lady, please calm down

"Wan Qixi, the chief culprit of the Northern Invasion, was handed over to the State of Qi, and the Minister of War, Wang Shu, was left to Lin'an to deal with the crime himself."

On the night of September 14th, Emperor Zhou, who had been waiting anxiously for news all day in the Qinzheng Palace, immediately ordered Chen Bokang and Chai Su to report the progress of the peace talks as soon as they returned.

At first, after hearing the first condition mentioned by Chai Su, Emperor Zhou was even relieved. The Wanqixi family had already handed it over anyway, allowing Lin'an to punish the king and the common people on his own, which also preserved his dignity.

You can hear at the end, "Eight million silver was raised in two days," and "The rest of the compensation will be pledged with the tax money of the Municipal Shipping Department and the tax of the Third Department, and will be paid in installments, with an annual interest of 10%."

A rough calculation shows that even if the capital is paid with interest for twenty years, it will not be clear at all!
But how to tighten finances in the future is ultimately a long-term concern, while the near-term concern is how to raise 8 million silver in the past two days.

If it were in the past, faced with such persecution from Qi, some officials would probably jump out and make impassioned speeches such as, "The worst possible outcome is a fight to the death with Qi."

But what happened to the Wanqixi family was right in front of them. Who would be willing to do such an underachieving job under the current situation?

Seeing that all the ministers were silent, Emperor Zhou played the emotional card again. His dragon robe was wet with tears and he said: "Dear dear sirs, the treasury and the treasury alone cannot make up eight million. We also need the cooperation of all the ministers." We will get through this together.”

There was still silence below. Emperor Zhou stayed on Qin Huizhi for a long time with an expectant look, but the latter only hunched his waist slightly and refused to look at him.

In desperation, Emperor Zhou had no choice but to lament: "The jewelry of the concubines in the palace is worth hundreds of thousands, and even with the internal money, it is not enough to reach a million. Do you want to see me pawning my crown as a guard of honor?"

Having said this, Chen Bokang sighed silently and was about to speak, but unexpectedly Luo Ruji beat him to it. He knelt down with a thud and cried bitterly: "I am so incompetent that the emperor is frightened. I have a house in the city." One building and two shops, I will sell it at a low price tomorrow to raise money for Your Majesty."

When the ministers saw that Mr. Luo was actually selling property for the country, some were dissatisfied, but many others felt sad.

But Chen Bokang was not moved at all in his heart. Today, he saw Luo Ruji kneeling as smoothly as before the King of Jin!
"The strong wind knows the strong grass, and the rough wind knows the loyal ministers!" Emperor Zhou choked.

Unexpectedly, Luo Ruji turned to Qin Huizhi at the next moment, and saw him with tears streaming down his face and a sincere tone: "Now the country is in trouble, and the Holy One is uneasy. Prime Minister Qin is the head of all officials, please set an example for all officials." !”

The officials present immediately realized that something was wrong. This Luo Ruji was a lackey of Prime Minister Qin. No matter how respectful his attitude was, these words would make Prime Minister Qin bleed!

At this time, not only all the ministers looked at Qin Huizhi, but Emperor Zhou also looked over again. Perhaps because Qin Huizhi did not stand up to solve his problem immediately, Emperor Zhou's eyes were vaguely unhappy.

Qin Huizhi slowly stood up from the brocade stool, but unexpectedly said: "Your Majesty, money is an external possession. If you can protect our country and make your Majesty worry-free, I will be happy to spend all my wealth."

Emperor Zhou's face suddenly cleared of all the worries, and he said movedly: "Prime Minister Qin, you are indeed worthy of being the pillar of the country!"

Chen Bokang looked on coldly and thought: Since the Jin Kingdom lost power, Qin Huizhi must have been aware of his dangerous situation, so he had so happily decentralized power a few days ago, and now he has decisively given up his wealth. This is to cut off his tail in order to survive. .

Taking the initiative to offer it to His Majesty will eventually keep most of the extravagant wealth. If the Emperor never collects enough compensation, it's hard to say whether he will be used as a fat sheep.

It's one thing for Qin Huizhi to think of it, but it's another thing to be able to do it.

Power and wealth are the most attractive things. There are many people in the world who want money rather than their lives.

In short, under the leadership of Luo Ruji and Qin Huizhi, the ministers in Lin'an had to pledge one or two donations whether they were willing or not to tide over the difficult times with the country.

