Chinese dining table

Chapter 1247: Success in a Hundred Battles
The only one who can comfort the lion is the tiger.

Master Xuanzang and the Immortal Sun were two other fierce tigers in the political ecology of the Tang Dynasty.

Master Xuanzang wished he could pass away immediately, and Taoist Sun also made it clear that he would also die.

Since the two tigers died, it would not be surprising if Li Zhi, the lion, died as well.

Li Zhi looked much calmer after coming out of the Imperial Hospital.

Sitting in the carriage, under the guidance of Yun Chu, he saw all of Chang'an in one day... In fact, Li Zhi saw all of Chang'an in his dream.

After eating the old immortal's medicinal food, he began to doze off as the carriage started moving. Ruichun was worried that the emperor would not sleep well, so she ordered the carriage to stop. However, Li Zhi woke up immediately and ordered the carriage to continue moving.

Not only that, he was clearly sleeping, and if Yun Chu stopped introducing Chang'an, he would wake up immediately...

Looking at Li Zhi sleeping soundly with his hands in his sleeves, leaning against the giant bear, Yun Chu had no choice but to point to the Qujiang Pond not far away and said, "This will be the front garden of Chang'an in the future. I plan to expand the scale of artificial fish farming in Qujiang Pond, plant lotus in the shallows to the west, harvest lotus roots, and raise ducks and geese on the water. Although it cannot be scaled up, it is better than nothing.

The changes in the world cannot be achieved overnight. There is always a slow process. Today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow is better than today. Over time, great things will be accomplished..."

"Since Emperor Taizong, our Tang Dynasty has been based on agriculture. I think this is right, and I also think that agriculture should be the basis now. However, the agriculture-based principle I am talking about is different from the one Your Majesty understands.

The agriculture I am talking about is not simply agriculture that involves growing grains. What I understand as agriculture is developing as many cash crops as possible while ensuring that grains are sufficient. The cash crops I am talking about are fruits, pears, peaches, cotton, and various livestock.

The price of grain is very wrong, because the current grain price does not match the labor of farmers. A man selling Hu Bing can earn about six strings of cash a year in Chang'an. This money can buy enough food for a family of six in Chang'an for a whole year, and there is still a lot of surplus. However, a farmer with a piece of land to share cannot guarantee that a family of six has enough food by himself.

Not to mention the people who make a living in other ways in Chang'an City.

Everyone knows that today's grain prices are unfair to farmers, but no one is willing to speak up for the farmers. The government has been deliberately suppressing grain prices over the years. After all, low grain prices are also a reflection of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

I am actually very afraid of the phenomenon that city dwellers are getting richer and farmers are getting poorer.

This can easily lead to hatred.

Since ancient times, the poor have had a natural hatred for the rich. If this hatred is allowed to spread, the people in the city will be happy, while those outside the city will be gloomy and full of hatred. What will people outside the city do if they want to come into the city and enjoy the same benefits as the people in the city?

Grain prices cannot be liberalized for a while, so shouldn’t we encourage farmers to grow rapeseed and cotton to sell? The prices of these things cannot be restricted... and they cannot only be sold by the government as before..."

Yun Chu couldn't figure out whether the emperor was asleep or not, and his originally rigorous conversation gradually turned into a casual chat mode.

The emperor's carriage was extremely spacious. It contained the emperor, a palace maid, a giant bear, Ruichun standing in the corner of the carriage, and Yunchu sitting at the door.

When Yun Chu stopped talking, the emperor's eyelids began to tremble, so Yun Chu had to continue: "It is more important to guard against the people than to guard against the river. Although the original meaning of this sentence is about the people's will, if it is expanded to mean 'it is more important to guard against the people than to guard against the river', it is not just what the people say verbally.

I even think that the main reason why dynasties have been replaced endlessly is that the court did not regard the people as its own people, but only as cattle and horses. Your Majesty often regards himself as the owner of cattle and horses, officials often regard themselves as shepherds, and military generals prefer to regard themselves as Your Majesty's henchmen.

Since they are not in the same group, once the imperial court is in trouble, which people will fight to the death for it?
The common people will always be the majority. Since Your Majesty has been on the throne for more than 20 years, not only has the country been peaceful, but the soldiers have also conquered all the rebellious countries. Under the peaceful and prosperous conditions, the population of the Tang Dynasty has increased by almost double. For example, in Chang'an, the population is so dense that there is almost no place to stand.

As the population increases, there are more officials, and as the number of officials increases, there are more disputes.

At this moment, if Your Majesty still insists that the people are no more than cattle and sheep, then the cost of Your Majesty's governance of the world will greatly increase, and at the same time, it will also give some people with ulterior motives a great opportunity..."

Yun Chu kept talking like this while Emperor Li Zhi leaned his head on the palace maid's arms and fell into a deep sleep. It was not known whether he was listening or not, but Li Zhi's breathing was long and he seemed very calm.

When the carriage entered Xingqing Palace, Yunchu was ready to get off the carriage, but Li Zhi opened his eyes faintly at this moment, looked at Yunchu and said: "I slept very well just now, and my heart has calmed down. When I dreamed before, I only remembered your mouth opening and closing, but I could never hear your voice. Today is good, I heard your voice, and this voice makes me very comfortable...

A lot of the suggestions are just one person's opinion and sound like bullshit.

Since I have entrusted Chang'an to you, you can fart in Chang'an and others can only listen. It's only a hundred miles in radius. Even if you make Chang'an stink, it's only a corner.

Remember, you can only fart in Chang'an, don't let me smell your stench somewhere else."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chu paid homage with great respect...

The emperor's visit to Chang'an brought great benefits to the city. In industry, it opened the door to strange and lewd technologies, and in agriculture, it relaxed the court's control over farmers.

