The houses were like a forest, with overlapping eaves. In the darkness of the night, the lights between the houses formed an extended stream of fire. In this late summer and early autumn night, they crisscrossed and outlined the scene of Bianjing.
The time for eating had long passed. Even though it was late at night, the noise in Bianjing did not show any signs of abating. After nearly two hundred years of history, Bianjing was the heart of the Wu dynasty. It gathered the merchants of the world, and connected to the four corners of the universe. Every day, countless travelers and merchants would pass through this place to travel between the north and the south. Every year or every few years, the imperial examinations would gather the talents and heroes of the world. Here, the most powerful officials in the world would gather, surrounding the throne of the Emperor and dictating the operation of the world.
Since the Sui and Tang dynasties, business gradually developed. The curfew was removed, and the city basically never slept. Even in the quietest hours of the morning, there would be a large area of lights lit up in the center. At this time, it was the end of the day, and the hot weather made it even more difficult for the people in the city to sleep early. Along the roads, in the small courtyards, in the brothels, in the tea houses, people were either quiet or noisy. In the heat, it was a bustling and peaceful scene.
The war in the north did not affect the pace of the city. The actions of the court, more or less, did not cause too many waves in the city. The mobilization of troops, the transfer of goods, everything was carried out quietly under a tremendous momentum. It was as if everyone could feel that kind of action, but not many people could truly clearly understand the inside story. At most, from the mouths of those who knew, there were many topics of conversation that seemed as if they had seen it with their own eyes. Or it caused the merchants gathered in Bianjing to occasionally discuss the prospects of traveling north. But there was not much tension or anxiety. The brothels, the taverns, the tea houses, they were as lively as ever. The poems between the scholars and scholars were also calm and impassioned, sunny and confident. This more or less proved this point.
A little bit in the center of the city, on the side of the Imperial City, the signboard of the Right Minister's residence had just been hung up. This was a large house that had existed for some years. It did not appear ostentatious, but the layout was solemn and profound. This was originally the property of the Qin family. Eight years ago, when Qin Siyuan left office, the house was sold. In these eight years, it had changed hands twice, both in the hands of people who had some connection with Qin Siyuan. This time, when Qin Siyuan was revived, promoted to the Right Minister, and returned to the capital, he conveniently bought it back. In reality, the layout of this large house had not changed at all.
The Qin family had been officials in the capital for two generations. Eight years ago, Qin Siyuan left and dismissed the servants in the house. This time, when he came back, more than half of the servants in the house were called back. This was enough to prove that Qin Siyuan left without leaving. At that time, the various books and scrolls in the house had not been touched. This time, there were a few more, but Qin Siyuan was not a person who cared about these things. Compared to the Qin house in the past, at this time, after all, it seemed a little empty. For example, some relatives and family members who lived here at the time, after all, still could not rush over. At this time, only Qin Siyuan and his wife and concubine lived in the big house. As for the rest, even if the lights were brightly lit, in the end, they were all servants.
These days, Qin Siyuan was busy with official affairs, and it was rare for him to have free time every day. At this time, the two people with the highest status in the court, Li Gang, the Left Minister, was the leader, leading the overall situation, while Qin Siyuan, the Right Minister, was more inclined to some practical matters.
Speaking of which, he had not been to Bianjing for eight years. Even though there were still many students and old acquaintances, but here, his influence and control had been greatly reduced. Especially in the various practical matters, he was afraid that he could not take over all at once. Li Gang was familiar with him. Although he strongly supported him to become a minister, at the beginning, he also said that he would share most of the things for him. However, at the beginning, Qin Siyuan did not hand over too many things to him, but at the beginning of taking over, he took full responsibility. Within a few days, he had roughly planned all kinds of things that needed to be dealt with.
Li Gang was a generous person, relatively straightforward, fiery, and awe-inspiring. In the past few years, he was the biggest promoter of the clamor for war, but relatively speaking, this person was more strict in adhering to the Confucian way. Even though his words were fierce, he handled things with a bit of modesty. Of course, this did not mean that he was an old and rotten scholar, but that his beliefs were more upright. If it was not for the fact that at this time, an incomparably firm person was needed to lead the war, he was afraid that he would not have become the Left Minister.
