Sumr, the ninth year of Chongming.
Vice Minister of Revenue Zhang Jingheng presented a policy to save the country and was promoted to Minister of Revenue.
His wife, Liu Yuqing, was granted the title of a Second-Rank Lady of Mandate.
This national policy focused on four main points. First, all taxes, including the poll tax, were rged into the land tax. The more land one owned, the more taxes they paid; no land ant no taxes.
Second, all tax collections were converted to silver, no longer collecting physical grain and other goods, to avoid spoilage and facilitate transportation.
Third, continue to implent official assessnts. Those who were passive, slacked off, or failed in tax collection would all be dismissed and investigated.
Fourth, enlighten the people's minds, and the country will prosper!
It shared the sa brilliant purpose as the national policy presented by Dong Xingjian back then.
But it was more detailed, more in line with the national conditions, and also more brilliant.
In addition, Tang Shijun was assassinated, and His Majesty the Emperor grieved for him.
Tang Shijun was posthumously titled Duke of Ming, and his wife was granted the title of a First-Rank Lady of Mandate, allowing her to directly enter and exit the inner palace.
He also ordered the whole country to mourn together and built the Duke of Ming Ancestral Hall.
Although the officials were resentful of that national policy, the land property asurent was finished, and the household registers were sorted out.
Now that Tang Shijun was dead, it was unknown who murdered him.
They were all worried that the Emperor would use this excuse to investigate them. At that ti, their lives and fortunes would be hard to protect, so how could they dare to oppose it.
Even if there were those bold enough to want to assassinate Huan'er, they were secretly caught and taken to the Imperial Prison.
The Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies, Zhang Li, having received Huan'er's offerings for so many years, finally had to do his job.
His secret agents lurked everywhere. To murder Huan'er, one had to pass this hurdle first.
Furthermore, several old generals in the army stood up and openly supported Huan'er.
They were military n, and military household lands had always been taken according to the rules.
Over the years, Huan'er had argued fiercely with Tang Shijun, shouting that without an army the country would perish, and forcefully ensured their military pay was issued in full.
The n who fought and killed on the battlefield all rembered his kindness and naturally supported him fully.
With Eunuch Zhang Li secretly protecting him internally, the army backing him externally, and Emperor Chongming adding fuel to the flas.
The implentation of the national policy was the general trend of events and was easily accomplished.
As long as Emperor Chongming, Eunuch Zhang Li, and these military generals were still alive.
No one in the world dared to touch Huan'er.
Tang Shijun only said he left Huan'er a very sharp knife, but never ntioned he also prepared an incomparably hard suit of armor.
Chu Xun watched all this happen from the shadows. Tang Shijun's corpse was properly buried.
Without using any spells, there was a torrential downpour and rolling thunder.
This was originally a custom near Pingshui Town, but Tang Shijun possessed great rit, so it was not excessive for the Heavens to co see him off.
Many commoners who had received Tang Shijun's favors also spontaneously went to the Duke of Ming Ancestral Hall to pay their respects.
This was an arrogant and proud person.
Also a person worthy of others being proud of him.
Chu Xun did not leave just like that, but followed Huan'er to the northwest suburbs of the city.
There was a lonely grave there, the grave mound was low, and the writing on the crooked tombstone was already blurred and unclear.
Huan'er brought the Remaining Years Brew from the Bai family's old shop and ca here alone, first pulling out the large piles of weeds around.
He then dug up the tombstone and straightened it.
By the ti he finished, it was already evening.
Panting heavily, he plopped down in front of the grave.
After catching his breath, he bent over and lifted the lid of the wine jar.
He poured three bowls of wine and held one of them in his hand.
"Brother Dong, your younger brother is many years late, please do not take offense."
"Your strategy essay was very good. It's just a pity that, unlike , you didn't have an absolutely wonderful teacher."
Huan'er raised the bowl filled with fine wine in his hand, a smile on his face, and sorrow in his eyes.
The wind blew past, sweeping the scattered weeds around completely clean.
A setting sun, carrying a dark red light, shone on his face that already had a bit of vicissitudes.
"Teacher, Brother Dong, I toast to you."
