Chapter 963
Where is Su Chong going?
Chapter 963 Where is Su Chong going?
The morning light slowly hung on the western sky, reflecting the long shadows of the people in the courtyard. The courtyard was lined with guards in armor, with a hint of solemnity. The servants in the courtyard hurriedly walked and did not dare to linger.
Outside the main hall, Zhang Tiansong naturally didn't care about Miss Bao's unintentional words. He looked at the pavilions and towers in the courtyard, the lush flowers and plants in the courtyard, and the well-maintained courtyard. It was worthy of being a noble family. He smiled and said;
"What the young lady said is not right. Although both Buddhists and Taoists are laymen, one seeks to cultivate oneself, while the other emphasizes cause and effect. Different paths cannot work together. I am both a heavenly master and an old man. This time I came to express my gratitude for a certain reason. I would like to trouble the young lady to pass on the message."
Zhang Tianshi's face straightened and he retracted his figure. Just like that, his originally loose Taoist robe also became much tighter. He looked like someone who had attained enlightenment. Seeing that what he said made sense, he said no more.
"Well, since the Taoist priest is here to thank you, you don't have to take too long. Come in."
He made way for them and led them into the inner hall.
"That's natural, I know."
Zhang Tianshi didn't care at all. It is said that the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister is easy to see the King of Hell, but the little ghost is hard to deal with. It is absolutely true. The ancients said that only women are difficult to raise. He put away his clothes and stepped in.
After entering the front hall and stepping into the inner hall, he saw a woman in gorgeous clothes sitting on the main couch. At this time, Qin Keqing was wearing a lavender silk dress, her black hair was tied up high, and she wore a wooden hairpin on her head. She looked natural. How could Zhang Tianshi dare to neglect her? He quickly stepped forward, performed the Taoist etiquette, and bowed;
"I am Zhang Tiansong, the junior fellow disciple of the head of Longhu Mountain. Nice to meet you, Madam. When I was going to Beijing, I met the Marquis and asked to borrow the precious medicine to save my life. Now that I am about to return to Longhu Mountain, I have come to the Marquis' Mansion to say goodbye."
After saying this, he performed the Taoist rituals.
Seeing this,
Qin Keqing also stood up and returned the greeting, then said;
"Master, you must not be so polite. You are a guest from afar. Since you have the Marquis's approval, the mansion should give it to you. I, a lady of honor, have not helped at all. How can I accept such a great gift? Master, please sit for a while. I will ask Baozhu to bring some money for you."
He spoke clearly and politely, and beckoned again. Baozhu understood and walked over. She asked the maid to serve tea, and then she went to the inner hall and took out the banknotes.
Zhang Tiansong thanked her and sat down. When he saw the girl taking out the banknotes, he kept declining them.
"Madam, you are so kind. I am a layman. Money is just a thing outside my body. How can I ask for more after receiving the great favor from the Marquis' Mansion? Before coming here, I forgot one thing. This is the secret method of the Longhu Mountain Taoist sect, the secret recipe of the Shangqing Yunxiang secret medicine, and the secret medicine Yuntu. I am presenting it to you. This incense can calm the mind and protect the fetus. It is extremely rare."
As Zhang Tiansong introduced, he placed a booklet and a sandalwood box on the table and said;
"Madam, the box contains the secret cloud soil of Longhu Mountain. The other booklet contains secret medicines with different formulas and different proportions of aromatic medicines, which have different effects. Please use them with caution, Madam."
Taking out this prescription was also a temporary decision made by Zhang Tianshi. Just now, when Zhang Tiansong saw the face of the wife of Marquis Luo Yun, he felt that she was familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. However, he seldom came to the capital, and this woman was so young, so he must not have seen her recently. But who did she look like?
"Oh, the recipe for the spice is extremely rare. It is so effective. I think it must be a treasure of the Longhu Mountain Taoist sect. How can we let the Heavenly Master leave such a precious thing behind? The Heavenly Master should take it back."
Qin Keqing raised her eyebrows slightly, a trace of suspicion flashed in her eyes. How could he know the efficacy of the medicine for preserving the fetus and calming the nerves, and the fact that she was pregnant? Although the prescription was good, it was unnecessary.
