Chapter 298 The way of the people, the way of officials, the way of the emperor, abide by the way, and rule the world!
He Xian left the palace.
but......
He did not return to his mansion, but wandered the streets alone, thinking constantly in his mind as to why His Majesty the Emperor was so cruel, even to the point of attacking his cousin.
Although the He family does not have much ancestral property, and although he has no big ambitions, he sticks to the ancestral property and passes it on to his children so that the inheritance of the He family will not be interrupted. This is what he basically has to do.
But now, even this basic requirement may not be met.
He Xian was so confused that he didn't know what to do.
Walking on the bustling streets of Wancheng, listening to the noisy shouts, I unknowingly came to Shi Zixuan's mansion.
In the beginning, it was Shi Zixuan who found him and persuaded him to take the path of assisting His Majesty the Emperor.
Past events came flooding back to my mind.
He Xian clearly remembered that when he learned that His Majesty the Emperor ventured into Wancheng for the sake of the He family, at that moment, he felt that he could give everything he had for His Majesty the Emperor.
But......
Such dedication must be done willingly, rather than under such coercion.
He Xian didn't know why, but he walked to the door of Shi Zixiao's mansion by accident, but this time was different from the past. He was a member of the imperial court, so it was impossible for him to turn the mansion into his own dojo like he did in Luoyang.
But even so.
He Xian still came forward and knocked on the door.
Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!
There was a knock on the door.
a long time.
The door opened a gap, and a familiar face emerged from inside: "Ah San?"
Ah San also knew He Xian and hurried out with a smile on his face: "Master He, why do you have time to come here?"
He Xian sighed: "I felt unhappy. I wanted to go out for a walk, but I ended up here before I knew it. Is Director Shi at home?"
"exist."
Ah San nodded affirmatively: "Do you have anything to do with your tutor?"
He Xian said softly: "I have something to ask the Taoist Priest to answer my questions."
"Then come in."
Ah San waved his hand to make a petition: "Master, he has learned a lot about alchemy these days. If it is about this matter, you are really here. He is in a very good mood today."
"That's it."
If it were before, He Xian would naturally come to ask.
But today, what he was hiding in his heart was something else: "I came here today not to ask questions."
Asanda smiled: "No matter what you ask, you should be able to do it. It's rare for a master to be in a good mood, and you are good friends. It would be good to sit down and chat together."
He Xian thought so, so he nodded: "Okay."
Immediately.
Follow Asan and enter the mansion.
All the way through the corridor and through the courtyard, winding paths lead to secluded areas.
Not long after, they came to a side hall, and a faint elegance rushed into his nose, making He Xian relax a little.
After Ah Santong informed him, He Xian pushed open the door and walked in: "He came uninvited and disturbed the Taoist Master's retreat."
Shi Zixuan waved his hand and motioned for him to take a seat: "Where! You can come to Pindao. Pindao is very welcome. I just listened to Asan's words. The head of the He family would like to ask Pindao to answer his questions?"
"kindness."
He Xian nodded: "There are some things I don't understand."
Shi Zi twisted his beard and asked: "I wonder what the head of the family is worried about?"
He Xian frowned, not knowing how to speak: "How should I say this? The person you helped before now wants you to die. Can the Taoist Master answer this question?"
Shi Zixiao's movements of twirling his beard stopped abruptly.
Although he didn't care much about government affairs, he took it too seriously and it was just to help the emperor.
but......
He is relatively clear about what is happening in Wancheng now.
The wealthy families in Nanyang were faced with the problem of "no harvest but having to hand in land tax", and the counties were deeply resentful. As a powerful family in Wancheng and relatives of the emperor, the He family was bound to bear the brunt.
Shi Zixiao suddenly felt bad.
If I don't answer well, I'm afraid it will ruin His Majesty's important affairs.
But considering He Xian, Shi Zixuan couldn't just pretend to be ignorant.
Think for a moment.
Shi Zixuan finally decided to tell the truth: "Is the person the head of the He family is talking about your Majesty?"
He Xianen nodded: "Yes, it is Your Majesty."