After counting in the middle of the night, the number of donations pledged by officials, including the treasury, treasury, and the emperor's internal funds, was still far from eight million.

Everyone knows that the largest silver mine in Lin'an is hidden in the homes of wealthy people, but this kind of thing is neither easy to handle nor easy to talk about.

Under the repeated hints of Emperor Zhou, it was Luo Ruji who took the initiative to temporarily impose a 20% commercial tax on merchants and levy an advance room tax for the next two years on those with houses in the city.
This is the best solution at the moment. Merchants have money but no power. Although the merchants impose a 20% increase in commercial tax, it will cause a lot of complaints, but the backlash will be minimal.

As for those who can purchase real estate in the secondary capital by paying the property tax, they must have some wealth and will not be forced to break up their families and cause chaos.

Furthermore, "collecting the room tax for the next two years in advance" in advance is still an excuse.

As for how to fill the tax hole in the next two years, let’s wait until then. The priority is to solve the current predicament.

Luo Ruji was able to come up with such a minimally impactful method in such a short period of time, which earned him repeated praise from Emperor Zhou. In fact, since Luo Ruji returned to Lin'an, he had been thinking about how to help King Jin get things done without making Emperor Zhou hate him.

For this reason, he even took the initiative to collect taxes.
Late at night, after the meeting, Chen Bokang and Qin Huizhi were like a pair of old friends, walking side by side in front of the officials.

Today, Luo Ruji jumped up and down to steal the limelight. Chen Bokang did not believe that Qin Huizhi had no grudges in his heart. He just heard him sigh and said: "Master Luo has contributed a lot to this peace negotiation, and he will be relied on by the emperor as a confidant in the future. Mr. Luo relied a lot on Prime Minister Qin for his support in his early years. Prime Minister Qin has made great contributions to recommending talents to the country."

Qin Huizhi didn't seem to hear the edge in Chen Bokang's words. He only smiled humbly and replied: "I am very relieved that Mr. Luo stepped forward when the country was in crisis. I am an old man, waiting for Lin'an to turn the crisis into peace. So he begged for his body and returned home. In the future, Mr. Chen may have to work with Mr. Luo for many years. Mr. Chen will be closer to him."

Chen Bokang first secretly poked fun at the dog that Qin Huizhi had raised for many years. Once he had a new backer, he turned around and bared his teeth at Qin Huizhi.

Qin Huizhi knew that Chen Bokang secretly despised such a lucky person like Luo Ruji, but he just wanted them to get close to remind him that Luo Ruji would be a serious problem for you in the future.

The two of them smiled each other, walked out of the palace gate side by side, and waved goodbye to each other.

Luo Ruji was indeed very attentive. Early the next morning, the tax collection agency composed of the imperial army, government officials, and officials from the Salt and Iron Division of the Third Division were divided into dozens of small teams and dispersed to various squares in the city.

This temporary increase in taxes naturally caused a lot of dissatisfaction.

However, Luo Ruji personally took charge of this tax collection and the emperor acquiesced. Even some wealthy households who were related to officials could not resist the will of the entire court.

Although there were a few twists and turns, it was generally smooth.

As for cursing in private, it can only be treated as if it is not heard.

By the time of the ultimatum on September 16, Luo Ruji paid more than 6.2 million taels of compensation in advance and asked the Huaibei Army to grant another two days of grace.

Han Shizhong, who had always been fierce and vicious, readily agreed to Luo Ruji's request this time.

Emperor Zhou felt relieved when he saw that the Huaibei army did not forcefully attack the city. At the same time, he couldn't help but rely a little more on Luo Ruji.

September 17th, it rains slightly in Huaibei.

In the afternoon, a car and a horse arrived at Caizhou City in a dusty manner.

Caizhou is more prosperous than ever.

But Xu Waner, who was sitting in the carriage, had no intention of admiring the autumn scenery of Caizhou. She could not decide whose home to visit first, so she opened the carriage curtain again and said to her husband who was riding outside the carriage: "Brother Bao, come to the carriage." Here, I want to say a few words to you."

Zhang Bao, who was on horseback, abandoned his horse and got into the car after hearing this.

As soon as he entered the carriage, the rainwater on Zhang Bao stained the soft cushions in the carriage.

A few years ago, Xu Waner would probably have been scolded for this, but now, Xu Waner took a clean towel and took the initiative to wipe the water stains on Zhang Bao's head and face.

