Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 614: The World (Finale)

Daxia was indeed not short of silver, not counting the silver that the West "tributed" to the Celestial Empire.

Take the increasingly developed maritime trade in recent years as an example. The Maritime Customs has increased the frequency of delivering tax silver from twice a year to four times a year.

There was no way around it. With tens of millions of taels of tax silver every year, the ships loaded with silver could completely block the canal.

The Minister of Revenue Wen Lian always walks with an unrestrained demeanor, although he still cannot change the old tradition of frequently going to the palace to take advantage of others, but as Wen Shaobao said, the Ministry of Revenue has money and can do whatever it wants!
In the New Year's Day court of the 17th year of Yuanyou, in accordance with the order of the Crown Prince and after discussion by the Cabinet, Daxia completely abolished agricultural taxes for ordinary farmers (farmers with less than ten acres of registered land) and abolished civilian labor.

At the same time, he issued an imperial decree to the whole country, ordering the court to put the people first, gradually promote the farmland subsidy policy over a period of ten years, and encourage agriculture and sericulture.

After this decree, the agricultural tax that had lasted for two thousand years since the pre-Qin period completely withdrew from the stage of history, and the world was in an uproar.

People call the New Year's Day of the 17th year of Yuanyou the Holy Day, meaning that the dynasty has a wise ruler and virtuous ministers, and the world is at peace.

Citizens from the capital area flocked to the capital one after another, arrived outside the imperial city in an orderly manner, and kowtowed to the palace.

The Martyrs' Palace outside the Daxia Gate and the Sages' Pavilion are very popular. Every day, countless people come to pay homage to the sages and martyrs. They regard the wise ministers and martyrs of all dynasties as their patron saints and burn incense to worship them.

The late emperor, who was almost deified, was once again given an honorific title by the people, so long that even Jia Lian could not remember them all.

All we know is that a large number of people have petitioned the court, saying that they want to build a holy statue for the late emperor in the capital, one that is as tall as the Huangji Palace.

"The people of our country are simple, but people's hearts cannot remain simple forever, so I will put the real innovation of thought among the people."

This was the eleventh time that Jia Cong had heard Mr. Zhou say this, and he had different feelings every time.

People's hearts are fickle, and Jia Cong strongly agrees with this statement.

But one thing will not change. As long as the imperial court can provide the people with a stable, happy and promising life, no matter how much people's hearts change, they will not think of breaking this stability and happiness.

Only the two-way pursuit of interests and morality can drive people's hearts to be good and more loyal to their motherland.

Our ancestors have long said that when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette.

And this sentence has been true since ancient times.

"I naturally agree with what the old man said. But in my mind, only by constantly creating wealth and allowing the people to live a more stable and prosperous life can people abide by the virtues of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness. Therefore, I tend to strengthen the ideological construction of the officials of the country..."

Zhou Jiong did not refute Jia Cong's words, but just smiled.

The concepts may differ, but the general direction is the same.

We must grasp both the rule of law and the rule of virtue, and we must do both well.

One is aimed at the people, and the other is aimed at the court officials. It would be a good idea for each of them to take care of one of them and give it a try first.

"Okay then, let's move forward together and see if we can get this done."

This was a hundred-year plan that was enough to exhaust the energy of both of them. Jia Cong felt very tired when he left Zhou's house every day.

I don’t know how Mr. Zhou trained, but he seems to be in better spirits than this strong young man.

In this way, the old and the young worked on their reform plan for eight or nine months, and it has just begun.

When he heard the news that the emperor was about to return to the capital, Jia Cong pulled his head out of the pile of old papers and looked confusedly at the young eunuch standing in front of him.

"My Lord, I have ordered you to enter the palace immediately. The Emperor's carriage is almost arriving in Tongzhou City."

……

After nearly three years at sea and having satisfied his desire to lead an army in person, the emperor finally decided to return from overseas.

When the dragon boat docked at the Beijing South Railway Station, the colorful flags and dense crowds of people everywhere almost made the emperor think he had come to the wrong place.

"Welcome His Majesty the Khan to return to the capital in triumph!"

"Welcome His Majesty the Khan to return to the capital in triumph!"

"Welcome His Majesty the Khan to return to the capital in triumph!"

"Long live the Holy Son of Heaven, long live the Holy Son of Heaven, long live the Holy Son of Heaven!"

"Long live your majesty, long live Great Xia!"

The cheers were deafening, and after the emperor was stunned for a moment, his chest was instantly filled with pride.

He raised his right hand and smashed it hard on his chest.

"I'm back!"

"Great Xia Ten Thousand Years!"

"Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years!"

The loud shouts in unison seemed to make the entire capital city tremble slightly.

Those foreign merchants had never seen such a powerful country.

When they saw that the emperor of the Celestial Empire was so popular among the people, they were shocked and terrified.

Especially for the envoys from Western countries who came to the train station with the court officials to welcome the emperor, they dared not reveal the little thoughts hidden in their hearts, for fear that they would be trampled to death by thousands of people if they were not careful.

