Chapter 286: The Gentleman's Dispute Rises in the Temple

From Jinling to Lin'an, the most convenient itinerary should be from the canal. But Yelu Chucai had already heard the news of the railway, and the railway from Huating to Jinling was now under construction day and night, so he deliberately made a circle, first by steam boat to Huating Mansion, and then by train from Huating Mansion to Lin'an. Although the trip has increased a lot, the time actually taken has decreased.

This made him extremely excited, and although he had a sickness during the train ride, he still saw what kind of changes the railway would bring to the country. He had seen about trains in newspapers and some people's travel notes, but all the words were not as impactful as his personal experience.

It was precisely because of this impact that he was determined to persuade Zhao Youju and the princes of the court to raise a large amount of funds to promote the development of Jinling.

In order to facilitate officials from other places to enter Beijing, and also to reflect the kindness and favor of the Son of Heaven to them, the rooms in the official post are not large, but the facilities are extremely intimate, for example, the same flush toilet used in the palace today. When he was begging, Yelu Chucai used this kind of thing, but he didn't see it after returning to the Great Song Dynasty, but he didn't expect to leave the capital for a year, and even the official post was equipped with this kind of sanitary ware.

"It's changing with each passing day, it's changing with each passing day." Apart from this word, Yelu Chucai could no longer find any other words to describe this era.

Because he had not come to Lin'an for a year, he wanted to take this opportunity to walk around and learn some experience in Lin'an construction, but he thought that he would have to ask himself questions after the lunch break, so he had to hold back his eagerness, and after eating, he began to fall asleep after explaining to the official post officer.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, he was woken up by the servants, and after a little washing, he sorted out the things he had prepared on the train again, and suddenly felt a little nervous in his heart.

Although the Son of Heaven did not say it explicitly, it should not only be Cui He who was present in the afternoon, but also the other two Zaifu, the chief officials of the six departments, and some relevant officials, I am afraid that they will all be present. He will face their questioning, and if he can't move them, even if the officials support him, they will face a certain amount of obstruction and pressure.

At 2:15, the palace envoy who came to call him arrived at the door, and Yelu Chucai straightened his clothes and walked towards the palace with great strides.

As he guessed, more than twenty officials of the Great Song Dynasty gathered in the west hall of Boya Lou this time, and almost all the core officials were here.

Because Zhao and Ju often met with the ministers in the Boya Building, he renovated the west wing of the Boya Building - he did not break his promise not to build the palace, but only opened up the original several rooms to form a small conference room. The layout of this small conference room is different from the rest of the halls, but somewhat similar to the classrooms of the new-style school, with a podium in front of the podium and rows of seats in front of the podium, and the last position facing south and north is the throne of Zhao and Ju. Sometimes, the bachelor of Boya House will explain some common knowledge of wisdom to the ministers, especially in economics and management, and Zhao Youju himself has even given two lectures. Whether these officials listen to it or not, at least for the past year, they have been more organized in their handling of political affairs than before, and the time taken to go through the process has been shorter.

"Yelu Chucai, you are misleading the country!"

After listening to Yelu Chucai's fundraising method, the first person to come out to express his opposition was Zheng Qingzhi, for him, Zhao Heju was more and more disappointed. He knew that the fundamental reason why he was able to become the chief official of one of the six departments was that Zhao Heju wanted to use him as his prime minister, and he always boasted of being Cui He's successor. But last year, Zhao Heju appointed Yelu Chucai as the prefect of Jiankang, which made him aware of the crisis, although he endured it for a year, but if he didn't oppose this matter today, then his last hope would be dashed.

Because it was Zhao Youju's teacher, he knew Zhao Youju quite well, and knew that he was not the kind of person who would abandon his courtiers because of political differences, otherwise, Zhen Dexiu would only be afraid of the cold bones, and he would have been abandoned a long time ago. Therefore, he was determined to pick out the shortcomings of Yelu Chucai's policy, firstly, to show his ability and vision in front of Zhao and Ju, and secondly, to prevent Yelu Chucai from obtaining greater merits - if Yelu Chucai succeeded in this strategy, he would be transferred to the cabinet earlier, and I am afraid that he would be able to become a Zaifu before the age of fifty.

