with Japan, as it will damage the reputation of our Great Xia. He wants something bolder than this."
When everyone heard His Majesty calling the Queen Her Majesty, their reaction changed again.
Shame on you again.
Okay
Such a genius has become a person with nothing to do.
Everyone felt that His Majesty was definitely hinting at them.
but
The Queen Mother said that this was not a proposal to start a gold-collecting business, so what was that?
In terms of virtue and righteousness, the Queen would never do such an unjust act that would damage the dignity of the Great Xia nation.
But it could be anything bolder than this.
It's impossible that I didn't suggest anything to Your Majesty. We were really just chatting.
Everyone was confused.
However, when Su Wenqing stroked his beard, he suddenly thought of something.
When he looked up, he found Yang Shanchang looking at him.
I immediately realized that Yang Shanchang had thought of it too, and I couldn't help but smile.
However, Su Wenqing glanced at the Director of the Imperial College who seemed somewhat out of tune with everyone present.
Seeing Xun Kuang with a face full of shame and his head lowered, wishing he could find a place to hide, he smiled slightly, and it seemed that he had guessed it.
Xia Fengxiang looked at the people below, smiled and said, "I called you all here today to talk about the affairs of Japan. I plan to send some students to take a look there, Xun Kuang."
Xun Kuang heard this and immediately stood up: "I am here."
Xia Fengxiang said: "After the winter exam, select some people from the Imperial College to go to Japan. You make a list and give it to me. Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. Let those people go out and have a look."
Xun Kuang bowed and said: "I will present the list tomorrow."
Xia Fengxiang continued, "Grandmaster, Li Jiulang."
The Grand Tutor stood up and bowed, and Li Jiulang did the same.
Xia Fengxiang said: "The Ministry of Revenue is the main one, and the Ministry of Works is the secondary one. Build some boats. Remember that the bigger the boat, the stronger it is. After it is built, let the students go over to see it, take some things, and bring more silver."
Li Jiulang bowed and said, "I will personally supervise it."
The Grand Tutor bowed and said, "Yes."
Xia Fengxiang looked at Li Chunfang and Cao Shen and said, "The Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites need to calculate the details of my wedding process and expenses for me as soon as possible, especially which foreign countries will come this year. This is particularly important."
Li Chunfang and Cao Shen bowed and responded.
Xia Fengxiang smiled and said, "I'm sorry for calling you all here so suddenly. If you have nothing else to do, please go back. Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, Li Jiulang, the Ministry of Revenue, and Xun Kuang, please stay."
Hearing this, everyone bowed.
The people from the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites bowed and were about to leave.
However, Xia Fengxiang suddenly said, "If the two elders have done these things, you can go and talk to the idle queen. According to etiquette, she should not be involved in these matters. It should be handled by the queen mother or other elders of mine, but the queen mother is too busy, so let Su Changan participate. This should not be considered against etiquette."
Cao Shen immediately bowed and said, "There is no rule in the etiquette for this matter. Miss Chang'an can participate and make the decision. But if everything is decided, we must follow the etiquette."
Xia Fengxiang smiled slightly: "Then you can go look for him more often if you have nothing to do. I will tell Commander Yan."
Cao Shen and Li Chunfang bowed immediately.
Xia Fengxiang looked at the two people from behind, expressionless, but in his heart
Humph, Su Changan, you have nothing to do but think about taking advantage of me and touching my butt every day. I'll find you something to do! And you dare not do a good job in the wedding! !
After the people from the Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites left.
Xia Fengxiang looked at Taifu Yang Shanchang and said, "Taifu's student, Zhao Yulang, is about to return from the salt inspection. In previous years, the salt tax collected from the salt inspection was always sent on three ships. One went to Taifu's hometown of Yizhou, one went to Zhao Yulang's hometown of Anning, and only one returned to the capital. This year, the court has many places to spend money. There was a flood in the southeast, and Zhao Wuxiu sent a memorial saying that the countries in the Western Regions were restless. Tubo also made some movements. The barbarians have been thinking about invading every year. So this year, I would like to discuss with Taifu whether all three ships can come to the capital."
When Xia Fengxiang finished speaking, Su Wenqing stood up, not daring to sit any longer.
The Grand Tutor slowly stood up, bowed and apologized, "Your Majesty, I have failed to teach my son well. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Xia Fengxiang had a blank expression on his face, and his eyes were calm. "I am just discussing this with the Grand Tutor. There is no need to say whether it is a crime or not. However, since the Grand Tutor does not say anything, I will take it as your agreement. Is that okay?"
When Xia Fengxiang finished speaking this time, Yan Yunxiao, who had been standing next to the dragon throne, looked at the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor was shocked and bowed: "Your Majesty is the King of Great Xia, and I am your subject. Your Majesty's words are all imperial decrees. Why would you discuss this with me? Your Majesty is embarrassing me."
Xia Fengxiang smiled and said, "Then when you go back, discuss this with your son Yang Guofu. Just tell him that I discussed this with him and ask him if he will still be involved in the imperial examination this year?"
At this point, Xia Fengxiang stood up and walked to the old tutor, looking down at the old man who was bowing. "In the past, I accepted some gifts, it was nothing, after all, it was greed. Father can tolerate Yang Guofu's fault, and I can tolerate it too, as long as I can get things done. But this year he returned all the gifts he received, which is good, but why did he think of deliberately arranging people? With this arrangement, with your prestige, those who examine the exams will look at those people's papers more favorably, and look down on others."
"Even like before, the papers of those from poor families were thrown away without even looking at them. Tell me, is this any different from taking money?"
Upon hearing this, the Grand Tutor lowered his head and said nothing, but one could see that the old Grand Tutor's body was stiff and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead for unknown reasons.
In the past three years, Yang Shanchang had never faced Xia Fengxiang like this.
But this time
This time, I felt Xia Fengxiang standing next to me, and I had a sense of déjà vu.
before
The former emperor also liked to wear a black robe with a golden dragon on it. Sometimes when he was extremely angry and wanted to kill someone, he would speak to people in such a nonchalant manner.
Exactly the same.
Yang Shanchang once saw that this was how the former emperor killed the powerful ministers at that time.
The Grand Tutor bowed and said, "I have failed to educate my son properly! Your Majesty, please dismiss Yang Guofu from his post."
Upon hearing this, Xia Fengxiang smiled and looked at Xun Kuang.
Xun Kuang was already scared to death. How could a small official like him experience such a scene? ?
Especially Yan Yunxiao’s hand was touching the hilt of the knife!
(End of this chapter)
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