Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 210 Concubine Xiao Shufei's Advice
After the court was dismissed, Du Zhenglun came to Lu Chengqing's office.

Both of them were a little depressed and didn't speak for a long time.

Lu Chengqing made some tea, handed a cup to Du Zhenglun, and said slowly, "Actually, if you think about it carefully, the land renting system proposed by Your Majesty is not that different from the current equal-field system."

The equal-field system stipulated that any male adult over the age of eighteen could be allocated a certain amount of land. The land belonged to the people and was not allowed to be bought or sold. The land would be returned to the court upon death.

The land rental system was that any male over the age of eighteen could rent a certain amount of land from the court for one cent for a period of seventy years, and the land would be returned to the court after his death.

There is only one difference: under the equal-field system, as long as the person is alive, the land belongs to him. Although buying and selling is strictly prohibited, some people still take the risk.

Under the land lease system, the land always belonged to the imperial court and could not be bought or sold.

Seeing his change of attitude, Du Zhenglun smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Lu, are you going to agree to this?"

Lu Chengqing sighed, "Your Majesty has made up his mind. It's useless for us to object. It would be better to think of a proper way to minimize the hidden dangers of the reform. That would be the right thing to do."

Du Zhenglun nodded and pondered, "The most difficult part is taking away the people's right to own land. The people in Guanzhong should be able to accept this, but I can't say for other places."

The common people have simple ideas. They only feel that their own things belong to them. If they rent land for seventy years, and their life is almost over, they will feel uneasy because it is not theirs after all.

"How about I suggest to Your Majesty that we change the period from seventy years to one hundred years? What do you think?" Lu Chengqing asked.

Du Zhenglun shook his head and said, "The problem isn't that. The problem is to reassure the people and make them feel that the two-field system will not affect them in any way. Only then will they accept it."

Lu Chengqing pondered for a moment and said, "How about this? Send an official letter to the household officials and the household secretaries of each county and ask them to come up with a solution."

Du Zhenglun nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do it right away."

On the other hand, after Liu Rengui left the court, he went directly to the Ministry of Personnel and handed over the seal of the Minister of the Interior and the fish token.

Xu Xiaode accompanied him silently, and after he finished all the formalities, he said to him: "Old Liu, come to my house, I will treat you to a drink."

Liu Rengui glanced at him and nodded, "Okay."

On the way out of the palace, the two met Shangguan Yi again.

"Where are you two going?" Shangguan Yi asked with a smile.

Xu Xiaode said, "I'd like to invite Old Liu to my house for a drink. Would you like to come?"

Shangguan Yi smiled and said, "Of course I will come."

The three of them came to Xu's house together, and Xu Xiaode ordered people to set up a sumptuous banquet in the main hall.

At the banquet, Xu Xiaode raised his glass and said to Liu Rengui: "Old Liu, I used to have only 70% respect for you, but now I am completely convinced by you. If you have any instructions from now on, just write to me."

Liu Rengui raised his cup and drank with him.

Shangguan Yi also raised his glass and said with a smile: "Mr. Liu, I congratulate you and wish you a safe journey."

Xu Xiaode frowned and said, "Brother Shangguan, Lao Liu was dismissed from his position as prime minister and demoted to Yingzhou. Isn't it inappropriate for you to use the word congratulations?"

Shangguan Yi smiled and said, "Actually, I've been worried about Lord Liu recently. I'm worried that he's offended too many people, and sooner or later, he'll have a hard time in the court."

Xu Xiaode glanced at Liu Rengui and said, "That's right. Old Liu is too straightforward and has offended too many people."

Shangguan Yi smiled and said, "Now Lord Liu has retreated to advance and has gained the trust of His Majesty. When he returns to the court in the future, he will be appointed Prime Minister again!"

Xu Xiaode suddenly realized, "You are so good, Liu Hulu, so this is what you are doing. I almost got fooled by you!"

Liu Rengui sighed and said, "I have no choice but to resort to this last resort."

After a pause, he continued, "You two, before I leave, I have a few words to say to you."

Shangguan Yi bowed and said, "Please give me some advice, Mr. Liu."

Liu Rengui said slowly: "The so-called aristocratic faction and the pro-military faction in the court have already been shattered. The three words "Qingliu faction" should also be abandoned in time."

Shangguan Yi's heart trembled.

The last time he confessed to the emperor, he found that the emperor did not like the factions among officials, so in recent days, he has been deliberately distancing himself from the upright.

It seems that Liu Rengui also noticed this.

Xu Xiaode frowned and said, "But we didn't call ourselves that. Others insisted on calling us that. What can we do?"

Shangguan Yi said calmly, "Mr. Xu, the people you usually associate with are all pure and honest people. You don't have close ties with others. Isn't this your reason?"

Xu Xiaode was startled and said, "Then I will try to be more careful next time."

Liu Rengui added, "Your Majesty, revising the land system is just the beginning. Once the land system changes, the tax system and military system will also change. There will be turmoil in the court. You two must be careful."

Xu Xiaode hurriedly asked, "Brother Liu, what should I do to avoid these storms?"

Liu Rengui was silent for a moment, then said, "Just be careful. When you find that more than 30% of officials support the reforms Your Majesty proposes, support them immediately."

Xu Xiaode nodded vigorously and said, "Thank you for telling me."

Shangguan Yi said nothing.

His goals were different from Xu Xiaode's. He wanted to share the emperor's worries and gain his appreciation, so he couldn't be one of those officials who were slow to react. He had to be at the forefront.

Liu Rengui seemed to know that he had other plans and did not give him any special instructions.

The specific measures for land system reform have not yet been agreed upon, but the construction of the Zhechoufu has been put on the agenda.

