Ji Tang

Chapter 1266
As soon as the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty spoke, everyone immediately fell silent. The position of the elder of Wuying Pavilion these years was not for nothing. How could his power and power be compared to that of a group of guys who had nothing to do but wait to die?
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other when they saw this, and whispered: "After all, it has come from experience. Although it is still a bit green at work, at least the momentum is not bad!"

"Well, His Majesty's vision is still as sharp as ever. But with such a son-in-law behind you, who wouldn't stand straight? You have the confidence!"

Du Ruhui nodded in agreement, without looking at Li Chengqian's embarrassed face. Is it really good to say that being the prime minister in front of him, the prince of the country?
"I am innocent, please forgive me, Your Highness!"

Li Chengqian stood up and said: "You are also nobles of the Tang Dynasty. Now that the sun is rising in the Tang Dynasty, the prosperous age has arrived in the four seas. It is a good time for me to display my ambitions and leave a name in history. It's better for you, Is there any shame in the fact that everyone is noisy in the lonely east palace just for a small profit?"

One of them stepped forward and said: "Your Highness, it's not that I'm shameless, but I really have no choice but to do this!"

"The price of goods in Chang'an is getting higher and higher year by year. Earl Chen can no longer even support his family. My family has proposed marriage to my legitimate son, but I can't even pay the betrothal gift. I... I am incompetent, Your Highness!"

"Yes, Your Highness, I had some savings in my family before, but if I give it to my legitimate son who will inherit the title, I can't afford to buy a house in Chang'an for my other children. If this continues, my other children will not even be able to get married. Can’t we get married?”

"I have embarrassed you and Your Majesty!"

"."

Li Chengqian looked helpless and looked at Xie Lian and said, "Xie Xiang, is this true? Do you think that I, a great nobleman of the Tang Dynasty, can't even afford to marry his children?"

"Report to Your Highness!" Xie Lian said with a solemn face: "According to my understanding, the price of goods in Chang'an at this time is more than three times higher than that in the early Tang Dynasty, and the real estate in each neighborhood has increased more than ten times. Every year It’s still rising. It may be an exaggeration to say that I can’t afford to get married, but if I want to do it in a more glamorous way, it is unsustainable.”

"What? Ten times? How is this possible?"

Li Chengqian was shocked. How many years has it been?Just ten times more?It’s not so fast to grab money!
"The people in the city are not stupid. Basically no one sells their houses, and others who want to buy them have nowhere to sell them. As Chang'an has become more prosperous in recent years, houses have been built wherever houses can be built, but the supply is still in short supply. In many cases, It’s hard to find a house, and it’s priceless!”

Now Li Chengqian understood that there were many people buying houses and few selling them, and Chang'an was unable to build a large number of houses, which led to rising housing prices.

"What about marriage leave? Has the Tang Dynasty reached a point where there are more men than women?" Li Chengqian asked.

"That's not true!"

Xie Lian glanced at everyone who was a little embarrassed, and said expressionlessly: "Honorable families are considered aristocrats after all, and their marriage partners always choose women from the same family, but this way there is much less room for choice. As the saying goes, one family There are women from all over the world who are asking for help, and this is what they say!”

Xie Lian had given everyone some face. To put it bluntly, he couldn't live up to the low standards. They looked down on the families of ordinary people, and looked down on them from the families of high-ranking officials. Even if they were willing, the price of the betrothal gift was prohibitive. This That’s what created the current situation!
Li Chengqian suddenly realized, but he couldn't blame anyone for this matter. He could only say that it was human nature. Even if he was the prince, he couldn't control it.Not to mention that he is the emperor.

Can your emperor, who controls heaven and earth, manage other people's marriages?If the whole world were like this, maybe the court would force a match, but this is a noble family, how can they control it?
At this time, someone stepped forward and said loudly: "Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to do it, but I can't lose my identity. The title is granted by your Majesty. It doesn't matter if I am embarrassed, but I can't let your Majesty be humiliated."

"Yes, Your Highness, we must not bring shame to His Majesty."

"To shut up!"

Li Chengqian suppressed his anger and said: "Don't put your face on yourself, can you agree to my order to marry a commoner's daughter?"

"Okay, let's all go down first. This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided in a short while. Go back and wait for notification!"

With a wave of his hand, the prince's guards started chasing people away without even listening to his howling.

