Chapter 1 The Beginning

Jianyan Year Six. Autumn departed, winter arrived, and the first snow of the year fell on Dongjing.

But this first snow wasn't the romantic, ground-blanketing snowfall one might hope for. Quite the opposite, most of the snowflakes melted into water the moment they touched the ground, and they fell intermittently, creating a damp, cold air that assaulted the senses.

People don't just fear heat and cold, they fear the process of becoming hot or cold itself, and they also loathe the disharmony between weather and temperature. Right now, things were at their worst.

Therefore, on the day of the first snow, the once bustling Dongjing instantly retreated indoors. The Hanfang Garden in the north of the city posted a notice early in the morning, advising spectators to be mindful of the weather, and temporarily postponed the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match indefinitely for the sake of a clean field. Many small vendors also sought shelter.

Of course, various shops and warehouses with storefronts still had to open for business.

In this situation, the deliverymen carrying food boxes and gift boxes all over the streets, and even those transporting goods by mule cart, found their work a little easier.

Indeed, the practice of ordering meals, calling for food, and delivering goods, which had become popular in Dongjing in earlier years, had once again reappeared with the recovery of the city's population and the rebound of commerce, especially with the capital's attraction for the powerful and wealthy, and on an even larger scale... This was because nowadays it wasn't just the nobles and wealthy families who did this. According to the official's proposal and arrangement, from the autumn of this year, in addition to the Taixue (Imperial Academy), which had its own cafeteria, all six departments, nine courts, five directorates, the Privy Council, the Imperial Headquarters, the Palace Attendants Bureau, the Military Academy, and the Hanlin Academy had officially funded, free outsourced lunch services.

This was a small design with unusually outstanding practical effects.

For some minor officials and clerks whose families weren't particularly wealthy, it was a rare treat to be able to enjoy a meal from a reputable restaurant during work hours. Some even simply stopped eating breakfast because of it... which, to a considerable extent, improved their loyalty and work efficiency. At the same time, various reputable restaurants were also very willing to compete for this opportunity. It should be known that once a restaurant started making a certain dish or certain pastries on a large scale, the cost would decrease significantly, and the business wouldn't suffer from low bidding prices.

In addition, the reputable restaurants that had this business often became more famous overall and enjoyed greater prosperity because of it. Many wealthy families scrambled to eat the same dishes as the chief councilors, creating a business known as "following orders"... that is, if a certain department or the Privy Council happened to order from a certain restaurant on a certain day, servants from wealthy families would come in the evening, specifically ordering this kind of takeout.

There were even rumors that Zhao, the official himself, would randomly draw a lot to choose a restaurant participating in the outsourcing program and have the lunch delivered directly to the stone pavilion in the harem... Many restaurant workers swore that they had delivered meals to the Yiyou Gate... and these meals were basically priceless.

It sounded almost too good to be true.

But in any case, this was a very effective means of winning hearts and minds that the imperial court had come up with in a situation where finances weren't abundant.

However, this kind of thing also had its troubles, namely that the results of the temporary lottery were only announced to the restaurants by the Imperial Guards every morning, and these restaurants only knew at the last minute which government office they would be providing service to at noon.

As a result, at noon, the streets were full of mule carts with the banners of the Imperial Guards, delivering meals, and even the prime minister's retinue had to give way a little, otherwise, a reputation for mistreating colleagues and subordinates would immediately spread.

According to unreliable rumors, an official who was originally scheduled to be appointed to a large prefecture was summoned to the capital because he had blocked the Ministry of Personnel's lunch delivery, causing the entire Ministry of Personnel to drink a lukewarm糊糊(húhú, thick soup or paste), and was therefore transferred to Guangnanxi Road.

The joke was a joke, and not many people really believed it, but it still spread, and it did attract the attention of officials entering the capital – this rule had only been in effect for a little over half a month, and it was said that there was an unspoken rule that visiting officials should dine and supplement their meals at reputable restaurants, including ordering takeout from the Five Sacred Mountains Taoist Temples, only after noon.

That evening, the first snow continued to fall. Lin Jingmo, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, returned home from his office, wondering whether to have his family order a serving of sweet and sour fish that he had eaten for lunch, when he was unexpectedly informed by his nephew in charge of the household that Mei Li, a descendant of the Mei family of Jiangning, who had been a family friend of the Lins for generations, had arrived after lunch and had been sitting for an entire afternoon... Minister Lin was slightly stunned, and immediately realized what was happening. He immediately told his nephew to order sweet and sour fish, and quickly had the younger member of the Mei family come over.

