Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 252 The First Grand Hall Free Fighting Tournament of the Great Han Dynasty!

The atmosphere in the imperial court, which had been surrounding the debate on salt and iron, suddenly froze.

Guo Tu's sudden accusation of treason shocked not only the entire court but also Liu Bian.

No, we were just about to discuss the salt and iron issue when you, Guo Tu, suddenly accused someone of treason?

No, we really wouldn't pull out a killer weapon right from the start!

Guo Tu's remarks truly terrified the court officials who opposed the state monopoly on salt and iron, and they were instantly filled with fear.

Guo Tu, that mad dog, had been quiet for more than half a year, causing the civil and military officials to almost forget about him.

But this mad dog is known for its ruthlessness. Back when the Yuan family of Runan was at the height of its power, it even dared to bite the traitor Yuan Wei, who was then the Minister of Works, and openly denounced Yuan Wei as a "treacherous minister". Who else would not dare to bite it?

These days, who can be completely clean-shaven? And how many high-ranking officials and courtiers are truly unconnected to the Yuan family of Runan?
"what?"

Liu Bian suddenly frowned, picked up a scroll of bamboo slips, and carefully wrote and calculated something.

One qing of land is 100 mu of land, and 400 qing of land is 40000 mu of land.

Shangtian in Kaifeng County has abundant water resources and fertile soil, making it a rich land where even winter wheat can yield more than 2 shi per mu per year.

The annual yield of 400 hectares of land is at least 80000 shi of winter wheat. Even if Zheng Tai pays his taxes honestly, after paying the land tax, fodder tax, poll tax, and tax, not counting the cattle rent, he would still have about 85% left. After deducting the wheat seeds required at 0.15 shi per mu, the actual grain harvest that would be stored would be 62000 shi.

Based on the assumption that an adult can meet their normal labor needs by eating 1 shi of rice per month, an annual income of 62000 shi would be enough to support 5200 adult men.

As for side dishes, after the winter wheat is harvested in May, turnips and other vegetables or beans can be rotated to restore soil fertility and provide food.

A clan can split up. In fact, the Zheng family of Kaifeng only supported direct clan members and close relatives through their family lands. For example, the Zheng family had already spread to Xingyang and Chenliu. The Zheng family of Kaifeng had at most three or four hundred clan members. Even including the servants they kept, the number would not exceed two thousand.

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes and looked at Zheng Tai with hostility.

Your mother, does that mean you, Zheng Taiyin, raised three thousand assassins?
Do you also want to be Sima Lao'er?

Zheng Tai was also stunned, because he really did raise a lot of desperados, probably no less than two thousand.

He had previously sensed that the Han dynasty was on the verge of collapse, so he made many friends among local heroes and recruited many outlaws in order to ensure that the Zheng family of Kaifeng could survive in the chaos of the world. He then sought a wise ruler to offer these outlaws as soldiers.

The key point is that no one expected the Liu family to have such good fortune. After Emperor Guangwu, a young prince who could save the family from collapse was born out of nowhere!

For a moment, he forgot to dismiss the fugitives he had taken in, which gave Guo Tu, that mad dog, a handle to use against him.

If it were someone else, it could be explained as them taking in refugees out of kindness because they couldn't bear to see people freezing and starving to death.

The problem is that he was a protégé and former subordinate of Yuan Wei!
Even if he was among the first to openly attack and insult the Yuan family of Runan after their rebellion was uncovered, and even participated in dividing up their inheritance, you still have to see if the emperor believes you're just someone he keeps around for fun.
Liu Bian pondered for a moment, and a question came to mind.

How did Guo Tu know that Zheng Tai would stand up and oppose him?
No one knows who will stand up against it today. He could understand if they prepared dirt on salt and iron families such as the Wei family of Hedong and the Zhuo family of Shujun, but why prepare dirt on Zheng Tai?
Liu Bian raised his head and looked at Guo Tu, who was standing in the hall. Guo Tu smiled and took out a book made of paper from his sleeve and flipped through it. He looked at Zhang Xi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, with a look of sharpening his knife. Out of curiosity, Liu Bian said, "Gongze, bring me that book in your hand and let me see it."

"only!"

Guo Tu didn't shy away from the matter and presented the book, which stunned Liu Bian as he opened it.

"On a certain day and night in the seventh year of Guanghe, Grand Tutor Lu Zhi held a banquet at the Crown Prince's residence. After drinking, he said that Emperor Taizu Gao had a flaw in his virtue."

"On a certain day of a certain month in the sixth year of Guanghe, General Dong Zhuo stole a peach from Yong'an Palace."

