In the former palace of the imperial city, it was located near the Shunyi Gate of the Zuo Jinwu Guard Office. The suburban social office, which was originally used for temporary parking and shelter, and where various parties presented auspicious objects, has become a place where civil and military officials have retired. , a place where an endless stream of people stop and visit temporarily.
As the contemporary lord of the Yu clan and the head of the Xiao family, he now worships Zuo Shaojian of the Shaofu Temple and appoints Zuo Shang as his official official. Xiao Ding, the Marquis of Yu, who is known for his handsome and elegant descriptions, also rubbed his hands vigorously to welcome him. I was sent to too many visitors with different identities, and my face, which was a little stiff and numb from laughter, let out a sigh of relief.
Because, in response to the recent incidents of ferocious beasts injuring people and public opinion that suddenly appeared in the capital, the ministers in charge of the political hall have already decided on the next propaganda caliber; that is, the only living ferocious beast captured will be compared with The auspicious auspicious gifts from past dynasties are placed together for public display.
Therefore, first of all, the important officials of the imperial court and many relatives and nobles visited and appreciated it first; then, it was extended to the people inside and outside the Gyeonggi Province for a symbolic fee-based visit. And after completing the visit to the capital, you can also tour the surrounding areas. County, for the purpose of subsidies and pensions.
In this way, no matter what the public opinion inside and outside the capital was before, and what disturbances there were in the court, it would all naturally subside. After all, once this thing can be captured and loses its mystery and freshness, it will naturally lose its corresponding deterrence and power. The possibility of creating panic.
And there are countless new things happening in the capital every day. An ugly and huge beast is no better than the ostriches and emus that dance in joy, or the The white elephants and giraffes that worship you when you see them are more able to maintain the popularity of the topic.
However, as the left young eunuch of the Shaofu Temple, Xiao Ding, the Marquis of Yu, took the initiative to take on the responsibility of displaying and patrolling the ferocious beasts, which was a bit surprising. Of course, some people have speculated based on this. , this is his desire to further expand his interpersonal relationships.
You must know that in a sense, he was promoted to Zuo Shang's office as a young eunuch. Although his official rank was only from the sixth rank, he was one of the most lucrative positions among the five departments and three eunuchs under the Shaofu's jurisdiction. .Especially when the various metallurgical supervisors, various money-casting supervisors, and mutual market supervisors are all under the jurisdiction of the three ministers/strategic ministers.
The Zhongshang Department was originally responsible for the production of jade stones for suburban sacrifices and the emperor's utensils, as well as the concubine's clothing, carvings, and colorful decorations. The Zuo Shang Department was in charge of the carriage covers and engravings and the wax torches in the palace. They have become today's One of the most important money bags in the family is outside the court. And this involves an enduring folk joke in the capital.
It is said that a foreigner who came to Beijing for the first time asked: Who is the richest person in Chang'an? The people in the capital answered: Of course it is the emperor who is rich all over the world. Then the foreigner asked: Who is the poorest family? People in the capital said: Of course it’s Tianjia. Of course, behind this implicitly ridiculing political joke is a reflection of some reality.
Even though all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty followed the ancient style of ruling from the top down, but with the power of the entire country, they thought that they were dedicated to the desires of one person; even if it was singing and singing in wine pools and meat forests every night, traveling and feasting every day, and supporting a large group of people The accompanying ministers and attendants, who are all over the sixteen palaces in the world, cannot be shaken at all.
But on the other hand, the wealth and resources that support the royal family, plus the income created by the royal houses and villas all over the world, seem to be extremely considerable, but when placed in the category of the world, it is not feasible. There are only a few major events, not to mention the huge number of internal and external provinces and many subordinate personnel expenditures.
According to the customs/ancestral family laws inherited during the period of Empress Dowager Ruiming's support, the princes in the court allocate royal materials for Ouchi and support money for the clan every year, but the increase is very steady. Therefore, according to the closeness of the living emperor, Relationships, a large number of clans that have been passed down through the generations, may not necessarily be easy for everyone.
Therefore, in order to subsidize these clan relatives who are still within the fifth server, the Tian family has become a particularly considerable burden on the internal treasury. However, due to the ancestral law left by Empress Dowager Shen, except for specific matters such as weddings and funerals, In addition, it cannot be withdrawn from the national treasury at will or even impose additional taxes;
If the emperor wanted to insist on doing this, he would have to brave the huge public outcry in the world, first hold a small inner court meeting to discuss with the sitting prime ministers, and obtain a third-rank or above seat at the enlarged political hall meeting specially convened for this purpose. The courtiers must unanimously agree. And this kind of thing can also be done unanimously.
Therefore, routine tributes and irregular contributions from foreign vassals have become a particularly important source of income for the royal family. In order to circumvent the restrictions and constraints of foreign vassals, the Tian family can increase revenue and reduce expenditures to obtain more wealth. The various people involved racked their brains for this purpose and used all kinds of means.
Therefore, as a related person of the Tian family, they invest in and sponsor some kind of business in overseas new lands; they even directly provide money and people to participate in armed exploration of foreign lands and the conquest of foreign countries, in order to seek long-term and short-term benefits. Jinyi has become the most common place for emperors’ internal funds and royal materials to spend their money.
