Emperor Wende was also very curious about who Anonymous was.
On the desk, there are nearly ten episodes of "Da Zhou Life Show".
Emperor Wende read the analysis of war and taxation over and over again.
I can recite every article word for word.
"According to the anonymous analysis, relying solely on agricultural taxes is simply not enough to sustain a war lasting a year. Taxes must be increased. If the war lasts for several years, or even a dozen years, the burden on the people will increase tenfold compared to peaceful times. With ten times the taxes and labor service, it's no wonder that ordinary people are bankrupt and turning to banditry."
Emperor Wende felt frightened.
Bei Rong invaded the south. If it were not for the sufficient commercial taxes in recent years, he would have followed the old path of previous dynasties, desperately increasing taxes and corvée labor, and squeezing the common people dry.
In one or two years, the entire Great Zhou will be engulfed in war.
The imperial court had no choice but to continue increasing taxes and sending troops to suppress rebels in various places.
By then, all the provincial capitals of the Great Zhou will be destroyed and people's livelihood will be in decline.
In order to support the operation of the imperial court, they had to spend money before it was earned and collect taxes in advance for next year, the year after, or even ten years later.
It's simply insane.
The consequences are unimaginable.
Emperor Wende breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, although the Ministry of Revenue is poor, the commercial taxes, salt and iron taxes, and customs duties collected can barely cover the expenses of the front line. There is no need to increase taxes and corvée for the time being.
The only problem is food.
If the imperial court spends a large amount of money to purchase grain, the price of grain will rise accordingly.
Emperor Wende suddenly asked, "Who said last time that the food for the refugee camps was all shipped from the south?"
Chang En was stunned for a moment, his mind racing, and he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it's the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple."
"How does he know that the food for the refugee camps is shipped from the south?"
"I don't know either."
"Send someone to find out. See if the Ministry of Revenue can follow the example of the refugee camps and find a way to transport food from the south."
"I obey your command."
Emperor Wende then asked, "Have you found out the identity of Anonymous?"
Chang En shook his head and said tremblingly: "The Great Zhou Life Show is also unclear about Anonymous's identity."
"Ridiculous! It's clearly a perfunctory response. Could it be that Gu Jiu is causing trouble?"
"I am guilty, but I don't know it."
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, stood up, and walked around the hall with his hands behind his back.
"To be able to write such profound and incisive articles, this person has great talent and should be employed by the court. You go find Cui Qi, and if that doesn't work, find Gu Jiu. And pass on my oral order that the anonymous person must be found."
"As you wish!"
Chang En received the task and first sent his godson to test Cui Qi's attitude.
Cui Qi was indeed unmoved and just said he didn't know who the anonymous person was.
Chang En gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the forfeit! I'm personally here, I don't believe he won't say anything."
Taking advantage of his rest period, Chang En left the palace and blocked Cui Qi at Wenqing Bookstore.
"Nice to meet you, Master Seventh!"
"Early this morning, sparrows were chirping on the branches. I wondered who it was, and it turned out to be Eunuch Chang."
"The Seventh Master is no longer the same as he used to be, and his pomp and show are no less!"
Chang En looked at the backyard of Wenqing Academy.
The huge house is divided into several areas by walls.
Cui Qi brought Chang En to the office area and entertained him in the public housing.
"Hahaha, Eunuch Chang is really good at joking. Please taste this year's new tea."
Chang En gave Cui Qi a favor, took a sip, and asked casually, "Is the old marquis okay?"
The old marquis that Chang En mentioned is the Marquis Zhenguo, the brother of Queen Cui Ruizhen and the father of Cui Qi.
He was originally the Duke of Zhenguo, but was demoted to the Marquis of Zhenguo by Emperor Wende.
"Thank you for your concern, my father is fine!"
Chang En chatted, "I haven't seen the old marquis enter the palace for a long time. What have you been busy with recently?"
Cui Qi smiled and said, "I'm busy cultivating my character and sorting out the family tree."
Chang En said, "The court is in need of personnel, and the old marquis should come out to help His Majesty relieve the court's worries."
Cui Qi shook his head repeatedly, "My father is too old to bear the consequences, so I won't cause any trouble to the court or Your Majesty."
Chang En smiled faintly, "I heard that Master Qi is doing very well at Wenqing Bookstore."
Cui Qi laughed heartily. "Your Excellency, I am a playboy. I enjoy eating, drinking and having fun, which is a perfect fit for Wenqing Bookstore. Wenqing Bookstore, although it's called a bookstore, is actually a place for people to have fun."
Chang En sneered, "I think the Seventh Master has already guessed the purpose of our visit today."
"I dare not speculate at will, please tell me clearly, sir." Cui Qi said politely.
Chang En didn't waste any words. "Your Majesty wants to know Anonymous's identity. Please invite Anonymous to serve as an official in the court. This is Your Majesty's oral order. The Seventh Master should know the pros and cons of this."
Cui Qi looked strange.
Chang En raised his eyebrows, somewhat dissatisfied, "Seventh Master, are you going to continue hiding this?"
Cui Qi hesitated for a moment, "Father-in-law, do you really want to know Anonymous's identity?"
"Your Majesty wants to know, and we are just following orders."
"To be honest, sir, I don't know Anonymous's identity. Why don't you go to Xiaozhu and ask?"
Spring is here and flowers are blooming. Recently, Gu Jiu has been living in Xiaozhu with her children.
When Chang En heard the word Xiaozhu, he couldn't help but frown.
