"Father, what do you mean······

"What the hell do you mean······

North of Chang'an City, the side hall of the palace.

Nearly half a month has passed since the Great Ceremony of the Seventh Year of the Son of Heaven.

But even after so much time, Liu Sheng still can't worry about what happened in the apse of the Xuanshu Hall that day.

- Liu Sheng doesn't know what kind of attitude Bai Ziqi has.

Do you want to praise Liu Sheng for doing a good job?

Or do you want to blame Liu Sheng for not doing well?

Or ······

"Even if you scold me twice, why don't you say what I think is wrong?"

"'Well, I know, go down'······"

"-What the hell do you mean?!"

looked at Liu Sheng, who was sitting in the main seat, talking to himself as he had done for the past ten days, and from time to time a sentence popped out of his mouth, 'What does it mean?' Liu Pengzu and Dou Pengzu, uncles and nephews sitting on both sides, couldn't help but smile at each other.

They were busy with the work in their hands, and they didn't forget to comfort each other softly: "Father's meaning, maybe it's 'no comment', right?" ”

"Just like the big plan, there are a few counties that can teach the most and teach the hall, and most of the counties and counties only get a 'no comment' result?"

"-I think that Your Majesty means that this matter is urgent."

"-So, even if you agree with Childe's statement, Your Majesty is noncommittal about it;"

"——If what Gongzi said at the Great Dynasty Ceremony is compared to a note, then His Majesty's disposition may be 'stay in the middle and not send it'?"

The comforting voices of his cousin Dou Pengzu and brother Liu Pengzu sounded in his ears, which only provoked Liu Sheng to raise his head thoughtfully.

But after hearing his brother's 'no comment' and his cousin's 'stay in the middle and don't send it', Liu Sheng became even more irritable.

"No comment, isn't it really 'no comment'?"

"——The counties that get 'no comment' will also get a notice of 'no comment'?!"

"As for the ······ of 'staying in the middle and not sending it'"

"Doesn't that mean 'take it and burn it'?"

was full of annoyance and complained, which suddenly provoked Liu Pengzu on the side to smirk, looked at Liu Sheng's gaze, and was full of schadenfreude.

If you want to say that this 'stay in the middle and not send it' stalk, it was last year, when the old prime minister Shentu Jiashang was still alive, the two brothers helped the old prime minister deal with government affairs.

And now, the old prime minister has passed away, and only the two brothers Liu Sheng and Liu Pengzu are left who can get the stalk of 'staying in the middle and not sending it'.

On the other side, Nanpihou Dou Pengzu heard Liu Sheng's complaint, but he smiled a little when he met.

put down the work in his hand for a while, and looked up at Liu Sheng with a little seriousness.

"Staying in the middle and not sending it is not exactly what Childe thinks."

"If it's a note that you don't want to see, or a note handed over by someone you don't want to see, Your Majesty will indeed keep it in the middle;"

"--Leave it in the middle here, it really means 'take it and burn it'."

"But in addition, there are other circumstances, and His Majesty will also stay in the middle of the situation."

"For example, His Majesty approves of a certain letter, but knows that this matter cannot be done for the time being;"

"Another example is a certain letter that touches Your Majesty's heart, but Your Majesty can't admit it."

"Another example······"

Halfway through the words, he saw Dou Pengzu pause with a strange expression, looked at Liu Sheng thoughtfully, then looked at the opposite side, and also looked up at Liu Pengzu who looked up at him.

After a long time, he 'muttered' a meaningful sentence: "That, cough cough ······"

"When the first emperor was the emperor, Chao Cuo presented the "Cutting Domain", and the first emperor ······"

"Ahem, cough, ······"

A very deliberate dry cough caused the two brothers to look at each other with wide eyes and full of surprise!

"Cutting the Domain"!

Chao Cuo's "Cutting Domain" was put forward as early as the first emperor?!

And the attitude of the first emperor was to 'stay in the middle and not send it'?!!

"Hiss ~~~~~"

"This?!"

I saw that the two brothers gasped together, and looked at each other again with horror!

