Chinese New Year

Chapter 1475 Sunbathing

On the third day of the third lunar month, a day off is given. In Luoyang, civil and military officials, ministers, generals, and even ordinary people all go out with their families to enjoy the spring scenery, making people feel as if they are living in a peaceful and prosperous era.

Actually, it's not entirely wrong. In the fifteen or sixteen years since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, although it had not yet reached its peak in terms of population and economy, peace had indeed been achieved, and public security had greatly improved. In five-year increments, the number of mountain bandits and river bandits had greatly decreased, especially after the three general amnesties in Kaiping, Zhenming, and Longhua, when many people surrendered themselves and were exempted from punishment.

Shao Xun then arrived at the West Garden in Luoyang.

Wang Huifeng recuperated here because of the fresh air and tranquil environment, so Shao Xun would come to keep her company and occasionally go fishing nearby.

Hunting is no longer an option. The birds and animals are too weak in spring, and it's their breeding season, so there's no need to cause them harm.

“There’s even correspondence between Nianliu and Hutou.” When the sun was high in the sky, Shao Xun carried Wang Huifeng to the courtyard, placed her on a recliner, covered her with a blanket to bask in the sun, and then opened and read the letters beside her.

By the time of the second year of the Longhua era, the post station system between Luoyang and Kucha was gradually being integrated.

Among them, the density of stations in Luoyang and Dunhuang needs to be increased, while the section between Dunhuang and Kucha needs to be rebuilt. In particular, the large desert north of Yumen Pass contains several oases. Shao Xun has ordered Gaochang Kingdom and Dunhuang Prefecture to build post stations in the oases to facilitate the travel of travelers and messengers. Post stations are one of the most important infrastructures of the country and should not be neglected.

The communication link between Sanlang and Silang was in Luoyang. They would send their letters to each other's palaces, and then have them forwarded by personnel from the "Liangyang Office." It was rather troublesome and time-consuming, but since it was exploiting the Liang Dynasty's postal system, it didn't matter.

After hearing Shao Xun's words, Wang Huifeng did not open her eyes, but only smiled slightly.

Shao Xun didn't expect any response from her and continued, "Hu Tou is very envious of Nian Liu for having so much money, but he also admitted that if he were in Gaochang, he would probably be slaughtering people behind the mountains to sustain the war. He couldn't guarantee that he would be able to manage it as well as Nian Liu in the end."

“Nianliu is not suitable to go to Liaodong,” Wang Huifeng said in a low voice.

Shao Xun hummed in agreement.

The pressure facing Liaodong is incomparable to that of Gaochang; they need a strongman and also admire strongmen.

Gaochang, however, was different. It was closer to the civilization of the Western Regions city-states, with a deeply ingrained commercial culture. Its oasis agriculture, animal husbandry, and handicrafts were highly developed, and it had a unique script and language. Without external military invasions, nobles and kings often remained in power for many years without change. Even if they stepped down, it didn't necessarily mean the entire family would perish. For example, Yanqi had two major families, the Yuan and Long, both of whom had served as kings and still coexist to this day.

It can only be said that different places nurture different people, and Nian Liu is more suited to making the most of her talents in the Western Regions.

"After unifying the world, it seems you've expended just as much energy as you did when you were conquering it." Wang Huifeng, having opened her eyes at some point, looked at Shao Xun and spoke softly.

Shao Xun, who was writing a letter, laughed upon hearing this: "Conquering the world was actually quite difficult. The most energy-consuming task was securing provisions. Wang Yifu helped me a great deal. After establishing the country, I first carefully observed the situation and, finding that no one could control me, I began to drastically reform the world. Unfortunately, the country's strength was insufficient, and we lacked many things, not only the visible ones but also the invisible ones. After much thought, I realized that human strength has its limits, and I can only do what I can."

"Is sea transport all we can do? Many learned scholars criticize this matter," Wang Huifeng said.

"I'm not a good person." Shao Xun was silent for a moment before finally managing to utter these words.

While staying at home is certainly safe, navigation technology will never advance, and may even regress.

During the Age of Exploration, did the Dutch trick Scottish farmers into coming to harvest flax and tobacco, and then tie them to their ships? Was that humane?

Was it humane for the Portuguese to bring all the beggars from the streets onto their ships?

Farmers, thugs, and mercenaries living in the cold North Germany traveled to Batavia in ships, only to die in shipwrecks or from malaria. Was that humane?

There were also the English who went to the North Sea to whal and Newfoundland to fish for cod. They were also exploited to the point of desperation. Many of them became debt slaves and had no choice but to go on the ships. Was that humane?

Most of them died, but in their place came rapid advancements in navigation technology, leading to the discovery of countless new sea routes and ushering in the magnificent Age of Discovery.

They are indeed dead, but their legacy continues to benefit future generations.

It's human nature to want others to work hard so that you can enjoy the benefits; that's why you need a "bad guy" to push things forward.

"Five years ago, Guanqiu Zongkuang submitted a memorial to dissuade me, leading some to believe that I was also unwilling to carry out this matter." Shao Xun put down his brush and said, "Today I can tell them that I will never give up on this matter."

“It is indeed very difficult.” Wang Huifeng looked at the leisurely white clouds in the sky and said, “Jiaozhou’s annual tax grain should be 1.5 million hu. If we do a thorough check of the households, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were 2 to 3 million. But now, only 600,000 hu of rice have been transported away in six years, which is really not much. If 600,000 hu could be transported away every year, the benefits would be enormous. Once we’ve tasted the sweetness, no one will dare to give up easily.”

