Li Hong seemed to have expected it. He looked down at his shoes without saying anything, just waiting to hear what Dai Zhide wanted to do.
Dai Zhide glanced at Li Hong, then bowed to Li Zhi again and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not agree with the Crown Prince's proposal to exchange cloth for cash. Nowadays, there is a price difference between the east and west markets. If someone seeks to make a profit from the price difference during the exchange, it will be a huge loss for the officials of the court. Moreover, cloth and other items are gifts from Your Majesty to the guilty ministers and other officials. How can the gifts from the emperor be calculated in money? Isn't it a blasphemy to the grace of the emperor?"
Li Hong still lowered his head, and reluctantly changed his position with the Minister of Personnel, standing next to the new Minister of Rites Zhang Jianzhi. He ignored Dai Zhide's righteousness and asked Zhang Jianzhi in a low voice, "How is it? Are you adapting to Chang'an? Have your family members come with you?"
Zhang Jianzhi had long heard that the Crown Prince was not bound by tradition and did not abide by the rules of the court, but when he saw it with his own eyes, he was still shocked.
His proposal was being opposed in the court, and it was his mortal enemy who was opposing him, but he didn't listen carefully. Instead, he came to him and chatted with him in a relaxed manner!
There are many rules in the court, and ministers are not allowed to whisper to each other during court. Zhang Jianzhi naturally knows this, but when His Royal Highness asked him about this, he had to bow slightly, looking straight ahead, and whispered, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Since this is an urgent summons, I am the only one here with a servant. My family should be on the way to Chang'an at this time."
"Oh, have you found a house? Where are you going to live? After the court session, when you have time, go to my Ministry of Revenue." Li Hong glanced at Dai Zhide who was still talking to his father, and continued.
Zhang Jianzhi immediately looked embarrassed, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince urgently summoned him to be the Minister of Rites, which was already against the laws of the Tang Dynasty. Now, was this a naked attempt to win him over?
Li Hong looked at his troubled face, how could he not know what he was thinking, he smiled faintly and said: "Don't think too much about you, what's the point of me trying to win you over? I urgently summoned you because I know you are worthy of my urgent summons, because I believe you can be competent for the position of Minister of Rites, because I believe you can contribute to the country of Tang. In the past, you were just unlucky and your talent was not appreciated. You are a thousand-mile horse, and I will be a horse trainer. You don't need to take this matter to heart."
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"In that case, I would like to thank Your Highness. I wonder what instructions you have for me in the Ministry of Revenue?" Zhang Jianzhi immediately bowed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. He did not expect that his little thoughts would be discovered by His Highness the Crown Prince so quickly. His face also blushed slightly. He was just a Shangshu, perhaps not worthy of His Highness the Crown Prince's blatant attempt to win him over in the court.
"Oh, it's nothing. All officials above the third rank who are transferred from local areas to Chang'an will receive a resettlement allowance, which will be used for you to find a house and all other expenses." Li Hong said lightly.
"Why have I never heard anyone talk about this?" After arriving at the Ministry of Rites, the Minister and others would naturally tell him everything, but he had never heard anyone talk about it.
"Oh, I just ordered it after seeing you today." Li Hong said shamelessly as if it was a matter of course.
"This... I'm afraid it's inappropriate. I feel unworthy for setting this precedent for you." Zhang Jianzhi did not expect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be so "reckless" because he actually wanted to change a law.
"It's not about whether it's appropriate or not. It's already a rare honor for a local official to enter Chang'an. He often can't reunite with his family, so it's human nature to provide some financial comfort. Besides, you're not the only one. In the future, every third-rank official transferred to Chang'an and Luoyang will receive this resettlement allowance. Feel free to use it. There's no need to feel pressured..."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, the Emperor is asking you a question." The Minister of Personnel, who had exchanged seats with him, saw that the Emperor looked over and saw him, and glared at him unhappily. The Minister of Personnel Li Yiyan was so scared that his legs went weak, and he hurriedly secretly reminded the Crown Prince who was still chatting with Zhang Jianzhi.
"Ah? What's the matter?" Li Hong reacted and looked at Li Zhi, blinking his innocent eyes and asked.
As soon as Li Zhi saw Dai Zhide's behavior, he knew that Dai Zhide had not listened to a word he had asked him, so he lazily said to Dai Zhide: "If you have any grievances, please tell me again and I will see how he answers."
Dai Zhide's face also turned black. He had been preparing materials for the past few days and read through the Four Books and Five Classics and other sage books just to find knowledge to challenge His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but he didn't expect that the other party didn't take it seriously at all.
But at this moment, His Majesty gave him a chance to tell his grievances, and Dai Zhide did not mind repeating what he was about to say. So he half turned around and performed the emperor-subject etiquette to Li Hong, and then was about to speak.
The Crown Prince waved his hand at him, signaling him to wait. Li Hong looked at the court officials and said loudly, "Where are the Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple Wang Xingben, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites Su Wei, and the Minister of the Imperial College Liu Xun?"
Dai Zhide looked at Li Hong calling out the names of the three people, and the originally proud and generous expression on his face turned a little ugly.
