Father Han Gaozu

Chapter 334 Sustainability
Liu Chang slowly opened his eyes and yawned.

He hadn't slept so sweetly in a long time.

Sitting up, she opened her mouth wide, kept her yawning posture, and looked stupidly at the grandmother beside her. Empress Lu was quite helpless. According to the etiquette formulated by Shusun Tong, who dared to watch the empress dowager yawned, that was It's disrespectful, but these etiquettes are fake to Liu Chang, and he doesn't mean to abide by them at all.

Of course, even if he doesn't obey, Uncle Suntong can also find various reasons to absolve the king and yawn at the queen mother?No, it was because the king was busy with state affairs and was extremely tired, which shows how diligent the king was. With such a skill, Shusun Tong has succeeded in being unrestrained from the second generation to the present, and Confucianism has become more and more powerful.

"Mother!!"

"hungry!!!"

Empress Lv had long guessed what Liu Chang would say, and was not surprised at all. He glanced at the palace maid not far away, and immediately someone walked up to Liu Chang with rice and vegetables, and Liu Chang frowned, "Why not? What about the meat?"

"It's getting late, eat some vegetables and fruit."

"But I haven't eaten meat for a day!"

"If you don't eat meat for a day, you won't starve to death!"

"Oh."

Liu Chang had no choice but to accept his fate and bury his head in eating. He ate very quickly, basically he didn't chew, but just swallowed. Liu Chang had a huge appetite, and he could eat three or four meals for the rest of the people. If the family was born in the family of ordinary people, I am afraid that it would have eaten up all the money long ago.

Neither Liu Bang nor Empress Lu likes to waste food. Every meal at a banquet must be eaten cleanly, especially for ordinary meals. Liu Bang once questioned Fan Kuai at a certain banquet: Have you forgotten the poor days of the past?Immediately asked him to eat the meat and bones in front of him and not waste it.

Under the influence of the two of them, these heirs of Liu Bang have never been extravagant and wasteful in their pursuit of meals.On the contrary, some second-generation Chehous, extravagant and wasteful, slaughtered the sheep, only ate the waist and liver, and discarded the rest.

Liu Chang quickly ate the food cleanly, and licked the bowl clean.

Liu Chang raised his hand to wipe his mouth with his sleeve, but Empress Lu slapped him on the back of his hand. Liu Chang then retracted his hand and looked at his mother aggrieved. Empress Lu took out the silk cloth and leaned out. Come, raise your hands high, and shout, "Get your head down!"

Liu Chang obediently lowered his head and let his mother wipe his mouth.

"I told you a long time ago, don't wear Yanren's clothes, don't wear Yanren's ornaments, how many days can you wear it? The day before yesterday was still plain clothes, and today it will be black!"

"Yanren's clothes are beautiful"

Liu Chang muttered, and Empress Lu shook her head helplessly.

"Chang. You arrested the two county guards of Bashu?"

"Yeah, these two thieves took bribes from merchants and there are many merchants in Bashu. Their status is too high, and even the officials dare not offend them. If they are good at business, it's fine, but they can bribe merchants and seek benefits for themselves. That widow can't stand it!"

Liu Chang lowered his voice and said: "Mom, the widow has already inquired about it, and I heard that the biggest businessman in Bashu is a woman, called the widow, and the widow is going to call this person to Chang'an and use her to limit these big businessmen in Bashu. Merchant, if she is obedient, it will be fine, if she is not obedient, hehe!"

Empress Lu narrowed her eyes, "You probably can't do it."

"Ah? Why does Grandma despise the widow so much? What the widow wants to do, there's nothing they can't do!"

"But she has been dead for more than 20 years"

"Huh?? She's dead?"

"Why, are you still blaming others for not telling you before they died?"

"What did grandma say, the widow is not as stupid as grandfather."

The Qing mentioned by Liu Chang is also called Ba Widow Qing. Her ancestors relied on the convenience of mining and had countless family properties. It is said that the mercury in the tomb of the first emperor was provided by their family. Personally armed, Shi Huang also respected her very much. In the Han Dynasty, she was already dead, and her family was not as good as before, but the foundation was still there.

