Although it was said that he returned to Youyan for military affairs, when Zheng Rong left a few months ago, he was very relieved to entrust the defense to Cui Nan and Wei Hu, two famous generals who attacked and defended, and there was still plenty of time to send troops to the north to burn grass every year, so he was not in a hurry.

In his spare time, Zheng Rong once asked Qiu Yizhi: "Do you know that your father-in-law is in charge of Henan, why did he punish your two uncles first?" ”

Qiu Yizhi has been thinking about this question since the Zhao family's house was sealed, and when his father-in-law asked about it today, he replied Lang Lang: "It is to make an example of a hundred people, so that the officials of Henan Province are afraid, so that they can concentrate on disaster relief." ”

Zheng Rong couldn't stop nodding his head when he said two sentences, and praised repeatedly: "The son can be taught!" The child can be taught! Then he said, "I have taken measures to change the law and strengthen the country in our dynasty, both Emperor Gaozongren and Emperor Xianzongzhao. Although Emperor Xianzong was not inferior to Gaozong in terms of his secrecy or sincerity in governing the country, he was far inferior to him in terms of the effectiveness of the reform. Do you know why? ”

In the whole world, except for Zheng Rong, the king of Youyan, who else, who dares and who will discuss the merits and demerits of the previous emperors with Qiu Yizhi? Of course, Yizhi couldn't answer this question, so he could only open his eyes wide, waiting for Zheng Rong to ask and answer himself.

"The purpose of the Xianzong reform is to strengthen the army, and the key to strengthening the army lies in money and grain, and if the increase in money and grain cannot harm the people, it is necessary to re-measure the land, and the measurement of land will inevitably clear out the land hidden by the landlords and wealthy households. However, the officials who supervise this matter are either inextricably linked with these rich households, or they are themselves rich households, how can this be done? As a result, before the new law was implemented, there was already a lot of discussion inside and outside the government, the opposition, and the public. By the time of the official implementation, the officials of the court were all detached and unwilling to work hard. Emperor Xianzong worked hard to govern the country, but he had no trustworthy talents, so he had to do everything himself, and finally became ill and died in his prime, and the change of the law was also wiped out. Xianzong's new law was not far from Zheng Rong, and he was very sorry when he talked about it, sighed quietly, and continued, "However, Gaozong changed the law and first emphasized the rule of officials, and the new law was not implemented, and he first punished a group of officials who bent the law and neglected their duties. On top of this, a number of shortcomings in the later years of Emperor Shengzuwu were repaired, and the problem of ant collapse was eliminated, and finally more than ten years of peace and prosperity were created. Therefore, if we take the analogy of trees, then the rulers are the stems, and all things are the leaves, and because the branches are diseased, even if the flowers and leaves can flourish for a while, they will eventually wither and fall. ”

Qiu Yizhi listened very carefully, for fear of missing a word, so he carefully recalled it for a long time, and asked: "The child has two puzzles, and I ask my father-in-law to make it clear." ”

Zheng Rong nodded and said: "Zi said, 'Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, and knowing is knowing', Yizhi can ask if he has doubts." ”

Qiu Yizhi then asked: "Since Emperor Gaozong has purged the rule of officials, why is it still corrupt after decades?" ”

When Zheng Rong heard this, he laughed and patted the case, and praised: "It's easy to say!" You, a weak-crowned child, can ask such questions, it is really not in vain for this king's preaching. I don't know that as the saying goes, 'The heart is not enough for a snake to swallow an elephant'? These bureaucrats, starting from the small officials, progressively get a fat difference, and the older they get, the more confused, how can they not think of ways to expropriate and extort? As soon as the emperor was lenient, he took luck and went forward one after another, like a moth to a fire. Therefore, the rectification of the rule of officials is not a one-day work, only by always grasping the constant strictness, can we get a few years of clarity, this is a chronic disease since the past dynasties. ”

Qiu Yizhi obviously understood, nodded and continued to ask: "Then if it is as my father-in-law said, my Chaoxianzong is an extremely wise emperor, why can't I start with the rule of officials and implement the new law?" ”

