Big Song Xiaohou Ye

Chapter 195 Zhao Ji's Conspiracy

Zhao Zhen glanced at the ministers and said, "The national treasury is empty, what good strategies can the ministers have?"

The huge court hall was silent for a while, nearly a hundred ministers were silent, some shook their heads and sighed, and some quietly watched.

The issue of annual revenue is a problem that has plagued the rulers of all dynasties. Too much revenue is not conducive to the long-term stability of the dynasty. Many dynasties rose up because the taxes were too heavy, forcing the people to have nowhere to go, and played the banner of overthrowing the tyranny.But the collection was light, and the treasury had no money. It was difficult for a court without money to make a difference.

When the treasury has no money, the usual method is to increase taxes. This is the fastest way to fill the treasury, but its side effects are also great. Not to mention the boiling of public grievances, the key is to overdraw the national economy. A vicious cycle, and the more the cycle gets worse!

Du Yan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishments, said: "The only thing we can do now is to collect taxes in advance."

Yushi Zhongcheng Lu Zongdao objected: "No, it is not yet the autumn harvest season. This is the most difficult time for the people in a year. How can we collect taxes at this time? It is absolutely impossible."

Zhang Shixun, Deng Guogong, also said: "The imperial court has implemented a recuperation policy for the past few years, and the lives of the people have just improved in the past few years. It is really inappropriate to increase taxes."

Now that someone started, the ministers began to discuss, some supported the increase in taxes, while others opposed it, and the court fell into a quarrel all of a sudden.

Zhao Zhen's original intention was not to collect taxes, but now it seems that there is no other way, either increase income or reduce expenditure.Since you can't open source, you can only save money.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand to signal the ministers to stop discussing, and then said: "I think that after setting aside the money for repairing the imperial mausoleum, we should try to reduce unnecessary expenses as much as possible. The remaining money should save some money, and it should be able to survive the new tax revenue this autumn." Take it up?"

Ding said that as the prime minister, this is the time when he should take his own opinion. He stepped forward and said: "What your majesty said is very true. Since the treasury is tight and your majesty is sympathetic to the people and does not want to increase taxes, then the only thing to do is to save money. Now the distance between There are less than two months until the new tax is imposed, and the veteran feels that he should be able to get through this difficult period by gritting his teeth."

Now that the prime minister has made his statement, the other ministers who followed him have come to an end. Jiang Zongren, Minister of Dali Temple, said: "Even if you really can't make it in the end, you can choose a few counties and counties to collect taxes a little earlier. Come."

Zhao Zhen nodded, now this is the only way to go, unexpectedly the great Song Dynasty is so poor!

At this time, Lu Zongdao, the imperial censor, suddenly said: "I would like to report to Your Majesty, I feel that there are other ways besides collecting taxes and saving expenses!"

As soon as Lu Zongdao said this, a stone stirred up thousands of waves, and all the ministers looked at him one after another, wanting to hear what the solution was.

Even Liu E saw from Lu Zongdao that Lu Zongdao had always been stable, and Zhenzong relied heavily on him when he was in power. He even engraved his name "Lu Zhi" on the screen to let everyone learn from him. The man opened his mouth, and it seems that there is really a way.

Zhao Zhen hurriedly said, "Master Lu, please tell me."

Under the watchful eyes of all the ministers, Lu Zongdao said loudly: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial here, which was presented to Your Majesty by the old minister's students."

The little eunuch on the side hurriedly took the memorial and quickly handed it to Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen opened the memorial curiously. At the beginning, his face was still a little curious, but the more he looked at it, the more ugly his face became. After he finished reading, he buckled the memorial hard, and said angrily: "It's unreasonable, it's really unreasonable!"

All the ministers looked at each other, what was in the notebook, why did His Majesty get so angry after reading it?
Ding Wei glanced at Lu Zongdao suspiciously, the people below did not go through Zhongshu Sheng, but this stubborn old man handed in the papers. Could it be that he impeached the old man again?
Liu E ordered the little eunuch to go and take a look at the memorial. After reading it, she was a little displeased. She asked solemnly, "Master Lu, is the content of this memorial true?"

