The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

On the darkest day of March, take a rest.

Lu Jun has been very busy for the past two weeks. In addition to attending court every day, he also has to go to the Ministry of War to discuss military strategies.

Although he was not the one to carry out the plan, as the proposer, he was authorized to join the discussion and deliberate on the details with Wu Sansi, Li Zhaode, Yao Yuanchong, and others.

In addition, the palace maids and the Imperial Kitchen were also taught how to stir-fry tea, prepare tea, and brew tea.

The Empress Dowager would summon him to the palace every few days, asking him to continue explaining the maps and, incidentally, to... make her tea.

For example, right now.

Today, the weather is fine and the sky is clear and blue. Wu Zetian is holding a family banquet at Shangyang Palace to enjoy the flowers, and she has also invited Lu Jun.

Inside the palace is the Danxia Pavilion, which faces a lake on one side, with its shimmering waters stretching to the horizon, and a sea of ​​flowers on the other, with countless colorful petals falling in profusion.

Besides the Empress Dowager, there were also five people in the pavilion: Princess Taiping, Princess Qianjin, Emperor Li Dan, Wu Chengsi, and Wu Sansi.

Lu Jun was eighteen years old that year. At the royal banquet, she stood there like a lackey... that was strange.

He not only sat, but he sat very upright.

Even though I'm just a small-time player, I'm already here, so I can't back down. You have to respect yourself before others will respect you.

When a monarch invites his ministers to a family banquet, it is a favor and a means of winning them over; there is no need to pay too much attention to it.

Li Dan is twenty-eight years old this year. He spends most of his time in the deep palace, and he seems to find Lu Jun very novel at first sight.

She would glance at him from time to time, looking him up and down.

"Chu Yu created his own tea-making technique, and ultimately his method was the best. Even the maids in the palace and the Imperial Kitchen were not as good as him."

The seating arrangement at the family dinner was relatively flexible, so Li Lingyue sat down next to Lu Jun so that he could order tea for her privately.

I sipped it, closed my eyes, and savored it. A sweet sensation flowed into my chest, and when I opened my eyes, they sparkled.

"Mother, could I borrow Chu Yu for a month?"

"I asked him to train the maids in my household."

After a month of confinement, she began to whine to her mother, seeking compensation.

Hearing this from the side, Princess Qianjin raised her sleeve, pursed her lips, and smiled, her gaze sweeping over various parts of Lu Jun's body.

She was the daughter of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, and according to Emperor Gaozong's lineage, she was a generation older than Wu Zetian.

As a member of the Li clan, both men and women were in danger. She decisively recognized Wu Zetian as her adoptive mother and presented her with her beloved Master Xue. Not only was she not purged, but she was also greatly favored.

He has a lot of experience in how to "use people".

He thought to himself, "The top scholar may be handsome, but if I let him use me for a full month, he'll probably come out as tea dregs..."

Wu Zetian smiled at Li Lingyue and said, "Did you think Chu Yu only knows how to brew tea? In the past two weeks, he and the senior officials have worked together to develop many plans. He's very capable!"

Wu Sansi chimed in, "Chu Yu is incredibly talented; she's been a great help to me at the Xia Guan these past few days!"

Seeing their aunt's attitude, the Wu family treated Lu Jun very politely. The family banquet was all about creating a good atmosphere, so they naturally didn't hold back their praise.

"Oh, Chu Yu is so capable, why doesn't Mother reward him more?" Li Lingyue's eyes crinkled into a smile.

Li Dan was secretly observing when he heard his younger sister openly asking for rewards on behalf of Lu Jun, and his face showed surprise.

Wu Zetian chuckled and said, "How meddlesome! Do I need you to remind my beloved minister?"

Raising an eyebrow, she countered, "I've chosen a son-in-law for you. You've considered it for twenty days. What's your decision?"

Li Lingyue lowered her head and pouted, "My daughter is still in mourning, I don't want people to talk about her."

He gave Princess Qianjin a wink.

Princess Qianjin was more than 30 years older than her, but she was already her god-sister. The two had a very good relationship, so she gestured for her to help out of the predicament.

"This tea is truly incredibly fragrant..." Princess Qianjin took a sip of tea, subtly changing the subject.

"Now it's not only popular in the palace, but Master Xue has also brought it to the White Horse Temple, where it has gained the favor of many eminent monks."

"It is said that the way of drinking new tea is in harmony with Buddhist practice and Zen meditation, and it is the best drink for calming the mind and attaining enlightenment."

"It also spread to Taoist temples. Not only the White Horse Temple, Wei State Temple, and Buddha's Prediction Temple in the capital, but also the Great Ci'en Temple, Great Xingshan Temple, and Xuandu Temple in Chang'an, people were drinking it."

