Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 725 The sea is open to all rivers
After Mrs. Xin and Shi Chaoqing arrived in Bianzhou, they were arranged to live in an ordinary house in Kaifeng City. The surroundings were not very quiet. There were the sounds of children playing during the day and the sounds of chickens crowing and dogs barking at night, full of the breath of life.

Or it could be said that the people of Bianzhou were impetuous, profit-seeking, and simply could not calm down.

Fang Chongyong just left Shi Chaoqing and the others alone, neither receiving them nor dealing with them, and only sent them some food and ordinary clothes every now and then. The servants who served Madam Xin were also servants of the Xin family.

This attitude made Shi Chaoqing feel itchy, as if he was suspended in mid-air. It would be fine if he didn't look down, but if he looked down, he would see a bottomless abyss, how could he not be timid?
Fortunately, such days did not last long. More than ten days later, the court sent a doctor from the Ministry of Rites to the courtyard where Shi Chaoqing and his mother lived.

It was Yuan Zai, who was in high spirits and had a successful official career.

Today, Yuan Zai is considered a big shot around Fang Qing. Many of the strategies he proposed have been adopted by the court. He can be said to be a die-hard lackey.

If Fang Qing now forced Yuan Zai to kill his father in order to become prime minister, then this man would not hesitate to pull his old father out of the grave and kill him again after he had been buried for many years.

Fang Qing often talked about the great unity of the world and justice, but people like Yuan Zai did not agree with him. However, they saw more clearly than anyone else who had a better future and who would be the common ruler of the world in the future.

It doesn’t matter what Fang Qing thinks. What’s important is whether he can become emperor in the future and change the dynasty!

"The government has bestowed upon Shi Chaoqing the title of Duke of Heyin County. The title can be passed down to future generations, with each generation decreasing by one level.

From now on, Shi Chaoqing will serve as the governor of Yuezhou, but he does not need to take up the post for the time being.

He was granted a house in Kaifeng City, and his salary and fief were distributed according to the court regulations.

Yuan Zai shook his head and read out the imperial edict in a clear and loud voice, with a typical official demeanor.

Yuezhou is near Dongting Lake, which is under the jurisdiction of Yan Zhenqing's "imperial court". They can't go there at all, they are just nominal. Shi Chaoqing felt bad, but he couldn't say anything, so he could only listen to the imperial edict patiently.

"Thank you, Saint."

After the imperial edict was read, Shi Chaoqing saluted Yuan Zai with his arms crossed.

Yuan Zai, who had been nonchalant just now, immediately changed his expression after hearing this, and stressed to Shi Chaoqing with a serious face: "There are no saints in Bianzhou, only the emperor and the emperor. This favor is given to you by the emperor. If you want to thank him, you must thank him."

In other words, in Yuan Zai's mouth, the so-called "Son of Heaven" in Bianzhou, Shi Chaoqing just needs to ignore him. It was so blatant that even a fool could hear it.

"I have spoken out of turn, I have spoken out of turn."

Shi Chaoqing nodded but dared not say anything and could only apologize repeatedly.

Yuan Zai raised his eyebrows and refused to give in.

He put his hands behind his back and said to Shi Chaoqing with a stern face, "The emperor is a man of honor, so some things are not convenient to say directly. But Yuan is not afraid of losing face, so he will say it directly. Many people in the court want to sentence you and your son to death, or at least confiscate your property and exile you to slavery. It was the emperor who insisted on not treating people who have turned over a new leaf harshly."

isn't it?
Shi Chaoqing was so frightened that he couldn't figure out whether Yuan Zai was just bluffing or if it was true!
"Then...then what should I do?"

Shi Chaoqing was at a loss for a moment. He didn't have a beautiful concubine to give away, and he heard that Fang Qing didn't like this either!

So how do you please the other person?
"How about this, you and your mother go with Yuan to the government office now and thank the emperor in person, and the matter will be over."

