Guo Xu promulgated a holy decree, requiring all merchants in the Great Zhou to pay more than ten kinds of taxes specially set up for merchants, such as sales tax, ship tax, road and bridge tax, and city entry tax. As a result, merchants had to pay twice as much in taxes as before to buy and sell. The court's explanation was so eloquent that it was impossible to refute it. It is to the effect that it is unfair that you merchants have used the roads, rivers and wharves that the court has spent money on to build, and the markets and trading places that you have built, but the money you earn is your own. The silver of the court has been spent for you, and you have to pay the silver to give back to the court, which is a fair deal.

The businessmen complained bitterly, but there was nowhere to reason. In addition to paying money, I'm afraid that I will only be out of business. However, Guo Xu was not aware of the consequences of this stupid measure, and he did not calculate the economic account like that, and he would not realize that this would discourage the businessmen, but would make the imperial court's income even less in the future. And the prosperity of Shangjia is the greatest contributor to the prosperity of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Some of the merchants decided to close their businesses, while others raised the price of goods and passed on the lost silver to others, and the resulting prices soared, and a series of problems of social chaos affected not only the merchants, but also the entire people of the Great Zhou. This will bring great upheaval, create a situation where people are not able to make a living, and undermine the already fragile livelihoods of the people. Guo Xu couldn't think about it at all.

Guo Xu is now just doing what he wants to do, and the people of insight in the court, those officials who know the consequences of doing so, dare not speak out. Even more upper, Lu Zhongtian's temporary position as privy envoy is even more incredible. Although the imperial court's explanation was only temporary, it had already destroyed the foundation of the system since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. When Fang Dunru and Yan Zhengsu set up the Regulations Department, they only owned a very small part of the military, political and financial powers, and they were vigorously impeached by Lu Zhongtian and others, saying that they had destroyed the ancestral system and were suspected of dictatorship. And now Lu Zhongtian has done it himself, and he is holding the military, political and financial power of the entire imperial court in his hands. This shows that Lu Zhongtian is a hypocrite.

It's not that the ancestral system can't be changed, but it depends on who the power is given to? Of course, it is not possible to give it to others, but it is okay to give it to yourself. This is Lu Zhongtian's true psychology.

Under such circumstances, some officials in the DPRK and China could not bear it, but they could not change the status quo. I can't afford to hide if I can't afford to provoke me! So some people resigned and left, and some ran away without even saying hello, because they all saw that the court was incorrigible and smelled some unusual breath.

For Guo Xu and Lu Zhongtian, it is not a terrible thing for some officials to resign and leave, but what they are most worried about is the reaction of the army after Yang Jun was killed. Among them, what they were most afraid of was the reaction of Yuan Zhenqian, the mighty Marquis of Zhenxi, who commanded an army of 250,000 troops stationed in the northwest. Yuan Zhenqian was the chief general of Yang Jun's subordinates, and he was the deputy general of Yang Jun's side when he followed Yang Jun to pacify Western Xia. When Yang Jun had to resign from his military post and go into hiding for a period of time to avoid the limelight, he recommended Yuan Zhenqian to take over his position as the commander of the Northwest Army. It can be seen that Yang Jun appreciates Yuan Zhenqian very much.

After Yang Jun became a privy envoy, he was never stingy with the supply of equipment and materials for the Northwest Army. It can be seen from this that Yang Jun himself also regards Yuan Zhenqian as a descendant. The reason why Yang Jun was able to maintain a stable position in the DPRK and China was largely due to the fact that he had the Northwest Army

Ma Yuan was stationed in Western Xia, and anyone who wanted to move Yang Jun had to consider the consequences. Therefore, when Yang Jun was killed, what Guo Xu and Lu Zhongtian were most worried about was Yuan Zhenqian's reaction. Although it seems reasonable to ask Yang Jun to confess his guilt and then kill him, whether these leading generals admit it or not, especially whether Yuan Zhenqian admits it or not, is still the biggest worry in the hearts of Guo Xu and Lu Zhongtian.

After Yang Jun was executed, Guo Xu sent his personal attendants to the northwest with the original copy of Yang Jun's confession, as well as the appointment decree of Yuan Zhenqian's privy deputy, the seal of the general, and the edict of the third-class duke. This is to appease Yuan Zhenqian and find out his attitude. The appointment of the privy deputy envoy, plus the title of general, plus the title of duke, these three major rewards can be said to be extremely rich, and Guo Xu can be regarded as a bloody investment. That's not all, Lu Zhongtian also handed over a treasure treasured in the mansion to the messenger to bring with him, and wrote a handwritten letter. The gift was a sword, the Xueji Sword, one of the ten most famous swords in the legend. According to legend, it is the sword of the Taoist master, which is extremely valuable and valuable.

The reason why Lu Zhongtian asked people to bring this Xueji Sword to Yuan Zhenqian was that there was a small episode. A few years ago, Yuan Zhenqian returned to Beijing to report on his work, and Lu Zhongtian had a banquet for Yang Jun and Yuan Zhenqian, of course, it was just a matter of etiquette. At the banquet, Yuan Zhenqian seemed to have drunk too much, saying that he was the ninth great-great-grandson of Yuan Tiangang, a metaphysical Taoist priest in the Li Tang Dynasty. Who is Yuan Tiangang? That's the one who wrote "Push. The back picture can predict the gods of the national fortune events for thousands of years before and after, and the people of the people are even more proud of him. Yuan Zhenqian's words were naturally unbelievable. Yuan Zhenqian also said that his ancestors originally had a sword, which was handed down by his ancestors, and it was a Daomen holy relic named Xueji Sword, which was later lost in the war. Said it was his responsibility to find the sword.

