People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1753: Marrying a cousin and planning the Silk Road
Red lanterns are hung high in the palace.

There is a charming atmosphere in Ganlu Hall.

Zhao Huan, wearing a green wedding dress with gold threads and red edges, and heavy gold ornaments on her head, looked around with curiosity.

In the inner hall, six maids in pink looked ahead cautiously, while more palace maids and eunuchs stood in the outer hall.

Zhao Huan held the silk at the bottom of his sleeves with both hands, rubbing it constantly, while his eyes were fixed on the entire luxurious palace.

Suddenly, her ears moved slightly, and then a crisp sound of footsteps was heard.

"Everyone go out." A familiar voice came, it was Li Xuan.

The maids and eunuchs in the hall immediately bowed and left the inner hall.

Li Xuan, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the imperial couch. Looking at Zhao Huan, who was not very nervous, he gently held her hand and asked in a low voice, "Huan'er, have you eaten?"

"I've eaten, brother." Zhao Huan leaned a little closer to Li Xuan and said softly, "Brother!"

Li Xuan smiled softly, hugged Zhao Huan into his arms, and whispered: "Do you remember when you were little?"

"Yeah." Zhao Huan held Li Xuan's hand and said with a blush, "We were like this when we were little..."

A trace of memory flashed across Li Xuan's face. When they were young, they grew up together like this.

"After tonight, brother will accompany you for a few days." Li Xuan's hand quietly touched Zhao Huan's buttons.

Zhao Huan didn't care, he just whispered: "Is the matter in the court not related?"

"It's okay. Everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged." Li Xuan took off Zhao Huan's skirt, threw it under the bed, and then hugged her and lay down on the bed.

The bed curtains fell and swayed gently.

It lasted all night.

……

Early in the morning, Zhao Huan finally woke up.

Looking at Li Xuan lying beside him, Zhao Huan couldn't help but be dazed for a moment.

When she was young, her mother had said more than once that she wanted her to marry Li Xuan, but unfortunately, her mother's say did not count in Li Xuan's marriage. Even Li Xuan's mother's say did not count. In the end, the emperor himself arranged the marriage.

Zhao Huan was still young at that time and knew nothing at all.

By the time she gets older, it will be too late.

However, strangely, many people came to her house to propose marriage, but her father rejected them all.

It was not until today that Zhao Huan realized that her cousin had always reserved a place for her, and her father and mother knew everything about it.

At this moment, Li Xuan's eyes trembled slightly, and the next moment, he opened his eyes and woke up.

Feeling the smoothness and softness pressing against her body, Li Xuan reached out and hugged her beautiful face close to him, and then whispered, "Why, haven't you seen through it after watching it all night?"

Zhao Huan's face suddenly turned red with embarrassment.

Li Xuan smiled and said, "Sleep a little longer. Uncle and Qi'er will come here at 9:00 p.m. today."

"Yeah!" Zhao Huan calmed down a little, then looked at Li Xuan and said, "Brother, Grandpa didn't allow me to enter the government, is that because he is waiting for now?"

"I guess so." Li Xuan nodded and said, "If he had entered the government a few years earlier, I would not have used him, but I would definitely not have placed him in an important position. But next year, he will pass the imperial examination and enter the government. Although he will not be the top scorer, his ranking will not be too bad. He can observe government affairs in Chang'an for a period of time and then be released as a county lieutenant."

"County lieutenant?" Zhao Huan couldn't help but blink.

"The rank of county lieutenant is not low." Li Xuan looked up and said softly, "After serving as county lieutenant for a year and achieving good results, my brother can transfer Zhao Qi to Chang'an to be a supervisory censor. Supervisory censors can sometimes enter the palace to participate in government affairs, which is a power only fifth-rank officials have."

"Yeah!" Zhao Huan nodded, not quite understanding.

Li Xuan sighed and said, "The world is finally safe now. It's not like in the early days when we had to live in fear."

Li Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly. Everyone was trembling with fear when Empress Wu took over the government.

When Li Xuan was in power, at least he was reasonable and there were not so many grudges and vendettas.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xuan looked at Lu Yuanfang, Wang Dezhen, Li Yiyan and Zhang Daan, and said seriously: "If the Tang Dynasty wants to prosper, there are two roads, the taxes from all the prefectures and counties in the world and the wealth from the Western Regions. If we only rely on one leg, there will be problems."

"Yes!" Lu Yuanfang and others bowed in unison.

