One day I came to Bianzhou, which is the eastern starting point of Hangu Road, which runs through the two capitals of the Tang Dynasty, and is also the joint point of the Jianghuai wealth transfer of the two capitals. When September, Jianghuai and other places rented rice cloth silk like a hundred rivers returning to the sea converged, the city and outside the city were full of servants with southern accents, and the state and county officials who were responsible for transporting and renting rice cloth were all disgraced, happy or worried, everyone looked anxious, and only after a little inquiry did they know that there was a mutiny in Zhengzhou under the rule of Yicheng Town, and the chaotic army occupied Guanjin, resulting in the road to the west.

Tang Lu's punishment for those who illegally transported the rented rice was quite severe, not only that, but Li Mao also heard that the Zhengzhou military rebellion was intensifying, and there was a tendency to spread to the east. So everyone is anxious.

Qingmo muttered: "The imperial court is also a soft pinch of persimmons, and the town of Heshuo not only does not bear the burden of supply, but also has to allocate grain and cloth to him every year to supply the army." The southeastern provinces must not only contribute from time to time, but also bear the pain of this long-distance transfer, which is the way of the honest to suffer and the wicked to use. After saying this, he immediately attracted several malicious glances.

Li Mao coughed, and the little guy also knew that he was speechless, and quickly shut up.

At this time, Mo Qishen, who went out to inquire about the news, rushed back in a hurry, picked up the tea bowl in front of Qingmo and drank it all, wiped his mouth, and said excitedly: "I inquired about ......"

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by a cough from Qingmo, who glared at him and said angrily: "What are you yelling, my ears are buzzing." ”

Mo Qi's magic power swept left and right, and sure enough, a vote of people was eavesdropping with their ears pricked up, and they hurriedly shut up.

After meeting the account, the three of them got up and went back to the house, closed the door, and said: "There is a small road from the south that can bypass Zhengzhou and go directly to Luoyang." Qingmo said: "All roads lead to Luoyang, the key is whether this road is too peaceful." ”

"Taiping, Taiping." Mo Qi Shentong exclaimed excitedly, "I have inquired clearly, this is the road taken by the southern Shangzhugong, and it is very peaceful. ”

"Private tribute, what is private tribute?"

"That's it, that's it...... That ......"

Mo Qi Shentong understood in his heart, but he couldn't say it, and he held back a sentence for a long time: "Our Son of Heaven loves money, and local officials do what they like, and privately pay tribute to the Son of Heaven, so as to be happy, these goods are stored in the Son of Heaven's big surplus treasury and Qionglin treasury, so it is called private tribute." The prime minister of the country has no right to intervene, so it is called private tribute. ”

Qingmo said: "Where did the money and goods come from for the officials' private tribute?" ”

Mo Qi Shen Channel: "That's not the income from looting places?" Do they have to pay for it out of their own pockets? ”

Qingmo shook his head and said: "Cutting the cat's tail and mixing cat rice, the magistrate made a good deal, and let the Son of Heaven suffer the infamy of the world in vain." "Mo Qi Shen Channel: "I think it's a good deal made by the Son of Heaven." Enjoy not only the worship of the people of the world, but also the worship of the officials of the world. Qingmo smiled: "You are so confused, the wool is out of the sheep, and the official's offering is still out of the people in the final analysis, and the officials themselves don't produce anything, so can the property be conjured up by itself?" ”

It's not that he is not smart enough, but he has less experience and doesn't understand these twists and turns, and when he heard this, he said hatefully: "The people of the world are suffering, and the roots are on it." ”

Qingmo said continuously: "Silence, silence, be careful that the wall has ears." ”

Mo Qi Shentong slammed his fist on the table, and the shocked cups and saucers jumped together: "If he is allowed to do it, he is not allowed to say it." ”

Qingmo saw that his bullish temper came up, so he didn't say much, and pointed at him and said, "I'll stay away from you, so as not to be affected by you." ”

Mo Qi's supernatural power was angry, and he couldn't stop muttering. Li Mao smiled and just drank tea. When today's son's biological mother, Empress Ruizhen, Shen, was caught in the chaos of the Anshi Rebellion, and she didn't know whether she was alive or dead. The young son of heaven has lacked maternal love since he was a child, and has been living in fear, even if he became an emperor, this sense of insecurity has not disappeared.

After the change of Fengtian, the Son of Heaven has no ambition to enterprising, perfunctory to the place, suspicious and distrustful of the courtiers, but the eunuchs around him are increasingly believed, the Son of Heaven is no longer the Son of Heaven of the people of the world, but he wants to be a frightened and weak old man, living in a simple place, only the palm in front of him as far as the eye can see, he transferred the world's elite soldiers and fierce generals to take care of his home and nursing home, and looted all the world's goods and piled them up in his own warehouse, in order to find a little bit of security.

Local officials got a glimpse of the special hobby of the Son of Heaven, and contributed money and property in various names, and they used their brains to show their own powers, or withheld taxes, or deducted salaries, or embezzled public funds, or set up clever names, increased taxes and fees, and looted places in different ways, while honoring the Son of Heaven to win the name of loyalty and filial piety, they also enriched their own private pockets.

At first, officials paid tribute to the Son of Heaven only on Christmas and the Three Festivals, once or several times a year. The Jiangxi observation made Li Jian feel that this was not enough to demonstrate his unique loyalty, so he paid a monthly tribute outside of Christmas and the three festivals, called "Yuejin", and Li Jian's idea was soon imitated by local officials.

The observation made the first-level officials pay private tribute once a month, and it gradually became a rule.

Xichuan Jiedu made Wei Gao think that he had to use a big killing move to stand out, so he changed "Yuejin" to "Rijin", and the wealth of the Kingdom of Abundance was continuously transported to Chang'an to express Jiedu's special loyalty to the emperor.

Wei Gao has been in Xichuan for many years, has a deep foundation, is rich and capricious, and other local officials complain bitterly, but for the sake of the future and face, there are conditions, and there are no conditions to be hard-headed.

Changzhou Assassin Shi Pei Su has not made progress for many years, seeing that Huafa is pale and veteran, he is determined to give him a hand, so he opens the precedent of "Rijin" with the power of a state, and the Son of Heaven is full of emotion when he hears the words, and soon he is promoted to a serious observer in eastern Zhejiang.

Pei Du's glorious deeds infected enterprising thorns everywhere, and they tightened their belts one after another, setting off waves of money**.

Seeing that the local government officials were being reused because of their small hands, the shogunate officials were also moved. Xuanhui observed that Yan Shou, the judge of the embassy, dared to be the first, and he took the lead in scraping the warehouse to express his loyalty to Chang'an, so Long Yan Dayue summoned Yan Shou back to Beijing and appointed him as a member of the criminal department. Since then, Yan Shou's official fortune has been prosperous, and he has been the envoy of Hedong Festival all the way.

Local officials have contributed to the Son of Heaven by turning public affairs into private interests, and have won the favor of the Son of Heaven, and local officials have also benefited, but it is the national system and the local people that have harmed. This evil has been going on for a long time, and the famous ministers Li Mi and Lu Zhen have written to advise, and the Son of Heaven has listened to it, but he still goes his own way.

Since it is a private tribute, it must be safe. Li Mao abandoned the right path and switched to the southern path. (Dissertation College)