Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 314 Benefits the Present and Lasts For Generations

South gate of the palace.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to the owl is nearing its end.

A clear and upright voice suddenly rang out:
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" The civil and military officials looked in the direction of the voice and saw Fei Yi, the Attendant-in-Ordinary and Chief Clerk of the Imperial Secretariat, who had quietly arrived at some point and was now bowing to the Emperor beside the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Secretariat.

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Shan turned his head and casually took a bowl of owl soup from the eunuch beside him. He stepped forward and handed it to him, saying, "Your Excellency has come at the right time. Please share this soup with me!"

Without hesitation, Fei Yi stepped forward, respectfully accepted the earthenware bowl with both hands, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I thank you for bestowing this soup! I am willing to drink this wicked soup to cleanse the evil and bless the prosperity of my Great Han Dynasty!" After speaking, he raised his sleeve, tilted his head back, and drank the soup in one gulp.

Meanwhile, on the east side of the palace, a ceremony to distribute food to all the common people of the city, personally presided over by Empress Zhang, was also taking place.

Compared to the solemn and serious ceremony of the emperor and his officials sharing the soup, the atmosphere here was quite lively, even somewhat festive.

Several large cauldrons were set up under the shed, and palace attendants and the Northern Army guards were responsible for maintaining order. The long procession stretched from the palace gate all the way into the depths of the streets and alleys.

The people of Chengdu, regardless of age or gender, whether they were commoners dressed in hemp or wealthy families adorned in fine silk, all held bowls and waited expectantly.

Empress Zhang, still adorned in her phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, exudes grace and poise, displaying the demeanor of a queen mother. Whenever she hands out owl soup to the people who line up to the front, they are met with overwhelmed gratitude and blessings from the recipients.

May His Majesty live a long and prosperous life!

May the Empress enjoy good health!

"Your Majesty is mighty! Your Empress is benevolent! We only wish that Your Majesty and Empress would soon give birth to a son, thus increasing the imperial lineage and glorifying the Han dynasty!"

The blessings rose and fell, sincere and heartfelt.

For ordinary people who are superstitious, or rather, who firmly believe in gods, ghosts, and destiny, receiving owl soup personally bestowed by the Empress, the mother of the nation, on this inauspicious month and day is undoubtedly a way to ward off disaster and evil.

Among the crowd, many well-dressed, spirited young men from wealthy families vied to squeeze to the front of the Empress's soup-serving procession, excitedly whispering among themselves. Many had even bribed their way to secure front-row seats by spending thousands of copper coins.

A young man surnamed Liu, dressed in brocade robes and with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, respectfully accepted the ceramic bowl from the Empress. However, he did not drink from it. Instead, he suppressed his excitement and headed straight for a teahouse that nominally belonged to the Mi family but was actually owned by a royal merchant.

Reaching the second floor, he surveyed the surrounding crowd, then raised his bowl of soup high, and with a flourish, addressed the wealthy young man who usually rivaled him in wealth, style, and connections:

"All the wine and tea served today are on me, Liu Cheng! A toast to the Emperor! A toast to the Empress! A toast to our mighty Han Dynasty!"

His shouts were met with cheers and responses from inside and outside the teahouse.

"Respect the Emperor!"

"To the Queen!"

"Respect to the great Han!"

"Cheers!" The young men present raised their wine cups and teacups from the table and drank heartily, creating a very lively atmosphere.

South gate of the palace.

The ritual of offering sacrifices to the owl has been completely ended.

The officials slowly withdrew under the guidance of the attendants.

Liu Shan did not immediately set off to return to the palace. Instead, he walked slowly alongside Fei Yi towards a relatively secluded spot on one side of the city wall.

Zhao Guang led his imperial guards to disperse, forming a cordon not far from the emperor.

On the city tower, Liu Shan withdrew his gaze from the hustle and bustle of the city and met Fei Yi's eyes, asking with some anticipation, "Minister Fei, how was the trip to Chang'an?"

Fei Yi could hardly contain his joy:

"Your Majesty, I am so happy!

