The first winter of the year, the first day of the Yuan Shuo.

As soon as the sky was bright, the streets and alleys in Chang'an City sounded a 'crackling' firecracker.

The fragrance emitted by the heat and expansion of the bamboo pole and its final breakage blows the breath of the New Year to every household in Chang'an City.

- The new year has arrived.

The fourth year of the Son of Heaven officially arrived today.

For the people of Chang'an City and even the whole world, the New Year means festive, cheerful, auspicious, and festive.

For the Chang'an court, this year's Yuanshuo has another layer of extremely special significance······

"It's a big plan~"

"The first great plan after my father's succession to the throne."

Dressed in formal clothes, with the princes traveling to the crown on his head, he stood outside the Xuanshu Hall with his cousin Dou Ying and his brother Liu Pengzu;

Looking at Sima Gate in the distance, the carriage full of bamboo slips in the palace was pouring into the palace in order, and Liu Sheng couldn't help but sigh with embarrassment.

Hearing Liu Sheng's sigh, Dou Ying also nodded with a smile, his eyes were still on the carriages that poured into the palace, and he didn't forget to say something with a little feeling.

"Before the first emperor, my Han family was originally not audited."

"If the court wants to know the situation of the place, it can only send Caifeng Yushi to go there, and then record the situation he sees, bring it back to Chang'an, and report it to the court in person."

"But most of the things that can be brought back by the history of the wind are just some very superficial things, such as the local people's 'road is not forgotten' and 'the house is not closed at night';

"The growth of local counties, national acres and households, as well as the repair and maintenance of canals and roads, the court has no way of knowing."

"——It wasn't until the fourth year of the first emperor that the prime minister Yingyin Marquis died and the Marquis of Beiping was worshiped as the prime minister, and this situation finally changed······"

With Dou Ying's tone full of feelings, the two brothers Liu Sheng and Liu Pengzu on the side also nodded their heads.

The next thing doesn't need Dou Ying to continue.

After Zhang Cang, the Marquis of Beiping, served as prime minister, he immediately played the first emperor: formulate an audit system, let the local counties and counties in the world send officials to the court at the beginning of each year, and submit all kinds of files of local official uniforms to the court for review.

After getting the first permission of the first emperor, Zhang Cang personally formulated the audit system of the Han family.

- once a year, and once every three years;

In an ordinary year, that is, a 'subtotal' year in the popular sense, the local government does not need to send out all the files, but only needs to give a summary report by the county-level unit.

For example, this year, how much has the number of acres of land increased in XX County, and what is the increase or decrease of household registration and population.

The plan once every three years requires the local government offices at the county and county levels, and each of them sends all the files in their hands to Chang'an.

For example, the county government of a certain county sent a file to the court: how the county's fields, household registration, and people have been doing in the past three years;

At the same time, the county's local and county-level units also need to send their own files to Chang'an: how the county's fields, household registration, and people have been doing in the past three years.

At the same time, the data of the fields, households, and mouths of the local county government, as well as the summary data of the county government, can be proofread by the Chang'an court: whether the data submitted by each county in the county is consistent with the summary data submitted by the county government.

After the proofreading is completed, if the data is inconsistent, it is natural to investigate to the end and thoroughly investigate this county-level unit that 'tried to deceive the central court'.

Of course, in most cases, proofreading results will not be a problem.

However, the core of the 'big plan' is obviously not to proofread the reports of county-level units, whether they are consistent with the summary of county-level units;

- After proofreading the data, it is 'rewarding for meritorious deeds'.

In short, it is to evaluate the units at the county and county levels respectively according to the increase or decrease of the acreage, household registration, and population, as well as the speed and magnitude of the increase and decrease.

If it is rated as 'the most', that is, 'the most class', it means that the work of the county/county in the past three years has been highly recognized by the central government;

The whole unit will be collectively praised, and all members of the unit will be included in the key training list;

has been rated as 'the most' twice in a row, which is the prelude to the promotion of the first and second leaders, and even to be reused in the DPRK.

If it is rated as a 'temple', that is, a 'temple of lessons', it means that the county/county has done an extremely bad job in the past three years!

It is even likely that there will be a phenomenon of the abandonment of acres of land and the decrease of the number of people with household registration, which will lead to a reduction in taxes.

In this case, it is natural that the entire unit is collectively criticized, all members of the unit have 'major demerits', and the first and second leaders are severely criticized and placed on duty;

has been rated as a 'palace' twice in a row, that is, the first and second leaders will be dismissed from office, or imprisoned, or even beheaded in different places.