"Upon hearing that this item was popular in famous temples and monasteries, other temples and monasteries flocked to it and sought it out one after another."

"I like them all, whether they're monks or Taoists!"

Wu Chengsi also laughed and said:

"When I was drinking tea in the Hall of State Affairs and the Wenchang Terrace, the aroma filled the air, and my colleagues smelled it and came to ask for some."

"Now it's been spread throughout all government offices that if you don't talk about the new tea before going to court, you'll have nothing to say to your colleagues."

"Some people have already called this way of drinking tea 'the way of tea,' saying it's an essential item for scholars and literati to serve guests, far superior to the tea used in the pure conversations of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties!"

Empress Wu asked in surprise, "Huh? This item is only made in the palace. I haven't bestowed many upon them. How do they have it?"

Wu Sansi explained:

"It was a tavern in the southern part of the city that imitated it."

"Even loose tea is difficult to learn, but tea-making uses tea cakes, which are readily available and not hard to learn."

"Although the technique is a bit clumsy, it's already about 70-80% there, and it's very popular in Tainan."

"Taverns serve two purposes: first, to help guests sober up, and second, to provide a refined and elegant atmosphere while enjoying song and dance performances."

"When nobles, scholars, and wealthy merchants heard that it was popular in the palace, they all rushed to follow it and flocked to the taverns."

"The price of tea cakes in the capital and Chang'an has skyrocketed, and even if ordinary people want to drink them, they can hardly afford to smell them."

"Merchants have bought up all the tea leaves in the nearby prefectures and counties, and have begun to seek to purchase them from Shannan, Jiannan, Huainan and Jiangnan. Foreign merchants have also begun to inquire about learning the tea-making technique."

Tsk tsk—

Wu Zetian gave Lu Jun a thumbs up: "Chu Yu's talent and learning are so vast that they have even influenced the trends of the world!"

Upon seeing this, Li Dan, Wu Chengsi, Wu Sansi, and the two princesses also praised it highly.

It was early summer, and the breeze blowing from the pond was warm and gentle, but there were ice buckets placed at the four corners of the pavilion, which felt cool and pleasant on one's face.

Hearing the Empress Dowager and the Emperor praise him together was even more comforting.

Lu Jun was not surprised by this.

Historically, after the emergence of new tea drinks, they spread from famous monks and scholars in Jiangnan to Jiangbei, and gradually entered the homes of ordinary people, the imperial palace, and noble families.

With the help of the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister, he can drive the trend from top to bottom, and the process will only be faster.

Tea drinks are well-suited for widespread use because they are produced in large quantities, are low in cost, simple to make, elegant, and have health benefits.

From royalty, high-ranking officials, and nobles to monks, Taoists, scholars, and common people, everyone could enjoy the drink, satisfying their individual needs.

The extent to which it has become so popular is just the beginning...

Its true potential has yet to be discovered!

Lu Jun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that can generate 300,000 strings of cash for the court annually!"

"Three hundred thousand strings of cash?" Wu Zetian's teacup trembled. "Chu Yu, tell me quickly, what's the plan?"

At this time, the number of officials was twenty times greater than in the early Zhenguan period. Officials could only be selected by long-listed candidates, and only those who were granted official positions received their salaries, while those who remained in office had their salaries suspended but retained their titles.

Even so, the annual salaries of officials in the capital and outside the capital still exceeded 500,000 strings of cash, putting great pressure on the imperial court.

These salaries, which amounted to 150,000 strings of cash from household taxes, were still barely enough to cover the remaining expenses, which were paid out of public funds.

If we could really increase it by 300,000 strings of cash every year, that would be an incredible thing!

Li Dan, Li Lingyue, Wu Chengsi, and Wu Sansi all stared wide-eyed at them, their faces full of anticipation.

Lu Jun said slowly:

"Once the way tea is consumed spreads throughout the land, and people and merchants flock to it, then we can increase tea taxes and strictly control trade."

"Tax stations were set up in tea-producing areas, and checkpoints were established at tea-producing passes and counties. After paying taxes, tea permits were issued as credentials."

"The various prefectures and counties of the Tang Dynasty strictly inspected the border crossings, and only those with tea permits were allowed to pass through the borders and enter the city."

"Tea leaves are classified into superior, medium, and inferior grades according to their quality, and taxes are assessed based on their value, with a tax rate of approximately one-tenth or one-twentieth."

"My calculations suggest that the annual income is at least 300,000 strings of cash!"

The tea tax of the Tang Dynasty was levied in the ninth year of the Zhenyuan era of Emperor Dezong and was part of the Two-Tax System.

