On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Gu Yun secretly sent envoys to visit the islands of Dongying and Nanyang. At this point, the frontlines had been in a stalemate for three months. The existing frontlines had been stretched and expanded under the constant tug of war between the two sides. The flames of war had spread from Jiangnan and Jiangbei all the way to the thirteen prefectures of Jiangnan, and even to the two provinces.
A large number of people who were trapped in their homeland and refused to cross the river began to form their own militias. Although the long-armed people who were stranded in various places did not have Violet Gold, they thought of ways to use coal and explosives instead. They also created a group of people who were not so flashy.
For this reason, the Lingshu Temple announced that it would set up branches in various places to exchange and teach technology other than highly confidential military technology.
The more far-reaching effects of the war were also gradually surfacing.
Fang Qin would never have thought that the ones who broke the peace in the court were not Yan Wang's party, but the two branches of the court.
That year, Daliang's government held the Autumn Imperial Examination once every three years. Because of the war, it was interrupted midway and then delayed for a long time. The Laurel Roll was not released until the twelfth lunar month. It became a "Plum Roll" and was jokingly called the "Unlucky Roll" by scholars everywhere.
Not even three days after the Laurel Roll was released, there were scholars in Shaanxi who strangely committed suicide. The officials below did not dare to cause trouble at this juncture and did their best to suppress it and not report it. Who knew that after a few days of suppressing it, when the court was dismissed, someone blocked the entrance to the Censorate to report it.
The reason for this matter was a long story.
Prince Yan went to Jiangnan twice and chopped off countless heads. He introduced the strictest rules for governance, which caused Daliang's corruption, which had been growing since the Yuanhe years, to temporarily stop. In the following years of war, even the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Palace were tightening their spending. The salaries of officials could only be reduced again and again. The fire beacon tickets were one disaster after another, closely linked to the examination of governance. It was equivalent to closing off the source of income and opening up the flow of money. The officials of Daliang had never had such a hard time in the past hundred years.
As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. When it comes to wealth, no one will think that "every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the country".
But there was nothing they could do about it. No one dared to accept the gifts. Everyone knew that Yan Wang was behind the rich businessmen. If they didn't accept the right gift, it would be a death sentence. No one dared to touch the military funds. After the tax reform, they wouldn't be able to touch it for the time being. Not to mention the disaster relief funds. Yang Ronggui and the others' brains were probably not rotten to the bones yet.
It just so happened that the Fall Quarter Examination was not very important this time, and the entire country was busy fighting wars and making money. No one cared about this bunch of useless scholars, so there were people who immediately had evil thoughts about it.
In the end, a huge fraud case involving nine provinces was implicated, shocking the entire country.
Fang Qin finally managed to suppress the many troublemakers around him. After two days of peace, his face was covered in reports from the two courtyards like snowflakes.
These special people were different from Yan Wang's party. Yan Wang's party had always been pragmatic. They always had a purpose in everything they did. They fought for power and influence in an orderly manner. Many of their actions could be predicted. But this group of arrogant people, who regarded fame and fortune as dung, most of the time were completely "participating for the sake of participating". This was what they did. Their personal reputation was closely related to how many people they participated in.
Young masters from prominent families rarely entered the two courtyards. Therefore, most of these freaks came from poor families. And the fraud in the Imperial Examination happened to touch the interests of these poor scholars.
The mad dogs of the two courtyards, who hadn't bitten anyone for a long time, suddenly felt as if their tails had been stepped on. Their hair stood on end and they barked madly. Every day, they would shout and curse in different ways, forcing Li Feng to strictly investigate. It seemed that if he wasn't satisfied with the investigation, they would die side by side on the coiled dragon pillars in the main hall.
The temporary and false tranquility was broken.
It was unknown how many complicated relationships the officials of the nine provinces were involved in, including Fang Qin's useless brother.
Young children and grandchildren were the lifeblood of the old man. Even Grand Secretary Fang, who hadn't paid attention to worldly affairs for a long time, was alarmed. Fang Qin could pretend to be obedient to anyone, but not to his own father.
But before Fang Qin could come up with a countermeasure, this time, the Emperor directly skipped the Supreme Court and the Inspectorate and sent the case to the Grand Council. Jiang Chong led the investigation, and the others only cooperated.
It seemed that the paper couldn't contain the fire.
Although Fang Qin was born in Jin Xiu, he always had the idea of being a hero for a thousand years. He refused to shamelessly wallow in the mire. For this reason, he first abandoned Lü Chang, who dared to threaten him, and then abandoned the pure idiot Wang Zang. Now, he finally reached the point where he couldn't abandon them anymore. His mother was still sick in the courtyard next door.
After Master Fang comforted this one, he had to give another an explanation. When he went out, there was still a group of people waiting for him to make a decision. It could be said that he was badly battered. After one night, two blood blisters grew on the corners of his mouth. Just as he was crying with his old mother, Fang Qin heard that someone had come. He rubbed his eyebrows with a heavy expression and coldly ordered, "Tell them I'm not at home and send them away."
