late night song

Chapter 257 The Power of the New Lord
Under Fan Yueqing's arrangement, Gu Yuchu needed to change his auspicious clothes before entering Yuquan Palace.

She herself was very disgusted with this. After all, things were unpredictable. If she needed to take action, this outfit would undoubtedly be a burden and a laughing stock. However, women are always fickle, and she was no exception. When she saw the newly made During the palace attire, Gu Yuchu's attitude took a 180-degree turn.

This outfit is not as fussy and luxurious as the royal attire. In terms of style, it is not much different from her usual attire. The narrow sleeves and long boots are convenient for using a sword in a pinch, but in terms of materials and decoration, it is painstaking.

The glazed blue silk satin is embroidered with golden sunbird and flame patterns, and each piece of armor is carved into a shell-shaped gold shoulder armor and belt, perfectly combining light armor with gorgeous clothes, and bringing Gu Yuchu's The heroine's style and princess status are displayed vividly and exquisitely.

Gu Yuchu looked at himself in the mirror and seemed to understand the power of clothing to enhance status.She unconsciously lowered her head to take a closer look, and accidentally glanced sideways at the small crescent moon embroidery on her right shoulder, as if she remembered something.

Then she picked up her sword. The scabbard of the sword had the same red bird hanging sun pattern and the crescent shape of the sword's head, which made her feel warm in her heart.

Even though so many things happened, and the man was disappointed in her and rejected her, he always cared about her situation and kept her likes and dislikes in mind.

The many vermilion gates of Yuquan Palace were wide open, and outside the still majestic Wuji Palace, a group of veterans of the imperial dynasty and the army had already gathered and were waiting here, including Yan Ting.They lined up neatly and respectfully, as if they were loyal to the Lejia Dynasty.

"Welcome the princess back to the court." Everyone shouted in unison.

It seems that Fan Yueqing also put some thought into it. The officials did not have enough momentum, Yuquan Palace had been vacant for many years, and the number of palace residents and imperial guards was limited, so he dispatched the city garrison to build momentum.

This time, Gu Yuchu didn't have any guilty conscience. She stepped up to the highest step of the Wuji Palace with her head held high, holding the Wujian Sword, and then turned around and smiled. Everything was so natural.

"Master Fan, I know you are looking forward to my return, but there is really no need to mobilize troops like this." She deliberately teased Fan Yueqing who was following closely behind.

"The princess is the lord of Hehe, so it is necessary to have such a momentum. I know that the princess does not like luxury. The rituals, music, bells and drums can be omitted, but the ceremony of ordering the general is really necessary."

Fan Yueqing replied respectfully that after He He joined Beiling, he clearly saw the weight and ability of King Jingchuan. If he wanted to gain the support and respect of King Jingchuan, he must fully assist the woman in front of him.

The veterans of His Highness Wuji have deep opinions on his control of the military. In the past six months, they have tried their best to divide his power, openly and covertly. Today's incident is to let them know that this military power is only commanded by him on behalf of the princess and should not be tolerated. They gossip and covet.

Gu Yuchu smiled faintly, with her heart as clear as a mirror. Regardless of whether the troops were sincerely loyal to her, as long as she seemed to have a firm grip on the military power, it would be much easier to manage the government affairs in the future.

Therefore, this palace gate point will become inevitable.

……

On the second day after entering Yuquan Palace, Gu Yuchu did not rest for a moment and personally presided over the court meeting.

The senior ministers made a hasty report on the policies implemented by Hehe in the past six months. Although it was comprehensive, it avoided the important and neglected the minor. They did not treat the woman in the high seat of the middle hall as a superior at all.

Gu Yuchu listened carefully and did not interrupt or raise any questions during the process. It seemed that the self-righteous speculations of the veterans about her being brave and incompetent were confirmed.

But what they didn't expect was that just when they thought they had been fooled, Gu Yuchu recounted what she had seen and heard in the past month, and then asked them one by one about the political achievements they reported, and asked them if they knew The people's livelihood is suffering. Have you ever conducted an on-site inspection of the effects of the policies implemented? The clear logic, quick thinking, and sharp questions caught all officials off guard.

Then, Gu Yuchu changed his attitude, pointed out Hehe's difficulties after the war, and affirmed the difficulties of the veterans, and then relaxed the atmosphere that had solidified into ice.

Just when the two sides didn't know what to talk about next, Yan Ting ignored the sideways glances of his colleagues and presented his memorial.

It turned out that he had already prepared changes to the current laws based on Gu Yuchu's proposal in the government office yesterday. In addition to the change in the rule that unconvicted people were not allowed to kneel in the hall during court hearings, there were also lenient treatment for the elderly, sick, disabled, women and children in hall trials. Etc., he explained all the unreasonableness of all current laws and regulations and made suggestions for reform.

