Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 273 The imperial court consisted of only a few palaces and government offices; even meals had to be cooked separately.

July 11th, the first year of the Hanxing era.

Hanxing Palace, Yuntai Pavilion.

The reconstruction of Yuntai Pavilion went exceptionally smoothly, and in fact, there were almost no other expenses besides labor.

Nanyang County was the hometown of the emperor and was adjacent to Luoyang. Therefore, the Funiu Mountains in Yuyang County, which produced high-quality timber, became the source of timber for the imperial family. Most of the building materials for the palace came from here, and the canal route through Bishui-Hanshui-Honggou was extremely convenient.

The lacquer was produced in Fangling County of Hanzhong Prefecture. Fangling has many lacquer forests, and the largest lacquer forests were the lacquer material fields under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu (Imperial Household Department). The lacquer was transported downstream via the Han River, Mian River, Yellow River and Luo River, and arrived in Luoyang before the timber from Funiu Mountain.

Labor costs were almost negligible, as the workers were all craftsmen and government slaves under the jurisdiction of the Shaofu (a government agency). Even if they didn't repair Yuntai Pavilion, they would still have other labor activities on weekdays, which meant that Yuntai Pavilion was repaired almost without spending any money.

More than ten thirsty birds, as well as many water vats, ladles and basins, were added near Yuntai Pavilion.

No one dared to underestimate the emperor's safety, especially since important court officials such as the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers often went to the Yuntai Pavilion to discuss matters. Any mishap would be a major loss to the court.

Today, Liu Bian also sent people to summon the Grand Tutor, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Liu Tao and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Yang Xu, as well as the Attendant-in-Ordinary, the Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Palace Secretariat, and the Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Imperial Secretariat to gather at the Yuntai Pavilion to discuss matters.

Of the Three Dukes, the newly appointed Grand Commandant is Yuan Pang, the former Grand Master of Ceremonies.

In fact, none of the officials had any objections to Yuan Pang's appointment as Grand Commandant, including Liu Yan, the Minister of Works.

Although nominally the Three Dukes are ranked as follows, the Grand Commandant is the most respected, followed by the Minister of Works, and then the Minister of Agriculture.

However, to serve as Grand Commandant, one must know some military affairs. Yuan Pang is the most knowledgeable about military affairs among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. He is also a veteran minister who once served as Minister of Works. In terms of prestige, ability, and seniority, he is more than qualified to serve as Grand Commandant.

As for the person who succeeded Yuan Pang as Grand Master of Ceremonies, it was Deng Sheng from Hongnong County.

In fact, the person who was most likely to succeed as Grand Master of Ceremonies was Wang Yun, the governor of Yu Province, who was doing very well in Yu Province.

However, Wang Yun was too scheming. Although he was in charge of supervising the powerful families in Yuzhou and gradually reclaiming the land that had been seized, he also secretly let many people go.

He's eating the salary I give him, acting like a fence-sitter, and he still wants a promotion?

Wang Yun was initially dissatisfied when he heard that he had failed to be selected. He felt that his achievements in Yuzhou over the past two years were enough for him to be promoted to one of the Nine Ministers. However, when he learned that Deng Sheng had taken his position as Grand Master of Ceremonies, he could no longer complain. Instead, he sent gifts to congratulate Deng Sheng.

Deng Sheng is a veteran official with a long service record. He was born in the first year of Yongning (120 AD) during the reign of Emperor Xiao'an and is now 66 years old. He has served under Emperor Xiaoshun, Emperor Xiaochong, Emperor Xiaozhi, Emperor Xiaohuan, Emperor Taishang Liu Hong, and now Emperor Liu Bian. He is a true veteran official of six dynasties.

Moreover, the Hongnong Deng clan, from which Deng Sheng came, could only be considered a large and powerful clan. They did not even have a stable hereditary salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure) and could not be called a gentry clan. Deng Sheng himself rose to the position of governor of Bingzhou through military merit and became famous for fighting against the Xianbei and Xiongnu. He eventually entered the court based on his military achievements.

But none of these were the key reasons why Wang Yun was willing to back down. Back when Wang Yun was just a novice official in Taiyuan County, he once accused Lu Fo to his face of bribing Wang Qiu, the governor of Taiyuan County, to obtain his official position. In a fit of anger, Wang Qiu imprisoned Wang Yun and planned to kill him in prison.

Deng Sheng, then governor of Bingzhou, admired Wang Yun's talent and character. He personally rode a fast horse to Taiyuan County to bail Wang Yun out and invited him to serve as the deputy governor of Bingzhou. He also promoted Wang Yun repeatedly and introduced him to other famous scholars to broaden his network of connections. Deng Sheng was Wang Yun's mentor in his career.

