Xu Ping shrank in the chair, with a stove next to him. Looking at the gray sky, he felt exhausted both physically and mentally.

Shulang sat on the side, looking at Xu Ping with his head and eyes intently, a little close, a little curious, and a little afraid. When he left, Shulang was still in his infancy, and when he came back, he could run or jump. Before Xu Ping came back, Shulang thought about what his father looked like, and even described it in his heart, firmly thinking that it was what he had seen when he was a child. He was tall and powerful, and he could only be able to bear the identity of a general who ruled hundreds of thousands of troops and won the frontier. When he came back to see him, he was just ordinary and not as he thought at all.

After all, it was his father, but he was not disappointed. He just couldn't think of how he could rule the army like this. Yesterday, when Xu Ping came back, his mother Xiuxiu stood in front of the window of the restaurant next to Yu Street, watching Xu Ping's cavalry guards, and the officials came into the city. It was very majestic. When he was carried to the Xuande Gate Tower by his family, Xu Ping took off his armor and came over to hug him, but he no longer had the spirit of a large army. Suddenly he became like this, making him feel that it was magical.

Xu Ping raised his head and saw Shulang staring at him. He smiled at him. He was like this. He was used to parting and reunion. In his previous life, he felt that countless separations in ancient poems were a bit pretentious. When he was like this, he realized that parting and reunion was life. Xu Ping was fine. He had a family in the capital with a small family. When he went to the frontier to be an official, his family could still live a peaceful life. Most officials did not even have the conditions for him to be a family in the world. Only when he had to part, he rented a house in a certain place, and his family would wait for the next reunion. Until he was old, sick and died, he would settle his family in one place, and his descendants would survive and reproduce there.

Whether it is a small household, wandering is the norm for officials in this era. Needless to say, the family has a small population, of course, he has officials everywhere with his family. The same is true for those with large households. The Song Dynasty officials were treated well and their salaries were high, but these benefits were only for the officials themselves. Although the salary was high, the hidden benefits were fewer. Although there were official households, tax exemptions were limited to the number of places. Rural tax exemptions were based on land, one hundred hectares were exempted from one hundred hectares, and it was reduced to nine hectares in order to avoid ten hectares. Ten hectares were self-cultivated farmers of a family of five, and it was not cost-effective to have adult brothers staying at home. Xu Ping now has the second rank, and rural land was exempted from nine hectares, which only accounted for a very small part of the farm in Baisha Town, and the land there is now tax.

The land in rural areas is actually not very attractive to officials, and the land prices in the Song Dynasty have always been low, which is a good thing for Xu Ping. Forced private funds out of the countryside and invested in urban industry and commerce, which is more efficient for society.

Suddenly, I felt someone pulling me, so I lowered my head and saw Shulang leaning over, pulling his robe and asking timidly: "Dad, what are you thinking?"

Xu Ping smiled and said, "I didn't think about anything, I'm just tranced for a while. Are you cold? Come on, I'll hold you."

While speaking, he picked up Shulang and hugged him in his arms. Shulang was a little shy and buried his head on Xu Ping's shoulder.

Yesterday, the whole city celebrated, and welcomed the northwest Xu Ping's Protector back to Beijing for a day. Xu Ping returned to the mansion outside the city in the evening, greeted his parents, and told Lin Su Niang about his farewell. Today he entered the palace to thank the emperor, so he came to see Xiuxiu and Shulang.

According to the example, the emperors all had generous rewards, usually worth about 4,000 to 5,000 guan. Xu Ping had a different status, so Zhao Zhen gave him about 7,000 guan of various treasures. In addition, because of the victory in the northwest, Empress Guo gave him 300 taels of gold and other treasures each. Xu Ping gave Ding Du, who wrote his poems for the prime minister, and the various benefits were nearly 100 guan, and the rest were used for Xiuxiu.

