"Minister of Foreign Affairs Gao Shilian pays respects to Your Majesty!"
"Minister of Foreign Affairs Meton pays respects to Your Majesty!"
Gao Shilian and Meton bowed at almost the same time. Gao Shilian used the etiquette of a civil official while Meton used the etiquette of a general.
"Beloved Official Gao has worked hard!" Li Shimin smiled at Gao Shilian.
Gao Shilian was not only an important official of the court, he was also Empress Zhangsun's maternal uncle and the highest-ranking official of the Guanlong Clan. He was the best candidate to oversee Lan Zhou. Moreover, he was too old, so it was not easy for him to travel such a long distance.
"Your Majesty flatters me. With the brick roads, the four-wheeled carriage is as stable as flat ground. This is the most relaxing assignment this Old Man has ever taken!" Gao Shilian said. This time, apart from making two long trips to Tuyuhun, he had the convenience of a four-wheeled carriage. It was extremely easy for him to oversee Lan Zhou.
Li Shimin nodded. On this western expedition, the brick roads from Chang 'an to Lan Zhou could be said to have played a pivotal role, causing the Imperial Court to place even more importance on brick roads.
"Beloved Official Gao has returned at just the right time. Beloved Official Gao's proposal of providing relief through work is truly a brilliant plan. Now that the flood in Shandong has receded, under the concerted efforts of the millions of victims, three hundred li of brick roads have been built in a short period of time. There are still seven hundred li of brick roads that have been laid!" Li Shimin excitedly said.
In the past, food had always been distributed to the victims of disasters. This often led to corruption and injustice. Moreover, the victims had nothing to do and were prone to causing trouble.
The wondrous thing about providing relief through work was that the Imperial Court did not distribute food for free. Instead, they had to work in exchange for food. Not only did they build infrastructure for the Imperial Court, they also cleverly controlled the victims. The more one worked, the more one would get. If one worked less, one could not blame others for not receiving enough.
Not only had the millions of victims safely survived the flood, they had also built a large number of brick roads for the Imperial Court. The remaining seven hundred li of brick roads were currently being made with red bricks. Once the red bricks were in place, the brick roads would be completed.
Moreover, compared to the cost of the brick roads in Chang 'an and Luoyang, the cost of using the victims to build brick roads was less than a quarter. Not only had he settled the victims, he had also built so many brick roads for the Imperial Court. How could Li Shimin not be satisfied?
Gao Shilian bowed and said, "Providing relief through work is truly a policy that benefits both the country and the people. Why don't we use this as the Imperial Court's disaster relief!?"
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Approved!"
Gao Shilian looked at Mo Dun who was still standing at the side with his head held high and his chest puffed out. His heart stirred as he said, "Actually, this wasn't what I thought. It was Chancellor Mo's idea. I really don't dare to claim credit."
"Mo Jiazi!"
All the officials immediately focused on Meton. At this moment, after rising, Meton had maintained a high-spirited posture, his body tall and straight. Everyone's eyes couldn't help but brighten, particularly Li Jing. From the moment Meton had stepped into Taiji Palace, his gaze had never left Meton's body. The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became.
Li Shimin naturally knew that this was a joint agreement between Meton and Gao Shilian, but he wanted to give Meton the cold shoulder. Seeing Gao Shilian say this, Li Shimin could only glance at Meton and say, "Mo Jiu, you've worked hard!"
Li Shimin had originally said these words out of courtesy, but to his surprise, Meton straightened his body and suddenly shouted, "Your Majesty, the Minister has not worked hard!"
Meton's voice seemed to have been shouted with all his might, immediately shocking the entire court.
Taiji Palace was an important place in the court. Normally, the officials would speak in a harmonious voice. Even if it was a dispute in the court, it would be a reasonable argument. They had never heard such a hoarse reply.
Li Shimin was also shocked. He couldn't help but look at Merton with amusement and anger. "When others ask for credit, they are all polite and courteous, but you are straightforward."
Meton raised his head and said firmly, "Your Majesty, I am now a soldier of the Tang dynasty. As a soldier, I can only answer yes or no! I have no right to be polite. "
Meton's words immediately attracted the attention of all the generals. Li Jing's eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but feel touched. Meton's words could be said to be the true essence of the military. In the military, there was no right to be polite. Once a military order was given, it was either success or death.
Li Shimin couldn't help but feel touched. From the moment Meton entered Taiji Palace, from his footsteps, to his posture, to his speech, he directly displayed the temperament of a soldier.
Li Shimin also started in the military, so he was naturally familiar with the affairs of the military. In particular, when Meton said that a soldier could only answer yes or no, it was a hundred times better than the flattery of the officials!
Moreover, Meton did indeed do what he said just now. He accurately calculated the Heavenly Dog's victory over the Tuyuhun, used mathematics to accurately determine the location of the Tuyuhun tribes, broke into the desert, chased Fu Yun for thousands of miles, and finally solved the financial crisis of the Tang dynasty with his own strength. Meton said yes to all these actions, and he did all of them.
Thinking of this, Li Shimin's dissatisfaction with Meton suddenly decreased by 30%.
Even the civil officials couldn't help but secretly praise Meton's preemptive strike. However, it was impossible for the civil officials to let Meton off so easily.
"Your Majesty, the Minister requests that Meton encourage the soldiers to cut their hair and shake the foundation of the country. This is disloyalty, forgetting his ancestors, and destroying the thousand-year-old etiquette of the Tang dynasty. This is unfilial. Your Majesty, please punish this disloyal and unfilial person severely!" Kong Yingda said with a mournful face.
"Your Majesty, please punish this evil leader severely, correct the rules of the court, and clean up the evil practices in the world." Soon, the civil officials all submitted their memorials.
Except for a few important officials in the court who didn't express their opinions, almost half of the civil officials accused Meton in unison.
Even Li Shimin couldn't help but gasp at this scene. With so many civil officials gathered together, even he had to be cautious.
However, Meton's expression didn't change. He bowed to Li Shimin and said, "Minister, please defend yourself."
Li Shimin's expression was grave as he solemnly said, "Permitted!"
Upon receiving this order, Meton immediately stood at attention! Using his left heel as an axis, he exerted force on his left heel and the front of his right foot at the same time, turning ninety degrees and bringing his feet together.
As he turned, he straightened his legs and kept his upper body upright. Such a novel movement not only made the generals' eyes light up, but even Li Shimin couldn't help but cheer. It had to be said that Meton's movements were simply too handsome.
At this moment, the sly old fox Gao Shilian had already silently retreated to the front of a civil official, and the entire court immediately became a scene of Meton facing off against a group of civil officials alone.
At this moment, Meton was like a little soldier bravely heading to his death, single-handedly charging into the enemy's ranks. A solemn and stirring atmosphere immediately pervaded the court.
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