Qin Siyuan was also a great scholar of the present age. He wrote well, but on the outside, his character was more modest and refined, and he never said anything definite. Sometimes when he argued with others, he was dignified, generous, and powerful, but he did not appear to be as angry as Li Gang. When he did things, his methods were often upright and gentle. But in terms of results, it was always more effective. Using power to suppress others was like boiling a frog in warm water. When others discovered the killing intent, often the situation had already been set, and there was nowhere to go.
During his time in Shangjing, he had taken over all kinds of government affairs. The most important thing was to first coordinate military supplies. With superb skills, he mobilized and gathered all kinds of military supplies in preparation for war more smoothly and silently. So much so that at this time, most people in Shangjing did not even feel the killing intent in front of the war. In less than two months in Shangjing, he had already displayed powerful boldness and methods. No one could look down on the aura that he had suppressed in eight years of seclusion.
Of course, all of this was built on high intensity work. Even if it was him, to be able to do this, he had already exhausted all of his strength. Today, he came out of the Imperial City very late. When he returned home, he had just eaten two mouthfuls of food when three old students came to visit. He ate as he received the three people.
At this time, the youngest of the three was 38 years old. His name was Chen Kai, courtesy name Yantang. At this time, he was working in the Ministry of Works and concurrently served as the Commissioner of the Institute of Literature. The second oldest was 42 years old. His name was Zhao Dingchen, courtesy name Chengzhi. At this time, he was the Junior Magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture and had considerable power. The third was 48 years old. His name was Feng Yuan, and he was working in the Imperial Censorate. He was Qin Siyuan's disciple. The current Deputy Minister of the Imperial Censorate, Qin Siyuan, claimed to be from Qin Siyuan's family. As a result, he was like fish in water in the Imperial Censorate and was highly regarded.
Although this was the Prime Minister's manor, Qin Siyuan at this time only ate a simple bowl of fish and a bowl of vegetables. He had the servants serve three bowls of iced mung bean soup and gave each of them a fan. The four of them began to talk casually in the hall. Since they were teacher and student, and the three of them were well aware of Qin Siyuan's temperament, at this time, there was no need for them to be subservient and speak casually.
In the eyes of others, it was a great fortune for Qin Siyuan to be able to return after eight years of absence. However, in the eight years of absence, there were actually many developments that he felt regretful and unable to grasp.
During the Blackwater Alliance, Emperor Jing Han, Zhou Zhe, had just succeeded the throne. At that time, Qin Siyuan could be considered half the Emperor's tutor. Although he was the Emperor's tutor in many matters, he was at most a loyal subject and did not have the title of Emperor's tutor. At that time, Emperor Jing Han was indecisive, but he also had a pioneering spirit. When the Liao army attacked, he was prepared to sue for peace, but later felt humiliated. At that time, Qin Siyuan was disheartened, but he could not help but do the craziest thing. He incited Emperor Jing Han to secretly prepare, instigated and supported all the anti-Liao forces, and comforted Zhou Zhe that this was only temporary tolerance, and as long as several years of preparation, there would be a chance to turn the situation around. Although he had arranged a lot of things and plans at that time, he was not confident. Who knew that it would become a reality now?
However, it was also this matter that caused the imperial court to spend a lot of money. When Emperor Jing Han succeeded the throne, he listened to the opinions of the public and abolished the previous dynasty's Flower and Stone Code and so on. Unexpectedly, after a year or two, the imperial court spent too much, and these things were restarted.
"Grand Commandant Gao Qiu and his group must have interfered a lot in these matters, right?"
"Teacher, this matter involves a lot of people, and there are indeed a lot of people. At first, when His Majesty said that he was poor, there were people who catered to his interests and came up with all kinds of methods. Grand Commandant Gao was one of them, and at that time, Assistant Minister Tang and the others also supported him. At that time, I argued strongly that the Flower and Stone Code should not be restarted. But now that I think about it, when the imperial court was short of money, His Majesty wanted to find some subsidies. At first, it was only on a small scale, but after everyone tasted the sweetness, they took advantage of the situation and opened up. At the end of the fourth year, Emperor Jing Han built the gardens, repaired the palace, and all the money after that came from this … "
Feng Yuan replied with a frown. The Assistant Minister Tang he mentioned was the former Assistant Minister of Revenue, Tang Qinsou. At this time, he had been promoted to Minister of Revenue. During this period of time, Tang Qinsou was in favor of peace, and Feng Yuan and the others naturally followed his teacher in advocating war. At this time, Qin Hui was also in favor of war, so he did not like Tang Qinsou.
