Aoyama

Chapter 427 Six Livestock Farm

If the Ning Dynasty is a giant spanning four thousand miles of mountains and rivers, then the Forbidden City, surrounded by its crimson walls, is the giant's scarlet heart, and the ministers and officials who come and go from here are the blood of the Ning Dynasty.

Blood flowed ceaselessly, and no one knew what the giant was thinking.

Chen Ji followed Shan Niu through the palace path between the red walls and golden tiles. Along the way, the guards and eunuchs who saw Shan Niu all stepped aside and stood with their hands at their sides on both sides of the palace path, only daring to raise their heads after he had passed.

Some people secretly looked up to examine Chen Ji, wondering which fool had drunkenly entered the palace to meet the emperor. They glanced at him secretly and then quickly lowered their heads again.

Chen Ji staggered and walked slowly, so Shan Niu turned around, grabbed his belt without a word, and carried him with one hand and Liao Zhong with the other, continuing to walk towards the palace.

Chen Ji turned his head and saw Liao Zhongzheng, whose only remaining mobility was his neck, turning his head and staring intently at him.

He drunkenly reached out and patted Liao Zhong's forehead through Shan Niu's waist: "Stop staring, your eyes are so big they're scary."

After saying that, he chuckled foolishly, while Liao Zhong's eyes widened as if he wanted to bulge them out.

Shan Niu, carrying Chen Ji and Liao Zhong, arrived outside Renshou Palace. They didn't rush through the hanging flower gate or even enter the courtyard of Renshou Palace; they just stood quietly outside.

A robust voice came from inside: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already stated the truth. He merely mistakenly believed that Chen Ji was the mastermind behind the assassination. The incident happened suddenly, and it is not a big mistake for the Crown Prince to have some speculation. Just have the Directorate of Ceremonial withdraw the arrest warrant."

“Your Majesty, the assassination attempt during the spring hunt has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. The mastermind behind it is someone else.”

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince’s only mistake this time was that he fled in fear of battle. However, the Crown Prince was forcibly taken away by Liao Zhong, who was an official in charge of the campaign. The Crown Prince had no other choice. Therefore, it was Liao Zhong’s fault that he fled in fear of battle, not the Crown Prince’s fault.”

"Liao Zhong was originally a criminal, but it was only by the Emperor's great grace that he was allowed to serve as a minister to the Crown Prince. Who would have thought that this scoundrel was greedy for life, cowardly, ruthless, and vicious, and caused such a terrible mistake!"

"Your Majesty, the foundation of the nation must not be shaken!"

"His Majesty!"

The official made no mention of the Crown Prince's attempt to kill Chen Ji, nor of the assassins disguised as Jie Fan Wei, nor of why Liao Zhong ran away. He simply absolved the Crown Prince of all responsibility and pinned the blame on Liao Zhong for fleeing in fear of battle.

Liao Zhong's expression was initially ferocious, but gradually the ferocity disappeared, and only loneliness remained on his face.

Chen Ji, drunk, turned to look at Liao Zhong: "Now you're a pawn to be discarded too."

Just then, Shan Niu, who was standing still with the two men in his arms, suddenly spoke up: "The Liao family has produced four Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). Liao Bo rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Liao Cheng became the Prefectural Magistrate of Jingzhou, and Liao Bin became the Assistant Prefect of Taiyuan. The Liao family was granted three Jinshi memorial arches that were erected in their hometown, and their ancestral home still has an imperial plaque that reads 'Loyalty, Diligence, and Integrity.' They can be considered the pillars of our Ning Dynasty."

Liao Zhong remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Shan Niu continued, "When the Grand Eunuch learned of your Liao family's downfall, he spent all his wealth to bribe Wang Bao, the Grand Eunuch in charge of the seal at the time. One of his sons escaped castration and changed his name in Jinling, living in seclusion. This is the last of the Liao family's lineage."

At this point, Liao Zhong's expression finally changed, and his eyes trembled.

Shan Niu looked down at the back of Liao Zhong's head: "Liao Zhong, when you use someone else's weakness against them, you should also know that you have your own weaknesses. The winner takes all, and the loser is the loser. On the stage, whether you play a leading man or a clown, you should always take your bow with dignity."

After saying that, Shan Niu raised his knee and pressed it against Liao Zhong's chin, which actually straightened Liao Zhong's chin.

Liao Zhong asked hoarsely, "What does the Grand Chancellor want?"