Gu Yuchu was surprised by his efficiency in doing things and was very moved. She also knew that this book was not a one-day effort, but the hard work of Yan Ting's many years of thinking as an official.

This was an icebreaker for He and Baiguan to compromise with her. Of course she would not veto it, not to mention that it was a good plan to benefit the people. So she immediately ordered Yan Ting to take full charge of the matter and asked all the officials of the Criminal Division to cooperate in careful study and certain conditions. Mature changes can be piloted in Qiongzhou first and then implemented throughout the country.

Other officials did not object because the new owner was in charge for the first time, and the small changes in criminal law were insignificant compared to the land and finances they cared about. However, the atmosphere was harmonious when Gu Yuchu asked for the restoration of Lejia Pengkang's new policy. At that time, it was a different scene.

Since these officials came to power, they have continued to use the old system that is most beneficial to them personally, and have made a tacit division of Hehe's current forces. If they are to implement new policies, it will be equivalent to reshuffling their vested interests. How could they hand it over so easily, so they all stood up to oppose it. However, the funny thing is that the reasons given for their opposition were lame excuses that could no longer be used by the government of sinners.

"He was indeed a sinner for bringing a wolf into his house and abandoning the city to overthrow the country. But at the beginning of his rule, his new policy was indeed what the people wanted and what the country needed. Hehe's short-lived prosperity at that time also proved this." Gu Yu Chuzao Knowing that they would react like this, he retorted unceremoniously.

After a brief silence, some people said that the prosperity at that time was just a flash of flowers, which was forcibly catalyzed by He He who spent all the treasury resources. But today is different from the past. After the war, people's livelihood was in decline, there were not enough young men, grain production was reduced, and meager tax support was available. It is still difficult for the government to run the government, and there is no spare energy to implement drastic new measures.

With this seemingly very valid excuse, most people followed the reconsideration, all threatening her with the court's lack of money.

"Beiling has been exempted from taxes for three years, and your salaries are all allocated by Beiling. Where did the financial contributions paid by the people go?" Gu Yuchu asked sharply with his eyes widened.

"Beiling only cares about the salaries of hundreds of officials, but Hehe still needs to handle military pay and military supplies on his own..." Some people hesitated to speak, but the meaning of these words was very clear.

Since the restoration of Hehe, the civil and military officials have been at odds with each other and have been at odds for a long time. They all want to take over the power, so there has been constant strife. Since today's meeting has reached this point, they will not miss this opportunity to accuse Fan Yueqing and other military commanders. He collected money and power and emptied Hehe's treasury.

Gu Yuchu glanced at Fan Yueqing and saw that his expression remained unchanged, as if he was too lazy to explain and would not argue.

The woman smiled and expressed her attitude in a light sentence. "That's why you decided to disband the Hongchai Female Army, right?"

Although Gu Yuchu had not been in Hehe for many months, the embroidered messengers reported Hehe's movements to Yunjing all the time. Civil servants and military ministers fought fiercely for power, and the Hongchai female army was sacrificed in the battles between the two sides. In the midst of the tug of war, he was dismissed and dismissed.

She was already angry about this, and today she saw with her own eyes the intrigues between the two factions in the court, with the purpose of using her own hands to consume the other party, so she thought of this incident and used it as an excuse.

"After the Hehe war, there was a shortage of men. The red-haired female soldiers returned home to marry, and their descendants were loyal to Hehe." A group of men explained quickly.

"Speaking of loyalty, Hehe's treasury is empty. You guys are loyal ministers who are eager to protect the people. Why don't you donate your salary and property to share the sufferings of one or two people?!" Gu Yuchu mercilessly revealed this group of people. Human hypocrisy, for a moment, the court fell into silence again.

"Given the current situation in Hehe, Lejia Pengkang's new policy is not completely suitable for re-implementation." Yan Ting stood up and said something fair. In this way, his colleagues who were originally disgusted with his flattery to Gu Yuchu suddenly grasped the life-saving straw. Generally speaking, they all expressed their agreement.

"Use what is suitable and change what is not suitable. Otherwise, what use do you have?!" Although Gu Yuchu took charge of the government for the first time, his master's momentum was in place. Under intimidation, the ministers did not dare to overstep even a little bit.

"But one thing, I want to tell you clearly, as long as I am here, in Hehe, there is no difference between women and men. So, please put away your pedantic stereotypes about men being superior to women and the three obediences and four virtues. Red Hairpin Female Army We will gather again to recruit from tomorrow, and Fan Yuan will be in charge of the leadership, no discussion is allowed."

She went on to emphasize: "In addition, all the families who have died in battle and have no one to serve their parents, and who support young widows, will have official marks on their doors, and they will be exempted from taxes until their parents go west. If they are young and weak, if anyone dares to bully and abuse them, Severe punishment without mercy!”

After hearing this, all the officials looked at each other in confusion. The restoration of the Red Hairpin Women's Army was inevitable, and no one dared to refute it. However, the tax issue had a wide impact, and some people still stood up to express their thoughts.