He questioned Cui Qi, "You are the actual person in charge of the 'Da Zhou Life Show'. How come you don't know who the author of the article published on the life show is? Master Qi, don't try to fool our family."
"I really don't dare to fool my father-in-law. The article was sent by Xiaozhu, and I was only responsible for reviewing it for publication. I really don't know who wrote the article."
Chang En's heart skipped a beat.
Trouble.
He really didn't want to confront Gu Jiu, but how should he report to His Majesty?
Cui Qi suggested to him, "Why don't I accompany my father-in-law to Xiaozhu?"
Eunuch Chang snorted coldly, "No need! We can find a place."
Is this a question of whether or not you can find the place?
Cui Qi didn't force it.
Chang En left Wenqing Bookstore and didn't rush to Xiaozhu.
He wandered around Xinmin County for an hour before he finally got on a carriage to Xiaozhu.
Xiaozhu's doorman invited Chang En in without notifying anyone.
Chang En was stunned for a moment, "Could it be that you know our family?"
The doorman said, "My wife said that if Eunuch Chang comes, there's no need to announce it, just come in."
"Did your wife know that we would come?"
"Yamada Wenqing Bookstore sent someone to notify us."
I see.
He also thought that Gu Jiu had the ability to predict the future.
In the atrium pavilion, tea and snacks have been prepared, and there are maids playing the piano.
Eunuch Chang came to the water pavilion and finally met Gu Jiu.
"Madam is in good spirits!"
"Eunuch Chang is a rare guest, please take a seat."
Gu Jiu greeted with a smile.
Eunuch Chang took a seat.
Gu Jiu greeted him, "Father-in-law, it's a rare visit to Xiaozhu, so you must try the dim sum made by my chef. The dim sum at Huanyu Restaurant is based on the recipe of my chef."
Chang En smiled and said, "No wonder everyone praises the Universal Car Sales Center restaurant. Madam is very resourceful. She turned the carriage business into a dim sum business without any delay."
Nowadays, people go to the Universal Car Sales Center every day, not to buy cars, but just to pack up snacks from the Universal Restaurant.
Many people speculate that the profits from the Universal Restaurant alone could probably support the staff of Universal Transport.
Just like when toll booths were first built, everyone only had the concept of toll booths in mind. They never thought that they could be used as a supplementary business for rest stops.
Rest stops are even more profitable than toll booths.
Nowadays, combining car buying with snack trading is another innovation.
The world was amazed.
Even Zhu Ci, the Earl of Cheng'en, who had been doing business all his life, often sighed: I am old and cannot be as smart as the young people today.
Gu Jiu said modestly, "You are too kind, sir! The dim sum business is just a small matter and not worth mentioning."
"Madam is too modest."
The two drank tea and chatted about random things, but never got to the point.
Gu Jiu is not in a hurry.
Chang En was also not in a hurry.
The two talked about the four-wheeled carriage, the war in the northwest, the Wei River on the Shangsi Festival on March 3rd, and Jiangling Prefecture.
"We've heard that Jiangling Prefecture has undergone a major transformation in just a few years. Sihai Trading Company's business in Jiangling Prefecture is booming."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Sihai Trading Company just wants to bring convenience to the people and make a little profit at the same time."
Chang En laughed heartily. "Madam always makes things sound so beautiful. It's hard to imagine how you can write such sharp, solid, and data-rich articles."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, "Did Eunuch Chang misunderstand something?"
"Madam, you want to deny that you are the anonymous author of the "Da Zhou Life Show," aren't you?"
"Of course it wasn't me." Gu Jiu laughed. "Who on earth misled Eunuch Chang, and actually misunderstood that the anonymous person was me. I haven't read many books, so how could I write such a profound article?"
"If Madam is not Anonymous, then who is Anonymous? Cui Qi told us that the article was delivered to the newspaper by Xiaozhu's people. Apart from Madam, we really can't think of anyone else."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Eunuch Chang was ordered to inquire about Anonymous's identity, so he was inevitably anxious. I can swear that I am not Anonymous."
"Who is Anonymous?" Back to the starting point.
Gu Jiu asked, "Now that Eunuch Chang knows Anonymous's identity, what does he plan to do?"
Chang En said as a matter of course: "Of course I will report the truth to Your Majesty."
Gu Jiu shook his head, "I'm afraid not!"
Chang En frowned slightly, waiting for the next step.
"Since Eunuch Chang has come personally to inquire about Anonymous's identity, I will tell you the truth. Anonymous is Yu Ge'er."
"Impossible!" Chang En denied subconsciously, "Madam, even if you want to win fame for Gongzi Yu, you shouldn't put the name Anonymous on his head. Gongzi Yu is only this year, how could he write such an article? It's absolutely impossible."
Gu Jiu was neither anxious nor impatient. He ordered the maid, "Go to the eldest master's study and bring over the articles he has written over the years for Eunuch Chang to review."
The maid took the order and left.
Eunuch Chang's face changed from blue to purple, and from purple to white, as if he had opened a dyeing factory.
Absolutely not!
It's absolutely impossible!
How could a child think of a question that even the ministers in the court could not think of, let alone write it down?
This must be a sleight of hand.
Chang En said sternly: "Madam, do you dare to write it but not take responsibility? You actually let Gongzi Yu impersonate you."
Gu Jiu smiled and shook his head, "After Eunuch Chang reads my brother Yu'er's article, we can discuss this issue again."
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