Chapter 361 Fencing
"Beyond the mountains are green mountains, beyond the buildings are buildings, when will the singing and dancing at West Lake end?
The warm wind intoxicated the tourists, who mistook Hangzhou for Bianzhou.
Moreover, because of the existence of West Lake, the layout of Hangzhou city has always been different from other places. For example, the city is long and narrow. Another example is that there is a piece of open space south of Yongjin Gate, the west gate of the city. It should be regulated outside the city, and it would never be as prosperous as the city if it were placed elsewhere. But in fact, because this place is close to West Lake, you can see Su Causeway and Leifeng Pagoda from afar. It is also the gate and wharf of the moat leading to West Lake. Therefore, there have always been many restaurants and merchants, and it is even more lively than the city.
And now, it was the winter of the eighth year of Jianyan, and Emperor Zhao of Bianzhou was on a southern tour. He was attracted by the magnificent scenery of West Lake, so he stayed for a long time at the Old Palace of Wu Yue on Phoenix Mountain, southwest of the state capital and southeast of West Lake. This place actually became the political center of the entire southern empire, and the area outside Yongjin Gate became more and more prosperous.
Not to mention anything else, just among the "consultants" who come and go to plan the establishment of the local public cabinet system, eight out of ten are wealthy Jiangnan nobles. Just a little tip is enough to give those who work in the market an extra meal.
Moreover, in addition to these people, there are officials and messengers from all over the country who come in and out constantly, as well as the thousands of imperial guards who suddenly appear around Phoenix Mountain. All of them require consumption and expenditure, which is enough to make the prosperity outside Yongjin Gate reach a new level.
Now let's go back to the poem at the beginning. It is said that it was composed by an unknown poet. Because he himself failed to enter the government, he wrote it on a restaurant outside Yongjin Gate, mocking those "consultants" who thought that if they entered the government and received political treatment, they would be considered as officials.
That's right, this is a sour poem written out of jealousy of the 'for consultation' people, and it was also seen by Emperor Zhao who came to this restaurant to watch the sunset over Leifeng Pagoda after sending Li Gang, the prime minister, back to his hometown the day after the martial arts conference ended!
For this reason, this Zhengdian restaurant, which is said to have a history of fifty or sixty years, was renamed Louwailou yesterday, and its business instantly became the best in West Lake… I don’t know how many idle people and poets came to climb Louwailou in the afternoon, just to learn from Emperor Zhao and watch the Leifeng Sunset.
What the hell is this "Leifeng Pagoda Sunset"? You have to know that ever since the Leifeng Pagoda was destroyed by the Guan and Gui families during the Fang La Rebellion more than ten years ago, the entire pagoda has been in ruins and no longer has the splendor of the past. Only someone with a strange aesthetic sense like Emperor Zhao would specifically point to a broken pagoda and say it is worthy of the splendor of the West Lake.
Without further ado, this afternoon, the weather was fine, and it should have been another day when Louwailou was packed, but not many distinguished guests went up to the tower. Instead, the Leifeng Pagoda, which was renamed Sunset Mountain and was the location of the scenery itself but not the viewing point, was crowded with people. It turned out that this afternoon, whether it was the "for consultation" or other scholars and nobles who came to seek official careers, they all flocked here to watch the ceremony... The internal system Lü Benzhong was ordered to come here to erect a monument to record the grand occasion of the Jianyan Wulin Conference that day.
"Indeed, it's time to erect a monument."
Seeing Lü Benzhong talking at the foot of Leifeng Pagoda, the two elderly scholars who could not squeeze through had to huddle together and chat outside Xizhao Mountain. "The emperor's words persuaded Li Xianggong to return home to preserve his long-term reputation, and also persuaded Zhang Jiucheng to become a pioneer for the king and enter the capital. Just for these two people, it is worth erecting a monument to make a final judgment."
"It is only because of the Holy Lord that Li Boji can have such a good result and Zhang Jiucheng can have such a good opportunity." The people around him sighed. "A commoner, forty years old, can actually jump to the position of Minister and be ranked in the Secret Council because of his performance. Where can such a thing be seen before Jianyan?"
"Who says it's not?" The man sighed. "It's a pity that Zhang Jiucheng is the only one who has such a fate. Even the other people in the government who have been given a position and sent to other places are only a dozen people like Su Bai and Li Tao. If this local government is established, the specific rules, the rank, and the missions are still a bit vague... Could it be that it is just an empty name as the poem written by the playboy, and the government will abandon it as soon as it returns to Bianzhou?"
"Not really." Another middle-aged scholar in his forties who had been listening to the two people's discussion suddenly interrupted. This man spoke with a local accent and looked like a native of Liangzhe, but he actually carried a sword, which was also strange. "The emperor's southern tour this time, to promote Li Boxi and to promote Zhang Jiucheng was just a casual move. The key is to promote the policy of never increasing taxes and to distribute the land tax according to the amount of land. If these two measures can be implemented, the resentment of the people in Jiangnan will be dissipated, and many of the dirty things under the county can be cleaned up. The task of pacifying Jiangnan before the Northern Expedition will be accomplished..."
"But what does this have to do with the power and responsibilities of the cabinet?" The man from before was still puzzled.
"Of course there is." The middle-aged scholar with the sword smiled on the spot. "To implement this great policy, especially the land tax, the fundamental purpose is to transfer the money originally paid by the poor people to those wealthy and powerful households in the local area... And if you want to suppress the powerful households, according to the convention of this dynasty, you must rely on the power of scholars and pull scholars to suppress these powerful households; in addition, although the emperor and Prime Minister Lu have always been tough, even to the point of announcing that they will mobilize the imperial camp to the south, whether it is the emperor or Prime Minister Lu, who is willing to really force those powerful households to rebel? So it is inevitable to gather some or two... As for how to gather them, it is still the same saying, everything must have a beginning, just look at the reason why this government was established in the beginning and you will know."
"I understand." Before the two responded, another middle-aged scholar who had been silent all this time suddenly spoke up and joined in. Then, he was also wearing a sword... In the southeast, it was the Song Dynasty, and it was surprising to see two scholars wearing swords all of a sudden. "My dear brother, what you mean is that although the emperor is the Son of Heaven and has power over the world, it is not good to use force to suppress others unless you are forced into a helpless situation. You still have to follow the rules as much as possible... So this public office must be permanent, and there must be some real ways to discuss matters and communicate with the emperor, and there may even be some specific dispatches."
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