Listen to the voice,
When confused,
Suddenly he was shocked and looked at the person in front of him in disbelief. The more he looked, the more similar she looked. Wasn't this the one he personally received the Crown Princess when she went up the mountain to worship? That eyebrow, that expression, seemed as if it was reproduced from his memory. Countless questions surged in Zhang Tiansong's mind. How could the wife of Marquis Luo Yun be the "Crown Princess"?
wrong,
Absolutely not. The age difference is too big. In addition, the wife of Marquis Luo Yun should be the daughter of an official in the Ministry of Works of the imperial court. At that time, Marquis Luo Yun and the head family of the direct line of Ningguo Mansion in the capital had a big fight over this girl. Everyone knew about it.
Even if she was an ordinary citizen, everyone in the capital knew about it, and the palace also agreed. It seemed that this woman was even recognized as a goddaughter by the empress of the current dynasty and was given the title of county lady. However, such a person who looks and feels exactly like her is right in front of her, so she can't be fake.
Countless questions surged in my heart, but on the surface I remained calm and replied with a smile;
"Madam, please don't be surprised. Although the prescription is rare, it is not as valuable as the precious medicine given by the Marquis' Mansion. Since we have received the Marquis's kindness, Longhu Mountain Dao Sect cannot fail to give a return gift. The Marquis has served the court, and the world knows it. Today, our Dao Sect gives you a secret medicine, which is considered a comprehensive courtesy. It also shows that I, the Longhu Mountain lineage, have a sincere heart towards the court. Madam, please accept it with peace of mind. If the Marquis comes back and asks about this matter, I hope you will thank me on my behalf."
Zhang Tiansong secretly said "Wulian Tianzun". He originally came here to settle the cause and effect, so as to get the face and grace of his Lord, and then he said goodbye and returned to the mountain. Who could have thought that there seemed to be a greater cause and effect in the dark. Zhang Tiansong just felt that it was God's will, and wanted to return to Longhu Mountain as soon as possible to report to the head teacher, saying that the former prince had done a favor to Longhu Mountain and even the entire Taoist sect.
"Master, rest assured. I will inform you of this matter. This money is not much, but it is enough for you to use on your journey. It is considered as some merit. Please accept it."
Since the etiquette was explained, how could Qin Keqing not know about it? Baozhu had already put a stack of silver bills on the table. A quick look showed that there were more than a thousand taels of silver bills.
Zhang Tiansong no longer had much to worry about at this moment, so he bowed.
"In this case, I thank the lady and take my leave."
He took the banknote and hid it in his sleeve, then said goodbye with a little concern, turned around and left without any hesitation.
The door of the house rang.
The person disappeared, Baozhu looked at him strangely. When he came just now, he looked like an immortal, but how could he leave in a hurry after just saying a few words?
"Madam, that old Taoist is really strange. He was so arrogant when he came here, but now he seems so impatient when he leaves."
"Maybe he's in a hurry to get back to the mountain. Oh, by the way, bring me the secret medicine recipe."
"Yes, Miss, I will bring it to you right away."
Baozhu walked to the table, took out the secret medicine recipe and the wooden box, and placed them on the table in front of the young lady.
Qin Keqing took the wooden box and found nothing strange about it. She seemed to have heard of Taoist cloud soil before and it was extremely rare. She also looked a little puzzled. Thinking about what she had just said, there was nothing wrong. Why did this old Taoist priest seem to be worried? And this recipe, an ancient book, the first page said Shangqing Yunxiang, the secret of Longhu Mountain. Turning to the next page, there were recipes for various spices and secret medicines, which were extremely mysterious.
The last page is a recipe for protecting the fetus and calming the mind, including mistletoe, dodder seed, chuanduan, eucommia bark, cooked rehmannia, astragalus, old ginseng, etc., plus a little cloud soil.
Qin Keqing's face lit up, remembering that her father had a collection of books that specifically introduced spice recipes. This book did mention it, and most of the recipes were the same, except for the Daomen Cloud Soil, which was very rare.
"Baozhu, pack these things up and take them with you. Go and call Zixiang over, and go and pay your respects to the old lady together." "Yes, grandma."
There was another noise at the door.
Outside the city of Jinling in Jiangnan,
Although it was getting close to dusk, the wharf on the east bank of the canal was still bustling and busy. Although Jinling City was short of food, other places in the south of the Yangtze River were not short of food, so cargo ships transferred from other places were densely parked on the shore, with sails everywhere. After docking safely, many coolies were carrying bags of food to transport them into the city.
on the pier,
It was still the tavern at the street corner, and still the window seat on the second floor. However, the same seat was occupied not by the two people as before, but by a young figure sitting in the east seat. The table was filled with delicious Jiangnan dishes, and the three of them sat around it, with different expressions, revealing an indescribable tension and solemnity.
