When Yan Sikong came out of Yan Zilian's study, he was still in a daze.
The person Yan Zilian just mentioned was Princess Wanyang, the daughter of Concubine Xian, and Feng Ye's cousin.
From Yan Zilian's point of view, the virtuous concubine is the sister-in-law of Prince Jingyuan, her relatives are powerful, and Princess Wanyang is intelligent and loved by the emperor. No one can easily touch him.
Yan Zilian had already mentioned this matter with Emperor Zhaowu, but Emperor Zhaowu didn't say yes or no, inferring that Wan Yang was only fifteen years old and would discuss it in two years, but as long as he didn't refuse, the matter would most likely be settled in Yan Zilian's mind.
Yan Sikong can only be sure today that after spending more than a year, he has finally become Yan Zilian's most valued student and future successor, so now he has started to pave the way for him. He did have all the conditions that Yan Zilian appreciated, and he was the only one who hadn't married yet. Yan Zilian's plan this time was very thoughtful, he should be tearful of gratitude and full of joy.
Just thinking that the princess is Feng Ye's cousin, and Feng Ye... what will happen to Feng Ye
Yan Sikong patted his forehead to clear his head.
Why should he think about what will happen to Fengye
Maybe Feng Ye got married earlier than him, maybe Feng Ye was just young and energetic, and he was attracted to him for a while, and when the novelty passed, he would no longer pay attention to him. In any case, being able to become the emperor's son-in-law by riding a dragon is a great thing, and it will definitely help him a lot.
Whoever you marry is not a matter of marrying. Naturally, you have to marry the most useful person, not Princess Wanyang, but someone else sooner or later.
He and Feng Ye will eventually go their separate ways, and this ambiguous and troublesome relationship will also become a thing of the past.
—
The depths of winter have come, and all the prefectures and roads along the south of the Yangtze River have written to the imperial court, saying that they have encountered a snowstorm that has never happened in 600 years.
The weather that year was extremely weird. The north was much warmer than previous years, but the south was unbearably cold. The people in the south did not have much material resources to keep out the cold, so a snowstorm came by surprise and caused heavy losses.
According to the records of "Meteorology, Tianxingzhi", the last time such extreme weather occurred was in the Han Dynasty.
The disaster was extremely ominous, which shocked the government and the public, and made people panic for a while.
In the early court, Emperor Zhaowu discussed disaster relief with his ministers, but he didn't expect that it would be difficult.
One is that the heavy snow has blocked many official roads, and it is difficult to get food, grass and clothes. Second, the most important thing is that the new year is approaching and the national treasury is tight.
That morning, it was opened from the cool time until near noon, and it is said that no good countermeasures were discussed in the end.
Yan Zilian went back to the Wenyuan Pavilion, sighed frequently, his brows could not be stretched, and all the imperial officials did not dare to breathe.
After a while, Yan Zilian called Yan Sikong and Shen Hexuan into the study.
The two sat down respectfully.
"Have you all heard about the snow disaster in the south?"
The two nodded.
"This morning, hey..." Yan Zilian touched his forehead, "There was a lot of quarreling about disaster relief."
Yan Sikong asked: "Does Your Majesty have any orders?"
Yan Zilian shook his head and looked at them: "I have discussed with the ministers just now, and there is no conclusion. This matter is not your turn to think about it, but you are the prince's servants. To train you as a teacher is to train the future Your Majesty, therefore, I would like to hear your opinions."
The two looked at each other, and Yan Sikong made a "please" gesture to Shen Hexuan.
Shen Hexuan cleared his throat: "The trouble with the snowstorm is that the national treasury is tight. In the past few years, in order to resist the barbarians, the military expenditure has been huge. Now it is the end of the new year, and the taxes paid are almost spent. The students think that now is the last time The important thing is to scrape together the money."
"It's obvious." Yan Zilian said angrily, "How to get the money together, do you have a good plan?"
Shen Hexuan pondered for a moment: "The students think that they can levy a sea tax from Jiangnan to relieve the urgent need of the national treasury."
Yan Zilian's expression remained unchanged, but a trace of displeasure flashed quickly in his eyes.
