Han family achievements

Chapter 511 Everyone has their own plans
After the ceremony, the court continued to be busy.

During this period before the end of the year, the Han Dynasty saw a scene that had never happened before, or since the current emperor ascended the throne.

The court was more complete and clear than ever before. Except for Cao Cao, it could be said that the court was full of righteous people and the atmosphere was high-spirited and optimistic.

But there was one situation that made the government and the public feel strange and puzzled.

That is, His Majesty the Emperor, who had always been fighting on the front line, imposing various "new policies" on the court and using various means to force the court to act according to his will, unknowingly began to disappear.

But Liu Bian was very busy.

Honglin Court.

In the pavilion, Liu Bian had two little ones moving around in his arms. On the small table in front of him was a thick official document, the content of which was mainly about the canal transportation of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bian had never paid much attention to the canal transportation before, and subconsciously thought that the current canal transportation was not important.

It was not until he made a round of inspection that he realized that it was not that the grain transport was unimportant, but that under the collapsed system, the grain transport had been completely separated from the court and had become dispensable.

But seeing that Zuo Rong had made so much money through the grain transport, it was hard for Liu Bian not to pay attention to him.

Looking at this document that was recently written and still smelled of ink, combined with the water conservancy map, Liu Bian's brows were furrowed.

The current river channel is very different from that of later generations, as if they are two different worlds.

Liu Bian slowly looked at it, calculated it, and estimated the input and output.

The Han Dynasty was now very short of money, and the canal transportation was undoubtedly a treasure trove that could be developed. If it could be operated profitably, perhaps 200,000 strings of cash could be collected a year, which was nearly twice the current tax revenue of the court.

"Wow wow wow..."

The two little guys in his arms grabbed things and threw them out, then lay on Liu Bian’s legs, whimpering and trying to crawl out.

Liu Bian lowered his head, picked up the toy, and continued to look at the documents.

It was unknown how much time had passed until Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao came to pick up the children. Liu Bian raised his head and dark circles appeared in his eyes. He could not see the figures of Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao clearly.

Liu Bian closed his eyes tightly, picked up the two children one by one, handed them to Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao, and said, "Sleep for a while, you will have a hard time at night."

Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao responded respectfully and took the two children away.

Liu Bian sat there for a while before regaining his sight. He shook his head, drank a sip of tea, looked at Pan Yin not far away, and said, "Is there anything going on outside the palace?"

Pan Yin stepped forward and said, "The Secretariat and the six ministries and nine temples have submitted many memorials. Lu Yu sent them all back to the Secretariat in accordance with your majesty's order."

Liu Bian held the teacup and thought carefully, then said, "Lu Yu, it's time to arrange for him to go out and exercise."

Lu Yu was the son of Lu Zhi. He had served as the chief palace official for many years and had also been out here on business. He had both good abilities and good character.

"Let Lu Yu go to the Shangshutai, and serve as Shangshushu, responsible for the daily affairs of the Shangshutai, and managing the correspondence of documents."

Shangshu Zhongshu?

Pan Yin repeated the name in his mind, and soon he understood that it was probably equivalent to the Shangshu Ling in the past, but the rank should not be high, but the importance was the same.

"Yes." Pan Yin replied.

Liu Bian took another sip of tea and thought about selecting the new palace master.

There are still many talented young people, and they are all beginning to show their potential, but the Palace Master may seem inconspicuous, but he is very special. He is in charge of the delivery of memorials and documents in the palace, and his function is similar to that of the Silijian in later generations.

"Sima Yi, right?"

Between Chen Qun and Sima Yi, Liu Bian chose Sima Yi.

This person needs to be trained well. If used well, he can be a good swordsman, capable of both civil and military tasks.

"Yes." Pan Yin responded without changing his expression.

The Lu family was not a big family at that time. After Lu Zhi's death, the Lu family declined, and only the young Lu Yu was struggling to support it.

But the Sima family is different. It has always been a great family, especially now. Even though Sima Jun has passed away, Sima Fang is the governor of Xuzhou, and Sima Lang and Sima Yi have always been on duty in the court. They are a popular and powerful family.

Once Sima Yi becomes the Palace Master, it is foreseeable that the Sima family will reach a higher level!

Liu Bian stood up with the help of the table, pounded his numb legs, looked outside the palace and said, "Then Sima Lang, transfer him to the Grand Sima's Mansion and serve as an official for Liu Bei."

"Yes." Pan Yin said.

Liu Bian looked at the documents on the table and felt a headache again.

The canal transportation was too complicated, which made him feel at a loss as to where to start. Moreover, many water routes were blocked, and he had no money or food to open new ones.

"It still has to be slow..."

Liu Bian whispered to himself that he wanted to do a lot of things, but they required a lot of money and food as support, or in other words, sufficient national strength.

What he wants to do and must do is not a one-time thing, but often a long-term effort that requires a stable source of tax revenue.

“Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. The ancients were right.”

Liu Bian sighed and said, "Let's go back."

Pan Yin waved his hand, and the eunuchs and palace maids around him started to move. He followed Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, the Chief Censor, please allow me to investigate the Gongcao."

Liu Bian raised his eyebrows and asked, "So fast?"

The source of the "river channel" was in Gongcao, and the Minister of Gongcao at that time was Wu Jing, the current governor of Bingzhou.

Tian Feng has been thinking about thoroughly investigating the river for more than half a year.

Pan Yin followed closely behind Liu Bian and said, "Yes, Tian Zhongcheng has already submitted a petition, but the Shangshutai wants to wait until next year to find a reason to summon Wu Jing back to Luoyang, confront him face to face, and deal with him as properly as possible."

Wu Jing is not only the former Minister of Works and the current Governor of Bingzhou, but also Sun Ce's uncle. Once he is touched, Sun Ce's attitude is likely to change.

Liu Bian paced back and forth, pondering in his heart.

There is no doubt that Sun Ce was not a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bian kept him in Wujun with the fundamental purpose of delaying Yuan Shao and buying time for his "New Deal".

But Sun Ce himself did not have complete strength, he only had Wujun.

"Check it."

After a moment, Liu Bian smiled and resumed his steps, saying, "Tell Tian Feng to investigate freely. No matter who it is, he will be punished according to the law."

"As you wish." Pan Yin said.

Pan Yin was not one of the Twelve Eunuchs, but his insight into court affairs was unmatched by other court officials.

Once Wu Jing was convicted, it might force Sun Ce to openly rebel and become more closely aligned with Liu Biao, Yuan Shao and others, which would have an unpredictable impact on the situation in the south of the Yangtze River.

Liu Bian left Fanglin Garden and passed by Yong'an Palace. He saw a young man teaching another boy swordsmanship carefully and earnestly. The girl was about seven or eight years old and kept laughing, but the boy was very serious and strict, like a strict old gentleman.

Liu Bian stood at the door, squinting his eyes and watching for a long time, then asked, "How long has this been going on?"

Pan Yin lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, it was approved by the Queen Mother a few days ago."

Liu Bian looked at Sun Quan and Liu Jing quietly, his mind was in turmoil.

"Sun Quan, he seems to be sixteen years old?" Liu Bian asked.

Pan Yin said: "After the New Year, I will be sixteen years old."

Liu Bian nodded slightly, then looked at his daughter's excited and flushed face and couldn't help but smile: "Bofu is also a talented person, let him take the imperial examination next year."

"Yes." Pan Yin held his breath and followed Liu Bian away in small steps.

As he left the last point, he still glanced at the eldest princess and Sun Quan not far away.

The decision to take action against Wu Jing has just been made, and now Sun Quan is getting very close to the eldest princess. However, His Majesty instead praises Sun Quan as a talent and wants him to take part in the imperial examination next year!

Pan Yin didn't dare to think too much and followed Liu Bian closely.

Outside the palace, in the Shangshu Tai, Xun Yu and others were busier than ever.

In addition to having too many things to do at the end of the year, the palace also became a hands-off manager, leaving all decision-making to the Secretariat.

As the sky gradually darkened, the Shangshu Terrace was still brightly lit. Not only were officials from the Shangshu Terrace coming and going, but officials from outside the palace were also coming in and out.

During this period, the palace gates were hardly ever closed, and people from the outer court could enter and exit freely.

Xun You suddenly rushed out of the duty room, holding an official document, and came to Xun Yu's duty room with a gloomy face, and said angrily: "Prime Minister, take a look."

Xun Yu looked up at him, somewhat surprised, and opened the document to read.

Before Xun Yu finished reading, Xun You sat down next to him, his chest filled with anger, and said hatefully: "Wang Jingxing is really bold, he is going to catch all the people of Yingchuan in one fell swoop!"

After Xun Yu finished reading it, his face became a little solemn.

This official document was submitted by Wang Lang, and its content was to carry out a large-scale rotation of the chief officials of the counties and prefectures in the seven northern states. The document claimed that this was to speed up the rectification of official administration and sort out local malpractices.

Seeing Xun Yu remained silent, Xun You said with a sullen face, "I think we should reject it. He is too blatant. For such a big matter, he did not report it in advance, but directly reported it to the Minister of State. This kind of behavior of acting first and reporting later must not be tolerated!"

Xun Yu nodded and said, "Reject it."

Xun You was stunned. He had prepared a lot of words to persuade Xun Yu, but he never expected that Xun Yu agreed so simply and neatly.

Under his gaze, Xun Yu picked up a pen and wrote the word "rejected" neatly on the document.

Xun You was puzzled and asked, "Did you really reject it?"