Lu Zongdao fell to his knees and said, "To the Empress Dowager, this is handed over by a student of the old minister. The old minister dares to guarantee with his life. My student will never talk nonsense!"

"Hmph! These corrupt officials are really hateful!" Liu E said emphatically after receiving Lu Zongdao's affirmative answer.

All the ministers were still blankly waiting to announce what was going on. Seeing this, Ding Wei had no choice but to say: "Dare to ask the Queen Mother, what is it that makes you and Your Majesty so angry?"

"Master Lu, tell them," Liu E said.

Lu Zongdao said: "Officials at the Cangzhou Salt Field in Hejian Prefecture, East Road, Hebei Province, guard and steal all the year round, and raise the price of official salt in the market privately, but secretly sell private salt to make huge profits. The annual income is as much as 10 taels! After so many years of accumulation, I am afraid it will be more than 100 million."

All the ministers were taken aback. It is a well-known fact that the officials guarding the salt and iron mines are greedy for small money, but they did not expect that the officials of the Cangzhou Salt Field would dare to act so boldly.

Ding Wei's face became ugly, because the Cangzhou Salt Field was so corrupt and perverted the law, it was impossible for the Hebei East Road Economic Officer to know. As the largest chief executive in the area, he must have got a piece of the pie, and it was a big piece!And Hebei Donglu Jinglue envoy was his disciple Pan Liangbi.

"Cangzhou Salt Mine is just a small salt mine, and a small salt mine can be greedy for millions of silver, so what about other salt mines and iron mines?" Zhao Zhen asked coldly.

The ministers finally understood the third method Lu Zongdao said, which is to punish corruption!

When all the officials were silent, a young official came out and said: "Since Emperor Zhenzong came, including the ten years since His Majesty ascended the throne, our dynasty has never carried out official rectification for decades. The official, the powerful and cunning person, the law is not selfish, the people are not in vain, I ask Your Majesty to clarify the administration of officials!"

Some ministers are secretly asking who this young official is?This person looked to be in his 30s, and he had never been seen in court before, so it seemed that he was newly transferred to Beijing.

A minister at the side whispered: "This person is the new manager of the Secret Pavilion, named Fan Zhongyan."

Liu E nodded and said, "The old man has indeed neglected this issue in the past few years. I didn't expect this group of people to be so lawless. It's time to punish them."

Now that Liu E has expressed his position, Zhao Zhen has a solid foundation in his heart, and without asking Ding Wei, he immediately said: "Okay, I will order Mr. Lu to be the inspector to go to Hebei East Road to thoroughly investigate the matter, and in addition, I will transfer the capital in front of the palace. Li Ce, Marquis of Yu, led his troops to protect Lord Lu's safety."

"Your Majesty, it was Master Lu who played it at this time, and the excerpt was handed over by Master Lu's protégé. The old minister feels that it is inappropriate to send Master Lu." Ding Wei said to stop him.

Lu Zongdao said coldly: "Master Prime Minister, do you think that this old man will bend the law for personal gain?"

Ding Wei said indifferently: "I don't mean that, but in order to avoid suspicion, it's better for Mr. Lu not to go. Besides, Mr. Lu is already sixty years old. It's a long way to Hebei East Road, and the journey is exhausting. In case Lu What's wrong with the adults, isn't it delaying the trip?"

Ding Wei is worthy of being an old fox, but his words are hidden in the needle but they are high-sounding.

Lu Zongdao snorted: "The old man is very strong, the journey to Hebei East Road is only five or six days, and the old man can afford it."

However, when Ding Wei said this, Zhao Zhen also became worried. Lu Zongdao was the oldest minister in the dynasty. If something happens, you will feel guilty.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen said: "The prime minister is right, so choose a young official to go."

Lu Zongdao still felt a little annoyed, Zhang Shixun held him back and said, "Lord Lu, you and I are getting old, so let the young people do such things, it can be regarded as giving them a chance to practice."

