Chen Jingzong met He Qingxian at the morning court session on November 13. He Qingtian was said to be an old friend of the old man but had criticized his eldest and third brothers for their ill-gotten achievements.
Before Chen Jingzong stood in the line of military officers, he saw the old man in front of him turned around and motioned for him to come over.
This little bit of face had to be given, and Chen Jingzong walked forward slowly.
Chen Tingjian introduced to He Qingxian: "This is my fourth son." He also asked Chen Jingzong to perform the etiquette as a junior.
Chen Jingzong called him uncle in a not-so-warm manner.
He Qingxian looked him up and down, and said to Chen Tingjian with a hint of sarcasm: "They have inherited your good looks."
The implication is that Chen Jingzong became the son-in-law purely because of his face. Chen Tingjian should have rejected the marriage granted by the late emperor and not let his own son take all the benefits.
Chen Tingjian didn't react. Chen Jingzong didn't want to hear it anymore. He looked at He Qingxian and said, "You're right. The thing I'm most grateful to the old man for in my life is that he gave me this face. If I were uglier, darker, or shorter, the princess might look down on me."
He Qingxian: …
The officials who were eavesdropping behind him chuckled a few times. What He Qingxian said was impolite. Wasn't the description of the prince consort as "ugly, darker, and shorter" a subtle reference to He Qingxian's appearance
In fact, He Qingxian was a man of regular features and handsome appearance, but who made him look like a farmer with a wheat-yellow complexion? Now he was standing next to Chen Tingjian? He even said that Chen Jingzong relied on his looks to become a consort.
"Get out!" Chen Tingjian scolded his son for his rude words.
Chen Jingzong also casually said to him: "You are really tolerant, Prime Minister. Others clearly look down on you, but you still rush to let your sons make friends with them."
Having said that, he turned and left.
Chen Tingjian glared at him and then looked at He Qingxian.
He Qingxian actually smiled: "This temperament doesn't seem like something that was raised in your Chen family."
Chen Tingjian just flicked his sleeves and was too lazy to pretend to be nice to him anymore.
When he arrived at the court, Chen Tingjian, the chief minister who no one dared to provoke, finally met his opponent and had a fierce argument with He Qingxian over the handling of several matters.
The civil and military officials were confused. Wasn't He Qingxian called by Chen Tingjian to help him implement the new policy? Why did He Qingxian even criticize Chen Tingjian
But the officials soon realized that He Qingxian wanted to punish them, and it was the Prime Minister who was dissatisfied with He Qingxian's harshness and kept speaking for them!
Now, even those officials who were dissatisfied with Chen Tingjian put aside their prejudices and helped Chen Tingjian. After all, Chen Tingjian only wanted them to work diligently and preferably pay some money out of their own pockets to give to the court. However, He Qingxian wished to strictly follow the law to convict them of corruption and dereliction of duty!
That evening, all the officials in Beijing were delayed for at least quarter of an hour before leaving their posts!
As the night fell, Chen Jingzong returned home and complained to Huayang about He Qingxian: "This man is just being unreasonable. It's fine if he doesn't like the old man, the eldest brother, and the third brother, but why does he look down on me when we meet?"
Huayang: "How does he look down on you?"
Chen Jingzong: "Openly praising my good looks, secretly mocking me for not being worthy of marrying a princess except for my face."
Huayang: "At least he praised you."
Chen Jingzong put down his chopsticks and looked over in disbelief: "Don't you respect the old man the most? Do you love us three brothers as well? Now that Lord He is targeting us father and son everywhere, you are still speaking for him. It's not that easy to get tired of the old and fall in love with the new."
Huayang: "I am being fair. He and father are old friends. Father was the Prime Minister for three years before he wanted to use him. He complained to father and took his anger out on you three brothers. It is not worth your fussing about it."
Chen Jingzong recalled the tit-for-tat between the two old men in the morning court, and felt very gloating: "The old man must be regretting listening to you now."
Huayang: "Father has a broad mind. If he dared to transfer him to Beijing, he must have made sufficient preparations."
Chen Jingzong: …
He finally understood that the two old men were the best for her!
.
In late winter, sister-in-law Yu Xiu brought Wanyi to visit Huayang, and also gave Huayang a brocade box on behalf of Sun.
Inside the brocade box was a complete set of "Land Surveying Regulations", written by Chen Tingjian himself.
In the previous life, in the second year of Yuanyou, the imperial court surveyed the land across the country, and the "Survey Regulations" were printed and posted in all prefectures, counties, villages and towns for public display. Huayang also asked Wu Run to get a copy back.
Although he couldn't memorize every word, Huayang remembered the general content. When he compared it with the new regulations that had not yet been distributed, Huayang quickly discovered the difference.
My father-in-law's "Regulations on Land Surveying" has a total of eight articles. The main contents of these eight articles in the two lives are the same, but the regulations in this life have the shadow of He Qingxian. For example, the bow and ruler used for land surveying have been unified nationwide, and local officials are not allowed to make changes without permission. For example, it is clearly stipulated that mountains, forests, tidal flats, houses, cemeteries and other terrains cannot be designated as fields, and good fields, medium fields, and low-quality fields must also be clearly classified and not confused.