It turned out that the descendant of Minister Lin's family friend had passed the Jinshi (Imperial Examination) in the third year of Jianyan. As the result of the first large-scale imperial examination after Zhao took the throne, that group of Jinshi was particularly prominent in the current political landscape of the imperial court.

To say nothing else, in just three years, three of them had directly become important figures in the imperial court.

The first was Hu Quan, who controlled the increasingly large and powerful Dibao (official gazette) system, and who, despite his low rank, held great power, and was vaguely as famous as Hu Yin and Hu Hongxiu, known as the Three Hus (of course, some said Four Hus, forcefully including Hu Yin's younger brother, Hu Hong)... His actions were enough to directly affect the political situation of the imperial court.

The second was Yu Yunwen, the Tanhua (third place) of the same year, who also held a low rank but great power. He controlled the Military Statistics Department, which had no less power than the Dibao system, and what was even more critical was that he had a deep background. His father was a confidant of the current Privy Councilor Zhang Jun, and he himself was of course considered a direct descendant of Zhang Jun, and his father-in-law was Zhang Rong, one of the commanders-in-chief... In theory, Tanhua Yu was also Minister Lin's subordinate.

As for the last person, it was of course Zhao Boyao, the Zhuangyuan (first place) of that year. He himself was a distant member of the imperial clan, and he also had the legacy of his father-in-law, Councilor Wang. He had already finished his experience as a judge in Zhengzhou and returned to the central government. According to the current court's simplification and substantialization of various positions, this person was expected to be directly appointed as a Sheren (attendant) or simply an Academician, and then cultivate his reputation in front of the official while compiling history. His future was more secure than Hu Quan's and Yu Yunwen's, and it was rare for him to have such a bright and honorable career.

As for Yue Fei and Qu Duan of the same period, it was better not to mention them.

Mei Maoxiu, the second place in the second class, as the descendant of Scholar Lin's family friend, was of course also considered one of the best. He was first appointed as a judge in Wuwei Army, and later, due to manpower and expertise issues, he was directly recommended by Minister Lin, who was still Junior Scholar Lin at the time, and transferred to be the Director of the Maritime Trade Bureau during Lu Yihao's tenure in Liangzhe. Now, after three years of foreign service, he was personally named by Zhao, the official, and selected back to the capital in this wave of major personnel changes.

Of course, Minister Lin's participation was probably indispensable... Therefore, in any sense of the secular officialdom, this person was considered to be someone Minister Lin had brought along, or rather, they were mutually political resources.

It was normal for this person to come to visit Lin Jingmo after entering the capital and completing the official procedures.

Without further ado, the two met in the hall. They were served hot tea with ginger juice and milk skin, and they sat down. This Director Mei was indeed young and promising, and his temperament didn't fall short of a scholarly family, but Minister Lin had experienced many years of internal service, plus a term as a Pacification Commissioner, and his demeanor was indeed even better... The two chatted for a few words, without any vulgarity, only talking about the scenery of their hometowns, local anecdotes, weather, and poetry.

However, no matter what they said, the two were still standard bureaucrats, and political allies to each other, so they couldn't avoid serious matters.

"The public opinion in the South is quite different from that in the Central Plains. Do they talk about the national political situation?" Minister Lin, sitting upright in the main seat and holding a cup of hot milk tea, asked casually.

Director Mei pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let me tell you, Uncle, that Premier Li (Li Gang) can't always control his mouth there. Moreover, the Daoxue (Neo-Confucianism) lineage is now mostly established in the famous mountains and rivers of the South, and after the events of Baima and Shaoxing, most of the officials returning to their hometowns are also from the South... Even Premier Lu (Lu Yihao) can't control so many people. How can they not talk about the country and the political situation?"

"What do they say?"

"By borrowing money from temples, Taoist temples, wealthy merchants, and relatives of the imperial family, and expanding the Jiaozi (paper money) business after collecting their deposits, various places in the South immediately said that this was actually Wang Anshi's Qingmiao Loan (Green Sprout Loan) reappearing in the world. It's just that the official knows that the runners are unreliable, so he chose the original usurers to cooperate in issuing the Qingmiao Loan... It's still seizing the people's profits, and there's still a risk of losing control and causing harm." Director Mei quickly responded and introduced. "However..."

