Back to the palace, I came to the "Green Hall" of the third hall. Before they could sit down, Gongsun Mingyue couldn't help but say: "The castle lord is really generous, as soon as Chrysostom opens, the whole city will be exempted from taxes for one year, what should we do?" Luo Tianchu smiled and said: "It is also worth exchanging a year's tax for the hearts of the people in the city." Gongsun Mingyue said: "The people's will is important, if it is only reduced to the level before Jingkang, the subordinates are in favor with both hands, but how can it be tax-exempt? What does this make us eat?" Luo Tianchu said: "Didn't the lord of the castle get 200,000 taels of silver in Yanjing? Isn't 200,000 taels not enough for us to spend a year?" Gongsun Mingyue smiled bitterly: "That amount of silver is far from enough, Cui Taishou asks you to tell the lord of the fort how much tax Chang'an City can get in a year." Cui Xing said: "Last year, I received 1.2 million taels, and before Jingkang, there were 6.7 million taels. Luo Tianchu said: "So much, I used to listen to the drama in Lin'an, and after the new monarch in the drama succeeded to the throne, the world was tax-free for three years, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, grateful to Dade." I'm just tax-free for a year. ”

Gongsun Mingyue said: "The new monarch has unified the world, there is no more war in the world, and the soldiers have unloaded their armor and returned to the field, which has greatly saved military expenses." After the war, the land was barren, and the business was bleak, even if the tax was collected, it could not collect much, so the people were simply given three years to recuperate, and after three years, the tax was collected more. Now that the war is raging, the enemy is around, and our foundation is unstable, it is the time to spend a lot of money. Armor, weapons, war horses, grain and grass, military salaries, and other daily necessities are all made of silver, is it possible that the 200,000 taels of the castle lord will be used for the whole year this year?" Luo Tianchu was puzzled: "Blame me for not thinking it through, and I just got up to say big things, but I didn't expect it to put us in an embarrassment." Gongsun Mingyue smiled and said: "The castle lord is still young, and it is normal to do things without consideration, and it is rare for the castle lord to think about the people." In fact, his subordinates and Cui Taishou were looking for the castle owner to pay taxes, but they didn't expect the castle owner to make a decision. Luo Tianchu shook his head and said, "It's all my fault." Gongsun Mingyue said with a smile: "Don't worry, the castle master, his subordinates have already thought of countermeasures on the road, but we can ensure that we don't have to worry about eating and drinking this year." Luo Tianchu was overjoyed and said: "If the military advisor has any clever plan, let's talk about it quickly." Gongsun Mingyue said: "Since ordinary people can't come out with this money, it can only be spread to big households." Cui Taishou, how many families are in Chang'an that can be regarded as a big family?" Cui Xing thought for a while and said, "There are fifty or sixty families. Gongsun Mingyue said with a smile: "That's enough, let each household take out 20,000 taels of silver is one million taels, enough for this year's expenses." Cui Xing said: "20,000 taels is also a lot of money for large households, and not everyone can take it." Gongsun Mingyue said: "Those who can work harder, for those who are really big, don't say 20,000 taels, 100,000 taels is not a problem." This matter still requires Cui Tai to guard Zhang Luo, first list the names of those big households, and then invite them to the banquet, and then I will explain it to them. Cui Xing hesitated: "Yes, but ...... My Cui family also has some ancestral business, and it is also a big family, so I don't know if my name is listed. Gongsun Mingyue smiled: "No, you are an official, they are the people, of course they must be treated differently." Cui Xing breathed a sigh of relief and said: "That's good, but if you want to collect money from large households, you must have to think of a reason, otherwise I'm afraid that people will be unhappy." Gongsun Mingyue said with a smile: "The reason is that we are short of money now, and I hope they will donate some, a total of one million taels of silver." Cui Xing said: "Isn't this a robbery?" Gongsun Mingyue said: "It's okay to say that, if they don't bleed, we will bleed, do you want to bleed Cui Taishou yourself?" Cui Xing "um" and said: "Then it's still them bleeding." Gongsun Mingyue smiled: "That's not it, I can only do this now." Cui Xing said: "What if some big families don't cooperate?" Gongsun Mingyue said: "Who do you think will be the most uncooperative." Cui Xing said: "That must be Jin Daguan, he is the richest man in Chang'an, the green buildings in the city, casinos, and money houses are eighty percent of his family's property, and he is usually arrogant and domineering, and even I don't care about it." ”

