Chapter 110 Emperor Jing'an's Reminder
Duke Zhao said a name: "King Zhenbei."
Emperor Jing'an was also thinking of Prince Zhenbei.
At the age of sixteen, this man led an elite force to raid the enemy camp, beheaded the enemy general, and became famous in one battle.
Perhaps because he was young and frivolous, he did not play the game of "don't pursue a desperate enemy" and directly pursued the enemy. After several battles, he defeated the enemy one after another. From then on, he became the enemy's nemesis and no one dared to stop him.
Since Emperor Jing'an ascended the throne, the country has been peaceful except for a war that broke out in Liangzhou fourteen years ago.
The late emperor regarded the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion as a serious threat, but due to the enemy's repeated attacks over the years, it was not yet time to destroy the bridge after crossing the river and abandon the donkey after it has served its purpose, so he could only tolerate the Zhenbei Prince's arrogance.
However, it was precisely because of the arrogance of the Zhenbei Prince that his notoriety spread far and wide, and the people no longer dared to talk about the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. Even when they did talk about it, it was no longer praise and admiration, but fear.
Therefore, the late emperor was more tolerant of the Zhenbei Palace.
Emperor Jing'an had a different opinion on this. He always believed that it was Prince Zhenbei who deliberately ruined his reputation.
If the reputation of the Zhenbei Palace grows higher and higher, and its achievements become too great to be feared by the emperor, even if the war in Liang Province is not over, the late emperor will probably not be able to bear it any longer and will take action against the Zhenbei Palace one day.
The most obvious evidence is that during the reign of the previous emperor, there were constant wars of varying sizes in Liang Province throughout the year.
After he ascended the throne, he did not suppress the Zhenbei Palace like the previous emperor did, and all the necessary military funds and salaries were distributed.
The Prince of Zhenbei submitted petitions three times to test the emperor and confirmed that he would not be like the previous emperor who could not tolerate the Prince of Zhenbei's Palace. There was no war in Liangzhou after that.
Emperor Jing'an had a different view from the previous emperor. The Prince of Zhenbei was a rare genius that appeared once in a thousand years. He was a master of military strategy and was loyal to the court. He was simply a god-given general. He was so greedy that he would attack such a treasure.
More importantly, his mother and grandfather both died unjustly because of the late emperor's fear of them. How could he follow the late emperor's old path and become the person he hated the most?
Emperor Jing'an made up his mind: "I order the cabinet ministers to draft an edict to dispatch the Prince of Zhenbei to reinforce the northern border."
Duke Zhao felt at ease. There had been no war in Liang Province in recent years, and the sons of King Zhenbei lacked opportunities to make achievements and had no official positions.
Only the eldest son was appointed as the crown prince, while the other two sons were only minor soldiers and generals.
Emperor Jing'an solved one major issue and brought up another major headache.
"Father-in-law, the Censor mentioned the issue of refugees at the morning court today. I remember that at the end of the year, the famine reported in various places had been resolved."
Emperor Jing'an frowned and pondered, "I haven't heard of any disasters anywhere this year, so why are there refugees in Guanzhou? How did Guanzhou handle the disaster last year?"
Duke Zhao did not answer, but looked at Zhao Yi who was sitting quietly beside him.
Emperor Jing'an followed his gaze and did not intend to avoid him.
Upon seeing this, the Duke of Zhao reported, "The Ministry of Revenue has dispatched doctors to granaries across the country. They are registering the grain according to its age and quantity, and then reporting it to the Ministry of Revenue."
He expressed his doubts, "I remember that before the natural disaster, Guanzhou had a bumper harvest every year, and the granary reserves exceeded one million dan. Last year, the doctors in Guanzhou reported that they opened the granaries and lent grain to the people. Logically, there shouldn't be any refugees."
How could Emperor Jing'an not know Duke Zhao's intentions?
