Chapter 165: Wherever the Emperor Settles Is a Treasure Land

Chapter 1240 The place where the emperor stays is a treasure

"The beauty of a gentleman will be killed in five lifetimes!"

When Li Zhi left the Wannian County Yamen, Xue Rengui came to Yun Chu and gritted his teeth.

Yun Chu glanced at Xue Rengui, whose face was full of vicissitudes of life, and said, "Three lifetimes are too long for me, let alone the fifth lifetime."

"The fortune of a gentleman also refers to the destiny of the country."

"If the continuation of a country is only sustained by the personal prestige of the founding king, and the subsequent emperors sit on the merits of their ancestors and eat for free, wouldn't three generations be enough?"

"This is a treasonous and unethical statement."

When Li Zhi saw that Yun Chu and Xue Rengui had a dispute, he stood there with a smile and watched the fun.

Yun Chu said: "The great ancestor of the Tang Dynasty raised troops in Taiyuan, and then the Ding Dynasty conquered the world. This is the land of a gentleman. Then Taizong rose up and pacified the world. This is also the land of a gentleman. Guo Zuo came to your Majesty's hands to destroy the Turks and Goguryeo. Destroy Baekje, destroy Silla, and fight until there is no place in the world that dares to fight. Isn't this the glory of a gentleman?

Looking at Prince Hong, he behaved well at a young age, knew how to farm, and tried to use it in the past. His Majesty called him Neng, and he already had the image of a wise king. His Majesty solved the invasion of foreign enemies in the Tang Dynasty. If the Prince can solve the problem of the people Isn't the worry of famine not the blessing of a gentleman to the Tang Dynasty?

One generation of emperors does the same thing as the other. Over time, every generation of emperors is a gentleman. Every era of emperors in the Tang Dynasty has the blessings of a gentleman and its descendants. It is not impossible to create an empire for a thousand years. "

"This is not what Mencius meant when he said that the virtue of a gentleman should be cut off in five lifetimes."

Yun Chu looked at Xue Rengui and said, "That must be what Mencius said wrong!"

Xue Rengui said angrily: "How dare you say that the sages are not good?"

Yun Chu looked at Xue Rengui indifferently and said: "It must have been when the classics were passed down to the world, but they were passed down incorrectly. What Mencius should have said is - the virtue of a gentleman will last for hundreds of generations!"

"How could Erhe De dare to say such a thing?"

Yun Chu smiled and said: "When Mencius was alive, the mountains and rivers were broken, and the princes were in endless wars. A country of thousands of chariots could become the overlord. Mencius lived in this dry well, and the sky he could see was only a hundred miles in radius.

Nowadays, the sky in the Tang Dynasty is more than ten thousand miles away. Xue Rengui, wouldn't it be absurd for you to use Bailihou's insights to explain the affairs of our country, which is thousands of miles away from the clear sky? "

“If we don’t use the words of our sages to govern the country, how can we use your words to govern the country?”

A smile appeared on Yun Chu's face, and he saluted the emperor and said: "We, the Tang Dynasty, are the first of its kind in the millennium. We should have the courage that our predecessors did not have to face the unknown world and build a thousand-year kingdom. , one should have the courage to break the bonds of ancestors. In my opinion, destiny is not to be feared, ancestors are lawless, and human words are not enough to show compassion.

Only in this way can we do things that no one before us could do. "

Xue Rengui never expected that Yun Chu would be so bold. When he saw the emperor looking up at the gloomy sky, he stopped arguing with Yun Chu and took a step back, his face full of dissatisfaction.

When Li Zhi returned to Xingqing Palace, the wind had stopped.

When his carriage left the Wannian County Government Office and came to Zhuque Street, the street that had been empty just now was filled with people.

When Li Zhi opened the curtain, the leader of the Wei family, Wei An, had already knelt down tremblingly and shouted: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live."

Immediately, the people following the ninety-year-old man also knelt down and chanted along with Shan.

Li Zhi looked lazily at Wei An, who had white beard and white hair, and said to Yun Chu who was guarding him: "Living long has some benefits after all."

Yun Chu said: "This old man is very slippery. Over the years, I can't find anything wrong with him. Although there are some small problems with Wei's skin, which caused Wei's skin to peel off, he has lost several layers of skin over the years. , but it doesn’t hurt the muscles and bones. I suspect that this old guy has lived too old and has no idea how many layers of skin he has on his body.”

Li Zhi got off the carriage and said to Yun Chu: "My name is Wei An. Safety is the first priority in everything. You can't do anything with him."

