Plan to cut off the nine states

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The sky was just getting dark, and Duan Siyong arrived as promised, "There is a seat nearby in Guiyuan, where the prince is sitting in Jinghoulou."

The old servant went out against the order again. The old servant sighed but said nothing.

The garden is not big, the flowers have faded in the cold autumn, and the grass and trees are half withered and half flourishing. When the light shines on it, there is a unique scenery.

Zhang Shiduan hosted a banquet in the pavilion. The pavilion faced water on one side and was surrounded by flowers on three sides. There was only a path leading in. The flowers were of different colors. Although more than half of them were decayed, you can still imagine how beautiful they were when they were in full bloom.

"Who would have thought that something like this would happen? Someone actually stabbed him." Zhang Shoutuan poured the wine himself, "It can only be said that the world is so big that everyone can be there."

"Some people suspect that the mastermind behind this is the general."

Zhang Sheduan did not deny the rumors, "Whether he is a general or not, I can at least definitely have nothing to do with Mr. Lou because you were out at that time."

Lou Chu smiled, having nothing to say and not daring to say more.

"How about it, Mr. Lou, will you gain anything from this trip?"

“It was very rewarding.”

"Oh, what did you see?" Although Zhang Shoutuan was young, he was very interested in current affairs, and once again held the pot and poured wine.

"I saw that the water of the Yellow River was about to overflow the westbound ships. Every ship was like this, without exception."

"That's because there was too much food and equipment transported. The imperial court is really going to wipe out the Qinzhou thieves this time." Zhang Shoutuan was a little disappointed with this answer.

"The ship was loaded with not only food and equipment, but also gold, silver, silk, musical instruments and women."

"Why do you bring these things? To reward soldiers who have made meritorious service?"

"I have inquired and found that all the generals and officials brought these to themselves. I can guess the purpose: the gold and silver silk is used to bribe the superiors to buy military honors. Musical instruments and women can be given as gifts or for personal use."

Zhang Sheduan responded, "This is unreasonable. Such a general should be put in prison."

"I also saw that the government was recruiting civilian husbands on a large scale. It was rare to see young and strong men in the villages and towns. Only the old, weak, women and children were left, allowing the officials to run amok. And those civilian husbands didn't even know who they were recruiting. They walked around in a circle, probably They are building houses and gardens for local wealthy officials.”

Zhang Shiduan criticized the case again, filled with righteous indignation, "Corrupt officials deserve to die! I must tell your Majesty this and send someone to deal with these bastards."

Lou Chu drank a glass of wine and said, "Your Majesty, if you ask, whose ship is secretly transporting private goods? How many such ships are there? Which county magistrate recruits more civilians and pretends to be public for private gain? Which garden is being built? How would the prince answer?"

Zhang Shiduan was stunned for a while, "You have to tell me these things."

"But I don't have the answer. I'm just a passerby during my travels. I can give you a few names, but I can't find out how many ships there are, and I don't know how many counties have abused their people's power."

"But you did see it with your own eyes?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes, it's like this everywhere, it's just mild or severe."

"Well, I will advise your Majesty to send someone to investigate."

"What to check?"

"The ships were inspected for personal gain, and the officials were levied indiscriminately."

"Searching ships will delay the delivery of military supplies. The Western Expedition may be delayed. Inspecting officials will affect the recruitment of civilians. Palaces, gardens, and canals everywhere will be under manpower. Can your Majesty accept this?"

Zhang Shoutuan was speechless for a long time. He knew that the emperor would never agree to stop the conquest and construction, even if it was a temporary suspension.

Laughter came from behind the flowers, "The answer is right in front of you, why should the prince be confused?"

Zhang Shiduan understood immediately, "Yes, the person who went out to travel is Master Lou. He has his own answer."

The foundation of the building bowed to the flowers, "I didn't know that the eldest princess was coming, but I couldn't greet her from a distance. I looked forward to the sea."