That also means that his path to Zheng Qing's previous progress will be blocked, and his lifelong ambition will not be realized.

Thinking of this, he stabilized his breathing, and his words were no longer so sharp, but softened: "Although you are dedicated to serving the country, you have released three Taishan evil tigers. ”

"First, the act of grabbing the lottery, there is a kind of gambling, now the world is declining, the people are good at gambling, and there are many people who are broken because of this. Wandering in the city, not doing production, only calling friends to attract companions, setting up bureaus to deceive people, the court repeatedly banned it, and even there were Confucian scholars, who also wasted their studies and enjoyed it. If the lottery is carried out in the name of the government, it will be like adding fuel to the fire, and the gambling style will be prosperous, and it will not be stopped. ”

"Second, it is the nature of businessmen to pursue profits, and the wolf is ruthless and greedy. In the past, Lin'an Haoshang controlled the rice market and invested money to control the Huating Rebellion. Your Majesty Shengming, the disadvantages of using the benefits of businessmen to go to businessmen, because of their tax losses and silks, will help the country, so the net is open, and you will treat it with gentleness. Jinling is the vice-capital of the country, the fundamental key place, and the throat of the line, and the introduction of the capital of the merchants in such a heavy place will inevitably make the merchants dictate and interfere in the important affairs of the country. This is like holding Tai Ah upside down, giving authority to others, not the work of the wise. ”

"Third, since ancient times, only those who have heard that they are rich in the people and even in the prosperous world, and they have not heard of those who can get peace by collecting the people's wealth. Patriotic bonds, lent to the people, have four drawbacks. First, for the loss of the dignity of the imperial court, my Great Song Dynasty is rich all over the world, and the household department has been saving more than the Han and Tang dynasties, and the annual income far exceeds that of the Han and Tang Dynasties, how can there be any reason to borrow from the people? The second is that it is easy to be used by villains and cunning officials, and it becomes a government that disturbs the people, although the Jerus said that whether to buy or not depends on the people's willingness, but the villains and cunning officials are either for political achievements or for personal gain, how can there be those who do not persecute the people, although the Son of Heaven is sacred, and although the court officials are virtuous, they can identify them one by one? Third, in order to help the wind of great joy, as soon as Jinling opened this case, the rest of the local officials will inevitably learn from Handan, although it is in the name of borrowing, but in fact it is a clever name to collect and scrape the people, is it not a harsh tax and miscellaneous taxes? Fourth, if the rulers of the later generations have no money to use, and do not think of opening up sources and reducing expenditures, they will start to borrow money and eat food, is it a long-term way? ”

His three reasons came for Yelu Chucai's three channels of collecting money, and all of them were to the point, not to mention the ministers, even Zhao and Ju also nodded again and again. Yelu Chucai's method cannot be said to be bad, but his method also has huge risks and hidden worries, which is also the reason why Zhao Youju refused to make a decision immediately in the morning.

Seeing that the Son of Heaven recognized his doubts, Zheng Qing's heart was slightly happy, and then he said sincerely: "Master Yelu, you must be cautious in seeking the country, and you must take care of the government. ”

Yelu Chucai twisted his beautiful hair, but he didn't show the slightest panic, he glanced at all the important ministers, and saw Zhao Heju nodding to him, he said: "Your Majesty, all the officials, what Zheng Shangshu said is the words of the old Cheng to seek the country, and it is really a good word of gold and jade, and the lower officials have been taught and benefited a lot." ”

When everyone heard him say this, they knew that he had no intention of giving up, and he had never given up, although he praised Zheng Qingzhi, but he just wanted to suppress it first. Because these three policies are very important, and the amount of money involved is equivalent to one-fifth of the annual income of the Great Song Dynasty, so everyone dare not think carefully.