Shi Zixuan did not answer in a hurry, but stared at the other person with piercing eyes, and said with great solemnity: "You should know the relationship between Pindao and His Majesty. Even so, do you still want to listen to Pindao to answer your questions?"
"The Taoist Master is really..."
He Xian marveled at Shi Zixuan's frankness. After thinking for a moment, he reluctantly said: "To be honest, He has never doubted the Taoist priest's character. When he was in Luoyang, you were an expert who transcended the world."
"Now, although you have become the Tai Chang of Nanyang Hanting, He knows that your ambition has never been here. This Nanyang Hanting is more like a cage to you."
"But......"
When the conversation changed, He Xian looked worried: "You still take this too often. In the final analysis, it is because His Majesty is the emperor, otherwise you would never take up the post."
"You're right."
Shi Zixuan did not refute at all, but followed He Xian's train of thought: "The reason why Pindao agreed to be this Taichang was precisely because His Majesty is the Marquis of Shi. If not for this, Pindao would have left long ago."
"but......"
Shi Zixuan raised his eyes and looked at He Xian: "I am now glad that I have become a great leader and can always follow His Majesty. Perhaps Your Majesty is the key to my pursuit of the great road."
He Xian frowned: "Your Majesty?"
Shi Zixiao nodded: "Well, it's him."
He Xian was suspicious and puzzled: "Taoist Master, Your Majesty has no understanding of people like you and me. What insights can he bring to you?"
Shi Zixuan was too lazy to explain, and just chuckled: "Perhaps we are too silent, so we have ignored the origin of Tao and misunderstood the true meaning of Tao's nature."
"ah?"
He Xian didn't understand.
Shi Zixuan continued: "There are things mixed together, born in advance of heaven and earth. Xiaoha! Liaoha! Independent and unchanging, it can be the mother of heaven and earth. I don't know its name, so I call it Tao."
"Everything in the world contains Tao. Grass, trees, mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars all have their own Tao. Human beings are just a very small part of nature. Cultivating one's body by gathering the essence of heaven and earth, sun and moon is what I have previously believed.
The way."
"But......"
Shi Zixuan asked He Xian: "What is the essence of heaven, earth, sun and moon? Can you and I explain it?"
"this......"
He Xian was confused and shook his head.
Shi Zixuan said softly: "I believe that the essence of heaven, earth, sun and moon is the Tao contained in all things. If you can't even understand these things, how can you cultivate yourself?"
"Lao Zhuang has never refined elixirs. He can reach the highest realm by simply enlightening himself. What we have been pursuing before is just an illusory Tao, and it is by no means a Tao in the true sense."
"If this isn't a misinterpretation, what is it?"
Shi Zixuan asked in reply, which immediately made He Xian speechless.
In terms of Taoism, Shi Zixuan's attainments are indeed much higher than him: "However, your Majesty has never studied Taoism, so how can he give you such insights, Taoist Master?"
Speaking of this, Shi Zixuan's face was full of admiration, and he twisted his beard and said: "That's why I say that your Majesty is absolutely extraordinary and is the chosen one in the true sense."
"Although he has never studied Tao, everything he does implies Tao, and it is Tao in the true sense. It is definitely not the Tao that you and I have sought before."
"oh?"
He Xian was more and more surprised: "How can you see it?"
Shi Zixiao twisted his moustache and said: "To give a simple example, the ecological breeding of fish in rice fields must be familiar to the owner of the family, right?"
He Xian nodded: "Of course."
"It contains the true Tao."
"Please give me some advice, Taoist Priest."
"It's very simple."
Shi Zixuan gave his own explanation: "If fish and rice are separated, then the fish cannot be so fat and the rice cannot be so strong. The fish and rice complement each other and achieve each other, which is the right way."
hiss-!
He Xian was surprised: "It makes sense."
Shi Zi smiled faintly: "If you can't fully understand the way of fish and the way of rice, how can you absorb the essence and achieve mutual success? If the fish and rice are like this, let alone the essence of heaven, earth, sun and moon?"
"Your Majesty has made this poor Taoist understand a truth. There is nothing wrong with us as Taoists pursuing Taoism and immortality, but we must first understand the ways of heaven, earth, sun and moon, and all things in the world, in order to truly absorb their essence and cultivate ourselves."
