After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

"Ruling a country is a matter of course, and benefiting the people is the basis. The reform of water transportation is really a top priority. Jia Qing should also take a look." Emperor Wei put down Pei Jiaoran's memorial and said with emotion.

While the chaos in the four towns harmed the country, it also exposed the shortcomings of water transportation. Transporting grain from Yangzhou to Chang'an along the canal mostly relied on the Yellow-Huaihe River water transport. However, there was also a mainstay in the Yellow River, where the water was fast and dangerous, and grain ships were often sunk here. What's more important is that once the Huanghuai water transport is occupied by the rebels, the grain of the Jianghuai River can only be transported from Jianghan to Liang and Yangtze. Not to mention the inconvenience of long-distance transportation, the most terrible thing is that it is troublesome and expensive.

Moreover, along the way, there were also those who robbed themselves and those who were detained privately by Jiedushi. If it takes 180 shi to transport grain from Yangzhou to Chang'an, only 120 shi will eventually arrive in Chang'an. The country's taxation relies more on Jianghuai, which also means that the people in Jianghuai and Jianghuai need to invest more energy.

People are the foundation of a country, which is never empty talk. Whether it is to quell civil strife or to secure foreign vassals, a large amount of tax support is needed, and population is the source of tax revenue. Both are the cornerstone of the country. Endless exploitation and failure to repay will make the world worse.

Jia Gonglu took the memorial and read it carefully. The memorial not only points out the current shortcomings of water transportation, but also provides corresponding solutions. Every point is to the point. It seems that as long as you follow this method, the dilemma will be solved.

Of course, don’t forget to explain the reasons for doing this. It's because the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money, and the Ministry of Household Affairs' lack of money is equivalent to the court's lack of money. Where to get money from? Naturally, it is to make money from a big business like salt and iron.

In other words. This is Pei Jiaoran crying for poverty for the Ministry of Household Affairs.

With Pei Jiaoran's ability, it is no wonder that he serves as the Jianghuai Salt and Iron Transport Envoy. But if she were really allowed to go, many unnecessary troubles would inevitably arise. Yantieyuan was one of them. No matter where Pei Jiaoran stops the sword in the end, she will reflect the results His Majesty wants to see to the center. When the emperor was happy, he followed her instructions and left. The political reward she received was immeasurable.

But if others are allowed to go, they may not have the courage and means of Pei Jiaoran. When it was not done, she went to clean up the mess. The fame and rewards still belonged to her.

"You have asked yourself to be the Jianghuai salt and iron transport envoy. You will need a complete canal reform plan." Emperor Wei looked at Pei Jiaoran and said calmly: "Apart from the canal officials, do you have other ideas?"

Pei Jiaoran took out a rolled piece of paper from his sleeve. In addition to drafting the charter for water transportation reform, she also intended to use water conservancy to reform water transportation.

Passing the paper to Zhang Rang, Pei Jiaoran said: "Managing the water supply is only one aspect. The root cause of the shortcomings of water transport lies in the difficulty of transportation. All water transport enters the canal in Yangzhou,"

"Nowadays, the Guanhe River in Yangzhou is gradually filled with silt, causing the canals to be blocked. People on both sides of the river have invaded and built houses on the river, causing travel congestion. As a result, it is naturally difficult to transport grain, and once the transshipment efficiency is affected, the transportation There will also be less food reaching Chang'an. It is urgent to clear up the shortcomings of the imperial water transportation."

Jia Gonglu frowned after hearing this, "Irrigation works have always been time-consuming and expensive, and now the court is already in a difficult situation. If water conservancy is built in Yangzhou, other places must follow suit, right? Has such a large budget been calculated in advance with the Ministry of Industry? And in western Zhejiang We have just experienced the Huanqi Rebellion, and the people's lives are not easy. If we continue to build water conservancy projects, the people's lives will only become more miserable."

Emperor Wei looked at the two without saying anything.

Pei Jiaoran smiled and said, "Didn't the imperial court reduce its troops before? I proposed back then that after these soldiers were disarmed and returned home, they could plow the fields, and the imperial court could also recruit them when there were fortifications. They only needed to be exempted from taxes and given clothing, materials and food. In this way, people will not abandon farming and mulberry trees because of digging canals.”