"The enthusiasm and fervor of the people of Guanzhong have truly exceeded our expectations! Even the Prime Minister was astonished. By the time I returned south, we had already raised more than 600,000 taels of grain!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shan was overjoyed, and the last trace of anxiety he felt about the national debt finally vanished: "Guanzhong is a vast and sparsely populated region that has suffered repeated calamities, yet it was able to raise more than 600,000 shi of grain? Attendant Fei, please tell me in detail!"

Before Liu Shan relied on various national policies to relocate people from all over the country, the registered population of Guanzhong was less than 100,000. Liu Shan and the prime minister estimated that there were probably more than 200,000 people in Guanzhong, at least half of whom were hidden in the manors of powerful families.

But now it seems that 200,000 is far from enough, otherwise where would so much grain come from? There are probably 300,000 people.

The current registered population of Sichuan is 1.5 million, and the number of powerful and wealthy people who have concealed their household registration is probably about half of that.

As the sun began to set in the west, Fei Yi meticulously recounted to Liu Shan the various matters concerning Chang'an and the national debt that had taken place over the past month, concluding with a sigh:

"Your Majesty, these 600,000 shi of grain were collected locally in Guanzhong."

"If this 600,000 shi of grain were transported with great difficulty from Sichuan and Hanzhong through the Baoxie Road, the loss of manpower and material resources along the way, coupled with the agricultural time lost due to the conscription of laborers, would probably require two to three million shi of grain produced in Sichuan and Hanzhong to offset this amount!"

"Your Majesty's plan is truly brilliant!"

Liu Shan nodded slightly upon hearing this.

This was precisely the key consideration behind his desire to implement national bonds and his promise that the state would bear the losses incurred during grain transportation and pay a tenth of the profits.

Guanzhong only managed to raise 100,000 units of grain, which reduced the pressure on Shu and Hanzhong by 400,000 to 500,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

By utilizing the grain reserves in Guanzhong and surrounding counties, the transportation pressure in Shu was alleviated, and at the same time, the interests of the people in Guanzhong were tied to those of the Han Dynasty, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

He then asked, "What is the public reaction? Especially among the soldiers and ordinary people?"

Fei Yi replied:

"This also exceeded our expectations."

"The national bonds purchased by the Yingyang and Zhechong garrison soldiers and the people around Chang'an amounted to as much as 70,000 to 80,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain."

"Among them, the soldiers of the outer prefectures were particularly active in purchasing, accounting for about 60% of the total."

Fei Yi explained, “These soldiers from the outer prefectures have relatively abundant family capital. It is not difficult for several, a dozen, or even dozens of people to jointly subscribe to a 1,000-stone bond.”

Liu Shan nodded thoughtfully.

Although many of these soldiers in the Zhechong Prefecture were supported by several households, they were already quite wealthy, able to scrape together warhorses, armor, spears, bows and crossbows, and provisions. It was not a problem for several or even dozens of them to subscribe to a national bond.

"Are all matters concerning bond management proceeding smoothly? Ownership, registration, redemption—there are countless details to consider. Let's avoid creating chaos and disputes."

Fei Yi answered affirmatively:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. As things stand, management is currently quite convenient."

"The Prime Minister has appointed Li Fu and Hu Ji as concurrently serving as clerks in the State Debt Bureau, to be in charge of this matter."

"All subscriptions are registered, clearly indicating the householder, the amount of grain, and the bond number. Only one certificate is issued, which is kept by the subscriber."

"Original options are clearly defined and files are clear, so that subsequent management can be carried out in a regulated manner."

"If managing the affairs of a country is orderly, then managing a mere few hundred bonds, with a rigorous system and capable officials, is not difficult."

Liu Shan nodded, then immediately asked about another matter:
"How is the locust situation in Linjin?"
"Will the Prime Minister's method be effective?"

Whether this year's summer harvest goes smoothly or not will determine whether the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Guanzhong can be self-sufficient and no longer rely on transportation from Sichuan. It is of utmost importance.

