Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"A small number of the foals that failed to be improved were sold to the public."

"The fine horses bred at the Tian Si Imperial Horse Ranches in Luoyang and Kaifeng would also be sent to various official horse ranches."

"A stable breed of horse has not yet appeared."

"The offspring of various horse breeds exhibit significant randomness..."

Xu Fu was far too unskilled; terms like "characteristics" and "randomness" were completely foreign to him.

These terms all originated from Wen Huanzhang's agricultural promotion office, and the officials promoting agriculture had already popularized them.

Zhao Yuan plans to replace the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud.

Jueying is already twenty-one years old, which is just the beginning of old age for a horse.

"A basin!"

Zhao Yuan shouted, and Jueying came running over, shaking his head.

The stable master was already used to it, and immediately let go of the reins and followed behind Jueying.

This guy left the stable boy far behind and started rubbing against Zhao Yuan.

You can tell at a glance that they were born in the Year of the Dog!

Zhao Yuan let it rub against him to his heart's content, then mounted his horse and rode Jueying at breakneck speed across the horse farm.

"Drive, drive!"

A sweet cry rang out; it was Zhe Yanxiu who had also arrived at the horse farm.

This concubine from the Zhe family couldn't sit still in Dongxi Garden and slipped out alone to ride a horse at the Tian Si Supervisory Office.

Moreover, they also brought a bow and arrows.

Zhe Yanxiu raised her bow and shouted at Zhao Yuan, "Your Majesty, do you dare to have a horsemanship and archery contest?"

"Bring me the bow!" Zhao Yuan shouted.

Zhe Yanxiu asked, "What are the stakes?"

Zhao Yuan rode up to her side, winked and chuckled in a low voice, "If I win, you can lure Consort Zhong to your room tonight to drink and play chess."

Zhe Yanxiu was not ashamed of any three-person interaction; she herself often made lewd jokes.

If she had been born nine hundred years later, she would probably still be a lesbian expert. She immediately made a bet, saying, "If I win, I want the set of gilded polo clubs left behind by the tyrannical emperor of the former Song Dynasty."

"A word is settled!"

Zhe Yanxiu has been practicing archery and horsemanship diligently for the past few years. Apart from being relatively weak, her accuracy is even comparable to that of the Ming Dynasty's elite cavalry.

The two laughed and joked as they each shot ten arrows, but Zhe Yanxiu ultimately lost.

She followed Zhao Yuan back to Dongxi Garden, where she met Zhong Miaoyun in a pavilion: "Sister Zhong, the Emperor said he will stay at Dongxi Garden tonight. Would you like to drink and play chess with me tonight?"

Zhong Miaoyun blushed, subconsciously turned to look at Zhao Yuan, and then nodded and said, "Okay."

Zhao Yuan asked, "Where is the Empress?"

Zhong Miaoyun pointed and said, "They went over there, saying they wanted to finish exploring the garden."

"I'm really tired from walking, so I'll rest in this pavilion."

Zhao Yuan rested there with the two women, lying on the bench in the pavilion, enjoying the breeze and taking a nap.

Before long, Zhang Jinping returned with the concubines, saying that they had almost finished touring the garden.

Zhang Jinping said excitedly, "Your Majesty, my sister Zhong's hometown is in Luoyang."

"She said the best place in Luoyang is Tianwangyuan in the city center."

"When the peonies bloom in spring, more than 100,000 peonies bloom at the Tennoin Garden Garden."

"Visitors can admire the flowers, buy them on the spot, and even go inside Tennoin Temple to pray and draw lots."

"Let's go together next spring," Zhao Yuan said, also becoming interested.

Located in the city center, Luoyang Tianwangyuan was originally the residence of Yang Wensi during the Sui Dynasty.

After changing hands several times, it came into the possession of Li Chongjun, the crown prince of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, and was subsequently rebuilt as Anguo Temple.

Emperor Wuzong of Tang suppressed Buddhism and demolished Anguo Temple.

Later, some of the buildings were restored. It is estimated that the Tang Dynasty lacked sufficient funds, and the areas that could not be restored were used to grow peonies.

Today, it is not only a temple, but also the largest peony planting base in Luoyang.

Moreover, this temple also engages in flower wholesale and is a major supplier of peonies in Luoyang.

Some ordinary people would buy two baskets of food at Tennoin Temple in the spring and then sell them along the streets inside and outside the city.

The princesses of the former dynasty have all come today.

Even the three minors came out for a stroll, and they temporarily stayed in Zhao Fujin's courtyard.

There were seventeen of Emperor Huizong's daughters in front of me!

Zhao Yuan ignored those who were already married.

Yelü Yan was also there, like a little follower, always sticking to Li Qinglu's side, staring at the emperor without blinking.

"Let's go play football, and bring the kids along!"

Zhao Yuan increasingly enjoyed life and delegated more government authority to the cabinet and other departments.

Of course, we must keep a firm grip on the truly important matters.

……

The next day.

Cheng Hao's son, Cheng Duanyi, and Li Qingchen's son, Li Yi, received orders and came to pay their respects together.

They were all old men who had not served in the new Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 3514 The Great Families of Luoyang

"This old man, Cheng Duanyi (Li Yi), pays his respects to Your Majesty!" The two bowed and greeted each other.

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "Please have a seat, gentlemen."

The two men didn't hesitate and sat down next to the emperor.