Nowadays, outside of traditional China, there are many new and old factories, mines, plantations, shipping companies, and merchant houses in places at home and abroad. They all have royal-related elements, or are organized by the Imperial Household Ministry, Soshoji Temple, etc. It is an industry that is managed by the next generation. This is something that all the gentlemen in the political hall are theoretically beyond the reach of.
Another example is the days when the emperor and the queen mother live forever, and the weddings and funerals of successive princes. These are also great opportunities for these young mansions, Zongzheng, and palace provinces to generate income. The Tian family usually follows the rules. Special carriages, uniforms, and ceremonial guards were given, and as a measure of dignity for the princes, there must be some progress as a thank you.
Of course, snakes have their own ways, and rats have their dens. As a down-and-out clan within the fifth server and not in business, if you are willing to be shameless, there is also a trick to make money quickly. That is to get married as early as possible and have as many daughters as possible, and then raise them until At the age of thirteen or fourteen, when she was old enough to have a haircut, she married off to those princes from other vassals whose ancestors were not very good.
It can also be used outside of the Middle-Earth to claim to be the blood source of marriage with the royal family. As for those existences outside the fifth server, in addition to being able to continue to bear the national surname, even the clan genealogy cannot be It is no different from ordinary common people. After passing the imperial examination, it will be traced back three generations at most and the genealogy will be re-registered.
This is not only to recruit talents from the clan and the country who are left in the wild, but also to avoid the joke of marrying someone from the same clan because some people are eager to catch their son-in-law. But no matter what, the three generations are both royal merchants and foreign ministers. The Xiao family, who has multiple identities of being a nobleman and a nobleman, is also extremely generous and good at dancing. He has always been the most popular guest of a prominent and high-class family in Beijing.
And when Xiao Ding became the person in charge of this exhibition and tour, he was also meticulous and measured in his dealings with others. Whether he was a minister in power, a cardinal, or an ordinary low-ranking official in the capital, or a retainer in a foreign vassal, he could treat people with dignity and respect. You will be treated like a spring breeze here or treated appropriately, leaving a deep impression.
Therefore, even the subordinates of Shaofu Temple secretly began to speculate. After completing the display and tour of the ferocious beasts that disrupted the capital, whether this chief officer, who was kind to others and had a good reputation, would be reincarnated because of this.
Furthermore, he took up the position of the Shaofu Temple Superintendent who was recuperating at home and was in vain, and ranked in the fifth rank.
Just when Xiao Ding consciously completed his duty for most of the day and planned to take a break for a while, he told the Jinwu guards who were guarding him and left, arriving at the large shrine established by the emperor to pray for blessings and meritorious deeds for the people, and to worship the gods of earth and grain.
Beside the five-colored soil, he just took out a glass tobacco bottle, but saw a young man from the yellow door walking towards him in a hurry.
I saw Xiao Huangmen, who was familiar with him on weekdays, shouting in an excited tone:
"Hou Yu, congratulations to Hou Yu, your little girl who went missing the day before yesterday has probably been found."
"What!"
Xiao Ding's body trembled when he heard this, but the glass tobacco bottle with the beauty in the bamboo engraved in his hand accidentally fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. He showed a look of shock and joy, and grabbed the opponent's arm and shouted:
"Where is it? Take me there quickly..."
"Let me take a leave first..."
Then he seemed to have come to his senses again and said quickly: Then he took out a few money bills he was carrying and stuffed them all into the opponent's hands.
"Thank you eunuch for the message. I'll be back as soon as I can."
However, after a while, Xiao Ding, who looked extremely happy, did not go to the front courtyard of the East Palace and the main office of the Shaofu Temple in Zuozang Waikuyuan to take a temporary leave; instead, he changed his outfit somewhere with a gloomy face.
, took a car and showed up at Yanxi Gate on the east side of the imperial city, and handed over his ID card requesting to go out.
"It seems that this Xiao family has failed the Tian family's favor after all!"
At the same time, Hai Gong, who was standing on the top of Yanximen City, watching the carriages and horses carrying Xiao Ding gradually disappearing, and secretly monitoring the whole process, sighed heavily and said:
"You can't blame Mr. Hai for this," a close eunuch nearby repeatedly consoled him: "Who would have thought that the Xiao family, who has been blessed by the emperor for many years and has been rich and honorable for many years, would actually be a home for male thieves and female prostitutes."
"Not only is the head of the family closely related to the legendary owner of the ghost market; even the wife, who was born as a noblewoman from a foreign vassal, also secretly protects and supports the Five Immortals Sect; she abducts orphans and widowed children on the streets for many years and uses them as blood food to feed poisons."
"And Jingkong, the abbot of Ruolin Temple who has close daily contacts, is actually the leader of the remnant who secretly worships the Wutong evil method; even his children and relatives are secretly involved with him; privately, he is even more harmful to many people.
Dear noble family."
"Of course Yu Fan is finished, but how many people has he made friends with over the years, and how many people are there inside and outside the imperial city, so he must bear the responsibility for negligence, incompetence, and even inaction? For the next thing, we only need to
Take good care of the inside of the imperial city, and others will take over the follow-up work outside."
Hai Gong continued to shake his head and sighed:
"Have all the places that Mr. Xiao has been under control?"