They looked at each other silently for a long time, and Mu Churan opened his mouth first, "When you first looked at me, why was there anger in your eyes?" ”

Xiao He was stunned, and said in his heart that his eyes were so poisonous, and hurriedly explained: "Xu is dark at night, Your Majesty is wrong." ”

"You called it wrong, go out of the palace wall and call me Mu Gongzi." Mu Churan stepped forward and sat beside her.

"Why doesn't Childe rest?" Xiao He eased his expression and hid his thoughts before he looked at him again and asked.

"Like you, can't sleep." When his face is indifferent, people can't distinguish joy and anger, but they can still feel inexplicable intimidation. Humane eyes are godless for stagnation, and eyes are for spirit, Mu Churan's eyes hide too many things, and in the night, you can only see endless darkness, which is a little frightening.

Mu Churan also saw many things that had not been discovered before in Xiao He's eyes at the moment of Fang Cai, and even faintly hid a hatred.

He was like a mystery, seemingly within reach, but when Mu Churan stretched out his hand, he could never grasp the palm of his hand.

Xiao He looked ahead, "After dawn, Xu will have to travel for two more days before he can reach Huaizuo." ”

"When I entered the Langjiang River, I was not in a hurry. If you are not used to sleeping on a boat, we can dock at the ferry port at night and spend the night in a nearby town. Mu Churan arranged it like this, which made Xiao He a little surprised.

Xiao He said in his heart what was the purpose of this arrangement, how could he see that he was sympathetic to his subordinates, but didn't this southward inspection be a quick decision? Where is the leisure for them to anchor at night?

She turned her head and was about to ask carefully, but she heard Mu Churanwu sneeze.

"It's windy, Childe beware." Xiao He said and took off his cloak and reached out to cover him. Mu Churan wanted to explain that it was caused by his hair flying over his face, but he saw him wrap a cloak that still carried his body temperature.

So Mu Churan smiled and accepted it, and saw that he also tied the knot for himself, so meticulous, it really looked like his daughter's family.

Xiao He raised his eyes and saw Mu Churan looking at him with a smile, his heart jumped, and suddenly realized that the two were too close, so he got up and said, "The night is quiet, the water is cold, and the son rests early." ”

Looking at Xiao He's back as if he had fled and hurriedly entered the cabin, Mu Churan kept the smile he had just now.

At this time, in the imperial capital palace, the lights on the Chaolu Hall have not been extinguished, and they are still bright.

Someone reported to the palace with a cold light mark: "Empress Dowager, Nanzhan Feige's biography has not intercepted Xiao He, do you have to wait a few more days?" ”

"Didn't catch it? Are your people waiting here on the way to Yueshan? Leng Qingzhen's face was slightly cold, and he asked in a cold voice.

"Exactly. Presumably, Xiao He's carriage and horses are too slow. The man hurriedly answered.

Mu Churan made thousands of calculations, and he missed the ruthlessness of the cold light marks. Since she got the news that Xiao He had left the imperial capital, she immediately sent people to intercept and kill him on the way to Yueshan. Previously, at the palace banquet, she tried her best to use Li Nanke to lure Xiao He into being fooled, and killed two birds with one stone to get rid of the two major troubles in her heart, but she didn't want to make a mistake.

Obviously, she has sent someone to spread the incense of Dayue's specialty in the Tongxin Palace, and Li Nanke should also be recruited, after Xiao He was brought into the palace by the little eunuch she arranged that day, she let people attract Mu Churan to the Tongxin Palace.

Not only was Xiao He not caught raping him red-handed, but even Li Nanke came back from outside the palace intact. In fact, it is strange, she is not a person who doubts that things are not dissatisfied, so she has to sigh that Xiao He is not an idle person, the more difficult it is to deal with, the more Leng Qingji can't let him live.

In the morning of the next day, Duan Heng sat on the palace, and the ministers bowed down to His Highness.

He thought that he would sit in his seat and be the audience to solve difficulties, but the Queen Mother came forward to establish that the emperor was not seriously ill, and no one in the hall had any complaints. Come to think of it, he is just a yellow-mouthed child in the eyes of everyone, and he can barely stand in the court by relying on the dual relationship that his father is the emperor.

Even if he is high-spirited, he is only reckless and righteous in the eyes of the saints, and who among the ministers will obey him.

Li Zhaoting proposed that the government raise an additional 10 percent of the tax this autumn to fill the emptiness in the treasury. As soon as Duan Heng heard this, he said in his heart that the emperor was still alive and did not mention it, I lost such a problem when I first became a prisoner, and Li Zhaoting was afraid that he would deliberately make things difficult for me.

The country is strong and the tax is prosperous, and the country will be strong when the tax is prosperous. At the beginning of the establishment of the state of the Great Yin, the annual tax system was established, and at that time, the war was initially decided, and a hundred wastes were waiting to be revived, but after two monarchs, the young emperor ascended the throne, and the prince and the prince ordered a more annual tax system to strengthen the treasury, but in fact, it was mostly used as its private treasury. In the past, when the thieves sentenced the prince and the prince to return the property coefficient to the treasury, the gold, silver and jade vehicles were horse-drawn, and they were exhausted in a few days.

For example, although there is no war today, but the sky does not fulfill people's wishes, the north is dry and the south is flooded, and the country's tax revenue results are not good at the beginning of the summer harvest. As a result, Duan Heng, who is a prisoner, cannot escape responsibility.

Li Zhaoting said that he would raise taxes, but no one refuted the affairs of the court, and this hall was about to become a hall for his Li family.

Duan Heng frowned slightly, glanced at the ministers of His Royal Highness, and wanted to sit in his seat at the beginning, how many times he looked at the pillars of the group who supported his society with a condescending posture, but everyone had different hearts, and three out of ten loyal ministers who really thought about the society were lucky.

