Green Mountain-Chapter 565 - 426: Six Livestock Farm

This was Chen Ji’s fourth time entering the palace.

If the Ning Dynasty were a giant spanning four thousand miles of mountains and rivers, then this Forbidden City surrounded by large red walls would be the giant’s crimson heart, where officials and ministers coming and going were the blood of the Ning Dynasty.

The bloodstream flows endlessly; no one knows what the giant’s heart is thinking.

Chen Ji followed behind the mountain bull, walking through the palace paths between red walls and golden roofs. Along the way, the Jiefan Guard and eunuchs who saw the mountain bull retreated to the sides of the palace path, standing with their hands hanging down, only daring to raise their heads after he passed by.

Some sneakily raised their heads to scrutinize Chen Ji, trying to see which clueless person dared to drunkenly enter the palace to meet the Emperor, only to quickly lower their heads again after a glance.

Chen Ji staggered slowly, so the mountain bull turned around, hoisting him by the waist, carrying him with one hand while pulling Liao Zhong along with the other as they continued walking into the palace.

Chen Ji turned his head and saw Liao Zhong, with only his neck movable, glaring at him fiercely.

He drunkenly reached out, patting Liao Zhong’s forehead across the mountain bull’s waist, "Stop staring, your eyes look terrifyingly huge."

Having said that, he drunkenly laughed foolishly, while Liao Zhong’s eyes seemed about to burst out, filled with rage.

The mountain bull carried Chen Ji and Liao Zhong to the outside of Renshou Palace, not rushing to pass through the Hanging Flower Gate, without even entering the courtyard of Renshou Palace, just standing quietly outside.

Inside came the voice of an official vibrating with vigor, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has already narrated the truth, he merely mistakenly believed Chen Ji to be the mastermind behind the assassination, it was a sudden incident, and the Crown Prince’s assumption was not entirely wrong. Having the Ritual Supervision retract the wanted document would suffice."

"Your Majesty, the spring hunting assassination event has nothing to do with the Crown Prince; another person is the true mastermind."

"Your Majesty, the mistake of the Crown Prince this time was fleeing before the fight due to fear, but the Crown Prince was forcibly taken away by Liao Zhong, who is the Executive Officer, and the Crown Prince had no choice. Hence, fleeing before the fight is Liao Zhong’s mistake, absolutely not the Crown Prince’s."

"This man Liao Zhong was originally a criminal, accepted into service under heavenly grace to serve as the Crown Prince’s officer, who would have thought this wretched being greedy for life and afraid of death, sinister and vicious, causing great trouble!"

"Your Majesty, the foundation of the nation must not be shaken!"

"Your Majesty!"

This official didn’t mention the Crown Prince wanting to kill Chen Ji, nor did he mention the assassins pretending to be Jiefan Guard, nor why Liao Zhong had to run away, solely pinning only the charge of fleeing before the battle on Liao Zhong.

Liao Zhong’s expression initially remained fierce but slowly transformed into pure desolation.

Chen Ji drunkenly turned his head toward Liao Zhong, "Now you’re also an abandoned pawn."

But just at this moment, as the mountain bull stood still holding both of them, he suddenly spoke, "The Liao family had four scholars, one second place holder. Liao Bo rose to Minister of Personnel, Liao Cheng became Assistant Governor of Shan State, Liao Bin reached Prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture. The Liao family was granted the right to erect three scholar arches in their hometown, and their ancestral residence was adorned with an Imperial plaque reading ’Loyalty, Diligence, Uprightness,’ a true pillar of our Ning Dynasty."

Liao Zhong remained expressionless, seemingly unheard.

The mountain bull continued, "When the Prime Minister knew your Liao family was afflicted, he spent all his fortune bribing the then Chief Eunuch Wang Bao, leaving one son who escaped palace punishment, assuming a new identity to live in obscurity in Jinling, this is the Liao family’s last legacy."

Only when these words were said did Liao Zhong’s expression finally change, his eyes fluttered with emotion.

The mountain bull lowered his gaze at the back of Liao Zhong’s head, "Liao Zhong, when you seize others’ weaknesses, you must also know you have weaknesses too. The victor becomes king, the defeated is a bandit. In the play, whether the role is hero or villain, the curtain call must be dignified."

After finishing, the mountain bull lifted his knee, nudging underneath Liao Zhong’s chin, surprisingly setting it back straight.

Liao Zhong croaked, "What does the Prime Minister want?"

