Chinese New Year

Chapter 1509 Standby
The first month of the sixth year of Longhua (347) was unusually easy.

Shao Xun only attended the grand court assembly on New Year's Day, leaving the rest of the activities to the Crown Prince, demonstrating his complete trust in him.

However, those who are observant will realize that among the three major powers in the world, the military has not been completely handed over to the Crown Prince.

For example, the Zuotianwu Guard, which was formed last year—with the addition of the Hangou Longxiang Prefecture, composed entirely of soldiers from Xuzhou Prefecture—still reports all matters, large and small, to the Emperor and has not been delegated to the Crown Prince.

For example, the Left Yingwu Guard, which was formed last year from eight prefectures—Lixia (Jinan), Jiaxia, Pugu (Le'an), Jili (Qi), Hanting (Beihai), Laishan, Wendeng, and Dongmou (Donglai)—was also controlled by the emperor, and the crown prince could not interfere.

Even the four prefectures newly established in Henan—Dangshan (Liang), Lingbi (Pei), Xiangcheng (Qiao), and Qufu (Lu)—where the lowest-ranking officials, down to the lowest-ranking officers, still reported directly to the emperor.

Military power was tightly controlled, with only a small opening made for the crown prince; the majority remained in the emperor's hands. Even the very opening left for the crown prince was questionable.

It goes without saying how the Right Dragon Tiger Guard of Bingzhou would choose between the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

The southern expedition to Linyi promoted a number of officials, personally recommended by the crown prince. However, many of these people had also been favored by the emperor, so it was difficult to say how to choose among them.

The emperor was an old military man. He didn't pay much attention to superficial things, he understood the psychology of military men very well, knew how to control the army, and knew that the army was the main source of his power.

Therefore, the Wuren Group will likely be the last thing he hands over; there is no doubt about that.

However, everyone knows that the emperor is paving the way for the crown prince step by step, but the subtle changes in between are not for outsiders to know; those who understand will understand.

Before they knew it, it was late April. Shao Xun was bored on the Lichun Terrace, so he found a spot, led a group of descendants of martyrs, donned armor and wielded spears, and charged back and forth twice.

After dismounting, he laughed heartily and returned to Lichun Terrace to bathe and change.

"You're sixty years old, why are you still trying to outdo young men?" Pei Lingyan brought Shao Xun a piece of clothing and said, "Don't you understand that old age isn't about physical strength?"

"Sixty years old is the perfect age to make a name for yourself," Shao Xun said with a smile. "Some people even have children when they're sixty-seven or sixty-eight."

"Man or woman?" Pei Lingyan asked.

“Of course it’s a man.” Shao Xun chuckled, then let loose and said, “That man’s surname is Li. Even at fifty years old, he was able to single-handedly break into the enemy’s formation, capture an enemy military officer alive, and return. His bravery is unmatched.”

Pei Lingyan was too lazy to ask which history book had mentioned such a person; it wasn't important. She simply tidied up the official documents on the table and casually chatted, "Nian Liu sent back a budget account, which you call a 'financial report'?"

"Yes." Shao Xun nodded, then asked, "Have you seen it?"

“I’ve seen it.” Pei Lingyan nodded and said, “The regular tax and external levies together amount to 150,000 to 160,000 wen, but the expenses are also quite large, so the surplus isn’t much. Why do we need to hire people to dig wells and canals?”

“They hired Wusun, Yuezhi, and Xiongnu people who had submitted to them,” Shao Xun said. “These tribes were not within the territory of Gaochang Kingdom; they were only considered vassal states, so we had to pay them.”

“It is indeed strange that silver is given for everything,” Pei Lingyan said. “However, you said in your letter that giving silver is not all bad. That silver will eventually return to Gaochang from the Wusun tribe. It just stays in their hands for a short time. After flowing back, it will promote the development of Gaochang. Is that right?”

"Didn't you already see it?" Shao Xun retorted.

Pei Lingyan nodded and said, "That sounds reasonable. The Wusun tribe needs almost everything, so they would use money to buy grain from Gaochang to survive the famine, and to get the people of Gaochang to dig more wells and canals and reclaim more farmland."

You also mentioned that the Wusun tribe wanted to buy pots, pans, plates, knives, spears, halberds, and other various items made by artisans. Over time, the income of the original artisans in the tribe decreased, and they either changed professions or were attracted by the income of the Gaochang artisans and moved over.

You also said that after this money flows into the Gaochang market, it will encourage Gaochang artisans and workshops to expand production, make their skills more proficient and exquisite, and produce more goods..."

Shao Xun nodded and said, "It means the money needs to be put to use. If this money stays in the Gaochang treasury, its effect is limited. It would be much better if the Gaochang royal court took the initiative to spend it, but it would be better to let the money flow into the hands of the people of Gaochang or the farmers and herdsmen of the outer vassal states, so that they can decide how to spend it themselves. Money that does not circulate will ultimately have limited effectiveness."

Pei Lingyan seemed to be deep in thought.

Seeing her expression, Shao Xun laughed heartily and said, "If you had the chance to manage the business, you would definitely be very capable."

Pei Lingyan glanced at him and asked, "What kind of business?"

“It’s huge.” Shao Xun gestured and said, “It’s about gathering all the craftsmen in one place, working day and night.”

Pei Lingyan hummed in agreement and asked, "Have you seen it before?"

Shao Xun was silent for a moment, then said, "I've met you."