"Kill him if you find an opportunity. The Wei family's private land occupies more than 10% of Wannian County. It's better for me to use this land to raise more soldiers."

"Take your time, don't be in a hurry, do it when you're right, and get things done right the first time. If things go wrong, I won't even be able to protect you."

Xue Rengui, who was on the right side of Li Zhi, watched the two of them say the most vicious words while coming to Wei An. Yun Chu gently helped Wei An up, while Li Zhi took Wei An's cold hand and said With some heart-warming words.

If there is Webster, there must be Du family, Yuwen family, Dugu family, Murong family, Doulu family, Helan family, Hou Mochen family, Qutu family, Qibi family, Yuchi family, Daxi family, Wanqi family, Tuoba family, Husi family, Erzhu family, etc. Heqian, Geshu, Kudi, Relics, Heba, Qian'er, Xuegu, Pugu, Huihe, Zhishi, Mohe, Helou, Hulv, Shuozi, Yisugu, Ashina, Fumeng, Helian...

Regardless of the person, just hearing these last names will tell you that these are not good people.

There are remnants of the former Xianbei, remnants of the former Sui, and even a group of subordinates recruited by Emperor Taizong when he was weak. What is left is that Li Zhi destroyed his country and could not kill them all. They were given some high positions to be raised as monkeys.

These people are the big trouble Li Zhi left for Yunchu.

When these people surrendered a long time ago, they had already been extorted twice by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong. At that time, they still had a lot of tribes to exploit, so they basically regained their vitality after a few decades.

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, it would be no exaggeration to say that the people of the Tang Dynasty had a hard time making a living. These people used only a small amount of capital to occupy a lot of interests in the Tang Dynasty, such as the land around Chang'an.

As a result, Yunchu now wants to expand more land to build factories but cannot find suitable land.

Yunchu sent people to negotiate with them several times, preparing to buy a large amount of land at market price as Chang'an's reserve land, but the result was not good. Not only did they not sell, but they also drove out the people Yunchu sent.

Yunchu was furious and moved a few small surnames. As a result, he was beaten up by them, which made him extremely passive in the court. Even the emperor, queen, and prince did not support his behavior, so he had to give up the land reserve.

Watching the emperor chatting with several family heads in the snow, Yunchu said to Ruichun: "Your Majesty, aren't you on guard against these people?"

Ruichun rolled his eyes at Yunchu and said: "Your Majesty, aren't you on guard against you either?"

Yunchu said: "What should I be on guard against?"

Ruichun sneered and said: "What should I be on guard against those people?"

Yunchu said: "Those who are not of my race must have different hearts."

Ruichun said: "Many families are royal in-laws, and some of the older families are generals during the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Tang Dynasty. They have been loyal for hundreds of years. It's not appropriate for you to say this at this time."

Yunchu smiled and said: "Can all these big guys be taken to Luoyang? I always feel that when your majesty moved the capital to Luoyang, he didn't bring all the people with him."

Ruichun smiled and said: "How do you know that your majesty didn't leave you a lot of burdens?"

Yunchu nodded, thinking that Ruichun's words were correct.

The snow in the sky was getting heavier, and Li Zhi still patiently met with many family heads.

Those who thought they were qualified to see the emperor stepped forward, and those who were not qualified to see the emperor automatically stayed at the periphery. Yun Chu calculated that there were only six families qualified to surround the emperor.

But it was very interesting that at least two family heads guarding the periphery were quite eager to move. They tried to get close to the emperor several times, but were always blocked by several family heads, so that they could not move forward.

Seeing this scene, Yun Chu found it very interesting. It seemed that this group of people was not a solid block. There were also cracks among them. Several families that were originally weak but gradually developed and became powerful in recent years have already planned to show up in front of the emperor.

Is this right?

It doesn't make sense that such a large group of people would be willing to be controlled by others. They have become strong, and it is too unfair for them to continue to lag behind...

Seeing the snow getting heavier, Yun Chu, the internal minister, stepped forward and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty is tired all the way, it's time to rest."

Li Zhi smiled and said: "Oh, I didn't expect to meet with old friends, but it took so much time. Such heavy snow is not good for the health of the elderly. Everyone go back. I will hold a banquet in Xingqing Palace soon, and we will talk about our past.

Yun Qing, please send the old gentlemen home."

Yun Chu smiled and bowed and said: "Yes."

The emperor reluctantly got on the carriage and drove towards Xingqing Palace. The heads of the families watched the emperor leave reluctantly, and some of the emotionally fragile ones even had tears in their eyes.

When the emperor's carriage turned and entered Xingqingfang, Wei An, the head of the Wei family, immediately had a gloomy face and said to Yun Chu: "How will you arrange for us at this dinner?"