Xiao Siye had experienced the Xiao family's rebellion and racked his brains to finally save the Xiao family and his position as Minister of War. However, many eyes were still on him, so he naturally did not dare to slack off on this policy and planned it day and night.

He did not dare to make a decision easily. He went to the mansions of Duke Ying, Duke Lu, and Duke E many times and fully solicited the opinions of the three veterans before he agreed on the expansion plan.

The final plan was to expand the number of Zhechoufu in Hebei Province by 80, and reduce the number of Zhechoufu in Henan Province, Guannei Province, and Shannan East Province by 20 each.

All in all, there were ten more Zhechoufu, and military expenditure increased slightly, but the impact was not significant. The emperor had no objection, and all parties could accept it.

That day, Xiao Siye was busy until 10 p.m. before returning home. After returning to the Xiao Mansion, he was already exhausted. He lay on the chair in the study and closed his eyes to rest.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

A young man pushed the door open and came in. His name was Xiao Zhizhong, Xiao Siye's most trusted clansman, and he served as the head of the Ministry of War.

It was he who informed Concubine Xiao Shu that day and led her to the Jinwuwei Yi Mansion to report the Xiao family's conspiracy to rebel.

"Chief, there's news from Jiangnan."

Xiao Siye didn't open his eyes and asked calmly, "Is there any trouble?"

Xiao Zhizhong said, "Several clan elders have issued orders, and no one is causing any trouble. All clan properties have been sealed off by the Suzhou government."

Xiao Siye said, "Yeah."

Xiao Zhizhong whispered, "Chief, there's been no movement from Di Renjie. Should we put out some more bait to lure him in?"

Xiao Siye said in a deep voice, "This man is smart. He must have noticed it. Since he didn't mention it at the court meeting, he probably won't bring it up again."

Xiao Zhizhong sighed, "None of these officials in the court are simple. What should we do next?"

Xiao Siye said calmly, "If it doesn't work in the court, then we can arrange it locally. There will always be greedy people in this world, and people who will take advantage of others' misfortunes."

Xiao Zhizhong said, "Then should I go to Jiangnan myself?"

Xiao Siye said, "Okay. Remember, at this moment, we should not fight for strength, but seek to be weak. The worse our Xiao family's situation becomes, the more room we will have to maneuver in the future."

Xiao Zhizhong said, "I'll remember that." Then he took his leave.

Xiao Siye pondered quietly for a long time, then suddenly stood up, left the study, and came to a secluded courtyard in the west yard of the Xiao Mansion.

Like Wang, Xiao placed Concubine Xiao in the quietest place in the mansion and built a small Buddhist temple. Concubine Xiao Shu practiced Buddhism in the temple with her hair uncut.

There were four young nuns in the temple, all of them were members of the Xiao family. After they had been ordained, they were specifically responsible for talking to Concubine Xiao Shufei and keeping her company.

A nun saw Xiao Siye coming and bowed respectfully, saying, "Chief, are you looking for Madam Shufei?"

Xiao Siye nodded and said, "Take me to see her."

Concubine Xiao Shufei was originally resting in her bedroom. When she learned that Xiao Siye had arrived, she had someone take him to the Buddhist hall and then went to the hall through the corner gate.

"Clan leader." Concubine Xiao Shu said with a smile.

Unlike Wang, her appearance has not changed much. Instead, she has become more charming as she grows older.

Because she had her tribesmen to chat with and relieve her boredom, her mentality was also adjusted well. What's more, she has two daughters and a son, so she is not too pessimistic about the future.

Xiao Siye didn't look at her much. He walked to a chair and sat down, his hands on his knees. He lowered his head and said, "Madam Shufei, I have to thank you for helping us get through this crisis safely."

Concubine Xiao Shu walked to the Buddha statue, knelt on the cushion, turned her back to Xiao Siye, and said softly, "You handled it well."

Xiao Siye said, "No, if you hadn't reminded me that Xiao Rui had evil intentions, I wouldn't have come up with this desperate plan."

Concubine Xiao Shu smiled and said, "We are from the same clan, so there is no need to thank me. What is the matter with you coming to see me?"

Xiao Siye hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is it really Empress Wu who is targeting our Xiao family this time?"

Concubine Xiao Shu stopped smiling and said calmly, "It's her. No one in the world knows her better than me. This time, what happened with Xiao Shu is clearly her style."

Xiao Siye frowned and said, "I don't understand. If she knew about this a long time ago, why did she start making trouble today?"

Concubine Xiao Shu was silent for a while, then said, "It must be that His Majesty's attitude has changed."

Xiao Siye suddenly realized, "You mean His Majesty is dissatisfied with the Xiao family, and she noticed it, so she took the opportunity to attack him?"

Concubine Xiao Shufei nodded her chin.

Xiao Siye pondered, "If we respond this way, His Majesty should calm down. Will Empress Wu continue to pursue?"

Concubine Xiao Shu said calmly, "Of course she will stop. She will only attack her enemies when she is sure there are no hidden dangers."

Xiao Siye nodded and said, "I plan to visit Wu Mansion tomorrow and show her weakness. Do you think it's feasible?"

"Sure. She cares most about her mother and Wu Ruyi. As long as you maintain a good relationship with Guo Xiaoshen and Helan Minzhi, she won't make things difficult for you anymore."

Xiao Siye stood up and said, "That's good." After a pause, he whispered, "Madam Shufei, after this incident, will His Majesty come to see you?"

Concubine Xiao Shu was silent for a long time, then said quietly, "His Majesty has changed a lot. I can't fathom his true feelings. Now I only ask that he allow Lian'er and Yu'er to visit me. That's all I ask for."

Xiao Siye didn't say anything more. He bowed to Concubine Xiao Shufei's back and left the Buddhist temple.

(End of this chapter)