Then, with a thirst for knowledge, he threw himself to the side of the sitting, pretending to be checking his cousin Dou Pengzu.

Feeling the two brothers, this gaze full of curiosity, Dou Pengzu couldn't help but stiffen slightly;

After a moment, he raised his head with a stiff smile and grinned slightly at the two brothers.

"That, two sons, let's focus on what's in front of you, right?"

"After all, the matter of food is the most important thing now?"

changed the topic very deliberately, only to provoke the two brothers to cry in disappointment, and let out a disappointed 'ha~'.

After a while, the two brothers looked at each other in tacit understanding, and then lowered their heads with a strange smile······

- In the future, there is an opportunity!

Secretly made up his mind to 'go back and pick out some past events from Dou Pengzu's mouth', Liu Sheng no longer struggled, and refocused his attention on the bamboo slips that were piled up with most of the desks in front of him.

While flipping through the looks, he didn't forget to casually ask his brother Liu Pengzu beside him: "Brother, have you written down the general ledger?" ”

"——How much grain has been sold in Taicang?"

"Is the money right?"

As soon as Liu Sheng's words came out, Liu and Dou's two 'Peng Zu' reacted: after nearly half a month, Liu Sheng finally entered the state of work and refocused on the matter of food.

They each breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts, and saw Liu Pengzu take the lead in getting up, picked up a roll of bamboo slips that were obviously thicker, and put them on the table in front of Liu Sheng.

"It's all here."

"——In September, the thirty-seven princes used almost all their gold and money in Chang'an to buy almost 7.4 million stone of grain;"

"After the New Year, it was still these thirty-seven families who transferred gold and money from the feudal state in Kanto, and bought more than 11 million stones."

As he spoke, Liu Pengzu did not forget to stretch out his hand, leaned over in front of the bamboo slip in front of Liu Sheng, and stretched out his finger again.

"Here."

"As of today, a total of 19.2 million stone of Taicang's 20 million stone grain has been sold."

"Counting the 100,000 stones of Aunt Tao, there are only 700,000 stones left that have not been sold."

"——The 19,200,000 stone grain sold was exchanged for about 120,000 gold in total, and all of them were sent to the Shaofu treasury;"

"In addition, there are 70,000 copper coins, and the palace can't let go, and most of them are sent to the internal money."

"The money and grain accounts are also correct."

With Liu Pengzu's words and the fingers sliding on the bamboo slips, Liu Sheng's eyes fell on the data on the bamboo slips, but in his mind, he quickly fiddled with the abacus.

While fiddling with the abacus in his mind, he didn't forget to continue to ask: "Shaofu, is there any news?" ”

"How much grain is transferred from other official warehouses in Guanzhong, and how long will it take to be transported to Chang'an?"

Hearing this, it was Nanpihou Dou Pengzu's turn on the other side to stand up, walk forward with a smile, and stop beside Liu Sheng.

Leaned down, looked at the bamboo slip in front of Liu Sheng, and did not forget to give an answer to Liu Sheng's question.

"Shaofu can transfer more than 9 million stone of grain from the official warehouses in Guanzhong, and it will be able to arrive in Chang'an at the latest."

"As for Shu County and Hanzhong, Shaofu has already sent people to buy grain, and it should take some time."

"The plank road in and out of Shu and Hanzhong is difficult to walk, and this October winter ······"

"——It is estimated that it will have to wait until spring and February, and the grain of Shu County and Hanzhong can be transported back to Chang'an."

"According to Shaofu, the total number is between seven hundred and nine million stones."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng nodded slowly, and the abacus that was rapidly fiddling in his mind finally made the last crisp sound.

"Hmm······"

"20 million stones, 9 million stones, 7 million stones······"

After finishing the mental arithmetic, he muttered twice thoughtfully, and Liu Sheng nodded again.

Standing up, motioning for his brother and cousin to sit down, he saw Liu Sheng take a deep breath, and then cast a serious gaze on his cousin Dou Pengzu on the right.

"The 20 million stone grain in Taicang has been eaten by the thirty-seven princes."

"Uncle Cousin thinks that these thirty-seven princes still have the ability to continue to buy grain?"

