40 Counterattack
◎“Discussing the entry of impoverished scholars into the court, discussing the division of power among aristocratic families.”◎
Winter came suddenly, and when the cold wind swept across the entire Daliang, the capital city seemed to be engulfed in ice.
Charcoal braziers were lit in the general's mansion. These braziers were specially lit for Shen Suqin. She came from the south and couldn't stand the cold in the capital. She would stay by the brazier all day to keep warm, and she would only reluctantly step out of her room when the sun was at its strongest at noon.
Seeing this, Xiao Pingchuan had no choice but to order his men to inquire around to see if anyone could buy a fox fur coat, as it was warmer than a padded jacket.
That day, unusually, she was still sitting idly in the courtyard past noon. Xiao Pingchuan walked over and stood beside her, perfectly blocking the sunlight from her.
"Why don't you go inside and sleep?"
Shen Suqin was sitting on the veranda with her eyes closed.
"Waiting for news."
"What letter?"
"You'll see when we get there," Shen Suqin patted the railing beside her. "Want a seat?"
Xiao Pingchuan walked over and sat down beside her, placing his hands on his knees and sitting quite upright.
Shen Suqin turned to look at him, and after a long while asked, "General, do you have nothing left to say to me now?"
Xiao Pingchuan paused for a moment, then said, "No."
Shen Suqin sighed. Xiao Pingchuan had returned to the state he was in when they first met, speaking very little.
Xiao Pingchuan turned to look at her.
Shen Suqin: "Are you still angry?"
She was referring to the day at Shuyu Pavilion when she expressed her pity for him and the exchange of 300,000 shi of grain for a divorce agreement.
Xiao Pingchuan calmly shook his head and said, "I'm not angry."
Shen Suqin: "Then why do you always ignore me?"
Xiao Pingchuan asked helplessly, "What do you want me to do?"
Shen Suqin: "Can't you treat me like a regular friend, or even a brother?"
Xiao Pingchuan was speechless for a moment.
The two sat there in silence, a cool breeze passing through their ears, hair, and fingers, like fine threads enveloping them.
Xiao Pingchuan's hands were neatly placed on his knees. Shen Suqin was wearing a light green jacket, the soft color of which made the veins on the back of his hands look particularly rough and fierce. She couldn't help but reach out and gently press the veins on the back of his hand.
Xiao Pingchuan lowered his eyes and saw her stick out a fingertip from her sleeve, small and white. He was reminded of that night at the tavern.
Suddenly, the sound of bird wings flapping came from the air, followed by an arrow flying through the air.
Xiao Pingchuan guessed that this bird was the one Shen Suqin was waiting for, so he quickly took out a copper coin from his sleeve, flicked his finger, and threw it, knocking the arrow away.
“Remember to tell me in advance next time,” he said, catching the bird. “The manor is heavily guarded; not even a bird is allowed to fly.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a guard rushed over and knocked on the gate, saying, "There's a bird; we couldn't stop it."
Xiao Pingchuan waved his hand, "It's for the madam, you may leave."
Shen Suqin took the bird from his hand and said, "Thank you. This bird was specially raised by Xingyuan Restaurant to deliver messages."
As she spoke, she took the message from the bird.
Why not use carrier pigeons?
“Carrier pigeons are too conspicuous and unsafe.” Shen Suqin handed him the scroll of paper. “Take a look. It’s related to the Crown Prince.”
Xiao Pingchuan took it, and the more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed. "You're going to take action against the Pei family?"
"yes."
"Why?"
She had said before that the Pei family had deep roots, and she couldn't and wouldn't dare to touch them.
“I’m the kind of person who holds grudges. If I’ve been wronged by the Pei family, I’ll naturally get my revenge.”
"You want the Crown Prince's help?"
"Not really, I just pried open a hole and asked the Crown Prince if he wanted to take the opportunity to chisel it in further."
Xiao Pingchuan destroyed the scroll and did not reply to her directly. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "You think you can take action against the Pei family just because of a few poor scholars who failed the selection, and you even want to attack the official selection system of Liang? You have quite the nerve."