"What does my dear nephew think?" Minister Lin suddenly interrupted him, then sipped his tea and waited. "What do you think of their discussions?"

Mei Maoxiu hesitated for a moment, but finally faced him seriously and said, "My nephew's views are actually similar to theirs. It's still the Qingmiao Loan, but the official has some new ideas, knowing that it won't work to use the government alone, so he's having the government supervise private operations. And since it's supervision, then if the supervision is slightly weak, or if officials and civilians collude, it's destined to have the same uncontrolled harm as in the past... However, my nephew believes that even so, it must still be done. We can't stop eating because we're afraid of choking, especially since the country needs to do things, and it can't do without financial needs."

Minister Lin nodded, noncommittal, and his demeanor as an important official became even stronger. "What else is there besides this matter? What other major topics are there in the South?"

"Besides this matter, of course, there's the great debate triggered by the National Dynasty's extermination of Western Xia." Mei Maoxiu immediately responded. "And this matter, the discussion process in the South was divided into three stages due to the news from the front..."

Minister Lin smiled upon hearing this, as if he instantly understood.

Mei Li knew that his uncle was intelligent and had already understood, but he still had to accompany him with a smile and continue:

"At first, when the imperial court suddenly mobilized troops in the Northwest, the entire Jiangnan was naturally worried. Various academies were beating their chests and stamping their feet, only worried that the official would lose the victory of Yaoshan in one fell swoop. Then, the imperial court suddenly swept across the Northwest, not only taking all of Western Xia, but also allying with Jinhebo, which made the whole country speechless. Many people directly followed the Dibao and changed their tune, saying that the official and the imperial court were strategizing and planning, and that the Imperial Army was so elite that it could be compared with the Jurchen cavalry. But later, the Northwest Three Routes were reorganized, and the numbers of Western Xia, with only three million people and 60,000 to 70,000 regular troops, were published in the Dibao, plus... plus the later events of Shanghe and the case of Yang Zheng... they said that Western Xia was not as strong as the puppet Qi, and that when the Jurchens retreated and gathered their strength, the imperial court took advantage of the opportunity and succeeded in one fell swoop, which didn't mean that our dynasty's military had become so powerful that it could be compared with the Jurchens. But this statement was actually weak in itself... because the posters in their own academies said that if Western Xia was so weak, how could it have been impossible to conquer for a hundred years?"

"These people!" Lin Jingmo shook his head and smiled after hearing this. "It's not that they're not smart, it's not that they're not loyal, and it's not that they don't have integrity and virtue, it's just that most of them don't understand military affairs, and they think that fighting is as absurd as they imagine... But it's not their fault. How can they understand war without experiencing it? Who dares to say that Minister Hu doesn't know military affairs now? The key is that the fear in these people's hearts arose early, and they were unwilling to follow the official to face difficulties from the beginning. This is how they gradually drifted away, and finally became ridiculous."

"What Uncle says is very true." Mei Li responded at the time, but then faced him seriously and said. "However, these discussions have also spawned some affairs... It is said that Premier Li took the lead, hoping to run a folk Dibao in the South, but he was doing it under the banner of exchanging Daoxue, but it was suppressed by Premier Lu... However, Premier Li is persevering, and it is said that he will directly submit a letter to the imperial court, requesting that the ban on newspapers be lifted nationwide, so as to facilitate his establishment of a Southern newspaper system."

Lin Jingmo hesitated for a moment, then smiled again, but directly changed the subject: "Do you know about Yuansheng submitting a He Biao (congratulatory memorial) from the Dongxiao Palace in Hangzhou to the official?"

"Of course I know. Yuansheng is young after all... After enduring two years in Dongxiao Palace, he couldn't bear it after all." Mei Li smiled reluctantly. "Aren't the various imperial relatives and relatives in Nanyang and Yangzhou also restless, asking to return to Dongjing?"

Lin Jingmo smiled and said, "They were sent back by the official as they were. The one in Nanyang too. The official did say a few good words to the one in Yangzhou, giving Empress Dowager Yuanyou a lot of face."

Mei Li finally fell silent.

No matter what, as a newly promoted official who had only seen Zhao, the official, briefly in the palace examination, although he had heard many stories about his own emperor, he would always use reason to remind himself that those stories were inevitably exaggerated to a certain extent. But at this time, facing an important official of Minister Lin's level, still an important official who had such a close relationship with his family, who personally spoke of such imperial secrets, he had to face an incredible reality, that is, this official was indeed an official who dared to say and do things to the point of recklessness - directly smashing his brother's congratulatory memorial back in his face was too inconsiderate.

