A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 77 The strong wind rises
No one understands Dong Zhongshu better than Gongsun Hong.

When news spread from Ganquan Palace that His Majesty had accompanied Lady Li to Yongwu Temple, Gongsun Hong immediately guessed the intention behind it.

Despite his advanced age, Gongsun Hong personally rode in a carriage to the Northern Army.

They gathered around the stove.

Liu Ju poured Gongsun Hong a bowl of tea, saying, "Old Prime Minister, warm yourself up first."

Gongsun Hong picked up the teacup and then put it down again. "Your Majesty, I really can't drink this strong tea right now. Your Majesty and Lady Li have gone to Mizhi. After the Five Altars of Yong are completed, there will surely be great chaos in the world."

Sacrifices and auspicious omens are linked in Confucianism's art of serving the ruler. People are generally ignorant, and this combination is almost always effective.

If Your Majesty regains Heaven's approval, washes away the blood of your kin, and declares that your health has been restored and you have reformed, the Supreme Ruler has no reason not to return power to Your Majesty.

Although whether His Majesty is in power or not will not have much impact on the current political situation, the military, politics, finance, and law, as well as the Crown Prince's palace, are all interconnected. Even if His Majesty returns to Chang'an and Weiyang Palace, it is unlikely that he can turn things around. However, it is better to prevent His Majesty from returning if possible.

With His Majesty absent, there will be far fewer obstacles in national affairs.

“Yong Wuzhi,” Liu Ju said with a smile.

The most famous and important sacrifices in Qin included the sacrifice to Chen Bao, and the sacrifice to the four Heavenly Emperors of White, Blue, Yellow and Red at Yong Si Zhi.

The Yong Si Zhi refers to the shrines built by the Qin people over several hundred years in the Yong region to worship the four Heavenly Emperors.

Yongcheng was the longest-used capital city in the history of the Qin state, lasting nearly three hundred years and under the rule of nineteen rulers.

During the Chu-Han Contention, Emperor Gaozu asked his ministers curiously, "I have heard that there are five Heavenly Emperors in total, so why do the Qin people only have four?"

No one could explain the reason, so Emperor Gaozu explained it himself: "I know, there is still one emperor waiting for me to complete the line."

After Emperor Gaozu established the Han Dynasty, he fulfilled his promise and built the Beizhi Temple in Yong, also known as the Black Emperor Temple. Thus, the four temples of Yong became the five temples of Yong.

However, during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, the sacrificial rites in Yongdi were only presided over by officials, and the emperor did not go in person.

In the fifteenth year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, a solar eclipse occurred in the sky, which was considered a disaster. In order to deal with the natural disaster, Emperor Xiaowen blamed himself for the cause of the solar eclipse, almost to the point of self-reproach, and promoted virtuous and upright officials. Then, a yellow dragon appeared in Yong, which was an auspicious omen. From then on, the emperor of the Han Dynasty began to travel there to offer sacrifices.

The reason why a routine can become a routine is simply because it is easy to use.

However, according to Qin and Han etiquette, only the emperor and empress could offer sacrifices at Yongzhi. The emperor taking his favorite concubine, Lady Li, to offer sacrifices was essentially no different from riding in the same carriage with Lady Wang during the Mid-Autumn Hunt.

He insisted on doing things he could have avoided, with only one purpose: to cause trouble for his mother and himself.

My petty-minded father, the Emperor.

"What should Your Majesty's interpretation be?" Gongsun Hong asked.

Since he could see through His Majesty's and Dong Zhongshu's methods, he had a way to counter them. The opposite of the art of serving the emperor is the art of slaying dragons.

If a ruler treats his ministers like his own hands and feet, then the ministers will treat the ruler like their own heart and soul. If a ruler treats his ministers like dogs and horses, then the ministers will treat the ruler like a fellow countryman. If a ruler treats his ministers like dirt and weeds, then the ministers will treat the ruler like an enemy. The Gongyang school was very good at this approach.

However, any means that could harm His Majesty would inevitably harm the Crown Prince. Gongsun Hong would not display his dragon-slaying skills unless absolutely necessary.