Yun Chu smiled and said: "Old Wei is highly respected, so he is naturally the top priority."

Wei An raised his face full of age spots and said: "Three thousand taels of gold!"

Yun Chu stared at Wei An and said: "Three thousand taels of gold is equivalent to one thousand acres of land!"

Wei An looked at Yun Chu and said: "Five thousand taels of gold!"

Yun Chu sneered: "Two thousand acres of land, and I will raise the price. This is the first time His Majesty has returned to Chang'an in twelve years. This is a rare opportunity for you to meet the emperor. Two thousand acres of land is sold at a low price."

Wei An said angrily: "You are going to dig up the roots of the Wei family in Chang'an."

Yun Chu said "The Wei family was convicted by the Queen not long ago. If Old Wei cannot resolve this issue in front of His Majesty, I think the end will be worrying. After all, the foundation of your Wei family is not in the land, but in the favor of the Emperor.

For many years, I have tried to take your Wei family's land many times, but you are still holding on to it. Yun is not a pushover. I have been reasoning with you for many years. What do you think you rely on?

If I were not worried about His Majesty's crime, a small official under my command would have wiped out your Wei family."

It is best to speak clearly to an old fox like Wei An. Once you are vague, this old dog will definitely come up with a reasonable reason that will leave Yun Chu speechless, and then avoid Yun Chu's plot to take his family's land.

In addition, there is no need to lie to an old guy who is about to die. While he has something to ask of the Emperor now, he must squeeze out his toad urine. If you make such a request at another time, this old guy will dare to die in front of him.

Wei An looked up at the sky, letting the snow fall on his face. He looked not only lonely but also infinitely desolate, as if Yun Chu was really going to castrate him, which made people feel sympathy.

"Forget it, seven thousand acres, Wei wants three seats."

Once the old guy made a decision, he was not stingy at all, and gave seven thousand acres of land without hesitation.

Yun Chu was not a debt-ridden person, and immediately said: "The first, fourth, and seventh seats on the left hand are yours, Wei."

Wei An glanced at Yun Chu and said: "You know Wei very well."

Yun Chu smiled and said: "Thank you, thank you, this is my duty."

He didn't expect Yun Chu to really send him off. After Wei An finished speaking, he turned around and left. The old guy was obviously over ninety years old. He was walking like a dragon and a tiger at this time. It looked like he still had a few years to live.

Weishi reached a deal with Yunchu, and Du family naturally reached a certain degree of exchange with Yunchu. As for the others, Yunchu naturally ignored them and left it to the Wu brothers and Lu Zhaolin, while Yang Jiong and the others received them. Lu Xiu, this person is too shameless to do such a thing at the moment.

When Yunchu returned to the official residence, Lu Xiu helped Yunchu remove his armor with anxiety. When Yunchu sat down, he tremblingly brought a cup of hot tea and said gratefully: "Thank you, Lord."

Yunchu spoke for him in front of the emperor, which was a great kindness. A cup of tea can be repaid with a word of gratitude.

So, Yun Chu took a sip of hot tea and said to him: "Once those people agree to hand over the land, the Hubufang will immediately change the title deeds, giving priority to the land closest to Chang'an City and Qujiang City. "

After hearing this, Lu Xiu said with a look of embarrassment: "They won't give those lands."

Yun Chu looked at Lu Xiu's troubled face and sighed: "Go ahead and do it, they have no choice."

Seeing Lu Xiu hunched over and leaving the official residence, Yun Chu also began to agree with Li Zhi's opinion of Lu Xiu. He really couldn't get on the stage. In this life, the position of Wannian County Chief Registrar will be the highest he can reach in this life.

Chang'an City is only twelve miles away from Qujiang City. Since the land in the middle is close to Qujiang River, it is most convenient to obtain water for irrigation. As long as there is no locust or insect plague, whatever you plant will grow, and the yield is not low. The land here is generally called Jin Buhuan by Chang'an people.

This means that no matter how much money you spend to buy the land here, it will not be a loss.

Sometimes Yunchu didn't know how the people of Chang'an calculated accounts. One acre of land cost three taels of gold, while one tael of gold in the Tang Dynasty was less than forty grams. With these forty grams of gold, one could buy twenty thousand kilograms of white rice in Chang'an.

Three taels of gold can buy 60,000 jins of white rice, 100,000 jins of rice, 120,000 jins of wheat, and as for corn, it can reach an exaggerated 160,000 jins.

And for these land that cannot be exchanged for gold, one acre of land can only produce three hundred kilograms of wheat a year...