And this time he had come to the capital, he was likely to stay in the capital to work, and most likely he would be a Sheren, and then face this inconsiderate official directly.

Even more directly, why did he come to see his uncle today? Wasn't it just hoping that the other party, with his status as a former confidant of the official and a current important official of the imperial court, would give him some advice and teach him how to face the current Holy One?

In fact, Minister Lin was indeed teaching him.

"My dear nephew." Seeing this, Lin Jingmo continued seriously. "Do you know which aspect the imperial court wants to use you for this time you've come to the capital?"

"It should be commerce, right?" Mei Li came back to his senses and quickly replied. "Since the imperial court opened the two major markets of Lanzhou and Hetao, it naturally wants to gather a total in the central Ministry of Revenue, connecting the Western Regions, the grasslands, the South Seas, Japan, and Goryeo... Using China to be in the middle and exchanging its benefits, exchanging its benefits and restraining its actions, and then encircling the Jurchen bandits. My nephew believes..."

"You're right, and you've said it well." Lin Jingmo nodded slightly. "But there's no need to talk about it in detail here. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, these words of yours will sooner or later be turned into official documents and sent to my desk in the Ministry of Revenue... You can save it for when you meet the Holy One... Remember, say what you have to say, know what you know, don't try to guess and cater to the official's intentions. Although the official occasionally gets carried away, he's fundamentally intelligent and divinely martial, and understands everything."

Hearing this, Director Mei's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively got up immediately and bowed in the hall.

At the same time, Minister Lin, seeing this, just picked up the cooled milk tea, took a sip, and suddenly waved his sleeve: "Our two families have been family friends for generations, and your uncle and my elder brother are even close friends and relatives, but now that I'm the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, ranked in the Secret Pavilion, and you're a newcomer returning to the capital to be appointed, it's not good for me to keep you at home before you're granted an official position, so as to avoid suspicion. Wait in the front hall, and when your younger cousin returns, take a serving of sweet and sour fish and go back to the official post to await orders early."

Mei Li was caught off guard for a moment and was actually a little flustered... After all, although this exchange had some obvious advice, the most critical issue, that is, the affairs that were currently known as the three major cases in the capital, the other party only vaguely mentioned one thing. The other two major events involving the Imperial Army generals were not mentioned at all by his uncle.

If this was mentioned when he met the Holy One, how should he deal with it then?

Just tell the truth?

However, although he had doubts in his heart, Mei Li didn't dare to say more, especially since the other party wasn't completely without advice, so he had to suppress his unease, bid farewell respectfully, and then waited for a takeaway of sweet and sour fish at the gatehouse as expected, and took it back.

The next day, the snow stopped all day, but it started to fall again the day after that, causing dampness and cold to continue to wreak havoc. Two days later, on the last day of October, Director Mei suddenly received a summons, saying that the official was finally going to summon him.

Mei Li didn't dare to be negligent. Although he knew that he might be disliked, he still couldn't help but trim his eyebrows according to his habits, and then went to the Donghua Gate to turn to the capital to wait for orders... At this time, Director Mei finally learned that the official was too busy and had actually summoned five people at the same time, including Zhao Boyao, the Zhuangyuan of the same class, Chao Gongwu, the first place in the second class of the same class, in addition, there was also Cui, a commander of the Imperial Navy who was restless, and a border town prefect, Huang, from northern Shaanxi.

Obviously, all five were there to report for duty, and the futures of all five would be decided in one word during the audience. This was already very nerve-wracking.

In fact, the last two of the five were probably restless because of their background and their first time meeting the Holy One, but the top three of the same class of Jinshi were also obviously uneasy... because they had keenly realized that their group was probably going to directly face some complex and sensitive issues.

Leaving aside the five people's worried thoughts, after having lunch... still sweet and sour fish... when they set off together to the famous place in the harem in the afternoon, the sky gradually darkened, and intermittent snowflakes started to fall again.

It was estimated that the Cuju match in Hanfang Garden would be delayed again.

"Zhao Boyao, magistrate of Zhengzhou; Chao Gongwu, signing officer of Mizhou; Mei Li, director of the Maritime Trade Bureau in Wenzhou under the Liangzhe Pacification Commission; Cui Bangbi, commander of the Imperial Navy; Huang Sheng, prefect of Qingzhou..."