When Duan Heng was worried, Shen Suhang came out and said: "The lower officials do not agree with Li Shangshu's proposal to levy autumn taxes, it is a drought in the north and floods in the south, and the harvest is not good. The autumn tax should be reduced and not increased, otherwise there may be public resentment. ”

Although Shen Suhang is in the position of a foreign minister of Honglu Temple, he is also quite concerned about internal affairs. As soon as he spoke, he won Duan Heng's heart, and said: "Lord Shen has a good understanding of the people's suffering, and he comes from the bottom of his heart. Thinking that Zuo Cheng Liu knew that although he was a conservative old school, he should also be on the same side as them at this moment, Duan Heng named and said, "What does Liu have to say about this?" ”

Liu Shenming has always believed in Mingzhe to protect himself, and he will stand in line if he does not rush forward in everything. Although he also knew that he should not rashly increase the endowment, Li Zhaoting's faction has accumulated power in the DPRK and China for many years, and the limelight has long been more than that of him, a scholar and a scholar. Shizi asked him to talk about it by name, hoping that he would speak out against it.

He had a small abacus in his heart, if it was Mu Churan sitting in the palace, then he naturally had something to say, and he had to say more, taking the opportunity to step on Li Zhaoting's excessive limelight. But now that the palace is sitting in the prison state, he is just an agent, and he has no real power, so he can't offend Li Zhaoting for Duan Heng.

After such a calculation, he made up his mind and said: "The old minister also agrees with what Li Shangshu said, enriching the treasury is an important matter, there is a big river full, a small river is dry, and the country is rich and the people are strong. If you look at the sky from time to time to determine taxes, you are afraid that you will lose weight in the private sector and lose weight in the public warehouse. ”

After hearing this, Duan Heng secretly cursed the old fox in his heart.

The corners of Li Zhaoting's mouth pulled out a faint smile slightly, now the situation is clear at a glance, and his proposal is not empty, the treasury is indeed beyond its means this year, plus the previous large-scale construction, the Langjiang embankment has consumed a lot of vitality, the envoy of the country, a few days of palace banquets and lavish rewards, everywhere is the cost of silver.

There is a need to go out and there is a way to balance. What he did was nothing more than the affairs of the household department, and he was not afraid of criticism.

Duan Heng did not let go easily, and Li Zhaoting did not give way at all, and the matter of raising taxes was disputed by the court, so he had to "discuss it later".

After going down to the court, Duan Heng left Shen Suhang and discussed with him how to deal with it next. Both of them were full of words about Li Zhaoting, and they had quite a few complaints. Shen Suhang sighed: "Now above the court, half of them are Li Shangshu's protégés or promoted by him, so naturally no one dares to say anything to him." ”

Duan Heng is also helpless, and there are still officials and others to check and balance with him, but because the prince is too Fu Fu to be punished, his supporters are all guilty, and the newly appointed secretary Wang Siyi is not as good as a good gentleman, no one dares to offend, and there are few words in the court, and even he, an idle son, can't stand it.

After consulting with Shen Suhang, Duan Heng decided to win over the Queen Mother, if the Queen Mother came forward to refute the proposal, and at the same time wrote to the emperor, it is expected that Li Zhaoting will not be able to turn the sky. It's just that in the previous case of the Langjiang River Embankment, Mu Churan was obviously partial to Li Zhaoting and others, but he didn't know what about the Sacred Heart of the tax increase?

If it is a faint king, it is only to fill the imperial warehouse, regardless of the people's livelihood, and it is imperative to raise taxes; If you are the master, you must know the truth that the people are safe and the society is stable, and the method of killing chickens and eggs can last for a long time. It's just that Duan Heng can't see through what Mu Churan will think at this time.

After he finished chatting with Shen Suhang, he was about to go to the Chaolu Hall to visit the Queen Mother, but the eunuch passed the word that the Queen Mother wanted to see him. Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother thought of a place with herself, he was dressed properly, and then followed the eunuch to the Chaolu Palace.

After entering the hall, Leng Qingchen retreated left and right, and asked him to get up without courtesy, but he used his former nickname. "When there are no outsiders, my aunt and nephew don't need to be so courteous and come and talk to me." Leng Qingchen no longer claims to be a mourner, and his words are a little more cordial.

But Duan Heng knows his aunt's temperament, and she must have something to say to herself. He accepted it obediently, stepped forward and sat down on the edge of Leng Qingchen, "Listen to my aunt's advice." ”

Leng Qingchen didn't beat around the bend, and went straight to the point, "Then Xiao He has a very good personal relationship with you, what do you think of this person?" ”

When Duan Heng heard this, she asked Xiao He, the previous few times Leng Qingscar was openly and secretly inappropriate to Xiao He, and he, a bystander, could feel it, Leng Qingscar's heart disorder was too worried about Dayin Sheji, worried about Mu Churan's throne, and worried about the royal face. Now that he asked himself, he would definitely take the opportunity to defend Xiao He.

Then he replied: "Lord Xiao is a champion, needless to say, he has both ability and political integrity, inherits the grace of the king, does not think about the past, is self-effacing talent, and is broad and beautiful; Yu You, he is benevolent and righteous, Yu Chen, he is loyal and patriotic. Previously, he was rescued with flesh and blood, which made people admire. ”

Leng Qingchen listened silently and looked at Duan Heng, "It's rare for Heng'er to praise anyone so much, it seems that Xiao He does have something outstanding in your mind, so you have blue eyes." ”

"The emperor's cousin naturally cherishes talents and loves talents, so he has repeatedly mentioned Lord Xiao and entrusted him with important tasks. is such a good friend, Heng'er also has to learn more from it. Duan Heng said respectfully, but secretly observed Leng Qingji's expression.