Han family achievements

Chapter 440 Monk
The first year of Jian'an, early June.

Liu Bian led a large group of people in four boats and sailed upstream, preparing to pass through Pengcheng County from Xiapi and enter Pei County in Yuzhou.

Dong dong dong

There was a knock on the door of Liu Bian's room.

"Come in." Liu Bian continued to review the memorial without raising his head.

Lu Yu opened the door and saw Huangfu Jianchang coming in with a plate of wine and food, and said softly: "Your Majesty, it's getting late, please use some."

Liu Bian raised his eyelids and glanced, "What else is going on?"

Ever since Liu Bian took a boat to the north, troubles on the river had never stopped.

Huangfu Jianchang hurriedly laughed along and said: "It's not a big deal, it's just that someone blocked the river again to collect taxes, and they collected a bit too much."

Liu Bian took his eyes away from the memorial, raised his head, leaned on the chair, and said with a strange smile: "It seems that it is quite a bit for the Second Young Master."

Chief Huangfu Jian laughed more and more, and said: "It's not too much. They calculated the grain transported on our ship and it's 20%."

Liu Bian raised his brows fiercely, reached for the tea cup out of habit, looked at Lu Yu out of the corner of his eye, and said, "Who did you say yesterday will be in charge of this water transportation?"

Lu Yu had been standing not far away. Hearing the words, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Return to your majesty, Pengcheng Prefect Zuo Rong."

Liu Bian took a sip of tea, thought about it carefully, and said, "When we went south to Xiapi before, we didn't pass by Pengcheng, right?"

"Yes." Lu Yu said.

Liu Bian nodded thoughtfully and said, "Twenty percent is three million dollars, which is not too much. Give it to him."

Huangfu Jianzhang said: "Yes, Wei Chen will go and do it now. He can arrive at Lu County tonight, and in three days, he can enter Pei County, Yuzhou."

Liu Bian hummed and said to him: "Check carefully to see if all the counties in Xuzhou are collecting taxes under such clever names, or is it just Pengcheng County?"

"Wei Chen accepts the order." Huangfu Jianzhang obeyed the order and retreated.

Liu Bian watched him go out and didn't pay much attention to this matter. The two prefectures of Xu and Yu were initially settled, and the banditry was not noticed. Everything was in chaos. In addition, the court had no money and food. It was expected that the counties and counties would use all their means to collect taxes. things.

Liu Bian held the tea cup and pondered for a long time. He glanced at the memorial on the table and said, "What do you think of this Zhu Jianping?"

Lu Yu's expression changed slightly, he lowered his head and said: "Wei Chen doesn't know much about him. He only knows that he is Xun Pushe's best friend. He has been a colleague since the third year of Zhongping and has never left him until now."

Liu Bian put down the tea cup, rubbed the jade pendant around his waist with his right hand, and kept thinking in his eyes.

Xun Yu decided to replace his right servant, Cao Shangshu, who was also serving as the official Cao Shangshu, to shoot Xun You. However, Xun You took the initiative and resigned from the official Cao Shangshu on the grounds of "insufficiency of strength", and strongly recommended the minister Zhu Jianping to take over.

In just five days, Liu Bian had received more than a dozen recommendation memorials. In addition to the recognized "Yingchuan Party", the heavyweights also included Chen Lin, the Minister of Li Cao, Zhou Yi, the Yin of Luoyang, and Kong Rong, the Taichang Qing. , Bing Cao Shangshu Huangfu Jianshou, and Zuo Pushe Zhong Yao.

Obviously, in order to let Zhu Jianping take over and defend the headquarters of Li Cao, Xun You used many methods and must have paid a lot of price.

"Xunqing's family..."

After a long while, Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly and said as if talking to himself: "Although there is some quarrel with the Prime Minister, there is no personal grudge. The conflict lies in the implementation of the 'New Deal'. Strictly speaking, there is no fault."

Lu Yu listened to Liu Bian's words with a calm expression and did not answer.

Liu Bian looked up at Lu Yu and said: "The Xunqing family has also made great efforts for the 'New Deal', and the 'Yingchuan Party' has also made great contributions to the implementation of the 'New Deal', and it is becoming more and more important now. In this way, this recommendation, I'm ready. Lu Yu, write a private message to Xun You and tell him that I am going to order him to coordinate with the officials, punishments, and Yushitai to rectify the official administration."

Lu Yu said: "I obey the order."

Liu Bian hummed and felt some pain in his neck. He stood up and said, "Let's go out and get some air."

It's June, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and Liu Bian didn't prepare ice charcoal. Even in bed, he still gets too hot after sitting for a while.

Lu Yu accompanied Liu Bian out of the room, still thinking about the purpose of the 'private letter' just now.

He could guess some, but he always felt that he couldn't guess everything.

When Liu Bian came to the bow of the ship, he saw four large ships parked at a pier, surrounded by small boats. There were some small officials in tattered official uniforms, and there were many in coarse cloth and holding sticks. , with a ferocious look, he is definitely not a soldier at first glance.

I don’t know if Chief Huangfu Jian sent the money, but these people did not board their ship.

