Dingjiangshan

When Jiang Xiaohan entered the palace, the gates of the inner palace had already been locked with keys.

Most of the palace city is dark and gloomy, only the servants who watch the night pass by the palace road from time to time.

Ning Yan was about to take a rest, but when he heard Jiang Xiaohan begging to see him, he got up again.

Linglong, who was on guard at night, helped him roll up the bed curtain and twisted a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

The night in early spring was still very cold, and when the number of charcoal basins in the house was reduced, the cold wind would penetrate the body along the cracks in the bones.Ning Yan covered his hands with a hot towel, and took the hand stove from Linglong.

Linglong took care of him, and then said softly: "This is more serious. Mr. Jiang has something urgent, so he has to enter the palace at this time."

"I called the teacher." Ning Yan looked very sleepy, half-closed his eyes, and said lazily: "I haven't seen the teacher for a long time, I have something to ask him."

Linglong blinked and said nothing.She quietly washed the towel and put it back on the wooden shelf, then saluted and went down to order tea.

When Jiang Xiaohan was led into the hall by He Wenting, Ning Yan was standing on the ground, looking up at a picture hanging on the wall.

It was cold and cold in early spring, but he was only wearing a thin outer shirt, and he was holding something in his arms, which was fluffy and white.

The words on the wall were newly framed, and Jiang Xiaohan didn't have them when he left Beijing years ago.A long vertical scroll was hanging next to Ning Yan's desk, and it looked a bit like Jing Zhan's handwriting.

He Wenting shook the whisk in his hand and walked to the screen, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Lord Jiang is here."

"Your Majesty." Jiang Xiaohan saluted, and said with a smile, "I'm begging to see you late at night, and I'm bothering Your Majesty."

Ning Yan recovered, turned around and greeted with a smile: "Teacher, don't be too polite, come in and find a place to sit."

Ning Yan's tone was relaxed, and it sounded like ordinary people enjoying the coolness in the streets and alleys were greeting their neighbors.

Jiang Xiaohan smiled, but didn't really look for a place to sit, but went around the screen and walked behind Ning Yan, and followed that word for a while.

Mr. Jiang is very familiar with the content on it - in his few life experiences of being punished for copying books, he has copied them twice.

"Azhan sent it to me the day before yesterday." Ning Yan raised his chin towards the scroll and said, "People can always be quiet, and the world will return to them—look, you are beating around the bush and scolding me for being unclean in your heart."

"Not necessarily." Jiang Xiaohan spoke for his adopted son without conscience: "The family traditions, I also copied them, and the people in Kunlun like them."

Ning Yan was amused by him, and teased, "Then I should return a gift to Ah Zhan."

Ning Yan turned around as he spoke, led Jiang Xiaohan to the side, and sat down with him.He Wenting moved the charcoal basin in the corner of the room to the side of the two of them, and it happened that Linglong came in from outside, holding an exquisite tea tray with tea and snacks in her hand.

"Teacher has been traveling day and night, it's been hard work." Ning Yan raised his hand to signal: "It's late at night, eat some snacks to cushion your stomach."

Yue Mo is a guest who knows he wants to be treated, and the small kitchen finally "raised his hand" today and made two plates of light snacks.

Linglong walked up with bowed head, first put a plate of sugar cakes in front of Ning Yan, and then put a plate of steaming steaming yam cakes with date paste in front of Jiang Xiaohan.

"Your Majesty still likes to eat sweets so much." Jiang Xiaohan said.

Ning Yan knew that it was not a good thing for a dignified emperor to have obvious preferences, not to mention that he was so "good" that he was a bit naive.It's just that your Majesty never wronged himself when it came to eating, and he didn't express any introspection at all. On the contrary, he said plausibly: "One must keep a little bit of fun in one's life."

"That's right." Jiang Xiaohan strongly agreed: "I think so too."

He Wenting: "..."

With foreign ministers present, Linglong couldn't stay longer, so she took her leave after delivering the refreshments.He Wenting guarded Linglong as if he was guarding against thieves, staring at her back and watching her go out without saying anything, but also staring helplessly at the oiled paper in front of the door, for fear that Linglong would come back and eavesdrop on something outside.

Ning Yan was already getting used to it, and he didn't even bother to comfort him, just turn a blind eye and close it.

"Today, I saw Ah Zhan leaving the palace and returning to Jiangfu, so I guessed that the teacher is coming back." Ning Yan pulled the coat that had slipped from his shoulders, and said, "I counted the days, and I knew that the teacher was traveling all night. , it’s really hard work.”

"It's okay. Fortunately, that girl A Ling is not squeamish. If she has a car, she can ride a car, or if she doesn't have a car, she can catch up on a horse." Jiang Xiaohan said, "Look, that girl is more energetic than me."

"Little sister can endure hardship." Ning Yan said.

After Ning Yan finished speaking, he paused, and the smile on his face faded a little.He has been like this these days, maybe it's because there are things in his heart, even if he is smiling, there is a little bit of sadness underneath, as long as he is distracted for a moment, those smiles will be mixed with a little sour taste, It doesn't look like it's always happy.

Looking at his expression, Jiang Xiaohan knew that his heart was full of things to say, but he just couldn't find the words for a while.

In fact, Jiang Xiaohan knew better about Ning Huaijin and Ning Yan than others—Jing Zhan sent him a letter a few days ago and said about it.

