On the eighth day of the first month of the Great Song Dynasty in 321, Zhao Jiaren woke up early in the morning. I went to the bathroom and slipped back into the warm bed. With such a move, the queen turned over in a daze, pillowed her head on Zhao Jiaren's shoulder, and suppressed half of Zhao Jiaren's body.

Looking at the hands of the alarm clock, Zhao Jiaren felt that he could still let his wife rely on this for another fifteen minutes. Closing his eyes and listening to the slight breathing of his wife in his ears, Zhao Jiaren also felt very relaxed. New Year's Day is a very happy day for ordinary people, and it is not easy for Zhao Jiaren, who gathers imperial power and relative power.

Of course, the grassroots personnel in Hangzhou wanted to express their condolences, and Zhao Guanjia also took a steam car and ship to visit the officials and cadres in Gusu, Songjiang, and Ningbo for four days. In terms of effect, this condolence activity is of course very good. It is not only the officials who can meet the official family, but also those cadres who used to belong to the 'small officials' can also meet the official family and listen to the speeches of the official family. The significance of this action proves that they are no longer a group to be despised, but to be part of the bureaucratic system like officials.

But for the Zhao family, this is a manual job. From the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve to the seventh day of the first lunar month, the Zhao Guanjia was either in condolences or on the way to the next condolence point. Fortunately, there were still two steam cars and ships on this trip, because the one that Zhao Guan's family originally took broke down halfway.

Back in Hangzhou, Zhao Guan's family slept at home for one night, and then they had to continue to attend the court meeting. Based on Zhao Jiaren's understanding of power, since he is in power, he needs to assume corresponding responsibilities. Such hard work is part of the power.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and as soon as the bell rang, Zhao Jiaren stopped the bell in the first few seconds. Then he crawled out of the covers and began to get dressed.

Walking out of the bedroom, Zhao Jiaren saw through the window of the corridor that there was heavy snow in the sky outside.

After eating breakfast and washing, Zhao Jiaren walked to the courtyard. In the 21st century, China's winter is not so cold, and various places often shout that winter suffers from 'snow poverty'. This problem did not exist in the Great Song Dynasty in 1281, which was a relatively cold era, and there were several heavy snowfalls in Jiangnan every year, and heavy snowstorms were also very common. For example, this year's Hangzhou New Year's Day is covered in silver.

Rubbing his hands, Zhao Jiaren walked to the morning meeting room. I didn't feel cold when I entered the door of the conference room, and there was already a coal stove with a chimney, and in addition to a large pot of water boiling on the iron stove, there were some orange peels on the edges, which made the air smell much better.

At this time, the group of Shangshu and ministers who attended the meeting had not yet come, so Zhao Jiaren took out the documents that he had not finished reading yesterday and continued to read. Soon, documents from the Jinan Intelligence Bureau interested him. Just halfway through the reading, the Ministry of Rites Shangshu Xiongshang arrived first.

"Official, Happy New Year." Xiong Sheng greeted Zhao Jiaren happily.

"Hmm. Happy New Year. Zhao Jiaren responded.

After a few simple greetings, everyone sat down and began to read the documents. Everyone will have to give a briefing in a while, and it is serious to hurry up and prepare at this time.

The neighborhood where the officials now live is very close to the palace, and the higher the rank, the closer the distance. It didn't take long for everyone to basically arrive, and the morning meeting officially began.

"The king of the Sriwijaya and many Sriwijaya nobles have entered Beijing to apologize, should we settle for him?" Xiong Shang was the first to speak.

The conquest of Srivijaya went quite smoothly, and after various activities, some of the nobles of Sriwijaya reached an agreement with the Great Song Expeditionary Force, in which they handed over the king and the nobles who fought fiercely with the Great Song in exchange for the cessation of military operations by the Great Song.

"Hmm. Give them a place to stay. Zhao Jiaren answered, but that's all. Since Zhao Jiaren formulated a new trade policy, the Three Buddhas, who choked the throat of the Great Song Dynasty trade, were doomed. It doesn't even take Zhao Jiaren to instigate or direct it personally, those who want greater profits in the Song Seas will do it.