The summoning ceremony was particularly simple. Fan Zongyin, a member of the Hanlin Academy, went forward to verify the list with the officials from the capital who were seeing them off, and led the five to the front of the stone pavilion. Then, Lan Gui, the chief eunuch of the Palace Attendants Bureau, came forward again, calling out the summons one by one according to the list. After receiving a response, he immediately turned around and reported. "Your Majesty, all five people have arrived today!"

"It's snowing. Come into the pavilion and sit down!"

Hearing these words, everyone knew that it was the official speaking, so they quickly thanked him and then nervously entered the pavilion, carefully sitting down opposite Zhao, the official, under the gaze of many Sheren, academicians, ushers, soldiers, and officers - there were no cushions on the stone stools here, but they were warm to the touch. This wasn't because someone had warmed them up, but because there was obviously a heating system under the stone pavilion and the surrounding ground.

Although it was the first time for all five of them to come here, they all knew about this, because this matter had been reported in the Dibao around the beginning of winter, and some people had opposed it... not opposing the installation of heating facilities in this famous stone pavilion, but opposing the use of a heating system, because the heating system was obviously learned from the Kang (heated platform) which was brought by the Jurchens.

And the Dibao had published a 'use it when you take it' comment, starting with Zhao Wuling King's adoption of nomadic dress and archery, and criticized the opponents.

So the world knew that Zhao, the official, had installed a heating system in a pavilion in the harem.

Then, it became popular throughout the north and central plains, and even some people in the south imitated it.

Leaving aside the heating system, at the moment of sitting down, the five people almost had a tacit understanding and secretly raised their heads together, stealing a glance at Zhao, the official, who had just thrown down some documents, and then quickly lowered their heads again, only to look at the cracked stone patterns under the stone stool... These patterns had been seen and studied by countless people in the past few years, and they were afraid that they would continue to be looked at and studied endlessly in the future.

"There's no need to be so formal, and there's no need to stand up. Just answer my questions."

Zhao Jiu, wearing a cotton robe, of course noticed the small movements of the five people opposite him, but he had seen it too many times and was too lazy to complain. "Boyao, before you left Zhengzhou, it should have been winter. Do you know if the people along the way are suffering from cold and hunger?"

"Your Majesty is joking!" Zhao Boyao was shocked and quickly raised his head and replied seriously. "Zhengzhou is said to be another state, but it's actually no different from the capital area. If the people along the way in this place are suffering from cold and hunger, how can the world be?"

"That's true." Zhao Jiu nodded, then sighed slightly. "This question is a bit absurd. In fact, after the snow fell the other day, I also rode my horse to Huazhou to take a look... Most of the villages along the Yellow River are converted from military farms, and the cold-proofing is done well. On the contrary, in the surrounding prefectures and cities, there are some urban poor people who lack firewood and suffer from the cold... Emperor Taizong's act of sending charcoal in the snow, although it was still buying people's hearts, but thinking about it carefully, from the perspective of the poor people, it was ultimately a life-saving act and worthy of praise."

Hearing this, Zhao Boyao pretended not to have heard the words "buying people's hearts" and flattered him, "Your Majesty has this heart, which can be said to be a continuation of the lineage."

But Zhao, the official, immediately became solemn: "Boyao, the thing is, after Western Xia was destroyed, the historical materials were also seized. I intend to add you to the Hanlin Academy and keep you to compile "The History of Western Xia", but in addition to this, you still have to take on responsibilities... I will allocate you some coal and grain, and you will inspect the surrounding areas of the capital on my behalf, and appropriately use work as relief to try to reduce the number of people who freeze to death."

"This is benevolent governance. How dare I disobey your command!" Zhao Boyao immediately responded, but there was some hesitation on his face.

"What's the matter?" Zhao Jiu of course understood.

"Your Majesty." Zhao Boyao said cautiously. "Whether it's compiling history or inspecting and providing relief, they are all first-class assignments. Since I have been ordered, I naturally have nothing to say, but it's just that this time I'm directly transferred to the internal system, which is a bit too much... Before the Jingkang Incident, it never happened so quickly that the newly appointed Jinshi returned from local positions and transferred to the cabinet."

"Then what do you want?"

"I venture to say that I would like to go to a local position again after providing relief to the capital."