Sure enough, Yelu Chucai then said: "Although this is the case, there are all advantages and disadvantages in this matter, and Your Majesty has also said that the decision for the government is just a weighed pros and cons, and the pros outweigh the disadvantages. ”

"Although there are many drawbacks, carefully weighed the three strategies for accumulating wealth, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The knowledge of the lower officials is shallow, and there are six advantages to it. ”

Everyone smiled slightly, Zheng Qingzhi found out three drawbacks, and Yelu Chucai found out six interests, and the meaning of-for-tat was already obvious. It's just that it's not a lot of weight, and whether the six benefits he said are greater than the three drawbacks that Zheng Qingzhi said depends on how he explains them.

"The country does not raise taxes, the people do not complain, and the money is abundant, which is also a benefit."

"Adjusting the dead money, colluding with what is not, and accelerating national construction, this is also a benefit."

"It is the third benefit of suppressing public opinion, promoting patriotism, and winning the hearts of the people."

"Changing customs, educating the people, and turning harm into treasure are also the four benefits."

"Transforming businessmen, guiding goods, and increasing livelihoods are also five benefits."

"Breaking new ground, innovating and enterprising, for the law of future generations, this is also the six benefits."

Just as the ministers thought, Yelu Chucai's six interests were completely aimed at the three drawbacks that Zheng Qingzhi said. He believes that his three strategies can enrich the state without increasing taxes, can turn the stored dead money into circulating living money, accelerate the construction of the Great Song Dynasty, can promote patriotism, make the people realize that the construction of the country is closely related to their personal interests, can make the original clueless and dangerous gambling industry into the management of the state, become orderly and controlled, can increase employment, guide businessmen from blind pursuit of profit to righteousness and profit, can set an example for future generations to pioneer and innovate without sticking to the old ways.

Next, he talked about the solution to the three evils that Zheng Qingzhi said. For example, the rest of the localities followed suit out of the utilitarian desire of officials, and he proposed that the right to issue these three policies be collected by the central government, and that the imperial court, mainly the household department, should come forward to investigate, study and make decisions, and then after the court council passed and the Son of Heaven added the seal, it was decided whether to raise funds for the construction of a certain place through these methods, which put an end to the possibility of local officials privately implementing the three policies for their own political achievements. Another example is the concern that villains and officials will use this strategy for their own personal gain, Yelu Chucai's suggestion is to strengthen the supervision of the judicial system, and at the same time give full play to the propaganda and educational role of newspapers, so that this policy can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people: "Let the people know about the situation, and the officials should not enrich themselves for personal gain." ”

In short, Yelu Chucai has a solution to any disadvantages, he said it in an orderly manner, and each solution is also just right, which proves that he is completely prepared. Zheng Qingzhi's expression was very focused when he heard him, and there was a sneer on the corner of his mouth at first, but later, his expression became more and more serious, and finally he even sat upright. After Yelu Chucai finished speaking, the ministers all looked at him, waiting for him to continue to refute, but he made a move that surprised everyone.

He left his position, bowed respectfully to Yelu Chucai, and then silently returned to his position, never saying a word again. Apparently, he admitted his defeat and was persuaded by Yelu Chucai.

When the ministers were stunned, they heard the applause of the "horn", and when they looked back, it was Zhao Heju who smiled and nodded again and again.

Everyone understands that there is a competitive relationship between Zheng Qingzhi and Yelu Chucai, not only the two of them, but also Wei Liaoweng, who is now the head of the household department, Zhen Dexiu in the early Chu Dynasty, and Yu Tianxi, who is the prefect of Lin'an, they are all candidates for Zaifu this year, and it is normal for them to be faintly opposed to each other, or to be divided into several forces because of the portal faction of politics and academics. Therefore, Zheng Qingzhi was the first to come out to obstruct Yelu Chucai, and no one would be surprised, but to everyone's surprise, he left as soon as he fought and did not continue to entangle with Yelu Chucai.