Shan Niu calmly said, "The Prime Minister instructed that if you give him what he wants, he can preserve incense for your Liao family and send the plaque 'Loyal, Diligent and Upright' to Jinling. You are a smart man; you'll be able to guess what the Prime Minister wants in a moment."

Liao Zhong gave a bitter laugh: "The Prime Minister doesn't want to give anyone ammunition, so he makes me guess about such a big matter myself?"

Shan Niu casually said, "If you guess wrong, we will send the rest of the Liao family to the brothel, the men to be slaves and the women to be prostitutes."

He carried the two of them through the hanging flower gate.

Outside Renshou Palace, the Crown Prince knelt beside the Filial Piety Stele, his white robes still as spotless as ever.

Inside Renshou Palace, gauze curtains fluttered, and the smoke from hundreds of burning incense and candles swirled around the ceiling, making it resemble a celestial palace.

Hearing the footsteps, the Crown Prince turned around and looked at Liao Zhong. When he saw Liao Zhong, he calmly met his gaze, his eyes like a deep, emerald lake.

Liao Zhong did not look at the Crown Prince, whether because he was unwilling or afraid to look.

As Shan Niu carried Chen Ji past the Filial Piety Stele, he casually tossed it aside beside the Crown Prince and, without turning his head, ordered, "Wait here."

Beside the Filial Piety Stele, Chen Ji did not kneel down, but sat cross-legged on the ground, nodding his head, as if he was extremely drunk.

The Crown Prince glanced sideways and slowly spoke: "Drunk and disgraced yourself, behaving improperly before the Emperor, trying to play the fool who stumbled in and survived by chance? That's a good way to deal with it. But right now, who in Renshou Palace isn't a shrewd person? They won't believe it, and neither will I. I know very well what kind of person you are."

"What are you trying to cover up with this?" The Crown Prince knelt to the side, deep in thought. "I'm afraid someone will ask you how you survived the Five Witches' army's attack? How did you capture Liao Zhong? Who exactly used the Five Witches' army to kill you? These are all things you can't explain. I underestimated you."

The crown prince waited for Chen Ji's reply, but the next moment, Chen Ji lay down beside him with his head tilted back, breathing in the air with the smell of alcohol, and had no intention of paying any attention to him.

The Crown Prince looked up at Renshou Palace, gazing at the figure sitting cross-legged on the throne behind the gauze curtain, but he couldn't make out the other person's face: "Sometimes I envy you. I sincerely envied you when I heard that you and Lord Chen had severed their father-son relationship, but I can't. I have to be a good Crown Prince and a good son..." Chen Ji turned over, his back to the Crown Prince: "What are you muttering about? Give me a back scratcher."

The Crown Prince was unsure whether Chen Ji was genuinely drunk or faking it.

After a long silence, he smiled and said, "Youthful ambition may be admirable, but you ultimately don't understand what kind of person my father truly is. Only I understand him best. A crown prince whose wings have been clipped is better used to gain something than to be truly deposed. Chen Ji, this deep palace and court are no different from the livestock market, except that the livestock market has clear prices, while here you have to guess. My father only knows how to seize every opportunity to do what he wants. You and I are not in his eyes; he only has this empire in his eyes."

Chen Ji, with his back to the Crown Prince, slowly opened his eyes.

The fire within him burned like strong liquor, which evaporated into steam, while his eyes were clear and bright.

……

……

Shan Niu carried Liao Zhong to the outside of Renshou Palace.

The noise inside Renshou Palace suddenly fell silent. The Grand Secretaries and officials in the hall turned around and stared quietly at Shan Niu and Liao Zhong in Shan Niu's hands.

Some people's expressions were unpredictable, some looked relieved, and some were hard to read.

In the silence, the emperor, who had been silent all night behind the gauze curtains of Renshou Palace, finally spoke: "We've been arguing all night, let's take a break and get down to business... Who wants to speak first?"

Before anyone could react, Zhang Zhuo, dressed in a red official robe, stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty, our Ning Dynasty's tax system follows the Two-Tax System of the previous dynasty, which now has many drawbacks. The first problem is the excessive number of taxes, including land tax, poll tax, and various miscellaneous taxes. The people also have to perform labor service for the government, which is extremely difficult. The second problem is the chaotic collection process. Collecting in kind and labor service not only incurs high transportation costs but also provides loopholes for officials to embezzle. The third problem is the uneven distribution of the burden. Powerful landlords own large amounts of land but evade taxes by virtue of their official positions, shifting the burden onto the people... Your Majesty, the implementation of the new tax is urgent, but we still need to find a few places to test it and see the results. Only if the results are good can it be implemented in the north and south."