This has far exceeded Yun Chu's purpose this time. At the same time, he also knows that the reason for such an effect is entirely due to the emperor's personal trust in him, which can be called a grace.

Since Li Zhi could not be killed and the Tang Dynasty could not be overthrown, this was the best policy that Yunchu, a local official, could get.

Even if Li Zhi was killed and the Tang Dynasty was overthrown, if Yun Chu was not the emperor, Chang'an would not have received such kindness.

Yun Chu realized that he could not change everyone, but he was proud enough to be able to loosen some of the shackles on the millions of people in this tiny place of Chang'an.

Perhaps, this is a small step for Chang'an, but a big step in history.

From now on, Chang'an will truly spread its wings and soar into this space and time.

When Ruichun saw Yunchu off, he sighed and said, "Are you satisfied now?"

Yun Chu smiled and said, "Your Majesty treats me as a national hero, and I will repay you as a national hero."

Ruichun nodded with emotion and said, "It should be so. Today is a disaster for His Majesty, but it may also be a new life. Don't let him down."

Just as Yun Chu was about to nod, he saw Xue Rengui approaching aggressively. Yun Chu was about to salute with his fists clasped together when Xue Rengui punched him hard in the stomach, causing his waist to bend immediately. It took him a long time to stand up straight, and he said to Xue Rengui, whose hair and beard were ruffled, "It's fast, but I don't have much strength."

Xue Rengui clenched his fist and said, "If you dare to use me like this again, I will fight you to the death!"

Yun Chu looked at Xue Rengui who had finally figured things out and said with a smile, "You can't beat me."

Xue Rengui said: "Who wants to fight you? I want to fight to the death!"

Yun Chu said: "You can't beat me in a fight to the death. Even if you bring all your personal soldiers, you are still no match for me."

Xue Rengui said disdainfully: "Just you?"

Yun Chu nodded and said, "Old Xue, within three years, let alone you, even if I have all this skill, it can only be used for fighting. I'm afraid you won't be able to rely on this skill to charge into battle."

Xue Rengui was a little confused and asked, "Is this the secret that His Majesty didn't allow you to tell?"

Yun Chu nodded and said, "Not only is the power of that thing earth-shattering, it can also destroy an area of ​​ten miles in an instant."

Xue Rengui looked into Yun Chu's eyes and asked, "How does it compare to the Strange Blade Master?"

Yun Chu smiled and said, "It's nothing."

Upon hearing this, Xue Rengui turned around and left. He punched Yun Chu as a revenge for being played like a fool by him today. He would never mention this matter again.

He felt that he had more important things to do. Yun Chu was only half a military general. His sons and disciples seemed to be able to live well without pursuing military exploits. But it was different for Xue. If he left the army, there would be no possibility of bringing honor to his family.

As for my previous hope that my son could become a civil servant, it was just talk. Let my son first develop a versatile mind here with Yun Chu, and then we can discuss other things.

It’s not possible now. I’m afraid there will be a big change in the military. If we can’t seize the initiative in this big change, we will be inferior to others no matter how hard we try in the future.

Yun Chu rubbed her aching stomach and watched Xue Rengui leave in a hurry, with a smile on her face.

When the sky darkened, the Xingqing Palace became brighter. Carts of wine, carts of fruits, carts of exquisite display plates made outside the palace, carts of various exquisite utensils, groups of singing girls in gorgeous clothes, groups of dancers who had already put on makeup, and groups of musicians holding various musical instruments entered the Xingqing Palace through the side door.

At this time, countless luxurious carriages were lined up at the main entrance of Xingqing Palace. Sitting in the carriages were all the most important men and women in Chang'an City. Some of them wore tall hats and long robes, with misty hair and cloud-like braids, while others wore purple clothes, jade belts, and jingling jewelry.

Just wait for the order from the ceremonial officer standing solemnly with his hands clasped at the gate of Xingqing Palace, and then your name will be called to enter the royal palace.

Yun Chu glanced towards the east mountain, where the moon had not yet risen.

When the moon rises in the east, it's time for the feast to begin.

Lu Xiu, Lu Zhaolin and Yang Jiong came in a hurry. Yun Chu looked behind him but did not see any trace of the Wu brothers.

Lu Zhaolin, who was always smart, immediately said, "Brother Wu will be our guest tonight."

Yun Chu said: "How can a person always seek good fortune and avoid disaster all his life?"

Yang Jiong said: "Such a person cannot take on important tasks."

Yun Chu smiled and said, "Very good. After this incident, the Queen will also look at the Wu brothers in this way."

Lu Xiu whispered, "Being too smart is not a good thing. Your Majesty still wants your subjects to be upright and aboveboard."

Yun Chu looked at Lu Xiu with regret and said, "It is so difficult to be upright and aboveboard."

Lu Xiu said softly: "Lu Xiu, from today on, you should hold on to the original and keep the oneness, persevere, and show others an upright and open mind."

Yun Chu smiled and said, "There are thousands of roads, but you chose the most difficult one."

A ceremonial officer came to Yun Chu and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has finished bathing, the wine pool has been filled, the plates have been laid out, the seats have been arranged, the musicians, singing girls, dancers, and actors have taken their places, and the bright moon will come out in three quarters of an hour, it is time for the guests to enter."

Yun Chu said: "Six hundred seats, how many are still vacant?"

The ceremonial officer bowed and said, "The seats are fully occupied."

Yun Chu said indifferently: "Arrange the seats for the Wu brothers to the farthest position."

Lu Zhaolin smiled and said, "Since they don't want to be involved in Chang'an's affairs, it makes sense to keep them away."

Yun Chu glanced at the gloating Lu Zhaolin and said, "It has nothing to do with that. Among the six hundred guests, only the brothers did not spend any money."

(End of this chapter)