Dahan first prince

Chapter 19 Han Guan, Han Prime Minister

"At home this is..."

"Responsibility?"

Hearing Liu Ying's veiled but merciless questioning voice, Yang Chengyan's eyes widened slightly in shock, looking at Xiao He beside him.

——Even if the prince is a monarch, he is also a quasi-jun!
No matter how the prime minister is a minister, he is also the head of a hundred officials, the prime minister who is extremely courteous, and the ministers avoid the way!
Not to mention the crown prince Liu Ying, if Xiao He hadn't made some principled mistakes, even if the emperor Liu Bang was here, he shouldn't be so merciless!
But now, Liu Ying kept saying, "Come here to learn from the prime minister how to govern the country", but when she opened her mouth, she was attacking Guanzhong grain production?
The political vision accumulated over the years reminds Yang Chengyan at this moment: This matter is definitely not as simple as it seems!
Compared with the keenness in Yang Chengyan's heart, Xiao He was obviously much calmer.

Although he knew in his heart that Liu Ying's visit here was definitely not as simple as "observing and learning", but soon, Xiao He's attention was also placed on the "business" that Liu Ying said.

"Why do the family think that this year in Guanzhong, maybe there is not enough food?"

Asking this question with a calm face, Xiao He put the millet seedlings in his hands back on the table, and while looking at Liu Ying, he couldn't help but straighten his body a little.

Seeing Xiao He's behavior, Liu Ying couldn't help but froze, secretly praising her again and again.

"It's so obvious that you don't even frown..."

Obviously, Xiao He deliberately ignored making things difficult and focused on the overall situation of specific events, which somewhat exceeded Liu Ying's expectations.

But in a short while, Liu Ying changed her plan, followed Xiao He's question, and led the topic to the food issue.

"The prime minister is joking."

"I was born alone in the deep palace, grew up in the hands of a woman, and know little about farming..."

After some hypocritical politeness, Liu Ying changed the subject.

"However, today, the prime minister, Chen Xi, will be in chaos, and a big battle is imminent. After the battle, food and grass should be the first priority."

"Even if there is no war in Guandong, the people in Guanzhong still need rice to fill their stomachs. The abundance of rice is more related to the hearts of the people in Guanzhong than our Han Zuo!"

"Gugu got this millet on his way back to Chang'an yesterday; after returning to the palace, he went to check the records of Guanzhong in the past few years."

"Dare to ask Xiao Xiang: In the past few years, why has the grain production in Guanzhong decreased steadily? From the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, the yield per mu was more than four shi, to last year, the yield in northern Wei was less than three shi, and in Weinan less than two and a half shi? "

Speaking of this, Liu Ying did not forget to raise her head slightly, and signaled Xiao He to look at the weak millet seedling on the table.

"Nowadays, the millet in Weinan is so weak, how can the grain production in Weinan still be two and a half stones per mu?"

"This is the case in Weinan, so what about Weibei?"

"If there is not enough rice and grain in Guanzhong, and the soldiers don't have enough to eat, how can we not make noise in the military camp?"

"The living and the people do not have enough to eat, and even the sons of the Yi family eat each other, how can you not scold me, Liu Han, as another tyranny of Qin?!!

Hearing Liu Ying's repeated questions, Xiao He slightly raised his head and was about to speak.

Seeing that Liu Ying's emotions were getting agitated gradually, and she uttered the last sentence that was extremely heartbreaking, Xiao He finally let out a long sigh, and swallowed the words that came to his lips.

Xiao He naturally understood the meaning of Liu Ying's words.

Since the establishment of the Han Dynasty five years ago, the average grain production in Guanzhong has dropped at a rate of half a stone per year, and it has hardly stagnated!

The large-scale water conservancy project - the Weibei area where the Zhengguo Canal is located, has even dropped from an average yield of nearly four and a half stones per mu at its peak in the fifth year of the Han and Yuan Dynasties to less than three stones per mu last year!
If Liu Ying hadn't lied, that is, the extremely weak millet straw was indeed picked up casually on the road from Xinfeng to Chang'an, then this year, the average yield per mu in the south of the Weishui River would definitely not exceed two stones!
Combined with the usual practice that the yield per mu in Weinan is generally half a stone lower than that in North Wei, it can be calculated that this year, even in Weibei, the yield per mu is basically around two and a half stones.

what does this mean?
——It means that this year, the average yield per mu in Guanzhong is likely to be just over two stones!
——Compared to the average yield of nearly four shi per mu in Guanzhong five years ago, the grain output in Guanzhong has been reduced by nearly half in just five years!
This is why Xiao He didn't feel angry because of Liu Ying's making things difficult.

——The reduction in food production is indeed true, and it is indeed as Liu Ying said, it has reached an imminent and serious level...

"At home..."

After being silent for a long time, Xiao He finally opened his mouth with trembling lips, looking at Liu Ying with a little remorse.

"Your Majesty's trustworthy and important ministers entrust them with the position of prime minister; however, in Guanzhong, the agricultural production is deteriorating, and I dare not plead innocent..."

As he said that, Xiao He got up slowly, as if he was about to kneel down and kowtow to apologize.

Seeing this, Liu Ying was frightened by the boss, and jumped up before Xiao He bent down, which prevented Xiao He's next move.

- What a joke!
The prime minister knelt down and kowtowed to apologize to the prince?

Don't say that Liu Ying is the prince, even if Liu Ying is the emperor, if such a thing is reported, Liu Ying will be drowned by the spittle of the world the next day!
Now is not the "advanced" era in which the ministers of the Zhu Kingdom call themselves slaves, and the courtiers kneel to participate in the court meeting!
It was only a dozen years since the death of Qin Dynasty, and less than 20 years since the Warring States Period. At this time, the Han Dynasty still had a very strong legacy of the Warring States Period.

According to the etiquette at this time, not to mention the prime minister Xiao He, any official with a rank above two thousand shi bowed his hand deeply to Liu Bang, and Liu Bang would also bow his hand slightly in return!

It is even more exaggerated when it comes to the level of Sangong Jiuqing, that is, the level of "two thousand stones and above".

——Whether it's a large meeting or a small court meeting, as long as Liu Bang sits first, then in theory, the Sangong Jiuqing can sit down by himself without waiting for Liu Bang's "grant a seat"!
As for the emperor sitting leisurely on the imperial couch and listening to the three princes and nine ministers standing and reporting on their work, that's even more unthinkable.

At the highest level of prime minister, in terms of etiquette, treatment and status, he is actually infinitely close to the same level as the emperor.

Such a person kneels and kowtows to the prince who has not yet become the emperor?
Once such a thing happens, there are only two possibilities for the final result.

——Either Xiao He committed suicide in shame, or Liu Ying committed suicide in shame!

Reluctantly pulling Xiao He up, and carefully helping him back to his seat, Liu Ying couldn't help feeling a burst of emotion in addition to her heart palpitations.

"This is the Han official..."

"Don't throw blame, don't quibble, just discuss the matter, take it steadily..."

Sighing secretly and shaking her head, Liu Ying couldn't help showing a touch of respect on her expression.

"Prime Minister, don't misunderstand, this alone is confusion, not blame."

"Dare to ask Xiao Xiang: Why is it that Guanzhong's grain production has dropped by more than half in just five years?"

(End of this chapter)