Chapter 527 Zhang Tianzi, you haven't done enough!
Zhang Zhao shook his head and gave up on Feng Dao.
As expected, he is an old fox. On the surface, he is groveling, but in fact, he is not smooth and doesn't tell the truth. He also gives you no reason or interest to get angry at him, so you can only shake your head and smile bitterly.
This fifth-generation tumbler really didn’t get it for free.
As for Li Song, another prime minister of the later Jin Dynasty, Zhang Zhao summoned him in the morning, and he also refused to say anything. He just knelt down and begged Zhang Zhao, saying that he was too old and feeble-minded to take on such a big responsibility.
This is the case for Feng Dao and Li Song. The rest of the officials of the later Jin Dynasty, large and small, are all the same. They can just make a living and explain the current situation to the outside world. They have no need to make plans now.
Zhang Zhao looked at Liu Tao and smiled helplessly, "Are all the civil servants of the Jin Dynasty like Feng Kedao?"
As a civil servant of the Jin Dynasty who joined Zhang Zhao earlier than Fan Zhi, Liu Tao has already confirmed that he will serve as the Minister of Household Affairs in the new dynasty, and he will definitely be given a title.
What's more important is that he has shouldered Zhang Zhao's ups and downs in Tokyo for so many years, and his favor is unparalleled by ordinary people.
For example, in the current Daning Palace, Liu Tao can enter and leave freely except the harem.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that this Daoist master is all-round and exquisite. It just shows that your Majesty has not yet gained the trust of the civil servants of the Jin Dynasty. They have not yet felt your temperament, so they can only deal with it with all-around exquisiteness.
Since the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the character and responsibility of the previous literati have been almost completely lost, and it will not happen overnight to get them back on their feet."
Zhang Zhao nodded and motioned for Liu Tao to sit down for a while while he began to flip through the reports sent in by the chamberlain. However, when he saw the first name Zhang Liecheng reported, he let out a light sigh.
"Send the order for Zhang Liecheng to bring the treasurer named Zhao Pu to see you!"
With that said, Zhang Zhao handed the report to Liu Tao to read, with a few wry smiles on his face.
"Let's see! You're really right. These Tokyo Samanas are so bold. In order to avoid being noticed, they even went to Qingcheng in the south of the city to handle the case."
The more Liu Tao looked at him, the angrier he became. His eyebrows were as sharp as swords, "Although wealth is attractive to people's hearts, to be so careless and dare to accept any kind of money is really... really...!"
While Zhang Liecheng was talking, Zhao Pu came in.
At this time, the etiquette and laws between the emperor and his ministers were not particularly strict. The prime ministers and ministers could sit and discuss matters with the emperor, and there was no need to kneel down in ordinary occasions.
Zhang Liecheng walked directly to Zhang Zhao and whispered: "Your Majesty, this person is Zhao Pu. The Jinyi envoy also found a dozen small shopkeepers like him in the city.
But because I didn’t want to alert the enemy, I just found an excuse to arrest the two of them. Their confessions can be mutually verified and should be credible.”
Zhang Zhao nodded, indicating that he understood, and then looked at Zhao Pu, who was standing as solemnly as a quail with his head bowed, and waved gently to the servants around him.
"Find a golden stool for this Dalang Zhao, and give him a bowl of hot sweet tea."
Half of his buttocks were resting on the brocade stool, and a bowl of hot sweet tea made him feel refreshed. Zhao Pu looked at Zhang Zhao's chest in disbelief, his head buzzing.
The night before, he was a low-level official in Tokyo who was not even as good as a petty official. Now he was enjoying the emperor's gift of a seat and tea?
Liu Tao and Zhang Liecheng were not surprised for a long time. They just looked at Zhao Pu curiously.
Is there something unique about this quail-like young man? How did he come into the emperor’s eyes?
Zhang Zhao also took a closer look at Zhao Pu. This famous founding prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty did not have a good reputation in later generations.
Of course there are reasons why he is narrow-minded and likes to frame his competitors.
But the bigger reason is that he endorsed Zhao Er's Jingui Alliance, and the saying that is easily criticized, "Half of the Analects rules the world."
