A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 769 Heavy snow today
"It's snowing heavily today!"

Li Yi sat in his office, flipping through the almanac. This should have been the time of year when the weather was freezing cold and snow was falling.

At this time of year, people in the countryside would usually start slaughtering pigs and making preserved meats.

The first snow of the year hasn't fallen yet.
It still feels like late autumn in September.

The stove in the Prime Minister's office in the State Affairs Hall had not yet been lit, and the prepared stove and charcoal were still piled in a corner, covered with a layer of ash.

Liu Shiche pushed open the door and walked in.

"The weather this year is really abnormal. In previous years, at this time, it would snow heavily, and we would either be cooking tea with snow with friends, fishing in the snow on the river, or searching for plum blossoms in the snow. This year, it is already the season of heavy snow, but let alone snow, we haven't seen much rain."

“At this time of year, my hometown of Xuzhou is colder than Chang’an is now.”

Abnormalities are demonic.

Li Yi sighed; what he feared most had come to pass.
The weather is still showing no signs of cooling down, just as Fu Yi and Li Chunfeng of the Imperial Observatory predicted: this year will be a warm winter.

"It seems we need to make plans early. It hasn't rained for a long time, and the soil moisture in the wheat fields on the outskirts of Beijing is insufficient, so drought is starting to appear."

If this continues, the drought will severely damage the growth of wheat seedlings, and without a transition in temperature, if the weather turns cold directly, the wheat will lack the ability to withstand the cold and will freeze to death.

Another factor is that the prolonged warm winter has led to a serious increase in pest infestations.

Drought relief efforts have begun in various regions.

While the Li family was busy watering the wheat, they were also covering the wheat ridges with straw to lock in soil moisture, but watering was becoming increasingly difficult.

However, the pest infestation is getting worse.

The head of the household came in and said, "Pingzhang, this is the price statistics of major consumer goods in Chang'an and the other two cities for this month, which you requested."

Li Yi took it.
As he expected,
The prices of firewood and charcoal, which usually start to surge around this time of year, have not risen much this year. However, grain prices are steadily increasing.

In September, a dou of rice cost fifteen coins, while a dou of millet cost only nine coins.

But now, it has doubled; a dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice costs thirty coins.

"What is the current grain supply situation at the grain shops in Chang'an and the two cities?"

"Reporting to Pingzhang, the grain shops in both cities are clearly reducing their sales."

Grain traders are very astute; they've already begun predicting reduced grain production next year, or even famine, based on the current mild winter.

In times of famine, demand exceeds supply, so grain prices will naturally rise. Whoever has more grain in their hands will make more money.

Grain merchants, having just emerged from a period of chaos, were adept at dealing with such situations, reducing sales and driving up grain prices.

Just as ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring, grain merchants are naturally the first to sense the demand in the grain market.

Should grain be released from the Ever-Normal Granaries to curb the rapid rise in grain prices?

Li Yi shook his head.

This is not just speculation by a few grain traders.

There is a high probability of famine next year, and rising grain prices are inevitable. The imperial granaries do not have much grain at present, so releasing it too early would be meaningless.

It was already late October, but the sky over Chang'an was still bright and sunny.

Li Yi went to Ganlu Hall.
Upon entering the hall, one sees the emperor lying wearily on a couch.

The acupuncturist at the Imperial Pharmacy is performing acupuncture on the emperor.

During this period, the emperor was very anxious.

Fu Yi and Li Chunfeng's speculations kept the emperor awake at night.

Li Yi heard that this month, the emperor began to eat vegetarian food and prayed to the Jade Emperor every day.

"Wu Yi, please sit down. I'll be ready in a moment," the emperor said listlessly.

"With no rain for so long and winter not yet here, the drought is worsening across the country, and grain prices are rising continuously."

"Alas," the emperor sighed, "is this a warning from Heaven? Have I done something wrong?"

Li Yi disliked the concept of the interaction between Heaven and Man, seeing it as nothing more than a trick by Confucianism to put shackles on the emperor.

Otherwise, imperial power could not be restrained.

Since the emperor is the Son of Heaven, then we should use the power of Heaven to restrain him.

Everyone knows the truth about this whole thing.