Li Xuan nodded and continued, "Now that we are deep into winter, the people are staying at home. It is a good time for the counties to review the prisons throughout the year and prepare for next spring planting."

"Yes!" The ministers bowed slightly.

At this time, Xu Lu stood in front of the palace gate and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Chief of Yongzhou and the East and West Market Magistrates have arrived."

"Pass it on!" Li Xuan raised his hand and his expression became solemn. Today's court affairs finally got to the point.

Liu Zhirou, Lu Yuan, and Pei Tan entered the hall and bowed in unison, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live a long and healthy life."

"Stand up." Li Xuan raised his hand slightly, and the three of them bowed at the same time: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Xuan nodded, took the memorial beside him, and said, "I have read the total tax revenue of the East and West Markets this year. Compared with last year, it has almost doubled. Of course, it is due to the war last year, but I also know your efforts."

"Your Majesty is wise." Liu Zhirou and the other two bowed in unison.

"Compared to the year before last, this number is much higher, but compared to the year before that, it is inferior." Li Xuan put the memorial aside and said, "I will not pursue the past, but next year, I hope that the amount can be higher than this year."

"We will definitely do our best."

"You have done a good job, but I have discovered that there are some omissions in the transactions in Chang'an." Li Xuan took another memorial and said, "For example, in the dock warehouses outside Chunming Gate and Jinguang Gate, some people did not enter Chang'an City at all, but traded directly outside the city, which ultimately led to the court losing a lot of tax revenue, and also caused those merchants who paid taxes honestly to lose some pricing and profits."

"We are guilty." Liu Zhirou and the other two bowed their hands together.

However, Lu Yuan and Pei Tan were a little confused. If it was just these things, they were clearly the affairs of Yongzhou Prefecture. What did they have to do with them? Yongzhou Prefecture only needed to ban these places where private transactions took place.

"So I have decided to set up a market for the East and West markets at Chunmingmen and Jinguangmen docks for the purpose of taxation. At the same time, we will strictly investigate all private transactions. If we cannot stop them, we will drive them to Qizhou and Huazhou, far away from Chang'an." Li Xuan waved his hand directly, and the ministers' eyes lit up. They bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

"The issue of market tax concerns the taxation of the Tang Dynasty. Tell the merchants at home and abroad that if there is tax evasion again, don't blame me for levying commercial taxes." Li Xuan's eyes turned slightly cold.

The ministers were immediately awed and immediately bowed and said, "Yes!"

There was no commercial tax in the Tang Dynasty, but there were several other taxes such as customs taxes and market taxes.

If the Tang Dynasty levies commercial taxes, the living costs of domestic and foreign merchants and the people will increase, and only the court's tax revenue will increase.

"Do a good job. If you get the East and West Markets done well, I don't mind promoting the East and West Market Supervisor to a higher level." Li Xuan casually threw a sweet date down.

"We obey your orders." Lu Yuan and Pei Tan were immediately cheered up.

The East-West Market Supervisor is an official position above the sixth rank. What Li Xuan is talking about here is not the promotion from the sixth rank to the regular sixth rank, but the promotion from the sixth rank to the fifth rank.

Even though they were of the fifth rank or below, they were still qualified to attend court and participate in government affairs.

"The palace will grant each of you five pieces of silk and send someone to deliver them to your respective homes." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly and said, "Withdraw."

"We obey your command." The three of them bowed in unison and then retreated.

After the three people left, Lu Yuanfang stood up and said, "Your Majesty, if you promote officials so casually, I'm afraid it will cause chaos in the court!"

"I am just making a promise." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly and said, "If they can develop the East-West Market to a level that satisfies me in the future, then I will use the taxes from the East-West Market to support these two people. If they cannot support themselves and give back to the court, then they can forget about promotion."

Li Xuan's expression turned cold. A capable person could get any official position under him, but if he was not capable, he would have nothing.

"Yes!" All the ministers in the hall bowed.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "Let's continue discussing the optimization of the Silk Road. Changzhou Governor Nan Ju will be transferred to the north..."

……

Under the night sky, the lights are brilliant.

In Pingkangfang, during the twelfth lunar month, music can be heard day and night.

On the top floor of a remote restaurant, Tang Jianri stood looking at the people coming and going with a dazed look in his eyes.

Behind him, Cheng Zheng, dressed in a green robe and with a short beard, was drinking calmly.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard from downstairs. Tang Jianri and Cheng Zheng immediately sat up straight. At the same time, Tang Jianri carefully closed the window and looked out through the window gap with a vigilant look. Everything seemed natural.

