Chapter 8: Surrender

  Today is a rest day, sorting out thoughts, and updating tomorrow. By the way, I recommend a good book "The Eternal Turning of Gods and Demons", if it's not good, I won't recommend it.

  He was taken aback by the three smiles and a pat, and Gao Gang's body suddenly felt light, thinking that his plan had succeeded! He hurriedly smiled and said: "The noble minister is a talent of the ages, even the famous ministers of ancient times cannot surpass him. This humble Taoist naturally doesn't dare to put himself on an equal footing, such excessive praise would be killing me with kindness!"

  Cai Jing shook his head, walked around the room with his hands behind his back, and sighed softly: "Otherwise, I knew that the big money was disturbing the people at that time, but there was no other way to think about it. If I had known earlier what Xian Qi said, I could have prevented it from happening and used other currencies or notes to assist the big money, even if it didn't work out, I could have restricted the number of big money, for example, at that time, the currency was worth five or six times as much, it didn't have to be so serious. How did Xian Qi come up with this idea?"

  It's a stroke of luck that you, Old Cai, can understand it at once. I was puzzled by this political question for a long time: "Good teaching and knowledge are obtained through diligence; in my humble opinion, only the sound of horse hooves and dog barks can be heard every day. However, my father's teachings were strict, and I often felt ashamed to take money out of my pocket. Therefore, I paid close attention to financial management. One day, while playing with a few people, we set up a hundred industries, drew a city, and each managed our own business to make money as a game. The amount of money in circulation was carefully calculated before being finalized. Later, an unusual idea suddenly occurred to me, and I found that this method could also be applied to the country's governance, which truly lived up to the ancient saying: 'Govern a big country like cooking a small fish.'"

  While speaking, he demonstrated the strong hand chess he used to play in front of Cai Jing. Old Cai's eyes widened and he couldn't help but praise: "It's hard for Xianqi to set up this game, the way to manage finances and make a living is all in it!"

  Gao Qiang thanked him and casually asked: "But I don't know what day is the tenth of this month, how much money should be given?"

  "Xian Qi, you are unaware that when I first implemented the policy of minting ten large coins, I was forced to do so out of necessity. At that time, the price of copper among the people was skyrocketing. During the Xining era, Zhang Fangping presented a memorial on the 'Prohibition of Copper Money' which stated that 'melting down ten coins yields one liang of pure copper, and making utensils from it yields five times the profit.' The high price of copper and low value of money can be seen from this. During the Yuanyou era, the mint collected copper utensils from among the people, paying two hundred wen per jin, but only able to exchange for one hundred fifty wen in coins. The people still thought the price was too low and few responded. In the Shaosheng years, the mint suffered losses year after year, with every thousand copper coins requiring an expenditure of fifteen hundred coins. All these are the drawbacks of small money, so how can minting large coins make up for it?"

  Gao Jian was stunned, originally thinking that Cai Jing's promotion of the large denomination currency was just for the convenience of long-distance trade and to cope with inflation, but he didn't know there were other reasons behind it. He couldn't help but say: "Sir, since small money has many drawbacks, naturally big money is more convenient, why do the common people suffer from it?"

  Cai Jing sighed and said, "If everyone followed the law and used large and small coins, naturally the world would be at peace. However, during the exchange process, there are several times more profits to be made, so how can we prevent swindlers from taking advantage of this? The Emperor is currently busy with matters in the northwest, and the accumulated wealth of the imperial court over the years has been spent like flowing water. All sources of revenue have been exhausted everywhere, and the officials of the Three Departments come to me every day to complain about their difficulties. If there are any more losses in this matter, I will have no choice but to resign from my position as Chancellor. Alas, it's just a temporary expedient, a temporary expedient..."

