Chinese New Year

Chapter 1458 Hosting
In mid-October, Luoyang was blanketed in heavy snow.

After a brief rebound and a period of sideways movement, temperatures appear to have entered a downward trend again.

This year, some areas in the Jiangnan region also experienced abnormal weather, which dealt a blow to some northerners who were traveling south for the first time.

It may sound laughable, but the imperial court has been encouraging powerful clans in the north to move south for many years. However, according to the Ministry of Revenue's estimates, only about 200,000 people have actually moved south over the years.

This year there are slightly more, perhaps because the Kanto region was not involved in the war, and 50,000 people went south in one go, but even including this batch, there are only about 200,000, which is really a bit small.

There should be more next year, because we're going to start taking action in places like Yingchuan and Hedong.

The imperial court did not issue an official decree, but after the rumors spread, many people inevitably felt anxious.

On the 16th, Shao Xun summoned the Crown Prince to the palace without specifying the reason.

Crown Prince Shao Jin was somewhat uneasy. He was still discussing things with his advisors before entering the palace, but he calmed down when he met Shao Xun.

Shao Xun put down the book in his hand and asked a seemingly random question: "Liang slave, if you want to command the world, what is the key?"

Although it seemed a bit strange, Shao Jin immediately replied, "It's nothing more than money, power, and people."

"That's true," Shao Xun said with a smile. "Where did the money come from?"

"tax."

Who pays the taxes?

"The people of the world."

"So, is it better if more people pay taxes? Is it easier to control the situation?"

"Yes."

The logic is simple and clear. It's difficult for ordinary people to evade taxes, and they're even easier to manipulate. Wealthy families and powerful clans have deeply entrenched relationships, making them harder to control and more difficult to tax.

"So, are places like Yingchuan and Hedong easy to collect taxes?" Shao Xun asked again.

It wasn't difficult, because Shao Xun and the others were all subject to quotas, and their income might not be less than that of normal tax collection. However, this was not a normal system, and Shao Jin knew very well that he might not be able to collect much tax from these places. So he replied, "The household registration is unclear, and the officials are ambiguous. It is not easy."

"So you know what to do?" Shao Xun asked.

Shao Jin was startled and immediately replied, "We should investigate the household registration, replace incompetent officials, and clarify the tax laws."

“Well said,” Shao Xun said. “Let’s put the revision of the book aside for now. I’ve read the Book of Jin, and it’s mostly correct. It only needs a few more revisions, so there’s no rush. I’m giving you a task now: you will be in charge of the land survey in Yingchuan and Hedong counties.”

"Yes, sir," Shao Jin replied in a deep voice.

"Once these two prefectures are completed, next year we will conduct a thorough investigation of land records dating back to the Jin Dynasty, which you will also be in charge of," Shao Xun added.

“Yes.” Shao Jin’s mind raced as he considered his father’s intentions.

Land surveying is a major national policy, and although it has been carried out intermittently for many years, it has never really stopped.

He also approved of Dutian, and he approved of anything that would benefit him in taking over the position in the future. However, he felt that it was a bit strange that he was the one to do this.

This is a job that's bound to offend people. In the past, my father always took on these kinds of tasks that would offend people himself, because he wasn't afraid of offending anyone. But now that he's handling it, I don't know why.

In an instant, Shao Jin thought of many things, and even suspected that his father was testing him.

"It's nothing. Go see your mother and have lunch with her before you leave," Shao Xun said, waving his hand.

"Yes." Shao Jin bowed and took his leave.

After leaving the Taiji Hall, he looked at the snow falling all around him, breathed a sigh of relief, and headed towards the Zhaoyang Hall.

******
In Zhaoyang Palace, Princess Lu was bringing Junheng to visit her grandmother.

Although her grandson was already five years old, being called "grandmother" still made Yu Wenjun feel somewhat uncomfortable, after all, she was only forty-five years old.

After sitting down, Shao Jin observed for a while, and then found a suitable opportunity to talk about the audience he had just attended.

Yu Wenjun was somewhat worried.

Of course, it's just a worry. If her husband's decision conflicts with her family's interests, forcing her to make a choice will be painful, but she will ultimately side with her husband.

She couldn't imagine a life without her husband.

Shao Jin secretly pondered her mother's attitude. After observing for a while, she felt that it was as usual, so she relaxed and said, "Mother, there are good places in Jiangdong too. Danyang, Piling, Kuaiji, Wujun, and Wuxing all have cultivated land that has been developed for many years. If we find a way to buy it, we will have income in the same year and will not lose money."

"As for Yingchuan, we'll find a way to transport the grain to Xuchang, and then through the Suiyang Canal to Jianye. We'll handle the other valuables, farm tools, and oxen in the same way. With water transport, it won't cost much."

"Those who can be evacuated should be evacuated. Those who are too old, weak, sick, or disabled to leave should stay in Yingchuan to take care of the remaining farmland, orchards, vegetable plots, and mulberry groves. We will send someone to stay behind to guard them."

Yu Wenjun nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then said, "Your eldest uncle has some free time now and will return to Luoyang before the New Year. When he does, please reassure him and make sure things don't become too distant."

“Okay,” Shao Jin nodded in response.

Madam Lu exchanged a thoughtful glance with him. They had been married for several years, and she had noticed that her husband didn't seem to value Yu Liang, his maternal uncle, much. She wondered if it was because Yu Yuangui had shown weakness in front of his nephew and been looked down upon. But he was still her uncle, and she still had to use him.