"After the Battle of Yuxi, there were countless such old and desperate families. If this policy is implemented, within a year, the treasury will definitely be unable to make ends meet!"

"How much money can the treasury have by just focusing on these old, weak, sick and disabled people? How can the treasury be filled? You have to find a way instead of oppressing them! We must provide good care to the military families. This is for those who died for the country. The officers and soldiers have given their instructions, otherwise there is really no need for Hehe to exist!"

The woman slapped the Wuwei Sword on the table in front of the throne, stood up suddenly, and looked down at the men in the hall, her eyes firm and domineering.

"But the current treasury is empty, and the ministers really have no way to implement the Lejia New Deal. Please make it clear to the princess!" After the silence of the court, Wang Zhigen, the chief minister of Hehe, said in a simple sentence, all Everything was passed on to her.

Gu Yu was very angry when she first came here. To be honest, she knew nothing about local governance and had no clue. She didn’t know what preparations the court needed to make to implement the New Deal. It would be okay to give a few programmatic orders and let her give specific instructions. This was undoubtedly a public embarrassment to her, but fortunately she knew that all the conflicts now focused on money, so she was silent for a while and asked:

"How much money is there in the treasury now?"

"The silver money is less than one hundred thousand guan, and the corn is less than 50 dan."

Although Gu Yuchu didn't know how long one million silver could support the operation of a county, she did know that 50 shi of corn could only support the march of [-] soldiers for less than four months during the war. From this point of view, she had no idea about the current situation. The prediction is indeed too optimistic.

Hehe was originally a wealthy country. Although the land area was small, the people's lives were prosperous. However, after the war, the number of young men dropped sharply. Even though it had a good agricultural foundation, it did not have a sufficient labor force and could not maximize its land resources. Advantages, there is no exchange of surplus grain and agricultural and sideline products, and the trade has also shrunk. Although Qiongzhou is still lively, Hehe as a whole is no longer prosperous and rich as before.

She pondered for a long time, and all the men in the hall, who were self-proclaimed and the mainstay of the moment, couldn't hold back their inner joy, waiting to see her being ignorant of current affairs and forcing herself to stand out.

"The foreign invasion has been eliminated. From now on, in addition to daily guard patrols, all the Hehe Army and local guards will be divided into two to assist farming and open up wasteland. They will conduct intensive drills every five days. The part that increases grain production will be divided into five. One part is used for armaments, and the rest goes to the national treasury.”

She stopped and thought for a moment, then continued: "Hehe's royal forest land is also divided into two. One half is for the army to farm and herd, and the proceeds are used to subsidize military supplies. The other half can be turned into private property, and the one with the highest bid gets it. Since the common people's land tax If the land tax can be paid according to the field area and harvest, then the merchants must also pay the deed tax according to the size of the transaction and the income. Those who get more will pay more, and those who get less will pay less."

Gu Yuchu spoke out the specific strategies at once, which made the ministers who were still complacent were stunned for a while.

And these are not things she came up with out of thin air immediately, but she came up with what she saw, heard, and thought while visiting people in the past month, and she thought about it for a long time.

"The old people in Yuquan Palace will stay, and half of the young people will be eliminated. In addition, by reopening the Lingshui Ship Trading, Hehe's business of buying low and selling specialties at high prices between Beiling and Dongqi can continue."

She paused, glanced at the men in the hall majestically, and said, "I don't need to say more about the rest, otherwise what are you going to do?!"

"How can the royal property be transferred privately? Princess, think twice!"

"The Lejia royal family is gone, what's the use of keeping these? I don't care, what are you worried about?"

"The army has the responsibilities of the army. It plows the fields all day long. What kind of combat effectiveness does it have?"

"Xirong has been defeated, and Hehe has surrendered to Beiling. The border guards are Beiling Tieji, and there is no place for Hehe to use them. The basis of a sergeant's combat effectiveness is strong endurance, and farming is also a way of training."

"It is unprecedented for the army to farm and raise its own animals. This is a joke for Hehe to be seen by the whole world!"

"If He He leads a wolf into the house, the country will not be established. The joke has been seen many times. Do you still care about one more? You are the ones who said that the army drained the treasury. You are also the ones who said that the army is self-sufficient. Either He He and Guang Bao are fertile. The land is now abandoned, so I need to trouble you to cultivate it yourself. If you can’t do it, don’t point fingers here!”

Gu Yuchu responded domineeringly to the questions raised by the civil servants one by one. Although there were still those who wanted to make noise, they lost their confidence under the suppression of Wang Zhigen's look.

They never imagined that the woman on the throne was not a simple-minded mediocre person. On the contrary, she was fully prepared and determined to completely overthrow the old system that they, the old ministers, had tried their best to maintain in the past six months.

(End of this chapter)