Changsun Wuji was originally supposed to return to the government department, it was only noon, and after attending court this morning, he followed Li Shimin to play in disguise. He hadn't even dealt with the official business on the side of the Ministry of Personnel.
But Li Shimin brought him to the palace and went straight into the Lizheng Hall, dismissing the attendants and looking at Changsun Wuji seriously.
"Fuji , you don't have to take too much account of what Xiaozhang said today. I will teach Chengqian properly. Today was a wake-up call for me."
"I am still lacking in education in the Chengqian period. I absolutely cannot allow the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty to become a cold-hearted person."
Changsun Wuji was calm at this moment, and it seemed that the person who was destined for an unhappy ending just mentioned by Zhang Nuo was not him at all. He smiled and replied,
"Your Majesty, everyone has their own blessings. Your favor has never been lacking. I am already content."
"As for what will happen after the crown prince ascends to the throne in the future, I am afraid that I will not live to see that day. Even if I barely live to that day, I will definitely retire and live a peaceful life at home, and I will not interfere in these matters."
By saying this, Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji had actually completed a confession.
Li Shimin naturally promised to continue to use Changsun Wuji, and Changsun Wuji expressed his thoughts of not being involved in the succession of power, and would absolutely follow Li Shimin's arrangements.
After the confession was over, both of them breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.
Since this topic had already been discussed, it was not suitable to continue. If they talked further, they would both commit taboos.
Therefore, Li Shimin naturally brought up another topic that both of them were interested in.
"Fuji , what do you think of zhang Nuo after meeting him today?"
Changsun Wuji pondered for a while before saying seriously,
"He has a unique vision, broad knowledge, and remarkable talents!"
Li Shimin was somewhat surprised. He did not expect that after this conversation, Changsun Wuji would have such a high evaluation of Zhang Nuo.
What does it mean to have remarkable talents?
It means that the world cannot accommodate this freak, and he is able to do things that ordinary people cannot. This is what it means to have remarkable talents.
Changsun Wuji continued,
"Your Majesty, think about it. Next year is only the first year of the Zhenguan period, but Zhang Nuo can already think about the next year's reign. Who besides a genius can think so far ahead?"
Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, he had just ascended to the throne.
Next year, they only plan to switch to the Zhenguan era, but at this moment, the shopkeeper Xiao Zhang has already helped Changsun Wuji calculate the next emperor's situation.
This is not something an ordinary person can do, and it does deserve Changsun Wuji's evaluation of Zhang Nuo as a "genius beyond human comprehension."
Originally, the two of them wanted to continue chatting with the shopkeeper Zhang Nuo, but the eunuch reported outside the door that the Duke of Cai and the Minister of War Du Ruhui were seeking an audience.
Although Li Shimin had already told the eunuch that he wanted to have a private conversation with Changsun Wuji and that the others should leave, the eunuch had the sharpest eyes and knew that Du Ruhui, a close minister, was different from the others.
Sure enough, as soon as it was reported, Li Shimin let Du Ruhui in.
Du Ruhui had not yet bowed when Li Shimin shouted,
"Keming (Du Ruhui's style name), dispense with the formalities. There are no outsiders here, and we do not need to be so polite between monarch and subject."
But Du Ruhui still followed protocol and bowed before speaking.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty, but etiquette should not be abandoned!"
Li Shimin was helpless with this mentor and friend. Du Ruhui was more than ten years older than him and had been a loyal minister since he joined his army in Taiyuan. During the Qinwang Mansion period, he was already the leader of the eighteen scholars.
It was natural to respect such an old minister a little, but unfortunately, Du Ruhui was extremely stubborn in this regard, and Li Shimin had to give in to him time and time again.
Without any nonsense, Du Ruhui went straight to the point.
"Your Majesty, winter is approaching, and neighboring countries such as the Turks, the Xiongnu, and the Xianbei are eager to move. Most likely, they will invade the borders again this winter."
"We should have been strengthening our military preparations at this time, but now the treasury is empty. Even though I have tried my best, it's like trying to make bricks without straw."
When he heard that he had come to beg for money, Li Shimin's head began to ache.
Yesterday, he had discussed this matter with Changsun Wuji, but he hadn't thought of any solutions. He had originally planned to go to the shopkeeper Zhang Nuo's place today to try his luck.
As a result, Zhang Nuo's shocking words had brought the two of them to a standstill.
But before he could come up with any ideas, Du Ruhui showed up at his doorstep.
However, Li Shimin was not the kind of emperor who lacked courage. He was straightforward and said,
"Keming, we have been discussing this for two consecutive days with Fuji , but we have not yet come up with a good plan. As a temporary assistant to the imperial secretary, do you have any suggestions?"
