Chinese New Year

Chapter 1510 Seeing Mountains, Seeing Seas, Seeing Oneself

Perhaps because he had worked up a sweat yesterday while wearing armor, wielding a spear, and charging into battle on horseback, and hadn't paid attention to it when he took a bath afterward, Shao Xun was somewhat sickly the next day.

This situation lasted for almost three months, until around Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), when it finally improved completely.

For three months, the Crown Prince came to inquire about his health every day, and even personally served him medicine, showing the utmost filial piety.

On this day, the Crown Prince came to Ganlu Palace again.

Shao Xun, wearing only a light robe, practiced calligraphy behind his desk. Upon seeing the Crown Prince, he nodded to him and said, "Sit down."

Shao Jin bowed and sat down next to his father.

Shao Xun quickly finished writing the calligraphy, which read, "Seeing mountains, seeing seas, seeing oneself; seeing hills, seeing rivers, seeing all people," and then handed it to his son, saying, "Here you go."

Shao Jin carefully took it and chewed it twice.

"Have you gained any insights?" Shao Xun asked.

“My father assigned me to various posts before so that I would realize my shortcomings, which is called ‘seeing the mountains, seeing the sea, and seeing myself.’” Shao Jin replied, “Then, as the Commissioner for Encouraging Farming, I inspected various places, investigated households and cleared fields, and witnessed the various aspects of people’s hearts and the hardships of the people. This is called ‘seeing the hills, seeing the rivers, and seeing the people.’”

Shao Xun nodded and said, "Have you seen me while I've been handling government affairs lately?"

“The tasks are complicated, and I often don’t know where to start,” Shao Jin replied.

"Tell me about it," Shao Xun said casually as he picked up his pen again and began to write a piece of calligraphy.

"Since the beginning of this year, Piaoyujin has started shipping by sea in the four prefectures of You, Ping, Ji, and Qing. The Director of the Ministry of Revenue has twice submitted memorials, earnestly requesting that they follow the example of the seafarers in Jiaozhou and Guangzhou and charge by the foot of the boat, saying that the court had promised them." Shao Jin said, "The two Grand Councilors Liang and Wen of the Council of State Affairs have both rejected it, Wang Shizhong (Wang Feng) has remained noncommittal, but Wang Shumi (Wang Que'er) has approved it."

"What are the reasons for the opposition? Is it because there's no profit to be made?" Shao Xun asked.

“Exactly,” Shao Jin replied. “If we’re talking about trade, one or two ships are enough; there’s no need for dozens. If we have to charge a freight rate for transporting supplies to Lelang, it’s not worthwhile, so I don’t agree.”

"And you?" Shao Xun asked as he continued writing.

Shao Jin hesitated for a moment, then said, “I don’t think we should discourage the seafarers. This is a risky business, and if we don’t give them generous rewards, it will be hard to continue. If one day Baekje disobeys orders and marches north, we will not be able to recruit enough seafarers in a hurry, and we will have to transport goods by land, which is extremely difficult.”

"If you can say that, then the calligraphy I gave you earlier wasn't a waste of money," Shao Xun said. "One should have a long-term vision and not just focus on the present. Some ministers are excellent at managing various affairs, easing public sentiment, and even guarding a region; they are capable ministers of the country. But they also have many flaws and bad habits."

They could freely send seafarers out to sea without paying them a toll, and if any died, they would at most receive a few bolts of silk as compensation. When they were short of manpower, they would recruit civilians from Jiangnan and Sichuan to serve as transport soldiers for the Ministry of Revenue and continue operating the seafarers; these were called "contracted soldiers."

That's not entirely wrong. Aren't all hereditary soldiers like that? Previously, when rice was transported north from Jiaozhou, they received 10,000 to 20,000 strings of cash a year. Next year, it's likely to exceed 20,000 strings of cash. That's enough to support two Imperial Guards and still have some left over. They're actually dissatisfied because the seafarers are no longer like hereditary soldiers.