  He sighed silently, looking up at the sky, and said: "The suffering of the people due to heavy taxes is a well-known problem. How can I not understand this principle? However, our dynasty takes scholars and officials as the foundation of the country, and there are countless princes and nobles' sons. Every year, the expenses for official salaries, stipends, ice and coal gifts are endless. How can we eliminate the problem of redundant officials? The imperial army has 800,000 soldiers, and the reserve army has 600,000 soldiers. The annual cost of maintaining the army is no less than 50 million taels of silver. If one day the military expenses cannot be paid and the army mutinies, the country will fall into chaos and cannot be restored. How can we eliminate the problem of redundant soldiers? The emperor has affairs in the northwest and is making nine tripods, all of which require money. Although the country is large, apart from extorting money from ordinary people, who else can I, Cai Yuanlong, exploit?"

  Cai Jing stood silently beside him, and for the first time, he was at a loss as to how to deal with this ancient great villain's inner world. Putting himself in Cai Jing's shoes, aside from being the prime minister and a power-hungry official, he was just a bureaucrat who had been through many setbacks in his political career and was desperate to keep his position. The livelihood of tens of millions of officials, hundreds of millions of soldiers, and tens of thousands of citizens rested on this nearly sixty-year-old man's shoulders, with an emperor who was frivolous and loved grandeur pressing down on him from above. Who had the strength to bear such a heavy responsibility? Even a famous minister like Wang Anshi had thrown in the towel, so how could Cai Jing possibly pick it up?

  After a while, Cai Jing sighed and said: "If the northwest is victorious, apart from the annual tribute to Xia Guo and the cost of using troops, I can take my time to manage the finances. Unfortunately, Liao and Xia are working together, and the problem in the northwest cannot be solved for the time being. The sky is not helping, this star change has come out, and a small person like that son of a migrant worker has taken advantage of the situation to rise up. Alas, alas!"

  Gao Jian could no longer restrain himself: "Your Majesty bears the weight of the world, how can you be compared to those petty individuals?! Moreover, the Emperor's sacred authority has not yet declined, and soon he will surely resume his position as Prime Minister. I, a foolish old man, wish to devote my strength to assist!" As he spoke, he was about to kneel down.

  Cai Jing, although advanced in years, was not slow in his movements. He immediately stretched out his hand to help him up, saying: "Noble brother, why be so polite? Please get up quickly!"

  Gao's eyes met Cai Jing's sharp and narrow eyes, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly composed himself. Cai Jing continued, "The words you exchanged with Ye Shaoyong that day, every sentence made me feel like the clouds were parting to reveal the sun. I wonder if you could recount them in detail for me?"

  Finally getting to the point! Gao's current mood is like a prepared

  Last night, the cheat sheet was finally seen by the examinee who had predicted the questions, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He suppressed his excitement and said: "I was wrong to be presumptuous with Ye Shifu that day, and I only felt ashamed when I thought about it afterwards. My father often told me that the greatest wise man in the world is none other than Enxiang, who can see through everything from a thousand miles away. How could he not know the reasoning behind such trivial matters? Although I am not talented, I was taught by my father since childhood and I also know that the world cannot do without Enxiang, even if it can do without me. This matter of assisting Enxiang to become prime minister again is entirely up to Enxiang's orders, and I will not disobey." Last night, he thought about how to respond to Cai Jing all night, and Cao Hong's words to Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period were so warm and touching, how could they not be used?

  Indeed, Cai Jing's face lit up with great joy and he said: "With wise fathers and sons having such words and hearts, how can we worry that great things will not be accomplished? It's just that after I stepped down, I've been wandering aimlessly every day. In fact, it's not as good as the wisdom of bystanders being clear. I still hope that you, wise sir, have some teachings to impart to me." The words were filled with a sincere and earnest tone, and coupled with his genuine gaze, if Gao Gang hadn't already known that this was the very Cai Jing who had dominated the Huizong court for over twenty years, standing at the pinnacle of power in the Song Dynasty's administration, he would have really thought that the person in front of him was just a wandering old man without a plan.

