Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 202: The Shocked Emperor
Beijing, Kunning Palace,

Since Emperor Longyou ascended the throne, his first wife, Princess Qin, has been living here legally.

The friendship between the two was deep and did not change despite Emperor Longyou's three transformations from prince to crown prince and then to emperor. They were still as loving as ever. Emperor Longyou only stayed in Kunning Palace every day, leaving the other six palaces deserted.

For a man, loyalty is a good quality, but for an emperor, it is not a good thing. Many officials wrote to the emperor to complain about the affairs of the harem, but they were all ignored by Emperor Longyou.

But because he was powerful enough, he did not need concubines to maintain relationships with some meritorious families, and Emperor Longyou was not constrained by others in the court.

Although he did not have many descendants, he had three sons after all, so he had nothing to worry about.

That day, early in the morning,
Emperor Longyou had just been helped to dress, but he sat on the couch with a worried look on his face.

Today was the day for the morning court session. Every morning during the court session, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was like a vegetable market, with people arguing endlessly but rarely producing any results.

Emperor Longyou was still quite benevolent towards his officials and tolerated their arguments in the palace, but he ultimately still wanted a way to reform the country and strengthen the country.

After two wars and the recent disaster, Dachang is now facing a very serious situation and must prepare for a rainy day.

The Queen sat beside Emperor Longyou, but she could not think of any words of comfort for a moment.

Emperor Yuanqing was incompetent in his later years, leaving behind a huge mess. The nobles and civil servants still existed in the court, and Emperor Longyou had to face too many difficulties.

The Queen could understand, but she couldn't think of any good solution. After pondering for a while, she said, "Why don't you issue an edict to select concubines and select some women from official families to enter the six palaces? This will be of great help in the court."

Emperor Longyou, who was originally in a trance, showed a slight change in expression after hearing what the queen said.

Taking the Queen's hand and stroking it, Emperor Longyou said, "When I was still a prince, I never let you suffer any injustice. Now that I have become the emperor who controls the world, I have to take matters into my own hands. Do I have to let you suffer any injustice?"

"I can't do this."

It was normal to select concubines, but if a few women from official families were selected, would the harem still be as peaceful as it is today? With so many people, they would naturally compete for favor, but each of them had a family behind them, so they couldn't be easily moved. By that time, the one who would be upset would naturally be the queen.

Emperor Longyou spoke quietly, "I have deep feelings for my old sword, and I have left my love for Nanyuan. I don't want to do anything that I will regret. If I let you down, how can I not let down the people?"

The queen's heart trembled, and then she blushed and slapped Emperor Longyou's hand away, "Your Majesty is an old couple, and you still say these words to coax people. It's always right to choose a concubine. Even if you don't choose those people, you still have to choose. Now the harem is empty, which is not decent."

"Your Majesty likes those two Korean maids very much, right? How about giving them a name?"

The queen smiled faintly, but the last sentence didn't feel genuine.

Emperor Longyou looked embarrassed, "It's not that I like them. When I think of the rebellion in Goryeo, I get a little angry, so I called them in to ask some questions. As for the selection of concubines, let's talk about it later. Right now, the state affairs are still heavy, so I don't have the heart to think about it."

"Besides, the treasury is not rich, so we have to live a simple life."

As the two were talking, Xia Shouzhong walked in quickly, bowed to the ground, knelt in front of them and said, "Your Majesty, Queen, this morning, Marquis An Jing's memorial was sent from Cangzhou. Would Your Majesty like to take a look?"

Xia Shouzhong pondered for a long time before deciding to submit the memorial early in the morning.

After all, he thought it would be a good thing last time, but it made Emperor Longyou angry for several days. He couldn't help but worry about Emperor Longyou's health.

Emperor Longyou has been taking medicine frequently recently.

Upon hearing the news about Yue Ling, Emperor Longyou and the Empress' eyes sparkled.