Xun Yu did not even raise his head as he continued to flip through the documents. He said, "This is too drastic and there is no detailed plan. This kind of move will only lead to chaos. Send someone to notify Wang Jingxing and ask him to come to the Shangshutai to make a statement in person when he is free."

Xun You understood immediately and said, "Okay, I'll send someone to talk to him. Also, Tian Feng has made a lot of moves in the Shangshutai. He dismissed many people, appointed new chiefs of the three offices, as well as the left and right offices, replaced most of the seven supervisory censors, and transferred many soldiers from Luoyang Prefecture. I suspect he is going to do something."

Xun Yu picked up the pen and wrote a few words. In between changing the official documents, he said, "The affairs of the Censorate are not under the jurisdiction of the Shangshutai. Don't interfere, and don't say anything."

Perhaps because Xun Yu agreed to reject Wang Lang's plan, Xun You looked much more relaxed and said, "I don't care about those things. I am worried about Tian Feng. This man is bold and ruthless. If we let him go, we don't know how much trouble he will cause."

Xun Yu's expression moved, and he picked up the pen, then slowly put it down.

Xun You's words undoubtedly hit the nail on the head for Xun Yu.

When Tian Feng was controlling floods in Yuzhou, he went crazy like a madman and killed many river officials, even the imperial envoys. There was no one else with such courage in the court or the country.

If Tian Feng repeated what happened in Yuzhou in Luoyang, he would be the second Yuan Shu and would massacre the city of Luoyang again.

"He has promised His Majesty, so he won't do anything rash." Xun Yu thought about it again and again.

Xun You shook his head and said, "Don't forget, the river issue involves many people. Wu Jing alone may be able to drag all the Gongcao into it, plus the river patrol censors from the Censorate, the officials in charge of money and grain from the Household Department, and perhaps some big noble families are involved. By then, even if Tian Feng wants to make a big deal out of a small matter, I'm afraid he won't be able to stop."

Xun Yu had actually already thought of this, but when he heard Xun You's words, he couldn't help but twitch his face slightly.

Since the current Majesty ascended the throne, although many administrative reforms have been carried out, in order to maintain stability, the government has always focused on the major issues and let the minor ones go, giving the people of the world a false impression of gentleness and tolerance.

Treating the symptoms but not the root cause is the right approach.

Now, if they want the roots, they need to uproot them, and the impact that will bring will be unpredictable to anyone.

It has been less than seven years since the current emperor ascended the throne. Xun Yu and Xun You know very well what the Han Dynasty was like seven years ago. The emperor and the empress dowager took the lead in corruption and amassing wealth. There was almost nothing they dared not do or had not done.

The Han officialdom has been in a state of terminal disease for many years, with the disease spreading from the top to the bottom.

"Keep an eye on him."

Xun Yu looked at Xun You calmly and said, "When necessary, stop the situation by force."

"Forcibly suppressing" means that what is suppressed is not the situation, but the person who triggered the situation - Tian Feng.

Xun You nodded heavily and said, "I think so too. However, the Censorate has been getting close to the Ministry of Personnel recently, nominally for the 'Beijing Inspection'. I am worried that the two of them have conspired and agreed on something."

Xun Yu raised his head and looked outside the dark door. His eyes were deep and sharp as he said, "No matter what they are plotting or agreeing on, everything must be decided by the Shangshutai. I believe they are aware of this."

Xun You noticed the change in Xun Yu's eyes, and his heart suddenly moved. He asked, "What are your plans?"

Xun Yu quickly recovered and picked up his pen to continue writing instructions, saying, "I plan to reinstate some officials who have been imprisoned by the party."

Xun You was startled and said, "Those people in the Party Imprisonment? Will they listen to us? Besides, most of them have close ties with the Yang and Yuan clans. Is that inappropriate?"

"You don't need that many, just a few key positions will do,"

Xun Yu's reply was quickened, and he said, "I have discussed with Chen Gong that we are going to carry out large-scale farming and reclamation, as well as river management. We will also need to mobilize a large number of young and strong people. We need to avoid the current officials of the court, and we need many officials with practical experience to lead. Your Majesty has already agreed."

Xun You smiled, as if he had seen through Xun Yu's intentions, and said, "Okay, I support you on this point. However, these require a lot of money and food, I'm afraid the Household Department can't provide it, right?"

"The Royal Money Shop has minted two hundred thousand new coins."

Xun Yu said without even looking up, "This money comes from the inner treasury. Your Majesty has approved it and will lend it to me temporarily."

"Two hundred thousand strings of cash..."

Xun You was a little surprised and asked, "Does the inner treasury have so much money?"

Immediately, he stopped talking and came to his senses.

The court's repeated expeditions seized a large amount of money and grain, and many treasures. Although a considerable portion of the money and grain was allocated to the court each time, the vast majority of it went into the inner treasury.

Among them, there should be many that were obtained through house searches.

(End of this chapter)