In the early morning, outside the Jinluan Hall, there were eight huge dragon pillars. The eight lifelike dragons seemed to be flying in the cold wind and gray fog.
At the fifth watch of the day, the ministers who entered the palace were already shivering with cold. It has been a long time since the young emperor was sleepy and gluttonous, and it seemed that he had not been to the morning court for half a year, right?
I wanted to think about it, but no one dared to complain at this time.
The new emperor ascended the throne and was worried about striking a killing blow. At this time, no one wanted to be a fool.
An internal affairs minister stepped out of the Jinluan Hall, bowed and lowered his hands, and finally sang "Ascending to the Court".
All civil and military officials entered slowly.
The first civil servant to take the lead was Xu Mu. Before he stepped forward, none of the civil and military officials behind him dared to move.
"Si Hu, wait for me at the edge." Xu Mu warned as he took off his big cloak.
"know."
"Xu Zaifu is so domineering." Chen Changqing, the first military attache wearing thick armor, laughed under his breath.
"Shut your daddy's mouth."
Xu Mu replied coldly, which shocked all the civil servants behind him to tremble slightly.
Chen Changqing squinted his eyes and turned his head.
After exhaling, Xu Mu took his steps and entered the palace steadily. From being a young master to being the prime minister, the time was too short and the steps were too big, which made him very unaccustomed to it.
But to be honest, in this small and peaceful court, even if he was the prime minister, he did not feel that he was very honored.
Yuan An must be used to sitting on the dragon chair in the palace. Wearing a dragon robe, it is rare for him to have the majesty of a silk dragon.
He raised his head and looked at the civil and military ministers in the palace, and his eyes quickly felt hot.
The ministers shouted "Long Live Long Live" three times, and Yuan An hurriedly stretched out his hand to salute.
"Come with the original music, but withdraw from the court without the original." With the father-in-law nearby, he sang loudly at the right time.
"I have this memorial."
Xu Mu paused and noticed that behind him, an old minister with white hair and beard came out of the queue with his body bent.
Xu Mu remembered that this man was one of the five honest old ministers left by Yuan Tao, named Yang Xiu. But it took a lot of effort to invite him back to the court again.
It is said that it was a mirror used to admonish the king, which made the late emperor displeased and he was dismissed from his official position previously.
Seeing Yang Xiu coming out of the queue, Yuan An covered up the displeasure between his brows and sat up again.
"Your Majesty, outside the inner city, the defeated army has occupied countless counties and counties, causing tens of thousands of people to be displaced and pour into the inner city. I advise you to accept the refugees as tenant farmers in the name of the court and distribute the grain for the second season before the autumn harvest.
This will not only appease the people's hearts, but your Majesty will also gain some popularity."
"I second the proposal." Xu Mu rarely smiled. As expected, the people Yuan Tao left behind were indeed loyal and good people.
"Thousands of people? There are hundreds of thousands of people. If every household is given two seasons of food, the court cannot afford it." Chen Changqing laughed coldly, "If the food is given to the people, what will the army eat? Besides, the army will not be able to afford it."
Now, Your Majesty is planning to strengthen the army. As for food, it is better to reserve soldiers and recruit soldiers first."
"How about letting the refugees join the army? Kill two birds with one stone." Yang Xiu bowed again.
Unexpectedly, Chen Changqing started laughing.
"I have been fighting for ten years, but I have never heard that these hungry people have the ability to fight. Just think about those defeated armies. They are all such people, and they can't help but fight."
"Xu Qing, what do you think?" Yuan An raised his head and looked at Xu Mu's position.
"Your Majesty, Yang Yushi's words are very kind. The great era is suffering from internal and external troubles, and it is indeed necessary to appease the people."
Xu Mu's words were actually understood by everyone present.
To put it bluntly, even though it is still in the capital of Changyang, the influence of Daji is no longer what it used to be.
In addition to Liangzhou, Yanzhou and Shuzhou directly cut off their annual tribute. The Dingbian generals who were away did not follow the rules and return to the court to report on their duties in the first month.
Even if there are twenty-three cities in the inner city... there are still eight cities occupied by the King of Yuzhou.
But no matter what, the surnamed Hou continued the entire dynasty without any danger.
The rest is an unknown.
Xu Mu's heart suddenly felt overwhelmed. In such a critical moment, if Yuan Anshang didn't know how to save himself, he could only wait for death.
"Let's discuss it further. Marquis Dingnan is not wrong... At present, we, Da Ji, really need to recruit soldiers and step up preparations for war."
Xu Mu sighed silently in his heart.
"Retreat from the court——"
…
On the way out of the palace, Xu Mu and Yang Xiu walked side by side. The old minister with white beard and hair burst into tears as he talked.
"Xu Xiang doesn't know that I went to inspect the disaster situation. Hundreds of refugees starve to death every day. Spring is about to begin, but they can't cultivate the land as far as the eye can see."
"Xu Xiang, Daji does not lack food. What it lacks is someone who dares to manage the world's granary!"
I heard similar words from Tsuneshiro.
After Xiao Yuanlu was executed, many granaries must have been found, but unfortunately they were all put into the national treasury.
"Xu Xiang, what should I do?"
A gust of cold wind blew, causing the old minister in front of him to tremble all over. Xu Mu could clearly see that in addition to a new official robe outside, Yang Xiu's inner robe was not only thin, but also had many patches.
He remembered clearly that when these five honest old ministers were recruited to re-enter the officialdom, each of them received a gift box, worth at least several hundred taels.
"I asked my servants to pawn them in exchange for more than a dozen carts of grains to give to the victims, but they couldn't be saved at all. Prime Minister Xu, is it possible that I, Daji, are really hopeless!"
"Yang Yushi, be careful." Xu Mu said bitterly, taking out a roll of banknotes from his arms, vaguely remembering that there were several thousand taels.
"Wait a little longer and I'll think of a solution."
"On behalf of the people of the world, I would like to thank Prime Minister Xu."
Xu Mu nodded and looked at Yang Xiu in front of him, wrapped in an official robe, shivering and disappearing in front of him.
…
The carriage returning home passed through the lively streets. The joy left behind in the first month was vaguely coming to an end.
"I look at Brother Mu, he's a little unhappy." Si Hu, who was driving the carriage, turned his head and kept chattering.
"How can I say..."
"In the past, Brother Mu would lead us to make wine and fight. He was like a chivalrous man and looked down on dog officials and big cannibals. If anyone didn't let me live, I would kill him with a knife."
Xu Mu was silent for a long time, with his head lowered, looking at the double-bird golden thread official robe he was wearing, and fell into deep thought for a while.
This half-month period felt like a lifetime ago for him. From being a little-known boss to breaking a fortified city and killing a traitor, his path seemed to have changed all of a sudden.
"Brother Mu, which way are you going?"
Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the forked streets in front of him. One was the people celebrating with lights and colorful decorations, and the other was a lifeless and empty street, probably just after a funeral. A dozen beggars huddled under the shed.
, shivering constantly from the cold.
"Si Hu, help me choose."
"Of course it's a road that no one dares to walk. It's the most comfortable and comfortable way to walk, and it's also Brother Mu's temperament." Si Hu said carelessly.
Listening, Xu Mu, who was sitting in the carriage, slowly smiled.