"My heart is full of longing and longing for you, my mind is dark and the sun is declining." [Nine Sighs·Fengfen]
In March of the sixth year of Jian'an.
After some personnel changes, such as the appointment of Xu Xuan, the prefect of Yingchuan, as Guangluxun, Shizhong, and Xun You, the secretary of the Ping Dynasty, as the eunuch of the Zhongshu, etc., many changes have taken place in the personnel structure of the imperial court. The number of ministers in the Chengming Palace has also decreased sharply. There were only three people left: Sikong, Zhao Wen, the Secretary of Record, Zhao Wen, General Hussar, Dong Cheng, the Secretary of Record, and Wu Shuo, the Secretary of the Secretariat. The emperor did not recruit additional manpower for this, and even Yang Biao only had the name of Situ, but no participation. The power to decide government affairs.
The reduction of the number of ministers and assistants has invisibly increased the burden on Zhao Wen and others, and also increased the power in their hands. Dong Cheng is naturally happy with this. Without the constraints of Yang Qi, Huang Wan and others, he can He could have provided his complete opinions at the back of the memorial for the emperor's reference, or he could have taught the helpless Wu Shuo a lesson on weekdays to satisfy his craving for revenge. Perhaps Zhao Wen did so because Empress Dong was pregnant with Liujia. Because Dong was so prosperous, he rarely opposed Dong Chenggong.
The concentration of power, the retreat of opponents, and the avoidance of colleagues all made Dong Chengzhen truly enjoy the power of one person. Many unfinished business left after Huang Wan left also fell into Dong Cheng's hands, and he also Worthy of the trust given to him by the emperor, he implemented the policies left over from last year to the letter just after the New Year.
With the foundation laid by Huang Wan and Dong Cheng's tough attitude, all the counties, counties and townships in Guandong, Guanxi, Jiangnan and Hebei, and all over the world, after suffering the pain of purging officials, would rather delay the spring farming season than bite the bullet and investigate the case. The household affairs have been completed. Not to mention the process and the impact, just looking at the figures submitted by Dong Cheng is very gratifying.
Since Emperor Xiaohuan and Xiaoling, the world has been in trouble and people's livelihood has been in decline. Especially in the past decade or so, the war has been endless, and countless people have been displaced. Fortunately, the emperor recovered early and did not allow the social economy to collapse further, which was very serious. Important population resources and production means have been preserved to a certain extent, allowing agricultural production to resume smoothly.
"...There are a total of 5,702,200 households and 33,220,000 people..."
The emperor waved his hand and asked Situ Yang Biao, who was in charge of household registration: "It seems that this is the exact number. Last year when Huang Gong was here, he estimated that there were only more than 20 million people in the world. Unexpectedly, after a thorough investigation, including slaves, There are actually more tenant households than there were during Emperor Guangwu's reign."
When Guangwu was resurrected, there were only 21 million people in the world. In fact, if the emperor's case investigation this time had not been much stronger than the previous generation, and slaves and many hermits were included, the remaining number would not be more than in the early years of Guangwu. How many.
Yang Biao glanced at Dong Cheng, who took the initiative to take over the matter so that he could express himself, with a somewhat complicated look: "For decades, floods, droughts, plagues, locusts, and wars have caused the world's people to starve to death, and more than a million people have died from diseases. Now that the imperial court has been in great turmoil, it is still able to retain such vitality. It is really a blessing from heaven."
The emperor responded noncommittally, but Dong Cheng below seemed to have received some praise and took the initiative to suggest: "I believe that the people in the world have been cleared. Next, the court should measure the fields to increase the annual income."
Yang Biao's brows jumped immediately when he heard the suggestion of "saving the land". He wanted to give advice on this matter, and it was best to properly advise the emperor to be cautious. But then he thought that he was not qualified to participate in the political affairs. Today, he could He came to the Chengming Palace entirely because the results of the household registration examination that Dong Cheng wanted to report were related to his responsibilities. The imperial court had only been shaken once, and Dong Cheng was in power, so it was better for him to avoid trouble at the moment.
So Yang Biao was willing to be an outsider and refused to speak, but Zhao Wen had to come forward and say a few words: "Although the strategy of converting the fields is feasible, it is not available now. It is the beginning of spring, and many fields still have no seedlings, which is no different from the wasteland."
Differently, if the officials only want to get a good grade in the civil service examination, or if they do not know the acres of land and refer to wasteland as fields at will, then the number of acres will be added to the register, and when taxes are levied, the common people will pay more..." He
Find a compromise, try to delay for a while, so as not to verify the household registration, and then have to measure the fields during spring plowing, which will make people uneasy and not think about production.
The emperor followed Zhao Wen's suggestion. In fact, he did not want to measure the fields immediately because he had another matter to solve before that: "In summer, the seedlings grow lush and green, and then you can clearly distinguish them.
Let’s wait until summer to talk about the land transfer.”
Except for Dong Cheng who was somewhat reluctant, everyone else agreed with the emperor's decision.
When leaving the Chengming Hall, Mu Shun hurried over with his imperial physician Ling Zhixi. The emperor did not leave to return to the palace, but sat in the car and spoke to Zhixi outside through the closed window:
"Just came back? How is uncle's condition?"
Former general Wang Bin fell seriously ill again at the beginning of winter last year. At first, his family thought it was ordinary typhoid fever, so they asked Hua Tuo from Taiyuan Hospital to prescribe several prescriptions. Later, the situation did improve, but after spring, Wang Bin did not listen.
According to the doctor's advice, after basking in the sun for a while in the cool spring breeze, my body, which had been improving, immediately took a turn for the worse.