Qin Siyuan only ate the fish. "You are in Bianjing, and I am in Jiangning. They are both rich and populous places, but I have only heard about it and not seen it with my own eyes. The Flower and Stone Code levied taxes and collected taxes, making the people suffer and the officials fat. Tang Qinsou, who followed Gao Qiu, was not a greedy person, but he had a lot of mouths to feed him. On the other hand, Li Bangyan and Wu Min were from powerful families and had many officials … Alas, now that I think about it, it was probably the same. Once it started, it couldn't be stopped … But what about those Taoist priests? His Majesty was bewitched, and in these six or seven years, no one actually dared to participate in the memorial? Except for Tang Kejian. "
These years, when Emperor Jing Han and Zhou Zhe believed in Daoxuan, he favored the Taoist priests very much, and it had already affected the political affairs. In these years, no one dared to speak up, except for Tang Kejian, who Qin Siyuan mentioned. Even Qin Hui did not dare to speak up because of this matter. Tang Kejian was exiled two years ago and died on the road. Qin Siyuan thought about it and sighed, but after a moment, he also shook his chopsticks.
"Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this today … Chengzhi, has the batch of military rations from Gunzhou arrived?"
"Although I did not participate, I heard that it has arrived in the afternoon."
"That's good …"
At this time, they were simply talking about trivial political affairs. After a while, he thought of a question and asked casually, "The Imperial Astronomer sent a message that there was an earthquake in the southeast a few days ago, but there is no definite news about this. Do you know about it?"
The three of them had heard a little about it. Chen Yantang, who was now in the Ministry of Works, said, "At this time, there is no definite news. The seismograph can at most determine the location of the earthquake, but it can't measure the distance or the intensity of the earthquake. After all, the seismograph will not move, and if it is too far away, even if it is a big earthquake, it will not be able to measure it. However, the previous Imperial Astronomer, Yu Qian, had an idea and discussed it with the Ministry of Works. He said that he wanted to make three identical seismographs and place them in three places that are separated by a hundred miles or more. Once there is an earthquake, the location, distance, and intensity can be calculated earlier. However, the seismograph is a delicate thing. It is impossible to say that there are three identical seismographs. At that time, Lord Yu also said that there is no harm in setting up three different seismographs. As long as a value is calculated, and then the earthquake data for a few years or decades is collected to make a comparison, the earthquake in the future can still be calculated based on this. However, this matter was not completed in the end. After all, the seismograph will be damaged after being placed for many years … "
At this time, Chen Yantang treated the matter of the seismograph as an interesting matter, but then he saw Qin Siyuan's solemn expression and said, "Yes, Teacher, you don't need to worry too much about this. I have asked before, there are usually no major earthquakes in the southeast, so this matter should not be too serious. Teacher, the most important thing at this time is to prepare for the big event, so don't worry too much about this matter. "
Qin Siyuan nodded and said, "I have also asked. However, once the earthquake occurs, many people in the court are afraid that they will take the opportunity to make a fuss again. Hey, this is a rare opportunity, but these people only care about the interests of their families. They want to first deal with Fang La, first deal with Wang Qing, first deal with Tian Hu, first deal with Song Jiang. They only think that when the Jin and Liao go to war, we can leisurely solve the internal problems first, and wait for the external problems to cause both sides to suffer, then reap the benefits. Alas, there are too many tricks used in the court. In the affairs of the state and war, it is enough to only be good at tricks … "
After coming to Bianjing, these were the most troublesome things that Qin Siyuan encountered. It was not that most people did not support the war. Of course, there were such pure pacifists who thought that once the war began, the people would not be able to make a living, but they were in the minority. Most people supported the war, but they questioned the timing of the war.