In addition to the 'most important lessons', there is also a situation that is the norm in the vast majority of local counties and counties on top of this triennial plan.

— No comment.

That is to say: Your work in the past three years has not been particularly outstanding, but you have not made any mistakes, and the central court will neither praise nor criticize.

I hope that on this basis, you will make some achievements and strive for the next big plan and be rated as the 'most'."

With this annual subtotal, every three years, and the three-level evaluation of the most, the palace, and the non-comment on each major plan, the central court was able to maintain a high level of understanding and control over the state and situation of various local counties and counties in the world.

And this situation is the most proud political move of Zhang Cang, the Marquis of Beiping, when he was prime minister, the auditing system, which brought to the Han family······

"This year's plan, I don't know which counties can be classified as 'the most';"

"-If you want to come to Qinghe County, there should be no problem?"

In thought, Liu Sheng laughed and whispered, causing Dou Ying to turn sideways slightly;

When Liu Sheng looked at him, the smile full of meaning, Dou Ying also smiled shyly, and turned around a little embarrassed.

"Officials from all over the country have only recently arrived in Chang'an, and the audit will start today, and when the audit is over, I'm afraid it will be November and February;"

"What is the situation in Qinghe County, I'm afraid we will have to wait for the end of the audit to get the results······"

Dou Ying's words that wanted to cover up did not make Liu Sheng's smile fade;

He turned sideways with a strange smile and looked at his brother Liu Pengzu beside him, and the two brothers lowered their heads and laughed snickering.

- Qinghe County is the base camp of the Dou family's maternal family.

Whether it is Dou Guangguo, Marquis of Zhangwu, or Dou Pengzu, Marquis of Nanpi, or Dou Ying, Marquis of Weiqi, their fiefs are all concentrated in Qinghe County without exception.

Even the Qinghe County Guard is a descendant assigned by the Dou family's relatives.

Therefore, even if the officials from all over the world only sent the audit materials to the palace today, Liu Sheng dared to pack the ticket: this year's plan, Qinghe County must still be the 'best'.

Just like every major plan that took place during the reign of the first emperor in the past ten years······

"It's almost time to enter the temple;"

"Childe, let's tidy up your clothes······"

was stared at by the two brothers behind him with that inexplicably strange gaze, and Dou Ying was also inexplicably a little difficult to sit still;

A slightly embarrassed proposal finally made Liu Sheng lower his head with a smile and tidy up the clothes on his body.

After a while, the melodious singing of the confessor sounded, and Dou Ying was finally freed from that inexplicably embarrassing situation.

"The head of the year, the Shuowang Dynasty Discussion~"

"Hundreds of officials and princes tend to enter, congratulations on the New Year~~~"

·

"Police!"

"Police~~!"

"Police~~~~······"

When all the princes, hundreds of officials, and officials who were ordered to come to Chang'an poured into the Xuanshu Hall in order, a strong voice of alarm sounded outside the Xuanshu Palace.

Obviously, he lived in Weiyang Palace, but the Son of Heaven Qi also took the imperial chariot and set off from the apse of the Xuanshu Palace, and after sparing a large circle, he came towards the main hall of the Xuanshu Palace.

When the Son of Heaven arrived, he was the servant himself, the halberd opened the way, and the guards guarded both sides of the palace road, shouting in unison 'Police'.

The sky is not yet bright, and there are still lights on both sides of the palace road.

It was under the illumination of this light and the long shout of 'alarm' that the imperial chariot of the Son of Heaven finally stopped outside the Xuanshu Palace.

One step is not much, one step is not less, just stopped at Tianzi Qi got off the car, and he could climb the long steps with his legs.

"Your Majesty is coming~"

After the royal chariot stopped, no more, no less, three breaths, and the long chanting of the confessor sounded;

I saw that on the long steps, the ministers and officials who had just poured into the hall poured out of the hall in a hurry.

There are hundreds of steps above the long steps, and the ministers and officials, the princes and nobles all kneel on the ground;

At the bottom of the long steps, Tianzi Qi solemnly got out of the car and raised his head solemnly.

As for the forbidden army and Zhonglang who came with the Son of Heaven, they stood on both sides of the long steps long before the Son of Heaven got off the car.

"Ministers, welcome to Your Majesty~~~"

At the top of the long steps, the hundred officials stood up and shouted;

At the bottom of the long steps, the Son of Heaven held his head high and climbed the steps.