The servant left in silence. An aide quietly came up and whispered to Fang Qin, "Daren, are you troubled?"
Fang Qin glanced at him unhappily. Fortunately, he was very good at maintaining his composure. He quickly restrained his gloomy expression and slowly said, "The scholar's rebellion failed three years ago. This time, from the incident to the Imperial Court in the capital, it happened too quickly. It's as if someone is escorting him … That Li Min put on a righteous face on the surface, but he only dares to stab people under the table. This kind of person with a black heart can only deceive the Emperor."
The aide asked again, "Daren, do you have a plan in mind?"
Fang Qin was completely confused. If he knew in advance, even if it was only one day in advance, there would be some room to maneuver. But this incident happened too quickly. The Emperor knew before him, which directly put Fang Qin in a very awkward situation.
Fang Qin sighed, "It's difficult. Yan Wang is a tiger and a wolf. Once he bites the neck of his prey, he won't let go."
The aide smiled gently and said, "Daren, I heard that His Royal Highness Yan Wang's reforms have not been completely completed. There are still hundreds of disputes in the Imperial Court. I think he was too impatient. He was too smart for his own good."
Fang Qin stopped. He could tell that the person next to him was deliberately keeping him in suspense. Fang Qin had many aides, but most of them only accompanied the old man, Grand Secretary Fang, to play chess and chat. There weren't many who could speak in front of Fang Qin. Of course, it was rare for them to seize the opportunity to speak up.
Fang Qin reached out and stroked his beard, "What do you mean?"
The aide saw that the opportunity had come and hurriedly poured out the words he had prepared, "Now that things have come to this, I'm afraid there is no chance to reverse the case. Why not take drastic measures? Directly find a way to abolish Yan Wang's new official laws? "
Fang Qin thought that he had some brilliant ideas. Hearing this, he decisively cut off the fluke in his heart and said coldly, "Cheating in the imperial examinations has been a serious crime in every dynasty. What does it have to do with the new and old official laws?"
The aide smiled unhurriedly and said, "Daren, one person's corruption is corruption. One person's fraud is fraud. But now it involves nine provinces. Countless important officials are in deep trouble. Is this a coincidence? The Emperor will also think that there must be a reason behind it. Why were these important officials of the imperial court so vicious? Because these two years have not been easy. They don't dare to not settle down the refugees. They don't dare to not pay the exorbitant taxes. They don't dare to not pay the military expenses. They don't dare to not meet the quota of Fire Beacon tickets. "
Fang Qin's eyebrows moved slightly. "The circulation of Fire Beacon tickets is equivalent to gold and silver. This was clearly established after the Jiangnan incident. What do you think?"
"Circulation can be equivalent to gold and silver, but it doesn't mean it can be turned over to the court." The aide shook his head and said, "Furthermore, there are many rich merchants from the south in Jiangbei. The customs of the people are more civilized. The Central Plains and even the northwest are not the same. If they don't recognize it, they don't recognize it. If the government forces them, they will be met with cries and complaints from the unruly people. If something happens, the court will be held accountable. Daren, think about it. If we really go all out, there may be room to turn this matter around. Even if the Third Master is removed from his position, as long as the Fang Family's power is still there, it may not be impossible for them to make a comeback. "
Fang Qin listened and didn't say anything.
The aide said in a low voice, "Daren, the affairs of the world are unpredictable. We hope to settle old scores after the battle. Yan Wang's side naturally won't think of this. At this time, there's no need to talk about 'not fighting is fighting.' If we don't take the initiative to move, we will only be forced to our deaths.
In the twelfth lunar month, when Shi Liu, one of the masterminds of the case, was tried, as expected, he cried in court. He complained that his territory was poor and that it was difficult to promote Fire Beacon tickets. Only the local government could buy them. The higher-ups had set three batches of targets. If they couldn't meet the targets, they could only borrow from all over the place. There was no income, so they had no choice but to do this.
As soon as these words came out, it was like a stone that stirred up a thousand ripples. The guilty officials all said the same thing, completely dragging Yan Wang's party, who was watching the fire burn across the river, into the water. There was even a troublemaker who said, "Saying that people who cheated in the imperial examinations were indirectly buying and selling officials, then what's the difference between linking the official examinations with Fire Beacon tickets and selling officials for money?"
This year's farewell to the old and welcome the new passed amidst the chaos. No one was able to eat a bite of the dumplings that made them feel at ease.
In the end, the Grand Council had no choice but to submit a letter of apology and officially announce the abolition of the clause linked to Fire Beacon tickets in the new official laws. At the same time, the sale of Fire Beacon tickets would be suspended.
However, the war was in full swing. In order to prevent the court from falling into a situation where they had no money to use, the Grand Council took the opportunity to propose stopping the coinage of the court officials. Imitating the Westerners' policy of "communicating" with the previous dynasty in their occupied territories, Long An banks would issue special "substitute silver" to replace gold and silver coins. They also drafted a series of new regulations and submitted them together with a letter of apology.