Zhao Jiu thought for a moment and immediately nodded: "Alright! It's extremely appropriate that you have this heart! It depends on the results of this relief effort. If you do well, you can directly take up the position of a prefecture's head."

Zhao Boyao was overjoyed... Obviously, this official was still very tolerant of his first Zhuangyuan and the son-in-law of the martyred chief councilor. Of course, there was also the reason why this Zhuangyuan understood the current political situation.

It should be known that the imperial court had always been somewhat dissatisfied with the simple and crude approach of cleaning up the pavilions and directly merging them into the two ranks of Sheren and Academician, especially now that the new Jinshi were gradually returning to the central government. If they were directly promoted to direct Sheren, Sheren, direct Academician, Academician and other close ministers, it would inevitably be suspected of being promoted through good fortune. If they were simply idled in compiling history, this official was also always particular about taking on responsibilities, and he himself would be dissatisfied first.

Therefore, this Zhuangyuan's request for a foreign position was a good start.

After one word, Zhao Jiu directly looked at the second person: "Chao Qing."

"I'm here."

"Many people below say that your writing skills and knowledge are outstanding. I intend to add you to the rank of Sheren to be Boyao's deputy. Then, do you want to compile history or go to the local level..."

"I..." Chao Gongwu never thought that he would be asked to choose, and he was also nervous for a moment, but he didn't dare to hesitate. "I sincerely want to compile history."

"Okay!" Zhao Jiu nodded, but he didn't know what he was thinking.

"I thank you..." Chao Gongwu quickly wanted to thank him.

But at this moment, Zhao, the official, suddenly interrupted him: "When you were in Mizhou, did you know about Zhang Zongyan's unauthorized dispatch of troops this time?"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere inside and outside the stone pavilion suddenly stagnated.

It should be said that the three things that were being discussed the most in Dongjing City at the moment were the so-called Winter Three Major Cases - one was the case of Duke Pan's cousin privately selling national debt shares in advance; the other was the case of Yang Zheng, the beloved general of Wu Jie of the Imperial Rear Army, killing his concubine and peeling her skin; and the last, and most controversial, was the case of Zhang Zongyan, a commanding officer under Zhang Jun of the Imperial Right Army, who crossed the Yellow River without authorization in October to dispatch troops, but was defeated by the Jurchen Wanhu Wang Bolong in Shanghe, Dezhou, and returned in defeat.

Of the three cases, the first one was just a private greed, but it involved the Empress's family and national debt, while the latter two directly involved the most sensitive Imperial Army and commanders-in-chief, which might affect the basic policies of the imperial court in the past two years... None of them were simple. Moreover, there were controversies in every case. Even in the Yang Zheng case, some people pleaded for him on the basis of his merits in pacifying Western Xia this time, let alone Zhang Zongyan's case.

However, at the same time, it was also a fact that the main criminals in the three cases had all been imprisoned, and there were corresponding opinions that demanded severe punishment in each case.

And this matter was precisely the topic that the local officials who came to report for duty this time were most afraid of.

"Your Majesty." Chao Gongwu was nervous, but he quickly replied. "Of course I knew about Zhang Zongyan's dispatch of troops and use of materials. Mizhou provided him with laborers and military equipment inventory early on, and not only did I know about it, but few people in the entire Jingdong didn't know about it... But Magistrate Liu and I at that time only thought that he was... he was..."

"What was he?" Zhao Jiu frowned and urged.

"He was competing for materials on behalf of the Imperial Right Army and the Imperial Navy. Who would have thought that he would take the initiative to cross the river to attack Dezhou?" Chao Gongwu replied with his head lowered. "But thinking about it carefully at this time, we were also confused at the time... With the Imperial Front Army, Left Army, Rear Army, and Cavalry Army having such great achievements on the Western Front, it was normal for Zhang Zongyan to be unable to restrain himself. We should have taken precautions against such behavior earlier... This is my dereliction of duty."

Zhao Jiu was noncommittal and directly looked at Cui Bangbi: "Commander Cui, what about you?"

"We in the Imperial Navy also thought so." Cui Bangbi immediately replied. "After Commander Li (Li Bao) learned that the military supplies inventory in Laizhou had been emptied, he almost had a fight with the Imperial Right Army... Your Majesty should know about this."

