Chen Tingjian won the first place in the imperial examination at the age of nineteen, and the second place in the same year was He Qingxian, who was twenty-two years old.
Back then, both of them were considered poor students. Even though they won glory in the imperial examination, after the short-lived glory, they had to face the incompatibility with the wealthy capital city.
Therefore, in the first two years of their acquaintance, Chen Tingjian and He Qingxian ate and lived together and were a pair of inseparable friends.
Because of their different personalities, Chen Tingjian made more and more new friends, while He Qingxian offended more and more people.
When He Qingxian was squeezed out and sent to a remote place, Chen Tingjian, who had little influence, could do nothing to help.
From then on, the two men embarked on completely different paths in their official careers. Chen Tingjian was promoted higher and higher, while He Qingxian was promoted and demoted frequently. He was even nearly beheaded for writing a letter to the emperor to curse Huayang's grandfather.
But the age of early twenties is when a person is the most innocent and passionate, and the friendships made at that time are also the most sincere.
So, even though the two hadn't seen each other for twenty-five years, when they met again today, they only needed to exchange glances to know that the other person was still the old friend in their memories, with all the good qualities and all the bad qualities.
When they first boarded the carriage, Chen Tingjian and He Qingxian were both happy. The former hoped that He Qingxian could help him implement the new policy, take the opportunity to gain a firm foothold in the capital, and not be sent out again. The latter hoped that Chen Tingjian could accept the new policy he drafted, and completely restore the prosperous times of Taizu and Chengzu in this corrupt and decayed world, so that the people could be truly stable and the court could be clear.
However, when He Qingxian took out his thick memorial and Chen Tingjian quickly read it through, both of them could no longer laugh and began a debate with increasingly loud voices.
Chen Tingjian originally planned to take He Qingxian all the way to the house that Emperor Yuanyou had awarded to this great official, and then the two of them would drink and chat.
However, the fact is that as soon as the carriage arrived at the city gate, Chen Tingjian got off with a dark face, changed to his own carriage, and took his two sons into the city first.
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Jinyiwei commander Liu Shou reported all the information handed over by his men to Emperor Yuanyou and Empress Dowager Qi.
Emperor Yuanyou: "Did they really quarrel?"
Liu Shou: "Yes, the people queuing in and out of the city gate heard it. When Lord Chen got off the car, he cursed at the people in the car, saying "stubborn and unrepentant". Lord He leaned out of the car window and replied, "stubborn and self-willed."
Emperor Yuanyou: …
He himself was often taught a lesson by Chen Tingjian, and he often saw Chen Tingjian scolding and reprimanding the officials under him who were not doing their jobs well. However, in the past two years, there were almost no people who dared to scold Chen Tingjian to his face, except for those censors who had been demoted to unknown places.
He was a disciple, so if he wanted to refute Chen Tingjian, he had to be polite and tactful. As for the queen mother, she trusted Chen Tingjian very much and would only refute him when Chen Tingjian spoke for him. She hoped that Chen Tingjian would be a strict teacher and not indulge him too much.
After Liu Shou left, Emperor Yuanyou looked at Empress Dowager Qi and said, "Mother, what if He Qingxian refuses to cooperate with Lord Chen's reforms?"
It's impossible that you just summoned someone to Beijing to appoint him as a cabinet minister and then send him back to Nanjing a few days later, right
Empress Dowager Qi smiled and said: "Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened, listen to only one side and you will be confused."
There was no morning court the next day. Chen Tingjian brought He Qingxian, who had just taken office, to pay a visit to Emperor Yuanyou and Empress Dowager Qi.
When the two men entered the room, Emperor Yuanyou first looked at his teacher. He saw that Chen Tingjian was neatly dressed, with a smooth long beard, and had a confident and calm demeanor, as if he had not had any unpleasantness with He Qingxian yesterday.
Emperor Yuanyou looked at He Qingxian, who was well-known but never met, and saw that this Lord He, who was three years older than Chen Tingjian, was half a head shorter than Chen Tingjian. His skin was the wheat yellow color common among farmers. He was thin but had a straight back. His hair and beard were all black and his eyes were firm. He looked even younger than Chen Tingjian.
