Qin Bingzhong then turned his gaze away from the book, looked at Qin Huizhi in surprise, pointed his finger, and casually said, "Sit."
Then he simply took the book and walked to the desk in the corner of the study, frowning and continuing to read.
Qin Huizhi sat down opposite Fu Xiaoguan, and Qin Mowen brewed a pot of new tea.
Fu Xiaoguan did not have a very deep impression of Qin Huizhi. Although this person held a high position as the Vice Prime Minister of the Council of State, he rarely spoke at court meetings. Fu Xiaoguan happened to seldom attend court meetings, which led to the fact that Fu Xiaoguan knew such a person but could not get to know him.
At this moment, the distance was so close that he couldn't help but take a few more glances——
His face is thin but resolute, his eyebrows are sparse but straight, and especially the two clear nasolabial folds on both sides of his nose further highlight the majesty of this face.
Qin Mowen was obviously a little afraid of his father. Ever since Qin Huizhi came in, he lowered his head and silently made tea, behaving like a good boy, without a trace of the domineering attitude of a frontier official.
Fu Xiaoguan looked at Qin Huizhi, but Qin Huizhi just glanced at him.
"Before you returned to the capital, Prime Minister Yan advocated the promotion of a policy of combining commerce and agriculture. I once argued with Prime Minister Yan in the Golden Palace... I believe that food is the most important thing for the people. Millennia of agricultural civilization have flourished, and this land has produced hundreds of millions of people. However, I have never heard of any business that can solve people's food and clothing problems, or allow them to live and reproduce in peace.
Therefore, in the court, some people label those officials who emphasize agriculture, led by this official, as conservatives, while those who emphasize commerce, led by the Prime Minister of Yan, are called reformers.
Qin Huizhi raised his eyes, looked at Fu Xiaoguan, and asked, "If we trace the origin of this national policy, it was naturally proposed by you, sir. So I came here today to ask you, sir, is this action of yours intended to destroy the country of the Yu Dynasty?"
This is not just a simple question, it is putting a huge hat on Fu Xiaoguan!
Even Qin Mowen's hand, which was twisting the teapot, paused. He frowned, raised his head, and looked at his father, Qin Huizhi.
Qin Huizhi naturally ignored him. His energetic eyes were still staring at Fu Xiaoguan, as if he wanted to see the meanness hidden in Fu Xiaoguan's heart from his eyes.
Fu Xiaoguan's eyes were calm as he looked at Qin Huizhi. The corners of his mouth curled up, his eyebrows curved, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Master Qin should have spoken to His Majesty in the Golden Palace. You and I..." Fu Xiaoguan spread his hands, "It's really useless. Of course, although my rank is half a level lower than yours, and the Ministry of Commerce is under the jurisdiction of the Political Affairs Hall, I will never acknowledge your unwarranted slander. I even want to ask you, sir, do you have the ability to stop the progress of this reform?"
Qin Huizhi frowned, and Fu Xiaoguan continued, "If Sir Qin has the ability to stop this revolution, then he should focus his efforts on dealing with Prime Minister Yan in the Golden Palace. If Sir Qin can't stop this trend... the eyes of the world are all very sharp, no one is blind. Merits and demerits will naturally be judged by others, and it's not your turn to make such a naive conclusion."
Fu Xiaoguan still saved some face for Qin Huizhi in his words. This was because Qin Mowen was here and he didn't have many friends. He didn't want to lose a friend because of this trivial matter.
But it was obvious that Qin Huizhi came prepared. After hearing this, he did not get angry or upset, but instead smiled:
"You are from the Wu Dynasty, the eldest prince of the Wu Dynasty, and according to common sense, you should be the emperor of the Wu Dynasty at this moment."
"The Book of Filial Piety states that one's body and hair are inherited from one's parents. The blood of Emperor Wen flows in your veins, carrying the hopes of hundreds of millions of people in the Wu Dynasty. If this policy is truly good, wouldn't you, as the ruler of a nation, implement it in the Wu Dynasty with half the effort? But why did you abandon the throne of the Wu Dynasty and come to the Yu Dynasty to deal with this?"
Qin Huizhi poked half of his head out, staring intently at Fu Xiaoguan, and paused for three breaths. "Because you know in your heart that this is a plan that will bring disaster to the country and the people! When everyone in the world pursues commercial profits, when the fields of the Yu Dynasty become barren, when tens of thousands of villages and towns are deserted... at that time, will the people of the Yu Dynasty eat dirt? Eat silver? Eat cloth? I'm afraid they will have all of these, but no food. Your plan can really wipe out every family. It's a pity that Prime Minister Yan and His Majesty were deceived by you and didn't know that the Yu Dynasty was in imminent danger!"
"As for why I didn't bring this up in the Golden Palace, it's because you're His Majesty's son-in-law. I came to you hoping you could come forward and ask His Majesty to retract this national policy. Or... you could go to the Wu Dynasty and become the emperor. When I come to the Wu Dynasty, I'll kneel before you and respectfully address you as Your Majesty."
"What do you think?"
Fu Xiaoguan was silent for a few breaths, then shook his head, "Not really!"
"Master Qin, history is always moving forward. While millennia of farming are certainly true, the reality is that commerce has developed. The clothes Master Qin wears aren't made of animal skins and leaves from millennia ago, but are made of genuine brocade and cotton. Everything used in Master Qin's residence is also the product of commercial workshops."
"I merely accelerated and advanced the already unstoppable trend of commerce. I never imagined that in Lord Qin's eyes, I was plotting to take over the Yu Dynasty."
Fu Xiaoguan laughed and shook his head. "You think too highly of me, sir. I don't even want to be the emperor of the Wu Dynasty. I just want to be a small and stable landowner in Linjiang. All I do is to make my family more prosperous and to ensure that my family can have enough food and clothing."
Qin Huizhi straightened up and stroked his short beard. "So, you are determined to do this, sir?"
"I think that Sir Qin has misjudged the situation."
"There are countless countries in the world, why are you so obsessed with the Yu Dynasty?"
"Because I was born and raised in the Yu Dynasty, I naturally want to do this for the good of the Yu Dynasty."
Qin Huizhi took a deep breath, stood up, and walked two steps in the study with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he turned back and said, "Since you are determined to push the Yu Dynasty into the abyss, I will naturally not watch and do nothing. You, please take care of yourself!"
Qin Huizhi walked towards the door of the study. Fu Xiaoguan turned back to look at his back and said, "Master Qin, it's a pity for your eyes."
Qin Huizhi frowned and turned back, their eyes meeting again. "It doesn't matter if you misjudge the future of the New Deal, but if you misjudge the future East Palace of the Yu Dynasty... many people will die!"
Qin Huizhi's eyes narrowed, his gaze like a sword, piercing Fu Xiaoguan's heart. However, Fu Xiaoguan raised his teacup from a distance and said, "Although our paths are different, I still advise you to turn back!"
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