"Brother Bao, have you decided whose house you want to visit first?"

"No, what does Yi Wan'er mean?"

"Originally, I planned to go to the palace first, but I thought about it all the way and there was something wrong."

"Ok?"

"Ever since she was a little girl, the princess has shown others that she will not interfere in her husband's official affairs. This time, as soon as you got the order, my husband and I came to visit in a hurry. It is easy for outsiders to think that our family came to this place through the way of the palace's back house. The princess may not like this job."

After Xu Waner analyzed Zhang Bao carefully, she added, "How about we go to Chen Jinglue's house to inquire about it?"

Zhang Bao was originally a lieutenant of Tongshan County, in charge of arrests and township bravery in a county. Ten years ago, Zhang Bao would never have thought of being a lieutenant of a county.

After all, the county captain is also a ninth-grade official.

But compared to those old brothers in Tongshan, Zhang Bao, whose starting point was not low, had already fallen behind.

A few years ago, he heard his father-in-law mention it one time after drinking. The reason why no one from the four Tongshan tribes served in the military was because Cai Hua had set the rules for Brother Chu early on.

I can't blame her for this, after all, none of the Cai family's nephews are in the army.

Even the second brother, who had the closest relationship with Cai Hua, delayed his career because of this, and it was not until last year that he found an official position in the Anfeng Dynasty.

Anyway, so far, the descendants of the four families can serve as civil servants, but they cannot enter the military system. It's okay for everyone else. Everyone has a good cultural background. After several years of experience, it's natural for them to grow into officials at the central and local levels.

He, Zhang Bao, is the son-in-law of the Xu family, but he also suffers from his lack of education, so that he is still just a county captain.

Until a few days ago, a handwritten letter from Brother Chu arrived in Tongshan, asking Zhang Bao to go to Jiangnan to form a tax police force with 2,000 people.

The 'Tax Police' can also be seen from the name, it is a quasi-armed force.

But what exactly the tax police corps was going to do and how to do it, he was at a loss.
For this reason, he rushed to Caizhou after discussing with Xu Waner, intending to find someone close to Brother Chu to ask about the situation.

The two have been married for many years, and Zhang Bao is used to following Xu Waner's advice on many things. But this time, after listening to her suggestion of "visiting Chen Jinglue's house," Zhang Bao felt something was wrong, and finally shook his head and said: "Master Taishan is familiar with Chen Jinglue. I haven't even said a few words to Chen Jinglue. It seems presumptuous to go there rashly. Let's go to your house first."

"That's fine."

Caizhou has been prosperous for many years, and every inch of land in the city is very valuable. After Xu Bang took over Chen Jingyan's position as Caizhou magistrate, there were official residences in the government office.

However, the Xu family had a large population and could not accommodate the official residence, so Xu Bang built a house three miles south of the city.

Before Zhang Bao went to the Xu family, he specifically went to the home of his adoptive father Yang Youtian.

There were only a few people in the Yang family, so Yang Youtian took his grandson, Uncle Yao and other old brothers to the lake to catch shrimps and crabs. Only Aunt Yang and Dalang's wife Nie Ronger were at home.

After a conversation, Zhang Bao stopped his godmother from sending someone to call Uncle Yang back, and said that he would come home specifically for dinner tomorrow, and then he took Xu Waner to her parents' house.

The residence of Magistrate Xu certainly looks impressive nearby, but the Zhou army's northern invasion last year seems to have caused some damage to the residence, and there are still traces of new construction on the courtyard walls.

There is a plaque hanging on the gate of the courtyard, which reads "Diligence, Loyalty and Honesty". Although these four words are not ugly, they are definitely not enough to be inscribed on the plaque.

In fact, these four characters are not the key. What Xu Zhifu wants people to see is the line of small characters below the four big characters, 'Gift from the Fifth Brother'.

Haha, Zhang Bao heard his wife talk about the plaque written by Brother Chu. It can’t even be called a plaque given by Brother Chu. These big characters were taken from the letter written by Brother Chu from his father-in-law. After cutting it out and reassembling it, it was carved by a carpenter.
Nowadays, Xu Laoer himself is the magistrate of Caizhou, his eldest son Xu Mingyuan is a regiment coach of Tangzhou, and his second son Xu Zhiyuan works in the Third Division of Anfeng Dynasty. There is no problem in being an official family.

