On the first day of October, the New Year of Chu, Chu has moved its capital to Shouying, and it has spent a full year.

On the first day of the new year, the ministers of the court and the high-level nobles and feudal lords from all over the country gathered in Shouying, sacrifices, banquets, and the monarchs and ministers were happy.

Fifteenth, the Great Dynasty of the Chu State.

At this time, Qu Yuan stood in the main hall, and said to the king of Chu and the ministers with a dignified face: "Since two years ago, since the promulgation of the new law by our Chu State after the Great War, the new law has been implemented for two years. ”

When the ministers in the palace heard this, all the Fa-changers were overjoyed and encouraged. The centrists are all grim-faced, and the opposition is mostly apathetic, fearful, or resentful.

Qu Yuan paused, and slowly spoke: "Great King, gentlemen, according to the statistics of Ping, Ling Yin, and Sima, although our Chu State was besieged by various countries three times in succession, the people were scattered, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and the national strength was greatly damaged.

However, two years after the implementation of the new law, as of September last year, the number of ordinary households in counties and counties across the country has not only returned to the pre-war level, but has also exceeded the pre-war number by 600,000. ”

"600,000 households!"

"How is this possible?"

"That's 600,000, not 60."

"Ahh In this way, our Chu State has an additional 600,000 soldiers and tax sources. ”

At this time, Qu Yuan listened to the discussion of the ministers, and saw that most people did not believe it, so he took out a long roll of paper from his hand, and then held it in both hands and said: "King, this is the number of households in each county according to the statistics of the ministers, even if we have suffered war before, but in the two years since the new law was implemented, the number of counties and counties in the country has indeed increased by 600,000.

I also asked the king to look at it, and the minister did not dare to lie and deceive. ”

When Xiong Huai heard this, he immediately asked the waiter to bring the ruling paper, and then spread it on the king's case to take a look, and roughly estimated that there were indeed as many as 600,000 households.

After confirming, Xiong Huai raised his head with a smile: "Yes, the people in the counties and counties now have indeed increased by more than 600,000 households compared with before the war. ”

Saying that, Xiong Huai sighed: "Since the widow ascended the throne, the people in the counties have been decreasing day by day, and the widow has been unable to sleep and eat for it.

Even, thirty years ago, the widow asked the shilling Yin Shanzi to check the people in the country twice, but in the end, Shanzi told the widow that there were really fewer people in the country.

For this reason, the widow once sighed all night, thinking that it would be difficult for him to see the first king under the nine springs in the future.

But now that the widow gets the news, even if the widow goes to see the first king, he can take it calmly. ”

When the ministers heard the sigh of the king of Chu, they all showed different colors.

Among them, General Zhaolang is the most complicated.

The Shanzi that the king of Chu said was his grandfather Ling Yin Zhaoyang.

Because his grandfather was ordered by the king of Chu to thoroughly investigate the people in the country twice, he greatly offended the ministers of the court and the nobles in the country. What's worse is that this matter was not done well, and it was not done twice, because the king of Chu was very dissatisfied.

It is precisely because of the displeasure between the two ends that after the death of his grandfather Zhaoyang, his father could not gain a foothold in the court, and could only return to the fief to inherit the family business.

Even, if it weren't for the Jianghuai rebellion, he immediately raised the banner to stir up the chaos anyway, so he was appreciated by the king, I am afraid that he himself would be just a mere Bohai Jun, not a general in the court.

Different from Zhao Lang's complicated feelings, most of the ministers of the DPRK and China are either happy, indifferent, and mixed.

Unlike the complex and changeable ministers of the DPRK and China, the feudal lords and nobles in various places are either cold-faced, full of grievances, and even full of hatred.

Where did these 600,000 households, or even more than 600,000 households, come from?

Except for the people who were sacked by Tang Wu from the Wei State, a small number of people fled from various countries, some wild thieves surrendered, a small half were separated from the original people's homes, and most of the rest were looted from the nobles.

Others don't say it, anyway, Sima Jingque must have contributed more than 10,000 households.

······

At this time, among the feudal monarchs, not long after inheriting the title, the young and vigorous Zhongjun, looking at Qu Yuan who was complacent and full of happiness in the palace, couldn't hold back the anger in his heart anymore, and said from the heart: "Tian is shameless, shameless." ”

In the quiet hall, such an insult suddenly sounded, and it immediately reached everyone's ears.

"Who?" Xiong Huai suddenly shifted his gaze from the data on the paper to the ministers, and said angrily: "Who is such a bastard, intending to despise the widow. ”

As he spoke, Xiong Huai immediately locked his gaze on the feudal monarch, and the words just now came from the feudal monarch.

As soon as the feudal lords saw that the king of Chu and even the ministers in the court all looked over, they immediately looked around, as if the voice just now was not coming from them.

But the king of Chu and his ministers did not let them go because of this, but stared at the more than 100 of them.

