Before dawn the next day, Fanning went to court, and today he attended the court meeting.

The content of today's court meeting is to cut palace maids, which is actually very normal, once the son of heaven is a courtier, and once the son of heaven is also a palace maid.

In this regard, the Song Dynasty did a better job than the Tang Dynasty, and would regularly release palace maids, so that a large number of young palace maids could return to their hometowns and marry in time.

It is rare to see 'the white-headed palace maid here, sitting idle and talking about Xuanzong'.

In the end, with the approval of Empress Dowager Cao, 433 palace maids were laid off, although they were released and returned to their hometowns.

At this time, the privy deputy envoy Chen Shengzhi came out and said: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, Weichen has a play!" ”

Empress Dowager Cao said slowly: "Deputy Envoy Chen, please speak!" ”

"Wechen believes that since there is a lot of overseas land, the imperial court can not make full use of it, it can be sold to the people, gather people's wealth to open up a strange, transport grain, minerals back to the court, benefit the country and the people, the minister heard that the government hall is worried a lot, the minister thinks that it is not necessary, as long as the law is orderly, the system is strict, it can completely avoid the disadvantage, Wechen implores the court to plan this matter as soon as possible, do not ignore it because of fear of difficulties."

Kaifeng Governor Wang Qi also listed: "Recently, the matter of overseas land, public opinion is boiling, Kaifeng Mansion accepts a variety of inquiries every day, and Weichen also hopes that the Governor will come up with a charter as soon as possible to calm public opinion." ”

Li Weizhen of the Governor's Court also came out: "In the past few days, the Counsellor's Court has collected hundreds of letters every day, all of which implore the imperial court to lift the ban on overseas land and allow the people to go overseas to buy land and property. ”

Fan Ning didn't say much, he knew that the major magnates were behind the scenes, and Han Qi, who had the most fierce opposition, was also silent, indicating that he was under great pressure, and he no longer explicitly objected, but kicked the ball to the Empress Dowager Cao.

After a while, Empress Dowager Cao asked Zhao Ji, the Son of Heaven, "What do the officials think?" ”

Zhao Ji groaned and said, "It's negotiable!" ”

Empress Dowager Cao nodded and said loudly: "Where is Han Xianggong?" ”

Han Qi hurriedly stepped out, "Weichen is here!" ”

Empress Dowager Cao said lightly: "Since the people want it, the Zhizheng Hall should also formulate rules as soon as possible, the law and law should be increased, and the qualifications should be considered as soon as possible, in short, this matter must be done as soon as possible, if not, then the exact reason and basis must be come up." ”

"Weichen obeys the Empress Dowager's decree!"

Empress Dowager Cao nodded, "If there is nothing else, just disperse!" ”

After the hundred officials dispersed, Han Jiang walked quickly to Fan Ning's side and said with a smile: "Does the envoy have time to go to the Zhizheng Hall?" ”

Fanning nodded, "Afternoon!" I want to see the official's house in the morning, and it has been decided. ”

"Alright, we'll see you in the afternoon!"

Han Jiang arched his hand and walked quickly.

At this time, a eunuch stepped forward and saluted: "The official family is waiting for the envoy in the inner palace, please come with me!" ”

At present, Zhao Ji has not yet ruled independently, the main energy is still in the study and study, his reading place is in the inner palace to persuade the school hall, that is, the former Emperor Renzong's inner study, his mother Gao Tao received the minister's Qilin Palace, the Empress Dowager Dong changed to meet the minister in the Ci'an Palace, the Qilin Hall was renamed the Persuasion Palace, to Zhao Xuan to study and study.

Fan Ning came to the Qilin Hall and saw Zhao Ji who was reviewing the folds in the study, the folds he reviewed were only part of the Empress Dowager Cao's selective transfer to him, and he had the right to observe and suggest many court affairs, but he had no decision-making power.

He did not count the major court affairs, and only after the Empress Dowager Cao's instructions could he implement them.

However, Zhao Ji did not complain, he was patiently waiting for his arrival at the age of twenty.

At this time, Zhao Ji was no longer as sad as a few days ago, he came out of the grief of his mother's death slightly, but he seemed more calm than before.

Fan Ning bowed and saluted, "Weichen Fan Ning sees Your Majesty!" ”

"Fan Aiqing, please take a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Fanning sat down under Zhao Ji, and a palace maid served them tea.

Zhao Ji said worriedly: "A few days ago, Wang Anshi asked for a trial trial of the Qingmiao Law and the Baojia Law in the ten counties, and I approved it, and the imperial grandmother also agreed, but the Zhizheng Hall voted six against, and only Cai Xiang agreed, which was really unexpected by me, what does Fan Aiqing think?" ”

Fan Ning pondered for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, Wang Anshi once implemented the Qingmiao Law and the Baojia Law in Yingtianfu, at that time Weichen was the prefect, so Weichen has the right to speak in this matter, Wang Anshi's original intention to implement the law is to equalize the rich and poor, to help the poor with the rich, to tie the rich and the poor together, to implement the Qingmiao money, let the rich guarantee for the poor, one rich guarantee ten poor, once the poor can not afford to pay back the Qingmiao money, then the rich will repay, so as to alleviate the contradiction of the displacement of the poor caused by the land annexation, In fact, the responsibility that should be borne by the imperial court was handed over to the rich, can Your Majesty understand this? ”

Zhao Ji nodded, "Wang Anshi also told me that the rich can't be unkind to the rich, and the poor should be properly relieved." ”

"I'll tell Your Majesty two things, and after I'm done, Your Majesty will probably be able to understand what the problem is?"