Hearing what Zhang Shixun said, Lu Zongdao could only shake his head and sigh.

Ding Wei winked, Du Yan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, hurriedly said: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, I am willing to go."

Zhao Zhen glanced at Du Yan and sneered in his heart: Although I agree with Ding Wei replacing Lu Zongdao, I won't use your people either.

Feng Kaiji, Minister of Rites, also said: "Your Majesty, I wish to go."

Of course Zhao Zhen was willing to let Feng Kaiji go, he was the one who supported him, and when he came back from the investigation, with credit, he could justifiably mention him as an official.

Unexpectedly, before he could open his mouth, Jiang Zongren, Minister of Dali Temple, said coldly: "I'm afraid the Minister of Rites is not qualified enough?"

Feng Kaiji, the servant of the Ministry of Rites, is a fifth-rank official, and the inspector is usually a fourth-rank official, and Du Yan, the servant of the Ministry of Punishment, is exactly the fourth rank.

Zhao Zhen had to look for candidates again, but he glanced at the officials in the hall, and found that most of the young officials were Ding Wei's people. Except for Chen Yaozuo, Zhang Shixun and a few veteran officials, the rest were either the Queen Mother's, or It was Ding Wei's, or it was Zhao Ji's. On the contrary, he, the emperor of the Song Dynasty, became the one with the smallest number of people!
Chen Yaozuo and Zhang Shixun looked at each other, Chen Yaozuo frowned and said in his heart, why don't he go by himself, since he is not yet 50 years old, anyway, he can't let Ding Wei's people go.

"Your Majesty, I am the manager of the Secret Pavilion. According to my position, I can also serve as an inspector." It was Fan Zhongyan who spoke.

Zhao Zhen looked at him. This Fan Zhongyan had just been transferred to Beijing from another place. He just heard that he was famous, but he didn't know how good this person was, and whether he would be wooed by Ding Wei.

Chen Yaozuo and Zhang Shixun both said: "The minister agrees that Mr. Fan will be the inspector."

Du Yan was anxious and looked at Ding Wei. Ding Wei frowned and wanted to speak when he came out again.

Zhao Zhen had doubts at first, but when he saw that Chen Yaozuo and Zhang Shixun jointly recommended him, he no longer had any doubts in his heart, and saw that Ding Wei was about to obstruct him, so he hurriedly said: "Okay, then I will appoint Mr. Fan as the inspector!"

Ding Wei still said: "Your Majesty..."

"Okay, that's the end of the matter, prime minister, don't talk about it anymore." Zhao Zhen said.

Ding Wei hesitated for a moment but continued: "Your Majesty, the old minister is not against Mr. Fan's appointment as inspector."

"Ok?"

This time, not only Zhao Zhen was a little confused, but Du Yan also showed disbelief. Chen, Zhang and the others were also wondering what Ding Wei's old fox was up to.

Just listen to Ding Wei said: "The old minister thinks it is inappropriate to send Yuhou, the capital in front of the palace."

Zhao Zhen was a little angry in his heart. He thought that Ding Wei had changed his gender. It turned out that one plan failed and another plan was made. Seeing that the position of the inspector could not be won, he wanted to fight for the position of the guard. The position of the guard was Zhao Zhen. In order to promote Li Ce in a legitimate way, what was specially reserved for him, how could he let it go.

Chen Yaozuo was even more anxious than Zhao Zhen, and when he heard this, he pulled his face and said, "What's inappropriate?"

Ding Wei said: "The duty of the Wansheng Army is to protect His Majesty's safety. How can they ignore His Majesty's safety because of a salt case?"

What Ding Wei said was righteous, but Zhao Zhen didn't appreciate it at all, you old bastard want to use me to block the gun?

He coughed twice and said, "Well, I have the guards in the palace to protect me, so the prime minister doesn't need to worry too much."