Yuan Zai said in a pretentious manner.

Shi Chaoqing nodded in agreement and quickly called his mother, Mrs. Xin, and they hurried to the government office, only to hear that Fang Chongyong had gone to the ferry outside Kaifeng County to watch the installation of some "crane".

Shi Chaoqing didn't understand what this thing was, but something that Fang Qing could personally observe and supervise should not be underestimated.

He was smart and careful, knowing that Madam Xin was a woman and it was not convenient for her to show up in public, so he called for a sedan chair used in the government office, let Madam Xin sit in it, and then led everyone to the canal ferry outside the city.

At this moment, the morning mist at the Bianzhou Canal Ferry had not yet dissipated. As Shi Chaoqing walked beside the sedan chair, he could already hear the horns coming from the dock one after another.

Yuan Zai, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, deliberately lifted the blue satin curtain of the sedan chair so that Madam Xin could see the scenery outside and let the chill of early winter, wrapped in the sounds of the market, pour into the sedan chair.

Mrs. Xin shivered suddenly when the cold wind from the river blew, and cursed Yuan Zai in her heart as a good-for-nothing.

"Please look, Lord Heyin, this is the grace bestowed by the government."

Yuan Zai spoke to Shi Chaoqing who was walking beside the sedan chair, also so that Madam Xin who was sitting in the sedan chair could hear.

Madam Xin's gold-embroidered cuffs trembled slightly. Looking through the window of the sedan chair, the river, more than ten feet wide, was crowded with canal boats flying various colored flags, and the masts were like a forest, covering the outline of the opposite bank.

The bustling river surface is like a street full of pedestrians, with boats next to each other and boats crowded together, almost with bows touching sterns.

At the ferry on the shore, porters were unloading the cargo, piling it onto a special flatbed truck like ants moving house. There was also a huge "monster" with a thick single arm, and many porters were installing it and fixing it at the ferry.

The porter with a green scarf wrapped around his head took the linen-wrapped shuttle plank handed over by the boatman and was running briskly, sweating profusely. He passed by Shi Chaoqing and his group, bringing up a gust of wind.

Not far away at the entrance to the pier, there was a sign with some eye-catching large characters written in red paint.

It is not about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, nor is it about the government being the most powerful. Instead, it is an extremely utilitarian slogan:

Time is money, efficiency is life.

"Excuse me! An wants to get on board!"

Two sleek camels suddenly stood across the front of the sedan chair, and the camel bells hurt Shi Chaoqing's eardrums.

Originally, he was very imposing, but when he saw Yuan Zai's official robe, the foreign merchant who was holding the reins and called himself "An" smiled awkwardly and said in stiff Bianzhou Mandarin: "Sir, this batch of Bianzhou blue and white porcelain has to be loaded on the ship at noon. Time waits for no one. Please make way."

On the backs of dozens of camels behind him, white porcelain with blue patterns was faintly visible in the sacks, and the patterns were very beautiful.

As the middlemen of the Silk Road, the Western Region Hu merchants had good vision. This time when they came to Bianzhou, they bought nothing but a lot of blue-and-white porcelain with white background and blue patterns.

Yuan Zai knocked on the sedan chair railing with the Tang knife at his waist, and the four sedan chair bearers immediately retreated to the side of the road, too lazy to argue with such a snobbish and mean merchant.

The caravan left and the camels were loaded onto the ship along with their cargo.

Shi Chaoqing stared at the departing Hu merchant's back and felt a sense of wealth and prosperity. It was very similar to the Jinguan Gate where Hu merchants gathered in Chang'an in the past. It was the starting point for Chang'an to leave the Western Regions.

The Hu merchants could conduct transactions peacefully in Bianzhou, bringing in goods from outside and taking away local goods without any unexpected problems. This in itself was a very rare thing.

The more stable a place is, the more people will yearn for it, and over time, a new world will be built.