However, since transporting rice north from Jiaozhou was profitable and replenished the national treasury, they reluctantly accepted it. What did the Piaoyujin Revenue Department have? A pure loss; it was understandable that they were unwilling to pay the transport fees. After all, if this precedent were set, wouldn't other troop transports also have to pay transport fees? Transport fees are not cheap, whether on the canal or by land.

They've thought of everything you've considered. To be honest, even without paying porters, there won't be a shortage of seafarers when the army marches on Lelang. Recruiting inland river boatmen wouldn't be a bad solution. However—”

At this point, Shao Xun changed the subject, saying, "There are advantages to paying for the rides, but these advantages are often not obvious and are easily overlooked. Did you know that?"

Shao Jin said confidently, “When I arrived in Jianye, I inspected the Revenue Department’s office. There were seven hundred ship owners there, who had been to Guangzhou twice. During the southern campaign against Linyi, they transported troops, provisions, and weapons without delay, and few ships were lost at sea, which shows their superb skills. According to the Revenue Department’s officer, it wasn’t like this a few years ago. After paying them a fee, some ship owners earned more than twenty strings of cash a year, which was enviable. They no longer needed to be forcibly conscripted as before. After settling down, they began to study ship handling skills, and the morale and training of the ship owners improved. Ship owners are soldiers too, so I think we should support them.”

"Will you keep raising it from now on?" Shao Xun asked.

"Grandpa is in his prime—"

"Alright, alright." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "Actually, you're not much different from them. You're all somewhat pragmatic, just a little better. If there's profit to be made, treat the seafarers well; if there's no profit, don't mistreat them. Daliang is just a corner of the world. Who can say for sure what's going on overseas? You might not be able to do it now, but you might in the future. Didn't many people oppose the attack on Linyi Kingdom before? What happened? After bringing back so many spoils, no one complained anymore. There will also be the benefits of maritime trade in the future, which will greatly benefit the national treasury. Some money is extremely difficult to force powerful clans to hand over, but it's not so difficult to get it out through rare treasures from overseas."

After Shao Xun finished speaking, he also finished writing the characters.

Shao Jin leaned closer to take a look: "Unperturbed by favor or disgrace, I leisurely watch the flowers bloom and fade in the courtyard; indifferent to staying or leaving, I idly watch the clouds drift and gather in the sky."

It doesn't conform to the rules of poetry at all! But it has a beautiful artistic conception, which is something that a father of that age and with that state of mind could write.

Especially the last stroke of the character "舒" (shū), which is drawn out like a flowing blade when it goes down, shows the father's very relaxed mood when writing it—a feeling that can only be understood but not explained.

"How was it?" Shao Xun put down his brush and asked. Actually, it wasn't very good, Shao Jin thought to himself.

He was disciplined by his mother with a ruler from a young age, and his calligraphy was learned from famous masters, so it was certainly not bad. Among all the princes, only Prince Zhao, Shao Xu, could surpass him in calligraphy. His calligraphy was truly excellent, and even Wang Xizhi praised it when copying family letters.

Well, speaking of Wang Xizhi, Shao Jin also really liked this secretary who served his father. The reason was simple: his calligraphy was excellent.

Unlike Shao Xun, who came from a humble background, Shao Jin appreciated art and had some talent himself. Therefore, people with good calligraphy were given important positions, as were people with good music and dance skills.

However, some say that Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is not as elegant as before, as if his state of mind has changed and it has lost its original flavor—in short, it has become more like Ban Gu's style.

After pretending to observe for a long time, Shao Jin said, "Leisurely, carefree—"

"That's enough," Shao Xun said with a laugh, "I showed you these two sentences, not to judge the quality of the writing."

Shao Jin then became serious, and her expression gradually turned somewhat unpleasant.

Shao Xun glanced at his son, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Sit down."

Shao Jin sat down as instructed.

