My players are all acting

"Chen Fang Shiyong, pay homage to Your Majesty!"

Chu Ge waved his hand: "Get up."

According to the regulations of the Dasheng Dynasty, many official etiquettes were originally used in the previous dynasty, but later Taizu Sheng thought that there were too many rituals of kneeling and worshiping in daily content such as banquets and drinking, so he re-declared bowing and bowing, only for some more formal occasions Only need to kneel down.

Of course, it is also a more formal occasion for courtiers to see the emperor play something.

Chu Ge looked at this Confucian scholar named Alchemist Yong.

He looked to be in his forties, with a few strands of long beard and piercing eyes, and he looked like a celebrity.

Of course, Chu Ge knew something about the alchemist using this person.

Judging from the historical records, he was indeed a great Confucian, and he was considered a celebrity at the time. As for whether he was corrupt or not in the process of being an official, this is an unsolved case and there is no real evidence.

But from this person's behavior style, even if he is greedy, there should not be many, and he is not a big treacherous person.

In terms of the traditional virtues of ancient society such as loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, there should be no major problems.

But that doesn't mean he's right.

In fact, at the beginning of the establishment of the Dasheng Dynasty, Sheng Taizu also reused many celebrities. But among these celebrities, there are some famous ministers who can do things, but there are also many who can talk but can't do things.

And this alchemist is obviously more inclined to the latter.

Therefore, when the empty printing case broke out, other officials did not dare to advise, but he was the only one who expressed his opposition.

He thinks he is brave because others are counseling him, but in fact, the reason is more because he doesn't understand politics.

In the words of the alchemist in his own words: "The emperor was angry with the empty seal, thinking that he was deceiving. The prime ministers and officials all know that the empty seal is not guilty of other crimes, which can be forgiven, and dare not admonish. Huh, it is sincerely said by others, and it is better to have a sage. Enlightenment?"

That is to say, the emperor thought that the Kongyin case was an unforgivable crime of deceiving the emperor, and all the officials knew that the Kongyin case was not a big crime and could be forgiven, but they dared not persuade them.

But if someone can explain this matter clearly, how could His Majesty not understand it if he is so wise?

So, he came to Shangshu to persuade him.

"I have already read your memorial. Regarding the case of Kongyin, I will allow you to present it face-to-face. Please explain the reasons in the memorial again." Chu Ge said calmly.

This situation reminded him of the pairing of Yang Yan and Emperor Wei Zhao played by the scribes in the previous copy.

But now, the relationship between the monarch and his ministers has been reversed.

The alchemist showed a little joy on his face.

From his point of view, His Majesty's attitude doesn't seem to be that violent. Did he listen to his suggestion?

Thinking of this, he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the Kongyin case is undoubtedly an unjust case, and I have three complaints:

"First, the requirements for reviewing money and food books are very high, and you must go to the Ministry of Households to make the final confirmation. If you go back and forth like this, the distance is six or seven thousand miles to the household department, and the distance is three to four thousand miles. Therefore, the matter of empty printing is really an expedient measure, and it is a last resort."

Chu Ge nodded.

Sure enough, it's still the same old rhetoric.

He was silent for a moment, and then asked back: "I heard that you have read a lot of poetry and books, and you are full of economics, okay, then I will test you with a question.

"During the Liang Dynasty, from Shangdu to Guangdong and Guangxi, if there were documents going to the official post, how long would it take to arrive?"

Shangdu was an important town in the north at that time, and the distance from Shangdu to Guangdong and Guangxi was basically twice the distance from Liangguang to the capital during the Dasheng Dynasty. And this distance can basically be regarded as approximately the distance from the northernmost main town to the southernmost main town.

The alchemist was taken aback for a while: "This... I don't know.

"But if you want to travel all over the world, you have to spend years and months."

Chu Ge smiled and shook his head: "Then I tell you, in the Liang Dynasty, if there were documents going to the official post, it only took more than a month to travel from Shangdu to Guangdong and Guangxi! If the post station rode a fast horse, it would only take twenty-four sky!