In addition, the new regulations also provide more detailed punishments for clan members, officials, soldiers and civilians who do not comply with the land reclamation regulations, including encouraging the people to supervise and expose them. Once it is found that there are still people who continue to conceal or underreport, in addition to confiscating the land, they will be fined, demoted, imprisoned, exiled, or executed. The father-in-law also wrote a letter to Huayang, telling her that the queen mother and her brother are very supportive of the land reclamation. When the regulations are officially implemented next year, her brother will send four Jinyiwei to the provincial capitals and two Jinyiwei to the county towns to supervise. After the Jinyiwei arrives at the local area, they will also ask the counties to mobilize local students to study the "Land Reclamation Regulations" and explain them to the people in the county towns and villages to prevent the people from misunderstanding the new policy and changing their hearts.
The Imperial Guards have been dispatched. Which of the local officials, who have been tempered by the law for three years, dares to continue to oppress the people
Huayang believes that the land survey in this life will be more effective than that in the previous life. As long as He Qingxian stays in the cabinet, the "One Whip Law" next year will benefit the country and the people even more.
When the people will no longer become the victims of the new policy, the fifth sin of my father-in-law in the previous life, "raising taxes and harming the people", will become nonsense.
Huayang breathed a sigh of relief.
Of the seven charges against her father-in-law, the fifth was the most difficult to resolve, because it involved the implementation of two new policies, and she alone could not defeat thousands of local officials.
Fortunately, her father-in-law's temperament had changed slightly under her subtle influence. His father-in-law was willing to let He Qingxian come to Beijing, and the new policy became more and more perfect.
Huayang particularly liked this version of the new regulations. When Chen Jingzong came back, she was still reading it over and over again.
Chen Jingzong took off his boots and sat next to her. He recognized his old man's handwriting at a glance, and then, under Huayang's encouragement, he read it carefully from beginning to end.
Chen Jingzong saw pride on her face. She looked as if the old man was her biological father and she ran to him proudly to show off.
Chen Jingzong refused to praise the old man: "The late emperor made him the chief minister. If he doesn't make any achievements, isn't he just a figurehead?"
Huayang: "There are many prime ministers, few of whom dare to openly offend the royal family and officials."
Chen Jingzong: "You are also a member of the royal family, so you have a lot of land under your name, right?"
Huayang: "All of that was given to me by my father. I didn't covet even one more acre."
Chen Jingzong: "But 20% to 30% of the land tax in the country will be used to support your family. According to the reforms of the two old men, sooner or later the knife will really fall on the heads of your family. Will you hate them then?"
Huayang: "It's fine if it falls. If the people can't survive, what's the point of me wearing gold and silver? If the people can have enough food and clothing, then the life of my clan members will definitely not be bad."
Chen Jingzong touched her face and said, "You really are a fairy from heaven."
This time, although he smiled, there was no trace of sarcasm or ridicule in his eyes.
Huayang looked at him for a moment, slapped his hand away, and stuffed the regulations and the letter from his father-in-law into his hands: "Take them and burn them."
It was against the rules for the Prime Minister to copy the imperial decree that had not yet been issued to the eldest princess in advance. Even if her father-in-law had not told her to burn it, Huayang herself knew the seriousness of the matter.
Chen Jingzong brought over a copper lamp, took off the lampshade, and put the papers in it one by one.
Huayang sat nearby and watched the papers turn into ashes bit by bit in the golden-red flames.
The firelight was warm and it also dispelled the haze in her heart.
After dinner, Hua Yang lay on the bed and said nonchalantly, "It's almost the twelfth lunar month. What are your plans for this year's New Year holiday?"
Chen Jingzong hugged her: "Nothing, I just want to be with you every day."
The book says that loving couples are "stuck" together, but he prefers to say "connected".
Huayang glared at him.
Chen Jingzong was not convinced: "In spring, summer and autumn, I can accompany you out of the city to enjoy the scenery. In winter, it is so cold, where else can I go if I don't stay at home?"
For young couples, if they just stay at home, isn’t the greatest pleasure to be “connected”
Huayang asked him, "Have you heard of Tangquan?"
Chen Jingzong's heart moved, and he said, "I haven't heard of it. I've only heard of Mantis Fist."
Huayang: …
She glanced at him and explained to this country prince consort who had never enjoyed the treatment of a proper cabinet minister's son: "Tangquan is a kind of warm spring water that gushes out from the ground. It is about the same temperature as the water when we take a bath. There is such a mountain range that produces Tangquan more than 80 miles north of the capital, and it is called Tangshan."
Chen Jingzong: "Then let's go to Tangshan this year."
Huayang: "You wish. Such a good place has long been enclosed by the royal family and built into a temporary palace. Unless our mother and brother go there and we can follow them, we can't go in."
Chen Jingzong: "Since you can't go, what do you say to me?"
Huayang: "Besides the palace, there are some scattered hot springs, but they have long been occupied and built into villas. I have only been out of the palace for a few years, and I have not met anyone who wants to sell the villas there."
Chen Jingzong: "You've been through so many twists and turns, just tell me whether you can go or not."
Hua Yang suppressed a smile and said, "My aunt bought a villa a few years ago. If she doesn't go there this year, we can stay there for a while."
Chen Jingzong: "I see. I will send someone to find a gift for my aunt tomorrow to honor her."
Huayang: "Just show your filial respect to me, and I will talk to my aunt."
Chen Jingzong immediately pressed her down.
Huayang: …
Finally, he kissed her enough and changed places. Huayang said angrily, "I want your gift, not this!"
Chen Jingzong: "I am the best gift. My aunt is not worthy of it, so I am just in time to honor you."
Huayang doesn't care, just push him away.
Chen Jingzong grabbed her wrists twice, and the domineering but powerless princess could only accept his filial respect with a slight anger and half-hearted acceptance.
(End of this chapter)