Hurt others and hurt yourself.

Liu Ju seemed to sense Gongsun Hong's seemingly anxious yet composed demeanor, and smiled as he looked at him. The two, ruler and subject, resembled two foxes, one large and one small.

“There is also a temple to the Five Emperors north of the Wei River. What Father Emperor could do, I can do too,” Liu Ju said slowly.

As early as when he was selecting his personal guards, he noticed that there was a complete altar for the Five Emperors on the banks of the Wei River. He never expected that it would come in handy one day.

Gongsun Hong's eyes lit up as he remembered that after Emperor Xiaowen personally offered sacrifices to the Five Emperors in Yongdi in the fifteenth year of the Qianyuan era, he ordered the officials in charge of rites to replicate a temple for the Five Emperors near Chang'an, north of the Wei River, so that the officials in charge of ancestral worship could perform the sacrifices nearby.

His Majesty can perform sacrifices, and so can the Crown Prince; in fact, he can do it even better.

According to the Grand Ritual System, during the Yongwu Altar sacrifice, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, along with his subordinate officials, the Grand Master of Music, the Grand Master of Sacrifices, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, the Grand Master of the Palace ... and the Grand Master of the Palace, all six of them must be present.

His Majesty was eager to relinquish power and didn't care about anything else. He set off without transferring any officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which gave him more opportunities.

"Does the Supreme Lord intend to personally offer sacrifices to the Five Heavenly Emperors?"

"It is not I, the ruler."

Liu Ju thought of his father's actions, smiled faintly, and said, "It has been a long time since I have seen Mother. I would like to ask Mother to leave the palace and lead the worship of the Five Emperors at the Wei River, to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth above and comfort the people below."

"This……"

Gongsun Hong was shocked.

If I remember correctly, the last woman who led the sacrifice, or ordered the officials to preside over the sacrifices in Yongdi, was named Lü Zhi.

Empress Gao of the Han Dynasty was a figure who was not as powerful as an empress.

The Emperor not only wants to abduct His Majesty's Hu, but also wants to add insult to injury. Today is different from the past. The History Museum has been opened, and the historian's pen will write from the present to the past. The Empress is worshipping, and the historian's pen is writing. In future generations, the name of Empress Wei may be second only to that of Empress Gao.

The scenes of Empress Gao and Emperor Xiaohui, and the scenes of the Empress and the Supreme Ruler, will haunt the dreams of countless later generations.

Gongsun Hong dared not think any further, but hesitated somewhat.

"From singer to queen, the old prime minister seems unable to accept it."

"I absolutely do not possess such a thing..."

"But Empress Gao was also a courtesan back then."

Liu Ju did not mean to blame Gongsun Hong, but interrupted him, "Does the old prime minister think that I am not as good as Emperor Xiaohui, and that my mother cannot be compared with Empress Gao?"
Empress Gao's dowry consisted of 'ten thousand coins,' while my mother's dowry included my maternal uncle, Grand Marshal Wei Qing, my elder brother, Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing, and myself, the Crown Prince of the Han Dynasty.

Throughout history, in both past and present lives, which empress dowager or empress can compare to a mother?
I love you, Mother.

Gongsun Hong rose from his seat, knelt on the ground, and said, "Your subject knows his mistake."

Liu Ju left his seat and helped him up with both hands. "Old Prime Minister, are you aware of the matter of 'playing the zither to seduce Wenjun'?"

"Your Majesty, I understand."

"The true story of Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun..."

"I know that too."

"Father is still the emperor, and I cannot deal with him in the same way I dealt with Sima Xiangru. But I hope that Father, Mother, Uncle, Elder Brother, and I will be role models for future generations of royal families, ministers, fathers, and sons. Do you understand?" Liu Ju said solemnly.

Gongsun Hong was deeply shaken. His Majesty's lack of decorum had finally provoked the Crown Prince's wrath, and he was about to intervene to restore His Majesty's dignity. The model for future generations would be the history books, written by the Grand Historian Sima Tan. His Majesty and the Emperor had both said that today's history books would be reliable. However, to alter some historical facts, one didn't necessarily need to falsify them; appropriate deletions would suffice.

