"Hahaha……"
Liu Zhao laughed out loud.
He ran to Chang'an Palace to show off to Gu Jiu, looking very proud.
"You haven't seen the faces of those court officials. They say what's right and what's wrong, and whatever they say is based on their own personal feelings. They hit themselves harder than I did. They are truly a bunch of shameless people. I've really broadened my horizons."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "That's where you're wrong. What they say and do is exactly what you expect, and yet you criticize them for having no stance and only self-interest. You expect too much of them, trying to hold them to the standards of a saint, which no one can achieve."
People study and take the imperial examinations for their own futures and the well-being of their families. A good official who, when he has the energy to do so, can think of interceding on behalf of the people is a good official. Of course, it's even better if he doesn't ask for favors from the people. However, the world is bustling with people seeking profit, and we are all ordinary people, each with a desire for fame and fortune. Don't hold your officials to the standards of saints, lest you disappoint them.
"I am indeed a little disappointed. The faces of the court officials are really too ugly. You didn't see the scene when I said that if Marquis Lu was made King of Xiliang and the Northwest Army was stationed in Xiliang, the court would no longer provide any supplies. Even a grain of rice or a needle would have to be bought with money. The greedy eyes of those court officials really opened my eyes."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "You should be happy. It's precisely because of greed that the Great Zhou has the territory it has today. The court officials are greedy, and without the court's efforts, thousands of people will flock to Xiliang to plunder the wealth of the Western Regions. Then the one who will be worried is not you or me, but the Marquis of Lu. He must continue to march westward without stopping, and fight all the way west."
Liu Zhao was curious, "You never seem to worry about the court officials colluding with the Duke of Lu and turning against the court."
Gu Jiu said, "If you have the guts, feel free to come and try to undermine the court. I'm not afraid. Besides, I've opened up all my supplies to the Duke of Lu, even the latest weapons. What reason does he have to ignore me and cooperate with a group of court officials with limited resources?"
"You're right. With you as a supplier, the Marquis of Lu doesn't need to cooperate with other court officials. But everyone is rushing to the Western Regions to do business. Is there such a big market there? Don't end up not making any money and instead accumulating resentment. It will be detrimental to your subsequent plans."
It was normal for Liu Zhao to have some concerns since he didn't understand business matters.
Gu Jiu looked confident, "Don't worry, there's money to be made. Although it may seem like a swarm of people, only a few are truly capable of organizing caravans to go to Xiliang to do business. A caravan of two hundred people must have goods worth at least three hundred thousand taels. How many families in the capital can organize three hundred thousand taels of goods to be shipped to Xiliang in one go? Very few, very few!"
Only a few families can form caravans and profit together. However, everyone is selfish, and few are as generous as I am. Such hasty cooperation will inevitably lead to internal strife and even hostility. In two or three years, I'm sure only one in ten caravans will still be able to continue using the Xiliang trade route. Let them rush out and try their luck. After they've been beaten to a pulp, they'll realize that the vast grasslands and overseas routes I've prepared for them are the paths truly suited to them.
Hearing this, Liu Zhao burst into laughter.
"My dear wife, I am so happy to see you playing with the court officials in the palm of your hand." Liu Zhao was very proud.
Gu Jiu spat, "You can't even say a word. I never play tricks on people. I only lead everyone to get rich together."
"Yes, yes, let's all get rich together. Do we need to continue hyping this topic? There are many stubborn old men in the court, and they keep buzzing in my ears all day long. I am fed up with it."
"Someone is buzzing in your ear. Although it's unpleasant, it's a good thing for you. As an emperor, you can't just hear praise, you need criticism too. To be honest, I value those stubborn people more than those fence-sitters."
Liu Zhao laughed, "You're worried that I'll be emperor for too long and lose my composure, becoming arrogant and conceited without even realizing it."
"Everyone loses themselves sometimes. My power alone is too weak. I need the court officials to constantly discipline me."
"Being an emperor is so tiring!" Liu Zhao said with a depressed look. "None of what those old men say is pleasant to the ear. I wish I could just kick them all out. But rationally, I have to convince myself to tolerate their existence. It seems that the world's expectations of an emperor are truly based on the standards of a saint."
Gu Jiu comforted him, "When the emperor is enterprising and wants to expand the territory, the court officials' demands on the emperor will also become higher, and the voices of opposition will also increase. If the emperor is just a ruler who maintains the status quo, as long as the weather is good and there are no disasters, the court officials will be happy to be tolerant of the emperor and lower their demands.
Obviously, you are an emperor who wants to expand the territories and revive the Great Zhou. You will have to bear greater pressure and higher demands. If you feel it's too tiring and you can't bear it, you can give up and return to being a ruler who maintains the status quo. In the current situation, as long as you don't ruin the family, you are more than capable of maintaining the status quo. You might even earn a reputation as a wise emperor and be praised by future generations.
Liu Zhao was stunned at first, then burst into laughter.