He Xian nodded in agreement: "It does make sense."
Shi Zixuan went from the shallower to the deeper and continued: "We cultivators are just cultivating ourselves, but your Majesty's Dao is to cultivate a country and all peoples."
"Why is this world in such chaos?"
"In the final analysis, it is destroying the way of family and country."
Shi Zixuan gave a clear account of his feelings in recent days: "It is true that if the six relatives are not in harmony, there is filial piety and kindness. When we advocate filial piety and harmony, the children in the family themselves are no longer frank and harmonious. Otherwise, there is no need for
These."
"This is true for one person, this is true for a family, and this is true for a country."
"At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, everything was in harmony with the Tao, so the emperor could rule without doing anything, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. It was a truly peaceful and prosperous age. However, after four hundred years of development in the Han Dynasty, not all emperors were willing to uphold the Taoist heart and govern."
"The emperor, officials, and people did not abide by their ways. It was the great chaos in the world and the conflict between yin and yang that led to today's chaotic world. Looking at what your majesty has done, he abides by the emperor's way, brings order to the chaos, and wants to reconcile yin and yang and return to the great road."
"Master He."
Shi Zixuan bowed and nodded with great respect: "Please forgive me for my poor words."
He Xian cupped his hands and clasped his fists: "It doesn't matter what the Taoist said."
Shi Zixuan then continued: "Your He family was originally just a small wealthy family in Nanyang, but because of the Queen Mother and General He, it has developed into a wealthy family with thousands of acres of fertile land. I don't care about the process."
"However, you should know that the essence of Tao is the harmony of yin and yang. If your family has thousands of acres of fertile land, the people will be displaced. The imbalance of Tao is the source of chaos."
"Although I don't know what your majesty wants, in Nanyang today, everything is in harmony and yin and yang are harmonious. The people abide by their own way, the officials abide by their own way, and the emperor abide by their own way. How can there be no peace in Nanyang?"
He Xian was silent, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Shi Zixuan's words today made him enlightened.
the way of the people;
official way;
The Way of the Emperor;
He Xian was even more shocked.
He began to understand somewhat why His Majesty wanted to take back the fields. The real purpose was to ensure that the people abide by their laws and restore balance to the world, harmonize Yin and Yang, and bring peace to the world.
The Taiping Jing makes it very clear that this world should be a fair and just world, where everyone has a field, every household has a surplus of food, and there are no disasters or wars.
pity......
I have practiced Taoism for many years, but I have only scratched the surface of it and have never touched the origin of Taoism.
As soon as he thought about this, He Xian saluted Shi Zixuan solemnly: "Thank you, Taoist Priest, for answering my questions."
Shi Zixuan twisted his beard and said: "Between you and me, there is no need to say thank you. Since the head of the He family has solved his doubts, he can decide for himself what should be done."
"kindness."
He Xian nodded, stood up and held his hands in his hands: "In that case, He Xian will leave for now."
Shi Zixuan waved his hand: "Go ahead."
Immediately.
He Xian bowed and left.
*****
Emperor's palace.
Hall of Wende.
When Liu Bianzheng was writing vigorously.
"Report—!"
Outside the hall, a long announcement sounded.
Liu Bian stopped writing and looked up.
But then, Zhu Tong pushed the door open and walked in. He bowed and raised his hands: "Your Majesty, Shangshu Lu Su wants to see you."
Liu Bian frowned: "Lu Su?"
Zhu Tong nodded: "That's right."
"Let him in."
"Here."
Not long after.
Lu Su stepped forward, bowed and raised his hands: "Your Majesty, Lu Su."
Liu Bian waved his hand to indicate that he was lying flat: "Zijing, you are entering the palace at this time. What's the matter?"
Lu Su bowed his head and saluted: "Your Majesty, just now the head of the Wancheng family, He Xian, approached me and expressed his willingness to confiscate the He family's property. If I think about it carefully, I must have reached some kind of agreement between your Majesty and He Xian, so I went to the palace to seek solution."
"oh?"
Liu Bian's eyes suddenly lit up with shock: "Why Xian figured it out so quickly?"
Lu Su frowned: "Ah, this..."