"You're welcome. Listening to your eloquent speech just now, the prince couldn't get the answer right for a moment. You must have thought that the Zhang family has no one."

"I don't dare, I just want to make things clearer."

"Let's talk to someone else here."

Zhang Shiduan smiled and said: "Seventh sister is going to take action personally again?"

There was more than one person behind the flowers. Princess Huanyan said: "I heard that I was anxious, so I will not hesitate to add a few words. I think I understand what Mr. Lou means: His Majesty was in a panic and lost his rules. The expedition should be dispatched by the province. Policies are made by ministries, prefectures, counties and townships, and are implemented in an orderly manner to facilitate supervision. However, the progress is too slow, and officials may use various excuses to shirk it. Therefore, His Majesty often bypasses the ministers of the DPRK and central government and issues orders directly to counties and counties. The decree is coming soon, but the court has no way to supervise it, so local officials take the opportunity to use it for personal gain. "

The foundation of the building cupped his hands and said, "That's exactly what I mean."

Princess Huanyan continued: "Your Majesty has mastered the figures sent by various ministries, and thought that the people's power has not been exhausted, but he did not expect that if the superiors do something good, the people below will be much better. Your Majesty has requisitioned 20 to 30% of the people's power. The local officials are afraid that they will double this number." Times, the people’s power has actually been exhausted.”

"It's not just local officials," Lou Chu added.

"Are the ministers of the DPRK also causing trouble?" Zhang Shoutuan was very angry, "I must tell His Majesty the truth, and these corrupt officials must be punished with severe laws."

Princess Huanyan, who was behind the flowers, said: "Your Majesty has forgotten that once corrupt officials are punished, all recruitment will be suspended. Your Majesty will not agree."

"Then what should we do? We can't just watch corrupt officials absorb the people's wealth and corrupt the world, right?" Zhang Shoutuan looked at the flowers, and then turned his eyes to the foundation of the building.

Lou Chu said: "Perhaps we can persuade your Majesty to knock on the mountain to stern the tiger. First deal with a few officials who are particularly evil and declare the world, and then pacify the thieves from all over the country as soon as possible so as to exempt a large number of military service. The current construction can continue, and each completion will be completed one after another. , but there should be no more construction, and the labor force will be relieved within two or three years."

There was silence inside and outside the pavilion. After a while, Zhang Shoutuan expressed his opinion first: "I think this is indeed a solution, and your Majesty should be able to listen."

Princess Huanyan then spoke: "The three things Mr. Lou said are easy and difficult. Punishing a small number of corrupt officials is the easiest, and your Majesty will definitely agree; pacifying the thieves and exempting them from military service is a little more difficult. After the Qin and Bing states are stabilized, your Majesty will have to go on an expedition to congratulate you." Rongbu, I don’t know when this war will end, but military service can always be reduced; it is the most difficult to stop building construction. Your Majesty’s plan has been scheduled for ten years..."

"Easy first, then difficult." The eldest princess of Luoyang was also persuaded, "After Your Majesty sees the benefits, the difficult can also become easy. As before, Huanyan wrote the pen, the prince took the opportunity to write, and I chose the opportunity to persuade."

Zhang Shiduan and Princess Huanyan both said they were fine, but Lou Chu said, "I'm afraid it's inappropriate."

"What's wrong? We've always done this, and it works very well." Zhang Shiduan said in surprise.

Louji cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty treats you all as family members. He will not be really angry if he hears excessive words, but..."

"But what?" Zhang Sheduan asked.

Princess Huanyan on the other side of the flowers sighed softly, "Your Majesty is not angry, but he will not take our words too seriously, because we are 'family', and everything discussed by 'family' is a family matter."

"But what we want to talk about is state affairs." Zhang Sheduan also sighed, "What should we do?"

The eldest princess said: "Master Lou is not considered a 'family member'."

