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墨書 Inktalez
Early the next morning, before leaving the residence for duty at the palace, Li Jian Cheng instructed the Steward that with the court's great victory, there would surely be captives from the Turkic tribes sold in the Western Market. He told him to select some strong ones to buy and temporarily settle them at the Out-of-City Villa. If anyone asked, they should say they needed strong laborers to cultivate wasteland.
The Li Family was lacking in nothing but money; generations of accumulation had piled up in their treasury. A few years ago, they even built several more warehouses just to barely accommodate it all.
The previous two Dukes were not extravagant by nature. Compared to them, Li Yan spent a bit more, but it was only on a few fine horses and custom-made bows, occasionally hosting friends for drinks and merriment. The wealth from A Drop in the Ocean had not even been touched.
It still depended on me; sooner or later, it would all be spent. Sometimes gathering talented individuals was simple, especially for those of humble backgrounds who possessed courage.
It was merely a matter of offering food and money, granting land, and helping them rise in rank and gain titles. How could they refuse such an opportunity?
However, those currently serving in the palace either came from similar backgrounds or were palace guards; their vast estates were of no use.
Today there was no court meeting, but the Emperor was to meet with some important ministers in the front hall to discuss matters regarding the Turkic tribes. After changing into his embroidered robes, he waited at the Eternal Alley City Gate. Yang Jishan couldn't help but say to Gao Rui, "Don't make your eyes pop out."
Gao Rui replied coldly, "Li Jian Cheng and I may not have a deep friendship, but we did grow up together and consider each other brothers. The last incident had its reasons and was not my intention. But how dare you curse my grandfather yesterday!"
Li Jian Cheng bowed respectfully to Gao Rui and said, "I spoke out of turn in a moment of desperation. After my shift today, I will go to the Duke of Qi's residence to apologize. I hope you can forgive me."
Gao Rui felt choked up, unable to respond or swallow his words; he could only stare in disbelief at how quickly Li Jian Cheng had yielded.
Dou Dan hurriedly intervened, saying, "Jian Cheng was called by Her Highness; some things may not have been his intention. Lord Gao is magnanimous and won't hold grudges against younger ones. Eldest Brother, Jian Cheng is the youngest; please don't take offense."
"Hmph! He may be young, but he has the most cunning thoughts."
Li Jian Cheng maintained a smiling face until Gao Rui finally couldn't keep his cold demeanor any longer and said, "It was indeed my grandfather's order last night that what you said made sense and that I shouldn't trouble you. Otherwise, I wouldn't let this go so easily."
After a while, the Emperor's procession arrived—twenty-eight men carried the Golden Litter, followed by dozens of Eunuchs and Palace Maids holding various implements in a grand display.
As expected, nothing surpassed the majesty of the imperial carriage.
Li Jian Cheng exchanged glances with Yang Jishan; they fell to the back of the line and whispered to each other: "Eldest Brother, does Uncle Yang Shaoqing have any free time lately? I would like to pay him a visit."
Yang Jishan responded with surprise, "You must have heard that my Uncle is not easy to deal with. If it's not a significant matter, just tell me; I can ask my father directly for you to save you the trouble."
The position of Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple was not particularly prestigious, and Yang Yue himself had suffered an injury from falling out of a tree in his youth, which led him to serve as a eunuch in Northern Zhou. He was exceptionally intelligent and meticulous in thought.
Although he had a somewhat sinister personality and was quite greedy, Yang Su trusted him the most. Over the years, whenever there were important matters, he would first consult with Yang Yue before taking action. As a result, it often became necessary to go through Yang Yue to get anything done with Yang Su; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to accomplish.
Li Jian Cheng got straight to the point: "This is serious; it must be discussed face-to-face."
Yang Jishan nodded and did not inquire further: "Tomorrow is a day off. I was already planning to host a banquet at home. After the feast, I will find a quiet room for you, and then I will invite Uncle to discuss in detail."
"Good."