Call ~
After everyone left, Li Chengqian finally breathed a sigh of relief.This matter is difficult to handle. These people are easy to get rid of, but what about the others?It's impossible to just care about the soldiers and not care about others, right?
Worry not about scarcity but about inequality. If you really want to do this, do you believe that those people can do bad things in a minute?When the good things turn into bad things, the court will lose face!
"Everyone, let's talk about it. What should we do about this?" Li Chengqian looked irritated. His father went to the academy to hide for a while, so what's the point of leaving a lot of mess to him?

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. This matter seemed simple, but it involved the distribution and balance of interests among all parties in the court. No one dared to speak first about this matter. One bad move would be the target of public criticism and offend others!

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui drank tea with their heads down, as if nothing happened.Anyway, they have all retreated, there is no need to get involved in this matter, otherwise they will make a fuss over nothing, so why bother!

In the end, Li Chengqian still looked at Xie Lian. Who said he was the elder of Wuying Pavilion? Who would you choose if you didn't choose him at this time?

Xie Lian had no choice but to think for a moment and said: "Your Highness, what do you and Your Majesty think now? Are you willing to let them go to the Western Regions? You must know that the Western Regions at this time are completely blank. Although they have no strength in Chang'an these years, they have He is a noble of the Tang Dynasty when he goes to the frontier, and he is more noble than ordinary heads of small countries. Once he becomes big in a local area, what will happen?"

"Also, how to determine their status? Let them assist in management, or should they not be able to interfere in local affairs? Without any privileges?"

After listening to Xie Lian's words, Li Chengqian was stunned: "Can't we still expect them to manage the place? Just them?"

At this time, Fang Xuanling couldn't help but speak. This matter was not a big deal, but it was not a small matter.It depends on how you want to use them. If you use them well, they will be a sharp sword in the Western Region. They can not only stabilize the place, but also build it.But if it is placed in the wrong place, it may lead to cholera, or even be stink for thousands of years!

"Your Highness, although these nobles are living in Chang'an and waiting to die, they are still people in the place where they go, otherwise the title will not fall on them. Once used, they will be the Dinghai Shenzhen of the Western Regions, which can be used in a very short time. Stabilize the local area. But if it is not used, within ten years, it will be completely ruined in these years, and it may even cause trouble."

"Please ask Mr. Fang to teach you!"

Li Chengqian stood up and bowed respectfully.Fang Xuanling was helpless, blaming herself for being too talkative and saying what she had to say when there was nothing wrong, but now, the whole thing was happening to her again!
"Your Highness, there is no absolutely useless person in this world, it just depends on how you use them. These nobles seem to be waiting for death, but the fact that they can keep their titles for so many years shows that their abilities are not weak."

"Where is Chang'an? It was the place where the culture of the Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous. Talents and talents emerged in an endless stream. Even all of them could not fight against these people. But it is different in the Western Regions. Ninety-nine percent of the people there have not been civilized. Once these people arrive there, , maybe I can coax that small country into selling its throne."

"Therefore, I suggest that they can be given certain rights, but they must not interfere with the local government. Moreover, the taxes that should be collected must not be less at all, they cannot have soldiers above their own title, they cannot engage in business, and they cannot interfere with military power. As for the rest, let them do whatever they want!”

"In addition, they must go to the Western Regions in person, instead of assigning servants, or substituting others, occupying quotas in the name of collaterals, and they enjoy the benefits. This will not only reduce the burden on the court, but also allow these scourges to get out of Chang'an. To scourge If you go to harm the barbarians, what's going on in the nest?" Du Ruhui saw that his old friends were talking. If he didn't say anything, there was no guarantee that the prince would be worried about it. He would be fine, but it would be uncomfortable if it was his children and grandchildren.So he also spoke out.

Now Bu Xie Lian is dumbfounded. Is this the world of the boss?
Compared to these two big guys, I am as pure as an Aries.Do you want to harm the barbarians?These words are so damn encouraging!
At this time, Changsun Wuji also spoke, and he was only heard to say: "Not only that, after leaving, you must unconditionally obey the military management. They are military heroes. If there is a war, who will they not join? You can't just hold the title in vain and do nothing." Right? How can there be such a simple thing in the world? "

Everyone took a breath, saying that Fang and Du just didn't like them, but they had to compromise and planned to use the waste.Then Changsun Wuji's solution is to tell them directly that if they don't want to make progress, they can just go to the battlefield and fight, so as not to look annoying!

However, everyone knew that they could only tell them this after they went to the Western Region, otherwise, they might not be willing to go even if it was a big deal.