"On a certain day in the seventh year of Guanghe, Sun Ce, the eldest son of General Sun Jian, met with the Crown Prince in his carriage and said to Zhou Yu, the eldest son of Grand Master of Ceremonies Zhou Yi, 'He can be overthrown and replaced.'"

"On a certain day of a certain month in the tenth year of the Yanxi era, in the southeast corner of the old residence of Liu Bei, the Prefect of Jiangxia, there was a mulberry tree over five zhang tall. From a distance, it looked like a small carriage canopy, and passersby all wondered why this tree was extraordinary, some saying that a noble person would emerge from it. When Liu Bei was young, he played with the children of his clan under the tree and said, 'I will surely ride in this feathered canopy carriage.'"

"Light and a certain date..."

Liu Bian looked at Guo Tu with a shocked expression. So you've already thought of all the crimes of the officials in the court in advance, just waiting for someone to oppose the emperor, and then you'll bring up that person's crime to punish them.

That thing in your hand is clearly the Book of Life and Death!

Liu Bian cast a complicated look at Guo Tu, gesturing for him to come closer. He then whispered in Guo Tu's ear, "Gongze, I will certainly not wish you a long life on your birthday. You'd better die before me."

Sooner or later, people will find out about the "Book of Life and Death" in Guo Tu's hands. If Guo Tu is still alive and kicking at eighty-six years old like Fa Zhen, then he might really be boiled alive.

No one but him could protect Guo Tu.

Guo Tu smiled obsequiously and said, "I am sixteen years older than the state. The state is the body of ten thousand years, and will surely protect me for a lifetime."

"You guy!"

Liu Bian shook his head helplessly, letting Guo Tu return to the center of the hall. He then pondered for a long time before finally turning to Zheng Tai and slowly saying, "Minister Zheng is a loyal minister of the court. This action is to provide for the refugees for the court, not to secretly support fugitives. Yesterday, he reported to me that he would offer three hundred acres of fertile land and three thousand refugees from his family to the court to celebrate my ascension to the throne. Is that acceptable?"

Liu Bian ultimately did not label Zheng Tai as a remnant of Yuan Shikai's faction or a rebel. After ascending the throne, some things could no longer be done as he had done during his previous regency.

It's not that he's become thin-skinned, but rather that in the past, he could nominally shift the blame onto Liu Hong and let Liu Hong take the fall for him. But now, he can't shift the blame onto Liu Hong, the retired emperor.

Moreover, befriending heroes and secretly harboring outlaws is something that almost every powerful and wealthy family does.

At that time, there were very few clans that had confidence in the Han Dynasty. Even the Xun clan of Yingchuan and the Cai clan of Xiangyang were no exception. The Han imperial relatives gradually lost confidence in the court and more or less raised a group of desperados. Did he want to eliminate his own relatives and maternal relatives as well?

Zheng Tai wasn't stupid. He knew the emperor was trying to exonerate him, so he quickly nodded and admitted, "It's the Chief Justice of the Court who misunderstood. All land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and all people within the borders are his subjects. I was merely helping the emperor care for the homeless refugees who had lost their land. This land is simply being returned to the emperor, not being offered as tribute."

If the emperor offers a way out, then you must obediently follow it.

At least they can still retain a hundred acres of arable land, which is more than enough to support the clan.

Moreover, farmland was nothing compared to the real revenue of the Zheng family in Kaifeng, which came from the salt and iron industry.

The salt industry of the Zheng family in Kaifeng was produced by boiling soil in the saline-alkali land of Kunyang County, Yingchuan Prefecture. The profits were not particularly impressive. Their main business was the iron ore industry in Wuyang County, Yingchuan Prefecture.

To be precise, it should be near a workshop at the border of Wuyang County in Yingchuan Commandery and Xiping County in Runan Commandery, and that workshop was called Tangxi Workshop.

Among the swords of the world, the most renowned are Tangxi, Moyang, Hebo, Dengshi, Wanfeng, Longquan, Tai'a, Moye, and Ganjiang.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Tangxi belonged to the State of Chu; during the Warring States Period, it belonged to the State of Han. Regardless of which state these nine legendary swords belonged to, they all originated from Tangxi Fang.

Tangxifang was almost the largest arms workshop during the entire Warring States period. This is why, when the state of Han was known as "Jin Han," "all the strongest bows and crossbows in the world came from Han." However, when Tangxi was captured by the Qin state, this was one of the main reasons why the military strength of Han fell into a weak phase.