Emperor Longyou asked happily, "Memorial? What did he report?"

Xia Shouzhong stood up and responded, "Marquis Anjing reported two things, one is "A Report on Disaster Relief in Cangzhou", and the other is "Ten Essays on State Affairs of This Dynasty".

Emperor Longyou looked at the empress again and said with a smile, "Yue Ling is becoming more and more like a civil servant. He even gave a good name to the memorial he wrote."

The Queen added, "Your Majesty gave him a civil servant assignment because you wanted him to change. This is exactly what Your Majesty wants to see."

Emperor Longyou nodded slightly.

He had a certain understanding of Yue Ling's civil administration, and was not worried about the affairs of Cangzhou, but he did not expect a young man to solve any state affairs. After all, Yue Ling had been in the capital for a long time, doing only some guarding and information gathering work. What he saw and heard in Cangzhou was not enough to discuss state affairs.

"Which one would you like to read first, Your Majesty?"

"Let's first take a look at what Yue Ling has done in Cangzhou recently." Xia Shouzhong took the memorial from the eunuch behind him and handed it to Emperor Longyou carefully.

Emperor Longyou also invited the empress to watch it together.

"Disaster relief was provided without hindrance. Thousands of houses were repaired and more than 300 wells were dug. 50,000 mu of wasteland was reclaimed. At the same time, riverbanks were reinforced before the flood season, and salt production on the beach was not abandoned. Hundreds of thousands of people were saved, and peace was restored from Cangzhou City to the surrounding eight counties."

"All the corrupt merchants have been brought to justice. We have sufficient supplies and no longer need assistance from the court this year. We are now investigating the old cases..."

The Queen responded, "Yue Ling has been in Cangzhou for less than a month. He has accomplished so many things in a month. He is truly a capable minister. It is not easy."

Emperor Longyou could not help but nod. For some reason, he was looking forward to what Yue Ling would say about state affairs.

After taking another book, "Ten Essays on State Affairs of This Dynasty", Emperor Longyou unfolded it and found that this book was much thicker than the previous one. It seemed that Yue Ling had written it with great care.

"Looking at the current situation in the world, although the country is stable, there are still hidden worries. I know the affairs of the court and worry about them day and night. I use the good laws of the past as a reference and combine my humble opinions to present these ten theories on state affairs. I hope Your Majesty will carefully examine them. The rise and fall of the country depends on what Your Majesty thinks about. Although I am far away from the court, I dare not not worry about Your Majesty and dare not slack off in the slightest. Your Majesty is willing to think about the people of the world and carry out reforms, which will benefit the people of the world."

The very beginning of the article touched the heart of Emperor Longyou, as if he was comforting the empress just now and now he was a little obsessed.

Only a few people in the court supported the reform, but Yue Ling praised his move.

Emperor Longyou couldn't wait to read the following words.

Yue Ling was not a civil official and could not carve flowers on memorials, but he always said something useful.

"First, we should check the land registers and strictly check the land registers to make the number of acres of land clear. This will eliminate the problem of land annexation. This will prevent the powerful and wealthy from hiding their land and evading taxes, and ensure the stability of the country's tax base, which is the basis for the national treasury to be full. Then, we should divide the land into different levels. There are differences in land in the north and south, so the tax collection should be different..."

"Second, we will collect silver based on the acreage of land, and change the tax in kind to silver. One benefit is that it will be easier for the government to store, transport and monitor, thus reducing costs. Another benefit is that it will be easier for industry and commerce, as agricultural products can be easily converted into currency and silver can be easily circulated, thus promoting economic prosperity. The third benefit is that it can avoid losses and corruption in the transportation of goods, and ensure that the tax revenue is fully deposited into the treasury..."

"Third, the taxes and labor service should be combined. The people suffered a lot from the numerous taxes and labor service, and it was inconvenient for officials to collect them. By combining the various taxes, labor service and land tax into one, the tax system can be simplified, manpower can be saved, and supervision can be facilitated..."