The specific approach is as Lu Jun mentioned: setting up tax stations and checkpoints in tea-producing areas and taking a cut based on quality valuation.

The annual income was initially 400,000 strings of cash, which increased to 800,000 strings of cash during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. During the Song Dynasty, the tea monopoly system was implemented, with the government running the tea business and selling it in smaller quantities. This brought in several million strings of cash annually.

Lu Jun's estimate of 300,000 strings of cash was a conservative estimate based on the population size at that time.

When Li Dan, Li Lingyue, Wu Chengsi, and Wu Sansi heard that the method was simple, their eyes lit up.

Wu Zetian hesitated and said, "Wouldn't this be competing with the people for profit?"

At that time, the Tang Dynasty did not collect commercial taxes. It was not until the Tianbao era that a two-tenths market tax was levied on merchants who stayed at their residences.

Therefore, Wu Zetian believed that levying a tea tax was competing with the people for profit and did not quite approve of this suggestion.

Lu Jun replied:

"I know that Confucian scholars are ashamed to talk about profit, and those who propose taxation are often labeled as officials who amass wealth."

"Taxing ordinary goods would indeed be taking advantage of the people, but tea is different."

"Your Majesty, please consider this: this item is ultimately used in trade and is a strategic resource. If the court does not strictly control it, it could easily be taken by merchants to Tibet, the Western Regions, and the Mongolian Plateau."

"Therefore, establishing a customs and taxation supervision system through taxation is something that must be done in the future."

"Furthermore, farmers work hard to cultivate the land and have to pay rent, while tea merchants make a lot of money. Why should they be able to evade taxes?"

"Although merchants had to pay household tax, they were treated the same as dukes, officials, and farmers; they were not taxed independently."

"Moreover, measuring family property is extremely difficult. Even if tea merchants are classified as first-class households, their income is limited and does not even amount to one ten-thousandth of what they have gained."

"Wouldn't this encourage a business-oriented mentality?"

"If this continues, the people will inevitably become greedy for profit and unable to bear the taxes and levies, and will neglect agriculture and sericulture. This is by no means the intention of the court."

The Tang Dynasty's abolition of commercial taxes had an impact on the mentality of farmers, as the poet Yao He wrote in his poem "Living in the Countryside"—

Traveling through the fields, I found all the houses with their doors closed.

If you ask the people inside, they've all gone to be merchants.

The government does not tax merchants, but taxes farmers who toil in hardship.

Because the taxes for merchants were low and those for farmers were high, the heavy burden fell on the farmers, so they simply became merchants instead.

According to the system, merchants belonged to the city and could not exchange with farmers. However, under the pressure of survival, people would definitely find ways to exploit loopholes, and it was impossible to stop them.

"That makes sense..." Wu Zetian nodded secretly.

Holding the teacup, I pondered, and felt more and more that tea has endless wonderful uses.

Growing increasingly excited, he slammed his hand on the table: "Chu Yu, I've always underestimated your tea-drinking skills!"

"When I watched you make tea in the Huiyou Hall before, I only thought it looked beautiful and tasted good. I guessed that many people would like it. If it were introduced to Tibet, perhaps they would also be interested."

"Later I heard that tea drinking was popular in the two capitals, and my confidence grew even stronger. I was sure that the Tibetans would also follow suit."

"Only now, hearing your strategy, do I realize that controlling the production and sale of tea is more effective than having an army of ten thousand!"

"Chu Yu, this is a brilliant solution for governing the country!"

"I greatly underestimated your strategic advice!"

"Even the prime minister and high-ranking officials underestimate it!"

"Your insight is truly unparalleled!"

No, no, I'm just a conveyor of knowledge.

Lu Jun smiled and said, "There is another benefit. When the Tang Dynasty sells tea to Tibet, it can also exchange it for fine horses. My memorial mentions restoring the horse administration, so there will be a continuous supply of good breeds."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wu Zetian's eyes shone even brighter. "They have to trade it for a fine horse, nothing else!"

"One hundred thousand is an understatement; Chu Yu's tea-drinking promotion strategy is comparable to three hundred thousand soldiers!"

He raised his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

He burst into laughter.

Li Lingyue blinked: "Mother, the tea is so good. Chu Yu could have sold it to merchants privately, but she selflessly gave it to the court. Aren't you going to reward her with something?"

Wu Zetian rolled her eyes at her: "Here we go again! Do I need you to teach me? Of course I'll remember your contributions!"

If the desired effect is achieved, it will naturally be a great achievement, but this is just the beginning, and it is too early to mention rewards.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled at Lu Jun and said:

"Chu Yu has prepared tea for me many times and taught me about the Imperial Kitchen. Therefore, I will bestow upon you a set of jade bowls!"