Probably because of the short development time, some distance from the Central Plains, and superior environment, there are still many big businessmen in the Bashu generation. Widow Qing is only the most famous among them. Their existence is indeed to defend the frontier in some respects. , the role of accelerating assimilation, however, for the totalitarian dynasty, their existence is not a good thing.

"The land of Bashu can be the granary of the great Han. Qin and Han rely on this to achieve great things. You can't take it lightly."

"Don't worry, mom, this will never happen to a widow."

"Who asked you to strictly investigate the land of Bashu?"

"It's the widow's decision."

"Then why does it look like it was taught by Liu Jing?"

"How did mom know?"

Liu Chang grinned, "Mum is wise! Mum"

"All right!"

Empress Lu glared at him, and just said: "Liu Jing is a talented man, but his ideas are too extreme. These merchants cannot be killed. If you kill all of them, how will Bashu's specialties be delivered to the Central Plains? How can commodities be sold to the state of Chu? The frequent exchanges of merchants and merchants can make countries feel like one family and exchange materials, which is beneficial to the people.”

"It's what my mother said that emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is fundamental."

"Suppressing business is not killing business. You can charge them a high business tax to subsidize the farmers, but you can't kill them all!"

"What does your mother mean?"

"Don't use too heavy punishment for those merchants who pay bribes, use them for your own use. Use them to revitalize the agriculture and make the people more convenient. If you want to hide the wealth and the people, then you must use the merchants to receive these wealth again. The treasury comes, and so on."

Empress Lu earnestly explained to Chang Liu the correct way of using business and agriculture. Empress Lu meant that Chang Liu could understand, to make the people rich, let the merchants earn money, and then make money through business taxes The money in the hands of the merchants does not harm the farmers and mulberry. The commercial tax is used to make the national treasury sufficient, and then the farmers and mulberry are subsidized. This cycle goes back and forth, making the best use of the characteristics of business.

"You sit on a boat and fish. There are fish in this water. You have to raise them. The water is long, and you can't exhaust the pond to fish."

"But I don't like fish."

Liu Chang made an ancestral retort, and it was not until Empress Lu narrowed his eyes that Liu Chang hurriedly nodded, "Mother is right!"

"Where is Liu Jing?"

"Let him make a fuss, how can you fish without a fishing rod?"

"it is good!"

Empress Lu liked Liu Chang's crispness. No matter what Liu Chang did, he would not hesitate. He said he would do it. Even if he made a mistake, he had to do it first. What Shu Zi can't compare to is that he does things awkwardly and has no courage at all. Empress Lu was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked, "How is Liu Ying lately?"

"He is depressed all day. Every time I go to him, I ask me about my mother's condition. I haven't eaten much in recent days, and my health is getting worse and worse. The imperial doctor ordered that he can no longer drink alcohol in the future."

Empress Lu didn't speak, just waved, "Go and do your own business."

"it is good."

When Liu Chang walked out of the Changle Palace, he shook his head helplessly. The second brother of his own just didn't know his mother. When his mother said that he would not be allowed to come, he really didn't come and rushed in to find her. How dare you stop him?How could my mother really punish him?
However, now that Liu Chang has more important things to do, he will ignore the second brother's affairs for the time being.

Liu Chang summoned Wang Tianqi and Liu Jing in the Xuanshi Hall.

Wang Tianqi had long known that the king wanted to see him, so he was ready, but he didn't understand why Liu Jing appeared here. Wang Tianqi and Liu Jing knew each other but were not familiar with each other. For Jiuqing, Liu Jing was more like a solitary official than Wang Tianqi, a court official.

Liu Chang was pretending to look at the bamboo slips, and when he saw the two coming, he hurriedly put down the bamboo slips, and said with a smile, "The two fathers of Zhong are here!"

"Don't dare!"

Wang Tianqi shuddered and hurriedly saluted.

It's not a good thing to be called by the king as Father Zhong, Chang Liu stood up, pulled the two to his side with a smile, let them sit down, and just asked, "My lord, how's the trial between the two? "

"Your Majesty, they have all pleaded guilty, please take a look."