Li Shimin is saying this not because he is truly afraid of divine punishment, but because he is worried that someone might use it to make a fuss.

After all, he had only been emperor for a little over a hundred days.

The retired emperor moved to Da'an Palace, while Jiancheng and Yuanji remained imprisoned in the imperial city.

The recent cases of Li Xiaochang's treason and Pei Ji, while they served as a strong deterrent to some,
but now,
They also feared that someone might use this unusual celestial phenomenon to attack the foundation of the emperor's rule.

People are already starting to use this as a talking point.
For example, the Grand Astrologer Fu Yi directly submitted a memorial stating that this was due to the emperor's devotion to Buddhism. He said that the emperor had bestowed titles of "Great Virtue" upon more than a hundred people in one go, and even appointed a young monk in his early twenties as a Great Virtue, allowing him to preside over the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

They selected 3,600 monks to perform rituals and built temples in various places, which even Heaven could not tolerate.

Fu Yi was the Grand Astrologer.

But he was also a Taoist priest, well-versed in astronomy and calendrical calculations. He had always opposed Buddhism, believing that Buddhists were disloyal and unfilial, shaving their heads and bowing to their rulers and parents. They idled away their time, changing their clothes to evade taxes.

Give a penny and hope for a thousandfold return. Fast for one day and hope for a hundred days' worth of provisions.

Many people, because of their faith in Buddhist doctrines, were not afraid of the laws of the court and committed all sorts of evil deeds, but in prison they would worship Buddha and repent, hoping to be pardoned.

He said that Bao Si, a woman, bewitched King You and caused the country to perish, so how much more so should the hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns in the world who bewitch the people! Fu Yi can be said to be a staunch anti-Buddhist in the court. In the fourth year of Wude, he submitted a memorial to abolish Buddhism. He proposed that at this time, we should follow the teachings of Li and Confucius and not the Hu Buddhism.

right now,

Fu Yi submitted another letter,

We resolutely abolish Buddhism, requesting that the heretical Buddhist religion be returned to India, and that all monks be released to return to their homelands. Those who shirk their duties should be required to pay their taxes, and those who evade corvée labor should be made to serve diligently. We must not allow bald-headed monks to enter the country; they should be content to be loyal ministers, guarding the ancestral temples…
Li Yi actually agreed with what Fu Yi said.
However, from the perspective of a national leader, Fu Yi's points out the problem is correct, but his proposed solution is wrong.

Buddhism was introduced to China and developed for hundreds of years. Its influence was so great that it could not be eradicated so easily. Both Emperor Wu of Northern Wei and Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou tried to suppress Buddhism, but they could not solve the problem.

Governing a country cannot be done in such a simple and crude way.

Now, taking advantage of this celestial phenomenon, Fu Yi has begun a massive attack on Buddhism, seemingly wishing that after the court had destroyed the Three Stages Sect, it could wipe out the entire Buddhist order in one fell swoop.

Li Shimin does not want to start a conflict between Buddhism and Taoism at this time.
Because the conditions are not yet ripe.

Fu Yi's current provocations are giving the emperor a major headache.

"I recently received a letter of accusation. Take a look at it; it's right here on the table."

Li Yi got up and went to the desk, where he indeed saw a folded book.

Pick it up and look through it.
The content is quite surprising.

Someone reported that Fu Yi was from Yecheng, Xiangzhou, Hebei Province. He was poor when he was young, so he became a Taoist priest. Later, he went to a temple to borrow money, but the monks refused to lend him any, so he harbored resentment.

During the Kaihuang era, he served as a court official under Yang Liang, the Prince of Han. Later, after Yang Liang's rebellion failed, he was implicated and exiled to Fufeng.

At that time, Li Yuan was the governor of Fufeng. He treated Fu Yi with great courtesy and took good care of him.

Later, when Li Yuan raised an army and entered Chang'an, Fu Yi came to Chang'an to seek refuge. He first sought refuge with the Taoist priest Wang Kui, who, remembering their past friendship, allowed him to stay in his private residence and treated him with the utmost respect.

Within days, Fu Yi had taken Wang Kui's wife as his own, openly and without any attempt to conceal it from others. Wang Kui's nephew, a monk, witnessed the affair and told Wang Kui.