On both sides of the long steps, the forbidden army Zhonglang looked solemn, and watched the Son of Heaven walk in front of him, and finally, walked outside the Xuanshu Palace.

When the Son of Heaven walked up the long steps, the courtiers and officials who knelt outside the hall to greet him gave way to a passage.

When the Son of Heaven entered the Xuanshu Hall through this passage, the courtiers and officials hurriedly got up again, and they also poured into the hall, bowing together without raising their heads.

"Ministers, see Your Majesty~"

"May Your Majesty be eternal, and be happy for a long time~~~"

When the hundred officials and ministers bowed down to salute, the Son of Heaven was standing between the imperial couch and the imperial case.

Looking at the palace, these hundreds of princes, nobles, court dukes, hundreds of officials, and local officials who are not qualified to pour into the hall and can only bow their heads outside the hall, Tianzi Qi, only slowly stretched out his hands.

"Zhuqing, flat."

"-Your Majesty ordered Zhu Qing to be flat~"

As soon as the Son of Heaven finished speaking, the confessors on the side used that long and tactful tone to convey the Son of Heaven's order to everyone's ears.

Then, hundreds of figures in the hall got up in order, starting from Prime Minister Zhou Yafu, like the Son of Heaven to congratulate and send their own gifts.

- This gift is also exquisite.

People of different identities need to strictly abide by etiquette and give gifts that match their status.

For example, Prime Minister Zhou Yafu gave Tianziqi a jade bi in accordance with the identity of a 'lord'.

In response to Zhou Yafu's congratulatory message, the Son of Heaven arched his hand and bent his upper body slightly.

"I would like to thank the Prime Minister for the gift."

After Zhou Yafu, it is Tao Qing, the imperial historian, and it is also the jade that the 'lords' should send.

And this time, Tianzi Qi, who had already sat back on the royal couch, just stood up, but did not return the salute.

"Thank you."

After the prime minister and the imperial doctor, there is Jiuqing.

When I arrived in Jiuqing, the gifts began to appear different.

The nine kings of the Marquis of Che, such as the servant Liu She, the court captain Zhang Ou, etc., are according to the identity of the 'lord', and send the Son of Heaven to Qi Yubi;

Jiuqing, who does not have the Marquis of Che, if the internal history is wrong, is to send the Son of Heaven to enlighten the lamb according to the identity of 'Jiuqing'.

- That's right, the living, the lamb that bleats.

Regarding Jiuqing's congratulations, although Tianzi Qi also got up, he only replied: "Thank you." ”

After the minister, it was the turn of the others.

For example, the two brothers Liu Sheng and Liu Pengzu gave a piece of leather to the Son of Heaven according to the 'prince and prince';

1,000 to 2,000 stones below Jiuqing and above the doctor, such as Lieutenant Zhidu, send a wild goose (of course, also alive);

Below a thousand stones, it is the level of 'vassal', and only pheasants can be sent.

And Tianziqi's words of thanks have also been lowered with the decline of the level of gifts.

——To Prime Minister Zhou Yafu, what the Son of Heaven said was 'I would like to thank Prime Minister for the gift';

For Tao Qing, the imperial historian, it is 'thank you'.

From Tao Qing down, Jiuqing, doctor-level lambs, geese, and the leather sent by Liu Sheng and Liu Pengzu brothers were only exchanged for the word 'thanks' from the Son of Heaven.

From the time he began to receive geese and leather, Tianzi Qi no longer got up, but simply replied: thank you.

When he reached the level of a vassal below a thousand stones, when he began to receive pheasants, Tianzi Qi didn't even answer 'thanks', but changed his answer: Yes.

- I, allow you to send me gifts.

By the time the process of 'congratulatory gift-giving' is completed, the sky will already be bright.

personally accepted the jade bibs sent by the princes, and then ordered the officials of Taichang to accept lambs, geese, pheasants and other living creatures for themselves, and the Son of Heaven finally breathed a long sigh of relief;

Today's grand ceremony has finally entered the 'meeting' link.

"Since four years ago, Emperor Taizong Xiaowen died, and I have been in the world with a blinking body, facing the Yuan Yuan of the world;"

"——Whenever I think of Emperor Taizong's benevolence, I always tremble, walking on thin ice, for fear that I will do something stupid and live up to Emperor Taizong's trust and the expectations of the world."

"In order to make up for my stupidity, in the past nearly four years, I have not been worried about government and state affairs."

The extremely humble opening remarks naturally attracted a group of ministers and hundreds of officials, who stood up from their seats in fear and bowed deeply to the Son of Heaven.