Chen Yaozuo said: "Protecting His Majesty does not necessarily have to be Du Yuhou himself. Du Yuhou is going to guard the inspector this time, and it is not necessary to bring all the troops of the Wansheng Army. It is enough to bring a hundred or ten people. Isn’t Your Imperial Guard still able to protect His Majesty?”

Du Yan came out to chime in and said, "It's a long way to Cangzhou, and the guards must be highly skilled in martial arts. If you encounter a thief or something along the way, you can also deal with it. I'm afraid Li Ce, the Sidu in front of the palace, will not be able to do so." . " Du Yan just got a fat job and was robbed, and he complained a lot, and now he wanted to fight for his son's job as a bodyguard.In fact, everyone knows that the possibility of encountering thieves who dare to openly rob the army is very small. Even if they do, there will still be a group of forbidden troops. In fact, the problem Du Yan mentioned will almost never happen. of.

But when Du Yan said this, Ding Wei's other followers began to agree.

"Yes, yes, at least he must be a brave general who has experienced many battles."

"Yes, how can you send a baby there?"

Listening to the discussions of the ministers, Chen Yaozuo said loudly: "My lords, don't forget who brought down the city of Weizhou of the Liao people!"

As soon as this remark came out, Du Yan and others were dumbfounded. This is a real military achievement. They wanted to refute it, but they didn't know where to start.

At this time, Ding Wei speculated: "It's true to capture Weizhou, but according to the old man, Li Ce is more of a planner, right? This is different from the guard mission this time, and the key is to be able to fight!"

Ding Wei is much better than those who can only flatter and sycophant. With so many years of experience in political struggle, he can see the problem at a glance. If he wants to attack his opponent, he must first find the opponent's flaws.

This time it was Chen Yaozuo and others who were speechless, and what Ding Wei said was true. Chen Yaozuo knew Li Ce's roots, and his apprentice had a brilliant mind, but his skills were quite ordinary, even two or three A month ago, this kid didn't know martial arts at all!

Lu Zongdao snorted: "Your Prime Minister, what you said is wrong. Which do you think is more important than strategy or force?"

Lu Zongdao's age is not in vain, especially the boss of Yushi Zhongtai. After so many years of experience as a speech officer, he is definitely the No. 1 in the court.The question he asked is very tricky. This strategy and force just represent the civil and military struggle in the Song Dynasty. The strategy represents the literati, because the Song Dynasty implemented the strategy of using culture to control military force. Although the leaders are warriors, the real decision-making is right But those who are often civil servants, military force is naturally a military officer.

Ding said that no matter which one he said, it would be bad for him, and he knew the pitfalls, so he didn't answer.

After several rounds of confrontation, both sides have their own winners and losers, and no one can do anything for the time being.

Fan Zhongyan suddenly said: "I feel that Du Yuhou Li Ce is fully capable of retaining the protector."

The two rows of people looked at Fan Zhongyan together, and Ding Wei stared at him fiercely. The threat in his eyes was self-evident. The reason why he gave in easily just now was because he wanted to win Fan Zhongyan into his camp after the court, but Now it seems that he has lost his sight.

"Lord Fan, this is not only about your personal safety, it is also about the implementation of the government's rectification of officials at this time." Dali Temple Minister Jiang Zongren reminded.

Ding Wei's face turned serious, this Fan Zhongyan is so ungrateful!Now that he has made a mistake, the accompanying guard's seat must be taken down no matter what!If they are all Zhao Zhen's people, then even if there is nothing wrong, I'm afraid they will have to find out something!Especially this Li Ce, the speed of this kid's recent rise can only be described as a steady rise, if he is allowed to grow, I am afraid that he will bring endless troubles to himself.

The reason why Ding Wei has been able to sit firmly in the aspect for more than ten years is because he can always find out the potential factors that pose a threat to him in advance and eliminate them in time!
Ding Wei felt that he had tolerated the little emperor enough after this period of time. The reason for this was because he knew that the queen mother Liu E was already somewhat dissatisfied with him. He was not afraid of Zhao Zhen, but he was a little jealous of Liu E. After all Many important ministers in the court belong to her.But this little emperor pressed on every step of the way, and he got addicted to it once or twice, hum!It seems that I won't show you any color, you really think I'm old!