After five breaths, the feudal monarchs gradually couldn't bear the pressure, and at this time, Nanjun, who was over seventy years old, arched his hand and said: "King, although the old minister is deaf and dazzled, it seems that no one has spoken just now!" ”

When Xiong Huai heard this, he immediately said with a cold face: "Nanjun, the widow didn't say that anyone spoke just now!" ”

"Huh?!"

Xiong Huai smiled angrily: "Since you are deaf and dazzled, then don't talk nonsense, in the main hall, in front of the widows, the ministers are on the side, this is not the place where you rely on the old and sell the old."

This time, the widow sees that you are old, forget it, but you must know that the disaster comes from the mouth! ”

Nanjun immediately arched his hand in horror and said: "What the king taught is that the ministers are panicked, panicked!" ”

After speaking, Nanjun immediately retracted, and then looked at his nose and nose, and instantly wandered outside.

"Hmph... Hum! Xiong Huai snorted coldly at Nanjun twice, and then looked at the other feudal monarchs.

At this time, Zhongjun saw that he couldn't escape, and immediately came to the middle of the hall in unison, not far behind Qu Yuan, and bowed for a long time: "King, the words 'Tian is shameless, shameless' just now were said by the minister. ”

"Huh?" Xiong Huai's eyes were cold, and he said in a cold tone: "Why, Zhongjun, when you say this in public, are you dissatisfied with the widow?" ”

"The minister has no such intention!" Zhongjun hurriedly said: "Great King, as soon as the ministers heard that the new law had only been implemented for two years, there were 600,000 more households in my Chu country, and they were immediately overjoyed.

Then, the minister was thinking about where these people came from, and the minister thought about it, these extra people have the merit of plundering the pillar country, and also the merit of dividing the households under the new law, and the rest should have fled from the kings of various countries.

And the fact that so many people fled to Chu from the kings of various countries shows that the kings of all countries are cruel and unkind, and they are shameless and shameless. At the same time, it also shows that the king's prestige is far-reaching, his virtue is widely spread, and his benevolence and righteousness are widely spread.

Otherwise, how could the people of all countries flee in large numbers? ”

After speaking, Zhongjun bowed down in a cold sweat: "The ministers think about the immorality and incompetence of the kings of various countries, and inadvertently say it out of their mouths, so as to disturb the court discussion, please ask the king to give sin." ”

At this time, Xiong Huai looked at Zhongjun, who was still sweating in the same place in October, and then looked at the feudal monarchs whose faces were all blue and white, how could they not know what they were thinking at the moment.

Although he knew very well in his heart that Zhongjun's words were directed at him.

But he also knows that in the past two years, many of the people who have been feudal kings in various places have fled, and even the 600,000 more people in Chu State, among them, in addition to the nobles who robbed from Wei, there are also nobles and people who rebelled and exterminated the clan in Jianghuai, and a considerable part of the rest are taken from the feudal nobles.

Xiong Huai is thinking...

On the other side, after the ministers saw Zhongjun pleading guilty, the king of Chu did not immediately open his mouth to punish, but pondered there.

So, the feudal monarchs from all over the country looked at each other, and then Yan Lingjun took the lead in speaking: "The king, the king lost his words for a while, please treat the king lightly." ”

After Yan Lingjun spoke, whether it was Jianghan Fengjun or Jianghuai Fengjun, they all followed: "King, Zhongjun lost his words for a while, please treat it lightly." ”

After the feudal monarch spoke, most of the ministers in the court also spoke: "Your lord, what you have said is very true, please treat it lightly with the king." ”

Xiong Huai immediately felt a pressure when he saw that more than half of the people in the main hall bowed and pleaded.

Although the new law and the nobles competed for the common people with remarkable results, it had also greatly touched the foundation of the aristocracy.

Now, not only Zhongjun is openly speaking out in front of him, the king of Chu, and in front of the ministers. Moreover, there are all the feudal monarchs, and nearly half of the ministers of the court and the central government intercede.

And this is still when the new law does not directly target the aristocracy.

Thinking about it, Xiong Huai took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the heavy punishment of Zhongjun to avoid a direct conflict with the feudal monarch.

The new law has been in force for two years, and has achieved initial results, and it has been able to stabilize the main thing and reassure the hearts of the people.

Thinking about it, Xiong Huai said in a sharp tone: "In the middle of the court discussion, openly disrupting the court discussion, and making a lot of nonsense, speaking unclearly, is it the courtier's doing."

But in order to ask for help, the widow decided to deal with it lightly. ”

As he spoke, Xiong Huai pondered for a while and said, "You just said eight words, and the widow allowed you to swallow the words you said back into your stomach at the price of one hundred gold words."

The widow has allowed you to pay for your sins with money, and you may confess your punishment! ”

When Zhongjun heard this, he was both happy and painful in his heart, glad that he kept the title and fief, and felt pain for handing over 800 gold.

Eight hundred gold, this has been going to be praised for many years without eating or drinking.

However, this is not even better.

After thinking about it, Zhongjun still bowed with a sad face and said, "Thank you for your grace!" ”