The little national teacher usually has an immortal demeanor, looks like his master and is reserved, but he really has the potential of a loyal minister and a good general in his bones. On New Year's Eve, he tried his best to persuade Ning Yan, but his Majesty did not change his mind for half the night. The letter from the Feng family was sent to the emperor's master - to file a complaint.

When Jiang Xiaohan received the letter, he held the note and looked at the stick of incense in front of the candle, then calmly put it on the candlestick and set it on fire, without saying anything, and did not reply to Jing Zhan's letter.

"Speaking of it." Jiang Xiaohan picked up a topic by himself, and said with a smile: "Didn't your majesty write to ask about the experience of this journey before? A few days ago, Kunlun was blocked by heavy snow, and it was impossible to go to the town to purchase. The grain stored in the mountain Not enough, Ah Ling ate barbecue and fish soup for several days."

"Really." Ning Yan really got some energy, and also laughed: "Then she's out of luck."

"Indeed." Jiang Xiaohan said, "So on the way back, I kept arguing to come to His Majesty's place to eat and drink."

"Call her here." Ning Yan said generously: "As much as she can eat, the worst thing is to withhold Ah Zhan's share and give it to my younger sister."

These children have their own way of getting along with each other, Jiang Xiaohan usually doesn't intervene, and rarely disciplines them.He has been with Yan Qing for a long time, and he has gradually acquired some habits of "following fate", mostly letting nature take its course.

"However, when the teacher talked about the heavy snow closing the mountain, it reminded me of an incident." Ning Yan changed the subject and said, "Last winter, the festival was not very good, and there was a lot of rain and snow in the winter. Anshun, Yongzhou, and Jiujiang They were all hit by snowstorms, but fortunately, the situation was not serious, the number of houses damaged was not many, and no one was injured."

"I went all the way to Kunlun, and I heard about it." Jiang Xiaohan said: "When there is a lot of rain and snow in winter, it is inevitable to freeze. Some farmers with poorer conditions do not have brick houses, and most of them are made of wooden frames and linoleum. Straw is built, and if it freezes, it will be easily crushed."

"Last year, the rain and snow didn't make a continuous patch. It's a blessing among misfortunes." Ning Yan said: "But this reminded me. Later, I checked the account books of the Ministry of Accounts and made a sand table. It looks rich, but it’s actually just an empty shelf—once the military pay is issued every year, most of the treasury will be emptied, and it will not appear full again until the harvest in autumn.”

How well Jiang Xiaohan sees a person, of course he understands what Ning Yan is saying.

But he didn't directly point out Ning Yan's thoughts, but instead asked: "Your Majesty thinks that the treasury doesn't have enough money?"

Ning Yan did not answer, but went on to say: "Until now, the national treasury has been operating on its own, and there is still some surplus—but if something suddenly happens one day, and a sum of disaster relief funds goes out, the money from the national treasury will lose the chain." gone."

People, money, food and military power have always been the top priorities in the eyes of emperors in governing the country, and they are worth worrying about for a lifetime.

Jiang Xiaohan understood why Ning Yan chose to invite him to visit the two houses unannounced at this time only after hearing his slightest intentions.

Where does the money come from? Although commerce and trade account for a lot, in the final analysis it comes from the land.

——Ning Yan is eyeing those fiefdoms that have not been taken back.

"Indeed." Jiang Xiaohan nodded slightly, and said: "When I went to Kunlun, I happened to pass by Jiujiang. Jiujiang Mansion is very rich and powerful. After snowing for a few days, I went to the storehouse to stock up on food... Is it conceited? Where the tax is paid, it is not so taboo to spend money.”

"I don't go around with the teacher, I just want to tell the truth to the teacher." Seeing that he understood what he meant, Ning Yan said simply: "Both the teacher and I understand that the fiefdom is actually not good for the country. When the country was founded, the ancestors The feudal system was established to silence the brothers at that time, and for the peace of the country, I understand this."

"Even, in order to prevent the vassal king from arrogance and threatening the throne, the ancestors made a rule that the fiefdom is only granted for one generation, and it will be taken back when the new king is replaced. This was a good intention and an expedient measure at that time. "Ning Yan said: "But it is precisely because each vassal king cannot live on in the fiefdom for generations, that causes them to get as much as they want as long as they take office. how are the people?"

"When the new king ascends the throne and takes back the fief decades later, because of the bad faith and the affection of these uncles, nothing will happen even if the local situation is not good." Ning Yan said: "After that, the court will have to renew Spending manpower and material resources to integrate the local market and economy - coordinating food prices, sorting out the market, and stipulating tax standards. It is a trivial matter to spend time, but it is a major matter to waste people and money. A lot of resentment."

Jiang Xiaohan understood what Ning Yan said, and felt that he was right.Ning Yan is only 16 years old this year, it is not easy to have such foresight.

But Jiang Xiaohan was not optimistic.

What Ning Yan said inside and outside the meaning is nothing more than wanting to take back these fiefdoms, and to abolish this in the future.But confiscating is a big deal, not to mention the princes who already have fiefs, even his own brothers and relatives, all have conflicts of interest here.

If Ning Yan wanted to eat this piece of meat, he undoubtedly wanted to touch the bones of his clan.He is young now, and it is hard to convince the crowd. If there is no reason, and the teacher comes from an unknown name, he may be turned against the general.

"The lesser of two evils," Jiang Xiaohan said calmly.

"But teacher." Ning Yan said seriously: "If I don't want any harm."