In Suiyang, the capital of Liang, Liu Wu, the king of Liang, finally got lost and handed over the 'masterminds' behind Yuan An's assassination - the heads of Yang Sheng and Gongsun Yi.

Han Anguo also set off from Suiyang as he wished, and came to Chang'an City again, repeatedly running between the Tangyi Marquis Mansion where the Guantao Princess Liu Concubine was located, and the Anqiu Marquis Mansion of Tingwei Zhang Ou.

But after a short period of public opinion, Chang'an City quickly forgot about this matter for the time being.

Because everyone in Chang'an City has ushered in a year, and even in the past few years, the busiest time.

- Autumn Harvest.

Farmers in rough clothes are sweating in the fields, busy harvesting the fruits of their labor in the past year;

The richly dressed merchants took the servants of their respective families and stayed at the edge of the 'client' they had negotiated earlier, as if they were afraid of being robbed of their business;

Even the officials of the local counties appeared on the local fields before dawn on the day of the autumn harvest, bringing all kinds of measuring tools, as well as pen and ink for recording, bamboo slips, etc.

When the harvest is complete, the local officials weigh them on the spot and collect the tax at a rate of 1/30.

This is true of farmers, merchants, and even local county officials, not to mention the Chang'an court.

In addition to the autumn harvest, it is also necessary for the court to summarize, calculate agricultural products, and calculate agricultural taxes, and the court has many other things to deal with and prepare.

For example, it has been nearly half a year since the rebellion was quelled, and the finishing work of the rebellion was finally completed, that is, the issue of 'rewarding meritorious soldiers and compensating the fallen soldiers' brought back by Zhou Yafu, the captain and the general Dou Ying, who returned to the dynasty;

Another example is more than a month later, that is, in the winter and October of the fourth year of the Son of Heaven, the upcoming plan will bring problems such as the placement of local officials, the preparation of the Yuanshuo court, and the accounting of local data;

Even after the rebellion was quelled, the disposition of the kings of the Qi and Huainan lines, which had not yet been decided, required a headache for the Chang'an court.

The court needs a headache, which means that the Son of Heaven also has a headache.

Especially at the moment, when the post of prime minister has been vacant for half a year, Tianziqi, who has just finished the Ganquan Palace holiday, is even more busy······

·

"Whew~"

"Ugh! Uhh······h

Weiyang Palace, Qingliang Palace.

Rao has already moved into the cool and breezy Cool Palace, and the autumn tiger in late autumn is still tormenting the Son of Heaven.

Raising his head from the imperial case, he grinned and moved his neck, and the Son of Heaven was full of tiredness, only a touch of laziness and sleepiness surged again.

Covering his mouth with his sleeve slightly, he yawned secretly, his eyes widened again, and he blinked several times, and then the Son of Heaven took a long breath and lowered his head again.

That is, at the moment when Tianzi Qi bowed his head, on his face, which was still full of tiredness a moment ago, suddenly brought a touch of solemnity and grimness······

"Grain production is ······ reduced"

"Alas······"

After a brief glance at the newspaper in front of him, Tianziqi shook his head and sighed bitterly, and straightened his waist with a stern face.

"Go;"

"Summoning the four people of Neishi, Taifu, Shaofu, and Yushi to discuss matters in Qingliang Palace."

A low call made several Lang officials outside the palace gate immediately run out;

As for Tianzi Qi, he got up from the couch tiredly, moved his neck, waist and abdomen and arms a little, and when the soreness and exhaustion on his body dissipated, Tianzi Qi sat back on the couch.

grabbed the tea bowl and poured a sip of herbal tea, but his eyes were fixed on the roll of the newspaper spread flat on the table.

The brow furrowed tighter and tighter, the tighter the wrinkle;

I don't know how long I waited, but when I finally waited for Chao Cuo, Liu She, Xiao Sheng, and Tao Qing, Tianziqi's brows were already completely screwed together.

"Ministers, see Your Majesty's ······"

"-well, sit down;"

Seeing that the Son of Heaven was unhappy, he interrupted the words of worship that the four had not yet spoken, and the four of them only stepped forward with each other looking at each other, and sat down on the side of the hall under the guidance of the palace people.

After a while, Tianzi Qi on the royal couch held his forehead with his left hand, and pointed to the bamboo slip in front of him with his right hand;

When the bamboo slip was picked up by the palace people, sent down the imperial steps, and handed to Chao Cuo, the Son of Heaven took a deep breath and let out a heavy long exhalation.