The ministers exchanged bewildered glances. Weren't they just talking about the Crown Prince and Chen Ji? Why did they stop talking about Liao Zhong now? Why are they insisting on discussing the new tax?
Emperor Ning sat behind the gauze curtain and asked calmly, "What do you gentlemen mean?"

After a brief silence, Grand Secretary Chen looked towards the door.

Liao Zhong was held in Shan Niu's hand, like a knife held to the necks of cabinet ministers and ministers.

He slowly rose from the embroidered stool: "Your Majesty, the local tyrants in Luzhou are increasingly seizing the people's land. It is time to try out new policies and see how they work."

Emperor Ning remained silent.

After a long while, Grand Secretary Hu slowly stood up and said in a hoarse voice, "Shanzhou and Shanzhou are also acceptable."

Emperor Ning casually said, "Let's do it this way. Draft an edict: Based on the profound considerations of Zhang Zhuo and other ministers regarding the national economy, their understanding of the people's sentiments, their reference to the past and present, and their extensive consultation with various parties, they have submitted a proposal for the Single Whip Law. I hereby grant their approval. The Ministry of Revenue may issue a document to the officials of all prefectures and counties, instructing them to respectfully obey my will and manage the matter diligently. Those who implement it on a trial basis must measure the land, clarify the population, verify the old quotas, and establish new regulations. Anyone who obstructs the process or whose corrupt officials conceal information will be punished for violating the regulations. This edict shall be proclaimed throughout the country so that all may know."

Wu Xiu, standing to the side, took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree, I will go immediately..."

Before everyone could fully decipher the imperial edict, Emperor Ning spoke again: "I hereby decree that the key to a good emperor's rule lies in acquiring virtuous and capable officials. Zhang Zhuo is learned and profound, upright and prudent. He is loyal to the emperor and devoted to the country, and is a trusted confidant of mine. Therefore, I hereby promote Zhang Zhuo to Minister of Personnel and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, to lead the new policies."

Renshou Palace fell silent once again.

Zhang Zhuo has been appointed to the cabinet!
The ministers looked at each other in disbelief. His Majesty had actually used this opportunity to bring Zhang Zhuo into the cabinet!
Everyone knew that Zhang Zhuo's entry into the cabinet was a foregone conclusion, but no one expected it to happen so quickly!

Some wanted to offer advice, but after glancing at Liao Zhong outside the door and then at the unmoving Grand Secretaries, they had no choice but to give up.

This is not the end yet.

The evening breeze blew outside the palace, causing the gauze curtains to sway. Emperor Ning, sitting on his throne, spoke again: "I have heard that the Qi family has a daughter named Zhaoyun, who is virtuous and kind. Grand Secretary Qi, would it be good to betroth her to Prince Fu as his principal wife?"

Grand Secretary Qi was slightly taken aback, then said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, this is a blessing for the Qi family."

Emperor Ning smiled and beckoned to Wu Xiu: "Draft an edict to bestow a marriage upon Prince Fu, with the ceremony to be held next spring. Also, this lad needs some experience. Draft an edict to send him to the south to investigate the salt tax. If he doesn't understand, he doesn't need to come back."

The first two imperial edicts were rigorous and proper, but the edict for Prince Fu was rather hasty, consisting of both bestowing a marriage and investigating taxes, without specifying the official position or what specific tasks were to be performed.

They only said they would investigate the salt tax, but didn't specify how far they would have to go before they would consider the investigation "complete."

The three edicts made no mention of the assassination attempt, yet each sentence seemed to be related to it.

The Grand Secretaries understood, but the Ministers were still somewhat confused and could only wait until they got home to ponder and study it carefully.

Only after the dust had settled did Emperor Ning look up at the palace gates and ask, "Who is outside the palace?"

Shan Niu reported in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Liao Zhong has arrived."

Emperor Ning asked calmly, "Where is Chen Ji?"

The mountain ox stepped aside, revealing the courtyard of Renshou Palace behind it.

Everyone looked over and saw Chen Ji lying motionless on the blue bricks, as if he were asleep.

(End of this chapter)