"Fan Aiqing, please speak!"

"Let's talk about a thing for more than ten years, at that time Weichen was still studying in the county, Wang Anshi was in Yin County as a magistrate, invited by Wang Anshi, I took a group of junior brothers to Yin County to study, it was in March, it was the time of spring ploughing, and it was also the third year of Wang Anshi's implementation of the green seedling law in Yin County."

Fan Ning told what happened in Yin County that year, Zhao Ji was surprised to hear it, this is like a legendary story, Fan Ning smiled slightly: "This is the first time that the Qingmiao Law has been implemented, what lessons does Your Majesty think should be learned?" ”

"I think it's better for the Qingmiao Law to be implemented by the government, and it can't be handed over to private money shops."

A few years ago, Weichen served as the prefect in Yingtianfu, and His Majesty presided over the military reform in Yingtianfu, when His Majesty supported Wang Anshi to implement the armor law in Yingtianfu, once Weichen rushed back from Yunzhou, passing by Yingtianfu Yucheng County, and found that the official messenger arrested a member in the roadside tea shed, he was a Dubaozheng, and the people went to the county government to sue him, saying that he collected money without authorization, and each household collected money, I asked him, why do you want to collect money from the people? He said that the security office would have to pay for it. ”

"What guard?"

Zhao Ji interrupted Fan Ning's narration and asked in surprise: "There is no need to set up any protection in the armor protection law!" ”

"It is their own official office, equivalent to the former Lizheng, they want to do things for the government, they need to recruit people, especially to recruit some scoundrels that the people are afraid of, recruit people to have a place, naturally there will be expenses, it stands to reason, these expenses should be borne by the county government, but the county government has no money, unwilling to bear, let them figure out their own way, they can only apportionment to the people, the security government appeared, after the fact Weichen sent people to investigate the counties of Tianfu, as long as the establishment of the capital Baozheng, there are security offices, all to the people to distribute money and food, without exception."

"Then why did the government arrest him?"

"Your Majesty, guess the reason, everyone has allocated money and food, why don't you arrest him if everything else is upright?"

Zhao Ji shook his head, "I can't guess!" ”

"Originally, Weichen couldn't guess it, but later this Luo Yuanwai was released, and after careful interrogation, he found out that because other security officials had to hand over fifty percent of the money and grain to the county government, but this Luo Yuanwai swallowed the apportioned three hundred yuan by himself, which made the county government angry, so he was arrested."

Zhao Ji was dumbfounded when he heard this, "How can this be?" ”

Fan Ning said earnestly: "Your Majesty, since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, the county government of all counties has been dilapidated, because the county government has no money to maintain, the usual expenses of the county government and the income of the county officials and scribes are all allocated by the imperial court, and the county order is generally relatively poor, after a hundred years of continuous improvement, the system of the Great Song Dynasty has been very strict, it is difficult to have loopholes, and the court is also sympathetic to the poverty of the county government, so the counties can get some subsidies from the lease of official land and official houses, so that the county order can also afford to support the staff, a little bit of oil and water, but once the law is changed, It means that the hundred-year-old system will be broken, and the Baojia Law will become a means for the county government to exploit the people through the local security offices. ”

"How does the Qingmiao Law exploit the people?" Zhao Ji asked.

"Your Majesty, the Baojia Law is to exploit the people at the bottom, but the Qingmiao Law is to exploit the rich households, the government lends money at usurious rates, and the rich households guarantee the poor households, once the poor households can't afford to pay back, and even the poor households don't pay back their debts, they must be repaid by the rich households, and the rich households have become fat sheep, and they are slaughtered by the government.

Your Majesty, the Zhizheng Hall resolutely opposes the Qingmiao Law for this reason, everyone has been a county official in the local area, and they have a deep experience, and they can see this loophole, once the rich households of the Great Song Dynasty are eliminated, who will buy the large number of goods created by the big workshop? The magnates who invested in the big workshops will also go bankrupt one after another, Your Majesty, this is a major event that will shake the country's capital! ”

Zhao Ji's face was grim, after all, he was only eighteen years old, he grew up in a greenhouse, and he couldn't see through the darkness and huge risks of human nature contained in it, but he was extremely smart, and as soon as Fan Ning said it thoroughly, he immediately woke up.

He walked a few steps with his hands in his hands and said: "But Wang Anshi has experimented in various places, and they have been relatively successful. ”

"Your Majesty, the problem is here, everyone's position is different, Wang Anshi is implemented as a county order or prefect, he is not greedy, he doesn't want to make money, and he doesn't want to damage the interests of the rich, then there will be no problem with the Qingmiao Law, but there are more than 600 state capitals in the world, thousands of counties, is every official Wang Anshi?"

Zhao Ji sighed, "Then there is no point in changing the law?" ”

"Wei Chen doesn't understand, why does Your Majesty want to change the law? The imperial court's finances continued to improve, and there was a surplus for five consecutive years, there was no shortage of money at all, the grain was rich, the land income was greatly reduced, the magnates were busy setting up industries, their interest in land was weakened, land annexation was eased, corn was promoted, pumpkin was promoted, and the people at the bottom could afford to eat, and it was easy to find something to do. ”

Zhao Ji nodded silently, he could understand Fan Ning's objection.