Long An banks were under the jurisdiction of the Grand Council. As long as the new regulations were feasible, no one had any opinions on whether it was "iron communication" or "paper communication". However, it definitely couldn't be controlled by the Grand Council.
Therefore, at this time, the steam railway that was about to be completed unexpectedly had a problem.
The sections in the north and south had basically been connected. Only the middle section was left. Once it was connected, it would be a success. However, the last section was delayed for more than a month. The problem was the land.
Most of the land along the line had already been reserved. However, it was impossible for such a long section to pass through all the land without an owner. The land that originally belonged to private individuals would be bought by the Grand Council from the original owners at market price. At the same time, some other subsidies were given, such as tax exemption and so on. There were also those who were unwilling to sell their ancestral property. The court would rent it instead of expropriate it. They would write a lease contract and pay rent every year.
Since the beginning of the Yuanhe period, the Daliang court had paid attention to benevolence. They were strict with civil and military officials, but were very polite to the commoners. It was precisely because they were too polite that there was a fatal omission in the lease contract. It only stated the lease period and didn't say what would happen if the original owner didn't want to rent it.
They probably didn't expect that someone would break the contract with the court.
The last section of the road just happened to be a large piece of rented land. The original owner was a big landlord, and his family had other businesses. Originally, the negotiations were going well. Although the construction didn't reach here, the rent had been paid. Unexpectedly, this person suddenly went back on his word and returned the rent without missing a single cent. Although this person had no official position, his background was deep. He was related to the Duke of Zhao's family. When he retreated like this, no one around him dared to hit him in the face. Everyone avoided the people from the Grand Council. It was too late for the steam railway to change its route.
Because the steam railway was stalled, Gu Yun wrote several letters in succession to ask about the completion date. In the end, he directly sent a memorial to Li Feng, saying that the frontline supplies couldn't keep up. If this continued, he would be forced to shrink the frontline.
Fang Qin's younger brother hadn't cleaned himself up yet. At this time, Grand Secretary Fang finally expressed his dissatisfaction with his son's "overcautious" and "lack of skill." He took action himself.
This former Grand Secretary did two things at the same time.
First, he secretly met with the Foreign Affairs Officer who was in contact with the Western envoys. He tactfully hinted that Daliang's national strength might not be enough to support a protracted war with the westerners. If they continued to fight, it would be a waste of money and manpower. Both sides would suffer losses. The one who made the greatest contribution wasn't the butcher who fought the war, but the person who could eventually facilitate the peace talks and restore peace to the country.
The Foreign Affairs Officer was once a student of Grand Secretary Fang. He carefully asked, "Teacher, if the Emperor is determined to fight, how can we as officials help him?"
"That depends on how you explain it to the westerners." Grand Secretary Fang, who had a sage-like demeanor, said meaningfully, "What they want is nothing more than benefits. Do you think they are willing to continue to fight to the death with Gu Yun, or are they willing to take a step back and cooperate with the Peacemaking Faction in the court to stop the war as soon as possible? The Emperor and the court want face. If the westerners are sincere and give up face, we won't be stingy. Don't you think so? Without the front line war as a reason, I don't believe that the Emperor will let Yan Wang and the others continue to cause trouble. "
After sending away the Foreign Affairs Officer who seemed to have woken up from a dream, Grand Secretary Fang asked his wife to invite another person — the Emperor Long An's wet nurse. After she left the palace in her early years, she was taken care of by Madam Fang.
Li Feng had a lot of feelings for his wet nurse. Originally, he was discussing business with Changgeng. When he heard that the wet nurse was passing a token to enter the palace to visit the Empress, who had been ill for a long time, he hurriedly told Changgeng and rushed to the harem.
Changgeng slowly left the palace and walked out. The entire palace was shrouded in the twilight. The golden light of the thousands of glazed tiles was hidden, and there were some imperceptible ice shards hanging on the edge. It looked very inhumane.
The weather was so cold, and the capital was so hot.
Recently, the front line had become more and more tense. Gu Yun's letters had also decreased. She basically couldn't see the endless chatter. Occasionally, she would send a private letter, but it was only a few words.
Changgeng slowly exhaled. He stood blankly under the high vermilion wall for a while, thinking to himself, "The day after tomorrow will be the first month of the Shi Liu Festival."
And the fog that shrouded the country still hadn't cleared.
Although he was planning step by step, and the result was getting closer and closer, he couldn't help but feel anxious from time to time.
At this time, a group of imperial bodyguards passed by. When they saw him, they hurriedly went forward to greet him, "Wangye."
Changgeng didn't say anything. He and the two imperial bodyguards stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, he broke into a run as if he was possessed.
"I want to see Gu Zi Xi." He thought to himself, "I want to see her immediately."
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