A cold almost killed Princess Huyang.
Gu Jiu sent someone to deliver medicine to her, and her condition gradually improved.
She lamented to those around her, "I'm getting older, and my health is getting worse day by day. I don't know how much longer I have left to live."
"Pah, pah, pah, your Majesty, please don't say such unlucky words. Your Majesty will surely live a long and healthy life."
Princess Huyang smiled, her smile tired and weak. "My royal brother has been gone for three years. He may still be waiting for me on the way."
"Your Highness has taken the medicine and is feeling better. Why are you still so pessimistic?"
"When one grows old, the only things they worry about are their children and grandchildren, as well as their affairs after death. This palace has no worries about the afterlife. The tomb has been properly repaired, and the location has been chosen by a specially invited Yin-Yang master. The burial utensils have also been prepared. The only thing that worries this palace is Minmin. I don't know when I can see her again."
"Would your Majesty like to submit a petition to the palace, requesting His Majesty to summon Lord Gu back?"
Hu Yang didn't comment, but asked, "How many years have Minmin and Gu Yu been gone?"
"Seven or eight years."
"It's time to come back. Help me sit up."
Princess Huyang ordered someone to write a memorial on her behalf, and every word was a mother's longing for her daughter.
The memorial was sent to the palace and placed on Gu Jiu's desk.
Every word is sad and every sentence is full of blood and tears.
Gu Jiu asked Bai Zhong, "Is Princess Huyang still not well?"
Bai Zhong bowed and said, "It has improved somewhat. I don't know why she would submit such a memorial."
Gu Jiu sighed, "Huyang is old!"
When people get old, they don’t need to work hard to make progress, so they have more time to miss and reminisce.
"Your Majesty, do you mean to make Princess Huyang's wish come true?"
Gu Jiu said softly, "It's time for Gu Yu and his wife to return to the capital."
In the evening, Gu Jiu and Liu Zhao discussed this matter.
"Aunt Huyang has been ill for a while and has become sentimental. She misses her cousin Minmin very much. Do you think we should recall Gu Yu back to the capital?"
Liu Zhao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Call him back. There's only so much he can do if he stays in Jiangling Prefecture."
Gu Yu only had the title of Juren, which meant that his career ceiling was very low.
Just stretch your hand slightly and you can reach the top, there is no higher.
Of course, Liu Zhao could act arbitrarily and promote Gu Yu against all objections.
However, Gu Yu's talent was enough to govern a county or a state, but not enough to govern a prefecture or a province.
His talent is not worthy of the position, and forcing him to be promoted will only harm Gu Yu.
His subordinates were all Jinshi graduates, more talented, smarter, better-off, and richer than him. As a superior, he found it difficult to convince them.
If the government's orders are not communicated, how can one govern the local area?
If there is an internal conflict among officials, even if Gu Jiu endorses Gu Yu, Gu Yu will have to pay a price to get out of it safely.
The officialdom has its own rules.
Even Liu Zhao and Gu Jiu have to abide by the rules of officialdom most of the time.
When they fought with officials, they would correct and modify the court rules, but they never changed the official rules or touched the imperial examination system.
This is a big thunder, whoever touches it will die.
Liu Zhao and Gu Jiu both carefully guarded the bottom line and did not touch it.
Wantonly destroying the path to advancement for scholars will surely be opposed by scholars all over the world.
Throughout the dynasties, only the founding emperor had the opportunity and prestige to change the rules and systems of officialdom.
But why change the rules of officialdom?
So far, there is no better system for selecting talents than the imperial examination.
The imperial examination system gave children of commoners the opportunity to serve as officials, breaking the monopoly of aristocratic families on officialdom.
Before a better talent selection system emerged, the imperial examination system was the most worrying system.
At least for now, the imperial examination is the most worrying.
The status and importance of the imperial examination determined that Gu Yu, who only had the title of Juren, would have a difficult career in officialdom.
Liu Zhao asked Gu Jiu, "Do you want Gu Yu to enter the court?"
Gu Jiu said: "He is suitable to go to the Ministry of Revenue, but he cannot be the Minister of Revenue."
Liu Zhao nodded. "It's difficult for him to become the Minister of Revenue. Even Lord Lu would be strongly opposed to it."
Lord Lu is a Jinshi, and when it comes to the imperial examination and official promotion, a Juren wants to climb over the Jinshi, but he is not a genius like Renqiu. He will definitely oppose Gu Yu's appointment as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Gu Jiu said: "Don't let him go to the Ministry of Revenue, it's too unfair."
Liu Zhao asked for her opinion, "Should we put it in the Shaofu?"
The Shaofu was the private treasury of Emperor Liu Zhao. Naturally, the emperor had the final say in the appointment of officials, without going through the three provinces and six ministries.
Gu Jiu shook his head. "How is the Jingzhao Yin Yamen?"
"Jingzhao Yin? This is an offensive job, and it's not easy to please anyone."
"It's precisely because he's so unpopular that Gu Yu's appointment as Jingzhao Yin won't cause any unrest in the court. They're just hoping someone else will take the blame."
The Jingzhao Yin of all dynasties usually had a bad ending.
No matter who reaches this position, his future career will most likely be bumpy, with almost no exceptions.
Therefore, many people regarded the Jingzhao government office as a daunting place.