After exchanging a few casual words, Zhao Yuan asked, "What suggestions do you have for the court's relocation of the capital to Luoyang?"

Cheng Duanyi said, "The previous splitting up and relocating of prominent families in Luoyang was really unreasonable."

“If those powerful clans have committed crimes, they can certainly be punished.”

"But some powerful families are law-abiding citizens, so why confiscate their property?"

Zhao Yuan said, "The valuables have not been confiscated; they are allowed to take them with them."

"In addition, other industries were also preserved, allowing some clansmen to stay and inherit a portion of their homes, shops, and land."

"For example, wealthy families would leave behind some land and even leave the garden to the head of the family."

Although Luoyang's gardens were renowned throughout the world, most of them gradually fell into disrepair and lacked maintenance by the end of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Those who truly have power and influence all move to Kaifeng.

Those who remained in Luoyang were mostly descendants of the old faction.

They were severely suppressed by Emperor Huizong and Cai Jing, and at best, they could only obtain some minor official positions.

They couldn't even get a minor official position; the entire family just lived off their inheritance.

Furthermore, they were exploited by the six traitors and their cronies, and couldn't even afford to repair the garden.

Or rather, they have the money to repair but are unwilling to do so, lest their luxurious homes attract the attention of corrupt officials!

The best-preserved garden in Luoyang is the former residence of Fu Bi.

Fu Zhirou had been Zhao Yuan's secretary, and now he had been transferred to a local post.

Therefore, it was inconvenient to confiscate his family's garden. Instead, he moved all the collateral branches of the Fu family out of Luoyang and forced the main branch of the Fu family to divide the family property.

After the division of the family property, any excess of the Fu family's land was redeemed by the imperial court at a low price and then distributed to the original tenants.

Cheng Duanyi said, "Your Majesty's words are avoiding the important points."

Before Zhao Yuan could refute, Li Yi angrily said, "The wealthy households in Luoyang have hidden countless properties and people. Which of them hasn't broken the law in the previous dynasty?"

"Concealing land and people is a crime."

"Their properties should be confiscated!"

"That is incorrect."

Cheng Duanyi said,

"During the reign of the retired emperor, he repeatedly declared that past crimes committed before the promulgation of the Great Ming Code would not be punished."

Li Yi retorted, "That's a different crime, it has nothing to do with the land."

"If land taxes cannot be collected, the imperial treasury will surely be ruined!"

Cheng Duanyi said, "If it's just land tax, a land survey will suffice."

"Why confiscate the land and shops?"

"Even some homes were confiscated."

The two argued more and more fiercely. At first, they were discussing the new dynasty, but as they argued, the topic turned to the factional struggles in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Zhao Yuan was both amused and exasperated upon seeing this.

It should be noted that Li Yi's first wife was Cheng Duanyi's older sister.

Li Yi's second wife was Cheng Duanyi's younger sister.

Li Qingchen, Li Yi's father, was also incredibly "rebellious" back then.

Li Qingchen's two fathers-in-law were Han Qi and Sun Zhu.

Both of these fathers-in-law had ambiguous attitudes toward Wang Anshi's reforms, but overall they tended to oppose them.

But what about Li Qingchen?

Although his father-in-law and children all opposed the reform, Li Qingchen himself was a leading figure in the reform movement.

Even the continuation of the new policies was initiated by Li Qingchen.

Unfortunately, his attempts to reconcile the contradictions between the old and new parties were futile, as he could not suppress the radical reformers, ultimately triggering the second large-scale factional struggle in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "You two are both getting on in years, why bother dwelling on those old stories?"

Cheng Duanyi pointed at Li Yi and said, "The garden of the Li family is the largest in the entire city of Luoyang, occupying an entire ward."

“Since the Li family’s Guiren Garden was not confiscated, they can naturally make sarcastic remarks now.”

Li Yi was furious: "When my father bought Guiren Garden, it was already in a state of disrepair."

"Although the area is large, it did not cost much money."

"Moreover, the money my father used to buy the garden was all earned by my Li ancestors through business in Daming Prefecture. Not a single penny of it was dirty money!"

Li Yuan bowed to Zhao Yuan and said, "Your Majesty, the ancestors of the Li family were always engaged in business. My grandfather became an official after passing the imperial examination."

"Moreover, my grandfather died young and did not hold any high-ranking official position, so even if he wanted to embezzle, he could not do so much."

"My father lost his father at the age of seven and had no relatives in official positions. He relied entirely on his own hard work in his studies, and after becoming an official, he was even more honest and selfless!"

Cheng Duanyi was probably already furious, and didn't even shy away from using his real name when mentioning his seniors, retorting: "Han Qi recommended him, Ouyang Xiu promoted him, did your father rely on himself? He became an official without even passing the imperial examination!"

"But my father later passed the imperial examination at the 'Mao Ke' level, which was even more difficult than the 'Jin Shi' level!"

“How could someone who can pass the imperial examination fail to become a Jinshi?” Li Yi immediately retorted.

Zhao Yuan scratched his forehead, unsure how to mediate the fight; both old men were quite hot-tempered.

Seeing that Cheng Duanyi was about to say something, Li Yi suddenly stood up: "Your Majesty, my Li family's Guiren Garden in Luoyang is willing to be sold to the court at a low price!"

"My Li family owns no land outside Luoyang; we can exchange Guiren Garden for several hundred acres of arable land."