When this matter was mentioned, Fei Yi's expression became even more excited:
"Your Majesty, the locusts are mainly concentrated around Linjin. "Guo Youzhi of Zuo Fengyi and Chen Zhi, the magistrate of Linjin, are organizing the people to fight the locusts in accordance with the Prime Minister's three strategies for controlling the locusts."

"The farms Your Majesty established last year have shown remarkable effectiveness at this time. With the people living together in harmony, commands are unified, and organization is easy. With everyone's wisdom and efforts, a total of more than 8,000 shi of locusts were captured in just one month! The sheer number is astonishing!"

"More than eight thousand shi?" Liu Shan was taken aback.

"Shi" is a unit of volume, but for the moment, it was unclear exactly how many kilograms it was.

But he knew exactly how big a pile of eight thousand shi of grain was.

Once the locusts of the Eight Thousand Stones grow wings and take flight, they will absolutely blot out the sky, and their impact will certainly not be limited to Zuo Fengyi.

Fei Yi nodded and mentioned the twists and turns in the process:
"After ten days of locust control efforts, seeing that the locusts seemed endless, some people inevitably became complacent, worried that their efforts would be in vain."

"In addition, the wheat seedlings in the fields also need to be taken care of, so many people want to go back to doing agricultural work such as pest control, weeding, and irrigation."

"In order to continue to incentivize the people, Fengzong had to temporarily increase the reward, from one dou of locusts for one sheng of rice to one dou of locusts for four sheng of grain. With such a generous reward, the people's enthusiasm was once again high, and they finally put their energy back into catching locusts."

Liu Shan nodded: "I already know what Fengzong (Chen Zhi) did in Linjin last year. I didn't expect that in just one year, he would actually be able to handle such important matters."

Fei Yi smiled and continued, "Within half a month, Boyue raised more than 10,000 chickens and ducks, all of which were released into the locust-infested area of ​​Linjin."

"Chickens and ducks pecking at locusts is remarkably effective."

"Although there were occasional incidents of farmers stealing chickens and ducks, these were quickly stopped by the elders of the farm, the farmers, and the agricultural officials, and those who committed the offense again were punished."

"As for the villagers outside the village stealing chickens and ducks, some farmers even went to demand them back, and some of them fought with the villagers. As a result, such evil deeds quickly decreased and did not become a big problem."

"When I left Chang'an, although a small number of locusts had molted into adult insects, they ultimately failed to form a force that blotted out the sky."

“The few adult locusts were caught at night by the people using fire to lure them and dense nets to catch them. In my opinion, the locust plague in Guanzhong this year has very likely been contained before it even started!”
"It was May, and some early-maturing areas in Guanzhong had already begun harvesting wheat. In another ten or twenty days, it would be time for the full harvest."

"If we can have a successful harvest, then Guanzhong will have no worries this year!"

"Since ancient times, many people have said that locusts are divine insects, sent down by Heaven as punishment for the lack of virtue among humankind. They must not be killed, otherwise it would be against the harmony of Heaven."

"If our great Han Dynasty truly succeeds in eradicating the locusts this year, it will become a model for all ages, saving countless lives! Its benefits will be felt in this era, and its merits will last for generations. It is truly as Your Majesty said, a way to establish a future for the people!"

Liu Shan was genuinely pleased and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row.
"The Prime Minister is a man who benefits the present and his achievements will last for generations, a man who has established a destiny for the people!"

"Minister Fei is already very familiar with the matter of national debt. Next, let Minister Fei handle the matter of national debt in Chengdu."

After parting ways with Fei Yi, Liu Shan returned to the palace and, accompanied by Empress Zhang, personally presented a bowl of still-warm owl soup to Empress Dowager Wu at Chang Le Palace.

Empress Dowager Wu received the Emperor and Empress in the palace.

Looking at the dashing emperor before her, and then at the empress who was already showing signs of pregnancy beside her, her eyes were filled with relief and affection.

He took the owl soup and spoke gently to the two of them:
"Your Majesty and the Empress personally performed the ritual of sacrificing to the owl today to exorcise evil and uphold righteousness. Their intentions are very good. We hope that this action will reach the ears of Heaven and bless our Great Han to soon pacify Wu and Wei and achieve the great cause of unification."