Chang'an is not the only capital. The place where talents, money and materials gather is the capital.

It has always been the people of the world who have made the Tang Dynasty and Chang'an what it is today, not the other way around.

When people leave, Chang'an will be nothing.

If people's hearts are scattered, the Tang Dynasty will be inferior to everything else.

At this moment, Shi Chaoqing finally understood the torrent of the world's situation, which was almost washing over his face. How could these new people, new forces, and new things suddenly appear? They have always been there, growing and developing silently. It was ridiculous that he had no idea of ​​this when he was in Youzhou City before.

"Fine Ru kiln blue and white porcelain! One hundred coins per set! Forty-eight pieces per set, it's worth buying!"

The cries of hawkers could be heard from the roadside shops.

But no one paid any attention to him. There were many people selling things in Bianzhou, and they were mixed. He bought 48 pieces of porcelain for 100 coins. Could this be the "highest quality Ru kiln"?

Ru Kiln is a semi-official porcelain kiln, run by Fang Qing. Can the porcelain produced there be bought in a basket for a hundred coins?

When Yuan Zai saw Shi Chaoqing coming forward to ask why he didn't eat meat, he almost laughed out loud but tried hard to hold it back.

Mrs. Xin didn't care about porcelain. At this moment, she saw kiln workers with coal dust all over their faces unloading goods under a cloth shed on the bank of the canal. The coal tied with thick hemp ropes was piled higher than a person. Passing women kept a distance from them, fearing that the black dust of the coal would stain their dresses.

Madam Xin suddenly grabbed the curtain of the sedan chair. She saw that all the kiln workers had tattoos on their faces with the word "prisoner" written on it.

"Coal mining is a life-threatening job. The government wants to let prisoners on death row do the digging. They will be paid based on their workload and their families will be given some money every month."

Yuan Zai said calmly, looking at the death row prisoners with contempt in his eyes.

The government is still too merciful. Wouldn’t it be better to let these death row prisoners dig coal until they die? Why should they give subsidies to their families?
Yuan Zai couldn't figure it out, but he was too lazy to delve into it, as it was just a small matter after all.

Not to mention that some of Fang Qing's actions seemed a bit too soft and pedantic to him. Even if the other party was a bully with a bad reputation, it didn't matter.

As long as Fang Qing listens to his advice and promotes him, Yuan Zai will be Fang Qing's best dog and he will bite whoever the other party tells him to bite.

The prisoner passed by pushing a flatbed cart loaded with coal, and there was a red silk wrapped around his neck. The yamen runner who was supervising their work walked up to Yuan Zai and bowed deeply to him.

Yuan Zai waved his hand calmly, indicating that he didn't need to ask any more questions.

"Those are?"

Shi Chaoqing on the side asked doubtfully.

“During the flood last year, I followed Li Guiren’s orders and came to the bank of the Yellow River to dig the river bank, hoping to release the water to drown the death row prisoners in Bianzhou.

Your father was also involved in this matter, so don’t ever say you are Shi Siming’s son when you go out.”

Yuan Zai twisted his beard, spoke threateningly, and continued with disdain: "These people should have been cut into pieces, but the government showed mercy and allowed them to repair the canal to atone for their sins. Did the Princess of Heyin take a closer look at their ankles?"

Shi Chaoqing then noticed that the prisoner had a red rope and a copper bell tied to his ankle. Every time he took a step, the bell would vibrate and make a harsh sound, just like the costumes of a temple fair parade.

jingle! jingle!
jingle! jingle!
These ragged people made strange noises, like evil spirits from hell, and pedestrians on the road retreated. Shi Chaoqing noticed that the locals looked at these prisoners with undisguised disgust.

In fact, this is not difficult to understand. If outsiders come to a place and dig up the local mother river in order to drown the locals, then don't blame the locals for humiliating them and treating them as enemies.

Ordinary people have simple feelings. If anyone treats them badly, they will treat that person badly!