"I suggest selecting brave and skilled fighters from the three divisions to take on the responsibility of this guard!" Ding Wei suddenly said loudly, and his attitude was extremely tough.

As soon as Ding Wei opened his mouth, Du Yan, Jiang Zongren and others all agreed: "I agree with the Prime Minister's proposal." For a moment, most people in the court were in support of Ding Wei.

The faces of Chen Yaozuo, Zhang Shixun, Lu Zongdao, Fan Zhongyan and others became extremely ugly, and Ding Wei dared to be so arrogant!
Zhao Zhen was so angry that his chest heaved sharply, Ding said that doing so was no different from forcing the palace!He couldn't help turning his head to look at the Empress Dowager Liu E, but found that the Empress Dowager seemed to be thinking about something, and she didn't look at the court at all.

Zhao Ji was watching the excitement from the sidelines, he laughed at Zhao Zhen's weakness in his heart, and deliberately set fire to him again and said: "My younger brother also thinks that the proposal of the competition couldn't be more fair, why don't we let the two have a competition and win the battle?" Those who have gone, naturally there will be no criticism.”

Zhao Zhenqiang held back his anger, and said with a straight face: "This time, there is no delay in investigating the case of the saltworks. When will there be time to compete again, I think Li Cexing will be the one to do it."

Zhao Ji said sneeringly: "Brother Huang did this, is it a bit cronyism?" Only Zhao Ji dared to say this, he was annoyed that Zhao Zhen punished him yesterday and also fined his salary, so he deliberately added chaos to let Zhao Zhen had a headache.

Liu E saw that the entire court was arguing for only two positions today, and finally couldn't help but shouted: "Just for one position, a group of you are arguing together, and in terms of old age, you should follow Xiao Yuan's rules in a fair period. What the king said just now."

Liu E wasn't listening to their discussion just now, what she just thought was the way to keep in good health taught to her by a female Taoist priest.But later, when she saw that they were arguing, she only heard Zhao Ji's method of competition, and she felt that this method was fairer, so she decided on this method.

Empress Dowager Liu spoke, and none of the ministers objected, but some sensitive ministers had already smelled it. The person His Majesty liked was Li Ce, but King Xiao Yuan said that he would decide by competition, but in the end the Queen Mother agreed. King Yuan's proposal...

A trace of loneliness flashed through Zhao Zhen's heart, he clenched his fists tightly, but saw Zhao Ji proudly raised his head at him.

Liu E didn't take Zhao Zhen's feelings into consideration at all, and continued: "Since we want to investigate thoroughly, how can we only inspect one Cangzhou? Since there are corruption and perverting the law in the Cangzhou Salt Field, there are also other places. I think even Hebei West Road, Let's inspect Yongxing Jun Road and Qinfeng Road together!"

All the ministers shouted loudly: "The empress dowager is wise!"

Ding Wei glanced at Zhao Zhen lightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

After the morning court, as soon as the officials retreated, Zhao Zhen ordered the little eunuch beside him: "Little Li, go to the front of the palace to inform Li Ce of the content of today's court meeting with the Secretary Wan Shengjun, and pass on my oral order so that he can prepare well. Be sure to win this escort mission!"

The little eunuch knew that the matter was urgent, and left in a hurry after taking orders.

Zhao Zhen stood beside the dragon chair in the Zichen Hall, a ray of sunlight in the morning light poured into the hall, it was dazzled by the reflection of the bright floor, Zhao Zhen felt an indescribable bitterness welling up in his heart, he looked at the backs of the ministers in the morning light , sighed slowly...

"Wait!" The figure of the little eunuch was about to disappear outside Zichen Hall, Zhao Zhen shouted again suddenly.

The little lady heard Zhao Zhen's yelling and couldn't help but look back.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "You don't have to go, I will go in person later."

(End of this chapter)