Han ride

Chapter 385
"Many generals are like this." After hearing this, Queen Zhou gently comforted her: "As long as he can serve the country, it is good. Some generals are courteous to His Majesty on the surface, but they don't know what to do behind the scenes. .”

"Oh, does the queen know something?" Emperor Chongzhen put down the ivory chopsticks in his hand and said softly.

"That's not true. I've been reading books recently, and I know some generals recorded in history books. Most of these capable generals are rebellious, such as Zhou Yafu in the Han Dynasty, etc. Isn't that the case?" Queen Zhou was afraid that Emperor Chongzhen would treat him Li Xin thought of something else, and explained with a smile on the side.

"Li Xin, hey!" Emperor Chongzhen thought of the policy Li Xin said again, and he glanced around, only then did he find that Empress Zhou was dressed in plain white. Although she was clean and tidy, she was not of good quality Most of the decorations in the Kunning Palace are not luxurious things, which are not suitable for the status of the mother of a country.My heart felt even more bitter.

"What's wrong with the emperor?" Seeing Emperor Chongzhen looking around, Empress Zhou asked curiously, "Is there something wrong in the concubine's palace?"

"No, it's because I think the queen's dress is so simple and plain." Emperor Chongzhen shook his head, his face full of self-blame.Empress Zhou is the mother of a country. Even if her clothes are not the best, at least she should wear silk and satin, made of Jiangnan tributes, not as simple as it is today.

"Your Majesty, the concubine is used to it. When the concubine was young, it was like this at home." After hearing this, Queen Zhou was moved in her heart, but she didn't want to embarrass Chongzhen, but said with a smile: "The concubine really can't wear clothes." I'm used to those silks and satins. What's more, the concubines have nothing to do in the palace, and weaving by themselves is quite happy."

"En!" Emperor Chongzhen looked at his two sons and two daughters, and saw that the four of them were all dressed in the same clothes. He felt sad, waved his hands, and said to Wang Chengen: "Take some brothers and princesses down. Let's go! I will be staying with the queen tonight."

"Yes." After hearing this, Wang Chengen breathed a sigh of relief, with a hint of joy on his face.Because Emperor Chongzhen was also a workaholic. Since he took the throne, he never had a good night's sleep.Wang Chengen was also worried about Chongzhen's health, but this time Emperor Chongzhen went to bed so early, he was naturally happy.

However, Wang Chengen is like this, but Empress Zhou knows Chongzhen's thoughts better. Chongzhen's appearance may be because she has something in her heart, but she can't find anyone to talk to, so she dismisses Wang Chengen. What does he know?Empress Zhou's face also became serious.

"Is there anything difficult to solve, Your Majesty?" Empress Zhou dismissed the maids and eunuchs beside her, and looked at the thoughtful Emperor Chongzhen.

"I saw Li Xin today. He is a strange person. Does the queen know? His soldiers are paid three or four times as much as the imperial court. He has 10,000+ elites around him, and his monthly consumption is millions of taels. Under such circumstances, he was able to win many battles and defeat countless enemies in a row. Originally, I wanted to keep Li Xin in the capital and let others lead his army. He did not object, but I knew that such an army Only Li Xin will lead the army, and the other generals who went to conquer the Northern Army are not conquering the Northern Army.” Emperor Chongzhen shook his head, and smiled wryly: “The court’s finances are lacking, and Li Xin gave me an idea, that is, to let All the gentry have to pay taxes. In this way, the imperial court can increase the tax revenue by tens of millions of taels every year. It makes my heart beat!"

"Is the emperor worried that someone will object?" Empress Zhou understood the reason immediately, nodded, and said, "Yes! The gentry are the pillars of the country and the cornerstone of the court. Because of their fame, these people don't have to pay taxes. As time goes by, the imperial court will suffer great losses. If there are too many people like this, the imperial court will naturally not be able to collect taxes. According to what Li Xin said, the imperial court can indeed receive a lot of money every year. The emperor does not need to worry about military pay. .”

"But how can the gentry agree to this?" Chongzhen shook his head and said.Although Li Xinxian's strategy is good, it is extremely difficult to implement it.