Whether it was genuine or feigned, Wang Yun could not openly express any dissatisfaction with Deng Sheng, his mentor, unless he wanted to ruin his reputation and future.

Following the principle of "holding small meetings for important matters and large meetings for minor matters," this small meeting naturally attracted a lot of attention. Since the emperor ascended the throne, whenever such a small meeting was held, it was often accompanied by the promulgation of new imperial decrees.

On the second floor of Yuntai Pavilion, the three dukes and nine ministers looked around and saw that everyone seemed to be present, but the emperor still kept his eyes closed and showed no intention of starting the meeting. They couldn't help but whisper among themselves until a series of hurried footsteps came from downstairs.

Panting, Zhen Yi, the magistrate of Pingzhun, climbed up to the second floor, hurriedly straightened his somewhat disheveled clothes, and bowed to apologize, saying, "I just went to the East Market in disguise to investigate prices. As soon as I received the state's notification, I rushed here immediately, but I still kept the state and you gentlemen waiting."

Liu Bian casually waved his hand, signaling him to get up. Huangmen Rong, led by Zhao You, led Zhen Yi to sit on a small mat behind the Grand Minister of Agriculture, Cao Song.

The assembled officials were somewhat puzzled by Zhen Yi's arrival. How could a mere Pingzhun Ling (a minor official) with a rank of 600 shi (a unit of grain) be qualified to attend a meeting of this level?

A clear, crisp sound echoed in the pavilion; it was Liu Bian striking the jade chime beside him with a wooden stick. He slowly opened his half-closed eyes and recited in a deep voice: "Last year, rice was expensive, and the army lacked provisions; this year, rice is cheap, and the farmers are suffering greatly. High-ranking officials are tired of wine and meat, and these people live in empty houses and thatched huts."

Liu Bian slowly opened his slightly closed eyes and said, "Issuing the Price Stabilization Order: Inform the officials of the price of wheat after this year's summer harvest."

Zhen Yi rose in response, walked to the center of the hall, and solemnly bowed to Liu Bian and the senior officials on both sides. He then said in a loud voice, "Reporting to the State and to all the gentlemen, in recent months, I and the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture have been traveling around to investigate the market situation. The average price of wheat after the summer harvest in various parts of the Central Plains is... 70 coins per shi."

Sikong Cui Lie stroked his beard, a look of satisfaction on his face, and said, "Very good. This year, the heavens have been kind to us, with few disasters, favorable weather, and no locust plagues. It can be considered a bumper year. Grain prices have fallen, and the people will surely be grateful for the country's benevolence and praise its wisdom and virtue!"

However, as soon as Cui Lie finished speaking, he noticed that his colleagues were giving him meaningful looks.

It wasn't that Cui Lie was the first to speak and stood out, trying to flatter the emperor; rather, it was that Cui Lie's speech left them speechless.

Is lower grain price a good thing?

It's certainly a good thing, but excessively low grain prices can be a bad thing.

Although Cui Lie had never been appointed to a post outside the capital, he had served in the Ministry of Personnel and was not entirely ignorant of people's livelihood issues.

During the reigns of Emperor Guangwu and Emperor Mingzhang in the Eastern Han Dynasty, grain prices were suppressed to 30 coins per shi. Therefore, Cui Lie believed that the drop in grain prices from 120 coins per shi last year to 70 coins per shi was a sign that the Han Dynasty was in a period of revival. Although it was still far from the golden age, it was a positive sign.

"Sikong is a renowned scholar from Hebei, free from worries about making a living, unaware of the hardships of the common people." Zheng Xuan, the Minister of Ceremonies, shook his head slightly and sighed, but he had no intention of attacking Cui Lie. He simply spoke casually, his voice heavy with reminiscence, "Back then, I was so poor at home that I had to help my father and brothers farm the land so I could study. In the end, I had no choice but to become the village tax collector, responsible for collecting taxes from each household in the village on behalf of the village head."

"If wheat had cost 70 coins per shi back then, I'm afraid I would have starved to death in the fields, let alone be able to study."

Historical records only document grain prices and do not record reasons other than bumper harvests, poor harvests, and famines that are directly related to grain, nor do they consider the purchasing power of the five-zhu coin.

Aside from the various natural disasters and man-made calamities brought about by the Little Ice Age, another major factor contributing to the soaring grain prices was the proliferation of inferior currency.