However, in terms of ability, Zhao Pu is definitely a great talent in the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty. In terms of the country's major political policies and government structure, his ability can be said to be the first among the Five Dynasties. He is a true prime minister.
"As the saying goes, you can catch a traitor in pairs, and a thief can catch his stolen goods. Since you are willing to report them, is there a way to catch these black sheep in one go?"
As soon as Zhang Zhao finished speaking, Zhang Liecheng was a little stunned. Shouldn't his foster father say this to him?
Zhao Pu was stunned for a few seconds before he realized that Zhang Zhao was talking to him. After hesitating for a few seconds, he slipped off the brocade stool to the ground and said tremblingly.
"Young people can do it. Although I was blindfolded when I went to clear the warehouse, I already knew the route by heart.
Although the monks guarding the treasury have their faces covered all year round, the common people still recognized the tattoo on the arm of one of them. He often appears in the Niu Ma Street area."
"Oh?" Zhang Zhao became a little interested. He looked at this handsome historical figure and asked, "Since you are blindfolded, how do you know the place?"
In fact, if Zhang Zhao really wanted to investigate, he would be able to find it out in just a few vaults, but it would be difficult to keep it secret, and it would not be possible for the whole city to know about it.
The Lanruo Temple in Tokyo accepted the looted proceeds from the Khitan people. Although it could not be considered as collusion, it could not escape the charge of collusion.
But Zhang Zhao couldn't let all this be exposed, because he was also involved in the Bank Club. The credibility and reputation of the Tokyo Bank Club would be ruined, and the bank notes that were deeply involved in it would also be ruined.
This price is difficult for Zhang Zhao to bear and he is not willing to bear it.
What he wants now is to use this action to completely take back the power of the Bank Association from the Tokyo Temple.
Then he would swallow the ill-gotten gains that the monks wanted to swallow, and use the money to reward the soldiers.
Therefore, for the time being, we need to enter the village quietly, without shooting.
After appeasing the soldiers and completely stabilizing the situation, Zhang Zhao will start planning for the enthronement ceremony.
As for the further inventory of temples in the world, the abolition of the monks' privilege of not paying taxes, and the reduction of the number of monks, that will be done slowly later.
"Returning to the saint, I have been good at reciting silently since I was a child, so even though I was blindfolded, I have always memorized the numbers in my mind.
How to turn after a certain number of rows has already been drawn into a picture and is familiar to me. Now let the people look for it, and they will definitely find it."
He is indeed a great figure in history, and he does have a few tricks up his sleeve.
Zhang Zhao believed that Zhao Pu would not forget this, so he must have been prepared. Maybe Zhang Lieming didn't go to him, but he was ready to come.
"Well done!" Zhang Zhao praised, "Have you ever cured a classic?"
Zhao Pu cautiously replied: "The common people are familiar with poetry and books, but they don't ask for deep explanations."
Hmm...! Not asking for a clear explanation. That is, I have read the book, but I have not read it to become famous.
Zhang Zhao was a little surprised. Could it be that Zhao Pu, who claimed to rule the world with half of the Analects, didn't have much culture at this time?
So Zhang Zhao said to Liu Tao: "This matter is related to money and food, and it is also related to the rewards of the soldiers, so we need to be careful.
Derun, please allocate some capable manpower from the Ministry of Household Affairs to cooperate with the Jinyi envoy to thoroughly investigate.
This person seems to be quite talented, let him join the Household Department as a clerk first and help with the affairs!"
When he heard that it was only for an official, Zhao Peng felt a "winter" sound and fell from the clouds.
He was given a seat and tea and soup, but it turned out that he was just a small official from the household department. This...
If Zhang Zhao had regarded him as an ordinary person when he first came in, he would have been an official in the Household Department. Zhao Pu would have been overjoyed.
But now that the seats and drinks have been given, they are still given to an official from the Ministry of Household Affairs. The gap is too big.
Wanting this, Zhao Pu gritted his teeth and suddenly fell to his knees in a formal manner, bowed his head and shouted.
"The common people heard that the sage was kind to the common people when he was in Hexi. Now they boldly ask the sage to also be kind to the people in Tokyo."
Huh? Zhang Zhao looked at Zhao Pu on the ground strangely, feeling a little unhappy.