Zhao Jiu shook his head again after hearing this: "Actually, you can't be blamed for this. The mentality is easy to guess, but even if you guessed it, who would have thought that he would be so bold? He wasted so many Imperial soldiers for nothing, and the morale accumulated after Yaoshan was leaked a lot."

Not to mention the few young people who were reporting for duty, most of the surrounding close ministers were also silent... Zhao, the official, clearly meant that he was going to deal with it severely.

"What about you, Magistrate Huang? You are an old acquaintance of Minister Hu and Commander Wu, and you were also Yang Zheng's neighbor for several years. Do you know what attitude the people in northern Shaanxi have towards Yang Zheng?"

"Of course it is..." Magistrate Huang instinctively got up to speak after hearing this, but after seeing the official's calm face, he was shocked and immediately changed his words again. "Of course, most of them want to plead for him, saying that the official killed a meritorious official for a woman, which is a bit too much, and Minister Hu is too strict."

Zhao Jiu nodded, still noncommittal. In fact, he had made up his mind from the beginning on these three cases, and he had already made a decision on Yang Zheng's case early on, just to see if Huang was honest.

And whether this person reacted or was really honest, he didn't need to investigate further.

With this thought, Zhao, the official, looked at the last person again: "Director Mei... I heard that you translated a barbarian book? What's going on? Can you learn a language in two years?"

When it was his turn, even though he had rehearsed it thousands of times in his heart, Mei Li was still extremely nervous. Moreover, he never thought that the official would ask about this matter, but he still kept in mind his uncle's reminder and told the truth:

"Let Your Majesty know that when I was young, my father was an official in Quanzhou. At that time, our residence was next to the Arab merchant station. I learned some Arab languages. Later, when I was the director of the Maritime Trade Bureau, I came into contact with them again. Although I could recognize the words, I couldn't understand them. So I used this as an exercise to restore my past memory..."

Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly and asked again: "You are in Wenzhou, next to Fujian. Is the custom of killing babies still common there?"

Mei Li became even more flustered, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to tell the truth according to Minister Lin's reminder: "There is not much change."

"Why is killing babies so prominent in Fujian?" Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged.

"Let Your Majesty know that Fujian has little land and many people. The production of one family is only so much. Once they have too many children, even scholarly families can't afford to raise them, so they simply drown them at that time... For example, Minister Hu (Hu Yin) was almost drowned back then, but he was rescued by Professor Hu (Hu Anguo)."

"Hu Yin?"

"Yes."

"Going all the way north... South, North, do you feel any difference in people's livelihood?"

"..."

"Why aren't you speaking?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are differences between the North and the South... The people in the South are more concerned about the heavy taxes, and the people in the North are more concerned about the scarcity of materials."

"That's right." Zhao Jiu finally sighed. "The North has experienced wars, and there have been military farms and land grants. The main trouble is how to restore production with a reduced population. This is not something that Dongjing, which gathers the essence of the whole country, can change. The South is the opposite. There are too many people crowded together, and the taxes are so heavy. The main contradiction is how to maintain survival... But the main point is that the people in the North and the South are actually still struggling with their livelihood, but some people only care about military achievements, and only think about how successful they are after destroying a Western Xia with a population of three million. Some people always relapse as soon as they settle down and are always demanding... Little do they know that the reason why the common people haven't immediately risen up to rebel again is that, in the South, it's because they were only suppressed a few days ago and they are afraid in their hearts, and in the North, it's because they were once empty of houses and they have a higher degree of tolerance."

Whether it was Mei Li or Zhao Boyao, these five people either had clear connections or were related people. They each thought of some things, but they didn't dare to speak.

The surrounding close ministers were even more certain that Zhao, the official, was determined to severely deal with the three major cases.

After a pause, Zhao, the official, asked again: "Is there still any land being abandoned in the South?"

"Yes, but compared to the previous two years, it is much less." Mei Li became more and more honest.

"Regarding the Maritime Trade Bureau, Premier Lu has submitted a memorial saying that setting up a fragrant medicine market, specializing in monopoly sales, do you think it can still have benefits?" Zhao, the official, asked without waiting for a reply.

"It should be possible... Fragrant medicines are mostly sought by wealthy families. If the price is slightly increased, there should still be some surplus benefits."

"About how much?"

"I venture to guess that if all places are set up, there will be an additional 200,000 to 300,000 strings of cash a year, and then it will increase year by year, and finally stop at the upper limit of about 500,000 strings of cash."

"Not bad. The previous income of the Maritime Trade Bureau was only