Naturally, basic equipment such as a concierge will not be lacking.

When the old servant of the porter saw the arrival of Zhang Bao's family, he quickly sent someone to the back house to report, "Second mother and uncle are here!"

When the couple entered, Mrs. Xu had already arrived at the second door. Xu's family was prosperous and her children were well-matched. Mrs. Xu, who was in her fifties, had a rosy complexion and a steady gait.

Seeing her daughter, Mrs. Xu couldn't help but her eyes turned red and she called out: "My son, you are willing to come see my mother. Last year, the Zhou army made a rebellion, and my mother thought she would never see you again."

Last year, when the Zhou Army's West Route Army invaded Caizhou, they had to pass through Tongshan. Mrs. Xu, who had hid in the city at that time, was very worried about the safety of her daughter and her family.

After all, a family like his that was deeply bound to the King of Chu would never have a good outcome once it fell into the hands of the enemy.

After the war subsided, Zhang Baosui, who organized the rebel army with Xu Mingyuan to come to the rescue, paid a visit to his mother-in-law, but the latter did not see her daughter and was still worried.

I finally got to see him today, and I felt something in my heart.

Xu Waner shed tears while supporting her mother. On the way to the back house, Mrs. Xu calmed down her mood, but said sadly: "I heard from your father that the King of Chu is going to send my uncle to the Southern Dynasty?"

"Mother also knows?" Xu Waner said in surprise.

"Yes, the official document has arrived in Caizhou. I heard, Liu Changqing, do you remember Liu Changqing? He is also from Tongshan. It is said that he is still the prince's student, and he will also go to the Southern Dynasties. Hey, Wan'er, can you be friends with the princess? Go and intercede and let my uncle stay in Caizhou to find a job. In this way, our family will be reunited. Then the Southern Dynasty just fought a war with us. Wouldn’t it make people jealous if my uncle goes?”

Xu Wan'er listened patiently to her mother's nagging, and then smiled lightly and said: "Mom, how can our family be so prosperous just for stability? Over the years, who among us, father, elder brother, and Zhisheng, has not been through life and death with the prince a few times? In my family, The husband is determined to achieve success, and the daughter will not stop him from gaining fame just to stay together."

After Mrs. Xu was silent for a while, she said with emotion: "In recent years, the women from Tongshan have become more and more ambitious. How can I think of my mother in those days? How could we not leave the house without taking a step forward, just thinking about our family?" It will be fine if you are safe. But now, there are female shopkeepers, female gentlemen, female stewards, and female officials everywhere in Caizhou. I think you are also restless, and I don’t know who you learned it from.”

Xu Waner smiled, but did not answer. The women who came out of Tongshan were indeed very different from the women today. If they learned it from someone, it was probably from Mao'er and Caihua who saw another way of living.

When Mao'er was sixteen, she helped her husband manage the village and run the workshop.

As for Cai Hua, there are even more examples.

Later, Xu Waner realized that her mother had just mentioned the 'female officials', and couldn't help but ask, "Mom, I have seen female shopkeepers, female gentlemen, and female stewards. When did there be female officials?"

"Hey, haven't you heard? The wife of the Ding family seems to be called Ding Jiao. Yes, she was the one who deceived a group of Zhou soldiers into an ambush set by my uncle and Mingyuan when they invaded the north last year. My uncle He Mingyuan made great achievements because of this! Last month, the prince wrote to your father and established a women's department under Caizhou Mansion. I heard that Ding Jiao was the minister appointed by the King of Chu. What about the title? Tsk tsk tsk, women can also be officials."

Mrs. Xu said with emotion, even though Xu Waner had already seen many noble ladies, she couldn't help but be surprised. It's not surprising for women to have titles, such as Princess Concubine and Concubine Cai. Even her own mother also has a royal title, and the royal title naturally has a corresponding title. Grade.

But these are all examples of the imperial court commending men for their talent and cuteness in their female relatives.

As for Ding Jiao, she earned her title on her own. The impact this had on a woman who had already regarded herself as a man's dependence was unimaginable.

Mrs. Xu then added in a low voice: "Don't let this matter spread easily. Your father said that if the world's officials know about the woman's appointment, it will cause another turmoil, so keep a low profile."

Xu Waner couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled, and lowered her voice and said, "Dad, I tell mom everything. What about dad? Women serving as officials will dissatisfy the officials and gentry all over the world. Dad is also a member of the officials and gentry. Didn't he complain in private?"