"——Taicang's 20 million stone grain, did it force these thirty-seven princes to the point of 'having no long things'?"

"Wait for the nine million stone grain newly adjusted by Shaofu to be transported back to Chang'an, will these thirty-seven princes still have the ability to continue to eat the next part of the grain?"

Feeling that Liu Sheng's tone was full of serious and dignified emotions, Dou Pengzu couldn't help but sit up straight.

After a little thought, he shook his head with determination.

"In September, Gongzi opened Taicang to sell grain at parity, and these thirty-seven princes used all their money and gold in Chang'an to buy more than 7 million stone grain from Gongzi;"

"By October, these thirty-seven families transferred money and savings from the Kanto region, and they managed to eat more than 11 million stone with difficulty."

"——Thirty-seven families ate more than 19 million stone of grain, and on average, each family ate nearly 500,000 stone."

"From the hands of the childe, it will cost 5,000 gold or 50 million copper coins to buy these 500,······000 stone grain."

Halfway through his words, Dou Pengzu thought carefully again before shaking his head again.

"These thirty-seven princes, each of whom has paid an average of 5,000 gold or 50 million yuan, should have reached the limit."

"The nine million stone grain newly transported by Shaofu, these thirty-seven families, I'm afraid they can't even afford to eat ten thousand stone."

"——Although it is not to the point where Gongzi said 'no long things', these thirty-seven princes should not have much money or gold in their hands."

"Even if you mortgage your mansion, manor, and shop in Chang'an, you can't borrow much money from the hands of the merchants."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng nodded slightly, but there was still no relaxation on his face.

After only thinking about it for a moment, he still asked with a solemn face: "In addition to the Ziqian merchants, who else will lend them money?" ”

"If they can't eat it, then who else but them will have this idea and eat the nine million stone grain that has just been transferred?"

Hearing that Liu Sheng was still not relaxed at all, and still had a solemn tone, Dou Pengzu lowered his head and thought seriously for a while.

After going through everything he could think of, the people who could take out so much money, and who were willing to lend it to these princes, Dou Pengzu raised his head with a serious face.

"A merchant may lend them money, but the interest will be very high."

"——Just like last year, when Zhou Yafu led the army to go on an expedition, he borrowed 1,000 gold from the Wuyan clan, a merchant of Ziqian, and finally repaid a full 10,000 gold with interest."

"Therefore, these thirty-seven princes should not go to borrow money."

···

"In terms of 'borrowing or not borrowing', then other princes who did not buy grain from Taicang also have the ability to borrow money from these thirty-seven families."

"But that's unlikely."

"Because these princes, since they didn't buy grain from Taicang, they have made up their minds and don't want to make enemies with their sons;"

"I don't want to buy grain from Taicang and Gongzi, so naturally, I won't borrow money from these 37 families to help them buy grain from Gongzi."

···

"Except for the merchants and other princes who have not bought grain, no one should be able to borrow money from them."

"—Princess Guantao has money, but she won't lend it to them;"

"—Childe has money, and he won't lend it to them either."

"If you can't borrow money, then these thirty-seven should end here."

"Taicang's 20 million stone grain has squeezed all the financial resources of these thirty-seven families."

···

"As for these thirty-seven families, who will be tempted by the nine million stone grain newly transferred from Shaofu······

"Hmmm······"

"-If there are no more people among the other princes, then the rest are the grain merchants who have been watching for the past two months."

"But I don't know how much food they can eat."

With a grim look, listening to his cousin Dou Pengzu finish the last sentence, Liu Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief;

Because of Liu Sheng's abrupt and solemn complexion, and the inexplicably low atmosphere, it finally became normal.

But even so, Liu Sheng's next words, the tone still did not relax in the slightest.

——Liu Sheng himself didn't realize it: that day, the teachings of the Son of Heaven had made Liu Sheng subconsciously begin to pay attention to his words and deeds.

At the very least, Tianziqi's teaching of 'discussing state affairs should be serious and solemn' was obviously firmly remembered by Liu Sheng······

"In this way, the 20 million stones in Taicang have fed these thirty-seven princes."