"You yellow-mouthed child, how can you discuss such military affairs and the rights and wrongs of the emperor?" Zhong Likuang, who was on the side, was originally disposing of the official documents sent by Youyan, and when he heard the conversation between Zheng Rong and Yizhi, he began to eavesdrop on it; At this critical point, he simply put down the paperwork in his hand and shouted at him. This Zhongli Kuang was usually dark, and his joy and anger were invisible, even Zheng Rong had never seen him so angry as he was today, and he stared at him with a pair of puzzled eyes. Zhong Likuang hurriedly stood up, pulled Zheng Rong aside, and whispered: "Although Qiu Yizhi is smart, his parents are dead, his upbringing is incomplete, and his heart is lost. Today's two problems, all of which are at the heart of the imperial officialdom, vaguely seem to be disobedient, and I hope that the prince can be on guard and can no longer be induced! ”

Zheng Rong waved his hand and said, "Sir's words are wrong. For the sake of this world, all those who have risen from poverty and poverty have risen from the imperial examination, all of them are greedy for power and lust for profit. And the children of the royal family and the family are all squirrels and are useless. Take the three biological sons of this king as an example, they seem to have some talent at the moment, but they don't know the suffering of the people, and they can't become real pillars. This king recognized the son of this moth here that night, originally just to repay the grace of saving his life, but now he looks at Yizhi, who has a blood feud but can be compassionate and moral, smart and eloquent and not sleek and sophisticated, it is really an excellent piece of jade. If this king does not follow the teachings of the saints and is not nurtured by the way of the previous kings, will he not destroy the heavens and waste this national weapon? ”

Zhong Li Kuang shook his head and argued: "In the past, Chu had a He clan, and he was pregnant with Puyu, so he was cut off by both feet and reduced to a waste; As soon as Puyu came out, I thought it was beautiful, and there was a war war, and it was noisy for half a lifetime; The jade is made into a vessel, and it is the jade seal of the country, which is all over the world, several generations are replaced, and they are fighting each other, and they are bleeding and drifting. With such a story, please think twice! ”

Zheng Rong sighed: "Of course this king knows the hard work of the gentleman. But if the gentleman suggests otherwise, the king will obey his words, but this king has his own opinion on this matter. ”

Zhong Likuang shook his head and said, "The prince has a wide vision, and he doesn't understand it in the lower districts. What happens in the future of this ritual depends only on the will of God! ”

Zheng Rong patted Zhong Li Kuang's shoulder and said, "In that case, please ask Mr. Zhong Li to answer questions for Yizhi!" ”

Although Zhong Likuang didn't say it, because he had the embarrassment of not being talented for many years, his love for talent was a little more than that of Zheng Rong, and he walked up to Yizhi and asked, "What doubts does Yizhi have that the prince needs to answer?" Listening to Qiu Yizhi repeat the question just now, Zhong Likuang said eloquently: "Doctors pay attention to distinguishing and treating diseases, but the medical methods of the same disease are very different. In his previous life, there was a famous doctor who saw that both of them had abdominal distension and pain, and one prescribed a laxative medicine, and he was cured after half a day; The other person was prescribed a solid medicine, and it took three months to recover. Some people who are puzzled ask, but they say: 'The former indulges in obscenity, causing yang to flourish and yin deficiency, and yin and yang are out of balance. The latter is tired and weak, and is infected with wind and cold, and is deficient in qi and blood. However, if the two are reversed, there is a danger to life. 'Did Yizhi understand this story?' ”

Zhong Likuang's words were profound and scathing, and the examples were not strictly corresponding, but they were savored but contained deep meanings, and he could only nod his head half-understandingly.

Youyan Road is bordered by the sea in the east, Henan in the south, grassland in the west, and desert in the north, with sea, river, plain, hills, grassland, Gobi and various terrains.

A group of people entered the boundary of Youyan Road Bozhou from Henan, and after walking a few steps, they saw someone coming to greet them from a distance. Zheng Rong hated those senseless honor guards the most, and the local officials of Youyan also knew his temper, so there were only a dozen people who came to greet him. Although Zheng Rong treats his subordinates leniently, the prince's shelf still has to be placed, stop the horses, and wait for the other party to step forward.