Which emperor doesn’t like honest officials
Emperor Yuanyou has always admired He Qingxian. When he saw the real person, he couldn't help but praise: "Mr. He has a good demeanor. He is really like a pine tree on the top of a mountain, with proud bones and majestic spirit!"
He Qingxian was not polite to Chen Tingjian. Facing the young emperor, the ruler on whom the people of the world depended, He Qingxian was filled with awe and piety from the bottom of his heart. He immediately performed a kneeling ceremony with his whole body prostrated on the ground and said: "My character has never been liked by emperors. It is thanks to the emperor's appreciation that I was able to enter the capital and join the cabinet. I am grateful and I am willing to serve the emperor for the rest of my life, and I will serve him until my death."
Chen Tingjian stood aside, looking at his old friend lying on the ground, and then savoring his old friend's words. He really didn't know what to say.
Empress Dowager Qi looked at him with a smile.
Emperor Yuanyou left the table, personally helped He Qingxian up, and said some encouraging words that made He Qingxian's eyes tear up.
However, Emperor Yuanyou did not forget to speak up for Chen Tingjian: "This time, the cabinet minister was able to join the cabinet, thanks to your efforts to overcome all objections."
This is a fact. Ever since Emperor Yuanyou announced the new candidates for cabinet ministers, the officials who had originally opposed the new policy wrote letters to oppose He Qingxian. Even officials who had remained neutral wrote letters to oppose him. All of these were suppressed by Chen Tingjian.
He Qingxian glanced at Chen Tingjian dimly and said bluntly, "If it weren't for the Emperor and His Majesty wanting to use me, how could he have thought of me?"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Emperor Yuanyou's eyes.
Chen Tingjian didn't care about these things. After the emperor and his ministers had exchanged pleasantries, he brought up the topic of the new policy: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it is already winter, and the annual holiday will begin in a month or so. I wonder if Your Majesty and Your Majesty think the "Land Surveying Regulations" drafted by the cabinet are feasible?"
Empress Dowager Qi looked at He Qingxian and said, "Mr. He has just entered the cabinet. Have you ever seen the Regulations on Land Surveying and Land Reclamation?"
He Qingxian said, "Your Majesty, Lord Chen has attached a copy of this regulation to my letter, but I think this regulation is inappropriate."
Empress Dowager Qi motioned for Emperor Yuanyou to take a seat and asked humbly, "Please tell me more, Lord He."
Emperor Yuanyou secretly clenched his fists, because all the land missing was his!
Chen Tingjian said: "That is why we need to re-measure the land and make the officials and gentry return the land they have concealed and register it to pay taxes as usual."
He Qingxian: "But the land they concealed, including some that were not concealed, was also annexed from the people. After the court calculated it, it seemed that the land they annexed was also in compliance with the law. How can this be called logic? In my opinion, the land should be re-measured strictly in accordance with the laws of our dynasty. All annexed land should be confiscated and returned to the people. Those who refuse to return it, whether they are royal family members, officials or gentry, should all be executed!"
Chen Tingjian: "It's easy for you to say that. There are countless officials and gentry who have annexed land. The court wants to use these officials to measure the land and confiscate their land. Which official is willing to do it? Do you think all officials in the world are as honest as you?"
He Qingxian: "Corrupt officials are all indulged step by step. The court should have strictly followed the laws of Taizu's reign to severely punish corrupt officials. Kill one corrupt official and naturally no one would dare to be corrupt again."
Chen Tingjian: "If you kill them all, who will work for the court? Who dares to be an official at this time? If there are no officials, who will enforce the law?"
He Qingxian: "Someone has to take this step. If no one does it, what's the point of just measuring the land? If you find some people who concealed their land today, there will be new people who concealed their land next year. If they concealed their land, the total number of registered land will remain unchanged, and this part will be counted on the people. The people have suffered enough, and they have to bear the taxes that corrupt officials underpaid. Are you trying to force them to death?"
Chen Tingjian: "This time, the land survey is only to measure the fields. The total amount of taxes in various places will still be implemented according to last year. The fields that officials and gentry have concealed will be found out, and the taxes shared by the people will naturally be reduced. Isn't this beneficial to the country and the people?"