Yan Sikong wondered whether this Shen Hexuan was ignorant or cowardly, even dared to say such words casually.
Yan Zilian was born in a noble family in the south of the Yangtze River. Jiangnan is a rich and prosperous place, rich in talents, scholars, literati and poets. During scientific examinations, there are more students in Jiangnan than in all provinces in the country. Therefore, most of the noble officials of Yan Zilian's faction come from here. It can be evenly matched with the eunuch party.
There is no separation between politics and business, and local officials and businessmen often have in-laws. Yan Zilian will naturally strive to pay taxes for the rich merchants and peasants in his hometown. Sea tax is a big local tax. Under the planning of gentry officials, it is already less than that of Shengningzong. many.
In fact, what Shen Hexuan said is reasonable, to impose heavy taxes on rich and prosperous lands, to stabilize the rich and the poor, will quickly alleviate the disaster. However, the imposition of sea tax would offend a large number of gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, and the eunuch party has been suppressing the gentry with sea tax for a long time. The two parties have had countless disputes over sea tax.
Yan Sikong admired Shen Hexuan's courage, and also sweated for him. Because of Shen Hexuan's uprightness, Yan Zilian has been displeased many times, and Yan Zilian's appreciation for him is also related to Shen Hexuan's disappointment.
Yan Zilian's tone was indeed a bit cold: "Extra tax increase, wouldn't it mean tearing down the east wall to make up for the west wall, this move will definitely make people resentful, absurd."
"In extraordinary times, there will be..."
"Shut up!" Yan Zilian could no longer hide his anger, he turned to Yan Sikong, "Sikong, what's your plan?"
Ever since Yan Sikong heard about the snow disaster, he knew that this was an opportunity.
According to his original plan, She Zhun successfully conveyed the news that "the King of Liang is about to rebel" to Yeli, and then into Xie Zhongren's ears, and then spread the rumors to the capital, alarming even the emperor. It would take at least three months, plus the emperor Investigate the two lakes, think about countermeasures, and then no matter whether there is any movement or no movement, it may take a year or two. Moreover, King Liang didn't take any real action, and the matter will probably end up in the end. What he laid out was a long-term plan, and what he cast was a wide and sparse net. Right now, he was just trying to plant a seed of suspicion in the emperor's heart.
But if the snow storm works properly, what he planted is not just a seed, but a small sapling. As for whether it can grow into a towering tree, all parties need to "water and fill the soil".
Yan Sikong hurriedly said: "Teacher, the students think that the tightness of the national treasury is not due to taxation. The expenditure of the palace, military and clan members are the largest expenditures in the past. If you want to nourish the national treasury, you should start from the big one."
Yan Zilian nodded: "That's true. In recent years, in order to support the army, Yang Shangshu of the household department has worked day and night for this, and various national expenses have been saved as much as possible. However, the three heads you mentioned are the heaviest, but also the most important. It's hard to cut."
"The army is used to defend the country, and the court is the face of the royal family. Both can't be saved, only..." Yan Sikong hesitated to speak.
Yan Zilian naturally understood and fell silent again.
Dasheng has been in the country for more than two hundred years, and the royal family has spread its branches and leaves. These phoenix sons and dragon grandchildren enjoy the imperial salary, and they have land, no taxes, and lack of greed. As we all know, the clan's expenditure is a worry of Dasheng, it cannot be eliminated, it is not clear, and it cannot be changed by one minister.
Yan Zilian sighed: "I'm afraid clan expenses are even more difficult than reducing military and palace expenses."
"When it's a last resort, we, the courtiers, should face up to the difficulties." Yan Sikong said solemnly, "Students are probably not the first to mention cutting the clan's salary, and I'm afraid they are not the only ones either."
Yan Zilian waved his hand: "There are some things that I wanted to do when I was young, but I have never been able to take that step. Even now..." He said in a deep voice, "Being a teacher is not timid, but because the matter is too involved. Act rashly."
Yan Sikong clasped his hands and said, "Students understand. We are a big country, and we must have better countermeasures."
Yan Zilian nodded in frustration.
Shen Hexuan frowned deeply.