novelapdf Chapter 72 Many People Are Going to Die
Chapter 72 Many People Are Going to Die
Huan'er returned to Songguo Village and told Chu Xun.
The teacher asked him to do three things, but only talked about two of them.
First, he should befriend Zhang Li, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Second, he should seek an opportunity to be transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as a junior official.
Neither of the two things was difficult to do, but Huan'er didn't know what the third thing was.
Upon learning that Tang Shijun was going to shield Huan'er from harm, Chu Xun sighed, "Your teacher is truly beyond words."
"Being his student is your greatest blessing."
Huan'er wholeheartedly agreed with this.
"How is Ah Qiao doing lately?" Chu Xun asked again.
Many years ago, A-Qiao left Pingshui Town to take the imperial examinations in other prefectures.
However, he has not passed the exam yet.
The unity within the Ministry of Rites was even stronger than Tang Shijun had anticipated.
Perhaps because he didn't have many opportunities to exercise his power on a regular basis, the education officials from other prefectures also made things difficult for Ah Qiao in various ways.
Huan'er smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't want to tell you this, but A-Qiao stopped taking the exam a few years ago. To make a living, he went to work as a salt worker, operating a boat to transport salt for the salt guild."
"However, he is chivalrous and generous, and is very popular among the salt workers, so there is nothing to worry about."
Chu Xun nodded slightly: "It's good to have a proper job to make a living, so as not to become obsessed like Li Chang'an."
A year later, Huan'er was transferred from Long'an Prefecture to the Ministry of Revenue as a secretary, a fifth-rank official.
In the same year, Emperor Chongming issued an edict unifying all prefectures and abolishing the three-tiered system of upper, middle, and lower grades.
All prefects were of the third rank.
This move caused an uproar throughout the court, and only then did others understand why Emperor Chongming had previously promoted so many prefects.
Fifth-rank officials were suddenly promoted to third-rank officials.
Huan'er, who was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as a junior official, was ridiculed by others.
Everyone says he's trying to curry favor with his teacher, Tang Shijun, and get into the Ministry of Revenue through connections.
Unexpectedly, if they stayed, they could level up four levels on the spot.
There were naturally some officials who opposed this move, but there were so many third-rank prefects with powerful backers.
The presence of both imperial factions and neutral factions left the court officials helpless.
At this point, they finally realized...
How deep must the emperor's cunning be to have survived the struggles among more than a dozen princes?
During this period, Tang Shijun, as the Minister of Revenue, began to become the target of public criticism.
He proposed to Emperor Chongming that the land in the country be measured, the household registration be clarified, and a set of regulations for evaluating officials be established.
The last one is alright; it just means doing more productive work to avoid giving others cause for gossip.
However, the first two points have aroused dissatisfaction among many people.
Many of the fields in Jing Kingdom today have been seized by powerful figures who are exempt from taxes.
With no land to cultivate, the people fled everywhere, and the household registration system became a complete mess.
Local officials openly and covertly lied about the amount of taxes they could collect, and the amount of tax revenue they were able to pay decreased year by year.
With the national treasury now extremely empty, Emperor Chongming was naturally willing to provide support.
Moreover, the Tang family is one of the most prestigious and influential families. Tang Shijun himself is willing to jump into the fire pit, so he can sit back and watch the tigers fight.
Therefore, with the full support of Emperor Chongming, Tang Shijun established the Land Survey Office at the end of the fifth year of Chongming.
In coordination with the various departments under the Ministry of Revenue, and also with the Ministry of Personnel, they got these matters done together.
The sixth year of Chongming.
Chu Xun sat at his doorstep as always, the spirit pearl grass at his feet had turned from dark green to light purple.
Judging by the time, it won't be long before it's ripe.
At that time, Chu Xun will no longer be in the Qi Refining stage, but in the Foundation Establishment stage!
Without guidance, Chu Xun had no way of knowing how much stronger Foundation Establishment was than Qi Refining.