He Qingxian: "You think those corrupt officials are too stupid. They have been corrupt for several lifetimes. Where there is a policy, there is a countermeasure. I can think of several ways to deal with you. First, you want to measure the land, right? I can include the mountains, forests and tidal flats that cannot be cultivated at all. This will increase the land and make the account book look good, but the mountains, forests and tidal flats cannot grow food, and this part of the tax will have to be added to the people."
"Secondly, I am a local official. I can prepare two kinds of rulers. I can use the large ruler to measure for the officials and gentry, and only measure six or seven out of ten acres. I can use the small ruler to measure for the common people, and only measure thirteen or fourteen out of ten acres. In the end, the common people will conceal their land ownership, and taxes will still be imposed on them!"
Chen Tingjian: "Then let's write it clearly in the regulations. Mountains, forests and tidal flats are not considered land. Anyone who dares to pretend to be land will be punished according to the law. The bow and ruler will be uniformly formulated and issued by the court. If local officials dare to change the bow for measurement, they will be executed once the people expose it!"
He Qingxian: "But you still acknowledged the annexation of land. The royal family, officials and gentry have a lot of land that is not taxed. If they annex one more acre, the court will collect one less acre of tax!"
Chen Tingjian: "You have to eat one bite at a time and do things one step at a time. Now the treasury is empty. We need to consolidate the border defense, control the Yellow River, and provide disaster relief in various places. You have offended all the royal family members and officials in one breath, but the treasury still has no money, and there are more internal and external troubles. Is it feasible? If the court can't hold on, the people will only be worse off. Now there is a way to make the people better off and reduce the internal and external troubles of the court. Why not do it? Just like a family in a storm, seeing that their thatched house is about to collapse, they also want to live in a solid brick house, but do they have one? Their top priority is to repair the leaking roof of the thatched house and find a few wooden boards to fix the broken windows. If they delay and do nothing, the thatched house will collapse!"
He Qingxian wanted to say more, but Chen Tingjian scolded him again: "You are good at talking and dreaming. Can your dreams make all corrupt officials disappear in one day, or make the royal family and officials return the land to the people overnight? If you really have such ability, I will give up my position as the Prime Minister to you immediately!"
He Qingxian: …
Empress Dowager Qi and Emperor Yuanyou sat in their chairs without saying a word, as if they had never existed:…
He Qingxian finally stopped talking.
Chen Tingjian's breathing gradually calmed down, and his flushed face gradually returned to its former fair and elegant state.
They both looked at the Queen Mother and the Emperor at the same time.
Empress Dowager Qi seemed to be resurrected from a statue. She moved and asked Emperor Yuanyou: "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Yuanyou swallowed his saliva, his eyes moved from one to another, and finally said: "The new law still takes you as the main person, but your land surveying regulations do have some hidden dangers. I would like to ask you to correct them one by one, lead the cabinet to re-draft them, and then submit them to me and the empress dowager for review."
Chen Tingjian was the first to bow and said solemnly, "I accept your order."
He Qingxian pursed his lips and lowered his head: "I obey your command."
The two ministers withdrew one after another.
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Chen Tingjian casually held down his long beard when the cold wind blew outside.
He Qingxian beside him snorted, "I will listen to you now, but if you don't find a way to solve the chronic problem of annexation of royal family officials and gentry in the future, I will never let you go."
Chen Tingjian was already calm, looking out over the palace wall in the distance, stroking his beard and saying, "Keep your feet on the ground, there's no need to rush."
Inside the palace.
Empress Dowager Qi was fine. After the two cabinet ministers disappeared completely, Emperor Yuanyou was shocked to find that his whole body was stiff because he was too tense just now.
For a moment, Emperor Yuanyou was really worried that Chen Tingjian and He Qingxian would start fighting.
Empress Dowager Qi looked at her son and said with a smile, "Now you understand why Lord Chen has not transferred He Qingxian to the capital?"
Emperor Yuanyou nodded.
He Qingxian was a good official, but a good official may not necessarily get things done. In terms of effectiveness, Chen Tingjian was better.
(End of this chapter)