Chu Xun silently watched him drink, watched him laugh loudly, and watched him talk eloquently.
It was as if Huan'er was not the only one here, but there was also an old man with arrogance reaching the clouds, and a brilliantly talented Top Graduate.
From a child selling roasted goods at a temple fair, to the Minister of Revenue saving the citizens from deep water and scorching fire.
Along this journey, Chu Xun had witnessed it with his own eyes.
When Zhang Anxiu passed away, Chu Xun had been incomparably sorrowful.
On the road to immortality, it was full of the sorrow of old friends departing.
But now, watching Huan'er dancing and gesturing at the air, he suddenly rembered the twenty-ninth year of Jing Kingdom, when Tang Shijun was promoted to Co-Prefect.
He had once faced the Songliu River, thinking that ti flowed endlessly and never turned back.
Only he would stand on the riverbank, watching batch after batch of people.
Co.
Go.
Like the waves crashing against the shore, drops of water stains splashing on the damp soil.
As if they existed.
At this mont, he saw clearly that there were not only water stains on the soil.
There was also a line of footprints.
The people who ca, the people who went.
Had all left them behind.
This line of footprints twisted and turned, and finally turned into two words.
—Ti!
No matter how turbulent the waves or how the spray crashed, they could not be erased.
Generation after generation of people would make this line of footprints increasingly clear.
It wasn't until the next day that Huan'er left.
Chu Xun did not follow him again, but slowly walked to the front of Dong Xingjian's grave.
The surrounding ground continuously squird, changing from loose to extrely solid.
Weeds along with their roots, and gravel, were all swept underground and ground to dust.
The low grave mound subsequently rose continuously until it was as tall as a person.
Even the tombstone grew out of thin air in the sa way.
It didn't stop until it was also about as tall as a person.
Chu Xun looked at the now decent-looking grave mound. Through the information transmitted by the soil, he seed to see the dry bones in the coffin.
"Your talent and learning are indeed worthy of the title of Top Graduate."
"It's a pity that no one paved the way for you."
A sound ca from not far away; it seed soone was coming.
Chu Xun didn't speak anymore, turned around, and took a step.
Dozens of ters in one step, he disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Only the writing on the tombstone gradually beca clear.
A mont later, several brightly dressed young n and won walked over.
They were students and family mbers from a nearby private school. Knowing that the grave of a forr Top Graduate was here, they would often co for a walk, compose poems and couplets, and absorb so literary talent.
Speaking of which, it seed sowhat eccentric and weird.
Arriving here, the few people took one look and exclaid in surprise one after another, "When was this grave repaired so decently?"
The last ti they ca, it was still a lonely little grave mound that no one cared about.
Seeing it again today, it actually looked quite proper.
"Perhaps soone from his family ca to pay respects and repaired it in passing," soone guessed.
A young man with a large black mole on his face nodded and said, "Only this can barely be considered worthy of the title of Top Graduate."
"With such a joyous occasion, why don't everyone take this scene as a topic and improvise a poem?"
With him ntioning this, the other few all beca interested.
"Alright, I'll go first! The bright moonlight before the grave..."
Chu Xun, who had already walked far away, faintly heard the sound of reciting poetry by his ear.
He couldn't help but look back and laughed dumbly, "There really are so many weirdos in this world."
The scorching sun rose in the east, and the tall tombstone stood straight.
The clear writing was revealed without a doubt.
[Conferred Jinshi with Distinction — Tomb of Top Graduate Lord Dong Xingjian]
Turning his head back, he continued forward all the way.
With every step he took, the white hair on Chu Xun's head would lessen a bit, and his wrinkles would beco shallower.
Others all grew older the more they walked, and the older they got, the less they could walk.
Only he grew younger the more he walked.
In less than a few miles, the twilight old man was no longer visible.
There was only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, his face gentle as jade, and his skin fair and clean.
Following the country path, he walked towards the direction he ca from.
Four or five hundred miles ahead was Fenggu City.
The youth's mouth was not bitter, but he also wanted to eat sothing sweet.
For example, locust flowers.
[End of Chapter]
User Comments
0 comments from readers