Wang Tianqi is still very serious in his work. He wrote down the criminal evidence, their confession records, and the appropriate punishment results. He knows the level of the king, so what he writes is relatively straightforward and simple, without adding too much nonsense, it is clear at a glance. Liu Chang nodded with satisfaction, and read all these criminal evidences seriously.

"Why do the widows think that the combined property of the two county governors is more than the widow's?"

"You can do this just by taking bribes. If you knew the widow should have named yourself the king of Shu, what else would you call the king of Tang!"

"Shu people are so rich?"

Liu Chang narrowed his eyes, but this time he looked at Liu Jing.

Wang Tianqi immediately understood why Liu Jing was here, and Liu Jing said solemnly, "Your Majesty, it's not that the common people are rich, but the big family is rich, the merchants are rich, the merchants of Bashu are rich enough to rival the country, their wealth is greater than that of the princes, they fish the common people. , woo officials, install cronies, recruit private soldiers, and ask the king to arrest and kill them!"

Liu Chang looked at Wang Tianqi and asked, "What do you think?"

"The minister thought they were hiding their armors"

"Okay, don't say it anymore, Mr. Liu, I have been thinking about your words for a long time. Now the world is peaceful, the people are prosperous, and there are more and more merchants. Just this Chang'an city is not enough. There are several cities set up outside the city, and there are more than [-] merchants who come and go every day, and the goods they bring are more than [-] vehicles."

"Chang'an was made prosperous by them."

Liu Jing was quite disdainful, "They're fine. No matter how many merchants there are, they can't add a drop to the treasury. What's the use? The king should restore the system of the Qin state and make all the markets belong to the temples!"

The current market problems of the Han are still controversial. Many of the markets in the Qin state are government-run. In Shang Yang’s vision, the temple should be used to preside over trade affairs, so that the people can farm and fight with peace of mind, and the temple should be used for other matters. To solve the problem, the early Han Dynasty gradually loosened the restrictions, and Empress Lv released a series of special restrictions on merchants and developed the economy of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Chang laughed, and he said, "Elder Liu, the widow has been thinking about this for a few days."

"The widow has been exempted from a lot of taxes, relieved the pressure on the people, and allowed them to farm with peace of mind. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty is indeed a benevolent and righteous monarch, and the ministers admire him!"

"Well, you also think the widow is doing the right thing, don't you? But after that, the big man's granary is empty, and he can't stand the war. Even if he wants to do something, he has to sell the title. What do you think, how can the widow let the widow go? Will the treasury have food again?"

"Your Majesty, this matter can be handed over to the minister for three months, and the minister promises to fill the treasury with food so that the king can use it inexhaustibly."

There seemed to be two red lights in Liu Jing's eyes, murderous, and Wang Tianqi on the side was startled.

To be honest, there was a moment when Liu Chang was moved. He was having trouble doing things now because he had no food. If it was inexhaustible, it would be very fast. Liu Chang woke up again because he had guessed Liu Jing's thoughts and didn't have any. What about the food? Go kill those merchants and rob them of their food.

Liu Chang took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Eunuch Liu, I heard that there is a saying in the Spring and Autumn Period of Lu's family: fish when the pond is exhausted; if you don't get it, there will be no fish next year!"

"Now the widows can't raise the agricultural tax, so they can only raise the commercial tax to enrich the national treasury. If according to your idea, we will kill all the fish today, what will we do next year?"

Wang Tianqi looked at Liu Chang in surprise, but unexpectedly, the king actually read Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals.

Liu Jing frowned, "Your Majesty, this is not a fish, but a finless porpoise! ​​If you eat it, you will leave a hundred harm."

Liu Chang didn't speak any more, just stroked his chin, "Since that's the case, let's wait until the court meeting to discuss."

Liu Jing agreed, and then left. After Liu Chang sent him away, he complained to Wang Tianqi, "This person is too stubborn, and he dares to refute the widow."

Wang Tianqi knew that the king was very tolerant towards talented people, and he did not speak ill of Liu Jing, but just asked, "Does the king really want to attack the merchants of Bashu?"

"That won't work either, but it's better to let Liu Jing scare them."