Unlike Emperor Wu of the Former Han Dynasty, who nationalized the right to mint coins and placed the Water Balance Commandant in charge of coinage, and established the Three Offices of Shanglin, this time the right to mint coins was different.

The "Zhongguan" was in charge of the coin casting process, responsible for melting and casting copper and identifying copper; the "Identifying Copper" was responsible for inspecting the purity of the copper material to ensure that the raw material quality met the standards; and the "Techniques" were responsible for making ceramic coin molds and carving coin dies.

The minting institutions of the Later Han Dynasty were extremely chaotic and had never been under unified management, which is simply unbelievable.

Except during the Jianwu era of Emperor Guangwu (Kublai Khan), when the Bureau of Craftsmen (考工令) was entirely under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department (少府), responsible for making weapons and overseeing miscellaneous crafts such as weaving and making ribbons, even during the reigns of Emperor Ming and Emperor Zhang, the Bureau of Craftsmen did not entirely control the minting of coins. The Ministry of Agriculture (大司农署) also briefly held the responsibility of minting coins and resisting and recalling inferior currency, but this power was quickly stripped away and transferred to the Grand Commandant (太尉). The Ministry of Finance (金曹) was established within the Grand Commandant's office to manage currency, salt, and iron affairs. These two were merely functional departments of the central government that had the power to mint coins; there were even instances where three institutions simultaneously minted coins.

The reason for the chaos in the central government's power to mint coins is that the power to mint coins has been delegated to local authorities.

Important prefectures and kingdoms, such as Nanyang Prefecture, Pei State, Jingzhao Prefecture, and Henan Prefecture, were also allowed to establish mints. Local minting activities were managed by the prefect or prime minister, who would usually appoint a special official called "Supervisor of Minting" to oversee the process, which was then supervised and inspected by the central court.

However, it is only a matter of time before such a system is corrupted. Never test people's hearts with the issue of minting coins. Faced with mountains of Wuzhu coins, the greed in human nature will only be amplified infinitely.

At the same time, coin molds and ceramic coin molds were also circulated to other prefectures and kingdoms, falling into the hands of powerful families and wealthy clans in various places, and illegal private coins gradually began to become popular.

The prevalence of private minting leads to a flood of inferior currency, which in turn results in economic chaos and a sharp decline in the purchasing power of the Wuzhu coin.

However, feudal dynasties actually did not have a high level of understanding and attention to finance and currency, especially in the early stages of feudal dynasties. The emperors of the Later Han Dynasty not only did not vigorously prohibit these currencies, but also looked at these inferior currencies circulating among the people and said...

Hey, I have an idea!
It makes no sense that if ordinary people can mint inferior currency, why can't I, the emperor, do the same?

The first emperor to mint inferior coins was Emperor Guangwu, who reduced the weight of the Former Han Wuzhu coin by one-fifth and issued the Jianwu Wuzhu coin.

However, compared to the Guobao Jinkui Zhiwan, Guozhen Jinkui Zhiwuqian, Buquan, Daquan Wushibingqian, and Huoquan Bingqian issued by Wang Mang, the Jianwu Wuzhu coin was finally a legitimate Wuzhu coin. The people didn't want to argue about it anymore, but they still regarded the Wuzhu coins of the Former Han Dynasty as the best quality coins.

In the mid-Later Han Dynasty, in order to deal with the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou that had lasted for a century and the frequent raids by the Xianbei, Xiongnu, Goguryeo and many other southern barbarians, the Later Han court directly began to officially mint many inferior coins.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaohuan, the court officially demonstrated what it meant to "split a single coin in two" by splitting a Wuzhu coin in half, namely the "Duiwen coin" and the "Yanhuan coin".

"Duiwenqian" refers to the central part of a Wuzhu coin after it has been cut and chiseled, while the remaining outer ring part is called "Yanhuanqian".

When the imperial court, local officials, and powerful local magnates jointly minted inferior currency, the purchasing power of the currency nominally called "Wuzhu coin" naturally plummeted.

Given the purchasing power of a five-zhu coin today, a grain price of 70 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure) is already a dangerous sign.

Low rice prices hurt farmers!
This means that farmers' incomes may be in trouble this year!
Liu Bian looked at the group of important officials, rested his left hand on the table, and leaned forward slightly, saying, "I intend to reopen the Ever-Normal Granaries. When grain is cheap, we will increase its price to buy more grain to benefit farmers, and when grain is expensive, we will reduce its price to sell more grain to benefit the people."

What is a Changpingcang? It is a warehouse used to regulate prices, and these prices are mainly for grain.

