Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Hearing the prince's answer, Wang Wenzuo smiled, but did not speak.Li Hong has been with Wang Wenzuo for a long time. He knows that Wang Wenzuo is cautious. When he gets along with people who are higher than himself, if he disagrees with the other party, at most he will not speak. If it’s not, please let Sanlang speak up!”

"Don't dare!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "Let's put it this way! If His Royal Highness really ordered to do this, even if it won't be counterproductive, it will probably be counterproductive!"

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Li Hong asked.

"It's very simple, Your Highness, do you still remember the rent adjustment of this dynasty just now? These are based on household registration, so the more household registrations in a prefecture or county, the more local taxes will be paid. You will be rewarded and promoted. If you move your household registration from the state, what is the difference from cutting the meat away from these guards?"

"You mean that the guards of the states will resist the edict?" Li Hong asked.

"That's not true, but I will definitely try to shirk and procrastinate, and find various reasons to shirk, and in the end the matter will definitely not be settled!" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Your Highness, you have to understand that even if you really ascend to the Supreme Palace in the future It’s not like you can do whatever you want, at least you can’t do things that go against the wishes of all officials!”

"That's true!" Li Hong nodded: "Then stop checking the household registration of these states and counties for the time being!"

"Then this is even more difficult!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Zuyongjiao is the lifeblood and cornerstone of the country. If the examination of the household registration numbers of officials in the prefecture and county is temporarily suspended, what will be used to determine the promotion of officials? Moreover, Guanzhong is the imperial court. As it is now, Chang’an is still short of food for three days, and the emperor even has to go to Luoyang to get food from time to time, and the Zhengshitang and the Ministry of Households will not agree!"

In ancient Chinese political culture, an important criterion for evaluating the success of a politician was whether the number of household registrations increased.For example, in "Mencius King Hui of Liang", King Hui of Liang asked Mencius: "A widow is devoted to the country, and he has no ears. Hanoi is fierce, and his people are moved to the east of the river, and his millet is moved to Hanoi. The same is true for the east of the river. There is no such thing as a widow's heart in observing the politics of a neighboring country. If the people of a neighboring country don't get smaller, and if the people of a widow don't get more, that's why." A big reason is that until the abolition of the poll tax in the Qing Dynasty, the ancient Chinese state A large part of the tax is poll tax, namely Ding Fu and counting tax, labor service and tax-free money are actually a kind of poll tax.Since it is a poll tax, the amount of the country's financial resources is directly proportional to the number of household registrations.No matter how determined the monarch is to do something, if it hurts the country's tax base, it will be difficult not to stop.

"If it is like what you said, Sanlang, then there is no other way?" Li Hong asked.

"There are ways, but we have to use the military registration of the government soldiers!" Wang Wenzuo said: "As far as I know, before Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, the military registration of the government soldiers was separate from the civilian registration of ordinary people!"

"That's right!" Li Hong immediately raised his head when he heard this, "It was about ten years after the founding of the emperor. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict ordering all the soldiers in the government to be registered as citizens. So far, the households in the government no longer live in no fixed place. That's a great deal of good governance!"

"Your Highness, what Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty did was indeed good governance, but it is different now. Now that the Guanzhong area is already densely populated, there is no way to get enough land to house soldiers. According to my ministers, it is better to list the household registrations of some of the soldiers. Enlisting in the military and then moving them to places with spare land is the real way!"

"This is a good idea!" After thinking for a moment, Li Hong asked, "What are your plans, Saburo?"

"Let's start with Weinan County first!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "First check the household registration of the military soldiers at that time. If there are any shortages, fill them with refugees and Yu Ding, and then look for places with free land to set up the military government, and then Calculate the cost of relocation, and finally implement it!"

"That's good, that's good!" Li Hong was very happy to see that Wang Wenzuo was so thoughtful: "Then I will just wait for the good news!"

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After bidding farewell to the crown prince and exiting the gate of Yanxi Palace, Wang Wenzuo got on his horse. Surrounded by the accompanying advocacy guards, passers-by gathered on both sides of the road, shoulder to shoulder, cast envious eyes at the figure on horseback, and cheered a few times. , Cheers and whistles rang out.