Liu Bian's boat was in the middle, quite conspicuous among the merchant ships and civilian ships.

So that he could watch attentively, Liu Bian didn't say anything, just observed quietly.

Not far away, some people who looked like businessmen were surrounding a person who looked like a small official, trying their best to please, and they were all holding gifts in their hands.

The junior officer's nostrils were turned upward, and he looked sideways at the gifts. He did not reach out and only nodded occasionally. The junior official behind him took them away with a smile.

The businessmen got some documents and left with smiles on their faces.

At this time, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Sun Ce and others also came over, raised their hands and saluted: "I have met the young master."

Liu Bian heard Dian Wei's voice, turned to look at him, and said, "How is it? Is your mother okay?"

Dian Wei grinned and said, "It's okay, Your Majesty. My mother is fine. She even said that it was Your Majesty who protected her. When Your Majesty returns to Beijing, I want to thank you for your kindness."

Liu Bian smiled and shook his head, saying: "As long as it's okay..."

"Amitabha."

Before Liu Bian finished speaking, suddenly, a familiar yet unfamiliar Buddha's name sounded in his ears.

He quickly turned his head and saw a group of monks, hands clasped together, reverently walking out of the boat not far away, and then one by one ashore.

No one stopped them. More than a dozen monks came ashore and left as if there was no one around.

Liu Bian looked strange and said, "There are actually monks here? Why don't they pay taxes?"

Lu Yu, Zhao Yun and others were all confused and looked at the monks curiously.

There were many Buddhist temples and monks in the Han Dynasty, but not too many, and because they encountered various resistances, they tended to be very low-key and never showed off.

Therefore, Liu Bian has never seen a monk or a Buddhist temple in person for many years. Today is the first time.

Huangfu Jianchang walked out of the cabin on the opposite side, jumped onto the bow of the ship, raised his hand and said: "Sir, if you pay three million yuan, we can do it now."

Liu Bian still looked at the group of monks who were about to disappear and said, "Why can they leave without paying taxes?"

When Huangfu Jianchang looked over, he couldn't see anything anymore and couldn't help but asked: "What did the young master say?"

Liu Bian said indifferently: "Forget it, I'm just curious. By the way, Prime Minister Pengcheng is Zuo Rong? Do all the money and grain collected go to Zuo Rong?"

Huangfu Jianchang thought about it seriously and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that Zuo Rong took office last year, and I don't know about him."

Liu Bian turned back to look at Lu Yu and said, "How is this Zuo Rong's official reputation?"

Lu Yu said: "We only know that he was originally a shogunate of Xuzhou Mu Tao Qian, and was recommended as the prefect of Guangling. After the Yellow Turban rebellion, he went through Ding Yuan, Lu Bu, Liu Bei and others. There was no news for a while. It seems that He has lived in seclusion. Last year, he was recommended by the envoy Liu of Yuzhou and served as the prefect of Pengcheng. He also took charge of the water transportation of the three counties of Pengcheng, Xiapi and Peijun. "

"Is there no comment at the Chancellor's Desk?" Liu Bian asked. According to the usual practice, appointments at the county level require the approval of the Chancellor, and the filing document must have comments from the recommender and appointer. Lu Yu looked cautious and bowed: "Wei Chen didn't remember this."

Liu Bian did not embarrass Lu Yu. There were so many county guards in the Han Dynasty, and it was impossible for Lu Yu to remember them all.

"never mind,"

Liu Bian didn't think much and said: "Spent the night in Pengcheng and rushed to Yuzhou as soon as possible."

His main goal this time was Yuzhou. As for the matter of collecting taxes randomly under false pretenses, he had to leave it to the imperial court for unified handling.

This kind of thing is definitely not unique to this river, nor does it stop at Pengcheng.

"Yes." Huangfu Jianchang responded.

Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, and Huangfu Jian didn't think much about it, but Sun Ce hesitated to speak.

He was taken away by Liu Bian and was not allowed to leave. He was restless and tried his best to leave and return to Wu County.

Naturally, he failed.

The reason why he hesitated to speak was that he knew something about Pengcheng and knew who Zuo Rong was.

But thinking about his current special situation and thinking about it again and again, Sun Ce still didn't speak.

"Marquis Wucheng." Just as Sun Ce lowered his head and thought deeply, Liu Bian's voice suddenly sounded louder.

This sound was like an explosion, causing Sun Ce to wake up suddenly. He quickly raised his hand and said, "I'm here."

Liu Bian looked at him with a smile and said, "You said that I kept you by my side. Will Wu Jun keep Zhou Yu as well?"

Liu Bian sent Zhou Yu to Wu County in the name of "inspection of the station".

Sun Ce's heart suddenly turned cold and he tried his best to keep his face calm and said: "Your Majesty, whether Governor Zhou is willing to stay in Wu County depends on your Majesty's will and his own wishes. No one in Wu County dares to disobey the holy will. Keep people by force.”

Liu Bian smiled even more and said: "With the Qing family's words, I feel relieved. The Qing family still needs to support Zhou Yu in Wu County."

