novel-bin Chapter 121 9 The Head of the Lords
Chapter 121 9 The Head of the Lords
Chapter 121 The Head of Nine Ministers
Cai Yong fell to the ground with his head down, bringing silence to the originally noisy atmosphere.
"Taichang!" The official who reacted shouted in horror and ran over.
The angry Tai students, Hongdumen students and the officials who were laid off looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a moment.
"We must get an explanation from him!" someone suddenly shouted.
"Yes, yes, yes, I must make him give an explanation!"
The quiet crowd suddenly became excited again and rushed towards Cai Yong like a charge.
Cai Yong was hit on the back of the head and was carried inside in a daze, shouting, "Stop them, stop them..."
There was no way to stop them, so the officials took Cai Yong and ran back.
They were familiar with the route, and after going around in circles, they finally ran out.
But the angry crowd still smashed Taichang into pieces and looted everything.
When the police from all over Luoyang arrived, the crowd dispersed and only a few people were arrested.
Cai Yong was hiding not far away, pressing the back of his head with gauze, looking ugly and extremely angry.
"Taichang, are we going back?" asked a clerk beside him.
Cai Yong's expression changed, and he said hatefully, "Go back!"
What can I do if I don’t go back?
A teahouse not far from Taichang, on the second floor.
Yang Biao and Wang Lang stood side by side, watching Cai Yong's rather embarrassed back.
Yang Biao stroked his chin, glanced at Wang Lang, and said with some gloating: "Your position as Luoyang magistrate is going to be difficult..."
Wang Lang took office two days later. His gentle face showed no sign of worry. He said, "You said, I haven't taken office yet, so I should impeach you as the prime minister for inaction and use this to establish my reputation. What do you think?"
Yang Biao felt a little sorry to see that he was not defeated, and said, "You should impeach Master Wang Zi. I feel that he will cause trouble for you sooner or later."
Wang Lang said nothing and watched Cai Yong return to Taichang.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. As the process of cutting redundant officials progresses, no one knows how much trouble will arise in the various prefectures and temples in Luoyang City.
"If this is extended to the local areas, what will be the impact?" Wang Lang thought to himself, feeling a little solemn.
The provinces and counties are not Luoyang City. Can they suppress the governors, assassinations, raising of hands, county magistrates and the like?
"I should go slower," Wang Lang said to himself.
"I heard that His Majesty went to Taicang." Yang Biao said suddenly.
Wang Lang said without hesitation: "Your Majesty, are you going to mint coins?"
When a new emperor ascends the throne, in addition to changing the era name and other things, the most characteristic thing is the minting of new coins.
Yang Biao said: "Maybe, but there is not much money in Taicang."
To mint new coins, except for rare mines, old coins can only be used to mint new coins.
Wang Lang lowered his head and thought.
……
At this moment, Liu Bian, accompanied by a group of people, was inspecting Taicang.
The position of Taicang Ling was vacant, so it was Taicang Cheng who followed Liu Bian and introduced the situation in Taicang.
The Minister of Taicang held a thick account book in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, the current savings in Taicang are 50 million, and the total grain is 100,000 dan, which is barely enough to cover the expenses until March next year, provided that there is no need for additional expenditure..."
This premise does not exist at all.
Liu Bian shook his head secretly, looked at the treasury, patted the granary, and then went all the way to the coin mint.
Looking at the various old, dusty machines, Liu Bian stood in front of a giant mold, staring at the coin holes, with a thoughtful look on his face.
He was thinking about paper money.
He couldn't produce copper coins, and taxation could not be rectified in a short period of time, but paper money could produce an immediate effect!
It's not about issuing paper money, but using paper money to "loan" to wealthy families and wealthy families!
Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind racing, pondering the feasibility of this method.
"This copper coin is not very convenient to use, right?" Liu Bian suddenly asked.
Taicang Cheng was stunned. Inconvenient? It was very convenient for him to use it.
Some people didn't understand what Liu Bian meant, but they didn't dare to refute him, so they said, "It's a little inconvenient."
