The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 565 The Emperor Goes to Yangzhou

Li Chengqian asked people to send the deeds recorded by officials from various counties to Chongwenguan. He thought that as long as the masters of Chongwenguan saw these deeds, they would be very interested and publicize them.

Li Chengqian took a painting from Li Daoyan. The Zhong Kui in the painting was a young man. He didn't look that scary, but rather delicate. Maybe if you look at him in a few years, he would be a little more scary.

The Zhong Kui was very different from the one he remembered. Li Chengqian put the scroll away and put it aside.

In the eyes of people in and outside Luoyang, the emperor seemed to be strolling around, or on an autumn outing. He took a tour around Luoyang and even ate a few autumn pears there. The autumn rain sometimes fell and sometimes stopped. After passing Laojun Mountain, there was an open plain, and the autumn climate there was quite different.

This year's late autumn is colder than in previous years. In the early morning, a large area of ​​white frost formed in the fields along the Luoyang River.

Li Chengqian stood by the Yellow River wearing a cloak. Luoyang is the junction of the North and South Canals and the most important port for canal trade. The entire canal connects the north and south of the Central Plains, going north to Zhuozhou and south to Yangzhou.

Therefore, ships traveling between the north and the south must pass through Luoyang, and Luoyang is an important transit station for domestic consumption in the Central Plains.

If we increase the market tax for every ship entering Luoyang port, the court can become rich just by collecting these market taxes.

Li Chengqian asked Wei Xuantong, the chief inspector of the river in Luoyang, and learned that the ship merchants here were unusually united.

This kind of unity can allow the Luoyang port to operate in an orderly manner, but it may also cause disadvantages. The formation of gangs in the canal transportation seems to be something that is bound to happen in historical exchanges.

But Li Chengqian felt that this was not an irreconcilable problem, and at least people should know that the canal transportation could benefit them.

As for the hidden dangers of the Caoyun Gang, Li Chengqian felt that it would not be difficult to deal with such a matter.

Zhao Renben was a very capable official. When he was young, he worked in Chu Suiliang's Ministry of Revenue. More than 20 years have passed, and now he has come to Luoyang to work and continues to be in charge of the River Supervisor.

The entire Luoyang is full of vitality from top to bottom, and this vitality comes from the flow of officials from Guanzhong.

It's like the Yellow River water flowing from Guanzhong, irrigating the fields in Luoyang.

The influence of Guanzhong made Luoyang an outpost of a new school of thought.

Zhao Renben explained: "Your Majesty, the new schools of thought in Luoyang all come from the new policies in the court. This new policy is for the people and is deeply popular."

Gao Jifu, who was standing nearby, said, "How can such a doctrine not win the hearts of the people?"

The millions of people who work are the people, and the income from people’s lives is their hearts.

If the people's will is described in this way, it is reasonable, but in terms of practice, Li Chengqian does not think it will be so smooth, and may encounter various obstacles in the future.

Putting himself in their shoes, Li Chengqian felt that people like Gao Ji Fu and Zhao Ren Ben might not be able to see the future. They were still skeptical and worried about the uncertainty of the future. Not everyone would follow the new policy so recklessly.

Li Chengqian smiled and asked Gao Jifu to follow him alone, and said, "Who do you think is better, Wei Xuantong or Zhao Renben?"

"Old minister..."

Gao Ji Fu has reached the age where he can retire, and the prefect of Luoyang needs to find the next person.

Li Chengqian said: "I have also considered whether to send people from the court to Luoyang, but no matter what the ministers of the Secretariat say, I think it is better to select from the officials in Luoyang and then let the officials in Luoyang and Guanzhong exchange in the future."

"It ensures that government orders can be implemented better and that an official does not stay in one place for too long."

Seeing Gao Jifu about to salute again, Li Chengqian explained: "I don't think you are bad, but I will make some changes from now on. I will add a new position called Guiding Censor to the official post of the prefect."

Since he was a censor and also an instructor, Gao Ji Fu felt that this position was not simple, as if it was adding a supervisory role to the prefect and local officials.

In the past, the prefect had great power. After the introduction of the military system, the civil power of the prefect was separated from the military power, and the military power of the military general became even greater.

People in the market think that the current emperor is very centralized. In fact, there are several such centralized emperors in history books.

Gao Ji Fu thought about it and remembered that he noticed this sentence when he read the decree issued by Guanzhong.

Power must be locked up. If it is not locked up, it will run rampant and cause trouble.

These are the words written in the decree of the 15th year of Qianqing.

After Li Chengqian said this to Gao Ji Fu, he left.

The Chongwenguan in Luoyang was built outside the city of Luoyang. It was built by Zhang Da'an in the past. It has now become a huge library. It is of course still the Chongwenguan, but it contains many books.