The authority of the Ministry of Rites has become weaker and weaker over the years, and when encountering such a victory, Xiong Sheng wanted to say a few more words, but he still held back. The next person to speak was the household department, and Sun Qing, the secretary of the household department, smiled and said cheerfully: "Since the Three Buddhas have surrendered, the Maritime Safety Bureau of the Great Song Dynasty can officially issue a navigation license." From the ports of the Great Song Dynasty to Srivijaya and from Sriwijaya to Sinhala, all ships must have our navigation permits. ”

Hearing this proud announcement, Zhao Youjian, the prefect of Hangzhou Prefecture, couldn't help but ask: "If not, then what?" ”

"Without a navigation permit, all ships were not allowed to enter the port of the Great Song Dynasty. If they are found in the strait, their ships will be detained immediately. Sun Qing replied.

"This ...... How is it different from what Sriwijaya did before? Zhao Youjian asked.

That's a good question. The reason for the Great Song Dynasty's attack on the Three Buddhas was that the Three Buddhas intercepted the ships of the Great Song Dynasty and did not allow the ships of the Great Song Dynasty to pass through the strait. The Great Song Dynasty, which defeated the Sriwijaya and seized control of the strait, seems to have done more thoroughly than the Sriwijayaya. This sounds a bit ridiculous.

Without waiting for Sun Qing to speak, Zhao Jiaren took over, "This kind of policy benefits the people of the Great Song Dynasty, and it is naturally very different from the Three Buddhas. ”

Hearing that Zhao Guanjia took all the responsibility over, Sun Qing couldn't help but look at Zhao Guanjia with some gratitude. Zhao Jiaren was not proud of this, he just looked at Zhao Youjian coldly. Sun Qing is just an executor, and this policy is Zhao Jiaren's policy. Zhao Youjian laughed at Sun Qing, and in Zhao Jiaren's opinion, he was vaguely mocking Zhao Jiaren's policy, and he couldn't ignore it.

Zhao Youjian originally just felt that the contradictions of this policy were a little ridiculous, so he couldn't help but let out a mockery. didn't expect Zhao Guan's family to end, he could only bow his head and admit it.

After the matter was resolved, the subsequent briefing went very smoothly. After the meeting, Zhao Jiaren said: "If the country only solves what it encounters, it will only be a headache and a pain in the foot, and there will be no way to progress." Today is supposed to be a big meeting, and I ask that a plan be drawn up at the beginning of each year and reviewed at the end of the year to see how well it is being implemented. ”

When they heard this, they didn't say anything. This statement has actually been put forward several times, and it is a bit of a cliché.

Zhao Jiaren continued: "I know that you must have felt that this topic has been said many times, but I am afraid that there is no new idea to talk about it this time. But have you ever wondered why this has been talked about all the time, but it has never been done? ”

Sun Qing, the head of the household, immediately replied: "Because there was no financial surplus before. If you don't have money, it's useless to say anything. ”

Poof, someone was amused by such a truthful statement.

Zhao Jiaren was not amused, he replied frankly: "That's good." That's it. Without money, nothing can be done. According to last year's summary by the Ministry of Households, last year's fiscal surplus reached 9 million yuan. With these nine million bills, we have the money to make a difference. ”

"Official, how is this different from the finances that the Great Song Dynasty used to execute?" Xiong Sheng couldn't help but ask.

"In the past, the finance of the Great Song Dynasty was the finance of planned consumption. How much does it cost to the officials, how much does it cost to officials, and how much does it cost to raise soldiers, fight wars, pacify, etc. Have you noticed any difference between that kind of finance and what I did when I came to power? ”

After listening to Zhao Jiaren's words, those in this group who had participated in the society's financial discussion meeting understood the difference. The Zhao official family was able to establish a small court in Fuzhou in a very short period of time, relying on his mastery of maritime trade and grain-producing areas such as Jiaozhi Zhancheng. A large part of the Zhao family's financial planning is to maintain production here. Compared with production inputs, the ratio of officials and the military to the army has plummeted. As for the expenses of the Zhao official family and the Zhao clan, they were directly cut.

While opening up sources and throttling expenditures, Zhao Guan's family did not lack money and food after the establishment of the Fuzhou Imperial Court. And such a policy has to be officially transformed into the new fiscal policy of the Great Song Dynasty.

"If that's the case, nine million bills won't be much." Zhao Youjian couldn't help but say.