After escorting the emperor to the Purple Palace, Li Jian Cheng and others stood on either side, listening to discussions about state affairs. They could only use their eyes and ears; they were not allowed to speak.
When the emperor inquired about the people's livelihood, Minister of Civil Affairs Wei Chong reported that this year's national household registration was approximately six hundred sixty-four thousand households, nearly doubling from three hundred fifty-nine thousand nine hundred households in the first year of Kaihuang. With about five people per household, the national population was around thirty-three million two hundred thousand.
The total cultivated land across the country amounted to three million nine hundred forty thousand four hundred sixty-seven acres, with significant grain reserves in places like Xijing Taicang, Dongjing Hanjia Cang, Huazhou Yongfeng Granary, and Shan Zhou Taiyuan Granary, totaling over twenty-six million stones of rice.
Li Jian Cheng's expression remained unchanged, but internally he marveled at the wealth of the Sui Dynasty. This was a rare prosperous era throughout history—a time of true abundance—and he lamented Yang Guang's ability to squander it all. In just over a decade, he had dragged a nation that was thriving with ample resources toward ruin.
Of course, the strength of the Sui Dynasty could not be separated from the collective efforts of its people. The governance during Kaihuang was indeed remarkable, but a significant portion of this success could be attributed to the previous Southern and Northern Dynasties.
History is not created whimsically; it is built upon conditions inherited from the past.
The Southern and Northern Dynasties period was one of absolute division yet relative stability. Since Northern Wei, there had been no major wars in the northern courts; both the Yuwen Family and Yang Family were power-hungry ministers rather than conquerors seeking to establish new states.
During Northern Wei's Yongxing era, everyone worked diligently; harvests were abundant, livestock thrived. By the time of the current emperor's Great Unity reign, both public and private wealth flourished despite occasional floods or droughts.
As for the Southern Dynasties, there was even less to say. The political situation was not much different from that of the North; aside from the Hou Jing Rebellion, there were no severe internal conflicts. Coupled with fertile land and favorable climatic conditions, it was indeed a time of peace and prosperity. It was precisely because life was too comfortable that Southern Chen fell easily before the Sui Army.
...
Two hours later, after escorting the emperor back to his palace quarters, they gathered in the Guard Room to drink wine and chat while also entertaining Gao Rui.
Until someone came to report that Princess Le Ping had arrived to pay her respects to the emperor and empress. The group hurriedly adjusted their robes before going out to greet her; Princess Le Ping was none other than the former Empress Tianyuan of the previous dynasty.
Due to the Emperor and Empress's sense of debt towards the Eldest Daughter, Princess Le Ping held a distinguished position, almost as if she were a first-rank official. Not to mention the officials, even the Emperor had to show her some respect.
However, the Princess of Xiangyang was not an overbearing person; on the contrary, she was quite peaceful and had always kept to herself in the outskirts of the capital, rarely involving herself in court matters.
After exchanging pleasantries, she stepped aside. The female attendants merely checked her with their eyes before respectfully allowing her passage, not daring to conduct a thorough search.
Once the princess entered the palace, several people sighed in relief and returned to the Guard Room, whispering gossip: "I heard that the Emperor and Empress have grown somewhat distant, no longer sharing meals or sleeping together as they used to. Princess Chang must have come for this reason."
Having tasted the thrill of power, it was hard to resist its allure.
It seemed that His Majesty's delayed rebellion was still quite firm.
Most likely, he was insisting on taking concubines, while the Queen disagreed but couldn't force him to leave home.
"It is said that His Majesty wishes to take in Princess Ningyuan from Southern Chen."
Li Jian Cheng glanced towards the direction of the royal chambers. Given the Queen's temperament, she might not heed the advice of the Princess of Xiangyang. At this moment, discussing trivial matters was pointless; what mattered was shifting the Queen's focus from palace affairs to something more significant.
Coincidentally, before meeting Yang Yue, it was necessary to obtain a clearer stance from the Queen; otherwise, Yang Su might not be willing to make an early commitment.
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