Gongsun Mingyue said: "Why is he so arrogant?" Cui Xing said: "One of his distant relatives is Wan Yanchang's beloved concubine, Wan Yanchang is in a high position in the Jin Dynasty, he just occupies the light of his relatives, and no one dares to mess with him." Gongsun Mingyue said: "That's great, you write to him and ask him to donate 200,000 taels, if he dares not to donate, he will raid his home." Cui Xing was surprised: "Raiding the house? He didn't break the law, is it too heavy to raid the house?" Gongsun Mingyue said: "Let's just say that he fornicated with the Jin State and was a traitor in the Jin country, and this reason can be completely raided." Cui Xing said: "His distant relatives have not had contact with him for many years, and the charges imposed on him are only unconvincing, and it will be troublesome to provoke a civil uprising." Gongsun Mingyue said with a smile: "In the past dynasties, only the poor rebelled, when have you ever seen a businessman rebel?" Jin Daguan's industry is in Chang'an, and he doesn't dare to go against us if he has the courage to do so, this is called killing a hundred people, as long as he honestly takes out the silver, are you afraid that other big families will not obey?" Cui Xing thought for a while and said: "That's true, the lower official understands, I'll go and write to him." After he left, Gongsun Mingyue said to Luo Tianchu: "My subordinates are good at making claims, and I hope the castle lord doesn't mind." Before Luo Tianchu could speak, Ling Xue'er preemptively said: "Strategist, don't be modest, only you can come up with such a good idea, this person can only fight, and his brain is a mess when dealing with this kind of thing." Luo Tianchu laughed and said: "What Xue'er said is exactly what I want to say, so I will do it according to the meaning of the military advisor." Gongsun Mingyue said with a smile: "That's good, this matter will be done by the subordinates, there is no need for the castle lord to worry, the subordinates will leave first." ”

In the evening, Luo Tianchu, Zhu Yushi, Ling Xue'er, He Yuelian, and Jiang Nu'er went to visit the imperial city. They didn't know anything about the imperial city, so they called Gu Yao and Yan Weifeng, two well-informed "literati", to accompany them. Gu Yao had sneaked into the imperial city when he was young, and at that time the imperial city was no one, he was young and frivolous, and he actually got drunk in the Taiji Palace, and slept until noon the next day before patting his ass and leaving. At this time, if you revisit the old place, the mood is very different. At that time, he was carefree, a sword hero, and just wanted to travel all over the famous mountains and rivers, step on all the places of interest, kill all the traitors in the world, and appreciate all the beauties in the world. Decades have passed, and the enthusiasm and pride of the year have gradually subsided, and there is more emotion and melancholy in my heart.

Seven people came to the Chengtian Gate of the Imperial City, looking up at the Imperial City, the height of the city wall is equivalent to the outer city wall, although it has not been renovated for many years, it is still difficult to hide the grandeur of the year, and the majestic momentum is daunting. Gu Yao said that the imperial city is divided into three major interiors, the first one is based on the Taiji Palace, and the Taiji Palace has a total of ten city gates, the South Chengtian Gate, the Yongle Gate, and the Changle Gate. North Xuanwu Gate, Anli Gate. Xijia Youmen, Tongming Gate. Dongtong training gate. They entered the city through the Chengtian Gate, each carrying a torch. Gu Yao said: "This Chengtian Gate is the main gate of the Taiji Palace, and it is also the place where the emperor holds the ceremony of the foreign dynasty, not for ordinary people to walk." Luo Tianchu pointed to the grand hall located in front and said, "That is the Taiji Palace." Gu Yao said: "Yes, I ate and slept there back then." Yan Weifeng smiled: "Why don't I go back and buy a few pots of wine, let's have a drink in the Taiji Hall." Luo Tianchu said: "Xiao Zhu and I can't drink, we have to send troops tomorrow, just take a visit." ”

Taiji Hall is the place where the emperor listens to the government and looks at the court, and has the highest status in the three halls, and now there is nothing in it, and there is no furnishings left. Luo Tianchu said: "Presumably, the valuable things were looted by the Jin soldiers and moved to Huining Mansion in Shangjing, and they did not burn this imperial city to their subordinates." His words lingered in the main hall, and the vastness of the main hall was even more revealed.