But one thing is certain: it will be very strong, very strong!
Huan'er came out of the room and whispered, "Auntie has gone to sleep."
Zhang Anxiu's health is deteriorating day by day, and she is now in a daze every day, which is very worrying.
Chu Xun patted the wooden stool next to him, and Huan'er obediently sat down. She looked up at her uncle, whose hair and beard were all white, and was momentarily dazed.
I still remember at the Songliu Water God Temple fair, my uncle asked me how we could buy roasted nuts and seeds together without losing out.
My uncle and aunt were very young back then, and they never imagined that they would grow old.
But then I realized I'm already forty.
My father is over sixty years old and can no longer lift a heavy shovel; he has to let the workers do it for him.
"Don't be too sad. The moon has its phases, and people have their joys and sorrows. There is no banquet in the world that doesn't end."
Huan'er was slightly moved. Having served as an official for so many years, she had long since developed the habit of not showing her emotions.
But his uncle could still easily see through his heart; the question he had when he was young still remained.
Is my uncle really not the peerless martial arts master described by storytellers?
Having met so many people, including so-called martial arts masters, none of them can compare to him.
It looks ordinary, but it always makes people feel that it is extraordinary.
"How is Lord Tang?" Chu Xun asked.
Huan'er shook her head, clearing her mind of the chaotic thoughts, and said, "I was recently attacked again, but fortunately, my teacher has raised a group of assassins, all of whom are martial artists of the third rank or above, so I am safe for the time being."
Chu Xun nodded slightly: "It's good that you're alright. Hang in there for a few more years, and everything will be alright."
Huan'er didn't understand what he meant, but casually replied, "Yes, in a few years we'll be able to survey all the land in the country and clean up the household registration system. Things will get better then."
"But the teacher no longer allows me to see him, and even made me do my best to demand that the army be paid. He then interfered, creating a situation where the teacher and student were at odds."
Chu Xun frowned slightly, not quite understanding what Tang Shijun was trying to do.
It seems unnecessary to do something that sounds meaningless, just to pave the way for Huan'er.
Huan'er said self-deprecatingly, "Now that I'm a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, I have to prepare gifts every year during festivals to curry favor with that Grand Eunuch in charge of ceremonies. I've also fallen out with my teacher. I don't know how many people will laugh at me, saying that my own father doesn't care about me and that I'm going to be adopted by a eunuch."
Although Huan'er lacked Tang Shijun's unparalleled arrogance, she still harbored great ambitions.
Coupled with numerous unanswered questions, he is now somewhat depressed and often comes to Chu Xun to confide in her.
Chu Xun could only advise, "Lord Tang has his reasons for doing this. I believe him, and you should believe him too."
"Of course I believe it, otherwise I wouldn't have done it all, but I can't help feeling a little unhappy," Huan'er said.
A few crows flew back from a distance, dropping a few fruits as they flew overhead.
Chu Xun didn't look at it, but steadily caught the fruit and casually handed one to Huan'er: "Try it, it might relieve your gloom."
Huan'er took it, but didn't eat it. Instead, she looked up at the crows on the eaves and asked curiously, "How come they've been finding so many different kinds of wild fruit lately?"
When I was a child, crows did this kind of thing too, but not as frequently as they do now, almost every day.
"Your aunt has been eating bland food lately, so I wanted to give her something different," Chu Xun said.
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the doorway.
The travel-worn messenger dismounted at the gate and said urgently, "Is Lord Zhang here? There's an urgent report from the Ministry of Revenue!"
Huan'er immediately got up and went over, took the letter, and started to walk back while opening it.
He stopped after taking only a few steps, his voice deep and stern: "He's really regressing with age! How dare he do this!"
Chu Xun walked over and asked, "What happened?"
Huan'er handed over the letter without hesitation.
Chu Xun took the book and glanced at its contents, which made him frown.
This is hardly an urgent report.
It's clearly saying that many people are going to die.