Zhao Jiaren nodded slightly, "It's really not much, but nothing can just look at the surface." My goal this year is simple: to triple the production of raw silk in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang and Ningbo. So I asked all the officials and cadres in the court to sell the silk at home within two months. During these two months, everyone sells silk, and the government collects silk. If these three months have passed, the government will no longer accept them. ”

After saying this, the conference room fell silent. Everyone looked at Zhao Jiaren blankly, Zhao Youjian was not lightly bluffed, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

"You don't have to persuade anymore. I've decided. Next, I will talk about my arrangement, for example, Hangzhou must carry out the orders of the imperial court, accept investment, and execute investment orders. If you do a good job, you will be rewarded, and if you do not do well, you will be punished. But after all, this is 9 million yuan, Hangzhou is afraid that it will not be used up, if other state capitals are willing, I think they might as well volunteer. ”

……

The morning meeting was back-to-back with a plenary ministerial meeting. The meeting did not end until the afternoon, and the exhausted fellows waited until the meeting was dismissed, and then immediately dispersed. Some of them, such as Sima Kao, immediately took a car to Sima's embroidery shop in Hangzhou, and when they entered the door, they ordered: "Call the shopkeeper." ”

Seeing Sima Kao Shangshu, the pillar of the Sima family, the steward who stepped forward to serve turned his head and left, and the shopkeeper ran into the house where Sima Kao was not long after.

As soon as he got home, he asked his wife, "How many silks do we have in our house?" ”

Madame Xiong looked at the hurried bear clothes in surprise, and she replied, "There are probably more than twenty horses." ”

Xiong Sheng immediately replied: "Sell it all, sell it all." And tell all the relatives to sell all their silk! ”

The news spread in the officialdom at a very fast speed, first in Hangzhou explosively, and after the imperial court issued orders to the state capitals through cable telegraphs, the state capitals were also boiled by the news.

On the fourth day, Emperor Zhao Zhizhuo and Empress Dowager Chen, who were in Quanzhou, received the news.

Zhao Zhizhuo, the emperor, has not been an emperor for a day, and he has this name because of his son. When he was in Hangzhou, Emperor Zhao Zhizhuo still felt that he could be 'indifferent to fame and fortune'. When he returned to his hometown of Quanzhou, Zhao Zhizhuo suddenly discovered why 'indifference to fame and fortune' was regarded as a virtue and was considered a very high realm.

As a jinshi, Zhao Zhizhuo has long been accustomed to being looked down upon. However, as the emperor, even people who don't like Zhao Zhizhuo must admit that they are 'ministers' in front of Zhao Zhizhuo. Because from the system, they are Zhao Zhizhuo's courtiers. After a short period of adaptation, Zhao Zhizhuo indulged in such changes.

In the original plan, Emperor Zhao Zhizhuo went to Quanzhou to convey the new policy of the official Zhao Jiaren to the Zhao family, and the Zhao family would no longer have any restrictions in the future. They can engage in a variety of legal trades, and they can also live freely in various places in the Great Song Dynasty.

The errand of communicating the new policy was easily done. After worshipping his ancestors and sweeping the tomb, Zhao Zhizhuo should have returned to Hangzhou as planned, but Zhao Zhizhuo just didn't leave. Once he returns to Hangzhou, he will once again be enveloped by the absolute power of his third son, Zhao Jiaren, and turn back into an ordinary old man living in his son's house. The most commonly heard titles are 'Daddy' and 'Grandpa'.

As long as he stays away from Zhao Jiaren's power, Zhao Zhizhuo is the emperor. Moreover, the current Quanzhou has also undergone great changes after Zhao Jiaren's governance, and it is not much worse than Hangzhou. So Zhao Zhizhuo stayed in his hometown and lived happily. Empress Dowager Chen also felt that Zhao Zhizhuo's mentality could be understood, so she didn't urge him to go back.

As a result, as soon as the news that Zhao's family asked the officials to sell all the silk at home arrived in Quanzhou, some officials immediately came to ask Zhao Zhizhuo if this was true.

I put on reading glasses, and the text in front of me was immediately very clear. Zhao Zhizhuo finished reading it once, and then read it again. After reading it, he put down the copy and said calmly: "The official documents of the government are not allowed to be faked. If someone dares to cheat, of course someone will do it. ”

The official said tentatively: "Emperor Taishang, the official family wants us to sell silk, which is a bit difficult for a strong man." We have all this little silk left in our hands, but it's all for emergencies. ”

At this time, Empress Dowager Chen had already finished reading the copy of the official document that her husband put on the table, and she responded: "Isn't this said, if you are not willing to sell, you will not be forced." The imperial court just told everyone that the output of silk in Hangzhou and other places would increase threefold this year. ”

"Queen Mother. The officials did this...... Some are in too much of a hurry. The official continued to be embarrassed.