"Hoo ·········"

"Let's take a look;"

"After a battle, Guanzhong's grain output was reduced by nearly 30%."

"——Even Sancheng, or the estimates of the Prime Minister's government, when the autumn harvest is over, the actual data will be presented from all over the country, but I am afraid that Sancheng will not be able to hold ······"

As soon as Tianzi Qi spoke, the four of them raised their heads sideways and looked at Tianzi Qi on the royal couch;

After the words of the Son of Heaven fell, the four of them hurriedly moved their bodies and gathered around the case table in front of Chao Cuo.

"Weinan Ershi ······"

"Two and a half stones in Weibei······"

"Hongnong Ershi ······"

"Hedong Two Stones and Half ······"

"Hanoi!"

"-One and a half stones?!"

has only roughly read the report, and the faces of the four of them also showed the same grim color as the Son of Heaven.

After staring at each other for a moment with solemn faces, the four turned around and sat back in their respective positions.

Then, it was the deep voice of the Son of Heaven that became the opening remarks of today's small meeting.

"In the past, the grain output in Guanzhong was about three to three and a half stones per mu."

"Among them, Weibei can reach four stones every three or two years!"

"But this year, the rebellion launched by Liu Bi, Liu Wu and other thieves made every three peasant households in Guanzhong send one person out of the customs, either as a pawn or as a (people) husband."

"If there is no strong labor to take care of the acres, the output of the entire Guanzhong acres will be greatly reduced."

"-Even Weibei is likely to have a yield of only two and a half stones per mu this year."

"If this is really the case, then next spring, no later than summer, there will be a food shortage in the entire Guanzhong."

"And the food shortage means that the price of food has skyrocketed, the people are not able to make a living, the people are prone to cannibalism, and they are starving everywhere and their bones are ······."

The increasingly low and grim voice only provoked the four people in the hall to take a deep breath, as if they were already in such a desperate situation, revealing a look that seemed to be difficult to breathe.

And Tianzi Qi's solemn gaze also followed the previous words, and finally fell on the internal history: Chao Cuo.

"This matter was also expected by the ministers before."

"It's just that I didn't expect that the Wuchu Rebellion, which lasted for just three months, actually caused such serious damage to Guanzhong's farming this year······"

was stared at by Tianziqi's gaze, and Chao Cuo had to sigh and get up and bow his hand to Tianziqi again.

"Right now, the autumn harvest is underway, and the news of the reduction in grain production in the entire Guanzhong is probably known to everyone soon."

"After the news spreads, the grain merchants in Guanzhong will definitely make some moves."

"The minister speculates that this year's grain failure in Guanzhong is likely to cause panic among the people in the next few months."

"As for the food shortage predicted by His Majesty, I'm afraid, it won't be so late at all······"

He said something worriedly, frowned and thought for a while, but finally couldn't come up with any way to make a mistake, so he had to bow down again, and then sit back in his seat.

And on the royal couch, the already solemn face of the Son of Heaven only became more serious after Chao Cuo's 'reminder'.

"Neshi is right."

"The news of the reduction in grain production will definitely make the grain merchants excited, and then hoard the goods, which will exacerbate the panic of the people in Guanzhong."

"Therefore, the court must take measures to avoid such a situation."

"This is also the reason why I summoned the four courtiers to come and discuss this matter."

Saying this, Tianzi Qi turned his head slightly to the side and looked at Shaofu Xiao Sheng first.

"How much food is there in the house?"

As soon as he asked in a deep voice, he saw Xiao Sheng, who was sitting at the end of the seat, hurriedly got up and bowed his hand.

"Your Majesty."

"Since the first year of Emperor Taizong, there have been a total of 35 million stones of grain stored in Shaofu."

"Earlier, Liu Bi and Liu Wu launched a rebellion, and by order of His Majesty, fifteen million stones were transferred from it."

"Among them, two million stones were transferred to King Liang, and the remaining 13 million stones were sent to Aocang in Xingyang for use by various armies in the eastern part of the country."

"From the outbreak of the rebellion in the first month of spring to the suppression of the rebellion in June and July, the order of the rebellion was put down, and the pacification of this rebellion took a total of nearly seven months."

"According to the army's monthly ration quota of two stone per person, seven months is fourteen stone per person."

"Counting the 100,000 soldiers and horses of Xingyang's general Dou Ying's department, Handan's Quzhou Hou Liji's 100,000 soldiers and horses, as well as Zhou Taiwei's department and Luanbu's department, a total of more than 400,000 soldiers and horses······"

"After careful calculation, the 13 million stone military rations transferred by the Shaofu should be about half left."