"What if the emperor's relatives take the lead in implementing it?" Queen Zhou suddenly said: "As long as someone takes the lead in this matter, others will naturally have nothing to say."

"Maybe it can be done." Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while, and said: "The empress can go to the manor of the mansion tomorrow, persuade her, and let the man take the lead. I don't need his money, I just need him to show off." What does the queen think?"

"As long as I can help the emperor, my concubine will naturally be willing." Queen Zhou nodded without hesitation.Empress Zhou would not offend the emperor for the sake of the Zhou family, the so-called water thrown out by a married daughter. Moreover, Empress Zhou was smart and virtuous.

"Li Xin is outside the city right now. I am going to send him to suppress the rebellion. I think there will be good news soon." Emperor Chongzhen was very confident.

"What position does the emperor plan to assign Li Xin to, and what troops will he command?" Queen Zhou asked again.

"His North Army will not touch him, let him be under Hong Chengchou's command for the time being! After all, he has just entered the Central Plains, and he doesn't know the situation in the Central Plains. It would be good to let Hong Chengchou help him." Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while I want to say: "Hong Chengchou is also a capable person. Fighting against those rebels means losing less and winning more. With Li Xin by his side, he can also learn a lot. After all, the Central Plains is not a grassland. Li Xin's cavalry can traverse the grassland. , but they may not be able to traverse the Central Plains. The barbarians on the grassland have a bit of courage, but they are much less resourceful. Li Xin may not be able to deal with it."

"Since the emperor trusts Li Xin, he should let him fight alone." Queen Zhou thought for a while, and quickly dissuaded him: "Li Xin is the Marquis of Zhengbei, and Hong Chengchou can't command him. The concubine also heard that this If it wasn't for Li Xin, Hong Chengchou would have suffered heavy losses in Zunhua's encirclement and suppression of Jiannu, how could Li Xin's majestic Marquis of Zhengbei listen to Hong Chengchou's words?"

"The queen's words are wrong. There are rules in this dynasty. Scholars lead the army. Li Xin is just a general. How can he lead the army alone?" Emperor Chongzhen frowned, shook his head and said, "Although Li Xin has won several battles, , but in the end he is young, judging from his idea, it is not as good as Hong Chengchou's old man seeking the country.

In some respects, Chongzhen was a stubborn person. Although he agreed with Li Xin to lead the army alone, he was only leading the Northern Conscript Army. On a large scale, he still placed Li Xin under the command of civilian officials. The rules of the Ming Dynasty, or in other words, the rules imposed on the military generals by the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty.In the Ming Dynasty, there was a general army in a province, which was a first-rank, but sometimes this first-rank had to salute when seeing the magistrate.Although Li Xin is the Marquis of Zhengbei, he is a general. On the battlefield, forcing Li Xin to add a civil servant is a very normal thing in Chongzhen's view, but he never thought about whether Li Xin would accept it.

Empress Zhou sighed softly. She knew that her husband was rather stubborn, and that the harem should not interfere in the government affairs. She persuaded herself a few words, but Chongzhen would not say anything, but if she said too much, even if the husband and wife were deeply in love, Chongzhen might be afraid. The emperor will not be happy either.

"Okay, empress, let's rest early! I still have some memorials to approve, and I will be there soon." Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand, stood up, and said, patting the empress's fragrant shoulder.

"The concubine sent the emperor respectfully." Queen Zhou was used to these things.There were not many people in Emperor Chongzhen's harem, and only those few were the most favored, such as Queen Zhou, Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Yuan and so on.Because of this, other emperors had many heirs a few years after they ascended the throne, but Chongzhen did not have many.It is more or less related to his diligence.