Li Hong watched the three people coming from behind. After paying his respects to Li Zhi, he pointed to the side of Dai Zhide and motioned them to stand over there.
Then Li Hongcai slowly took two more steps forward and stood not far from Dai Zhide. He said solemnly, "Let me answer your first question first, which is about your objection to my exchanging cloth for cash."
Wu Mei, who was hiding in the back hall, was not watching Li Hong go to court for the first time, but it was the first time that she saw Li Hong's serious expression. She couldn't help but think: The little bastard has grown up so fast, and he is already fourteen years old. He has caused a lot of trouble to me over the years.
"Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty said in Baopuzi Mingben: 'Things are valuable when they are scarce, and cheap when they are abundant.' The royal gifts are based on the principle that things are valuable when they are rare. If you, Dai Zhide, say that cloth, silk, and satin are all gifts from His Majesty, don't you think that the royal gifts are too cheap?" Li Hong said as he walked up to Dai Zhide and slapped the booklet that Xu Jingzong had given him yesterday on his chest.
Then he slowly walked to Li Zhi, took out another booklet and placed it on the table, and continued: "Why did the Tang Dynasty use cloth, silk, beans, etc. as salaries? I don't need to tell you, all the officials know it in their hearts. That's because the Tang Dynasty had no money at the beginning. The copper coins were either monopolized by the rich or hidden by the people. As a result, the Tang Dynasty had no money to use, so the emperor had to use cloth, silk, beans, and millet as money as salaries. Now, the Tang Dynasty is famous all over the world, and all countries pay homage to it. It is already a peaceful and prosperous era. Whether it is new money or old money, the Tang Dynasty can now ensure the circulation of sufficient copper coins. Why do we still stick to the old system?"
"Cloth, silk, beans, and millet, those were the means of barter in primitive society, and they were a last resort when expensive metals like copper coins were scarce. Dai Zhide, you don't want us to go back to the days of wearing animal skins, do you? Oh, maybe you can't understand what I'm saying, so I won't explain it to you. You won't understand even if I explain it. Now let's talk about your second question." Li Hong looked at the pedantic Dai Zhide with disdain. At this moment, his face was dark red and swollen like a purple eggplant.
Dai Zhide quickly flipped through the booklet in his hand, then looked coldly at the three people called up by Li Hong. The four of them looked at each other, wondering how such a secret matter was discovered by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
"Dai Zhide, is everything written here true? Did he take in Japanese women, Silla maids, Kunlun slaves, and money?" Li Zhi flipped through it and threw it behind him. He knew Wu Mei was right behind him, and he was too lazy to look at it, so he let the queen look at it herself.
"Your Majesty, part of it is true, and part of it is speculation. As the saying goes: If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. I think that even if the part is true, it is our private matter and has nothing to do with the affairs of the court. As ministers of the Tang Dynasty and ministers of the superior country, we have the responsibility to educate the vassal states with 'rule of virtue', 'rule of courtesy' and 'rule of man', and the 'Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues' are the foundation of our Tang Dynasty. The vassal states grant them to us, which is also a respect for our Tang Dynasty. Just imagine, if in the future, the envoys of the vassal states and others can meet the officials of the same court of our Tang Dynasty, and they are always treated with courtesy, and we return them with benefits, wouldn't it be harmonious and happy? It can reflect the majesty and magnanimity of our great country, and can also bring benefits and respect to others. Why not do it?" Dai Zhide said in a loud voice. He did not take the bribes of the Japanese and Goryeo envoys to heart at all, but was complacent.
Li Hong couldn't help feeling a little ashamed when listening to Dai Zhide's dignified words. It was the first time he met a shameless person who could talk about accepting bribes in such a noble way. Now he had to look at Dai Zhide with a new eye.
"Lord Dai, you are amazing. This is the first time I've heard of someone accepting a bribe and being so confident. You speak as if you would lose face for the Tang Dynasty if you don't accept it. I really feel bad for you." Li Hong smiled and bowed to Dai Zhide.
"Hmph, Your Highness the Crown Prince, please don't make insinuations and false accusations against me, Dai Zhide. I cannot afford to bear this. What I have done can be reported to Heaven and Earth. A real man should live up to his reputation in the world." Dai Zhide raised his head and looked towards the top of the court, seeming disdainful of talking to Li Hong.
"Six virtues: wisdom, trustworthiness, holiness, benevolence, righteousness, and loyalty. Six conducts: filial piety, friendship, harmony, marriage, tenacity, and compassion. Six arts: propriety, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. This is the fundamental education of our Great Tang to educate the people. The Zhou rituals and Confucianism that you advocate are nothing more than the evolution of the three sixes. No matter whether it is the 'Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues', no matter whether it is the rule of virtue, the rule of propriety, or the rule of man, nothing is more people-oriented and based on the people of the world. The people of our Great Tang are not yet fully civilized. I don't know where you get the ability to civilize the ignorance of the foreign countries? Do the vassal states respect you, Dai Zhide, because our Great Tang is strong, or do they respect the Great Tang because of your Dai Zhide? Putting the cart before the horse, how can you have the face to say that Japan bribed you and you can still face the sky and the earth?" Li Hong licked his lips. He had given up on Dai Zhide in his heart. This man must not stay in the court anymore!
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