Chapter 41: The Wind Sweeps the Fallen Flowers (1)
"Shisanlang, are we going to Zhongmu County?" In an ordinary four-wheeled carriage, Lady Liu San raised the curtains and asked in a sweet voice.
Her voice is very pleasant, just like southern lychee, sweet, soft and very refreshing.
"Yes, when you go out for an outing, just go further." Zhao Si, dressed in simple clothes and a big hat, riding on a horse, replied beside the carriage.
"That's great."
Madam Liu San lowered the curtains and glanced at Li Qingzhao, who was sitting opposite, quietly and silent, and the smile on her face became even sweeter.
"Sister, let's eat some preserved fruits. These are premium products shipped from the South China Sea. I can't get enough of them, especially the dried pineapples and mangoes. They're so delicious."
Madam Liu San pulled out a drawer from the middle of the carriage seat, which was full of boxes of preserved fruits.
Li Qingzhao smiled indifferently, "Thank you sister, you can eat it. I don't like it very much. You should also eat less. Shisanlang said that eating too much is bad for your teeth."
"Hehe, I don't care, it's delicious if you eat it."
Li Qingzhao smiled and said nothing more.
Lady Liu San asked while biting a dried mango.
"Sister, the imperial concubine is more than two months old."
"Yes, Tai Hospital checked the pulse and confirmed that it is more than two months old."
"The imperial concubine is really blessed." Madam Liu San squinted her eyes, like two crescent moons, "In the past, when officials went on visits in private, the imperial concubine was the one who accompanied them the most. Now that it's not convenient for her, it should be the empress who accompanies her.
She was so kind and gave us the opportunity."
Li Qingzhao glanced at Madam Liu San, who looked innocent, but did not answer immediately.
She was originally an extremely smart person, and before she entered the palace, her parents had given them numerous warnings. They said that things were treacherous in the palace, and they told her to listen more, think more, speak less, and be less pushy.
Moreover, women's intuition is very keen. Li Qingzhao immediately understood the different meaning of what Madam Liu San said just now.
"The queen has a pure and kind nature. And there are so many things in the harem that she has to take care of, so she naturally has less chance to come out." She replied softly and kindly.
"I heard from the Queen of Shengci Palace that she has always wanted to find someone to help the Queen and stop working too hard. But the Queen has a temper that doesn't like to take care of things. Now that she is pregnant, she is even less able to take care of things. Sister, you are from a famous family.
I also know that Shu Dali can help the Queen."
Li Qingzhao smiled lightly: "I am just a nerd. How can I be as worldly and sophisticated as my sister? The Empress of Shengci Palace was full of praise for you back then."
At this point, her tone seemed to have become a little lower, "The Queen has been feeling unwell for the past few days, and I look at it, and she seems to be pregnant. It's just that the time is short, and it's not obvious yet. The Queen is also pregnant, and the ones in the harem are pregnant."
I'm afraid I'll trouble Empress Shengci Palace. Sister, you are a good helper for Empress."
When Lady Liu San heard this, she said modestly, "No, I can't compare to my sister."
But his eyes were shining, and even the hand that brought the preserved fruit to his mouth became slower and slower.
We arrived at a post station, which is located on the main road from Kaifeng to Luoyang. After more than a year of renovation, it has become a parking lot, a "service area" integrating food, accommodation and rest.
There is a shed area that provides flatbread and free cold drinks, and a restaurant area with a full range of wine and food.
Zhao Si and his party got off the carriage, went straight to the second floor of the restaurant, and chose a private room with a view into the distance.
Open the window and you can see the jade-like Jinshui River, winding eastward on the Henan plain.
In the fields on the bank of the river, I saw hundreds of people gathered around several officials, shouting something.
"Hey, what are you doing there?" Madam Liu San asked curiously, pointing there. Li Qingzhao glanced at it and involuntarily turned his eyes to Zhao Si, who was making tea.
"Let me take a look." Zhao Si walked to the window and took a look, "Oh, they are dividing the fields."
"Divide the fields?"