When people are united, mountains and rivers can be moved!
"Your Majesty, your son, pays homage to you. Your Majesty is brave and has expanded the territory thousands of miles, far surpassing all previous kings!"

There were tears in Liu Hong's eyes, which showed the joy of the father-son reunion and the sense of relief.

Jia Cong enjoyed the warmth of his father rubbing his head. After seeing the slight hurt in Liu Hong's eyes, he observed a moment of silence for this silly fourth brother.

Are you kidding me?
Do you really think you can relax now that the emperor has returned to Beijing? Just wait and see. The emperor will definitely return from a long journey, suffering from a "serious illness", and will return to the harem to rest.

According to the original procedure set by the Ministry of Rites, after the emperor got off the train, he drank the triumphal wine and then changed to the imperial sedan chair to return to the palace.

Unexpectedly, the common people in the capital finally welcomed their holy emperor back, and the emperor enjoyed the people's strong respect.

After he patted the prince on the shoulder, he actually spread his legs and walked straight towards the people who were being tried hard to stop them by the imperial guards.

"Eh? I remember you, Wu Da who sold sesame pancakes in front of the palace gate! Did you bring the pancakes? When I was in the West, I was thinking about the pancakes you made. I was almost dying of greed."

what?
ah ah ah ah...

"Oh my God, His Majesty actually remembered me, His Majesty actually remembered me!"

Wu Da screamed in surprise. When he heard that the emperor wanted to eat the sesame pancakes he made, he quickly took the pancakes wrapped in oil paper out of the basket and handed them to the emperor.

"These Westerners are so despicable that they didn't even give Your Majesty a sesame cake to eat... I heard that Your Majesty brought our warriors back to the capital in triumph, so I brought a few of the best ones here, intending to give them to our warriors..."

The emperor, ignoring the courtiers' and eunuchs' obstruction, took it and winked at Wu Da: "Am I not a warrior of my dynasty?"

"Your Majesty is the bravest, Your Majesty is the bravest, Your Majesty is the bravest warrior in our dynasty!"

Wu Da's shout, which was almost voice-breaking, made the people around him envious and excited, and they started to shout along.

"Your Majesty is the most courageous warrior in our dynasty!"

"Your Majesty is the most courageous warrior in our dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, please touch my son's head so that he can grow up quickly and become your Majesty and a warrior of our dynasty in the future!"

"Okay, okay, okay! Come, let me hug our future warriors!"

The people's ardent admiration made the emperor not feel tired at all from the long journey home.

He hugged this child, touched that child, took a bite of the cakes and fruits handed to him by the people, and walked slowly towards the city gate.

The short distance of less than a mile took more than half an hour to walk.

Even when the imperial carriage arrived at the city gate, the emperor had no intention of getting on it.

After waving to the common people along the way and passing the Temple of Heaven, the emperor suddenly turned around and entered Zhengdongfang.

The people in the Ministry of Rites were dumbfounded, and the ministers following the emperor were also stunned.

By the time the large army caught up with the emperor, he had already entered a private house.

Jia Cong saw with his own eyes that the emperor lifted the lid of the stove. It was just before noon, and the only woman who was still at home had just put the rice into the pot and was busy cooking vegetables and soup when she suddenly saw the holy image on the shrine descend to earth.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”

"I just came to see you. Where are your family members?"

The young woman was obviously at a loss. She stared blankly at the emperor who was lifting the lid of the pot and digging into the rice jar. She didn't say anything for a long time.

It was Jia Cong who held his forehead and reminded: "Your Majesty, this family is probably among the crowd that just welcomed you back in triumph."

"Oh, I forgot about this."

The emperor walked around the room with his hands behind his back, looking here and there, until he saw the baby in the cradle looking at him lovingly, then he nodded with satisfaction.

"The baby is white and plump. It seems that you have not neglected the affairs of state while I was away, and have not let my people go hungry!"

"Your Majesty's teachings, I (the ministers) will never forget!"

All the civil and military officials outside the door followed the prince and bowed down, and the emperor was very pleased.

He suddenly went into the homes of ordinary people just to see how the people in the South City, which was originally the poorest city in the capital, were living now.

When he saw the white rice porridge in the pot, the fragrant meat vegetables, and the chubby little babies, he knew that the people were living a good life, which also proved that the officials in the court and his son who served as regent were qualified.

"Okay, you continue with your work, I'll leave first..."

When the emperor was about to leave the house he had "disturbed", the young woman's eyes suddenly lit up. She quickly stuffed a white steamed bun with a lot of meat slices and stuffed it into the confused emperor.

"Your Majesty, please try this. I just steamed the buns, and this meat was also cooked this morning."

ha?
The eunuchs were going crazy. Why were they stuffing food into the Emperor's mouths today when they hadn't even tested it for poison?

Seeing that the Crown Prince did not say anything to remind him, the eunuch could only watch as the Emperor took a big bite, chewed and tasted it carefully, and finally took out a glowing red gem and stuffed it into the cradle.