Everyone else thinks this is nonsense, but to Lu Zhongtian, it sounds like a different feeling. Because of the coincidence, Lu Zhongtian has this famous sword hidden in his house. This was searched by Lu Zhongtian when he seized the Tiangong Temple in the capital, and the Taoist priests of the Tiangong Temple did not know that this sword was valuable, but Lu Zhongtian knew it, so he swallowed it himself.

When Lu Zhongtian heard Yuan Zhenqian say this, he immediately understood that this must be a deliberate act by Yang Jun and Yuan Zhenqian. They obviously knew that this sword was in their hands, and one of the things that Yang Jun was most obsessed with was collecting all kinds of famous sword weapons and treasures. It is likely that they knew that the sword was in their hands, so they asked Yuan Zhenqian to deliberately make up a set of stories. If he really believed that he was Yuan Tiangang's great-great-grandson, he would probably return this sword to Yuan Zhenqian, thus fulfilling Yang Jun's wish.

Lu Zhongtian was willing to take care of their play, and pretended not to hear it at all. Later, Yang Jun almost made it clear what he said, "Lu Xiangjiao travels widely, if you find the trace of this sword, please look for it on your behalf, after all, it is the thing of the Heavenly Master, and there will be merit when it is returned to the original owner." In this way, it shows that Lu Zhongtian's guess is correct, and these two people are here to trick themselves into handing over this sword to them. Lu Zhongtian said in his heart: Do you treat the old man as a fool? only perfunctorily said that he would definitely help with this, and after seeing the sword, he must find a way to return it to its original owner.

Back then, Lu Zhongtian was unpretentious, but now Lu Zhongtian naturally needs to win over Yuan Zhenqian. Bringing this sword to Yuan Zhenqian, to put it bluntly, is to win him over.

“…… What General Yuan said back then, the old man remembered in his heart, and finally visited the whereabouts of this sword not long ago, so he bought it with a lot of money and returned it to its original owner. General Yuan

It is the great-great-grandson of the Heavenly Master, and this sword can comfort the first group of gods, and it can also make up for the shortcomings of the ancestors who lost this sword. Lu likes to do things that are beautiful as adults, not to mention General Yuan's entrustment, and he does his best. also taught General Yuan to know that the old man has always been a man who keeps his promises. ”

This is Lu Zhongtian's letter, shaping himself into a trustworthy person who never forgets Yuan Zhenqian's words back then, and tries his best to fulfill his entrustment. It expresses a kind of importance and importance to Yuan Zhenqian. Under the pretext of returning things to the original owner, he gave this priceless sword to Yuan Zhenqian as a gift. Lu Zhongtian also made a bloody investment. As for whether Yuan Zhenqian is Yuan Tiangang's ninth-generation great-great-grandson, Lu Zhongtian doesn't care. What Lu Zhongtian cares about is that he has now seized the position of privy envoy, and he must get Yuan Zhenqian's support to officially grasp the military power, and he must win over Yuan Zhenqian, so he must make a bloody investment. If Yuan Zhenqian is an understanding person, he should know his intentions. With Yuan Zhenqian's support, his position as a privy envoy was basically stable. And this is also an important weight for Yuan Zhenqian to express his attitude towards Yang Jun's killing.

On the one hand, it is necessary to calm down the situation, stabilize the situation, and prohibit gossip from running rampant. On the one hand, Guo Xu and Lu Zhongtian were also waiting for the news of their return from the northwest in fear. After half a month of fear and restlessness, finally, the inner servants who delivered the decree came back from the northwest.

The chamberlain was also a ruthless man, he knew that the emperor and Lu Xiang were waiting for news from him, so he barely rested along the way, and hurried with his entourage dressed in stars and moons. The road to the northwest was long and difficult, and it took him only seven days to arrive at Xingqing Mansion, where Yuan Zhenqian's army was stationed. After conveying the will, he only rested for one night in Xingqing Mansion. It took another seven days to rush back to the capital. When he arrived in the capital, the chamberlain was dressed in tattered clothes and had dark skin, and the whole team looked like beggars. Of course, his efforts paid off, Guo Xu later promoted him to the position of the commander of the chamberlain, and Feihuang Tengda was just after this errand, but it was a later story.

The waiter brought Yuan Zhenqian's recital, and when Guo Xu read it with a dry mouth, a big stone in his heart fell to the ground. Yuan Zhenqian expressed his loyalty and support for the imperial court's decision. Yuan Zhenqian said that although he and Yang Jun are like father and son, and Yang Jun's envoy has the grace to promote him and the benefit of knowing him, everyone is equal in front of the national law. It is reasonable that Yang Shumi committed a serious crime and was punished. Yuan Zhenqian said that although he was heartbroken, as a minister of the imperial court, he could not exonerate Yang Jun. Yuan Zhenqian also said that he only hoped that the imperial court would give Yang Shumi a decent funeral, and that the person had already confessed his guilt, and that the merit was a merit or a fault, and that the merit could not be erased because of the sin. It is hoped that the imperial court will take into account the feelings of the officials and generals.

Yuan Zhenqian's twists and turns are not leaky, obviously ungrateful, but he described it as his loyalty and righteousness, and finally had to stand in the perspective of the country's righteousness to express his attitude, he was extremely embarrassed and heartbroken.

People are sometimes so sanctimonious, and the bottom line of human nature is often unknowable. If Yang Jun saw Yuan Zhenqian's performance, he was afraid that he would be alive from the coffin. This is his confidant, and after his death, he didn't even say a hard word for him, let alone raise any questions.

People go to tea and cool, Yuan Zhenqian perfectly interprets this word.