“Can I manage this?” Pei Lingyan asked. “Many things are interconnected; it’s all about human nature,” Shao Xun said. “Perhaps I can make a living from it too. But I’m not good at being a craftsman; I can only be a… well, maybe a bodyguard.”

Pei Lingyan put away a stack of manuscripts and said in a light tone, "Actually, you sometimes talk in your sleep, but it's indistinct and your voice is very low."

Shao Xun was startled and speechless.

He used to love sleeping with his mistress in his arms when he was young. After sharing a bed with her for so many years, it's possible that he might accidentally let slip some information.

"What is Country Garden? And why is there a General? Is it another name for a certain political affairs hall? Someone who can become both a general and a prime minister?" Pei Lingyan asked.

Shao Xun seemed to freeze in place.

He actually meant to say that if I were to run a business, I wouldn't be able to tighten screws; I'd only be able to work as a security guard. But he stopped himself in time.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll just be your family's retainer."

Pei Lingyan walked behind Shao Xun, placed her hand on his shoulder, and asked, "Is he a servant who came from a family of servants? That's slavery, someone who's to be played with like a puppet, and can never escape in their entire life."

Shao Xun chuckled dryly and said, "I have nothing better to do than talk nonsense with you all day long."

After gently removing Pei Lingyan's hand, he stood up and asked, "Nianliu sent you several truckloads of gifts a while ago. What were they?"

“It’s just gold, silver, and jade, along with some honey and medicinal herbs. Take them if you want; I don’t need them anyway,” Pei Lingyan said. “When are you going to reply to him? Use that money theory you somehow came up with.”

Shao Xun hummed in agreement and said, "Tomorrow, it's too late today. Hmm, let me take out that official letter from Jiaozhou again and take another look."

Faced with the man's evasive answers, Pei Lingyan said nothing more, turned around and took an official letter, placing it on the table.

Shao Xun walked over and sat down, flipping through the book half-jokingly and half-seriously.

It has been a year or two since the conquest of Linyi, and the garrison that was suppressing the land has been replaced by the second batch. Now it is all natives of Jiaozhou. Actually, it is not quite accurate to say that they are suppressing the land, because they only station troops in a few slightly larger cities or key waterways and land routes, and most areas have been abandoned.

Fan Fo, son of King Fan Wen of Linyi, wandered around and even had followers around him. There were also people in the local area who supported them, but their numbers were dwindling.

The reasons are not complicated. Fan Wen's ascension to the throne was illegitimate; he murdered his former master, poisoned his sons, and was not even a native of Linyi. The reason he has persisted until now is mainly because Fan Wen once waged wars in the east and west, annexing countless tribes and cave chiefs, establishing considerable prestige, and leaving a legacy for his descendants.

However, under the harsh reality, this legacy was being severely depleted, and the person seemed to be on the verge of giving up.

However, Fan Fu's inability to persist does not mean that the Liang people can easily take over the country. As things stand, Linyi, which was once forcibly united by Fan Wen, is now fragmented, with local warlords as numerous as hairs on a cow. Some have accepted the title of the Great Liang Dynasty, some are two-faced, and some are doing as they please, ruling their own territories behind closed doors.

Under Shao Xun's instruction, Sun He adopted a political appeasement policy towards the local tyrants of Linyi. As long as they accepted the imperial decree from the Great Liang Dynasty, they could do whatever they wanted in the local area, whether they were mountain kings or local emperors. Even the amount of tribute was symbolic: some gold dust, python gallbladders, hawksbill turtle shells, pearls, kingfisher feathers, etc., every year, without even asking for grain.

Undoubtedly, these conditions were extremely favorable, far better than those during Fan Wen's rule, and there was no reason not to accept them. Although some suspected this was merely a delaying tactic by the Liang people, who would gradually increase the amount of tribute until the villages could no longer bear it. At that point, resistance would not be as easy as it was now.

Unfortunately, people are short-sighted. Linyi had just suffered a defeat, and many people were terrified, so they accepted the conditions and even offered more tribute than required.

In this way, Sun He was able to free up his hands and calmly deal with the troublemakers with his small number of Jiaozhou soldiers. Meanwhile, Ruan Fu, who came from the staff of the Agricultural Encouragement Commissioner, went to various places to investigate and returned with many reasonable suggestions. Therefore, Sun He asked him to be appointed as the Chief Administrator of Jiaozhou and replaced the Jiaozhi Prefect whom he disliked with Ruan Fu.

Shao Xun agreed and secretly pondered that there were hardly any people with the surname Ruan in Jiaozhou at this time. Could it be that a member of the Ruan family from the Eastern Jin Dynasty served as an official in Jiaozhou, which led to the rise of the Ruan surname?
But those are minor matters, unimportant. What matters is that Linyi, a state historically repeatedly exploited by the Eastern Jin and Liu Song dynasties, has been completely destroyed. Perhaps there will be a chance for revival in the future, but who cares? That's no longer his concern.

After closing the memorial, he heard light footsteps and looked up.

Hou San, his face beaming with amusement, asked softly, "Your Majesty, tonight—"

“It’s in Cuiwei Hall,” Shao Xun said without hesitation.

Hou San responded, bowed, and withdrew.

“It’s time to cultivate your character,” Pei Lingyan said from the side.

Shao Xun nodded and said, "I just want to buy more time for this world and solidify its foundation. I won't force it; I'll act when the time is right. That's all."

(End of this chapter)