In times of peace, these people could restart the Flower and Stone Principle for the various interests of their families. They could collect a lot of benefits by imposing exorbitant taxes, and they could also make the various interests involved huge. At this time, the people in many places had no way to make a living, and there were revolts everywhere. They first asked the court to use the accumulated power to quell the civil strife. After all, the civil strife was the reality, and it was the various interests involved that were screaming. As for the recovery of Yan Yun, in these people's eyes, now that the Jin and Liao were in a mess, these things could be done at any time. They could let both sides suffer, and they could make use of the people from both sides … These people played with tricks in the court, and even in the war, they only thought that tricks were enough. They did not know that if they could not show their strength, no matter how many tricks they played, it would only be annoying.
But at the moment, he could only weigh the pros and cons with them all the way, and hold on until the troops were dispatched. If they could win, then Qin Siyuan could relax and deal with the people he wanted to deal with. Thinking of this, he remembered some of the conversations he had with Ning Yi when he left Jiangning.
At that time, Ning Yi had given him a messy booklet, and there were some things in it that he did not understand very well. Some of them were like this, which was probably the direction of the country's regulation of various businesses, so that most of the businesses and agriculture would be linked to the war industry, and the focus of various interests would be directed to the war. At that time, those who had various family interests would give up their original position, and clamor for the country to go to war. Because when the country went to war, they could sell food and military supplies. But at that time, Ning Yi had just said it casually.
"It will take one or two years to do these things, and it is very complicated to intentionally balance the business chain. There will be a war this year, so it will probably not be used … "
At that time, he said it in a joking manner. That young man always had a lot of thought-provoking ideas, but as he said, at this time, this method was already not used. But there were still a few small methods in the booklet that he had used on the mobilization of various military supplies, and it had produced results.
Thinking of Ning Yi, the old man spoke as he compared that young man with the students in front of him. Naturally, he could not come to a conclusion. As they were chatting, the gatekeeper ran in from outside, reporting that Prime Minister Li had come. Before Qin Siyuan could answer, on the other side, Li Gang and Li Wenji had entered the front yard without being notified, and seemed to be tidying up their clothes.
At this time, Left Prime Minister Li Gang was already over seventy years old. His appearance was thin, and his hair and beard were all white, but his spirit was hale and hearty, and his health was also good. His eyes were serious, and his lips were tightly pursed. As he walked, he was already cupping his hands, "Siyuan, please forgive me for entering without being notified. It is really urgent, and after reading this document …" He took out an official document from his sleeve, "I have to enter the palace immediately."
Several disciples stood up to greet Li Gang, and Li Gang only waved his hand. Qin Siyuan took a few glances at the document, and his expression had already changed, "How could this be … How many people have seen this document?"
"I'm afraid it can't be suppressed anymore. The rider who delivered the letter stumbled and was injured. I'm afraid this urgent letter has already been known by many people. At this time, perhaps someone has already brought the Imperial Astronomer Cao Lingrou and the others into the palace …" The current chief of the Imperial Astronomer Cao Lingrou was Wu Min's student, and one of the less staunch supporters of the internal strife.
"Take my coat and hat." Qin Siyuan said to the eaves at the side, and then he was already walking out, "Let's go quickly."
On the evening of the beginning of autumn, the land around Suzhou and Hangzhou cracked, and countless houses were destroyed. The casualties were hard to calculate. This notice was sent from Suzhou, and the Grand Canal was probably damaged. In the area south of the Yangtze River, it was the richest. As the carriage drove to the palace, Qin Siyuan thought of this, and then he thought of something else, and murmured, "Hangzhou, Hangzhou …"
The notice mainly mentioned Suzhou, and Hangzhou must have been affected, but the situation was still unclear. Li Gang frowned and asked, "How is Hangzhou?"
Qin Siyuan sighed, "Ah, I just remembered a young friend, and he happens to be there, if …" He thought of Ning Yi's disaster relief booklet. If Ning Yi could take on the overall responsibility in Jiangnan, perhaps he could reduce the impact of the matter to a minimum. Of course, this was only a thought that flashed through his mind. Ning Yi had no scholarly title or background, and in the end, he could not interfere. Furthermore, the booklet had already been sent, and the officials of Suzhou and Hangzhou were not all incompetent idiots. At this time, he could only place his hopes on them, and on his side, he had to withstand the heavy pressure from the court.
The Imperial City was right around the corner, and he threw some hypothetical thoughts to the back of his mind, and began to focus his mind on all the practical problems he would face next …
*****
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