Liu Bian hummed and said, "One string of money weighs more than 20 kilograms. This wealthy family has tens of thousands of strings of money. I'm afraid they will need a large warehouse to store it. If they want to buy more valuables, they will have to use a horse-drawn carriage to carry the money for the transaction."
"Your Majesty is right." Taicang Cheng smiled, but he did not completely agree in his heart, because the purchase and sale of valuables were often done through barter. Of course, the situation His Majesty the Emperor mentioned was true.
Liu Bian looked up at the roof beams, pondering in his mind.
Seeing that Liu Bian did not speak, the Minister of Taicang waited for a while, took a piece of silk, held it up and said to Liu Bian: "Your Majesty, this is the new coin pattern drawn up according to the order of the Shangshutai."
Liu Bian's thoughts were interrupted. He glanced at him and reached out to take it.
There is nothing special about it. It is round outside and square inside, with the word "Wu Zhu" engraved on it.
Liu Bian handed it back and said, "Change the front of the five-zhu to Yonghan, and engrave a horse and a wheat-ear sword on the back."
"I obey your order." Taicang Cheng responded quickly.
Liu Bian looked at it for a while and continued to walk forward, still thinking about the "loan".
Pan Yin followed quietly from behind and whispered in Liu Bian's ear for a while.
Liu Bian was startled and asked, "How is the injury?"
Pan Yin said: "The back of the head was cut and bleeding, but it shouldn't be a big problem."
Liu Bian thought for a while, and then said: "He has suffered for the court. I will go to see him later."
Pan Yin responded silently and stepped aside.
Liu Bian inspected Taicang and walked for a while before saying, "Arsenal... Pan Yin, please remember to find a time. I want to go there too."
"Yes." Pan Yin said.
While Liu Bian was strolling around, Zuo Li also met Liu Zhang and entered Luoyang City.
Liu Zhang was less than 30 years old, plump and white. He always smiled at everyone he met, spoke in a gentle and polite manner.
Zuo Li rode his horse beside Liu Zhang and pointed to a large house gate not far away. He said, "Captain Liu, the Grand Herald is in front. You can stay here for the time being."
Liu Zhang took a look and said with a smile on his face: "Very good, very good."
Zuo Li swayed on the horse, his eyes fixed on Liu Zhang.
He had already received secret information that Liu Yan was arrogant and domineering in Yizhou, and all his utensils were compared to those of the emperor, and his rebellious intentions were obvious.
Liu Zhang felt Zuo Li's gaze and raised his head, smiling.
Zuo Li responded with an increasingly gloomy smile.
Liu Zhang's face froze, then he forced himself to continue smiling.
'This guy……'
Zuo Li blinked, feeling a little strange. Is this guy really stupid or just pretending?
Not long after, Zuo Li arranged for Liu Zhang to be a member of the Grand Herald, arranged for him to be followed, and quickly returned to the Huangmen Beisi Prison.
There was only one lamp in a dark room, illuminating the stone room half bright and half dark.
In the bright spot, Zuo Li had a blank expression on his face and cold eyes.
There were nine people standing in front of him, all with their faces covered, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
Zuo Li glanced at them one by one and said in a cold tone, "Do you all know your mission?"
None of the nine people spoke, they just nodded heavily.
Zuo Li snorted coldly and said, "If you do it well, you will be rich and prosperous, and have everything you want! If you don't do it well, you know it in your heart!"
The nine people suddenly knelt on one knee, bowed their heads to the ground, and said nothing.
Zuo Li folded his hands, looked down at them, and said: "I am the only one who knows your identities, and you are the only one who knows the codeword. From now on, you will go to Luo County, Mianzhu, and Chengdu and do as I tell you!"
Nine people raised their hands and then quickly walked out of the secret room.
Zuo Li watched them go and said to himself, "We need to send more people to Yuzhou."
……
In front of the Taichang Gate.
Wang Yun stood with his hands behind his back, looking indifferent.
Behind him stood the six captains of Luoyang: the left, right, east, west, south, and north.
Behind them were numerous runners and soldiers, so dense that they occupied all the roads, with no end in sight.
Wang Yun looked at the six people and said, "From now on, all illegal activities will be arrested and punished immediately, regardless of status."
His tone was calm, as if it was nothing special, without any dignity.