He really didn't understand the whole incident, so he didn't know how to answer the question.
"That's right."
Liu Bian quickly changed the topic and told the whole story about the nationalization of farmland: "In other words, from now on, the farmland of the He family will become public land and will be managed by Zao Zhi, the imperial rice envoy."
"After the annual grain harvest, one-tenth of the land tax received from the imperial court will be allocated as dividends to the holders of the actual cultivated land. This is the agreement I reached with He Xian."
Lu Su was shocked: "Why is He Xian willing to state his private land?"
Incredible!
This is incredible!
Liu Bian was also a little unexpected, but at least he remained calm on the surface: "Although I don't understand how He Xian figured it out, but Zijing, isn't this a win-win situation?"
"The He family's farmland is cultivated by the common people. The imperial court also took back the ownership of the farmland and is responsible for the unified management, planning, and use. This will be more conducive to the development of the imperial court."
Lu Su nodded slowly: "That is true, but I am still shocked that He Xian dared to take this step. I guess he must have thought it over carefully."
"kindness."
Liu Bian nodded affirmatively: "I have never forced him."
Lu Su raised his hand and said: "Your Majesty, since the He family is willing to do this now, I think there will still be others who are willing to do this. The imperial court should issue a charter based on this to reassure them."
"Already prepared."
Liu Bian smiled indifferently, stood up and walked to the nearby bookshelf, taking out something drawn up by the Military Advisor Alliance: "This is my preliminary draft strategy for the public ownership of private fields. You can take it back and study it."
"besides......"
At the same time, Liu Bian handed the certificate made of special paper to Lu Su: "The imperial court needs to issue a certificate to each family, similar to a contract. This is the certificate style I designed. In the future, each family will use this to receive dividends."
"So His Majesty was already prepared?"
Lu Su was so impressed that he fell to the ground.
Although he expected that His Majesty the Emperor would take countermeasures, he never expected that His Majesty the Emperor would be prepared to this extent, and even the charter had been drafted in advance.
I casually opened the certificate format, and it was still the form that His Majesty the Emperor liked. It contained basic information such as the relationship between the two parties, the nature and quantity of the cultivated land, etc. It was very comprehensive.
Even more, the specific information of the acres will be attached at the back, including location, size, quality, estimated yield per acres, etc., all in a detailed record format.
"kindness."
Now that the matter has come to this, there is no need for Liu Bian to hide it anymore: "I have indeed been prepared for it for a long time. I have been considering this matter since Zijing, when you had difficulties in collecting taxes and grain."
"These things are just scraps. Take them back and study them. If you have anything to add, just come to the palace to see me. After we discuss it, we will issue a decree in the name of the imperial court as soon as possible and implement it."
Lu Su bowed and raised his hands: "Here."
"Oh right."
When Lu Su was about to turn around and leave, he was interrupted by Liu Bian with a wave of his hand: "Since He Xian has agreed, then most of the matter has been completed. You must spread the news in time to test the reaction of the major wealthy families."
Lu Su responded and promised: "Wei Chen is right. Your Majesty, don't worry. Just leave this matter to Wei Chen."
Liu Bian nodded: "Well, in that case, Zijing please step aside."
Lu Su: "Here."
Looking at Lu Su's leaving figure, Liu Bian couldn't hide his excitement and thought: "I didn't expect He Xian to agree so quickly. It's really unexpected."
"yes."
Even the Military Advisor Alliance was also shocked: "Although experts had predicted that He Xian had no choice, it is indeed a bit unexpected that he agreed so quickly."
"But this is the best. It proves that he is not forced to accept it. It will be more convincing to the wealthy families in the outside world. This is undoubtedly a good start for us."
If you want to deal with a behemoth like the aristocratic family, taking drastic measures will inevitably lead to a blow-up, causing you to become the enemy of the aristocratic family in the world, which is not conducive to Liu Bian's development.
Therefore, Liu Bian could only adopt mild means to suppress the huge power of the family within a reasonable range without breaking his face as much as possible.
But if you want to achieve such a goal, you will never be able to do it without enough capital!
Liu Bian must absorb the capital of wealthy families as soon as possible to make himself a being capable of competing with the wealthy families in terms of resources and strength, so as to shake their status.