Neither Wei Emperor nor Jia Gonglu spoke.

There is no problem in the general direction of the water transportation reform proposed by Pei Jiaoran. The only thing is that if her ideas are followed, it means that the entire Salt and Iron Division will undergo a new round of reforms.

The imperial fiscal office has been changing. From the past, the Ministry of Revenue had sole power, to the current one where the Ministry of Revenue, Yantie, and Taichang check and balance each other. It is true that it is disgusting for the inner treasury to take profit from it, but if this is not the case, the relationship between the Finance Office and the Office will only become more delicate.

"What about the payment?" Emperor Wei asked.

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran smiled and said, "This is the budget for the fortification project planned by Du Zhi. As for the payment? The Buddha is compassionate and compassionate, and I think the Buddha should be happy to provide this money. Why bother the treasury."

As if he didn't expect that Pei Jiaoran would actually target the Buddhist temple, Emperor Wei looked at her in surprise.

The four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties are not empty talk. Because Emperor Wu of Liang believed deeply in Buddhism, there were always many Buddhist temples in the Jiangnan area, and they colluded with local wealthy families to occupy land and oppress the people. Jiangnan is not a place suitable for high-pressure policies. In the past, Yang Sui wasted a lot of effort in Ping Jiangnan.

"Oh, a Buddhist temple?" Emperor Wei pretended to be surprised: "How do you want the Buddha to travel everywhere?"

Pei Jiaoran looked calm and said, "Abolish the Buddhist temple and order the monks and nuns to return to secular life."

"Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Pei Jiaoran's eyes were blazing, "I'm not afraid. I only saw that the imperial court was stretched thin, and the people were bullied by the temples to the point of being helpless and reduced to slaves. I saw that in order to evade taxes, they allowed the temples to annex land. I only saw that they were hiding behind their backs to make money. They are the ones who make money.”

The word "they" is used quite cleverly. In fact, everyone is well aware of the darkness beneath the head of the Buddha when he saved all sentient beings. It's just that the Buddhist temple has a lot of connections behind it, and it affects the whole body even more than the court. So no one ever mentions it.

"Then what are you going to do?" Emperor Wei asked again.

"Starting from the south of the Yangtze River, Buddhist temples were reduced, land was expropriated, slaves were released, and monks and nuns returned to secular life. The land was given to slaves for farming, and the remaining land was allocated to the household department. In this way, not only the population increased, but taxes would also increase. This is The dilemma mentioned at the end of the memorial is self-explanatory."

She has no objection to the Buddhist temple, purely because the Buddhist temple usurps the interests that should belong to the imperial court. Buddhist temples and Taoist temples are essentially dependent on the government. They tear off the pretense of Buddha's universal salvation, firmly grasp them, and cut off their ties with wealthy families and local officials. It has a deterrent effect on the entire Buddhist temple. You can teach the Dharma, but the general direction must be to understand that the king is the existence that conforms to the destiny.

Jia Gonglu looked at Pei Jiaoran with a hint of disbelief in his eyes. Restricting Buddhist temples to create economy for the court was tantamount to offending all those who worshiped Buddhism. Pei Jiaoran's doing this is tantamount to pushing herself to the forefront. If she does this, isn't she afraid of being smashed to pieces?

Jia Gonglu narrowed his eyes, and he suddenly couldn't see through Pei Jiaoran.

"Your Majesty, please ask Zhongshu's disciples to prepare the edict as soon as possible. I hope I can leave early."

Pei Jiaoran obtained Emperor Wei's permission naturally.

After the court broke up, Emperor Wei left the prince alone.

"What do you think of Pei Jiaoran's method?" Emperor Wei asked.

The prince said solemnly: "This matter is not difficult to say. But the person who implements it must bear great pressure. If it is feasible, the pressure on the court will be much less."

"It would be fine if she were a sage and a wise man. But I'm worried that what she will do is Huo Guang and Sima Yi."

Hearing this, the prince did not answer. The implementation of a policy often requires the executor to bear pressure and endure the cold treatment during the planning stage.

He and Pei Jiaoran conspired to make this move. If you want to be steady, you have to be patient.

Sanctioning Buddhist temples is just the beginning.