Shao Xun coughed and said, "The calligraphy at the back was a joke. Seeing mountains, seeing the sea, seeing yourself—that's what your grandfather hopes you can achieve."

"It was no easy feat for your father to build a nation; he fought his way through half his life to establish his rule. Now that various systems have been established, there are proper methods for doing so. What I want you to know is that building a country is difficult, but destroying it is very easy."

"Mountains are majestic, and the sea embraces all rivers. After seeing mountains and seas, one should know that human strength has its limits. Even the ruler of the world has things he cannot do. People should be respectful and humble, not arrogant. Can your abilities match mine? If not, then follow the established rules and be a good ruler who maintains the status quo. It is not wrong for the country to expand its territory when it has surplus strength, but it must be done in moderation. We must not exhaust the people's strength and not give ambitious people a chance."

"Within the nine provinces, hills stretch endlessly, rivers crisscross, and the common people are born and raised here. The emperor, acting on behalf of Heaven, must provide them with a bright and clear world. You must understand your responsibility and not be too harsh. The practices of exorbitant taxes and levies and large-scale construction projects must cease. You have traveled to many places and are no stranger to the suffering of the people. Therefore, you must be benevolent and support the people."

"First see the mountains and the sea, see yourself; then see the hills and the rivers, see the needs of the people. If you can do these things, the world will be at peace, and who can rebel? Who dares to rebel? The difficult things have already been done for you by your grandfather. From now on, you only need to make repairs and maintenance, without having to make any major moves."

Shao Jin pondered these words carefully, and for a moment, she did not reply.

He knew that his father had warned him not to act recklessly after ascending the throne, lest he squander the family fortune and cause the Shao Liang dynasty to die after only two generations.

What is he worried about?
A rebellion on the steppes? A Goguryeo uprising? A Baekje advance northward? The restoration of Lin-yi? A rebellion by the southwestern barbarians? Or is someone plotting to usurp the throne?

Shao Jin thought about it carefully.

Since the Kaiping period, the rivers and streams in the country have been dredged, widened, straightened, and even sluice gates have been built. Many irrigation canals and ponds have also been dug, so that no manpower is needed in a short period of time.

The main post roads from Bianliang to Chang'an, Luoyang to Yanmen Pass, Luoyang to Xiangyang, and Bianliang to Yecheng have also been repaired, so there is no need to expend manpower in the short term.

Even the palaces in Chang'an have undergone major renovations, plus the palaces in Luoyang and Bianliang—I've heard that the palaces in Yecheng will also be renovated and completed in about one or two years—enough for him to live in.

The most difficult and potentially disruptive secondary field construction was completed last year, and any occasional local disturbances were suppressed.

He couldn't think of anything else that would require large-scale construction and would greatly deplete the people's manpower.

Even the enemy has been almost wiped out, leaving only the Tuyuhun, like stray dogs...

His father wanted him to be more lenient, which was actually to let him recuperate and allow the country to reach its peak. In that case, the Shao family's rule would be secure and no one could overthrow it for a hundred years, because people's hearts were not on the side of ambitious people.

"Father, I understand." Coming back to his senses, Shao Jin bowed and said solemnly, "My talent is only average. I am certainly not as brilliant as you, Father, but I will not do anything wrong in maintaining the status quo."

Shao Xun nodded and said, "Saying you have only average talent is too harsh. You're more of an above-average talent, which is enough to maintain the status quo. But I'm worried that you might not recognize your own abilities, so I wrote this for you today to remind you. It may sound harsh, but at this point, what can't we say to each other? That's all I have to say. Go see your mother and have lunch with her."

"Yes," Shao Jin replied.

"Starting next month, you will be in charge of approving and making decisions on matters of unresolved affairs in the Council of State Affairs," Shao Xun concluded. "After you have approved them, send a copy to Lichun Terrace. That's all. You may leave."

After agreeing, Shao Jin looked at her father's slightly pale face after recovering from his illness, and felt a mix of emotions, suddenly feeling a little sad.

(End of this chapter)