"Liang Nu, will the fields in Jiangnan be cultivated in the future?" Yu Wenjun suddenly asked, as if she had thought of something.

“My father said we shouldn’t cross the fields,” Shao Jin replied.

"And you?" Yu Wenjun pressed.

Shao Jin did not answer directly, but said, “Mother, don’t worry, the Yu family will not suffer any losses. Besides, the wealthy people of Jiangnan pay taxes according to the law, so why should I be so aggressive? Even if the court is short of funds, it will not distribute land to all people. Some places still need wealthy families. Or rather, those places already have wealthy families, but they are not scholars from the Central Plains, but rather the chieftains of the barbarian caves.”

Yu Wenjun seemed relieved.

A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; if she can worry about her family and inquire about their affairs, that's already done her best. Knowing that at least Madam Yu wouldn't suffer any losses in this round of land allocation, she felt no more burdened.

Lady Lu gained a deeper understanding of her husband.

Everything he did was based on the goal of maintaining his own rule.

In some ways, the Crown Prince and the Emperor are the same kind of people, only one is more experienced and the other is not so experienced.

But what's wrong with that?
She is the Crown Princess and will likely become Empress in the future, bringing immense benefits to the Lu family of Fanyang. At the very least, they will not suffer any losses in this round of land redevelopment. Just as her husband said, there is arable land in Jiangdong. If the Lu family acquires some land, they will recoup their investment in a few years, and after that, it will be pure profit.

The only concern is the clash between the scholars from Yingchuan in the Eastern Palace and the growing number of scholars from Hebei. Whichever side loses will inevitably suffer losses.

After having dinner at Zhaoyang Palace, Shao Jin left with his wife and children.

Looking at my mother's lonely figure, I felt a pang of sadness.

This year, his father chose two more women for him to enter the Eastern Palace: the daughter of Liu Anzhi, the Protector-General of Beiyi, and the niece of Xin Yan, the Governor of Jingzhou, to become his consorts. He couldn't say anything about it.

Of course, as the crown prince, he has relatively few women, only five so far. His father is probably a little anxious because he only has one son and one daughter.

But to be honest, power is the most important thing; everything else is secondary.

******
The winter month arrived quickly, and the earth was covered in a blanket of white. As a result, more and more people gathered in Luoyang.

Nothing major happened this month. For Crown Prince Shao Jin, the only noteworthy event was that he was ordered to leave the city to welcome the last batch of troops who had set out to conquer the Western Regions in the seventh year of the Zhenyuan era: mainly the Imperial Guards and troops from various ministries.

After the ceremony, he had Jin Guan, the commander of the guards, come forward and carefully inquire about the expenses incurred by the soldiers on their expedition.

In Shao Jin's mind, the Right Jinwu Guard of Bingzhou and the troops of the four towns of Hongcheng, Wuzhou, Gaoliu, and Pingcheng (formerly the Dai State army) were the most affectionate, because they were the first to express their willingness to join him.

The Right Valiant Cavalry Guard would be ranked later.

However, the other tribes should not be neglected, even though they cannot take the initiative to contact them.

This year, the imperial court established the Fangqu Longxiang Prefecture in Anding County and reorganized the eight prefectures of Anding, Xinping, Lueyang and Longxi into the Right Changzhi Guard—thus, the Guanzhong Prefecture Army was initially formed, with about 20,000 men.

In addition, Yuxi was established in the southwest of Anfeng County, Huoshan was established in the western part of Lujiang County, Sishui was established in Pengcheng County, and Geyi was established in Xiapi County, totaling four Longxiang Prefectures.

No amount of care is too much for this group, which has grown to over 133,000 people, because they are of use.

Yes, for Shao Jin, the soldiers were "useful," it was that simple.

They are needed for foreign campaigns, for suppressing local strife, for deterring foreign powers, and even in the future—but let's leave that aside for now.

If they are useless, they are not worth his trouble at all. They can be collectively converted into civilian households to provide taxes and labor for the court, and then the strong and able-bodied can be selected as recruits to continue to serve the court.

As for where the funds for recruiting soldiers will come from, that remains to be seen...

However, my father once said that he had been carefully protecting the soldiers almost every year, trying every means to prolong their lives, so that they would be "good at fighting" for at least the next thirty years. After thirty years, perhaps some of the elite soldiers would be "capable of fighting", but after that, they could only defend the city and could not fight in the field.

A hundred years from now, even the city's defenses will be inadequate, and we'll have to find another way, perhaps even as early as sixty years from now.

Shao Jin was somewhat skeptical of this.

Young people are always full of confidence, and he didn't believe that after his vigorous reorganization, the soldiers would be bad at fighting.

What if we repeatedly investigate the land allocated to the prefectural soldiers and prohibit them from selling their land? He felt it was worth a try.

At the end of November, Yu Liang, the transport commissioner of Guanzhong, arrived in Luoyang from Chang'an. After entering the palace for an audience, he officially relinquished his temporary post.

He is now free from official duties and can finally relax.

But who is Liangzi? He doesn't allow himself to be so lazy. He prefers the Emperor to give him more responsibilities and challenge his limits.

However, it was almost the twelfth lunar month, and the emperor had not made any move. Helpless, Yu Liang could only stay in Luoyang and wait for good news.

On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, people who had heard the news of Yu Liang's return to the capital flocked to him, complaining incessantly.

Yu Liang initially received a group of people, but later he got annoyed and simply closed his doors to visitors.

On the seventh day, Grand Tutor Song Qian of the Crown Prince came to visit.

(End of this chapter)