Jia Yucun, the prefect of Jinling, was dressed in a dark robe. Although he did not have the authority and solemnity of an official in the government office, he could not hide his calm shrewdness. Sitting to the west was the co-prefect Hu Wenxuan, who bowed slightly and smiled, sitting upright.
As for the main seat in the east,
The supervisor Su Chong had already disembarked. He was dressed in a white shirt and had an elegant demeanor. He had a wooden hairpin on his head. He looked casual, but he had an indescribable sharpness. There was a hint of thought in his eyes.
It turned out that only the two of them came, and the rest of the people did not make any movement.
Glancing around,
All the merchants were here to practice, so there was no need to worry about being seen by others. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Jia Yucun was the first to speak, lowering his voice and asking:
"Sir Su, you must have some understanding of the situation in Jiangnan since you are here this time. Although I am the prefect of Jinling, there are some things I cannot say or do. I hope Sir Su will forgive me."
Always admit your mistakes first. Jia Yucun has been in the officialdom for more than ten years. Now he has also realized that Jiangnan is changing. It is better to protect himself for the time being.
Hu Wenxuan beside him also echoed,
"Yes, sir, we serve the court and have no control over many things. I am now working in the mining area in Jiangbei. Even if I want to help you, sir, I am unable to do so."
Like shirking responsibility, or complaining,
Su Chong smiled. This was a reminder to himself. He still wanted to stay out. The Jinling prefectural government office in Jiangnan was considered the head of the prefectural government in Jiangnan. How could he hide away so easily? He looked at the wine cup on the table and filled it up by himself. He did not answer these questions, but praised the dishes today instead.
"Don't worry, my Lords. I am here today to thank you for coming. It is said that Jiangnan cuisine is very delicious. It is true. This table of dishes is very well cooked, with good color, fragrance and taste. I am blessed with the help of you Lords."
"Well, Lord Su is too polite. These are just some common dishes from Jiangnan. When Lord Su arrives in Jinling City and has some free time, I will invite you to the yamen to have a good gathering and try a famous dish from Jiangnan, steamed Mirror Lake perch."
Jia Yucun smiled and bowed. The wine and food in the tavern were just ordinary things, and they were no match for the food in the government office. Since the adults liked it, it would give him an excuse to visit them in the future.
"Haha, OK, I would like to thank Lord Jia first, but there is one more thing that I don't understand in the capital. Why is the imperial court's national policy restricted everywhere in Jiangnan? How did the Xinbei dike burst?"
This question,
He immediately stopped the two of them,
Jia Yucun sighed in his heart. It was just as he had guessed before. Lord Su came to Jiangnan for this matter. Jiangnan is not big, but there are many people involved. Unless someone like Luo Yunhou is replaced, who else can do something? He smiled bitterly and replied;
"Sir, I believe you must have heard about the situation in Jiangnan since you are in the capital. This matter of converting farmland into mulberry trees is indeed a major plan of the court. It is related to the rise and fall of our dynasty, honor and disgrace, and it will also bring more tax silver to the court. However, it is difficult to implement. I am a humble official and can only follow the order. I am really powerless."
It seemed as if he hadn't said anything. Jia Yucun was well aware of these things in the officialdom. Su Chong's eyes flickered, and he looked at the Tongzhi Hu Wenxuan opposite him. The latter pursed his lips and also explained;
"Sir Su, although I am in Jiangbei, the reason why the policy is difficult to implement in the counties in Jiangnan is that the farmers there are ignorant and short-sighted. They only know how to guard their few acres of thin land and work from sunrise to sunset. They turn a blind eye to the benefits of the court's policy and turn a deaf ear to it. It is really difficult to convince them. The difficulty of policy lies in the field."
What he said was not right or wrong. It was difficult to convince the common people in the fields, but the imperial court's decrees were not guaranteed, so how could the people obey them?
Su Chong frowned slightly. The two people in front of him were evasive. The best farmland in Jiangnan was the best in the world, but unfortunately, it was all in the hands of military meritorious officials and aristocratic gentry. The taxes on the people had already reached the limit. If such a national policy was implemented, it was inevitable that the people would not obey. There was another reason, which was what the aristocratic families in the officialdom thought.
He picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. The rich tea aroma instantly spread in his mouth, calming his depressed mood a little. He said slowly;
"My Lords, the decision to convert fields into mulberry trees was made by the cabinet and approved by the palace, and cannot be changed. The people are ignorant, but the Lords of Jiangnan should not be confused. This method can increase the court's tax revenue and fill the national treasury, which is beneficial to both the country and the people. As for future guarantees, the people's concerns should also be considered. So why not let the people plant mulberry trees and grain at the same time, Lord Jia, haven't you considered these?"
Jia Yucun looked unhappy and sighed. Many things are not about the things, but about the people.
"Master Su, you may not know that although the land of Jiangnan is rich in resources, the people have been farming for generations. Food is one thing, and the other is that the taxes imposed by the court are too heavy. If the taxes cannot be paid when the time comes, who will own the land in the hands of the people?
Finally, it is to plant mulberry trees. It is said that there are many mulberry trees in the south of the Yangtze River, but not everyone can plant them. Most people still need to learn from scratch. After planting mulberry trees, you need to raise silkworms. These things are easy to raise, but it is also a delicate job. If you don’t take good care of them, you will get nothing in the end. "
The aristocratic families in Jiangnan and the gentry with military honors are not good men and women. They originally had nearly one million acres of fertile land, but nowadays, the number is less than 500,000 acres. Those untaxed acres are all in the hands of these powerful families. If there is any mistake in what they just said, they are afraid that their family will fall into decline.
"Yes, Lord Su, in addition to Lord Jia's reason, the more important thing is that the Suzhou Weaving Bureau said that they must collect at least 800,000 rolls of silk this year. Adding the loss, at least 800,000 rolls of raw silk are needed, which requires 200,000 acres of mulberry fields. So many acres of land need to be converted, how should it be converted?"
This is the key. If the demand is small, it can be changed slowly. When the people have benefited and tasted the sweetness, are you still worried that no one will change it?
Jia Yucun and his colleagues are not fools. Although the policies are good, they may not be good to the officials below. In addition, the bad things in the officialdom make more mistakes.
After Su Chong heard this, his face became solemn. These words were something he had never heard in the capital. His mentor did not mention these things when he talked about the Jiangnan affairs. But there was obviously a better way, so why not do it? What role did Lord Jing, Lord Zhuang, or Eunuch Yang play in it?
"You two lords really care about the court, and what you said is from the bottom of your heart. The land in Jiangnan is related to the taxation of the court. If we allow the annexation of land, we are afraid that our official positions will be lost. The court has repeatedly issued orders to strictly prohibit the noble families from encroaching on these lands.
"I remember that the court's taxable land in Jiangnan should be 500,000 acres. Adding the land reclaimed in recent years, the number should be 600,000 acres. It shouldn't be difficult to plant 200,000 acres of land for mulberry trees, right?"
Before Su Chong came to Jiangnan, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to check the number of acres of land in Jiangnan according to the old calendar. Since the time of the retired emperor, the taxable land in Jiangnan has been 800,000 acres, the most fertile land in the world. As long as the taxation in Jiangnan is guaranteed, the finances of the court will not be affected too much.
But as soon as these words came out, Jia Yucun and Hu Wenxuan turned pale. Could it be that Lord Su was talking nonsense? Where did the 600,000 acres of land tax that could be collected in Jiangnan come from?
Jia Yucun swallowed his saliva, remained silent for a moment and replied;
"Sir Su, since I took office as the prefect of Jinling, I don't know the number of acres of land and taxes, but this time, I changed the fields to mulberry trees in response to Sir Jing's request. I thoroughly checked the number of acres of land in Jiangnan. There are indeed a million acres, no more and no less, but the number of acres of land that can be counted as taxes for the court is only 500,000 acres. The rest is not in the hands of the people. I hope you can understand."
To put it mildly, the land in the hands of the common people all needed to pay taxes to the court, but those aristocratic families, nobles and gentry were not included. In addition, during the reign of the retired emperor, there were large-scale rewards, and the common people's land was occupied more and more. If the land tax in Jiangnan was not closely monitored by the Ministry of Revenue of the court, the remaining land might not be able to be kept.
These few words almost made Su Chong's face turn pale. Thinking of the account books of the Ministry of Revenue, they were still from ten years ago. Was it intentional or was it pretending to be ignorant? If so, no matter what, the court's policy of converting farmland into mulberry trees would be a dead end. No wonder Lord Jing and Eunuch Yang would take such a risk. Then what should he do?
(End of this chapter)