"It's just that the rest of it, I'm afraid it won't be able to be transferred back to Chang'an······"

Xiao Sheng's detailed data summary also made the other three nod their heads;

And Xiao Sheng's last sentence was to make the emperor on the couch nod his head with a gloomy expression.

- Aocang, which is a transit station for grain from Guanzhong to Guanwai;

Whether it is military rations, civilian grains that are transferred to Kanto for sale, or tax grains that are transported from Kanto to Kannai, Okura is needed as a transit station to play its unique role.

Just like the Wuchu Rebellion that broke out at the beginning of the year, it was precisely because Ao Cang was always impregnable that the court army was able to quell the rebellion without distraction without worrying about the problem of military rations.

In other words: whether there is enough food in Aocang is related to the stability of the whole world.

As Xiao Sheng said, the millions of stone grain left in Ao Cang can no longer be transported back to Chang'an.

Even if it is just to calm the hearts of the people of the Kwantung region and deter the Kwantung princes, Ao Cang, there must be such millions of stone grains, and there must be such a few million stone grains there.

In this way······

"I understand the meaning of Shaofu."

"Aocang's grain really can't be transported back to Chang'an."

"I want to say: Can you use some of the remaining grain in Shaofu first?"

"——Is it possible to sell a part of the grain at a parity by Shaofu at the beginning of spring next year to calm the grain price in Guanzhong?"

Hearing Tianziqi's question, Shaofu Xiao Sheng suddenly became a little anxious, obviously wanting to say 'no', but he really didn't dare to say it!

After a long while, when Tianzi Qi was already a little impatient, Chao Cuo on the side got up again, walked to Xiao Sheng's side, and bowed to Tianzi Qi.

"Your Majesty."

"The grain shortage caused by this year's grain failure in Guanzhong is not something that the Shaofu can completely make up for on its own."

"Today, there are nearly one million households and millions of people in Guanzhong, and each household has 100 acres of land."

"This year, the yield per mu in Guanzhong has decreased by nearly one stone as a whole, which means that every household in Guanzhong will get at least 80 stone of grain and rice this year."

"Eighty stones for one household, nearly one million households, this is a gap of more than 80 million stones······

"In the past, there was no reduction in grain production in Guanzhong, and there were still grain merchants hoarding goods and raising grain prices."

"And this year, Guanzhong has harvested 80 million stone grain less than in the past, what can Shaofu do?"

As the one who said this, Chao Cuo did not forget to turn sideways a little and nodded to Xiao Sheng with a slight reassurance.

Then, he looked at the Son of Heaven on the royal couch again.

"Not to mention the remaining 20 million stone grain in Shaofu, which is distributed all over Guanzhong, and it takes a lot of time and manpower and material resources to transport."

"Even if these 20 million stone grain are all in Chang'an, before this gap of tens of thousands of stone grain, I'm afraid, it's a drop in the bucket······

As soon as Chao Cuo's words came out, Shaofu Xiao Sheng also hurriedly raised his head and looked at Tianzi Qi anxiously.

Although he didn't speak, his round eyes were clearly telling Tianzi Qi: That's right, that's it!

But let Chao Cuo, Xiao Sheng, as well as Tao Qing, Liu She and others on the side, all have something unexpected: after Chao Cuo's words, Tianzi Qi did not show the look of giving up.

Not only that, but Tianzi Qi got up from the couch, put his hands behind his back, and looked at Chao Cuo with a solemn expression.

"I know."

"Therefore, I plan to use the 20 million stone grain from the Shaofu to temporarily solve the urgent need in the customs."

"The rest, with the money from the Shaofu, bought grain from Shu and Hanzhong, and transported it into Guanzhong in order."

As he spoke, Tianzi Qi couldn't help but exhale a little more and looked sideways at Liu She.

"The money to buy grain, Shaofu is out."

"But there is one thing that you have to tell the servant in advance."

"——I plan to exempt all of this year's levy."

"Not only the weed tax, but also the agricultural tax in Guanzhong must also be completely exempted."

"The servant's slashing for Ma Zheng will be made up by the Shaofu's internal funds."

Speaking of this, Tianzi Qi finally turned his head to the side again and looked at Tao Qing, the imperial historian.

"After the agricultural tax was exempted, the government treasury used to distribute the shortfall of officials' salaries, and there was also money from the government to make up for it."

"In the past, the official's salary was always half copper coins and half rice grain;"

"This year's situation is special, so it will be changed to all copper coins."