Not to mention, Empress Zhou sent Emperor Chongzhen away. On the next day, Empress Zhou personally set up a luancar and came to the mansion of Zhou Kui. When Wang Zhuyoujian was choosing the princess for his wedding, Empress Yi'an, who was in charge of the affairs of the harem, chose the Zhou family from many candidates as the elder sister-in-law and surrogate mother.After Zhu Youjian came to the throne, the Zhou family was promoted from Princess Xin to Queen.The so-called father is more valuable than daughters, and this fortune teller is also the same. The Chongzhen Emperor had just ascended the throne, and he canonized his father-in-law Zhou Kui as Jiading Bo, who served in the Army and Horse Division. In the delivery room, he was very rich, and even supported a very decent kabuki troupe of the Zhou family for a long time. The big beauty Chen Yuanyuan was once a "female singer" of the troupe.It's just that although Mr. Zhou is very rich, he is a stingy guy.

This week when the Queen came to the Zhou Mansion, there was naturally a scene. As the backer of the Zhou family's wealth, Zhou Kui arranged it even though he was very stingy. Although it was in a hurry, his family had a big business and a lot of money, so it was natural to arrange it. Very easy.The whole mansion instantly became resplendent and resplendent.

At noon, Empress Zhou finally arrived at Jiading Bo's Mansion. Zhou Kui and his son Zhou Yi greeted him at the gate with smiles on their faces. Everyone in the house was like this.

Empress Zhou got off the Luanjia, glanced at the Zhou mansion, and frowned inadvertently, because Jiading Bo's mansion was considered low in the Ming Dynasty, and there were Hou, Duke, and Wang above him. Today's wealth is due to her daughter, but this mansion is too extravagant.Empress Zhou herself is a frugal person, so seeing this appearance, she was naturally a little unhappy.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Although they are father and daughter, they are more of a monarch and minister. Zhou Kui did not dare to be presumptuous, so he respectfully called her Empress.

"Now that the country is in a downturn, the emperor is worried about the government day and night, and my father, as the head of the country, has to lead by example. How can such a luxurious place be seen by outsiders?" Queen Zhou said with some dissatisfaction.

"Yes, yes." Zhou Kui's complexion changed slightly, but he felt a little dissatisfied in his heart. He tried his best to arrange it. He originally wanted to hear a few words of appreciation, but he never thought of attracting a reprimand, but even though the other party was his daughter , but it is the queen, her own wealth is concentrated on her, this anger can only be kept in her heart.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi, the uncle of the country, hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the house is ready. Please come in and speak, Your Majesty." At this time, Empress Zhou also realized that she had spoken a little harshly just now, but she was anxious in her heart, and could only feel deeply. Sighing, he set up his car and entered Jiadingbo's mansion through the middle gate.

"Father, the queen is here today, I'm afraid she has something important to do!" Zhou Yi looked at his words and said to Zhou Kui, "Father, something is not right!"

"Of course the old man knows, heh heh, he never comes back on weekdays, and it's almost impossible to say that he's fine when he comes back today." Zhou Kui said with a little dissatisfaction: "As soon as I come back, I'm going to make mistakes here. Hey! Let's go! Don't make her wait too long." He followed behind and approached the mansion.

In the main hall, after everyone in the Zhou residence saluted, Queen Zhou asked Zhou Kui to withdraw the crowd, leaving Zhou Kui and Zhou Yi to stay.In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire hall became tense.

"Your Majesty is here today, is there something wrong?" Zhou Kui glanced at Queen Zhou, and seeing Queen Zhou's hesitant expression, he couldn't help asking softly: "If there is something you don't understand, I am willing to help you."

"Yes, yes, empress, we are all one family, what can I say?" Zhou Yi also interjected: "Could it be that the emperor treats empress badly? Are you going to abolish the empress?"

"The emperor is very kind to his daughter, but the emperor, hey!" Queen Zhou shook her head and said, "Father, my daughter sees how resplendent and resplendent my father's mansion is, so every day must be full of fine clothes and fine food!"

"Don't dare to lie to the empress and empress. With the favor of the emperor and empress, the mansion can support it." Zhou Kui's heart moved, and he said quickly: "It's just that the business has not been easy these years, and the mansion has lost a lot. Although there are some farms in the south of the Yangtze River, But the empress also knows that the harvest these years has not been good, and I have been eating the old bottom recently." Who is Zhou Kui, and as soon as Queen Zhou opened his mouth, he knew what Queen Zhou was about to say, and immediately complained.

