Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4718 Aristocratic Ambition
If she were honest with herself, Princess Changle also felt that she was too willful at times. She obeyed her parents' orders and took on the burden of the royal family, which led to an unhappy marriage. So after meeting Fang Jun, she did not listen to anyone's dissuasion and insisted on being with Fang Jun, even disregarding her own reputation and the royal family's reputation to have a child.

If you put yourself in Li Chengqian's shoes, you will also feel that such a sister is really heartbreaking...

Now he was able to put aside his dignity as an emperor and spoke gently and tenderly in front of me. Although he did not say any words of apology, his expression and behavior were full of apology.

If an emperor values ​​brotherhood so much, what more could one ask for?

The slight rift between the brother and sister disappeared in an instant.

After taking a sip of the tea that Princess Changle personally poured, Li Chengqian said, "You are the eldest princess, you can't run to Mount Zhongnan all day long. You should stay in the palace to help manage your brothers and sisters. After all, the queen is a layer apart, so sometimes you can't be too harsh."

Speaking of the queen, Princess Changle frowned slightly: "What exactly caused those rumors outside?"

She firmly refused to believe that Fang Jun had an ambiguous relationship with the Queen. She knew very well what kind of person her man was.

Li Chengqian also had a headache and shook his head, saying, "Rumors stop at the wise. As long as you ignore them, they will disappear in a few days. They are not worth mentioning."

Although he said that, he couldn't hide the gloom and resentment in his expression.

Princess Changle did not continue the topic. After all, anyone would be unhappy if his wife was involved in a scandal, let alone the emperor?

She mentioned another big problem of the royal family: "Sizi is getting older and older. If she still can't get married in the next two years, it will be a big problem. Does your majesty have any plans for her marriage?"

Li Chengqian was very distressed: "That girl is so confused that she doesn't even want to go on a blind date, how can she get married? I can't just use my majesty as an emperor to order her to find someone to marry? One or two of them are all troubles! Alas, when my father was here, he seemed to handle everything with ease and confidence, and nothing could be difficult for him. But now that I sit on the throne, it seems that all I see are troubles that are difficult to solve. In the end, I am still not as talented and capable as my father."

He dreamed of proving that his father had misjudged him, that he was capable of being a good and qualified emperor. However, he found himself trapped everywhere. Everything seemed to have been woven into a huge net that trapped him in the middle. He was having difficulty moving forward and backward, and he had no idea what to do.

This was a huge blow to him.

Princess Changle could only shut up, as she was also one of the "troublemakers" mentioned by the emperor...

*****
The Fang family's huge fleet, escorted by the navy, sailed down the Yangtze River and arrived at Huating Town. The climate in Guanzhong was getting hotter and the political situation was getting more urgent. A veteran of two dynasties like Fang Xuanling was always inevitably affected. It was enough for the Fang family to have Fang Jun to maneuver in the officialdom. It would be unwise to involve Fang Xuanling as well.

It happened that Fang Yizheng returned to Huating Town to recuperate, so Fang Xuanling took his old wife, third son, fourth son, Xiao Shuer, Jin Shengman, Qiaoer and several children to the south of the Yangtze River.

Huating Town is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Although there are still sea breezes and abundant rainfall in midsummer, it is not as hot as Guanzhong. It is a good place to cool off.

It was no secret that Fang Xuanling arrived in Jiangnan. One could guess a little from the navy's high-profile actions. So when the Fang family fleet arrived at the port, many Jiangnan families sent people to wait for them at the port.

Only the Xiao family directly dispatched the current head of the family, Xiao Yu...

After landing at the port, Fang Xuanling greeted the representatives of each family with a smile and accepted their gifts. He said that he would host a banquet for them after they were settled. Then he saw off the representatives and personally entertained Xiao Yu in the flower hall of the town government office.

The two families are relatives by marriage, and the two were once colleagues. Their affection and relationship are much deeper than those of other families...

Xiao Yu had accepted Xiao Shu'er's greetings in advance, and had also hugged the child and given a generous meeting gift. At this moment, he was sitting in the flower hall drinking tea. Seeing Fang Xuanling coming in after socializing, he looked obviously exhausted. He sighed and said, "We have been traveling in officialdom all our lives, playing tricks on people and smiling to please everyone. We are exhausted and mentally exhausted. We thought that we could retire and return to our hometown to enjoy our old age and enjoy the mountains and rivers. Unexpectedly, we still cannot get rid of these social interactions. We often feel exhausted and wish we could become a monk and end this life."

Fang Xuanling took a sip of tea and laughed when he heard it: "People are always dissatisfied. As long as life ends, their desires are insatiable. When people are full of flattery, they feel annoyed. When they are ignored and no longer paid attention to, they feel that people are gone and people's hearts are no longer the same. It's just that you make yourself uncomfortable. Only when you can endure prosperity and loneliness can you pursue the true taste of life."

"Haha, are you mocking me for being hypocritical, Minister Fang?"