After saying this, there was no sound from behind the flowers. Zhang Shiduan stayed for a while and said with a smile: "Master Lou's eloquence is certainly no problem, but... he has no official position and no position, and he is imprisoned - I have already asked clearly what imprisonment is. What's going on? It's more severe than I expected. The late emperor led his ministers to swear a poisonous oath in the Ancestral Temple. No matter who dares to lift the imprisonment, he will be cut into pieces while alive and will be burned in the flames after death. "

"I don't seek to be freed from imprisonment, let alone glory and wealth."

"Then what are you begging for?" The eldest princess spoke again.

Lou Chu was silent for a while, "I have been reading the books of sages since I was a child. Although I don't understand their meaning, I yearn for them and am willing to speak for all people. Even if your Majesty only listens to a little bit, it is enough for me to alleviate the people's plight a little."

The eldest princess laughed, and Zhang Shoutuan's eyes changed as he looked over, showing surprise, ridicule, and a hint of admiration.

"Well said." The eldest princess stopped laughing, "As expected of the son of a great general, fifth brother, you should carefully appreciate these words of Mr. Lou."

"Pleading for the people? Isn't this what I have always wanted to do?"

"No, no, it doesn't matter who you are asking for, what is important is that you have the ambition and spirit to 'ask for help'. People are divided into high and low, the humble work hard and are governed by others, the noble work hard and govern others; people are high and low, and lowly The heart of a noble person is all about himself. Although the world is big, he only takes a foothold. The heart of a noble person is attached to all living beings. Even if he lives in a humble room, he will not forget the hardships of the world. Fifth brother, we are all born to be noble and noble. Sir, this is not just a fluke, but also a heavy responsibility. We have been favored by His Majesty. We must help His Majesty govern the world. If we lose this favor one day, we must not be alone. Others can retreat, hide or escape, but we cannot. "

Zhang Shiduan bowed deeply to the flowers, stood up and said: "I understand. In this way, Mr. Lou is one of our own. The only difference is that we are favored and Mr. Lou is imprisoned, but he will not retreat, hide or escape."

"That's right. Mr. Lou, please go home for a while and let us discuss a proper solution." The eldest princess became more and more polite.

"I can't bear the word 'noble', but I still have the courage to move forward bravely. Please take my leave, Princess."

Zhang Shoutuan personally saw off the guests, chatted along the way, and showed great respect for Lou Zhi. When he arrived at the gate of Guiyuan, he turned away the servants and said seriously: "Master Lou really wants to speak directly to His Majesty?"

"There are some things that outsiders are more suitable to say than family members. Of course, it is a great honor to be able to express your opinions to His Majesty. It depends on how the eldest princess decides."

Zhang Shiduan lowered his voice slightly, "The eldest princess's habit has always been like this. Whoever you say is good will be used. She just praised you to the sky, and she will definitely send you to see His Majesty."

"Just what I wanted."

"You have to think carefully. If we make His Majesty angry, the most we can do is be reprimanded. If it were you - even if you are the son of a general, it would be of no use."

"If I wanted to take advantage of the general's power, I would not confide in you."

Zhang Shiduan smiled, "Imprisonment can only prevent a person from becoming an official, but it cannot prevent him from caring about the world. Mr. Lou will have his own future in the future."

The General's Mansion was not far from the Return Garden. Servant Duan Siyong sent Lou Chu home. When he left, he bowed and saluted, showing more respect than when he traveled with him before.

The old servant didn't sleep. He felt at ease when he saw his master back. "It's noisy outside, sir, why don't you stay at home..."

"The place I went to couldn't be safer. Is anyone in the house looking for me?"

"No, there is a box of gifts from Mr. Mahou's house. If it's not the New Year or the festival, what gift should I give?"

"The birthday gift is a few days late."

"It's not just a few days, it's almost a month."

The box was placed on the table. Inside were clothes, paper fans, jade pendants and other items. I dug down the floor layer by layer and took out a dagger at the bottom.

The dagger was extremely sharp, and it lightly scratched the table, leaving a deep mark.

"It's enough." Lou Chu said to himself. He would never give up on something he was sure of.