Even during the Later Han Dynasty, Tangxi Fang maintained a superior status because it was near several iron-rich mining areas, such as Mingshan. Moreover, due to the wars of the pre-Qin period and the Qin state's management system, a complete integrated mining and smelting process was formed. Even many of the fine armor and weapons in the Luoyang arsenal came from Tangxi.

Of course, no matter how rampant the powerful families like the Zheng family of Kaifeng were, Tangxi Ward remained firmly in the hands of the imperial court as long as the Han Dynasty still held sway.

Although the imperial court allowed private salt and iron production and lifted the ban, it still firmly controlled the large and medium-sized workshops that were originally owned by the court, such as Tangxifang.

The process of iron ore mining, coal supply, and even the smelting of iron ore into semi-finished iron was outsourced to supporting workshops near Tangxifang, which were run by powerful families, in order to save the imperial court's forging costs.

The fact that the middlemen are controlled by powerful and wealthy families creates room for manipulation.

Zheng was involved in the iron ore mining process, and while mining iron ore, he would also take some iron ore out of the mine.

These powerful and wealthy families are all too familiar with falsifying accounts. Collecting 20,000 catties of iron ore but only recording 10,000 catties in the ledger is nothing unusual for them.

Who can prove that this pile of iron ore came from Tangxi? Call it and see if it responds.

But Zheng Tai is about to make a decision that goes against his ancestors' wishes.

"Your Majesty, I suddenly feel that salt and iron should be nationalized!"

With gritted teeth and a heavy heart, Zheng Tai decided to offer the salt and iron industries to the emperor!

Even if the emperor spared his life, it would not only fail to bring him fame, but would also enhance the emperor's reputation for benevolence.

Oh, you say the emperor is unbenevolent, which is why he mandated state monopolies on salt and iron. But how did the emperor forgive your death sentence and exonerate you?

Moreover, judging from the emperor's attitude, Zheng Tai was clearly determined to bring salt and iron under state control.

The young emperor holds great power and has made preparations early on, even resorting to unorthodox methods to pass the resolution on the state monopoly of salt and iron. Therefore, it is clear that the state monopoly of salt and iron is inevitable today.

Rather than waiting for the salt and iron industry to be officially monopolized and then having it taken away by the imperial court, it's better to proactively offer it up in exchange for opportunities!
I, Zheng Tai, am quite skilled at leading investment strategies!

Zheng Tai bowed three times to Liu Bian, then prostrated himself on the ground in a deep salute, and said "sincerely": "My country, a sudden thought struck me, and I realized my mistake. The Book of Songs says, 'Under the vast heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king.' I agree. Since the salt and iron mines of the world originally belonged to the emperor, what harm is there in the emperor taking them for himself?"

"Furthermore, I believe that those who run salt and iron businesses should avoid suspicion. To prevent my colleagues from mistakenly thinking that I have ulterior motives, I am willing to return all the salt mines in Kunyang and the iron mines in Wuyang owned by the Zheng family of Kaifeng to the court, so as to show that I have absolutely no selfish interests in my heart!"

"I believe that all those who oppose the state monopoly on salt and iron should follow my example and return their family-run salt and iron businesses to the Emperor. Otherwise, those who advise against the state monopoly on salt and iron are acting out of self-interest and are not righteous ministers!"

As soon as Zheng Tai finished speaking, all the court officials who opposed the state monopoly on salt and iron suddenly turned to look at him. "Who would have thought! You, Zheng Gongye, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, have also betrayed us!"

How many of those who oppose the state monopoly on salt and iron have not directly or indirectly been involved in the salt and iron industry?

If one had to hand over the family's salt and iron industry to the emperor in order to voice opposition, what difference would that make from supporting the emperor's state monopoly on salt and iron?
This dog is digging up our very roots!

“Zheng Gongye, you were arrogant at first and then obsequious. How could you so shamelessly say ‘What does it matter?’ You are truly inhuman!”

Zhang Xi was furious. You were the vanguard who stood up to oppose it, while I stood firmly behind you despite the pressure from the emperor. And yet you betrayed me?
And you're investing in the salt and iron industry yourself, yet you want to drag us into it?

"Minister Zhang, what is meant by arrogance, and what is meant by obsequiousness?" Zheng Tai turned to look at Zhang Xi, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and said, "Is acting as a lackey of a eunuch considered arrogance, and changing allegiance considered obsequiousness?"

Zheng Tai looked down on Zhang Xi. Although Zhang Xi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, was his direct superior, Zhang Xi, the Vice Minister of Civil Affairs, had no outstanding resume except for his elder brother, who had sided with the eunuchs and served as Minister of Works.