He explained the situation of Guanzhou's grain reserves to prove that the reserves were sufficient to deal with the disaster.
But the granary in Guanzhou was empty, and the problem of refugees was not solved.
What does this indicate?
Corruption!
“Cough cough… cough…”
Zhao Yi coughed.
Emperor Jing'an and Duke Zhao turned their gazes towards him.
Zhao Yi took a sip of warm water, his voice a little hoarse: "I'm fine, you guys continue."
Emperor Jing'an: "..."
Duke Zhao: “…”
"Yier, I'm busy now," Emperor Jing'an asked, "How do you think the Guanzhou issue should be resolved?"
"The refugees have already reached the foot of the Imperial City. The corrupt officials in Guanzhou have probably destroyed the evidence long ago. When you investigate, you'll only find the scapegoats they've fabricated. Confiscating their property and punishing their crimes won't make up for the food shortage."
Zhao Yi coughed a few times to slow down before continuing, "Granaries across the country have doctors, magistrates, and governors who manage the income and expenditure of grain. During this disaster, the reserve grain was loaned out through them."
"Your Majesty may wish to issue an edict. The granaries are now empty. When the harvest comes in May, the grain borrowed by the people must be returned to the granaries. If the grain cannot be returned, the person in charge will make up for it."
"The grain wasn't distributed to the people. It was all embezzled by officials. The disaster in Guanzhou alarmed the imperial court, and they dared not continue exploiting the people. They had no choice but to fill the gap out of their own pockets. If they can't fill the gap, they will be held accountable, and they will naturally contact other officials who conspired in this conspiracy, right?"
"You should secretly send an imperial envoy to Guanzhou, and then have another group of people issue an imperial decree to find out who has taken the grain and record them one by one. After they have filled the granary, you can find random charges to detain them, confiscate their property, and use the money to build the granary."
After hearing this, Emperor Jing'an clapped his hands and said, "Yier, you still have many good ideas."
This is indeed a good way to lure the snake out of its hole.
He asked curiously, "How did you come up with such a decent and effective trick?"
Zhao Yi said, "My wife loves reading. A few days ago, she came across a miscellany with an anecdote in it that she found very interesting, so she shared it with me, and I was inspired by it."
Emperor Jing'an was a little surprised, and his curiosity grew stronger: "What kind of story?"
Zhao Yi said calmly, "Duke Wei uses thieves to prevent thieves."
Emperor Jing'an: "..."
Duke Zhao: “…”
Zhao Yi said gently, "Your Majesty, I suggest that you prioritize grain reserves. You should encourage the people to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land, adjust taxes to increase grain reserves, and build more granaries at the border to ensure sufficient food and fodder for the border defense forces to prevent further food shortages."
Emperor Jing'an was also aware of this problem. It was precisely because of insufficient grain reserves and empty granaries that the war in the north became tense and the people were displaced.
Zhao Yi’s suggestion was very pertinent. Agriculture is the foundation of life and death for the people.
He saw that Zhao Yi's expression was indifferent, and only when Shen Qingtan was mentioned did there be some change.
Emperor Jing'an deliberately asked, "How did you come up with the proposal regarding the people's livelihood?"
Zhao Yi heard the teasing in Emperor Jing'an's words and said helplessly, "I got this inspiration from the shortage of military rations and the people's hunger."
After a pause, he continued, "You once gave me a book called 'Classics and History', which talks about how agriculture is the foundation of a country."
Emperor Jing'an looked somewhat gloomy. He had originally wanted to vigorously promote the policy of emphasizing agriculture, but legal reform was a serious matter, and he encountered resistance and had never implemented it.
He said in a deep voice: "Let's talk about the details of Guanzhou first."
After the few people finished their discussion, Duke Zhao and Zhao Yi were about to leave.
Emperor Jing'an stopped Zhao Yi and reminded him, "In a few days it will be your aunt's death anniversary. Remember to come and pay your respects to her then."
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