At this moment, a complaint came from downstairs: "Why did you choose such a place for the party?"

"Because this is our own place, we don't have to worry about being monitored here." Tang Jianri stood at the door and looked at Jiang Xia who was walking over.

Jiang Xia immediately stopped and looked at Tang Jianri with a puzzled look on his face, and said, "Brother Tang, what do you mean by this?"

"Brother Jiang, there are more secret guards in your family recently, right?" Tang Jianri looked at Jiang Xia with a smile.

Jiang Xia took a deep breath and looked at Tang Jianri at the door, Cheng Zheng inside the door, and Zhou Jitong behind him. He frowned and said, "Whatever you want to do, it has nothing to do with me."

"It has nothing to do with the county princess?" Tang Jianri looked at Jiang Xia with a half-smile and said, "Jiang Shang followed Emperor Taizong to fight in Liaodong and died in the end. That's why your brother married the county princess. Now that Emperor Taizong has lost his throne, will Brother Jiang really not care?"

Jiang Xia was the youngest son of Prime Minister Jiang Xingben during the reign of Emperor Taizong, and the son-in-law of Dou Huaiqi, the governor of Youzhou, and Princess Gao Shun, the daughter of Princess Lanling.

He was the son-in-law of Emperor Taizong's granddaughter.

Jiang Xia looked at the people in front of him with a complicated expression.

Tang Jianri is the son of Tang Yishi and Princess Yuzhang; Cheng Zheng is the son of Cheng Chuliang and Princess Qinghe; and Zhou Jitong, who had just tricked him over, is the son of former Yingzhou governor Zhou Wudao and Princess Linchuan.

They are all grandsons of Emperor Taizong.

"You just said that this is your place?" Jiang Xia suddenly raised his head and looked at Tang Jianri. Tang Jianri nodded directly. Jiang Xia asked again: "I have cleaned it inside and outside."

"Okay." Jiang Xia walked past Tang Jianri and entered the room. Then he knelt down in front of the low table in the middle and said directly, "You have no chance."

Tang Jianri walked over to sit opposite Jiang Xia, Cheng Zheng and Zhou Jitong sat on both sides, and the three of them looked at Jiang Xia seriously: "Why?"

"Let's not talk about other places." Jiang Xia shook his head and said, "In Hebei, although the Duke of Pingyuan has retired, he is still there. The left guard has been keeping an eye on Hebei, and there is also the Yingzhou governor Di Huaiying, who has blocked all external contacts.

As for the governor of Jizhou, Xue Jichang, although he was the son of the Duke of Pingyang and the cousin of Xue Na, he felt ashamed of Xue Na's affairs and was extremely disgusted with Emperor Gaozong's lineage. "

"In other words, the Lord of Julu County and Brother Jiang have tried to make a move?" Zhou Jitong raised his head and stared at Jiang Xia.

"It's useless. The Cui family of Qinghe and the Li family of Zhaojun refused to help. We can't move at all. If we move, the army will immediately attack. So under duress, my father-in-law submitted a congratulatory letter to the emperor to express his submission." Jiang Xia sighed and explained everything very clearly.

"In other words, the Duke of Julu County can gain the trust of the pseudo-emperor?" Tang Jianri's words caused Jiang Xia's expression to change slightly.

Looking at Jiang Xia who remained silent, Tang Jianri continued, "Brother Jiang should know that the false emperor has deployed troops in Hebei. According to the precedents of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong, the false emperor will inevitably deploy troops against Silla within three to five years. By that time, we will all be transferred to Hebei to cut off his food supply..."

……

After a long time, only Jiang Xia and Tang Jianri were left in the room.

"Brother Tang is now in the Ministry of Industry. What is your responsibility?" Jiang Xia asked casually.

"A doctor from the Ministry of Works, who participated in the construction of the Lingyan Pavilion." A hint of pride appeared on Tang Jianri's lips.

"Does the fake emperor trust you so much?" Jiang Xia sighed, then asked, "Then, Brother Tang, do you have any news about Her Royal Highness the Princess?"

Tang Jianri's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Don't you have any, too?"

"No." Jiang Xia shook his head gently and said, "I only know that His Highness is still alive, but I don't know where he is hiding. However, this is normal. The false emperor is chasing him very urgently, and His Highness dare not show up easily. But... Brother Tang, no matter what we do, we need His Highness, otherwise we can only go to Prince Wei and Prince Xiang..."

(End of this chapter)