In the applause of Zhao and Ju, the ministers suddenly realized that although Zheng Qingzhi seemed to lose the policy debate, he got extra points in the emperor's heart, because Zheng Qingzhi's demeanor proved that he was a person with the bearing of a prime minister. Today's son is originally wise and assertive, and he doesn't need a too talented prime minister to govern, what he wants is originally an auxiliary minister who can reconcile the monarch and the minister's magnanimous bearing. Xiang Cui is the best example, he and the Son of Heaven can get along, not because he can formulate any good policies, but because of the clever means and flexible way he has shown in dealing with the relationship between the Son of Heaven and the hundred officials.

Some ministers even recalled the article written by the Son of Heaven once published in the "Great Song Times Weekly", thinking that Wang Anshi's failure to change the law was the reason, so there were Wang Anshi himself, and there were also those gentlemen who opposed him. Although the Tao is different, it does not mean that it is necessary to obstruct or restrict.

"This is a gentleman's dispute, and it should be a model for future generations." Sure enough, after the ministers calmed down, Zhao and Ju made a final conclusion about the dispute between Zheng Qingzhi and Yelu Chucai.

With the conclusion of the Son of Heaven, the rest of the ministers who were originally going to speak out against Yelu Chucai's policy had to think twice, and at this time, if they scolded Yelu Chucai without any grace, or even asked Fu Que to behead him to thank the world, the result was to push themselves into a rigid and narrow situation, so although their opposition was still fierce, they did not rise up to attack, and they did not even leave the opportunity to speak and refute.

Compared with them, Yelu Chucai is very well prepared, he not only has a complete set of steps on how to implement these three money-raising strategies, but also has a large string of data obtained through investigation, the persuasiveness of these data is beyond doubt, and later, on whether to implement these three policies, everyone's opinions have reached a high degree of unanimity, that is, the advantages of these three policies outweigh the disadvantages, and they should be tried. There is also controversy over how to avoid or control the drawbacks of these three policies as much as possible.

Since then, the Great Song Dynasty will have less meaningless righteous disputes, the so-called good at the top, effective at the bottom, the Son of Heaven likes ministers with grace and grace, so the vast majority of ministers will pay attention to their demeanor and bearing. Cui He privately said to Zhao Heju that if Bao Zheng was still above the court, then he would soon become the target of public criticism, because he was too ungraceful.

Yelu Chucai finally left Boya House satisfied, and in this policy dispute, he not only showed his wit and eloquence, but also showed his excellent demeanor. He was originally dignified, and his speech and demeanor could be described as personable, so the ministers praised him. Some of those who were close to him even whispered congratulations to him after leaving the palace, but he was never complacent and showed humility and courtesy.

Everyone knows that if there is no accident, Yelu Chucai will become a new star in the political arena of the Great Song Dynasty. And he himself is calm about this, Zhao Youju had spoken to him long before he was released, he saw his future very thoroughly, he knew that the most important thing for him was to do practical things and accumulate merit and prestige.

On December 10 of the third year of Yanhuang, when the attention of the people of the Great Song Dynasty was focused on the war in the Central Plains, the "Great Song Times Weekly" and others published an article on three strategies written by Yelu Chucai, which did not attract much attention at that time, because at this time, there were already rumors in the grapevine that Jin Guolian sent twelve envoys to the south to ask for peace.

Note 1: Bao Zheng once gave great advice, when the Son of Heaven was Renzong, both of them were stubborn, and during the dispute, Bao Zheng unknowingly even climbed the steps of the throne, and his saliva sprayed Emperor Renzong's face, and Emperor Renzong finally reluctantly obeyed him. Because of a certain Hades Hall and the Incineration Department, the TV is full of slave pigtail plays, and some people think that the ancient emperors were slave owners like the Manchu chieftains.