"As for the other princes, since they didn't make a move earlier, they won't interfere in the food matter anymore."

"And the nine million that Shaofu transferred from all over Guanzhong, and the seven or eight million that were transported from Shu and Hanzhong in the spring and February;"

"—Together, the total amount of grain is more than fifteen million stones, and the grain merchants in Guanzhong must be counted on."

"As long as they do their best to eat this 15 million stone of grain, then after the beginning of spring, the price of grain in Guanzhong will be decided by them."

"The court has no food in its hands, so it can only sit back and watch the price of grain skyrocket, soaring to thousands of dollars, or even thousands of dollars a stone······"

For the first time since presiding over the grain price stabilization, Liu Sheng has vaguely revealed his purpose in front of his brother Liu Pengzu and Nanpihou Dou Pengzu.

And after hearing Liu Sheng's low words, the expressions of Liu Pengzu and Dou Pengzu's uncle and nephew also suddenly took on a touch of heaviness.

- Thousands of dollars, or even thousands of dollars a stone!

The uncle and nephew couldn't imagine what kind of changes such a grain price would bring to Guanzhong.

About 50 years ago, when Emperor Taizu Gao first sat on the throne, the price of grain in Guanzhong experienced such a sharp rise.

At that time, the price of grain in Chang'an was as high as 8,000 yuan a stone, and the money to buy a cart of grain could not be pulled by a car!

In addition, the sharp rise in grain prices was caused by Emperor Taizu Gao's order to cast three baht pods, which made the grain price as high as 8,000 yuan and one stone last for nearly three years.

In those three years, many people died in Guanzhong······

starving, freezing;

Those who are tired of working for people, and those who are supported to death by sawdust and soil;

Most of them are children who are exchanged by their parents and then eaten by their neighbors······

In the history books, the tragic situation of those years is only recorded by the cold eight words of 'starvation is everywhere, and the children are cannibalistic';

But even these eight cold little seals are enough to make Liu Pengzu and Dou Pengzu's uncle and nephew feel the impact from the depths of their souls.

And now, Guanzhong, is once again facing such a situation.

As long as it is not handled properly, the price of grain as high as thousands of yuan, or even thousands of dollars per stone, will make the historian of the Han family write down again: filial piety x emperor four years, the price of rice x thousand dollars a stone, the people are hungry everywhere, and Yi Zi cannibalism······

"Therefore, Ah Sheng is determined: these fifteen million stone grains, grain merchants can't eat them?"

"Or is there something else to do?"

The long silence was shattered by Liu Pengzu's trembling voice, but it also made the atmosphere in this side hall even more gloomy.

Even Nanpihou Dou Pengzu on the other side looked at Liu Sheng's gaze, and he was inexplicably a little solemn.

But what made the uncle and nephew a little confused was that before, Liu Sheng, who had always had a grim face and a dignified tone, was inexplicably relaxed at this moment.

Although he still had that solemn and serious face, he didn't forget to turn sideways and grin at his brother Liu Pengzu and cousin Dou Pengzu on both sides.

"Brother and cousin don't worry."

"I know all these things."

"—Let's sell the grain first."

"Exchange all the money in the hands of these thirty-seven princes and those grain merchants in Guanzhong for the grain in Taicang;"

"When the spring of next year begins, when the people start to go out of their homes and buy rice in the market, everything will be clear·······

The meaningful words can be regarded as calming the uncle and nephew a little.

Thinking of Tianzi Qi and Empress Dowager Dou, they also knew what Liu Sheng was doing, and the uncle and nephew forcibly calmed down their apprehensions.

In the next few months, everything that happened in Chang'an City was exactly as Liu Sheng expected.

After the thirty-seven princes were 'exhausted' and the Shaofu transferred nine million stone of new grain from all over Guanzhong, the grain merchants in Guanzhong began to dispatch.

But after they ate the nine million stone grains, there was an extremely strange scene in Chang'an City.

- The grain merchants were very happy to eat these grains;

- The princes were also delighted;

But the happiest is Liu Sheng of the Imperial Palace······

(End of chapter)