"This matter, I don't feel relieved to leave it to others. You still have to cooperate with Liu Jing, but you have to prevent him from doing too much."

"I understand!"

Only then did Liu Chang send Wang Tianqi away, he couldn't help but stretched his waist and sighed deeply. After dealing with so many things today, he was really tired. A wise and diligent king like a widow, spends all day in this kind of situation. Even though I was tired, I didn't even have a good meal, but what can I do for the sake of the big man?

Liu Chang sighed that his hard work was high, hummed a song, and walked towards the Hall of Honor.

A figure appeared in the distance, and when the two sides met, Liu Chang couldn't hum his song.

It was Chen Ping who came.

Chen Ping's face is not easy to describe, especially after he saw Liu Chang, that face is really complicated, and there is emotion in the complex, Liu Chang cleared his throat, but walked forward with a smile, "Zhong Father!! Why are you coming to the palace at this time?"

Chen Ping was silent for a long time, but he was recalling what happened last night in his mind.

"Your Majesty. I'm here to find the Queen Mother."

"Cough, the queen mother has rested, come back tomorrow."

"It's the queen mother who wants her ministers to go."

"Father Zhong, you just said how the widow treats you on weekdays?"

Chen Ping thought about it seriously, but it really wasn't so good.

Liu Chang stepped forward, took Chen Ping's hand, and said sincerely, "Father Zhong, if your mother asks the widow to be drunk, you don't have to tell the truth. What if the mother is angry? Right? The widow thinks Your food towns are a little short, you have made so many credits, you should seal more food towns"

"Your Majesty doesn't have to do this. The Queen Mother is looking for ministers for other things, not because of Your Majesty."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"Why don't you ask the queen mother personally?"

Liu Chang let go of Chen Ping in embarrassment and let him leave. He narrowed his eyes, and soon returned to the Hall of Houde, and asked Cao Shu to be called back. When Cao Shu and Fan Qing appeared in the hall. When Liu Chang was in front of him, Liu Chang said very seriously: "The widow is going to go to Bashu to govern the merchants there in person."

"Ah? Your Majesty has just returned from the south, so why are you going to Bashu? The road hasn't been repaired yet. How long will it take your Majesty to go?"

"It won't take long, the widow will march quickly without many people, and it won't take much time."

Fan Qing murmured and asked displeasedly, "Did you hear from my brother that Bashu is so beautiful, so you are going to Bashu?"

"There is no such thing. Although your elder brother told the widow several times, and even said that he would find a beautiful woman for the widow from Bashu, the widow never agreed!"

Fan Qing narrowed his eyes immediately, gritted his teeth, and muttered bitterly, "Wait for me to go home."

However, Cao Shu felt the difference in Liu Chang, and she asked, "Did the king get into trouble again?"

Liu Chang shook his head, "It's not me, it's my mother."

"Um???"

"My mother said something to me, inquired about my brother's situation, and then suddenly summoned Chen Ping. Although Chen Ping didn't say anything, most of the widows could guess that my mother planned to abolish my brother and let me ascend the throne as the emperor."

"Ah? How can the king see it?"

"My mother will only meet Chen Ping when she does the most important thing. After she came back this time, she has always had this idea."

"Then the king is going to Bashu to escape?"

Cao Shu said helplessly: "Your Majesty cannot hide. This throne will be yours sooner or later."

"I know! That's why I went to Bashu. In this way, even if I ascend to the throne in the future, it will be considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Otherwise, I am afraid that I will not have the opportunity to go to such a far place."

Both of them knew that they couldn't persuade Liu Chang, and they didn't say much, but Cao Shu looked a little worried, "If this is the case, the king can bring more troops."

"Well, okay, don't worry."

They were chatting, but Liu An walked in, and when he saw Liu Chang, he subconsciously turned to leave, but was stopped by Cao Shu, so he had to sit beside his grandmother and look at Liu Chang secretly.

"An ah, your father is going to Bashu. You will accompany your father during this period of time, don't go out."

Liu An's eyes lit up. Father is leaving? ?Good thing! !
"Father! Don't worry! I'm here! Don't worry!"

(End of this chapter)