There were five people who came forward to greet them, and the two military and political chiefs of Bozhou Assassin Shi and Du Wei rode their horses and walked last, because the three people in the front were Zheng Rong's three sons - Zheng Xin, Zheng Sen and Zheng Miao. The eldest son, Zheng Xinnai, is a grandson, who is twenty-two years old this year, and continues to lose his hair, looking no different from his father from a distance; The second son Zheng Sen is twenty-one years old, his mother is the princess of Fanbang and his own family, after giving birth to a child, he died because he did not accept the water and soil of the Central Plains. The third son, Zheng Miao, is only thirteen years old, and he is also born to the princess, with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and is very cute. The three princes of Youyan King have been trained by Zheng Rong since they were children, and they are knowledgeable and skillful in arching and horses, and they are very famous in Youyan.

Qiu Yizhi also heard his father-in-law talk about these three brothers several times on the road, and he had been longing for it for a long time, and finally met today, with joy, nervousness, and curiosity mixed in his heart, and he sat on the horse and straightened up and looked forward. Although Qiu Yizhi was the son of a rich family, he grew up in poverty, and when his mother was alive, he was afraid that he would go out into trouble, so she often locked him in the house to concentrate on studying. Therefore, Yizhi could only steal a few horses in Zhao Mansion to play with the horses that ploughed the fields and grinded, and then trained by Zheng Rong and his guards in Henan for a few days. Now he straightened up on the horse, but forgot to tighten the reins of the horse, and the horse under his crotch only took the command and walked forward slowly. Seeing the three brothers getting closer and closer, Yizhi was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, and his buttocks were moving on the saddle, and the horse finally stopped without knowing what his master's intentions were, but he stood motionless in front of Zheng Rong.

Zheng Rong looked funny, didn't care, let him stand in the way, and waited for the three princes to come to him. When the three of them were in Youyan, they could hear reports that their father recognized a teenage child as a righteous son in Henan, and the gaffe in front of them today was obviously the child named Qiu Yizhi. The eldest son, Zheng Xin, looked at Yizhi coldly and ignored his bewildered appearance, gently and skillfully pulled the reins, rode his horse around, and went to his father's side. Qiu Yizhi was looked at by Zheng Xin and was uncomfortable, but remembered the reins in his hand, and hurriedly pulled, the horse really took a few steps back, but he didn't expect to block the way of the second son Zheng Sen. Zheng Sen is not as good as the eldest brother, so he secretly whipped the neck of Yizhi's mount, don't look at the movement, but the force is not light. The neck was a soft part of the horse, and a single blow would make the horse jump in pain. Afraid of falling off the horse, Yizhi skimmed the reins and grabbed the horse's mane tightly with both hands, and the horse was in pain and became even more irritable. Zheng Rong's guards saw that the prince was in danger, and they were just about to step forward to rescue him, but he didn't expect the third prince Zheng Miao, a teenager, to ride his horse to the side of the horse of Yi without fear, take an opportunity, grab the reins, and don't know what means to use, so he calmed down the horse. Qiu Yizhi breathed a sigh of relief at this time, and was grateful in his heart, but he didn't know what to say, so he smirked at Zheng Miao. Zheng Miao's two elder brothers are quite different in age from him, and they have no playmates of the same age since they were children, and they don't know how to get along with their peers.

When Qiu Yizhi and Zheng Miao walked up to Zheng Rong, the two brothers had already finished saluting, and Zheng Miao hurriedly dismounted and saluted when he saw this. Zheng Rong was happy to see it, dismounted and helped Zheng Miao up, and introduced the three brothers to Yizhi, asking him to salute the three of them, and only after a set of ceremonies did he meet the local officials in Bozhou.

Although Bozhou is close to Henan, it is not far from Guangyang City, the capital of Youyan. Zheng Rong was unwilling to stay overnight in Bozhou, so as not to disturb the place, so he ordered Congren to take a few quick steps and return directly to Guangyang.

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PS. This chapter describes the reforms of Gojong and Xianzong, especially the latter, which is a major background of the book. This first and last two changes, based on the Northern Song Dynasty Fan Zhongyan's Qingli New Deal and Wang Anshi's Xining Change, the specific situation can be clarified in a few words, please Wikipedia ......