In other words, when there was a bumper harvest and prices were low, the imperial court would purchase and store grain at prices higher than the market price; and when there was a poor harvest and prices were high, the imperial court would sell the stored grain at prices lower than the market price, in order to stabilize grain prices, protect people's livelihoods, and prevent "low grain prices from hurting farmers and high grain prices from hurting the people".

This policy was promulgated during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, but it was abolished by Emperor Xiaoyuan at the end of the Former Han Dynasty. Although it was restored by Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han Dynasty, it was often neglected due to financial pressure and corruption of officials. The Ever-Normal Granary was also established and abolished at different times.

Although the Ever-Normal Granaries were sometimes established and sometimes abolished during the Later Han Dynasty, they were still able to operate in some areas. However, the so-called "Three Gentlemen," "Eight Chefs," and "Eight Advisors" and other upright scholars always believed that the market economy should be free and that the court should not intervene in the market with macro-level regulations. They believed that such behavior was competing with the people for profit.

Yes, when the court's system infringed upon the interests of the scholar class, even merchants and other lowly people were considered "commoners" in the eyes of the scholars!

Therefore, they officially abolished the Ever-Normal Granary system!
Little did people know that the common people had previously hoped that the imperial court would activate the Ever-Normal Granary to regulate grain prices this year. Apart from selling themselves into slavery to become human leeks for powerful families, rebelling, or starving to death, they chose to wait for grain prices to be regulated.

Then the fourth option was abolished, blocking the last way for the people to rely on the court to stabilize grain prices during famine years. Therefore, they either had to become human prey or rebel; no one wanted to starve to death obediently!
No one wants to die, so few people choose to starve to death.

Even if it means becoming a human exploitation victim, though it's not exactly a good life, it's still a way to survive—a way to survive without risking execution by rebelling.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen, the Minister of the Imperial Stud, was quite surprised, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Having served as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, he was naturally familiar with the Ever-Normal Granary system and readily agreed, clapping his hands in approval: "This is a benevolent policy; the nation's benevolence benefits all people, and it should be implemented!"

"I second that it is a virtuous policy, and granaries should be established as soon as possible." Grand Minister of Agriculture Cao Song also bowed to the emperor, but then changed the subject slightly and asked tentatively, "I wonder which department the state intends to place this granary under?"

Cao Song was asking a question he already knew the answer to. If he really decided to set up the Ever-Normal Granary under the Ministry of Agriculture, then why hold a large meeting? He could just hold a small meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture and appoint Zhen Yi, the Pingzhun Ling, as the Ever-Normal Granary Ling.

Clearly, the emperor wanted to separate the Ever-Normal Granary from the Ministry of Agriculture, but Cao Song still wanted to try.

After all, if the Ever-Normal Granary operates well, it's not just about regulating grain prices. When Sang Hongyang was the Grand Minister of Agriculture, he was able to make the Ever-Normal Granary profitable while regulating grain prices, which shows his personal ability.

Cao Song wanted to further demonstrate his abilities, but the emperor refused.

If procurement and sales are handled by one person, how can the officials in the Ever-Normal Granary be clean?
A barely perceptible smile flickered across Liu Bian's lips as he turned slightly to look at Cao Song. He gently tapped the jade chime with a wooden stick in his hand, and the crisp sound of the chime reached Cao Song's ears. Cao Song raised his head slightly to look at the emperor.

But then the emperor pointed at him in the air with a wooden stick, his eyes narrowed, and said in a calm tone, "The court is just a few palaces and a few government offices. As for food... we still have to eat separately."

Eat separately?

What is "food"? It is political resources and a share of power, just like the Three Dukes in the Qin Dynasty.

The military responsibility was given to the Grand Commandant, the political responsibility to the Chancellor, and the supervisory responsibility to the Censor-in-Chief.

Why did the Han Dynasty establish two sets of officials: the Secretariat and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in the inner court, and the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers in the outer court?

It's just divided into two big pots, and then into smaller pots, and then into even smaller pots, with each pot having its own power, checks and balances, and disputes.

Cao Song was startled, a thin layer of sweat breaking out on his back. He immediately realized the problem and was filled with remorse.

He was too eager to make a name for himself and forgot the immense power that the Grand Minister of Agriculture held.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture not only controlled salt and iron but also managed agricultural taxes. If he were to also control the Ever-Normal Granary, a powerful tool for regulating grain prices, his excessive power would be a grave offense.

No wonder the Emperor wanted Zhen Yi, the Commissioner for Stabilizing the Pending Territory, to attend the meeting!
(4660 words)
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PS: Regarding the coins (see image below)
Coin with tassels (see image below)

(End of this chapter)