"Mr. Xiao is indeed smart. He can understand such a subtle hint?"

"Hahaha!" The two old friends ridiculed each other when they met again. Xiao Yu was so amused by Fang Xuanling's words "clever and clever" that he couldn't stop laughing.

Fang Xuanling also laughed.

In the court, people had different interests and camps, and were scheming and sparring with each other. But now that they have removed their official seals and uniforms, the barrier has obviously been eliminated a lot. Sitting together, there is less targeting and calculation, and it is quite warm.

However, Xiao Yu came to greet him personally, which was obviously not just a simple matter of reminiscing about the past. Nowadays, there are not many things that can make the head of the Lanling Xiao family go out in person. No matter how you count it, meeting old friends to reminisce about the past is not one of them...

With the status and experience of the two, there is no need to hide the art of language. Xiao Yu came straight to the point: "I know that the 'paper money' is definitely not as simple as it seems. I have been thinking about it for a long time but still cannot figure out the true intention behind it. But it doesn't matter. Who says Erlang is the son-in-law of our Xiao family? If we don't support him, who will? Please tell Erlang, my dear brother Xuanling, that the Xiao family has set an example. These 'paper money' will not be used to redeem land, but to pay taxes and be used in large transactions."

He did not understand or comprehend the nature of currency or the circulation effect, but in order to ensure the stability of Lanling Xiao family's position in Jiangnan, he had to keep up with current affairs and respond to the call of the court.

Based on his understanding of Fang Jun, since so much trouble was taken to print the "paper money", it would certainly not be used simply to redeem land. This new model of "money" must be given an extremely important purpose.

"Circulation" may be one of them.

If a currency cannot be circulated and no one recognizes it, what kind of currency is it?
Therefore, Xiao Yu keenly realized the key point and was willing to support Fang Jun once in exchange for Fang Jun's support for Lanling Xiao family.

In fact, the so-called political marriage cannot really make the two sides cooperate seamlessly and be as close as one. What the Xiao family really got by marrying their daughter to the Fang family was actually an opportunity to ignore others and enter the family.

How can a mere woman really influence a family's decision about its future?
This was a good thing, but Fang Xuanling did not agree to it right away. He drank his tea slowly, thinking quickly. After a while, he asked, "But what happened?"

To personally express support for "paper money" is not in line with Xiao Yu's character for such a simple purpose. There must be another reason...

As expected, Xiao Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Back then, everyone in the government and the public praised 'Fang's strategy and Du's judgment'. Now, it seems that Xuanling is indeed resourceful and resourceful. Nothing can be hidden from you."

To this day, the evaluation of "Fang's strategy and Du's judgment" has not been heard for many years. Fang Xuanling was even in a trance for a moment, but soon woke up, smiled and shook his head: "The earth is buried up to the neck, why bother to play these little tricks? Brother Shi Wen, please speak frankly."

Xiao Yu nodded: "I heard that the navy has leased a piece of land on Luzon Island, which is very suitable for growing rice. Xi Junmai wants to hire local natives to farm for them. How can the natives farm? They just sow seeds and wait for the harvest. It is a waste of God to give them such land. In my opinion, if the navy can sublease this land to the Xiao family, the Xiao family is willing to sign a contract with the navy, stipulating that a fixed amount of grain be handed over every year to ensure that the navy can have a stable income regardless of drought or flood and reduce risks."

Fang Xuanling frowned and said nothing.

It's just a piece of land. The navy hires local natives of Luzon to cultivate it, or it subleases it to the Xiao family for cultivation. In fact, there is no difference in essence. As long as enough food is transported back to the Tang Dynasty, it will be fine.

But in principle it is absolutely different.

After a moment's silence, Fang Xuanling said, "There has been endless debate in the court about overseas lands, but since Emperor Taizong was in power, there has been a tacit understanding that for Liaodong, Japan, and Annan, more immigration strategies will be adopted. People without land to farm can voluntarily go to these places to obtain land and farm with peace of mind. For other overseas countries, only trade is encouraged, and too many immigrants are not allowed."

The Tang Dynasty's strategy for land was not to simply demand and occupy it, but to make some distinctions.

Places like Japan, Liaodong, and Annan are closer to the Tang Dynasty and easier to control. More immigrants would go to occupy those fertile lands. As long as they put down roots, these places would become the territory of the Tang Dynasty in the future, without a doubt.

But places like Luzon and Java are different. These places are floating overseas and far across the ocean. No matter how powerful the navy is, it is difficult to completely control them. It takes several months for ships to go back and forth on the sea. How can they be completely controlled?

Although the Tang Dynasty had been established for a long time, most of the population had not been restored after the chaos caused by the Sui Dynasty. After the large increase in population during the Zhenguan period, the total population in the world was only 3 million households and 16 million people.

Once the immigration policy is relaxed, a large number of people will flow to remote and uncontrolled island countries, which will not only cause a sharp decline in the population in the Tang Dynasty, but will also pose numerous hidden dangers.