The mountain bull calmly stated, "The Prime Minister instructed that if you give him what he wants, he will ensure your Liao family has a legacy and send the ’Loyalty, Diligence, Uprightness’ plaque to Jinling. You’re a clever man, soon enough you’ll guess what the Prime Minister desires."

Liao Zhong laughed miserably, "The Prime Minister doesn’t wish for loose gossip, yet even such a big matter requires me, Liao, to guess?"

The mountain bull casually responded, "If guessed wrongly, the Liao family will cease to exist."

He carried them past the Hanging Flower Gate.

Outside Renshou Palace, the Crown Prince knelt outside, beside the Filial Piety and Brotherly Love Stele, his white clothes as spotless as ever.

Inside Renshou Palace, the lights were splendid, silk curtains swayed, over a hundred incense sticks burned and the smoke lingered at the ceiling, resembling an immortal palace.

The Crown Prince heard footsteps and turned to look; at the very moment he saw Liao Zhong, he locked eyes with him calmly, and eyes concealed a deep emerald lake.

Liao Zhong didn’t look at the Crown Prince, whether unwilling or afraid is unknown.

The mountain bull dropped Chen Ji casually next to the Crown Prince beside the Filial Piety and Brotherly Love Stele, instructing without turning back, "Await here."

Next to the Filial Piety and Brotherly Love Stele, Chen Ji did not kneel but sat cross-legged on the ground, head nodding, seemingly terribly drunk.

The Crown Prince turned his gaze, speaking slowly, "Drunkenly defaming yourself, losing conduct before the Emperor, trying to feign a clueless drunk stumbling upon survival? Quite a clever tactic indeed. But anyone present here at Renshou Palace is a seasoned individual, they won’t believe, nor will I, for I’m quite aware of your true nature."

"What are you trying to conceal?" The Crown Prince mused aloud as he knelt beside him, "Afraid someone will ask how you survived the Five Mad Soldiers? How did you capture Liao Zhong? Who commanded Five Mad Soldiers to kill you? These secrets you can’t or dare not explain, it’s I who underestimated you."

The Crown Prince waited for Chen Ji’s reply, but in the next moment, Chen Ji simply lay down beside him, exhaling his wine breath towards the heavens, clearly intending to ignore him.

Lying Chen Ji, kneeling Crown Prince,

The Crown Prince looked up towards Renshou Palace, gazing from afar at the figure sitting cross-legged behind the veils on the throne, yet unable to see the person’s face clearly: "I sometimes envy you. I sincerely envied you when I heard that you severed father-son ties with Mr. Chen, but I cannot. I have to be a good Crown Prince and a good son..."

Chen Ji turned over, his back facing the Crown Prince: "What are you babbling about? Scratch my back."

The Crown Prince was momentarily uncertain whether Chen Ji was genuinely drunk or just pretending.

After a long silence, he smiled: "Youthful exuberance may be beautiful, but you ultimately do not understand what kind of person my father truly is; I understand him the best. A Crown Prince who has had his wings clipped, rather than being completely abolished, might as well be used to exchange for something. Chen Ji, this deep palace and court are no different from the trade in the Six Livestock Farm, except that the latter has clear prices, and in here, you have to guess. My father there will just seize every opportunity to achieve what he wants; neither you nor I are in his eyes; he only has this country in his eyes."

Chen Ji, with his back to the Crown Prince, slowly opened his eyes.

Inside him, the stove burned as the strong wine turned into vapor, his eyes were clear.

...

...

The mountain bull brought Liao Zhong to the outside of Renshou Palace, but he just waited at the threshold, neither in a hurry to speak up nor rush into Renshou Palace, seeming to wait until the Ministers were done arguing.

The noises inside Renshou Palace suddenly quieted down; the cabinet ministers and officials inside turned to look, silently staring at the mountain bull and the Liao Zhong in his hands.

Some people had faces shifting between cloudy and sunny, some were relieved, and some showed no sign of anger.

In the silence, the Emperor behind the Renshou Palace veils, who had been silent all night, finally spoke, not mentioning the mountain bull and Liao Zhong outside the palace: "Enough arguing for one night, take a rest, let’s discuss business... Who will speak first?"