"A few days ago, all the land in Buddhist temples was collected into the national treasury and used as public land. Then, after measurement and verification in each county, it was given priority to the original tenants and contracted on a household basis."
"Contracting? Doesn't it mean dividing the land?" Madam Liu San asked curiously.
"No, it is not simply dividing the land. According to the official decree in the "Guoti Dagao", the sovereignty and ownership of all land in the Song Dynasty is tied to His Majesty the Emperor and cannot be shaken. However, property rights can be controlled by the public, community, family and
In my own name." Li Qingzhao replied calmly.
"Property rights are the right to fully operate a certain property to obtain profits. At the same time, this right can be voluntarily transferred to other families, associations and individuals. The emperor and the government provide protection and must not be violated at will."
"Sister, you know so much." Lady Liu San said with admiration.
Li Qingzhao couldn't help but look up at Zhao Si, and found that the official was looking at her with piercing eyes, which made her panic. She quickly turned to look out the window, deliberately looking for a topic.
"Officials, what are you arguing about? Could it be that the officials in this county are engaging in malpractice and unfair treatment? How dare they be so rampant under the emperor's feet?"
"This matter needs to be made public, and there are so many eyes staring at it. Even if these officials intend to do something, they don't dare to go too far. They just want to be a little looser or tighter in terms of fertility rating and field tax audit. This
This kind of thing is unavoidable, as long as it is not excessive, it will be fine."
"Looking at the quarrel among the people, is it unfair to divide the land?" Li Qingzhao asked worriedly.
"Unfair? Where can absolute justice come from in this world? And no matter how the land is divided, some of these people will always feel that they have suffered a loss and others have taken advantage. Therefore, the government can only ensure fairness and justice as much as possible, but it cannot guarantee complete fairness and justice.
"
"The government, how can the government ensure it as much as possible?"
"First of all, the administrative officer responsible for allocating fields, registering and calculating the land tax base must not be from the county or state, and ensure that he has no interest in this matter. Secondly, think of ways to deal with the process of allocating fields."
"For example, some counties have come up with a way to divide all the fields to be divided into categories A, B, and C according to the fertility and the land tax base that needs to be paid. Then, divide them into several parts per acre, write them on slips of paper, and fold them
Once it's done, put it in the box and let's draw lots together."
"If someone is unlucky and draws all Category Cs, find the person who drew more Category As and adjust one or two dollars. Ignore the rest, it all depends on luck."
After hearing this, Li Qingzhao and Lady Liu San thought for a while and nodded in unison: "This is also fair and just."
"In this way, some people are still arguing. This family says that they have an elder and a younger one, and they must take care of them; that family says that they have more labor and more mouths to eat, so they need two more acres...I see this far away
The quarrels are similar."
"Guan family, then you don't care?"
"No matter what it does. Just let the officials act according to the rules. Otherwise, there are so many things in the place. This one needs to be taken care of, and that one needs to be cared for. Originally, it is not easy to do everything evenly, and everyone has to have their own rain and dew, let alone
It's possible."
"Officials, what if those officials really engage in favoritism and bend the law?"
"There are supervisors and laws to deal with him. The most urgent task now is to make the officials of the Song Dynasty get used to doing things according to the laws and regulations, and then they can do their duties with due diligence. That's enough. The world can already be governed. As for being honest as water, loving the people as sons, and being loyal
Things like filial piety are things that come later."
Hearing this, Madam Liu San came to understand and said coquettishly: "Guan Jia, in name you are accompanying us on an outing, but in reality you are still surveying the people's sentiments and understanding the administration of officials."
"Haha, the most important thing is that the county government directly faces the people. In addition to the Tianqi official system, I came up with it. Whether the actual effect is good or not, we have to see it in practice. If it is good, continue, if not, then hurry up
Change. Therefore, it is my top priority to investigate the people's sentiments and understand the administration of officials."
"But I won't delay your outing and enjoy the scenery. We are all busy with our own things." Zhao Si laughed. This chapter has been completed!