Once the land of the Nanyang wealthy family was publicized, it was equivalent to being completely tied to Liu Bian's chariot. This not only cut off the vassals of the wealthy family, but also allowed his own power to grow rapidly.
"teacher."
Liu Bian asked tentatively: "Can we build momentum next? Strike while the iron is hot and try to attract enough power from wealthy families before next spring."
"Can!"
The Military Advisor Alliance said with absolute certainty: "Just proceed as planned."
Liu Bian was overjoyed: "Okay."
Immediately.
He called out loudly: "Where is Zhu Tong?"
Zhu Tong entered the hall: "Your Majesty."
"Summon Guo Jia into the palace quickly, I have something urgent to do."
"Here."
****
"What? The previous news about the abolition of the favor order was a rumor secretly created by someone sent by the Deng family?"
"They actually took this opportunity to sell all their farmland?"
“Are they secretly worried about the price plummeting now, or are they?”
"Despicable! Shameless! Simply hateful!"
"My Li family's fields are not for sale!"
"My Lu family's fields are not for sale either!"
"I would rather publicize the farmland than sell it to the Deng family or the Yin family."
"That's right, He Xian is a relative of the emperor. His Majesty will never cheat him. Let's follow He Xian to ensure that we are right."
"I heard that the imperial court has issued specific regulations, and the harvest per mu per year will not be less than one bushel."
"Although it is relatively low, it is better than selling it to the Deng family at a low price. The Yin family will at least have a harvest every year."
"..."
All the wealthy families rushed to the counter to cancel the information about selling farmland.
In an instant, more than half of the people in the exhibition hall were missing. The message on the wooden sign had changed from plowing to other sales information, completely changing the style.
Second floor, private room.
Window position.
Deng Yun was so angry that the muscles at the corners of his lips kept twitching, and he opened his mouth to curse: "Damn it! What went wrong? Why did so much bad news suddenly come out?"
"this......"
The young man lowered his head and turned green with fright: "I really don't know, this little guy. This matter happened at least several months ago. There are very few people who know about it. How could it be exposed?"
"unless......"
The boy tentatively guessed: "Did the Yin family reveal the news?"
Deng Yun was so angry that he clenched his fists tightly, wishing that the air would burst: "Damn it! We have prepared so much in the early stage, and we are about to close the net, but something like this happened."
"Is there any movement over there at the Yin family?"
"Not yet, but don't worry, old housekeeper, we have already sent someone to check."
"Damn it!"
Deng Yun had a look of reluctance on his face and was thinking of a response strategy in his mind.
What can we do to save the current situation?
But......
No matter how he thought about it, he had no clue at all.
"Old housekeeper—!"
At this moment, there was a voice outside the house.
Deng Yun raised his eyes and looked.
But when he saw his servant hurried in, he leaned over and handed over his hand: "The villain has already checked it out. There is also chaos in the Yin family. I heard that someone was drunk and leaked what happened."
"oh?"
Deng Yun was stunned: "Did the news really leak from the Yin family?"
My servant nodded quickly: "That must be the case! I heard that the servant, the person in front of Yin Lu, naturally has access to many secrets. That guy even scolded our Deng family for being greedy and plotting to kill their Yin family."
"That's unreasonable!"
Snap!
Deng Yun slapped the table in anger and became furious: "You are not as skilled as others, but you still dare to scold our Deng family? Yin Lu, a bastard, not only harmed our Deng family, but also harmed themselves."
"It's a pity that the imperial court took action at this time and made some private land public ownership. This is clearly a competition with our aristocratic family. If the Nanyang wealthy family really surrenders to the imperial court, it will be the aristocratic family that will be injured next year!"
"It's all Yin Lu's fault!"
Deng Yun was furious and took out his temper on Yin Lu: "If he hadn't leaked the secret, there would still be room for change in this matter. Looking at it now, it has actually given the court an advantage!"
"Walk!"
Deng Yunteng stood up and waved his hand: "Back to Xinye, this matter is serious and must be reported to the head of the family!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Thanks to [Fengyu Wufei] for the 1,500-coin reward!