I entered the Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo and restricted the soldiers not to rob, commit adultery, or kill. I even thought of ways to deal with rewards myself. Didn't this benefit the people of Tokyo?
"How do you think I can benefit the people of Tokyo? Let's talk about it!"
Zhang Zhao's voice was neither slow nor fast, and did not contain any anger.
But the emperor at this time generally did not call himself this word casually, and once he called himself this, it must represent certain emotions.
Liu Tao and Zhang Liecheng were frightened, especially Zhang Liecheng, who looked at Zhao Pu on the ground with angry eyes.
The righteous eldest son knew that what Zhang Zhao cared about most was his reputation for benevolence, righteousness, and kindness.
Zhao Pu spoke like this, as if he was complaining that Zhang Zhao did not show mercy in Tokyo. Which emperor can be questioned like this!
Zhao Pu was also frightened and trembling, sweating profusely, but there was no turning back when he opened his bow. He didn't want to live another life without money and power, and couldn't even keep his beautiful sister-in-law, so he mustered up the courage to speak.
"The saint is benevolent and does not rob or kill. He is already the most benevolent lord since the decline of the great dynasty two hundred years ago.
But today it is as dark as ink and there is no light, and it has been two hundred years.
Even if the saint strictly restrains the warriors under his command, it is just that he has not done any harm, and it is far from being able to extend benefits.
Lord Meng of Western Shu, Lord Li of Wu and Tang Dynasties, and King Qian Yueqian could all do these things.
Nowadays, the people's hearts are sinking, and no one can see hope. If a saint only wants to be an emperor like Zhuangmiao and Mingmiao in the later dynasties, this alone is enough.
But it is far from enough to be a saintly monarch like Emperor Taizong Wen, to shield the world from wind and rain like a monarch and a father, and to arouse the morale of the people that has been sinking for hundreds of years."
After Zhang Zhao listened, he slowly sat down on the brocade stool and thought about it carefully in his mind.
I was indeed a little carried away after entering Kaifeng, Tokyo. I felt that I was an extremely benevolent person, and I considered the lack of plunder and killing to be a great achievement.
But as Zhao Pu said, this was indeed acceptable in the Five Dynasties, and even in Chinese history.
But to reach the heights of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, it is not enough for everyone to shockingly realize that Zhang Zhao is different from previous emperors and is really here to end troubled times.
After a while, Zhang Zhao took a deep breath, stood up and walked to Zhao Pu.
"I am indeed a little proud of myself. Your suggestion is very pertinent. I will reward you with a brocade robe and ten pieces of silk."
After saying that, Zhang Zhao helped Zhao Pu, who was pale and still trembling, up.
"Then I would like to ask this gentleman, what should I do to show my kindness far beyond that of an ordinary emperor?"
Zhao Pu was mentally prepared to be beheaded in anger, but he was helped up by Zhang Zhao himself, and he was sincere and not ashamed to ask questions.
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Such courtesy to the virtuous corporal made Zhao Pu's eyes burst into tears. He prostrated himself on the ground again and said to Zhang Zhao.
"In the treasury of Lanruo Bank in Tokyo, there are about 20% of gold and silver jewelry and other belongings, which obviously bear the mark of family collection. The saint can have this part picked out and returned to the people of Tokyo.
If this is the case, everyone will know the saint's kindness and magnanimity.
Will they no longer be hesitant and anxious, and will definitely support him sincerely? The name of the saint will soon spread to all directions."
Zhang Zhao thought for a while and realized that this was indeed a solution. Not only did he not plunder, but he returned the property to its original owner. He immediately established the character. The 20% gold and silver jewelry was worth it!
"With Zhao Pu, I appointed Wai Lang, a member of the fifth-rank household department, to assist Liu Shangshu in handling this matter. After making a good judgment, I will make a record and submit it to me for personal review."
Duzhi is one of the four departments under the Ministry of Household Affairs, and Yuanwailang is the deputy director of the department, which is equivalent to the deputy director of the Ministry of Finance in later generations. For Zhao Pu, who was just a civilian, it was tantamount to reaching the sky in one step.
At this moment, the newly appointed Zhao Yuanwailang was so stimulated that his whole body was numb. He knelt on the ground and cried loudly, constantly expressing his loyalty to Zhang Zhao.