"As you command!" The six lieutenants were startled and responded in unison.
This prince is now in power, and controls the official hats of all people in the world. Anyone who dares to interfere will be considered a "redundant official"!
Wang Yun nodded and turned to go into Taichang.
Cai Yong smiled bitterly and raised his hand, saying, "Thank you, my lord."
Cai Yong used to be a counselor and Wang Yun was a secretary, their official positions were similar; now one of them is a minister of rites and the other is an assistant prime minister, one is above and the other is below.
Wang Yun said expressionlessly, "The Imperial College and Hongdumen School are too outrageous. We must resolutely cut them down and never give in!"
"Yes, yes." Cai Yong responded, thinking about how to deal with the aftermath.
He certainly cannot give in, otherwise, how can he save his face?
But even so, he had lost face and would be laughed at by the government and the public.
Cai Yong was a scholar with an outstanding reputation, and he also cared about his reputation!
Wang Yun knew Cai Yong's character and his abilities, so he said, "I will leave the Northern Commander to you for the time being."
Cai Yong looked hesitant. Sending soldiers into the Imperial College was no small matter.
Seeing that he was hesitant, Wang Yun asked directly, "I heard that there are eunuchs in Taichang?"
Cai Yong's face changed slightly, and he said repeatedly: "Okay, I will listen to the prince, don't alarm the eunuchs."
Last time, Liu Bian felt that Cai Yong was slow and lacked courage, so he sent a eunuch to Taichang.
If Xiao Huangmen was allowed to intervene in Taichang, Cai Yong would lose face even more.
Wang Yun was still worried about Cai Yong, but with the Northern Inspector keeping an eye on him, he could not escape his control.
He was very busy and had no time to delay any longer. After dealing with Taimian's affairs, he left in a hurry.
Cai Yong saw Wang Yun out the door, then looked back at the messy and chaotic courtyard, his brows furrowed and he felt upset.
"Father."
Cai Wenji appeared at the door in plain clothes and a veil.
When Cai Yong saw his precious daughter, he walked over quickly and said, "Why are you here? Come in quickly."
Cai Wenji looked at the back of his head and asked with concern: "Father, are you okay?"
Cai Yong said, "It's okay, it's okay. Didn't I tell you to stay at home? Why did you come here?"
Seeing that Cai Yong was in good spirits, Cai Wenji was not so worried and asked softly, "Did father see a doctor?"
"It's just a minor injury, no need."
Cai Yong took Cai Wenji inside. He was so preoccupied with the lawsuit that he had no time to look at such a minor injury.
"Why not? You must watch it!"
Suddenly, a clear voice came from behind them.
Cai Yong was so familiar with this voice that he was startled.
Cai Wenji turned her head and saw Liu Bian, dressed in casual clothes, striding towards her.
Cai Yong felt a splitting headache on the back of his head, and hurried over, raised his hand and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
"Cai Yan greets Your Majesty." Cai Wenji followed suit.
Liu Bian waved his hand and said with a smile: "No need to be polite. I have already summoned a doctor to take a good look at Cai Qing's family."
"I dare not." Cai Yong's face was stiff and he smiled with difficulty.
How can he have the face to do things like this?
Liu Bian kept smiling and walked straight inside.
Cai Yong followed with his head bowed, feeling uneasy.
He has only been in office as Taichang for a short time. If he is dismissed, he will never be able to return to Luoyang in his lifetime.
Cai Wenji didn't think much about it, just blinked and followed her father.
Liu Bian came to the main hall and saw a group of officials busy cleaning up. He greeted them, waved his hand and said, "Except for the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Religion, and the Minister of Justice, everyone else can go. I want to talk to Mr. Cai's family."
A group of officials, both big and small, were even more panicked than Cai Yong and ran out in a hurry.
After Liu Bian sat down, he said to Cai Yong, who looked uneasy, "Mr. Cai, what are you going to do next?"
Cai Yong's expression darkened, and he said, "I have decided that all the officials and students who are to be laid off must leave within three days, otherwise, they will be forcibly expelled!"
Several Taichang officials present were shocked when they heard this.
Isn’t today’s incident big enough? If we really expel them like this, Taichang will be smashed again!
