The struggle of the reborn prince

"Hu Shangshu, is there going to be Aoshan and Licai Gate in front of the Xuanhe Gate in the capital this year?" Zhao Tun asked after taking a sip of tea.

"Your Majesty, it's like this every year, and of course this year is no exception!" Hu Anguo replied carefully, he didn't know why the emperor cared about these trivial matters.

"It cost a lot to build Mount Ao, the colorful shed, and the lantern club?" Zhao Tang asked again without raising his eyelids, putting down his cup.

"Your Majesty, it will cost about 20 guan. Although it is a lot of money, it should still be spent. It can show your Majesty's prowess, the world will be peaceful, the people will live and work in peace, and the world will be dignified!" Hu Anguo replied.

"This year, I am going to aid Goryeo in the east, conquer Gaochang in the west, and attack the Seljuks. The cost of 20 guns is enough to build several warships. Let's keep things simple!" Zhao Tong looked up at Hu Anguo and said.

"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate? It's time for the whole world to celebrate our great victories one after another. It's too simple..." Hu Anguo said in embarrassment.

"You are afraid of losing face! Don't you think that Taiping is a whitewash? Jurchens, party members, Mughals, including the Koryo people who have always been submissive, who surrendered because they saw the weather of our celestial dynasty? Those For the sake of face, we should not do things that hurt ourselves. Especially those Khotanese people just now, in order to get all nations to come to court, and they will not hesitate to pull them to make up the number. Not only will it fail to show our strength and heartfelt submission, but it will make them look down on them even more !” Zhao Tun said with a downcast face.

"Your Majesty, those barbarians envy me for coming so far away. It would be impolite if we waited a long time. Letting them make a small profit can also show our greatness!" Hu Anguo disagreed with the emperor's statement.He also wanted to persuade the emperor to change his mind.

"Hu Shangshu, I have made it clear. The style of a great country and the state of etiquette are not bought with money, and our Great Song Dynasty does not covet those false names. Otherwise, it will only make people think that our Great Song Dynasty is a man who is being manipulated by others. I’m a complete fool. But I’m not saying that all foreign countries’ reception can be kept simple. You must distinguish which are the vassal states that truly submit to you, and which are the vassal states that come to pay tribute from time to time. Song's warmth, let those impostors do what they want!" Zhao Tong said sternly.

"Your Majesty, it has already been established. It is inappropriate for us to change without authorization?" Hu Anguo was still a little guilty when the tiger showed his power.But the heart is not willing to say.

"Hu Shangshu, I have already said at the court meeting in October that the Great Song Dynasty will no longer do things like 'false talk but actually suffer'. Everything will be in the interests of the country and the people. Have you forgotten that when I am Are you talking and joking?" Zhao Tong stared at Hu Anguo and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty's words are still in my ears, and I dare not forget them!" Although the emperor's voice was soft, the domineering and murderous aura was revealed, and Hu Anguo felt his knees go weak.Hastily apologized.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. The minister and Hu Shangshu will immediately discuss and issue an order for His Majesty's imperial approval, and order all departments and supervisors to follow this!" Zhang Suo hurriedly pulled Hu Anguo down to ask him not to say more, and promised the emperor to come up with something immediately. solution.

"En. This matter cannot be delayed, the sooner the better, I don't want to see today's scene again!" Zhao Tuo left his seat and walked towards the back hall.

"My lord, Your Majesty has already left, let's go back too!" The two respectfully sent the emperor away.But Zhang Suo waited for a while and saw no movement from Hu Anguo, and raised his head to remind him.

"Master Zhang. The old man's legs and feet are a little weak, please help me!" The emperor was generally very kind when speaking, especially when he was rarely angry with veterans. Today, it can be called the wrath of thunder, which made him a little scared.

"My lord, go slowly!" Zhang Suo hurriedly stepped forward to support Lord Shang Shu, feeling his armpits were covered with sweat, and his steps were a little staggering.

"Hey, the wrath of the emperor bleeds for thousands of miles. I have seen it today!" Out of the emperor's courtyard, being blown by the cool wind, Governor Hu An breathed a sigh of relief, and laughed self-mockingly.

"Your Majesty has led troops to conquer all directions since he was a child, so he naturally has a bit of evil spirit on him. Not to mention the adults, even the lower officials were so shocked that their legs and feet trembled just now, and their minds were empty!" Zhang Suo comforted the old man with a smile.

"It's not some kind of evil spirit, it's just a natural aura of domineering. It seems that His Majesty's ascension to the throne is also a fate!" Zhang Suo had led the army back then, and had also led the army to fight the Jurchens , even he was quite frightened, and his behavior just now was not embarrassing. Hu Anguo was very relieved, and of course he did not forget to find a reason to cover his face.

"Yes, what your lord said is very true. How can we mortals bear this kind of domineering aura? It's not too early. Let's take out a charter and submit it to the imperial court tomorrow morning, so as not to blame your majesty!" Zhang Suo thought in his heart Funny, this old man is really interesting, he never forgets to take care of his own face, he seems to have forgotten why he was sprayed just now.He hurriedly reminded him to find a way to appease the emperor's anger, otherwise he would not only be sprayed tomorrow!