No, why did I just agree to it without even thinking about it?Everyone looked at each other, and then pretended to be nonchalant. When it was time to drink, when it was time to eat, everyone went back to their homes.

As for the fate of those people?hehe!You’ll find out when you get to the Western Regions!
If those people just now knew that their family's fate was determined by just a few words, they might come to fight for their lives.But they are destined not to know it for a short time. When they find out, with more than [-] troops from the Western Region on their side, will they be able to overturn the world?
-
Jiangdong, Zhang family.

The old man of the Zhang family, one of the four major families in Jiangdong, passed away last year. When the funeral procession came to Chang'an, Xie Lian, who was already the prime minister of the country, almost fainted.

To him, Mr. Zhang was not only his wife's grandfather, but also his benefactor.Back then, I was bullied by the Xie family, and I was even at the end of my rope.And it was at this time that the old man not only did not dislike him, but also married his daughter to him. Such kindness was like reborn parents.

He resigned many times and wanted to go to Jiangdong to pay filial piety to the old man, but his memorials were ignored. He knew that the emperor could not let him go.In desperation, he could only send his son Xie Kuan to express his condolences. Originally, Mr. Zhang was also going.But during that time, Xie Lian's health was not good due to the death of the old man, so he could only stay and take care of Xie Lian. For this, Xie Lian felt even more guilty!

Mr. Zhang passed away at the advanced age of sixty-three, which can be regarded as a happy mourning.Perhaps in order to take care of Xie Lian, the prime minister of the dynasty, the prince personally sent a decree to express his condolences. It was a great honor, and it shocked the world of Jiangdong!

Today, many guests gathered at Zhang's residence, not for anything else but for the news from Chang'an!
But no matter who it was, even if Hangzhou was invited, they would first offer a stick of incense to the deceased Mr. Zhang, and then lead everyone to the front hall!

After all, it was a gathering between the major families in Jiangdong. If they had ignored it before, the government would not even pay attention to it.But today is different from the past. Although the family is also developing, it is more in business. Jiangdong is more focused on sea trade, while the customs is in the hands of the imperial court.

It's uncomfortable to be pinched, but you don't need to be as worried as before, for fear of being targeted by the court.

Therefore, the governor of Hangzhou was also invited to attend this meeting, which meant that we were just discussing matters, not conspiring with each other.

The person in Hangzhou at this time was none other than Li Jing's son Li Desai.Since Li Jing's death, Li Desai has faded out of the court's sight. He has been working as an official away from home all year round, and only returns to Chang'an to live for a period of time during court affairs every year.Firstly, it is to keep in touch with old friends, and secondly, it is also to appropriately show the presence of the Duke of Wei.

Yes, at this time, his title was still Duke of Wei. Li Shimin felt that Li Jing had made outstanding contributions to the Tang Dynasty through life and death, so he was not demoted to the title during his time, so Li Desai is still Duke of Wei now.

But this is the end. If there is no great achievement in his generation, his son can only become a county prince in his generation, and his grandson can only be demoted to a county prince.

Within five generations, it became an ordinary people's home.

"Meet Duke Wei!"

After everyone paid homage to Mr. Zhang, they all saluted Li Desai.He is not old, but he has the highest status among everyone here, and his title is not empty. He is also one of the top princes in Chang'an. If he can gain connections, what should he be afraid of?
But it is a pity that since he came to Hangzhou, he has been either dealing with official duties or observing the public sentiment all day long. It is not easy to find him.

"There is no need to be polite. Today I am just the governor of Hangzhou. You can say what you want without worrying about me!"

Li Desai waved his hand and said proudly.

But who here is not a human being? If you believe this, you would be a fool.

"It is my blessing, Mrs. Zhang, that you can come to my humble home. If we do something wrong at that time, please give me your advice. I have lived in Jiangdong for a long time, so I have some deviations in our understanding of the imperial decrees." It’s inevitable, so please don’t be polite!”

"Master Zhang, you're welcome. It's getting late, let's get started!"

"Okay, envoy please~"

"Please~"

In the front hall, when everyone was seated, the head of the Zhang family said solemnly: "We can live and work here in peace and contentment. First, we stick to our duties and follow the court's call. Second, the Tang Dynasty is strong and powerful, unprecedented in ancient times. At this time of prosperity, It has already arrived, how can we wait for the opportunity to slip by?"

(End of this chapter)