Sun Ce calmed down and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, everyone in Wu County will give their full support to Governor Zhou!"

"His Majesty,"

Before Liu Bian could speak, Huangfu Jian said: "We can sail the boat."

Liu Bian looked up and saw that the large and small boats ahead had moved, making a lot of room for them.

"Let's go."

Liu Bian kept his words and said: "The old rule is to find some villages to stop and not go to the county town."

"Yes." This was Zhao Yun's response. He had always been mainly responsible for the arrangements for the journey.

The ship moved quickly. Liu Bian swayed for a moment and waited for it to stabilize. Then he glanced at Sun Ce and turned back to the cabin.

Dian Wei and Lu Yu followed closely, and the others respectfully sent them off and then went about their own business.

Liu Bian returned to the room and picked up the memorial again to review.

In the few months since he left Beijing, a lot of things happened in Luoyang city, some conflicts were exposed, and the government affairs would inevitably happen again.

Apart from the fact that the conflict between the Shangshutai and the "Yingchuan Party" was getting out of control and showing signs of becoming public, other people were also busy.

The forces of the old prime ministers, represented by Wang Lang's Tingwei Mansion, gathered silently. The Tingwei Mansion used the vigorous "purge of officialdom" as an excuse to punish many officials, big and small, especially the "Yingchuan Party", and some who were instinctively pardoned Those sentenced to three years, ten years, or twenty years, and those sentenced to more than ten years were frequently executed or exiled.

Yushitai was relatively gentle, but this aroused dissatisfaction with the trusted Xing Cao Shangshu Xu You, who believed that Xing Cao spent all his efforts to investigate, while Yushitai let it go lightly, which went against the requirements of the "New Deal" and Liu Bian's will.

For this reason, he publicly 'disputed' with Yu Shi Cheng Xi Zhicai many times, and even requested to convene a Shangshutai court meeting to discuss these cases.

On the other side, the government and the opposition were quite dissatisfied with Taichang Temple and Li Cao, and there were voices of impeachment and criticism from time to time, mainly because of the 'big exam'. There were rumors that Taichang Temple and Li Cao secretly negotiated the admission quota between the common people and the gentry. Twenty-eight'.

This aroused strong indignation among the gentry, who believed that knowledge had nothing to do with birthplace and talent regardless of birthplace. Forcibly enrolling common people was contrary to fairness and was not conducive to the preparation of talents for the court. They strongly demanded an explanation from Taichang Temple and Li Cao.

Amidst these complicated voices, the Chancellor's Office was under great pressure. Some people continued to impeach Xun Yu, accusing him of being "young, energetic and wanton" and asking him to resign voluntarily.

Liu Bian looked at the memorials one after another and couldn't help but feel a little headache.

These memorials all start with great principles and occupy the moral high ground, which is really difficult to criticize.

"Is it necessary to find an opportunity to kill a few to establish prestige?"

Liu Bian was thoughtful and whispered to himself.

Killing people cannot solve the problems mentioned. Liu Bian always believes that politics is the art of compromise, but he has to admit that killing people is often the most efficient way to solve or suppress some problems.

Liu Bian silently read through it, commenting on one or two sentences from time to time.

He didn't know how long it took, but he felt the boat sway and stop.

Liu Bian looked up and saw that the sky was pitch black, and there were countless strange sounds outside, like frogs croaking, cicadas chirping, or the chirping of many insects and birds.

Liu Bian shook his sore neck and reached out to pick up the tea cup.

Zhao Yun then came in, raised his hand and said: "Your Majesty, we have docked. This is a village not far outside Lu County. I have sent people to investigate."

Liu Bian took a sip of tea and felt refreshed. He stood up with a smile and said to Zhao Yun, "I don't know if it's because I was spoiled and used to eating the food of the imperial chef. These days, when I pass by farmers' houses and eat their food, I always feel that it has a different taste. , more appetizing.”

Zhao Yun was not a good talker, nor was he good at flattering, so he just bowed and got out of the way.

Liu Bian walked out of the door, feeling the cool breeze. He smiled and said to Huangfu Jianchang, "Second Young Master, let's go and eat at the farmhouse."

Seeing that Liu Bian was in a good mood, Huangfu Jianzhang said cheerfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Bian laughed and walked directly to the bow of the ship. With Dian Wei's help, he got off the ship, led by plainclothes guards, and headed straight for the sparkling village not far away.

Before walking a few steps, a plainclothes imperial guard hurried back, knelt on one knee and said: "Your Majesty, the village is called 'Wang', and there are some soldiers collecting taxes now."

Liu Bian was startled, looked up at the sky, and said, "You are still collecting taxes in the village so late? What kind of tax are you collecting?"

"It's like a poll tax,"

The plainclothes guard said: "Fifty cash per household, ten cash per person."

Liu Bian was stunned for a moment, and then said: "You mean, each household will receive fifty cents first, and then each household will receive ten cents per head?"

"Yes." The guards of the Imperial City Mansion were obviously very responsible and inquired in quite detail.

Liu Bian frowned and said, "Let's go and have a look."

(End of this chapter)