After a rainbow fart like 'Your Majesty don't say that' or 'Your Majesty has done a good job', everyone sat back in their seats;

And the words of the Son of Heaven also quietly turned.

"Since the first emperor came to Chang'an from Daiguo and inherited the throne left by his brother Emperor Xiaohui, the hidden dangers of the clan relatives and princes have been plaguing my Han family."

"After I ascended the throne, I was always worried about those clan princes who opened mountains and mines, smelted copper to cast money, and used the money to raise dead soldiers and drill armies."

"A lot of times, I'm worried about these things, and I can't taste them when I eat, and I can't close my eyes when I sleep······"

···

"—by the beginning of last year!"

"Liu Bi, Liu Wu and other thieves are not satisfied with the honor bestowed by Emperor Taizu Gao, and they are not satisfied with the status of their clan relatives and princes, so they brazenly raise troops to rebel!"

"Fortunately, a group of loyal ministers and righteous men, including the Marquis Zhou Yafu, the Marquis of Wei Qi, and the Marquis of Gonggao, Han Yandang, led the elite soldiers and strong generals of my Han family, and it only took three months to quell this rebellion."

"Only then did I, a stupid person who had no credit to the world and only relied on the shadow of my father and ancestors to sit on the throne, get lucky to be the ······ of Baozong Temple and Sheji"

As he said this, Tianzi Qi got up with a sigh and bowed his hand to the prime minister Zhou Yafu, the crown prince and the prince Dou Ying, and the meritorious ministers.

After everyone returned the salute in turn, they returned to the Tianzi Qi on the royal couch, and finally brought the topic on the right track.

"Although the rebellion of Liu Bi and Liu Wu only lasted for more than three months, it caused great harm to the entire world."

"—In the Kanto region, the people were affected by the war and displaced;

"——In Guanzhong, the people delayed the agricultural time because they went out with the army."

"Although the rebellion of Liu Bi, Liu Wu and other thieves did not happen because of me, I feel very guilty about the displacement of the people in Guandong and the failure of the grain and rice harvest of the people in Guanzhong."

"In order to make up for the mistakes of Liu Bi, Liu Wu and other thieves, I have already decreed: All counties under the jurisdiction of Chang'an in all parts of the world will be exempted from last year's agricultural tax and canopy tax."

"But I've also heard that the princes and vassal kings of the Kanto region are turning a blind eye to the hardships of the people under their rule?"

As soon as the Son of Heaven finished speaking, he didn't wait for that deep gaze to reach out to the court, and Tao Qing, the imperial historian who was sitting next to Zhou Yafu, got up from his seat without hesitation.

Strode to the center of the hall, and bowed to the head of the Son of Heaven.

"Imperial Doctor Kaifeng Marquis Tao Qing, please play Your Majesty!"

"——Since the beginning of last year, after Liu Bi, Liu Wu and other thieves rebelled, Fanwu, Chu, Liang, Qi, Jiaodong, Jiaoxi, Jinan, Jibei, Chengyang, Huainan and other countries in Guandong have been affected by military disasters!"

"On the order of His Majesty, the Imperial Historian sent to the Kanto region to collect the wind and the imperial history all reported: These clan princely states have delayed the agricultural season because of the war, resulting in a failed harvest in the farmland, or even a dead harvest!"

"The Qi and Liang countries, which are in serious condition, have been poisoned by the war, and tens of thousands of people have been displaced, so they can only take their surviving families and wander around the Kanto region."

Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes in the hall, saying these words that directly pointed to the inaction of the princes of the clan, Tao Qing bowed to the Son of Heaven again, and then returned to his seat and sat down again.

That is, after Tao Qing finished the performance and returned to his seat, Tianzi Qi's deep gaze finally fell on the cloudy and uncertain faces in the hall.

"It is inevitable that the people of Kanto will be poisoned by the war."

"But after being poisoned by the war, the people of Kanto should have been well settled."

"Since the agricultural season has been delayed, we should not pay last year's agricultural tax;"

"If you have lost your home, you should rebuild your house with the help of the government and get food to house them."

···

"The counties and counties that belong to the imperial court have been ordered to be exempted from agricultural taxes and tax."

"Then what are the reasons for these Kanto people to be displaced?"

"Is it the county officials appointed by me who are acting in the local mischief and turning a blind eye to the sufferings of the people?"

"Or are the princes of the Kanto region only concerned with their own pleasures, and do not treat their own people as 'people' at all?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, please answer this question for me."

Two more finishes.

Good night, Father

(End of chapter)