Before everyone could react, Zhang Zhuo, in his red official robe, stepped forward with a bow: "Your Majesty, the Ning Dynasty’s tax system follows the two-tax system of the previous dynasty and now has many drawbacks. The first major issue is the complexity of tax categories, including land taxes, poll taxes, and various miscellaneous taxes, which still require the people to perform labor service for the government, leaving them exhausted; the second major issue is chaotic collection, as collecting in kind and labor not only incurs high transportation costs but also provides opportunities for officials to engage in corruption; the third major issue is uneven burden, as powerful and influential landlords hold large tracts of land yet evade taxes by leveraging their official status, shifting the burden onto the common people... Your Majesty, the implementation of new taxes is urgent, but a few places need to be selected for pilot implementation to see the results. If successful, it can be implemented north and south."

Emperor Ning, sitting behind the veils, calmly asked: "What do you all think?"

After a brief silence, Official Chen looked towards the door.

Liao Zhong was held in the mountain bull’s hand, like a knife resting on the necks of the cabinet ministers and officials.

He slowly stood up from his embroidered stool: "Your Majesty, the gentry in Lu State are increasingly rampant in expropriating farmland from the common people; a pilot of the new policy is just appropriate to observe its effectiveness."

Emperor Ning said nothing.

After a while, Official Hu also slowly stood up, speaking in a hoarse voice: "Shan State and Shan Province are also suitable."

Emperor Ning casually said: "Then let it be done. Draft an edict, listening to the proposals by Zhang Zhuo and the ministers, deeply contemplating national policy, understanding public sentiment, drawing from past and present, widely gathering opinions, and outlining the ’Single Whip Method,’ it is exceptionally approved. Your Ministry of Revenue can circulate documents to the local officials in all states and counties, following His Majesty’s intent, handling with meticulous care. For those piloting, they must measure the land and population, verify old quotas, and establish new regulations. Any obstruction by powerful families or deceit and concealment by corrupt officials will be considered a violation of the system. Announce publicly, so everyone knows."

Beside him, Wu Xiu took a deep breath and bowed: "The Court Minister obeys the decree, I will go immediately..."

Before everyone could catch their breath and carefully ponder this Imperial Decree, Emperor Ning spoke again: "Draft an edict, I only consider that the governance of an emperor lies in acquiring virtuous talents. Zhang Zhuo possesses profound knowledge and a steady temperament. Loyal to the sovereign and mindful of the nation, he is a pillar on which I rely deeply. Promote Zhang Zhuo to Minister of Personnel and Minister of Wuying Hall, leading the new policies."

Renshou Palace solemnly quieted down again.

The Ministers exchanged glances, realizing that His Majesty used this opportunity to bring Zhang Zhuo into the Cabinet!

Everyone knew Zhang Zhuo’s introduction into the Cabinet was a certainty, yet they didn’t expect it to happen so quickly!

Some wanted to advise against it, but they glanced at Liao Zhong outside the door and then at the motionless ministers, so they extinguished the thought.

This was still not the end.

The evening wind blew outside the palace, causing the veils to sway; Emperor Ning, seated on the throne, spoke again: "I’ve heard that the Qi family has a daughter, Zhaoyun, virtuous and possessing good character. Mr. Qi, how about betrothing her to Prince Fu as his official wife?"

Mr. Qi was slightly taken aback and then softly replied: "Your Majesty, this would indeed be a blessing for the Qi family."

Emperor Ning’s tone carried a trace of amusement as he beckoned to Wu Xiu: "Draft an edict, granting marriage to Prince Fu, with the ceremony to be held next spring. Also, this young man should be sent for some training, draft an edict for him to go south to investigate the salt tax; if he cannot figure it out, he doesn’t need to come back."

The first two edicts were precise and proper, but when it came to Prince Fu, it seemed somewhat hasty, involving both a marriage grant and tax investigation, without a clearly defined official position or specific tasks.

It merely stated investigating the salt tax, but did not specify to what extent the investigation should be considered "clear."

All three decrees mentioned none of the assassination matters, yet seemed inseparable from the assassination matters.

The cabinet ministers understood, while the Ministers were still in a cloud of confusion, needing to go home to ponder slowly and consult each other.

Once everything settled, Emperor Ning finally raised his head to look outside the palace door: "Who is outside the hall?"

The mountain bull reported in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Liao Zhong is brought."

Emperor Ning calmly asked: "Where is Chen Ji?"

The mountain bull stepped aside, revealing the courtyard of Renshou Palace behind him.

Everyone looked over, only to see Chen Ji lying motionless on the green bricks, as if asleep.