He hugged Gu Jiu and said, "If I want to be a king who maintains the status quo, why should I make such a fuss? Why should I fight with the court officials all day long? As you said, if I maintain the current situation, I can live a peaceful and wise king. If I don't make any more trouble, my life will be easy and comfortable, how wonderful! But I am a person who wants to die if I don't make any more trouble. I am in my prime years and hold the imperial power. If I don't make any more trouble, wouldn't it be a waste of my best years?"
Gu Jiu laughed and pinched his cheek. "I knew you were a person who couldn't sit still. You complain about the court officials, but if one day no one calls you a tyrant at the morning court, you'll feel uncomfortable all over again."
"Hahaha... The one who understands me best is the Empress. Those courtiers are truly annoying, but the court has become exceptionally lively because of them. Everyone seems to have endless energy, and every grand court meeting is filled with enthusiasm. They keep calling me a tyrant, quoting classics, and even short of calling me worse than an animal. Seeing them so energetic, I feel the court is full of energy, my blood boiling, and I have to do something big to piss them off to death."
Liu Zhao was like a middle school boy, full of energy.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "It's not easy to anger the court officials to death. I'm afraid that even if you get angry to death, they are still alive and well."
"I don't like to hear that. It makes me sound petty."
"It's not a matter of being stingy, but you're fighting against so many people alone, and the other side has more strength in numbers..."
"I've been trying to sow discord and cause them to fight among themselves. Just like today, before I even received the money, I just gave them a promise and a bunch of people started fighting among themselves."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him and said, "That's not called sowing discord. That's speaking the truth and tempting them with benefits."
"Yes, yes, you are right about everything you said. I used the wrong words." Liu Zhao backed down immediately.
Gu Jiu asked him, "The Marquis of Lu is still waiting for your decree to confer the title. When will you issue the decree to confer him the title of king?"
Liu Zhao said, "The accompanying military supervisor has a letter from me. As long as the Northwest Army captures the Western Liang capital, Western Liang will belong to Marquis Lu and the Northwest Army. He can do as he pleases. I estimate that the formal decree of conferring the title will appease most of the court officials in the next few days. Then, I will send it to Western Liang at an expedited speed of 800 miles."
"Have you decided who to send as your messenger?
"Who do you think is suitable?"
"The person delivering the imperial edict is also tasked with spying on the Northwest Army and the sentiments of the people of Xiliang. This task is best performed by Qian Fu."
"I think differently than you do. In terms of understanding the Western Regions and the amount of time he's spent dealing with the Northwest Army, it has to be Deng Cunli."
Gu Jiu shook his head. "Deng Cunli is old. Traveling thousands of miles and rushing hundreds of miles every day will kill him. Besides, the Shaofu can't do without him. If he leaves, I have to find someone else to take charge of the Shaofu. Qian Fu specializes in intelligence gathering. His trip to Xiliang is like returning to his old job. There are some things that require him to communicate with Wuwang. And Qian Fu is your man. His going to Xiliang represents your attitude."
Liu Zhao frowned and thought for a moment, "Then give me Ma Xiaoliu. He has been assisting Deng Cunli in the northwest for many years and is very familiar with the Northwest Army. He has also been to Xiliang. Qian Fu will be the chief envoy, and he will be the deputy envoy. The two of them will complement each other and bring out the best in each other."
Gu Jiu nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll give you Ma Xiaoliu. Bai Zhong should be back in the palace for a while, so let him take over."
Liu Zhao looked envious. "I have to ask Lin Shuping to pick a few more disciples to teach by his side. Otherwise, when they get old, there won't even be a successor who can take charge."
Gu Jiu wanted to recruit talents, and he believed that Lin Shuping's apprentice must be quite capable.
She took Liu Zhao's hand and smiled sweetly, "Why don't you hand him over to me? I'm just short of people here. If you promise to work with me for a few years, everyone will be able to stand on their own."
Liu Zhao laughed. "Once I give him to you, he becomes yours. I can't order him around. Forget it, forget it. If you want to train someone, go to the Ministry of Rites and select one."
Gu Jiu snorted, looking particularly disgusted. "I'm not willing to train people for you. Forget it, forget it. I'll go to Shanhe Academy or the Junior School to select some people."
Everyone thinks that doing business is lowly.
Although this understanding is not obvious on the surface, when scholars face the choice of their future, they will subconsciously eliminate business from their options.
Gu Jiu wanted to recruit some talents from Shanhe Academy for Sihai Huanyu, but even with her reputation, it was still difficult.
Scholars have their own persistence in their bones.
Especially the students of Shanhe Academy, who were at least students. Even if they had no hope of passing the imperial examination, they had never thought of going into business.
They are willing to learn other skills, such as numerology, and go to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Finance, the Audit Office, and the Wenqing Bookstore... but they are not willing to go to the world and become managers of a trading company.
The students of Xinmin County Primary School are willing to go around the world to work.
However, most students have average qualifications.
If he had outstanding qualifications, he would have been admitted to Shanhe Academy or Imperial College long ago and made further progress.
The reality is helpless.
Gu Jiu could only recruit eunuchs on a large scale to take charge of the affairs of the world.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