"Over there, the Prime Minister's Mansion still needs Dr. Yushi to worry about more snacks."

Low, dignified, and full of strong words, only to provoke the four people in the hall to be stunned!

After thinking about it for a long time, he finally bowed down with hesitation.

"Your Majesty Shengming······"

After saluting and sitting back in his seat, Chao Cuo, Liu She, and Tao Qing were full of sympathetic eyes, and they all gathered on Shaofu: Xiao Sheng's body.

According to Tianziqi, this year's grain failure in Guanzhong, as well as the resulting food crisis, are all paid for by the Shaofu government.

The tax on the weeds due to the servants and the agricultural taxes due to the treasury of the prime minister are subsidized by the internal funds of the Shaofu and are no longer collected from the people;

And Shaofu, not only has to pay to make up for the agricultural tax of the prime minister's treasury, the tax of the imperial servant Ma Zheng, and the cost of buying grain from outside the Guanzhong, but even the 20 million stone grain must be used to stabilize the grain price in Guanzhong······

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty······"

"Your Majesty······"

Shaofu Xiao Sheng, who had been stared at for a long time by the sympathetic eyes of the three people, and his face was the color of pig liver, finally got up boldly;

But when his eyes met the cloudy face of the Heavenly Son Qi, Xiao Sheng's courage was only instantly deflated.

After stumbling like this for a long time, he only held back the word 'Majesty', Xiao Sheng finally wanted to cry and fell to his knees without tears, silently leaving tears.

And on the royal couch, seeing Xiao Sheng like this, the Son of Heaven finally let out a long sigh with vicissitudes on his face.

"My Han family is based on agriculture and governs the country with filial piety."

"Filial piety is the foundation of the people's customs, and agriculture is the cornerstone of the people's living and working in peace and contentment."

"- Food is the only thing that can make the people feel at ease."

"This year's rebellion has reduced the grain production in the entire Guanzhong, which has already happened and cannot be changed."

"However, the reduction of grain production in Guanzhong, and the imminent problems of boiling grain prices and food shortages, I absolutely cannot sit idly by."

With these words solemnly spoken, Tianzi Qi sighed again, and then moved his gaze back to the center of the hall, and Xiao Sheng, who was already crying.

"I know that Shaofu intends to tell me that the money and grain in Shaofu have been saved by the emperor for more than 20 years."

"I also know that the money and grain saved in the Shaofu are all used for a decisive battle with the Huns in the future."

"—But Shaofu should know!"

"The reason why the first emperor saved all this money and grain!"

"The reason why my Han family wants to fight a decisive battle with the Huns!"

"It's not because of my Liu's family hatred!"

"It's because of the national feud of my Han family!!"

"It is to protect the people in the border areas, no longer suffer from the robbery and cruelty of the Huns, so that the people in the border areas can live and work in peace and contentment!!"

···

"Now, there is a shortage of food in Guanzhong, and the people are about to fall into dire straits because of the soaring food prices."

"At such a juncture, do I want to keep these life-saving money and food to fight the Huns?"

"What kind of Huns can be more important than my people, more important than the lives and livelihoods of the people of Guanzhong???

The words were tragic, and several questions were asked one after another, and the face of the Son of Heaven was also full of inexplicable majesty and strange brilliance!

Even Chao Cuo, Tao Qing, and Liu She on the side were not pressed by this strange brilliance, and bent down slightly······

"I've already decided on this."

"Shaofu don't cry anymore, I will tell the Prime Minister: The plan for the end of the year will not be difficult for Shaofu because ······of this incident."

The last casual addition suddenly made Xiao Sheng burst into tears and laughed, and he kowtowed several times before he knelt backwards and returned to his seat.

Tianzi Qi didn't pay attention to Xiao Sheng anymore, but was still full of severity, and raised his head slightly at Tao Qing, Liu She, and Chao Cuo on the side.

"Tomorrow's court, please take the initiative to bring this matter forward."

"—The Marquis of Kaifeng, as the sub-prime minister, should propose to exempt the agricultural tax;"

"—The servant was then born and proposed to be exempted from the tax."

"Then from the internal history, he proposed a way to buy grain from Shu and Hanzhong."

Seeing that Tianzi Qi was so unscrupulous, he arranged a few people's 'actions' on tomorrow's court meeting, three of you, you look at me, I look at you, and finally I have to give it up again.

"Ministers, obey Your Majesty's edict······"

"-hmm."

"—I don't have anything else to do."

"—If you have something, you can say it now."

"-If it's okay, then you can go back and go about your own business."

(End of chapter)