  He rearranged his thoughts and smiled: "I'm a bit late, I hope you'll point it out to me. I think that since you entered the court and took charge of government affairs, you've been eager to make progress, and with one effort, you've continued the good governance of the previous emperor, achieving great results in both domestic and foreign affairs, all of which are in line with the current emperor's intentions. And as for Prime Minister Zhao," he said, glancing at Cai Jing, who was stroking his beard, looking like he didn't care whether he was called "Zhao" or "Prime Minister", thinking to himself that this was indeed the demeanor of a great man, and continued:

  "Since Grand Councilor Zhao took office, although new policies have been introduced every day, there has been no overall plan, only a series of measures that are contrary to the way of benevolent government. In fact, they are just a rehashing of the old laws of the Xining and Yuanfeng periods, and the strategies established by Emperor Renzong are not far from being abandoned...". He then went on to elaborate on several points he had discussed with Ye Mengde that day, using phrases that he had carefully considered and memorized with Wen Rengan the night before. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for someone like him, who had never attended the Imperial Academy or studied the classics, to produce such a lengthy and eloquent essay in classical Chinese.

  Cai Jing naturally had a plan in mind, but he just smiled and listened without saying a word. When Gao Gang finished speaking about the internal and external responses, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say: "Since you have analyzed it so thoroughly, do you have any detailed steps?"

  Gao said with a smile: "I thought that this matter should be initiated from within, and when the emperor's mind is wavering, we can speak up calmly. We only need to mention one or two good things about the favor of the emperor, and then point out that Prime Minister Zhao is incompetent in governance; after that, we will have someone close to the emperor speak up again, if one person is not enough, we will send another, from inner officials to outer officials, one by one. When the emperor's intention to replace the prime minister becomes clear, we will order two or three speaking officials to attack at the same time, impeaching Grand Councilor Liu for repeatedly violating good laws and monopolizing state affairs..."

  Cai Jing listened with a smile, then suddenly interjected: "Why does Xian Qi only recognize Liu Canzheng? Isn't Zhao Xianggong the one who is currently in power?"

  Gao Jian had long since rehearsed this piece of history in his mind countless times, and it came naturally to him: "You are a wise and discerning minister. That Prime Minister Zhao, as the prime minister, only mentions the beginning of each government affair, but lets Liu Canzheng take charge of the discussion. His heart is empty and can be seen at a glance. It's just like they say, 'a defeated general can't talk about bravery.' As long as Liu Canzheng loses once, Prime Minister Zhao will definitely lose his nerve. Moreover, there are no other assistants, and in the court, who else can compete with you?"

  Cai Jing burst out laughing: "What you said, Xiao Qi, is exactly what I've been thinking! To be honest, since I stepped down as prime minister, I've been watching that young man's actions with a discerning eye. My plans are similar to yours, but I've been lacking someone to speak up for me. Can you help me out?"

  Gao was already aware of this section early on, and immediately laughed: "I had thought of someone who is in this situation. My father and the official Liang Zhongguan of the Neitian Rui Temple are old friends, so we can ask him to help us with this matter. Next, we can ask Zheng Qizhong, the brother of Empress Zheng, who is currently favored by the Emperor, to speak on our behalf. After that, it will be the turn of the scholars under the gate of Enxiang to take action."

  He thought that this would surely be a hit, but unexpectedly Cai Jing shook his head and said: "Xian Qi only knows one, not two. The old man's re-appointment has two difficulties. One is to shake Zhao Ting's position in power, and the other is to resolve the knot in the heart of the current sage. I wonder if the current sage can be unaware? That Zheng Guanren is an irresponsible external minister, and he may not dare to reveal this aspect. If he were to overthrow that migrant child at that time, wouldn't it be a windfall for someone else?"

  "This...". Gao Gang had thought of this possibility earlier, but he didn't have a good solution. At this moment, being swept by Cai Jing's gaze, his back immediately felt cold sweat, and this moment was indeed the climax since arriving in this era. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and say: "Your Excellency is wise and discerning, this matter is indeed worrisome. Although I am not talented, my father has gained the heart of the current emperor. Let me devise a plan to clarify this matter for Your Excellency in front of the current emperor."

  "Good! With the help of the wise father and son, what's to worry about the big thing not being accomplished?" Cai Jing suddenly stood up, clapping his hands and laughing loudly without stopping.

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