You're just a eunuch's henchman, a minister supported by eunuchs, what gives you the right to act so arrogantly in front of me?
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xi's blood pressure spiked. The thing he least wanted to be mentioned was that he had been supported by eunuchs to become a minister. These words really hit Zhang Xi's sore spot, especially since Zheng Tai brought it up in public and mocked him for abandoning his dignity in order to change his allegiance and return to the scholar class.

"How dare you insult me, you brat!"

Zhang Xi, enraged and humiliated, finally reached his breaking point.

Lao Tzu also studied the Six Arts of a Gentleman!
Suddenly, Zhang Xi rushed forward, grabbed Zheng Tai by the collar, and roared as he delivered a heavy right hook.

Caught off guard, Zheng Tai was punched in the face and fell to the ground. He immediately tasted a metallic sweetness in his mouth, along with some foreign objects.

After spitting the foreign object into his palm, Zheng Tai also flew into a rage.

It turned out to be one of his back molars!

"You damned old scoundrel!"

Zheng Tai had a masculine face and the demeanor of a scholar, so he cherished his face and beard. However, he ended up having two teeth knocked out.

Although it wasn't a front tooth, it still affected his refined and scholarly demeanor!
Taking advantage of his youth, Zheng Tai pushed Zhang Xi to the ground, straddled him, and began punching Zhang Xi repeatedly in the face.

Zhang Xi kept his arms protecting his face. Although his hat was knocked off, it prevented Zheng Tai from striking him, and the fist never landed on his face.

But Zhang Xi, enraged by being repeatedly struck while being ridden on, lost his temper and, in the chaos, resorted to a dirty trick, punching Zheng Tai in the groin.

"what!"

Zheng Tai screamed and rolled on the ground clutching his groin. Fortunately, Zhang Xi's punch wasn't too powerful. After recovering, Zheng Tai lunged at Zhang Xi. Although he still couldn't hit Zhang Xi's face, Zheng Tai didn't care about his gentlemanly demeanor at this moment and bit Zhang Xi's arm.

"You're truly a dog!"

Unable to bear the pain, Zhang Xi grabbed Zheng Tai's most prized beard and pulled hard, trying to force Zheng Tai to let go. But Zheng Tai not only refused to let go, but also grabbed Zhang Xi's already sparse hair.

The two started fighting, and the scene was chaotic.

The officials were all dumbfounded. How did a fight break out?
This is an insult to culture, truly an insult to culture!

They fight and tear each other's hair and beards, bite each other, and spit at each other. How are they any different from shrewish women in the streets?

Hey, why are they still targeting the lowest points these days!

However, while the civil and military officials cursed that it was "disgraceful to scholars," they watched the spectacle from the sidelines, but no one tried to stop the fight.

Hey, although Zheng Tai is a real scoundrel who not only betrayed the privileged class but also dragged everyone down with him as a pledge of allegiance, what he said is true.

You, Zhang Xi, are nothing more than someone who switched allegiance from a eunuch's henchman to the ranks of scholars. What right do you have to swagger around in the imperial court?
A rotten orange is a rotten orange!

Once you're a eunuch's lackey, you'll be a eunuch's lackey for life!
Bah! Dogs fighting, neither of them are any good!

Let those two bastards fight it out; it would be best if they both killed each other at the same time!

Liu Bian was also watching the farce intently, while Gao Wang, with his keen eye, took out a silk pouch from his sleeve. A fragrance wafted from the pouch, and Gao Wang handed a piece to the emperor who was watching the spectacle with a smile.

Liu Bian and Gao Wang exchanged a smile, then Liu Bian waved to Dian Wei.

Dian Wei crouched down beside the emperor, listened intently to the two fighting, and asked in a low voice, "Does the emperor wish me to go and stop them?"

"Stop blocking me, sit down and watch with me."

Liu Bian glanced at Dian Wei, broke the pastry Gao Wang handed him into three pieces—one large and two small—and without saying a word, stuffed the large piece into Dian Wei's hand, then handed the smaller piece to Gao Wang. He then covered his mouth with his sleeve as he chewed the pastry in his hand.

Dian Wei hesitated, looking at the fragrant pastry in his hand, unsure whether to eat it or not.

Eating it would seem to go against the rules of the court, but not eating it... he was wearing armor, and there was nowhere to hide such a large piece of pastry.

Gao Wang, on the other hand, didn't have so many reservations and quickly ate the pastries by covering his mouth with his sleeve.

Seeing that the Emperor and Gao Wang had eaten, Dian Wei figured he couldn't be out of place, so he simply stuffed all the pastries into his mouth in one bite, chewed a few times, and swallowed them.