Then, her gaze softened and fell on Empress Zhang's abdomen, which was concealed beneath her palace attire, and her smile became even more benevolent.
"The nation is fortunate to have an heir, and it is also a blessing for the imperial family. The Empress bears a heavy responsibility, so she must take good care of herself and not overwork herself."

The Empress respectfully curtsied and replied, "Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered."

Leave Chang Le Palace.

Liu Shan had a sudden thought, so he ordered the eunuch to prepare another owl soup, and together with the empress, they traveled lightly to the prime minister's residence.

The Prime Minister's wife had already gone to Jin Guan, but upon hearing that the Emperor and Empress had arrived in person, she hurriedly took her three-year-old son, Zhuge Zhan, back to the mansion.

"Your Majesty and the Empress have graced my humble abode with your presence. I am filled with trepidation." Lady Huang was about to perform a grand salute when Liu Shan stepped forward and stopped her.

"Madam, there's no need for such formalities," Liu Shan said gently. "The Prime Minister is far away in Chang'an, working tirelessly for the country, rising early and retiring late, his contributions to the nation are immense. Madam also travels between Jinguan and the artisan workshops, working diligently for the country. The couple is truly a model for the world, and the Empress and I are always grateful for it."

After a pause, Liu Shan continued:

"Upon careful consideration, it has been two years since the Prime Minister and his wife were separated. I feel guilty."

The lady smiled gently, and was about to say something when the Empress smiled and handed her the owl soup. She respectfully took the soup from the Empress and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. On behalf of my husband, I thank Your Majesty and the Empress for their great kindness!"

At this moment, a chubby-faced little boy peeked out from behind his mother, looking at Liu Shan and the Empress without any shyness.

The little guy runs very steadily, with a pair of big, bright, dark eyes, and a hint of a prime minister between his brows.

Perhaps it was because he loved the house that he liked the dog, Liu Shan took a liking to him, squatted down and beckoned to him, and said with a smile, "Zhan'er, come, come to your elder brother."

Zhuge Zhan turned to look at his mother, and seeing her smiling and nodding encouragingly, he took a few quick steps and ran up to Liu Shan.

Liu Shan picked him up and asked with a smile:
"Zhan'er, I heard that you have started your studies. Your elder brother even wrote a primer for you. Could you read some of it to your elder brother?"

Zhuge Zhan adjusted himself into a comfortable position in Liu Shan's arms, seemingly feeling a sense of closeness with his elder brother. He nodded his little head vigorously and began to recite in his childish voice:

"Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless."

"The sun and the moon wax and wane, and the stars are spread out.

"The cold comes and the heat goes, autumn harvests and winter stores."

"The leap year completes the cycle, and the musical scales harmonize with the seasons."

"Clouds rise and bring rain, dew condenses and turns into frost."

“Gold comes from Lishui, and jade comes from Kungang.

"The sword is named Juque, and the pearl is called Yeguang."

"Fruits include plums and apricots, vegetables include mustard and ginger."

"..."

This hundred-character text contains only about twenty sentences, and the little guy memorized more than ten of them in one go. Although some of the pronunciations were still a bit childish and unclear, he had grasped the rhythm and cadence very well, which showed that he had put in a lot of effort.

Liu Shan couldn't help but laugh heartily, he lifted the little one in his arms and sincerely praised his wife, "Zhan'er is intelligent and quick-witted, he will surely become a pillar of the country in the future! The important task of assisting the crown prince will be entrusted to him!"

The lady repeatedly said she dared not.

Empress Zhang covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

...

The residence of Li Yan, Grand Master of the Palace.

Although he has retained his title and rank, everyone knows that it is only because His Majesty entrusted him with this sinecure out of consideration for the future of the young emperor.

Li Yan silently handed his share of the owl soup to his wife.

Looking at her husband's gloomy face, Li sighed inwardly, took the soup bowl, but did not drink it; instead, she placed it on the table.

“Madam.” Li Yan remained silent for a long time before taking out a letter from his sleeve. “This is… a letter that Kongming wrote to me before.”

(End of this chapter)