Lin Suniang manages the family's property. Xiuxiu gives money to her every month, and the extra income is Xu Ping's reward. She is a small family and can live a life herself, which is enough. Of course, she is not as rich and luxurious as the city's mansion. Xu Zheng and Zhang Sanniang feel sorry for their grandson, and from time to time they buy all kinds of things for Shulang and give them food for fun.

Xu Ping did not see the three or five thousand stakes of money he was rewarded by the prime minister, but for other prime ministers, it was a large amount of money. During the Dazhong Xiangfu period, Wang Dan recommended Li Zongyan as a participant in politics. Because the Li family was poor, he often borrowed money from Wang Dan's family. Wang Qinruo reported secretly that Wang Dan recommended Li Zongyan, because he was hoping that he would become a participant in politics and would pay back his own money after receiving the reward. Zhenzong did not need Li Zongyan.

Xiuxiu came over and brought a few fruits on the table. It was nothing more than pears, citrus and other easy-to-preserve. There was also a plate of jerky meat, so that Shulang could take it to eat. Shulang grabbed a jerky meat in his hand, bit it in his mouth and pulled it hard, looking at Xu Ping.

I am really ashamed that there are no good things that children like to eat in the northwest. Back then, I brought a lot of rare things from Lingnan to Beijing. Panpan liked them for nearly a month. An An and Shulang, and Zhilang had no such blessing, so they had to tear the meat.

With a smile, she took the jerky meat from Shulang's hand, and teared it into a thin line, and then gave it to him to eat it slowly. While tearing it, Xiuxiu asked Xu Ping: "Look at you being very tired and listless these two days. What a majestic thing the general returned to the court!"

Xu Ping shook his head and sighed: "The power is seen in people's eyes. He has worshipped the emperor and the prime minister, and has been congratulated by the ministers. I have not known how many thousand gifts I have performed in the past two days. How could I not be tired? I have to hold on until now, I feel that I am great!"

Xiuxiu just laughed and fed Shulang food. Shulang couldn't eat anymore, so she hugged him on her lap and looked at Xu Ping.

Xu Ping sat for a while, but still felt in a bad mood, so he couldn't help but retreat back to the chair. Xiuxiu said, "Aren't all etiquette okay? Why are you still worried? When you arrive in the imperial city tomorrow, you will be the prime minister."

Xu Ping said: "Prime Minister, do you think it's so easy to do? I'll go to the Political Affairs Hall tomorrow and send Mr. Li out of the capital to the northwest. Eighty-nine out of ten saints will call the right one. The prime minister uses the great way to assist the king, which is not comparable to before. I'm thinking carefully here."

Xiuxiu said: "All the great roads are helpful to the emperor to do things. I see that my husbands in the past came back early after noon. It's not like when you were in Sanshi, you often had to come back with the sunset on your back. No matter what, it's always easier than before."

Xu Ping looked at Xiuxiu, and after a while, Zhan Yan smiled and said, "As you said, I really won't get up early and go to bed late again. After all, the prime minister ignores common affairs. However, I have to pass this tomorrow's qualifying level. This time, I am the new prime minister and take office. The emperor must consult the great way of governing the country. If the answer is good, and this prime minister will do something. If one answers cannot be done well, he can only prepare a position. This priest is equivalent, and it will be meaningless."

Xiuxiu was startled and hugged Shulang and leaned forward to Xu Ping and said, "Then you have to answer carefully and not let the emperor down. By the way, the emperor is the nephew of the uncle of the Li family. He always has some friendship with our family. It is not too difficult for those who know you a young man, right? Most people are prime ministers, but they are not too difficult. We are our own people and we always have to take care of our faces."

Xu Ping laughed loudly and shook his head repeatedly, feeling much better.

Since the acquisition of power of counties and the realization of unprecedented centralization, the emperor and prime minister of the Song Dynasty were grasshoppers tied to a rope. The power of the monarch and prime ministers had conflicts, but it was more about cooperation. The emperor had to do what he wanted, just look at the prime minister. Because of this, when he did something, he attached great importance to the candidates for prime ministers. This position was not a general in charge of the army and had nothing to do with personal friendship.
Chapter completed!