When they arrived in the capital, they naturally wanted to be officials in the three provinces and six ministries. Not only was it respectable, but it also made it easy to get promoted.
Going to the Jingzhao government office is a waste of life and talent.
There are countless mountains above our heads, and everyone can give orders to the Jingzhao government. Everyone is the ancestor, and the Jingzhao government is the grandson.
Those days were as frustrating as they could be.
Liu Zhao thought carefully. "You're right. If Gu Yu were to become Jingzhao Yin, although his rank would be high, he would be subject to restrictions in every way, so there would definitely be few who would oppose him. Furthermore, Gu Yu is good at people's livelihood and economics, so he's a good fit for this position. It's time for a unified plan for the capital. I'm even considering re-registering the Fish Scale Register."
The fish scale book is a census of land, houses, ponds, and forests.
Because it involves taxation, wealthy families concealing their population and land, and good citizens surrendering to officials, this matter has always been extremely sensitive.
During the two hundred years of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Fish Scale Book was only conducted twice.
One was during the reign of Taizu, and the other was during the reign of Sejong.
In other words, the number of acres of land officially registered by the Zhou court is data from more than a hundred years ago, which is terribly out of date.
In the capital, the Ministry of Revenue had secretly conducted a population and land statistics, but that was several decades ago, and the data was also severely incomplete.
The truly complete data is in Gu Jiu's hands.
Chen Erzhuang led people to the countryside to develop the rural economy and at the same time counted the population and land of each village.
However, these data were not publicly available and could not be recognized by the imperial court.
Because once you accept the population and land data in Gu Jiu's hands, you will have a clear path forward.
This means that from now on, the government will have to collect taxes and assign labor service based on this complete data.
impossible!
The local government was simply unable to do this, and the people did not approve of it either.
The people only recognized the fish scale book, and taxes had to be collected according to the fish scale book.
When the fish scale book was registered, the amount of farmland was far less than it is today, so the taxes paid were naturally less.
If taxes are collected based on the new land area data, the tax amounts of most households will have to change.
Especially those landlords and gentry who have no official titles, or families of scholars and juren with limited tax exemption quotas, will have to pay taxes exponentially.
The aristocratic families were not spared either, because they were the real landowners.
When these people started to make trouble, one village after another, one county after another, the imperial court was shocked.
Gu Jiu was well aware of the risks involved. She said, "Re-registering the Fish Scale Book is like putting Gu Yu on the spot. He will be condemned by thousands of people, infamous for eternity, and even his life will be in danger. The time is not right yet, so we must not act hastily. I think we should wait seven or eight years before taking action on the Fish Scale Book. By then, there will be much less resistance."
Liu Zhao was a little unhappy, "It's a bargain for them."
Gu Jiu advised: "At present, we have commercial taxes to cover the cost, so you don't have to focus on agricultural taxes. Strictly control tariffs and crack down on maritime smuggling. The income from this in a year can offset all agricultural taxes."
"Even with the commercial tax, we can't let those wealthy landlords get away with it."
"We absolutely must not rush this matter. This will offend everyone in the officialdom. The families behind every official are all local landowners. Touching their land would affect their interests. We don't have the capital to turn against all the officials and scholars in the world right now, so you better hold on."
Even the Gu family is a veritable landlord.
If the land tax was raised, everyone from the royal family to seven-year-old schoolchildren would rise up in opposition. They would unite to overthrow Liu Zhao and make someone else the emperor.
This matter involves too many things. Emperors of all dynasties knew the root cause of the problem but were unable to change it, simply because the resistance came from all over the world, from the court, from their surroundings, and even from themselves.
How nice it is to just live day by day!
As long as you don't become a king who destroys your country, worry less and meddle in other people's affairs, you will live a happy life every day.
Liu Zhao wanted to move some land to test the reaction of the court.
Gu Jiu was afraid that he would act too hastily and overturn the car, so he quickly grabbed him.
"Until we are fully prepared, you must not take any action. You must not even say a word. You are not allowed to reveal any intention in this regard. No one in the court is stupid. If you even hint at such intentions, those clever people will notice it, and then you will be in trouble one after another."
"I know my limits, you don't have to worry."
How could Gu Jiu not be worried?
Liu Zhao sometimes gets angry, and if he lets something slip, it would be fatal.
She thought that she had to remind Lin Shuping from time to time.
Liu Zhao was unhappy, "You don't trust me."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes and said, "I'm worried about you, but you don't appreciate it."
Liu Zhao laughed. "Of course I know you're worried about me. Don't treat me like an impulsive twenty-year-old. This matter involves a wide range of issues and is of great importance. Until I'm absolutely certain, I promise to maintain a steady gaze and a raised eyebrow. I won't make the mistake of speaking too much."
"I believe you, of course I believe you."
Fearing that Liu Zhao would keep nagging and turn into a nagging king, Gu Jiu quickly gave in.
She really admired him.
After becoming emperor, he talked more and more nonsense.
Liu Zhao was delighted. "Once we finish our current work, we can both relax for a few days. How about staying in Shangxiaozhu for a few days and setting off after the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
“Very good!”
Gu Jiu readily agreed, "Remember to ask Brother Yu to come back during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"What are you going to do? Propose marriage to him?"
"Let's see each other first, it may not be settled."
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