Wang Wenzuo is very clear that the object of these cheers is not himself - it is the mighty and neat team, the gorgeous brocade robes on the followers, and even the horse under his crotch, but it is not himself. If someone else is in his position tomorrow, these People will cheer him too.Chang'an is such a place. The residents here like lively, beautiful, and gorgeous things, but their preferences are also fickle. Today they will cheer for you, and tomorrow they may greet you for the head hanging in front of the West City Gate. spit.This is Chang'an, like a beautiful woman, alluring and dangerous.

Back at the residence, the door of the mansion was already opened, Cui Yunying and several servant girls greeted him in front of the main room, Wang Wenzuo handed the reins to Sangqiu, and walked up the steps by himself: "Today, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace has given you some snacks, I am not hungry! "

"The concubine will wait for the gentleman to clean up first!" Cui Yunying said with a smile: "I have learned a few massage skills from the doctor in the past few days, and I can just push your shoulders for you!"

"That's good!" Wang Wenzuo nodded in satisfaction. Cui Yunying can be said to be a perfect wife: beautiful, considerate, smart, knowledgeable, and good at housekeeping. As long as she is at home, everything will be arranged in order. Wang Wenzuo doesn't need flowers at all With a little thought, now he finally understands why the masters of Datang regard marrying a Cui family daughter as one of their lifelong pursuits.

Back in the house, Wang Wenzuo changed into a jacket, let Cui Yunying sit on him, kneaded some stiff shoulders, and hummed comfortably from time to time, and soon fell into a half-asleep and half-awake state.

"Lang Jun, there is a guest in the house today!" Cui Yunying's hand stopped suddenly.

"Hmm! Don't stop!"

"En!" Cui Yunying responded, and hurriedly moved her hands again: "It's Lu Zhaolin!"

"Lu Zhaolin?" Wang Wenzuo snorted, "Hands are important, I can live and eat. Isn't he in Chengdu?"

"Hey!" Cui Yunying responded, and hurriedly added three points of strength: "He came to Chang'an in March this year, and he came less than three months later than us!"

"Oh, why did he come to Chang'an?"

"He didn't say anything today!" Cui Yunying said in a low voice, "But judging from my concubine's body, it should be to seek an official!"

"Hmm!" Wang Wenzuo snorted twice, and twisted his neck comfortably. Seeing this, Cui Yunying didn't know what her husband's attitude was. Not very successful? Even the clothes on his body are a little old, so I gave him fifty pens as a gift, and he accepted it!"

"Oh!" Wang Wenzuo replied noncommittally: "Chang'an Migui, it's not easy to live in a big place! By the way, who's the door did he follow when he asked for an official?"

Cui Yunying was taken aback when she heard the words, thinking to herself that everyone has come to our house, and you still don't know who you want to find?She didn't know what Wang Wenzuo was thinking, and she didn't dare to speak out, so she said cautiously: "I didn't ask carefully, maybe I found a connection with a certain king?"

Wang Wenzuo snorted, but did not make a sound for a while. Just when Cui Yunying thought her husband had fallen asleep, she suddenly heard Wang Wenzuo say: "If he comes again, let him stay and have dinner with me when I come back!"

"Okay, I remember!" Cui Yunying laughed, happy that the poet she liked since she was a child got a new opportunity.

But Cui Yunying did not wait for Lu Zhaolin's next visit. Four days later, Lu Zhaolin's servant came to the palace in a panic, begging to be received by his master. in prison.

"Don't be in a hurry, speak slowly, and explain bit by bit clearly!" Wang Wenzuo said in a deep voice.

"Yes, yes!" The house slave was obviously terrified and was incoherent: "Two days ago, a friend invited the master to be a guest. He said that Lantai Taishiling had compiled a wonderful book, and invited scholars from all over the world to come and read it." Tasting, if anyone can point out that it is wrong, Lantai Taishi Ling will give it a thousand gold. The master went there, but the master was taken away the next day, saying that the poem was mocking the present, and he must be severely punished!"

"Lantai Taishi Ling? What kind of official is this?" Wang Wenzuo frowned. Although he traveled for many years, he spent most of his time commanding troops on the border and fighting at the border. He was not very familiar with the official system in the court. After that, he changed the title of the official every three days, and he couldn't remember it at all.

"Do you know the name of that noble man?"

"The surname seems to be Wu, no, it seems to be Helan—"

Looking at the domestic slave kneeling on the ground scratching his head trying to remember, Wang Wenzuo finally despaired: "If you don't even know the nobleman's last name, then I have nothing to do!" He got up and was about to leave when Cui Yunying beside him He whispered: "Mr. Lang, I remember that the queen has a nephew named He Lanminzhi. He seems to be this official. The queen dotes on him very much and let this nephew inherit her father's title, so she changed her surname to Wu , could it be him?"