"Good craftsmanship! Consider this stone as payment for the steamed buns!"

"Your Majesty, you cannot..."

The young woman knew that the object flashing with red light was not just a stone. Although it was priceless, it was also a rare treasure.

Although she was shaken at times, she was more simply determined to refuse.

However, there is no reason to take back the emperor's gift.

By the time the young woman realized what was happening and chased after him, the emperor had already led a large group of people into another household...

……

"I came back today and saw that the people were living in peace and contentment, and had no worries about food and clothing. I am very pleased!"

"Crown Prince Liu Hong has committed faults in governing the country, and the ministers have made contributions in assisting the government, so I will grant you one year's salary."

There were more than ten doors in a row, all of which were random and temporary decisions.

The pot lids were opened and the rice jars were turned over. Every family had meat to eat and no household was short of food. The emperor naturally believed that the people really had no worries about food and clothing.

The civil and military achievements of the Yuanyou Dynasty have now far surpassed those of all previous dynasties.

He is very satisfied and content, so...

"I have reigned for seventeen years, and have worked diligently and not carelessly. Finally, my people have a place to rely on when old and a place to take care of when young, and my people are prosperous and strong. However, I believe that the emperor is also a human being, and human power will eventually be limited... The emperor will also lose energy when he grows old, so I have decided to abdicate the throne to the prince in three years, on my sixtieth birthday... The rulers of future generations should follow my example..."

None of the ministers in the Fengtian Hall even raised any objection. Instead, they knelt down one by one to accept the order and shouted "Long live the emperor".

This was a groundbreaking resolution. The emperor ascended the throne at the age of 40. During the 20 years he quelled internal strife and eliminated rebellious officials. He was a sage both inside and outside the country, and for the first time in the world, people had enough food and clothing and lived in peace and harmony.

In particular, the people of the world have long worshipped it as a god, offering it directly in the shrine and burning incense day and night.

Therefore, the ministers were not looking forward to the crown prince's ascension to the throne, but were cheering for the emperor's wise decision.

With such examples, the country can greatly reduce the occurrence of emperors becoming incompetent due to old age.

When all the ministers left, the emperor, Crown Prince Liu Hong, and Jia She and his son came to the Dragon Head Palace.

The Taiye Lake is still as clear as ever, and the koi in the pond are getting fatter and fatter...

"So many years have passed, Cong boy, I didn't expect you to have already made it this far. You are indeed a son of wisdom, gifted with talent, and you have not brought shame to me!"

Jia Cong scratched his head and said, "I just wanted to give it a try. I can't let down your majesty for teaching me for more than ten years!"

Since the emperor and his ministers met during the autumn hunt at Tiewang Mountain in the third year of Yuanyou, Jia Cong has grown into a young man.

Jia Cong, who was already 21 years old, was much taller than the emperor. He stretched out his hand and made the same gesture as before, while bending down.

The emperor rubbed his head habitually and laughed.

"Yes, you and Hong'er did a great job. Don't forget the agreement between us in the future."

Jia Cong and the Crown Prince smiled at each other and bowed together: "Your son (minister) will obey the imperial edict. Brothers are united, and their strength can break iron!"

……

As expected, the emperor was still in charge of government affairs a few days ago. After dealing with the follow-up of Western affairs, he placed the military tablets of the sacrificed soldiers in the Martyrs' Shrine, and then summoned several university secretaries of the cabinet.

When the news that the Emperor wanted to rest and ordered Crown Prince Liu Hong to continue to serve as regent reached Rongguo Mansion, the Emperor was sitting in Jia Cong's room, arguing with Qilin'er.

All the officials have become accustomed to the prince sitting on the dragon throne with tears in his eyes. As for where the emperor goes, they no longer care much.

There was a rumor that a lot of Dragon Guards had recently appeared outside the Jia family's hot spring resort in Xishan.

But there have been a lot of things going on in the court recently. Prime Minister Lin is busy with the new policy, the Ministry of Rites is also busy with the wedding of Prince Wei, and the Censorate is also busy with quarrels and fights...

Everyone is very busy and has no time to care whether the emperor is taking care of the children in the farm in Xishan.

Only Yongfeng Hou Jia Cong's new work "On the Overview of Adhering to Ideological Construction as the Basic Construction of Officials in the National Dynasty" has been published. The title of the book is very long and can be tongue-twisting.

However, the Ministry of Rites, following the emperor's order, printed ten thousand copies and distributed them to officials at all levels of the dynasty, even to village elders and neighborhood heads.

At this point, after the institutional reform, the Great Xia Dynasty officially put the reform of ideology on the forefront and began a decade-long journey of ideological construction.

Jia Cong, the Marquis of Yongfeng, gradually became an important official in the central government. In the 18th year of Yuanyou, he was appointed as the Minister of Rites by the emperor, in charge of cultural and educational affairs in the country...

(End of this chapter)