"As long as it works, can you help me make an appointment with the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Pingchuan: "Have you thought it through?"
"I've thought it through."
"good."
Late the next night, a person was discreetly ushered in through the back gate of the general's mansion.
Xiao Pingchuan personally went to pick them up and led them directly to the main courtyard.
This was the second time Shen Suqin had seen Shi Ye. Compared to the first time, the Crown Prince's aura was much stronger this time.
"Jin'an roughly told me about your plans," Shi Ye said bluntly. "Do you want to bring down the Pei family, or the other aristocratic families?"
Shen Suqin was wrapped in a pure white fox fur coat, with only her small face, no bigger than a palm, showing, which made her big eyes look exceptionally bright.
"Your Highness is overthinking it. I can neither bring down the Pei family nor the aristocratic families. These two behemoths have such deep roots that they are beyond my ability to shake them," she said.
"So what do you mean?"
"To take revenge, to explore the path, and to find out the truth—it's up to you how you interpret it."
Shi Ye glanced at Xiao Pingchuan and continued, "Do you know that this could potentially provoke a backlash from the powerful families?"
“I know, and I also know that you two have your own plans. How about we exchange secrets?” She looked up at the two men standing opposite her.
Xiao Pingchuan took half a step back, signaling Shi Ye to make the decision himself.
Shi Ye pondered for a moment, "An exchange is fine, but you have to show some sincerity first."
"I'm already helping you to take down the powerful families, isn't that enough sincerity? Your Highness, don't be too greedy."
Shi Ye was taken aback. "After all, we don't know if it will succeed, so we have to get some tangible benefits first."
“Alright,” Shen Suqin took out a jade pendant from her bosom and tossed it to him. “This is a token of the Su family of Jiaozhou. Jinyunfang now belongs to Su Yubai, the head of the Su family. If Your Highness wants money, you can go to him.”
"Su Yubai?"
"Yes, Jin Yun Fang was acquired with his help. By the way, General, a batch of winter clothes has been rushed out, about five thousand pieces, and they are on their way. General, remember to give Master Su the money."
Xiao Pingchuan clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Shi Ye stroked the jade pendant in his hand, "I thought you had forgotten about this, but I didn't expect it."
"I said I wouldn't let Your Highness suffer any loss."
She even used the Crown Prince's name to stop fabric merchants; otherwise, Jin Yun Fang's supply wouldn't have been cut off so easily.
Moreover, she heard that Shen Suqiu had once gone to see His Highness, but he had dismissed her.
In that sense, she actually benefited quite a bit from His Highness the Crown Prince.
“Okay, this ‘benefit’ is not bad,” Shi Ye said. “As for my side, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that the time isn’t right yet. Telling you would only harm you.”
He said nothing at all, and Shen Suqin was expected to press the matter further, but she simply nodded thoughtfully and said, "I understand."
“Then let’s continue talking about the Pei family,” Shen Suqin handed Shi Ye a thick stack of papers. “This is a list of poor scholars who were dismissed without cause during the ten years when Prime Minister Pei served as the Zhongzheng Review Officer.”
Officials in the Great Liang Dynasty were selected through a process called Zhongzheng Guan. The imperial court appointed officials based on three criteria: family background, social standing, and conduct. Family background primarily considered a candidate's social standing and social status. Generally, Zhongzheng Guan were officials of the second rank or above, and they themselves almost all came from prominent families. Naturally, the selection process favored choosing from these families, thus completely eliminating the path to advancement for scholars from humble backgrounds.
The other two criteria are “performance” and “conduct”. “Performance” refers to the ability to demonstrate talent, that is, to promote people based on their ability; “conduct” refers to moral character and conduct.
The list of those who were dismissed from their studies without cause, provided by Shen Suqin, included many outstanding scholars from humble backgrounds, some of whom were even quite famous throughout the country.