Wang Kui did not believe it, saying, "I took in Fu Yi, a poor scholar, at my home. Would I dare to do such a thing?"
But when he got home, he found it to be true, and he swallowed his anger and returned to the Taoist temple.

Soon after, Fu Yi was summoned to serve as the Assistant Grand Astrologer. The then Grand Astrologer Yu Jian recommended Fu Yi to replace him. However, after Fu Yi was promoted to Grand Astrologer, he repeatedly slandered Yu Jian.

The whistleblower said that Fu Yi was a villain.

After reading this letter of accusation,

Li Yi didn't know how much of it was true and how much was false, but he could roughly guess what the emperor meant.

The emperor showing him this letter of accusation was undoubtedly an attempt to take action against Fu Yi.

Fu Yi is now determined to provoke a conflict between Buddhism and Taoism, and wants to destroy Buddhism. He even brought up the unusual celestial phenomena, which has crossed the emperor's red line.

The emperor had to shut Fu Yi up.

But we can't let people misunderstand that we're taking sides between Buddhism and Taoism.

Li Yi lowered his head and looked through the letter of accusation again. His sixth sense told him that this letter was most likely written by a monk.

After all, the story states that Fu Yi was initially poor and became a Taoist monk. Later, he went to a temple to borrow money from a monk, but was refused, which fueled his resentment. Later still, he sought refuge with a Taoist priest, but then took the priest's wife as his own. It was the priest's nephew, who was a monk, who discovered and reported this, naturally making Fu Yi even more resentful.
The subtext is that Fu Yi's long-standing opposition to Buddhism stems from these events; it's a case of using public office to settle personal scores.

It wasn't written by a monk, but perhaps by someone who reveres Buddhism, or it's related to the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism.

"Your Majesty, I believe that since someone has made a report, we should investigate it."

We can first have Grand Historian Fu write a defense based on this, explaining the circumstances involved.”

Li Shimin lay there.

"Fu Yi is, after all, a court official, so it's best not to publicize this matter before it's thoroughly investigated."

I think you should summon Fu Yi for a face-to-face talk.

Li Yi nodded and put away the letter of accusation.

"Your Majesty, the weather is abnormal now, and there will definitely be a reduction in production next year. It is best to make plans as soon as possible."

The campaign against Tuyuhun next year can be postponed. Tuyuhun Khan Fuyun has just sent an envoy to Chang'an to pay tribute and seek peace, so we can take the opportunity to agree to it first.

"Let the Tuyuhun offer some cattle, horses, sheep, and camels as tribute, and also have them send a princess for a marriage alliance; let's avoid war for now."

"Furthermore, regarding the matter I raised last time, Your Majesty, what is your opinion on the idea of ​​leading all officials to move to Luoyang for a meal?"

Li Shimin looked hesitant.

"It's only late October now. Although there is some drought, we can't be sure it will continue. If we were to lead all the officials to Luoyang now, it would be too much of a fuss."

Moreover, Luoyang was caught off guard and unprepared.

This isn't a trip out hunting or a summer retreat at some palace; once this trip begins, it could take a year or more to return.
In particular, they had to bring along officials, soldiers, and a large number of their families, which meant a migration of no less than 100,000 people.

Chang'an and Luoyang are not close at all; the two capitals are more than 800 li apart, and the road is not easy to travel.

"hold on."

"Your Majesty, if we wait until the end of the year or next spring, it will be even more inconvenient to move the capital to Luoyang then."

"Let's wait a little longer," Li Shimin sighed, still holding onto a sliver of hope.

Perhaps it will get cold soon, and a rain or a snow will usher in the harsh winter, resolving the drought and pest problems.

Li Yi didn't try to persuade him further, but instead said seriously,

"Your Majesty, I request that, given the current shortage of grain reserves, the brewing of alcohol and vinegar should be temporarily suspended in preparation for famine!"

"In addition, I would like to suggest that those who own more than 100 mu of land should purchase two dou of grain per mu for storage in the Ever-Normal Granary for famine relief! At the current market price, a dou of wheat is worth 20 qian and a dou of millet is worth 12 qian."

(End of this chapter)