"Fourth, support industry and commerce. If we want to implement the above three measures, we must not neglect the importance of silver. To support industry, we can slowly plan to open mines, examine the suitability of the land, and ensure that the people are not harmed and the land is not damaged, but that they can benefit. To support commerce, we can expand trade, not only to seek silver from overseas, but also to exchange our products for what they need, so as to increase the flow of wealth and goods. Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources, but also a large population, and the silver we need is in the millions. We should not be complacent..."

"Fifth, the country is strong in military power. The northern barbarians are struggling to survive, and the Jurchens are eyeing them covetously. However, if we expand the sea trade route, there will also be strong enemies on the other side of the ocean. Strong ships and powerful guns are the basis for protecting the country. All nations will come to pay tribute, and the nine states will come to congratulate, but because of the edge of the sword..."

"Sixth, build water conservancy projects. Silver stored in the warehouse should be dead goods. If it does not circulate, it will be useless. Silver is different from corn. It does not need to be accumulated for a long time. Agriculture is the foundation of the country, and water is the life of agriculture. If water conservancy projects are developed, agriculture will flourish. The state will use silver to build dams, ditches and other water conservancy projects on the banks of rivers, lakes and farmlands. It can prevent floods and disasters, irrigate farmland, increase per mu yield, and protect the livelihoods of thousands of people, thereby reducing taxes..."

"Seventh, reform the civil service. New laws should employ new people. After the imperial examination, the emperor's students are the best choice for your majesty. Students who focus on policy and are weak on classics and study hard, do not understand the sufferings of the people, how can they implement new policies to benefit the people? Knowing the words of the sages can make you loyal to the emperor, but understanding the sufferings of the people can be said to be loyal to the people. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism are just like this."

"..."

"Your Majesty wishes for a stable government, harmonious people, a prosperous nation, and a strong country. This is what the world wishes for. I hope Your Majesty can clearly judge the pros and cons, take decisive actions, reform the old and establish the new, and usher in eternal peace."

As he read each item, Emperor Longyou's hands were shaking a little.

Xia Shouzhong, who didn't know what the memorial was about, couldn't help but feel worried. Emperor Longyou was so excited that he might get angry again in a while.

However, what was unexpected was that a moment later, Emperor Longyou suddenly shouted "OK" three times.

"Good, good, good! This is what I want. Everything is linked together, and only then can the country prosper. I should summon the ministers to discuss state affairs, but I will soon attend court. If I attend court..."

The reform method is a good one, but it affects the interests of too many people. First of all, the first article of clearing the household registration and verifying the land will definitely not be tolerated by officials from gentry or noble families. If this memorial is submitted to the court for discussion, Yue Ling will have to face the criticism of all officials.

Emperor Longyou admired Yue Ling's talent but did not want him to take risks, so he was in a dilemma.

At the right moment, the Queen said, "Take this memorial and make several copies. Then circulate it to all officials for discussion in the palace. Your Majesty, just say that it is to open up the channels for people to express their opinions and get guidance from a hermit. Who would have thought that these words were written by a young man?"

Emperor Longyou nodded repeatedly, "That's right, let's do as the Queen says, but it will be unfair to Yue Ling."

After thinking about it, Emperor Longyou asked again: "How old is Lin Ruhai's daughter now?"

　I was typing last night, and I drank a glass of milk because I was hungry, and then my stomach started to make noises. Later I checked and found that my gastrointestinal motility was slow at night, and drinking milk on an empty stomach was not conducive to digestion. As a result, I tossed and turned like this until four o'clock, and finally sat on the toilet to solve the problem before going to bed. My stomach is still making noises now QAQ, I haven't typed much, and I won't take a leave. I will update the next chapter later.

　　I didn't know this would happen before, I would have just starved...

　　Oh, I wish I could also sleep with Lin Daiyu in my arms.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)