After leaving Luoyang, we head south to Yangzhou, which is much warmer in winter.

The last emperor who went south to Yangzhou and caused the country to fall was Yang Guang, a typical negative example.

Therefore, going south to Yangzhou is not a good thing, and it can be considered unlucky.

Perhaps it was just an unlucky omen. Li Chengqian boarded a ship to Yangzhou, and Gao Jifu, an old minister, accompanied him.

The ship sailed on the canal, heading south along the river.

Li Chengqian said, "The last time I went on a trip like this was when I went to Mount Tai with my father."

Gao Jifu said: "This happened more than 20 years ago."

It was late autumn and Li Chengqian saw the mountains covered with golden leaves.

The big ship was sailing on the open lake. The lake was very calm. When the ship passed through the water, it would create two ripples from the inside to the outside, slowly spreading to the distance until it reached the two sides of the lake.

At night, Li Chengqian saw small boats parked on the lake. The boats had lights on, which looked very bright in the dark and quiet night.

Looking down at the river, you can see the reflection of the starry sky on the water.

Although this place is not outside Hanshan Temple, you can still see the moon setting, crows crying, frost-filled sky, maples on the river bank, and fishing fires opposite to the sad sleeper.

If there was a Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, we would be able to hear the midnight bell.

There is always something poetic about the autumn season.

After three days of peace, when it snowed heavily again, the emperor's ship arrived in Yangzhou.

The emperor and his family did not enter Yangzhou City, but walked around outside.

The people of Yangzhou were even worried that the emperor would become like Yang Guang in the past, but fortunately, the army escorting the emperor this time brought their own dry food and did not ask for food from Yangzhou city.

There is a lake in Yangzhou, which is connected to the canal. This lake also has a nice name called Slender West Lake.

The Slender West Lake is like a long and thin strip of water. In spring, the willow trees on both sides are very beautiful.

Li Chengqian found a house by the lake and lived there temporarily.

In winter, the wind is stronger than usual near the Suzhou West Lake. Living near the lake also has its disadvantages. It is very windy at night.

The next day, it snowed heavily by the lake. Li Chengqian sat in the pavilion on the river bank, drinking tea and admiring the snow scenery.

Su Wan, Ning'er and Xiaofu found a few women from Yangzhou and learned how to cook some Yangzhou dishes.

The three of them have been very keen on cooking recently, and whenever they go to a place, they want to learn how to cook the local flavor.

Li Chengqian sat outside the house, watching the flying snow falling on the dead branches on the lakeside. It was strangely quiet all around, and he even hoped that the heavy snow would last longer. Because the emperor was here, this side of the Slender West Lake was fenced off, and no one else was going in or out.

Li Daoyan came hurriedly and handed over a memorial, "Your Majesty, it was sent from Chang'an."

Li Chengqian glanced at the memorial and put it aside. Shangguan Yi wrote about the recent situation in the court. In short, it talked about some ordinary things. The government was stable and everything was going well.

Although the Crown Prince is still unfamiliar with handling state affairs, he will become proficient sooner or later.

Li Daoyan said again: "Your Majesty, Li Yifu is here."

Li Chengqian put down the teacup in his hand and left the pavilion.

Li Yifu was waiting for His Majesty's summons at the entrance of Slender West Lake, but he did not expect that His Majesty would come to see him in person.

"His Majesty."

Li Chengqian stepped forward and said, "You have been busy these past two years. Thank you for your hard work."

Li Yifu bowed and said, "I have been investigating the salt merchants for the past three years. There are many salt merchants in Yangzhou and Lianghuai. I have compiled a list."

In the past two years, Li Yifu investigated various places in Yangzhou and found that the salt dealers were divided into several groups, from upstream to downstream.

The list was very thick. Seeing that His Majesty could not finish reading it in a short time, Li Yifu said, "Salt from Lianghuai will be cheaper, but the price will be different if it is sent to Luoyang or Liaodong."

Li Chengqian looked through the list and nodded continuously.

Li Yifu hesitated and said, "But salt is different, and the market taxes are also different. It is even harder to find salt dealers, big and small. They are scattered all over the place. Some are traveling merchants during the day, and become salt dealers at night."

These lists can all be attributed to three issues: the people who sell salt, the places where the salt is bought, and the price at which the salt is sold.

Li Chengqian walked back and forth looking at the list and asked, "Can you see these people?"

"I can see a few big merchants, but those small vendors may be difficult to find."

"You talk to them. I can let them continue to sell salt and give them market access and permission to enter the market, but they need to pay the taxes that they didn't pay in previous years. Based on their annual profits, I want them to pay 80% of their profits as taxes to the court. 80% every year, starting from the first year of Wude. After paying the taxes, they can continue to sell salt."