Liu Bian nodded and said with a smile: "It's rare that your family is so courageous, yes."
Upon hearing this, Cai Yong's tense nerves relaxed a little.
The other officials looked at each other quietly, panic written in their eyes - Your Majesty, don't you think this is a big deal?
Cai Wenji stood aside, looking at Liu Bian with some curiosity. There were many rumors about this new emperor in Luoyang City.
Some say that he acts decisively, some say that he is fierce and domineering, and some say that he has no respect for etiquette and laws and acts in absurd ways.
Cai Wenji looked at him and said to herself: He is quite gentle.
Liu Bian took the teacup and caught a glimpse of Cai Wenji out of the corner of his eye.
Cai Wenji quickly withdrew her gaze and turned to look elsewhere.
Liu Bian smiled, holding the teacup and turned to Cai Yong, saying, "Has Mr. Cai seen the curriculum outline drawn up by the Shangshutai?"
Cai Yong bowed and said, "I have read it, but... I have some questions."
The curriculum transferred from the Secretariat eliminated almost half of the traditional Confucian classics, and the main subjects of examination were arithmetic, geography, skills, military tactics, and even agriculture and commerce, which outweighed Confucianism.
Liu Bian drank a sip of tea and said slowly: "If you have any questions, you can discuss them with the ministers of the Shangshutai. Don't go against the court."
Cai Yong's heart was pounding, and he raised his hand hastily and said, "I dare not! I will definitely follow the Shangshutai's curriculum."
Liu Bian hummed in satisfaction and said, "Regarding the recruitment of students and the selection of doctors for Imperial College and Hongdumen College, we must be cautious. Teachers cannot be unqualified, and students cannot be corrupt."
Cai Yong was extremely nervous, and even had cold sweat on his head. He kept responding, "I understand, I understand."
Liu Bian put down his teacup, looked at him, and said, "Regarding the reduction of redundant officials in the court this time, your family, as the Minister of Rites, the head of the Nine Ministers, should set an example."
Cai Yong was flustered, but he was very happy when he heard this, and he said immediately: "Yes. I will contact the nine ministers today and report to the Secretariat, and we will act together to share the worries of Your Majesty and relieve the court."
Liu Bian was really satisfied this time. Cai Yong was not completely ignorant of worldly affairs.
At this time, the palace doctor arrived. Liu Bian waved his hand and said, "Excuse me, just check Cai Qing's family."
The doctor responded and walked towards Cai Yong.
Cai Yong thanked the doctor, sat aside, and reluctantly let the doctor examine the back of his head.
When the doctor untied the gauze, Cai Yong's mouth and eyes were crooked in pain, and he gritted his teeth and dared not make a sound.
When Cai Wenji saw this, she was filled with worry and walked behind Cai Yong.
The doctor cleaned it carefully, applied medicine, and then re-bandaged Cai Yong's wound.
"His Majesty,"
The doctor raised his hand to Liu Bian and said, "Taichang's injury is not serious. If you apply medicine on time, he will recover in ten days."
"Thank you for your hard work." Liu Bian nodded and stood up.
When Cai Yong saw this, he quickly stood up.
"I dare not." The doctor bowed and stepped back.
Liu Bian walked towards Cai Yong, and Cai Wenji wanted to hold Cai Yong's arm. When she saw Liu Bian coming, she hurriedly tried to step back, but unexpectedly, Liu Bian kicked her skirt.
Cai Wenji lost her balance, screamed, and fell sideways.
Liu Bian was startled and couldn't reach out to grab her, so Cai Wenji fell face first onto the cushion.
Liu Bian didn't expect this to happen and stood there in a daze.
"Doctor, doctor..." After a moment, Liu Bian suddenly woke up and shouted towards the door.
Cai Yong felt sorry for his daughter, and hurriedly helped Cai Wenji sit up, calling out worriedly, "Daughter? Daughter?"
Cai Wenji's forehead was red and there was blood on her nose. She sat there with her brows tightly furrowed and her eyes full of pain.
Liu Bian walked over and looked at Cai Wenji, feeling a little at a loss as to what to do.
Looking for a few full orders~~