Empress Zhou's complexion changed, and she thought for a while and said, "Father, you are Jiadingbo, you are already a gentry, and you have been supporting scholars for more than 200 years, but the government is getting more and more difficult. Yesterday, the Marquis of Zhengbei came to see the emperor and said that the food and grass for the Northern Army And the military salary can no longer be supported, and the emperor is also worried day and night, my daughter thought about it, at this time, the gentry should help the court to overcome this difficulty. What does father think?"

"Li Xin, Marquis of Zhengbei?" Zhou Kui's complexion changed, and he snorted coldly: "This daring thief actually wants to ask the emperor for money, heh heh, the old minister was not there at the time, otherwise, he would definitely be scolded. Heh heh, this time He is a wolf with ambition, and no one knows that this person is trying to overthrow the Ming Dynasty. The Northern Expedition Army of the Ming Dynasty is actually Li Xin's personal army."

"Not only Li Xin's army is like this, but Hong Chengchou's army is also like this. The court has run out of money." Queen Zhou shook her head and sighed: "My daughter came up with a measure last night, so I asked my father to support me."

"Oh. Empress, please tell me." After hearing this, Zhou Kui's complexion changed, and he hurriedly said, "As long as Zhou Kui can do it, the old minister will naturally help the empress."

"Okay." Empress Zhou looked happy, and hurriedly said: "My daughter wants to pay taxes for gentry and gentry together. I don't know what father thinks?"

"You want the gentry to pay taxes like those pariahs?" Zhou Kui stood up abruptly after hearing this, his expression changed.He never thought that Empress Zhou would say such a thing. In the past hundreds of years, when has he ever seen a scholar pay taxes?When have you ever seen an official pay taxes?

"Is this what the empress thought of?" Zhou Yi also looked gloomy, looking at Queen Zhou.He didn't believe that such a plan was conceived by a woman, and he sneered in his heart. The Emperor Chongzhen was really in a hurry, and he actually thought of collecting taxes from the gentry. Can this work?Hmph, this knife does not cut at others, but cuts at his own people, Zhou Yi is very depressed.

"That's right." Empress Zhou hesitated. In fact, this policy was thought up by Li Xin. Empress Zhou wanted to tell the truth. thought of.It's just his hesitation. In the view of Zhou Kui and his son, only Emperor Chongzhen could think of such a policy. It's just that he can't speak up, so he asked Queen Zhou to test it out.

Zhou Kui and Zhou Yi father and son looked at each other, and finally Zhou Kui said: "Since your mother has ordered, we will naturally obey, and I will calculate the taxes that my Zhou family should pay when I turn back, which can be regarded as supporting the court." .”

"1000 taels per year should be about the same." Zhou Yi also nodded, and said to Queen Zhou: "Every year, my Zhou Mansion will pay tribute to the Ministry of Households according to this figure. I don't know what your mother thinks?" Now that Zhou Kui has agreed, Zhou Yi naturally couldn't speak, but calculated without hesitation.

"That's very good." Queen Zhou thought for a while, and then said: "If there is any difficulty in the house, you can let someone tell me. My daughter can at least help out."

"Hey, although Jiangnan is good, there are constant rebellions in Henan. Even if you have money, you can't get it!" Zhou Kui shook his head gently and said: "Although the decoration in the mansion is not bad, in fact, being a father is also to support Jia Dingbo is just a signboard, it can't support too much, and I ask the empress to forgive me."

"Hey, I also know that the more this is the case, the more nobles like you are needed to help the court overcome this difficulty." Queen Zhou sighed and said: "You know, only with the court can you be rich and honored. The imperial court is gone, can we still have the wealth we have today? The imperial court and the nobles share weal and woe and share wealth and honor, father must not forget."

"This is natural, this is natural." Jiadingbo Zhou Kui nodded again and again, but secretly looked at each other with Zhou Yi, showing a trace of disdain on his face.

The empress of Zhou naturally couldn't see the faces of the father and son, thinking that Jia Dingbo had agreed with her point of view, and was very happy in her heart, and had a conversation with Zhou Kui and his son before leaving.

(End of this chapter)