nucmednet Chapter 334: More and more like an old man
Chapter 334: More and more like an old man
Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Bei Jingchu said softly: "Be quiet."
The person who was about to speak fell silent all of a sudden; even the sound of Xu Chengzhu chewing the bait stopped.
He held the pastry in his mouth and dared not move.
The prince usually has a good temper, and many people dare to joke and play in front of her.
But at some point, a sense of majesty lingered around her that she was not even aware of.
Even her childhood friends didn't dare to act rashly when she got serious.
Not long after, she seemed to notice that the atmosphere in the study had calmed down and was no longer tense, so she said, "Go on, don't quarrel."
But everyone was hesitant and didn't dare to speak first.
So the first person to speak was Xiner.
After Xin'er came out of Hongwenguan, Bei Jingchu also asked her to come over to work.
No matter how much you can contribute, even if it's just helping to organize some paperwork, you can't just sit there and do nothing.
Fortunately, Xin'er was also happy to help without any complaints, even to the point of doing whatever she was told.
Although there are fewer flexibility issues, as long as the order comes from the crown prince, everyone will strictly abide by it starting from themselves and will not compromise in the slightest.
Bei Jingchu used her several times, and her skill in using her became almost as good as Nian'er.
Gradually, she was assigned duties and was able to discuss matters in the study.
At this time she asked: "Didn't we conquer Yuzhou and Ningzhou? How come there is no land to divide with such a large area?"
After saying this, everyone in the study, including Bei Jingchu, cast loving glances at her.
Sister Xin'er is sincere, but sometimes she is not very smart.
It's just that it's rare to find someone who is both loyal and talented. When having to choose between the two, Bei Jingchu would choose loyalty first.
Bei Jingchu couldn't help laughing and said, "Sister, that's grassland, it's used for grazing, not for farming..."
If it wasn't too embarrassing for the little girl to say it out loud, Bei Jingchu would even want to touch her head and say: It's not your fault, go and have fun.
Xin'er quickly covered her mouth, her face turned red, and she looked like she had said something wrong, but this made the atmosphere in the study room much more relaxed.
Although the discussion did not resolve the household registration issue, it did provide another way to increase financial resources.
Bei Jingchu pointed out several feasible options and asked them to write a petition and submit detailed strategies.
For example, the state-run salt and iron industry in Beihua can be considered.
After everyone left, Bei Jingchu picked up a pen and started writing and drawing on a piece of white paper, and a rough outline appeared in his mind.
Just as she was thinking about it, Haoyue came to report that Xu Jialing had returned and wanted to talk to her in private.
He was one of the few people who wanted to make a move on the household registration, but after Bei Huan blocked his way back, there was no further progress.
Now that I have come back to see her, maybe I have some ideas that I am just not comfortable saying.
If this is true, it might be the same method as she thought.
Xu Chengzhou came in, bowed, and took a seat, then said directly: "I think that if the household registration is searched by officials, the people will rack their brains to hide, which will be a waste of time and effort."
"If you want to achieve twice the result with half the effort, the people should come and register themselves, just like Emperor Gaozu did."
Bei Jingchu put down her ink pen. She was sure that this person thought the same as she did.
She completed her unfinished words: "So, we just need to continue distributing land to the people."
"The court does not have enough land, so it needs to take back the land that was illegally seized."
"Xu Qing, how do you think we should start?"
After saying this, Bei Jingchu lowered her eyes. The hot steam from the newly replaced tea blurred her eyes, making it impossible for anyone to see the scrutiny in them.
It seemed like a normal conversation, not a fight without gunpowder, nor did it seem like an answer that would determine Xu Chengzhou's future.
After all, the answer she had in mind was to attack the powerful families. Not only would the Xu family be the first to suffer, but they would also inevitably be affected by turmoil.
Xu Chengzhou has thought of this step. Unless he is a fool, it is impossible that he cannot figure out the key.
Thinking of this, Bei Jingchu was shocked.
It’s over, he’s looking more and more like old man Bei Heng.
The 37-year-old Emperor Bei Heng, who was in the prime of his life, sneezed twice in the imperial study and wiped the corners of his mouth impatiently. Which bastard was scolding him again?
On this side, Xu Chengzhou cupped his hands and said, "I think that if Your Highness wants to solve this matter himself, he should start with the wealthy families."
Bei Jingchu raised her eyelids, a smile appeared on her face, and her voice became lighter: "Tell me about it."
Xu Chengzhou pushed the heavy wooden chair further and moved it a little closer to her. He analyzed, "Although it is their fault that they took the land away, the world only distinguishes between interests, not right and wrong."
"Your Highness has seized the people's land, even if it was not theirs, it will cause resentment. Everyone has been offended, not to mention the crown prince, even..."
He pointed to the sky, leaned over, and whispered in her ear, "Even the emperor can't sit on the throne."
The breath sprayed on my ears, feeling hot and itchy.
Bei Jingchu tilted her head over. From a distance that was too close, she could see his immature stubble, reminding her that the boy's face was not as white and smooth as it looked.
Not the same as her.
It was shaved cleanly, but it feels a little rough to the touch.
Bei Jingchu clenched her fingertips, suppressed her inexplicable associations, and watched him chatter away.
Xu Chengzhou counted on his fingers and said, "We have already offended the noble families. If we were to say who we should target, it would definitely be them. Who made them so blind to oppose His Highness's appointment as the crown prince in the first place?"
"Now we can only fight to the death."
Bei Jingchu asked softly, "Why didn't you say anything during the discussion just now, and why was Huanhuan blocking you?"
The boy sighed.
"After all, there are also people from aristocratic families among us."
"If there are no Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, aren't there still some small families? For example, my own Xu family is one of them."
"If someone is not loyal enough and leaks the information in advance, it will be disadvantageous to us if they are prepared."
Bei Jingchu supported her head with one hand and found his words very amusing.
“The Xu family you came from is also the one we are going to deal with this time, so who are we?”
Someone came up to him shamelessly and said, "I am your Highness's man! We are in the same group. I don't know anything about the Xu family."
Bei Jingchu: ...Your ancestors are so lucky to have you.
But she was in a much better mood, and even started to tease people again, asking the complacent man, "Who said there are no five surnames and seven families?"
Xu Chengzhou was shocked. Could it be that spies from the five surnames had infiltrated the East Palace's confidants?
No, no, since His Highness knows about it, it must not be a big problem.
Maybe it was the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and His Highness used them to pass on false information to...
All kinds of conspiracies and schemes were running wild in his mind, and then he saw her good lady open her red lips and say, "Isn't the Bei family the head of the Five Surnames?"
Xu Chengzhou: "......"