"In terms of money and supplies, we should rather lose Ningzhou than Jiaozhou," Shao Xun said.

Among the major southern states, Jiaozhou truly had unique advantages. The Red River Plain was developed early, and the population was large, making it more prosperous than Guangzhou and Ningzhou.

However, Jiaozhou was isolated from the outside world. In later generations, the mountains along the Sino-Vietnamese border severely blocked the land transportation between the core Jiaozhi Commandery and the Central Plains. Since the Han Dynasty, the main route of communication was by sea, which led to centrifugal tendencies.

A counterintuitive fact is that Jiaozhi, the region furthest from the core area of ​​the Central Plains, was actually the first area to be ruled by the Central Plains, even earlier than Yunnan in later times. After all, until the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Nanzhao Kingdom (Yunnan) was still attacking Jinghai Army (Jiaozhou), but was defeated by Gao Pian and suffered heavy losses.

It's a real pity to lose such a prosperous state.

Shao Xun was not lying. Ningzhou was a desolate place, and most of its area was under the rule of the central dynasties, which did not actually control it until the Ming Dynasty. If he had to choose one, he would choose Jiaozhou.

To control Jiaozhou, a navy of a certain size was necessary. The Nanhai Town (naval force, governing Panyu) established a few years ago was ready to quell any rebellion at any time.

"Does the Crown Prince agree with your opinion?" Wang Huifeng asked.

“Liang Nu is actually quite competent; he values ​​money, grain, taxes, and corvée labor,” Shao Xun said. “If Jiaozhou could supply hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain to Guangling every year, how could it possibly abandon it?” “How many outstanding scholars does Jiaozhou have?”

"Two. In each prefecture, regardless of the number of households, two candidates will be appointed as candidates for the civil service examination." Shao Xun said, "Huang Guan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, is from Jiaozhi and is considered the highest-ranking official in Jiaozhou. I have actually been thinking of promoting a few people from Jiaozhou, but their talents are generally average, so I have to wait and see."

"You've really put a lot of thought into this," Wang Huifeng said with a smile.

Shao Xun sat down next to her and asked softly, "Aren't you annoyed by all this I'm saying?"

Wang Huifeng gently shook her head and said, "I really enjoy hearing about your grand ambitions."

She sighed inwardly, knowing she wouldn't be able to listen for much longer.

“If you were a man, you could be a prime minister,” Shao Xun remarked.

Wang Huifeng rolled her eyes at him and said, "I like being a woman, sitting next to you, watching you govern the world."

"So you want to be the empress." As he said this, Shao Xun glanced around guiltily, and once he realized that no one could hear him, he felt relieved.

“Yes, that’s right.” Wang Huifeng said with a smile, following Shao Xun’s tone.

Shao Xun paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, someone told me back then that since you were a widow at home, I should marry you."

"You were of low status back then, weren't you?" Wang Huifeng asked.

"It is a bit low..." Shao Xun smiled awkwardly.

The people involved in the rich woman's contact list incident are probably all dead by now; he's the only one who knows about it.

“If you could see me and tell me your aspirations, perhaps I would elope with you,” Wang Huifeng said with a smile.

Shao Xun knew she was joking and didn't take it seriously.

“However—” Wang Huifeng said with a half-smile, “If I become empress, you probably won’t be so comfortable. Adultery with other men’s wives and daughters is absolutely forbidden. For every one you take back, I’ll send one away. I’ll keep you on your toes, making you a sage ruler praised by all.”

“The Holy Ruler is too tired,” Shao Xun said. “He’s never been so carefree as he is today.”

Wang Huifeng glanced at him helplessly and said softly, "You're fifty-six years old, but sometimes you seem like you're sixteen."

“It’s nothing like when I was sixteen.” Shao Xun shook his head and said, “When I was sixteen, I could fight my way from one end of Kaiyangmen Street to the other, but I don’t have that same heroic spirit now. Last autumn, during the hunt, I was out of breath after riding and shooting for a short while. This year, I can probably only watch the young men have fun. You can’t deny that you’re getting old.”

Both of them fell into a silent silence.

After a long while, Wang Huifeng murmured, "You must take good care of yourself."

The spring sunshine was warm and cozy, and she felt a little sleepy.

In her dream, Shao Xun seemed to really want to marry her, and she was overjoyed, but in the end she gave up the marriage to Yu Wenjun.

She seemed to have no regrets, but instead sat quietly in the corner, watching the man gradually change the world.

When the man asked her for a reward, she would always put on a helpless expression, but she always managed to get what he wanted.

Such days are ordinary yet fulfilling.

She was very intelligent, smarter than all the women in the harem, but she was probably not the kind of person who liked to stand in the spotlight and receive the worship of the courtiers.

She enjoyed helping men with accounting and filling in the gaps in their records. While tidying up messy official documents, she would glean glimpses of the potential for a well-governed world, and then she would secretly rejoice.

Her father complained about her, and her sister didn't understand her, but she didn't care. It was as if no external pressure could shake her resolve.

That's who she is.

Shao Xun covered Wang Huifeng with a blanket, then stood in the courtyard, watching the hawks soaring in the sky.

That was freedom, wildness, agility, and high spirits.

Shao Xun watched for a while, then chuckled. "Just some pet kept by the Imperial Household Department."

Even in his twilight years, he can still wield the eagle's claws to reshape the world.

If you want to turn the world upside down, wait until I'm dead.

He returned to his desk and drafted an imperial edict, appointing the Director of the Finance Department of Piaoyujin and ordering 500 seafarers from the Sanba region to go to Zhangwu.

(End of this chapter)