The story of His Majesty's other concubines gaining favor was omitted, and the focus was placed on His Majesty's past favor towards the Empress, his renewed affection for the Grand Marshal and the Marquis of Champion, and His Majesty's joy at the birth of the Emperor, which relieved His Majesty of the burden of having no heir.

The historical facts are there, and so is the dignity.

"in addition."

Gongsun Hong noted down the instructions and reported, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's Office has noticed a significant increase in the prices of salt, iron, and grain in Chang'an."

This was clearly one of Dong Zhongshu's tactics.

By influencing the prices of goods, they can sow discord and create chaos, keeping the crown prince preoccupied with his own affairs, and then take advantage of the situation after the sacrifices and auspicious omens.

Salt and iron are now monopolized, but the salt produced at that time cannot be eaten directly and must be further processed. Some people who cannot afford salt even eat "salt cloth".

Iron, on the other hand, needs to be processed; you can't just use iron blocks to dig and hoe the ground.

The price of salt in Chang'an rose from 400 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure) to 800 coins, and iron tools such as iron hoes and iron knives also rose from several hundred coins to a thousand coins each.

The rise in salt and iron prices caused panic among the people. Whether voluntarily or by following the crowd, people hoarded grain, which led to a rise in grain prices. The price of one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain rose from sixty coins to more than one hundred and twenty coins.

Your Majesty and Dong Zhongshu want to achieve the goal of returning power to the emperor, while the salt merchants, iron merchants, and grain merchants of the Han Dynasty want to profit from it.

According to the assessment of the advisors in the Prime Minister's office, this is far from the limit of salt, iron, and grain prices. If it is not controlled, the chaos in Chang'an will trigger chaos in the capital region, then chaos in the Guanzhong region, and finally chaos in Guandong and even the whole country.

It should be noted that the Han Dynasty had only been established for a little over seventy years. Some long-lived people, such as Gongsun Hong, had lived through that difficult period when people couldn't even get enough to eat. They could vaguely recall that at its peak, the price of salt reached eight thousand coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), and an iron knife reached seven thousand coins per piece, while the price of grain had no upper limit.

"Some wealthy merchants who originally intended to serve the court have also relented and are now observing from the sidelines," Gongsun Hong continued.

The emperor's "national enterprise plan" was communicated to merchants throughout the world through the Zhuo family. It was revealed that one could exchange business and wealth for high-ranking official positions and wealth, thus escaping the status of a lowly person. Many merchants in the Han Dynasty expressed their interest.

However, the sudden change reminded the merchants that there was still an emperor in the Han Dynasty, and even if the crown prince was in power, he was still the crown prince. After receiving the warning from the detached palace, they tacitly chose to wait and see.

Compared to the Crown Prince who kills without shedding blood, the merchants still found it more pleasant to cooperate with His Majesty the Emperor.

By manipulating prices, controlling merchants, and obstructing new policies, His Majesty is demonstrating the power he has wielded for twenty years.

"Can Dongguo Xianyang solve the salt problem?" Liu Ju asked clearly from the start.

Once Zhang Tang has caught him red-handed, Dongguo Xianyang will never be able to escape for the rest of his life. As the largest salt merchant in Qi, the Dongguo family alone can meet the salt needs of the people all over the world.

Salt is different from other things; people don't eat much of it, and processed salt is consumed even less.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Tang asked me to relay this to you: I cannot guarantee that other merchant families will become state enterprises, but the Dongguo Xianyang family and the Kong Jin family are certain to do so," Gongsun Hong replied.

Given Zhang Tang's abilities, even if His Majesty hadn't relinquished power, the short time it would have taken for him to return to Chang'an from the detached palace would have been enough to bury Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin hundreds of times over.

Therefore, both families were very obedient.

"Since there are no problems with Dongguo Xianyang, let his family officially become part of the state's salt administration and take full control of the salt administration. Will that lower the price of salt for the people?" Liu Ju looked at Gongsun Hong.