"Nowadays, the capital is located in the world, most states and counties come to the capital, and it is enough to go back and forth within one month!

"Even if you escort the tax supplies, it will be much slower, and two months will be enough to go back and forth.

"Why do you say that it's not a year? Could it be that officials from all over the world have to crawl when they come to Beijing?"

The alchemist couldn't help but turn dark, obviously he was stunned by the first question.

The so-called "non-term year" is obviously because these officials have not really tried to enter the capital from these remote states and counties, or they are considering it according to the speed of traveling in mountains and rivers.

Immediately after Chu Ge threw out the data, he was at a loss for words

The alchemist paused for a moment, and then said: "But Your Majesty, what if it is my guardhouse on the frontier of the Dasheng Dynasty?"

Chu Ge sneered: "The guard? The guard doesn't need to go to Beijing to declare taxes!

"Okay, if you have no concept of time, then I will ask you two more questions.

"First, Jining Mansion where you live is only ten days and a half months away from the capital, so this is called a special year?

"Taxation is a major matter of the country, and it takes ten days and a half months, so what if you have to go through it several times?

"What's more, it's not you officials who run the accounts, but the officials under them. The job of these small officials is to report the accounts and eat the state's salary. Isn't it natural to run errands for the country?

"Then I'll ask you again, there are hundreds of chief seal officials involved in the empty seal case, how many counties are there in my Dasheng Dynasty?"

The alchemist's voice gradually lowered: "Return to Your Majesty... There are more than 1,400 of them..."

Chu Ge nodded: "Then why don't the other half of the states and counties use empty seals? How are they right?

"What's more, most of those involved in the Kongyin case are concentrated near the capital. Why do you prefer to use Kongyin because you are closer?"

The alchemist couldn't help being dumbfounded: "This..."

He was speechless for a while.

If it were another emperor, maybe he could still fool around with his words.

For example, some emperors who "why not eat minced meat", or some emperors who don't even know how much an egg costs. These emperors have no concept of many basic grassroots data, so it will be very simple to fool.

But Sheng Taizu was different.

He started from the grassroots step by step and was very sensitive to all kinds of data. Not to mention the time when the various states and capitals arrived in the capital, he even knew a series of contents of the grassroots accounting. It was impossible to make such a low-level mistake.

If you don't even know how to keep accounts, how can you supply food and grass to the front during wartime? How to conquer the world?

Therefore, if the alchemist used a scholar to refute Taizu Sheng in this respect, he was really thinking too much.

Chu Ge sneered: "Continue to your second point."

The alchemist was sweating slightly on his forehead.

He began to realize that convincing Taizu Sheng was not as simple as he thought.

But the matter has come to this point, so I can only continue: "I think that the matter of empty seals is a common practice, and its origin is far away. Your Majesty does not know, because it is deceiving the emperor, but it is actually a custom..."

Chu Ge nodded: "Customization?

"Okay, then let me ask you, what dynasty and generation is this custom-made for?

"Is it Yan? Chu? Wei? Or Liang Qi? Which dynasty?"

The alchemist couldn't help being stunned for a moment: "Yes... yes..."

After stumbling for a long time, I still couldn't name an accurate dynasty.

Chu Ge chuckled: "It's hard to say? Then I told you for you, this is Beiman's custom!

"The tax in kind has existed since ancient times, is it possible that Liang and Qi also used empty seals?

"This empty printed copy is a bad habit left by the northern barbarians!

"The northern barbarians have ruled the world, and the customs have changed for more than 90 years! A person without ambition, who steals the effect, I will exhaust my words and efforts, and I will not be able to change it all the year round!

"You and other officials, it is not good to learn from the custom of any dynasty, you must learn from the custom of the Northern Man!

"Is this also hoping that the world will be in chaos in the ninety years of the Dasheng Dynasty?!"