"Hey~ This is something the prince has told you. Even if your father has any complaints in his heart, he will resolve them himself. Don't you know that your father talks about 'my fifth brother, King of Chu, and my fifth brother, the prime minister' all day long?" , even if the prince asks your father to divorce me, an old woman, your father will probably not hesitate at all."

"Hahaha" Xu Waner couldn't help laughing when she saw that her mother was a little jealous, but then she asked curiously: "Mom, what do you think about women serving as officials?"

Mrs. Xu turned to look at her daughter, and then sighed softly, "In Huaibei, it is not shocking. How many things have happened to my mother in Caizhou for so many years? When there were floods and banditry in Huaibei, it was not the same for all the women in our city. Follow the princess to cook pancakes, collect shoe soles, and sew clothes to support the front line? Later, there was the Hebei War. Madam Ding even brought more than a thousand women to the front line to take care of the wounded soldiers in the field hospital.
Just like what is sung in the play, "Brother Liu's words are too unreasonable. Who said that women enjoy leisure, men go to the border to fight, and women weave at home?"

Xu Waner followed casually and said, "I farm during the day and spin cotton at night. I work hard day and night so that the soldiers can have such food and clothing."

After the mother and daughter finished singing, they looked at each other and smiled. Mrs. Xu gently patted the back of Xu Waner's hand and said softly: "Since you are not afraid of being alone in an empty room, let me do whatever I want. At that time, maybe I can really see the prosperous times in the second half of my life."

In the evening, Xu Bang returned home. Weng and his son-in-law had not seen each other for more than half a year, so they had a few drinks.

Today, Xu Laoer has lived in Caizhou for many years. He has fought through several dangers and enjoyed wealth, so he has naturally developed some magnanimity.

After the female family members left the table, Xu Bang listened to Zhang Bao's talk about what he was thinking today, and he couldn't help but nodded and said: "You were right not to go to Laosan first after entering the city."

Zhang Bao looked at Xu Bang eagerly, knowing that the latter had not finished speaking. After Xu Bang received the admiration of the younger generation, he twisted his beard and said: "Do you still remember the phase battle between Daqi at the beginning of the year?"

"remember."

"Your appointment to the Southern Dynasties this time is probably related to this matter."

Zhang Bao thought for a moment and said: "Master Taishan is saying that Master Chen and Cai fought too hard, so this job fell on me?"

Xu Bang shook his head, "That's not the case. The eldest brother and the third brother are still very measured. But my fifth brother, King of Chu, has already regarded the Zhou Kingdom as a target. If the chess pieces in the south of the Yangtze River are still dominated by the Chen family's children, , which may intensify the overt and covert struggle between the two families.”

"Why can it only be a descendant of the Chen family?"

Zhang Bao said strangely, and Xu Bang frowned, "There are only a few people with both ability and political integrity in the eldest brother's family, and there are almost no one available. We have a weak foundation, how can we compare with the thousand-year-old family like Lao San?"

Although he shouted "eldest brother, third child", they all sounded equally close to each other, but Xu Bang's unintentional words of "we have a weak foundation" still revealed his subconscious feeling that he was closer to Cai Yuan.

"This time, in addition to you, Liu Changqing, Zhu Chun, and Guo Lin are going to serve in the Southern Dynasty. Do you understand?"

Xu Bang said it so clearly that Zhang Bao naturally understood it. The last three people all have the status of master and apprentice with Brother Chu.

"No matter who you visit, it would be better to get to know these people tomorrow and go to the office together. You must remember that from now on, in front of the King of Chu, you will not be my son-in-law of the Xu family, but the brother who met the King of Chu when he was still cold! In the Southern Dynasties, You just need to do things well, and you can be aloof, unruly, and notorious, but you can't play both sides."

Xu Bang went from being an official in Tongshan to becoming the chief official of a prosperous palace. Naturally, he learned a lot from his eldest brother and third brother.

The Southern Dynasties had a vast territory and abundant resources. Whoever could settle here first at this time would have the upper hand when Qizhou was unified in the future.

Our Xu family does not have the rich heritage of the Chen family, nor does we have a woman as clever and scheming as the Cai family's Sanniang, so it is always a shortcut for us to highlight a loyal person and serve my fifth brother, the King of Chu, wholeheartedly! (End of chapter)