The reason why Chang'an's land prices are so abnormal is that Yunchu is the culprit. It was he who first inflated the land prices in Chang'an City. In addition, in the past twenty years, Chang'an's population has increased dramatically, and the previously empty Bianyuanfang City There are often tigers, wild wolves, wild boars and the like there. Now, even within thirty miles of Zhongnan Mountain, you can't find a single beast.

As a result, if the people of Chang'an wanted to hunt, they had to go as far as Bailuyuan or enter the Qinling Mountains.

In a city with more than a million permanent residents, where would a wild beast find its home?

Similarly, the price of land outside the city has increased more than ten times compared with the late Zhenguan years.

Under such circumstances, breaking up the land annexation has become a top priority on Yunchu's table. Only by fragmenting the land and allowing more farmland to be in the hands of real farmers can the people of Chang'an be willing to work for this land. The city works hard.

Otherwise, the land outside the city belongs to the big landowners, and the shops in the city belong to the big nobles. Given the honest and cunning character of the Guanzhong people, it would be strange if they did not run away when the enemy came.

Anyway, I don’t have an acre of land or a room, and the shop is none of my business.

The city was destroyed, and the unlucky ones were the big landowners and nobles. If they died, they might still get some benefits, but the land couldn't be destroyed anyway...

If, say, you own a piece of farmland outside the city, you have your own small business in the city, your wife is not ugly, and your children are barely obedient... then there is nothing wrong with it. If you don't poop out the enemy's shit, Guess he pulled it clean.

Yun Chu always believed that this mentality was responsible for the people from Guanzhong standing in a row to welcome Huang Chao when he invaded Chang'an.

Chang'an was defeated six times, and the emperor moved nine times. It was really strange to be defeated in a pass where great soldiers have always been sent out in every dynasty.

It’s not that there are no people in Guanzhong who dare to fight, but that there are no people in Guanzhong who are willing to fight.

A soldier with no land or assets cannot even defeat a sheep...

Just when Yunchu was deep in thought, the Wu brothers, Lu Zhao, and Yang Jiong walked in, covered in snowflakes. As soon as they came in, the four of them gathered around the stove to warm their hands.

Yun Chu took a sip of the already cold tea and asked, "How much land?"

Lu Zhaolin said tremblingly: "Sixty-eight thousand acres."

Yang Jiong said: "We deliberately did not want the land between Chang'an City and Qujiang City that cannot be exchanged for gold, so that we can exchange more."

Yun Chu frowned and said, "Oh?"

When Wu Chengsi saw the unhesitating look on the prince's face, he hurriedly said: "What we want is the land surrounding the Chang'an City to Qujiang City area."

Yun Chu said fiercely: "Tell me a reason. If you can't, I will beat the four of you together today."

Wu Sansi shuddered and said quickly: "Junhou, as long as the surrounding land is in our hands, I have ten thousand ways to turn Jinbuhuan between Chang'an and Qujiang City into a penniless wasteland."

A smile appeared on Yun Chu's face, and he stood up and poured a cup of hot tea for each of the four of them. He pushed it in front of the four of them and said with a smile: "Are you going to make a plan?"

Wu Chengsi chuckled and said: "Anyway, the harvest from the fields between Chang'an City and Qujiang City cannot enter the government's warehouse. I thought, so I just stopped running it."

After listening to Wu Chengsi's suggestion, Yun Chu did not nod or shake his head, but stood up directly, put on his cloak, and said to Wu Chengsi: "I will be guarding Xingqing Palace tonight. You can make your own decisions on some minor matters."

Lu Zhaolin hurriedly said: "I suggest that the large plots of land be divided into small plots and sold to the people of Chang'an City according to the household registration. The price does not need to be high, and the smaller the plot, the better. In this way, if the big families want to continue to annex those fields, they will have to face thousands of small landlords."

Wu Sansi snorted coldly: "The price is not high? What nonsense are you talking about? Even if the price is high, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the plots of land are There are countless families in the city who want to buy a piece of land outside the city to grow crops, even if they can only grow vegetables.

If the land that the Lord has worked hard to get back is sold at a low price, those short-sighted guys may sell the land at a high price. Isn't this contrary to the Lord's plan?

Therefore, I suggest that these fields should not only not be sold at a low price, but should be sold at a high price. Moreover, not everyone has the opportunity to buy them. We can give priority to selling them to those soldiers in the city who have no land but only money. "

Seeing the four of them quarreling, Yun Chu pushed open the door of the official residence and walked out.

At this time, the wind stopped and the snow stopped, and the bright moon was in the sky, shining the city of Chang'an brightly.