Gao Wang chuckled at Dian Wei's actions, then took out another piece of pastry and handed it to the emperor.

The emperor skillfully broke the food into three portions, one large and two small, and the three of them began to sneak a bite once again, using Zheng Tai and Zhang Xi's fight as a way to eat.

"Junming, Zheng Gongye does have some courage."

"I still have faith in Minister of Civil Affairs. Although this fellow is so rebellious and dares to defy the country, look at the country, this left hook is all he's got his strength in... wait, Minister Zheng actually dodged it."

“This servant also has a high opinion of Minister Zheng. He bites people and pulls hair, hehehe, he is more like a eunuch than this servant. He should be cut off and sent to the palace.”

Liu Bian made no attempt to stop the farce, but he was quite interested in commenting on the fight between the two men with Gao Wang and Dian Wei, almost to the point of cheering.

Dian Wei was puzzled and looked at Gao Wang's silk pouch, which still contained at least seven or eight pieces of pastry, with a hint of doubt.

He didn't quite understand why, since there were so many pastries, the emperor would simply have to break them into three pieces each time.
Gao Wang noticed the confusion on Dian Wei's face, but smiled without saying a word.

Foolish fellow, eating the same food as the emperor is the only way to avoid violating etiquette.

Besides, the emperor is also a human being. A loyal and affectionate emperor needs companionship even more. How can one person sharing a piece of food compare to the feeling of three people sharing a piece?
Liu Bian ignored the exchange of glances between Gao Wang and Dian Wei, and instead turned his head to look at the historian writing furiously behind the screen to his left.

He noticed that this guy was not only watching Zheng Tai and Zhang Xi who were fighting, but also glancing at him from time to time while he was stealing food.

Suddenly, Liu waved to the historian.

The historian tucked the bamboo slips into his sleeve, then gripped it tightly, his eyes filled with vigilance.

At the last banquet at Yuntai Pavilion, after being plied with alcohol, he wrote down statements that should not have appeared in the historical records, such as "The emperor was very drunk and challenged him to a dance contest, in which I won." What's even more inappropriate is that the emperor actually found his historical records and saw this statement.

He was taught from a young age that history was more important than life itself, and that it must never be lost or read by others, especially emperors.

From then on, whenever there was a banquet, he would stand in the place closest to the door to prevent the emperor from getting him drunk and peeking at the historical records.

Liu Bian tilted his head, glancing at the historian's tightly clenched sleeves. Seeing the historian acting like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Liu Bian couldn't help but chuckle and gestured for him to lower himself.

Just as the historian was cautiously covering his sleeve, bending down, and focusing all his attention on the historical records hidden in his sleeve, the emperor suddenly stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth.

The historian stared blankly at the emperor, then his eyes filled with indignation.

How could the emperor be so frivolous and resort to such despicable means to drag others down with him!
"Don't throw up. These are pastries made by the Empress Dowager herself. She has been going out to the garden these past few days, and I don't have many left. I didn't even take a day off to come home and give them to you as a reward. Don't judge me by my own petty standards."

The historian paused slightly, but did not speak. He simply bowed slightly in greeting.

Hmm, the Empress Dowager's cooking seems pretty good; it's sweet but not cloying.

Well, the emperor was actually concerned about him, but he just didn't express it properly.

Sigh, he's still just a child, with the mind of a teenager.

That's all, that's all!
Thinking of this, the historian erased the record of the emperor's misconduct of sneaking food during the grand court assembly and wrote: "Seeing that the emperor saw that the Left General of the Martial Guard Dian Wei, the Palace Attendant Gao Wang, and the historian had been standing for a long time without being able to sit down, the emperor bestowed upon the Empress Dowager a flower cake made by hand. His benevolence and generosity were so great that they are hard to find in ancient and modern times."

Just as the historian put down his pen and looked at the emperor with a sigh, he heard the emperor whisper to Dian Wei and Gao Wang beside him, "Heh heh, this fellow has become our accomplice! I don't believe he'll still have the nerve to write bad things about us!"

The historian remained silent, his hand holding the white hairpin pen trembling, ink slowly dripping from the tip.

Ancestors, what sins did you commit to deserve that your grandson has been burdened with such a filthy creature who is not even worthy of being called a ruler!
(6243 words)
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P.S.: I had some super delicious shaved ice tonight, so I'm in a really good mood. I'm going to write a huge chapter of 6,000 words in one go!

I've added another 2100 words today!
Dear readers, please give me more monthly votes in consideration of the author's extra 2000 words for two consecutive days!
(End of this chapter)