"I have gathered all the people on the list. They will soon enter the capital discreetly to denounce Prime Minister Pei. If they are arrested and imprisoned, I ask Your Highness to intervene and protect them."
"And what role do you play in all of this?" Shi Ye asked.
Shen Suqin smiled brightly, stood up, and leisurely recited with a wave of her sleeve: "'The cloud tower is half open and hangs high on the wall, the flying pavilion flows down to the three mountains.' I am naturally using the name of the great woman who wrote the 'Ode to the Eastern Liang' to gather people together. Your Highness, rest assured, the name I used is to invite the talented men of the world to gather in the capital to appreciate the plum blossoms and have a refined conversation. Do I need to say what the topic of the conversation is?"
Shi Ye gasped, "This isn't scouting; it's clearly stirring up chaos."
"What's there to be afraid of? We can only talk if things get out of hand."
"What do you want to talk about?" Shi Ye asked.
"Talking about poor scholars entering the court and dividing the power of aristocratic families."
Shi Ye gave a forced smile, "You're really asking for trouble."
"Your Highness, what you're saying is that decentralizing power is returning power to the emperor. Aren't you tempted?"
Divide power among aristocratic families and return power to the imperial family.
To be honest, when Shen Suqin was planning this matter, he didn't think that far ahead. The powerful families were too strong. Even if this succeeded and opened the door for poor scholars to enter the court, it would still take at least three to five years of management and operation before it was possible to gradually adjust the land tax.
The powerful families are currently at the height of their influence. To expect them to relinquish the land they've seized and hand over the power they've gained is nothing short of delusional.
Shi Ye remained silent.
After all, if he could truly shake the foundation of the aristocratic families, it would be a good thing for him.
Shen Suqin glanced at his face and said, "Then it's settled."
"Yes. There is a plum garden in the western suburbs; the discussion meeting can be held there."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Xiao Pingchuan didn't say much until he saw the Crown Prince off.
After the two saw the person off and returned inside, Shen Suqin asked softly, "What do you think about this?"
Xiao Pingchuan replied, "It's not easy. The central army of over 200,000 is entirely under Prime Minister Pei's command. Do you understand what I mean?"
"You mean it might involve the Northern Frontier and the Central Army in a confrontation?"
“Yes,” Xiao Pingchuan said, “The Black Flag Army has more than 100,000 men. If they all went south, they might have a fighting chance. But the Shatuo are watching us like tigers, so it’s impossible for them all to go south. So, it’s uncertain.” He paused, “In the future, you should still let me know in advance so I can make plans accordingly.”
"Okay, I've got it."
The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"I heard the Black Flag Army moved to Ningyuan?" Shen Suqin asked.
How did you know?
“I own Xingyuan Restaurant in Ningyuan, so sending a message won’t be difficult. What I don’t understand is, why does Lei Sheng have to go there in such a harsh climate as the Shule River?”
Lei Sheng has been eyeing the Shule River for a long time. He is determined to use the Shule River to achieve military merit and become famous throughout the world. He also wants to take this opportunity to advance his career and return to the capital to become a high-ranking official. Now that he thinks his chance has come, he is naturally unwilling to let anyone stand in his way.
"The Shatuo aren't that easy to defeat, are they?"
Xiao Pingchuan's eyes were deep. "They won't be easy to fight, especially after Zhu Xie and Ge Bo took over. He's a madman."
"Then what should we do? I have a feeling that if the Shatuo know that you are not at the border, they will definitely take action."
The problem that Shen Suqin, someone who had never been on the battlefield, could see clearly was precisely what those who held power in the court could not see.
Xiao Pingchuan replied, "Between external threats and internal stability, Your Highness has chosen the latter."
Shen Suqin nodded, "My Xingyuan Restaurant sends messages very quickly, faster than the post station. If you need it, you can contact Ju Tao."
The official road to Daliang has not been repaired for many years, and many sections are difficult for people and vehicles to travel on. The Xingyuan branches have their own communication methods and routes, which are more reliable and faster than the official post station.
"good."
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