"Your Majesty Zhang is right. Let's get it done even if we don't sleep tonight. Don't miss His Majesty's important event!" Hu Anguo nodded in agreement, and hurriedly summoned the officials of the Ministry of Rites who were driving him to discuss the matter, convey the emperor's words, and ask everyone to fully understand The Holy Will formulated new regulations overnight and stopped the ongoing preparations for the celebration in the capital, and all preparations will be made after the Holy Order is issued.

When there is pressure, there is efficiency. Early the next morning, Zhao Tang received the results of the two chief and deputy officials of the Ministry of Rites who worked all night.According to his wishes, the two men divided the standards for receiving foreign envoys into several reception levels according to their status. There are detailed descriptions of the number of envoys, the rooms provided by the posthouse, the meals and items in return, and the grades of accompanying officials. Standards, discard impostors, and no longer provide any entertainment.

Zhao Tong erased the reward after reading the pen. Now that the Song Dynasty has opened up the domestic market except for the enemy, the tribute trade has existed in name only.So as long as you abide by the laws of the Song Dynasty and pay taxes according to the regulations, no one will interfere. Therefore, there is no need to purchase its products in the name of the government. It underwrites those overstocked materials...

The emperor's imperial pen gave a reply, and the edict was sent to the capital and various post houses and temple supervisors as quickly as possible, requiring that it be implemented immediately after receiving it without delay.And the person who felt the change the most was Hu Sala, the Khotan envoy who had just left Zhengzhou. When he woke up early this morning, he found that the guards of the Song Dynasty who were guarding the door had disappeared, and the officials of the Honglu Temple who had been accompanying them so attentively had not appeared. There is no hot water that should be served for washing.

Husala was naturally very angry, and immediately went to the post office to ask why they were being treated so slowly. Unexpectedly, he received a bill asking him to pay for last night's accommodation, meals, drinks, and horse feed. .This made him even angrier, claiming that he was an envoy sent by the Khotan Kingdom. The guests of the Song Dynasty used to be provided with board and lodging by the posthouses along the way of the Song Dynasty, and they never paid for it.

Husala had encountered this situation in the past, but as long as he showed the signboard of the envoy of Tiantian, everything would be solved, but this time he was disappointed.The post official is also bad, and he didn’t tell him that because of the new order, the treatment of his envoy was cancelled. He only said that he acted according to the regulations and had to pay all the due fees, otherwise he could only ask him to leave the post post order to find a place to live. Use at your own risk.

Husala is used to eating and slipping, so how can she admit it.Immediately there was a riot in the post house, demanding to see the officials of Honglu Temple, and even saying that he would go to Beijing to argue with them in front of the emperor.In the past, this tactic was very effective. Officials would come over to appease him immediately, and naturally the bill would be waived.But this time, no one paid any attention to him, let alone his threat, but insisted on making him pay.

After making a fuss for a while, Husala felt that the atmosphere was not right, so she said she would go back to get the money.But he didn't intend to pay at all, and when he returned, he ordered someone to pack his luggage, packing the goods and wanting to run away.Unexpectedly, the sergeants who stood guard for them came back at this time, but their attitude has undergone an ultimate reversal—the amiability has turned into an angry look, and the meaning is written on their faces. If you don't pay, you don't want to leave here.

Faced with sharp swords and guns, Husala finally understood that today's affairs cannot be done well without paying, so he had no choice but to spend money to avoid disasters. It is possible to come back.Because he is not a fledgling rookie, his family can be said to be a professional "messenger", and he began to follow his family on the commercial road from Khotan to the Song Dynasty as early as when he was just able to leave.

Of course, not everyone can become a professional householder. Not only do they need some assets, but they also need to have a good relationship with those in power. Otherwise, they will not be able to get a paper of credence in the first place, and naturally they will have to share the money they earn.With the letter of credence, his status is different. With this, he can not only receive warm hospitality from the local government in the Song Dynasty, but also have unimpeded access in the capital.The next thing is simple. Although Da Song has restrictions on the number of missions and goods they carry, they often do not interfere.Although the purchased goods are novelties in the Central Plains, they are common things in the Western Regions, and they don't cost a lot of money.

Experience told them that the emperor of Song Dynasty didn't care about the tributes, he just wanted them to show their faces at the court meeting and make himself face. Those tributes may never meet the emperor in his life.But they can falsely report ten times, or even a hundred times the value, and increase the price of the reward.Of course, they will not pay for these valuable rewards, but sell them at a high price as a commodity in high demand to make huge profits. Therefore, this is a business that only makes money but does not lose money, and their family has also become rich because of it.

The Husala family's tribute route was interrupted for many years because of the Song-Jin War more than ten years ago. After all, the head is more important than money.After hearing that the Great Song had defeated the Jurchens and became the lord of the Central Plains again, they restarted the road of tribute envoys that had been interrupted for many years... (to be continued...)