Li Chengqian asked, "Is it impossible to do this? Or do you think I am asking for too much?"

Li Yifu hesitated and said, "They are acquainted with the local leaders, and their power is intertwined. I cannot be sure whether these people will..."

Li Chengqian said: "I will give you three thousand soldiers and horses."

Li Yifu gritted his teeth and said, "I ask Chang'an City to send someone to assist us."

"Who?"

"Liu Hongye."

"Okay, you start moving when the people arrive."

Li Yifu bowed and said, "I obey your command."

Li Chengqian still looked at the snowy scene and said, "You don't have to worry about the future. I will not leave until you have accomplished this task."

"Here."

The transfer order to Yangzhou was sent to Guanzhong, and Liu Hongye arrived in Yangzhou City at the beginning of the 25th year of Qianqing, which took him two months.

In the spring of the 25th year of Qianqing's reign, when spring arrived in Yangzhou, Li Chengqian still lived in his house by the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou.

The south side of Suzhou's West Lake has become a forbidden area, surrounded by the emperor's imperial guards.

Because there is a house facing north and south on the south side, no one knows who this house belongs to, but it must be a wealthy family in Yangzhou that has such a nice yard.

The emperor didn't care who owned the house, and after living here, he seemed unwilling to leave.

The emperor spent all day either fishing or reading, and most of the time he sat by the lake. The empress and two concubines often invited women from Yangzhou to sit by the lake, and most of the time they were cooking.

The emperor seemed to be here to preserve his health, and no one knew when he would leave.

When Liu Hongye arrived in Yangzhou, he began to investigate with Li Yifu. The two of them brought 3,000 soldiers and horses with great momentum.

Li Yifu rode in front and explained to Liu Hongye who was also riding beside him: "Most of these salt merchants have connections with local leaders in various parts of Yangzhou. There are also bad people here, but not as many as in Guanzhong."

"Originally, I wanted His Majesty to invite Di Renjie. That guy is probably suitable for the situation in Yangzhou, but he is working in Jingzhao Prefecture. I heard about your deeds in Tianzhu, so I asked you to come here."

Liu Hongye asked, "Don't these big salt merchants live in Yangzhou?"

"In these villages outside Yangzhou, most of the villagers live in the same family, forming small clans. Some of them gather information, and some guard the village entrance. They are also very xenophobic. If an outsider walks into this village, he will most likely be driven away, and may not be able to leave."

Li Yifu continued, "Most of the villages here are run by elders from prestigious clans, and they even have connections with surrounding villages. Once a conflict arises between people from one village and another, the entire village will fight together."

As he spoke, Li Yifu suddenly smiled and said, "I have been in Yangzhou for many years. I have seen that scene. They fought fiercely. When the government went to clean up the fight, they found that many people were killed. But when they asked the villages on both sides, neither side blamed the other."

Liu Hongye asked: "After so many years of teaching, is it still like this?"

Li Yifu nodded and said, "Volunteer education is just teaching. It does not conflict with what happened between them. Their children still study through volunteer education."

Since the Two Jin Dynasties, people's trust in the court has become increasingly weak. This may be related to how ridiculous the previous emperors were. People almost lost trust in the government. This loss of trust has been affecting later generations, so that if the Tang Dynasty wants to restore its appeal, it has to pay a huge amount of effort. It was easy when it was destroyed, but when the Tang Dynasty wants to rebuild this trust, it needs to put in dozens of times more effort than before.

As they were talking, the two men led their troops to the outside of a village. As soon as the three thousand soldiers arrived outside the village, groups of men rushed to the entrance of the village. Some of them even drew their bows and arrows, and some held knives in their hands.

Li Yifu held the horse's reins, kept a distance of three hundred steps from the other party and did not move forward any further.

Liu Hongye asked: "What should we do next?"

Li Yifu frowned and asked, "What do you think?"

"Can I give orders?"

"can."

"Okay." Liu Hongye waved his hand and said loudly: "All troops, listen up! Surround this village."

"Yes!" The soldiers in the rear responded loudly, and the troops spread out to both sides and surrounded the village.

Liu Hongye smiled and said, "I experienced a lot in Tianzhu and participated in several big battles. It's just a village. The worst that can happen is that I will just kill a few more people."

After saying this, he sent people to the front of the village and shouted loudly, asking the men in the village to lay down their weapons.

After three unsuccessful persuasions, Liu Hongye looked at the other party, sighed, and waved his hand.

The messenger waved the command flag, and the surrounding Tang troops rushed into the village one after another.

Liu Hongye looked at the slaughter in the village calmly, and said, "There are some things that we cannot let the enemy think they have a way out."

(End of this chapter)