Even though Hua Tuo and other dozens of famous doctors were waiting on Wang Bin's bedside, Wang Bin, who had already been in decline for a long time, could not survive this spring. Hua Tuo and others knew that Wang Bin's illness was an old illness and he could only rely on decoctions.
It continued and could not be cured. But Wang Bin was a person that the emperor valued very much, and no one dared to let him make any mistakes. Even if he had no cure, Hua Tuo and others did not dare to tell the emperor the cruel truth directly.
Zhi Xi was the leader of the imperial doctors. Seeing that his condition was really hopeless, he was half-forced to be recommended by everyone and went to the palace alone to report: "Your Majesty... I'm afraid something is not going to be right."
His voice was weak and powerful, just like how frightened he was now.
The young man in the car immediately shouted angrily: "What do you mean by bad! Do you really care about it?"
Zhi Xi's knees went weak, and he immediately knelt beside the wheel, put his hands on the ground, lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me! The root cause of the prince's illness was already there when he was at home a few years ago. It accumulated over the years. Even though
There is nourishment, but the foundation has been damaged, and now..."
At this point, the meaning is very clear. It depends on whether the emperor is willing to accept the fact that his most respected relatives and elders have died.
After waiting anxiously for a long time, Zhi Xi finally heard something that made him relieved: "Go to my uncle's house again and continue to take care of him. Although there is a destiny between life and death, you still have to do your best and your due diligence."
Every penny is a lot.”
"Your Majesty." With no one to help him, Zhi Xi stood up from the emperor's wheel in embarrassment. He didn't bother to brush the dust off his knees, and hurried back after receiving the instructions.
There was no movement in the car for a long time. Even Mu Shun didn't know whether to urge the car to start or whether to continue along the planned route back to Greenhouse Palace. The movement here quickly alerted the ministers in Chengming Palace, Zhao Wen.
The other people came down the hall one after another, and from afar they wanted to ask people to come over and ask why the emperor stayed behind.
"Mr. Yang." When Yang Biao and others approached in confusion, the emperor's voice finally sounded faintly in the car.
"I'm here." Yang Biao took a step forward.
The emperor's voice seemed a little thicker through the carriage wall: "In the past, when a minister was seriously ill, was there any precedent for the emperor to visit him in person?"
Yang Biao was stunned for a moment, and then he realized what he was doing. Regardless of whether he wanted to get a suitable precedent or not, he said the word "yes" first: "It is said that a king treats his subjects as brothers and sisters. Your Majesty has always loved his subjects and shown his benevolence and righteousness.
In the past, there was a precedent for the emperor to visit the prime minister in person when he was ill. If your majesty wishes to visit the palace in person, it is not impossible for him to do so."
"Your Majesty comes to your residence with the dignity of the Emperor. Even if you are on a sick bed, you have to greet me according to the etiquette. Not only does it not let you rest, but it only increases the fatigue of coming and greeting. What's more, when you visit, your minister is lying on the couch, and the Emperor
Sitting on the side of the couch, the dignity and inferiority are reversed... There is no such courtesy in the world, I hope your majesty will be careful." Dong Cheng interjected from the side, the meaning of his words was so sanctimonious, but in his heart he was jealous that Wang could get this honor.
However, Dong Cheng did not prevent the emperor from leaving the palace for this reason alone. In his opinion, with the emperor's character and style, if he wanted to visit his uncle's condition, why did he need to find a precedent from his ministers? Wouldn't the emperor not have any precedent if there was no precedent?
Will you go? The reason why I asked this is probably because I am hesitant in my heart. I don't want to bother Wang Bin with all my efforts, and I don't want to be criticized for the relationship between uncle and nephew.
Dong Cheng tried his best to let himself think about this aspect, and tried his best to ignore his selfishness in it.
The emperor actually seemed to acquiesce to Dong Cheng's remonstrance, and only asked the emissary to ask Li Jian to go to the Chancellor's Stand to pass an order to Zhou Yu, the Minister of War, asking him to go to Wang Bin's house to inquire about Wang Bin's condition on behalf of the emperor as half a member of the royal family.
Zhou Yu was ordered to hurry up and hurry up, and soon arrived at Wang Bin's house. After simply completing the formal etiquette, he was led to the back room by Wang Fu, the northern captain of Chang'an.
Wang Bin was already dying at this time, but he was still very happy when he heard that Zhou Yu came to visit on behalf of the emperor. He stretched out his skinny hand and waved to Zhou Yu, inviting him to come closer.
"It's just a minor illness, please come and take a trip." Wang Bin said weakly. He looked Zhou Yu up and down carefully, and he was even more happy: "With a talented person like Zhou Lang assisting the country, the Han Dynasty will not worry about its revival.
I have no regrets now."
"What did Ming Gong say? There are so many imperial doctors outside the house waiting for the decoction, and even the most serious illness can be cured." Zhou Yu took a few steps forward and sat close to Wang Bin's couch.
"Yes, it's just a cold syndrome. I heard that Zhang Ji who was sent to the south is the best at treating this disease. I will ask the country to issue an edict and let Zhang Ji come back to treat Aweng!" Wang Fu's eyes were bloodshot.
Said without thinking.
Wang Bin ignored him. The two of them had argued about this topic several times. He knew his situation well and would never let Zhang Ji, who was doing business, come all the way back just for a glimmer of hope.
Zhou Yu turned around and glanced at Wang Fu, only to see that Wang Fu was just talking but not moving his body, so he understood something in his heart. The other party's words were probably just comforting words. Even if Zhang Ji was summoned, he might not have done it yet.
After rushing back to Guanzhong, Wang Bin couldn't stand it any longer.