Hearing the word 'Queen Mother', Empress Dowager Chen was in a very good mood. Mother is more precious than son, and Mrs. Zhao's transformation into Empress Dowager Chen is undoubtedly proof. Empress Dowager Chen no longer had to borrow her husband's surname, but simply reverted to her own surname. Moreover, his son Zhao Jiaren, the official family, was not taken over from Zhao Zhizhuo, but was obtained by Zhao Jiaren's own ability. In such a great achievement, Empress Dowager Chen thinks that her credit is much greater than that of her husband.

From conceiving Zhao Jiaren to Zhao Jiaren's ascension to the pinnacle of power, a full forty years have passed. Staying in Quanzhou, the people around her called her the Queen Mother. From being pregnant for ten months to carefully teaching, Empress Dowager Chen has paid too much. So she also wants to enjoy the luscious taste after becoming famous. ，

Although she was very satisfied with the title of the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager Chen was very dissatisfied with the official's reaction. She said: "Do you, who suffer from gains and losses, trust the official family, or can't trust the official family? ”

"This ......," the official didn't know how to answer for a moment. Zhao Guanjia was the governor of Quanzhou, and completely eradicated the Pu family on the errand of Quanzhou Zhizhou, which dealt a heavy blow to the big food maritime merchants. At that time, the Zhao Guanjia used the excuse of getting married to kill thousands of people in the Pu family in one fell swoop, and it is often mentioned until now.

That's a thousand lives. When the people of Quanzhou mentioned this matter before, they were all lamenting that the Zhao Guanjia, who had just turned twenty years old at that time, was ruthless. As the Zhao Guanjia continued to fight, the number of enemies killed ranged from thousands to tens of thousands. In the Battle of the Yellow River a few years ago, Zhao Guanjia, who personally led the army, had already killed 100,000 Mongol troops. When the people of Quanzhou recalled the governor of Quanzhou 20 years ago, they no longer dared to have the slightest disrespect.

However, this time the matter was indeed too big, so big that the officials did not dare to fully believe the Zhao official family.

Empress Dowager Chen sneered, "The official family made it clear, only three months. Three months later, in mid-March. At that time, mulberry trees could not pick leaves. Therefore, believe it or not, the government will not buy the silk in your hands at that time. So now believe it or not, just make a decision. Waiting is categorically not waiting for the result. ”

The official was unhappy when he heard the Queen Mother's tone, so he could only respond with a chatter, and then leave. Empress Dowager Chen looked at the back of the official and instructed the maid: "Whoever comes today, there will be no guests!" ”

"Yes." The maid was ordered to go.

Emperor Zhao Zhizhuo couldn't help but sigh: "Why are you so polite. ”

"They are so suspicious of Saburo, why should I be polite to them?" Empress Dowager Chen replied confidently.

Seeing that his wife was so protective of his calves, Zhao Zhizhuo had no way to evaluate, he could only sigh: "San Lang always leaves no room for people to do things. ”

Empress Dowager Chen became even more angry when she heard this, she glared at her husband and said, "What you said is as if San Lang pit deceived them!" ”

"You said earlier that the mulberry leaves can be harvested at least in April. The first batch of silkworm cocoons came out in May. Now it's not even the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Three months later, even if it is April 15th. The threefold increase in silk production doesn't sound like a true thing. ”

Seeing that her husband was also an unassuming bureaucrat, and he also stood on the position of a bureaucrat, Empress Dowager Chen sneered, "Hmph! Then it's good if they don't believe it. Keep the silk on it! ”

With that, she got up and left. Leave this husband with a different position behind.

Looking at his wife's back, Zhao Zhizhuo also knew why his wife was angry. But he still couldn't fully stand on his son's side.

Silk is of great significance to the Great Song Dynasty. Since the advent of silk, this kind of labor-intensive textile has another important attribute in addition to making clothes, that is, as a 'general equivalent', it has assumed the function of money.

When you go out, you have to bring a 'coil'. This coil does not refer to wrapping copper coins around the waist, but to wrap silk around the body. There are various years of copper coins, both iron and copper coins, and the versatility is not high. But the texture of silk is very consistent, and it is versatile in the city or in the countryside. Bringing silk out of the house is hard currency.

This time, Zhao Jiaren did not say too clearly, but he wanted to triple the silk output of Hangzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang and Ningbo. That is to tell everyone that silk is going to depreciate greatly. The great depreciation of silk is the great depreciation of the currency, how can those officials who are accustomed to using silk not be afraid.