"It's him?" Wang Wenzuo slapped his forehead: "If it's really him, then Lu Zhaolin is hopeless!"

It is no wonder that Wang Wenzuo said so. Cui Yunying said that He Lanmin is the son of Han Gong Helan Anshi, and his mother, Mrs. Han, is the sister of Wu Zetian's first mother.According to the practice at the time, the queen's relatives would be specially awarded officials and nobles, but because Wu Zetian's biological mother was treated harshly by her two elder brothers, Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang, after Wu Zetian was named queen, not only did she not treat Wu's family favorably. Instead, he exiled both elder brothers to the Southwest, and gave all the political resources to his nephew He Lanminzhi, who was given the surname Wu, inherited the title of Wu Zetian's father, Wushi Xun, and served as secretary supervisor (Lan Minzhi) Taishi Ling), presided over the Hongwen Museum, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is for him to recruit talents through compiling books, accumulate fame, and run all the way to the Zhengshitang.If Lu Zhaolin really offended this old man, it would be hopeless.

"Lang Jun, this Lu Zhaolin's mistake should have been unintentional. His family is a family friend with mine, and he is also a well-known scholar in the world. If possible, please save him!" Cui Yunying said.

"The specific situation is not clear now, and it is too early to talk about whether to save or not!" Wang Wenzuo called Cui Hongdu and asked him to find out what happened first, and take the slave into custody without mentioning it.

In the evening, Cui Hongdu came back, and the news he brought back made Cui Yunying's face pale. It was indeed He Lanminzhi who offended Lu Zhaolin. What's worse, the document he accused at the time was "Thirty Kingdoms Spring and Autumn", the book In fact, it was compiled at the order of the queen.

"Brother Lu is too ignorant of current affairs!" Cui Hongdu said in a low voice: "Who in Beijing doesn't know that Empress Wu is behind He Lanmin? Compiling "Thirty Kingdoms Spring and Autumn" is also to increase the empress's popularity, and Lu Zhaolin I used to be a literary attendant for King Deng, and this time I went back to Chang'an to follow the path of a certain king. This is a pawn who crossed the river! If He Lan Minzhi doesn't kill him, what will the queen's face be? Sanlang, in my opinion Don't worry about this matter!"

Wang Wenzuo didn't speak. He really didn't expect Lu Zhaolin to get himself into such a big pit after two days of absence. The city of Chang'an is really full of landmines!It’s no wonder that there were so many honorable and noble clans in Emperor Taizong’s time, and now there are not many left. Line struggles are always present. If you accidentally say a wrong sentence, the whole family will go to the execution ground.After thinking for a while, he said, "Let's take a look first! Yunying, you give that slave a hundred guan to bribe the jailer and make Mr. Lu's life in prison more comfortable. This case will last for a while. It won’t end, as long as you don’t die, there is hope!”

"Yes!" Cui Hongdu replied and went out.Cui Yunying glanced at Wang Wenzuo with shame: "Your Majesty, it's all my fault, and I almost got my family involved!"

"I can't blame you!" Wang Wenzuo patted his wife on the shoulder: "It's me. If you don't ask, you don't know there is someone like He Lanminzhi. Forget it, according to my opinion, Mr. Lu may not be able to do it this time." Death, after all, this is a fight between immortals, but it is inevitable that you will suffer a lot. Besides, he is a Hebei native, and there is no one in the court. It is too difficult to make a way in Chang'an with only poetry. Even if he is really made a fifth- and sixth-rank official, without strong Austrian support, he will accidentally be involved in an inexplicable case, lose his life, and even implicate his relatives and friends. Why is this necessary? If he If you can come out alive this time, you can persuade him. If he wants to be an official, I will find him an official in Waguo and Xiongjin. Although it is not as good as the official in Tang Dynasty, the salary is nothing It will be less!"

"Yeah!" Cui Yunying nodded upon hearing the words: "Husband, what you said is that if Mr. Lu can come out this time, he will definitely change his mind, and he will listen to you!"

"That's good!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "As the saying goes, if you survive a catastrophe, you will have future blessings! Mr. Lu's disaster this time may become a blessing later!" (End of this chapter)