"We can bring him down," Gongsun Hong replied confidently.

Salt, a product of mountains, seas, ponds, and marshes, belonged to the Imperial Household Department. In the past, merchants who mined and dried salt had to pay huge profits to the Imperial Household Department, and then pay commercial taxes to the national treasury when they sold it. As a result, the price of salt for ordinary people was always not low.

Now, all salt mines and drying yards have been nationalized and transformed into state-owned enterprises. The cost of salt is now only the labor costs for mining and salt production, and the price of salt can even be as low as 20% to 30% of what it used to be.

"Sell salt to all the people of the world at 30% of the previous price. No matter what methods Dongguo Xianyang takes, we must ensure that everyone can afford salt and that salt cloth and other similar items will eventually disappear."

"I will obey your orders."

"Let the Zhuo and Kong families take over the national business and fully manage the iron administration of the dynasty. I believe that the iron tools they produce will be able to meet the daily needs of the people."

With the consent of Zhuo Wangsun, the Zhuo family has officially submitted their transfer documents to the Crown Prince's Palace and the Prime Minister's Office. Apart from each of the three generations of the Zhuo family leaving behind a million coins for personal protection, all other family wealth and assets have been donated to the imperial court.

As the nominal richest family in the Han Dynasty, the exact amount of money the Zhuo family donated to the imperial court was unknown even to the Zhuo family members themselves. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Revenue jointly dispatched personnel to take over the Zhuo family's wealth in the Han Dynasty, and it will take time to count it.

The Zhuo family's actions indirectly set an example for businessmen who intend to switch to state-owned enterprises: keep enough money to last several lifetimes, and use the rest to move to a higher position.

The Zhuo family started out in iron smelting, and the Kong family was also an iron smelting family. The two families supplied ironware for the military and civilians. It might be a little difficult, but they could support themselves for the time being.

Once things have calmed down, let the two state-owned enterprises recruit more people. Iron smelting is a livelihood, and most of the people there are acquaintances, making recruitment easier. At that time, we can also train a large number of iron smelting apprentices and teach them the skills for free. With more people, we can solve any difficulties.

Gongsun Hong pondered for a moment and said, "It's generally acceptable."

Iron tools, except for those that are stockpiled and consumed during wartime, are usually only replaced every few years for ordinary people's kitchen and farming tools such as pots, stoves, knives, scissors, and sickles. Even if they become dull, they can be sharpened and used again. There is no large-scale buying and selling, so the state-owned enterprises of Zhuo and Kong can supply them.

"Next, there is the issue of food, which is also the biggest problem."

Liu Ju added some charcoal to the stove and said, "This is essential for the people's livelihood. If there is any disorder, it can cause countless problems. Among the grain merchants who are in contact with the court, is there anyone who can quickly stabilize the price of grain in Huaihe River Basin?"

"Your Majesty, there is indeed one, Ren Quan of the Ren family in Xuanqu," Gongsun Hong replied.

Liu Ju was taken aback, having forgotten about this family that monopolized the Nine Provinces' grain reserves and was said to have handled half of the Han Dynasty's grain industry. "Did they deliver the letter?"

"Your Majesty, not yet."

"Is there something you're worried about?"

"What happened back then..."

"...During the war between Emperor Gaozu and Xiang Yu, how did the Ren family profit from both sides?" Liu Ju thought of the Ren family's past of making a fortune from the war.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gongsun Hong nodded and said, "Therefore, Ren Quan is willing to dedicate himself to the country, but he has a small request: he would like His Majesty to inscribe a word for his study."

"This is using the inscription as a talisman," Liu Ju smiled. "Alright, fine, three words, here you go."

With fine ink and brush, Liu Ju dipped his brush in the ink, picked it up, and wrote three seal characters on the plain silk, full and powerful. Gongsun Hong stared at them and saw that they read: "Room for Abstaining from Deception".

"With my crown prince seal added, the Ren family should be at ease," Liu Ju said, putting down his pen.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and forgiving!"

(End of this chapter)