"If the government had sentenced them to death, it would have freed them, not like now."

Hearing Yuan Zai's words, Mrs. Xin in the sedan chair sighed softly.

She felt that making the living feel ashamed for life was nothing more than killing someone. But Shi Chaoqing thought of the sign that said "Time is money, efficiency is life" and seemed to understand something.

Perhaps in Fang Qing's view, people can be divided into two types, one is useful, and the other is useful in other ways!

The former is about win-win cooperation, while the latter is pure consumables that are meant to squeeze out every last bit of value.

It was obviously more profitable for the condemned prisoners to dig coal than to be killed. The condemned prisoners lived and dug low-priced coal, which benefited the people of Bianzhou and brought good reputation to Fang Qing, the official.

Happy to everyone!

At this moment, Yuan Zai suddenly pointed to the river. A double-decker ship was lowering its sails. Under the red lacquer plaque with the words "Penglai Salt Field" on the bow, two clerks held up account books and called out the names of the people: "Two thousand stones of refined salt from the Penglai Salt Field in Dengzhou have arrived. We are starting to purchase salt permits!"

The merchant who received the goods immediately raised the wooden sign and shouted, "Qingzhou Cui family accepts the exchange of 300 dan!"

"He Wanwan from the West Market of Bianzhou is exchanged for 500 shi!"

Shi Chaoqing didn't understand what was going on and didn't know what this was about.

Yuan Zai actually didn't quite understand it. Liu Yan was in charge of this matter. It was said that this was because the court simply did not have enough manpower to issue so many scattered salt permits, so they adopted the "distribution" method.

It is a bit like the People's Bank of China in Fang Zhongyong's previous life. As the central bank, it does not directly participate in currency issuance. Instead, it subcontracts the issuance rights to commercial banks, and each of them takes a little.

When the salt ships arrived at the ferry and called out the names of the customers, it was both a subscription meeting and a way to explain to outsiders that Bianzhou actually had salt that could be extracted using salt currency, and it was not just made up paper money.

This will stabilize the inflation caused by monetary leverage and stabilize people's confidence in over-issued currency.

Shi Chaoqing had no idea what was going on, but was shocked. He pulled out a salt permit he had received before, which he said could be used directly as money.

Yuan Zai's words indirectly proved that Bianzhou did have a lot of background and ideas. Compared with the open looting of the soldiers, the multi-pronged approach of the Bianzhou court was more powerful and frightening.

Because if you encounter an opponent holding a knife, most people will resist, but this kind of economic soft knife is hard to guard against!

"Mom, look at that!" Shi Chaoqing's voice was a little dry and trembling.

At the bend of the canal, five water wheels were using water power to push the millstones, and a channel was led from here to the south, which seemed to be used for irrigation. The husked wheat poured into the wooden trough like a snowy waterfall, on a huge scale.

This kind of meticulous development of local areas and the implementation of agricultural productivity were something Shi Chaoqing had never seen before.

In his view, distributing the land to the tenants was a good policy, and doing this was the best he could do. The lives of the tenants who were given the land would immediately improve.

Is there anything else that needs to be done?

Mrs. Xin also saw through Shi Chaoqing's shallow knowledge. She waved to Shi Chaoqing, and when he came over, she whispered, "There is a similar water wheel near the Xin family's ancestral home, but it's not that big. All the families nearby who want to grind flour have to come to our house. Everything there belongs to us. It's not like here in Bianzhou, where everything is shared and you can grind flour for a little money."

Mrs. Xin has noticed that there are many shops along the canal selling steamed buns and soup buns. Without a stable supply of flour, these shops would not be able to open.

Behind everything, there is an invisible hand controlling everything.

"The official is over there, you guys should go over and express your gratitude."

At this moment, Yuan Zai asked the sedan bearer to stop and pointed to a tall young man not far away. The other party seemed to be arguing with the laborers who were assembling the "big crane".

(End of this chapter)