Out of the Taiji Palace, Gu Yao said that the East Palace on the left is the residence of the crown prince, and the palace maid on the right is the palace maid. The imperial city is too big to be able to walk through it all, so you can only pick important places to see. Gu Yao led them to the front of Lingyan Pavilion. Lingyan Pavilion is just an inconspicuous small building next to the Sanqing Palace, the building is empty, and there are twenty-four images hanging on the wall, which is exactly the "Twenty-four Heroes of Lingyan Pavilion" from left to right are " Zhao Gongchang Sun Wuji, Zhao Junwang Li Xiaogong, Cai Gong Du Ruhui, Zheng Gong Wei Zheng, Liang Gongfang Xuanling, Shen Gong Gao Shilian, E Gongwei Chi Jingde, Wei Gong Li Jing, Song Gong Xiao Yu, Bao Gong Duan Zhixuan, Kui Gong Liu Hongji, Jiang Gong Qu Tutong, Xun Gong Yin Qiao, Qian Gong Chai Shao, Pi Gong Chang Sun Shunde, Yun Gong Zhang Liang, Chen Guogong Hou Junji, Tan Gong Zhang Gongjin, Lu Gong Cheng Zhijie, Yongxing Gong Yu Shinan, Criminal Gong Liu Zhenghui, Ju Gong Tang Jian, Ying Gong Immediately, Hu Gong Qin Qiong. ”

The heroic deeds of these twenty-four heroes of the former dynasty are still awe-inspiring, and Luo Tianchu bowed respectfully three times in front of the image. Gu Yao said: "These portraits are all from the hands of Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty, and the inscription is Chu Suiliang, and each painting is precious." Yan Weifeng had long been attracted by the painting and font on the image, and he admired it intently under the torch, and his fingers were painted in the air from time to time, and his mouth was praised. Zhu Yushi said: "These paintings are so precious, why don't Jin Bing take them away?" Gu Yao said: "Although Jin Bing is brutal, he is very reverent of the gods, and he usually burns, kills, and loots but does not touch the bricks and tiles of the temple and the Taoist hall, nor does he harm the monks. These twenty-four heroes are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it is said that they are all ranked in the immortal class, and the Jin soldiers naturally dare not offend them. Luo Tianchu said: "Which golden general led the troops to attack Chang'an back then." Gu Yao said: "It's Wanyan Lou's room." Luo Tianchu said: "That's it, if it is the Wanyan Wushu that enters the city, he will not be taboo about any gods, and he will definitely take them all." ”

Then they visited the Liangyi Palace, the Ganlu Palace, and the Daming Palace, the largest of the three. The main buildings in the Daming Palace are the Hanyuan Palace, the Xuanzheng Palace, the Zichen Palace, and the back garden north of the Taiye Pond. When they arrived at the pool, it was dark and had to return early. On the way back, Zhu Yushi said: "The imperial city is so big, it's pitch black all around, isn't the emperor afraid to live here?" Gu Yao smiled: "In the past, there were 100,000 palace eunuchs in the imperial city, and the lights were brilliant at night, as bright as day, singing and dancing, how could you be afraid." Zhu Yushi said enviously: "It's good to be an emperor." He Yuelian said lightly: "You linger in the inner court, do you envy the three thousand beauties in the harem?" Zhu Yushi hurriedly said: "No, no, no, I'm just curious about what the royal family lives like." He Yuelian snorted and smiled, and stopped talking. Zhu Yushi suddenly said: "Xiao Luo, you are already the lord of Chang'an, you can move into the imperial city to live, and find some palace maids, won't this imperial city be lively?" Luo Tianchu smiled bitterly: "Don't be sarcastic about me, what kind of goods am I, how can I deserve to live in the imperial city, won't I become a nouveau riche." (To be continued.) )