The so-called temporary assistant to the imperial secretary was actually a temporary position that was roughly equivalent to that of a prime minister but without the official title. It was a very important position.
If Du Ruhui were just the Minister of War, then all he would have to do is ask for money. After all, his job is to oversee the national military and war efforts, and if he handles it well, then he will have done his job as Minister of War.
But as the Palace Attendant, he would have more responsibilities to manage all aspects of the Tang Dynasty, both internally and externally. If the treasury is empty, then as the Palace Attendant, he must find a solution.
Although Du Ruhui was inwardly bitter and smiling, he had already anticipated this situation before it arose, so he directly replied,
"Your Majesty, why not impose a temporary tax increase for three years, and then reduce taxes later when we have passed these few years?"
"No!"
Li Shimin had not spoken yet, but Changsun Wuji was the first to decisively veto!
"Your Majesty has just ascended to the throne, and this is a time to unite the hearts of the people. If we impose taxes at this time, it may cause unrest among the people. Ke Ming hopes that you will be cautious!"
How could Du Ruhui not know that imposing taxes at this time could easily arouse popular anger?
But with the imminent threat of war, the incursion of the Turkic people along the border this winter was a certainty.
If the military preparation was not effective and the war went poorly, then the outcome would be another defeat like the Battle of Weishui. In that case, Du Ruhui's position as Minister of War would be terminated.
Therefore, in Du Ruhui's view, as long as he explains it clearly to the people, this temporary tax increase for three years will enable them to overcome these few years of hardship, and once the treasury is gradually replenished, they can return to a state of light taxation and small levies.
Therefore, he is still in favor of imposing taxes at the moment and is trying to persuade Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty, as long as we have adequate supervision and eliminate the layers of officials adding taxes and miscellaneous levies, a temporary tax increase for three years will not undermine the foundation of the country."
"But if the military preparation and training are inadequate, that would truly undermine the foundation of our dynasty. Your Majesty, please think twice!"
At this point, Du Ruhui was also cunning, and he added in a whisper,
"It's not that there are no other ways, Your Majesty. If you can provide financial assistance from the imperial treasury or lend some to the treasury, then there will be no need to impose taxes."
Li Shimin looked at Du Ruhui in a daze, not knowing what to say.
Du! you old fox, you really dare to take a tough stance. I thought you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, were considering the well-being of the people, but I never thought that you would play dirty tricks on me!
When it comes to the inner treasury, it's actually the emperor's private funds responsible mainly for the salaries of eunuchs and palace maids, maintenance of the palace, and the various expenses of the imperial concubines in the harem.
As an upright and selfless emperor, Li Shimin's personal treasury was never abundant.
He even rarely bought new clothes and jewelry for his empress, and it was rare to see any precious treasures.
Otherwise, how could a dignified empress not even have a trailing skirt?
Whenever Li Shimin talked about his personal treasury, he would almost shed tears of bitterness.
Compared to other emperors who could indulge in building their palaces or traveling to the south, Emperor Han Wu even created the legend of "hiding beauty in a golden house".
But Li Shimin could only afford to dine with a commoner and give them copper coins as rewards, and he was even reluctant to give them silver. Clearly, he was just a poor emperor.
However, even in his current predicament, Duke Dou, who had a heart as black as coal, was still trying to undermine him.
This was not just a case of a wicked heart, but of a black soul, liver, spleen, and kidneys. Only someone with such a vicious heart could do such a thing.
Li Shimin's mournful gaze made Duke Dou feel uneasy, and he thought to himself, "Hasn't this been the case throughout history?"
For officials, there were only so many sources of income that they could tap into. If they couldn't increase taxes, the only other way was to cheat money out of the inner treasury, as there was no other good way to do so.
After a while, Li Shimin withdrew his stern gaze and said softly,
"Duke Dou, forget about increasing taxes. I don't agree with it. As for the inner treasury, the empress and I will save some money and should be able to contribute about five thousand strings."
Before Duke Dou could bargain for more money, Li Shimin stared at him fiercely, gritted his teeth and said,
"Duke Dou, I have even used the empress's makeup money. I don't have a single copper coin left!"
ChangSun Wuji had no interest in teasing Duke Dou, nor did he want to laugh at Li Shimin. After all, as a subject, it was quite distressing to see the emperor and empress having to tighten their belts just to fill the national treasury.
This matter is not something to be proud of for the officials, as it implies that they haven't done their job well if the treasury is empty and funds have been squandered.
At this moment, Du Ruhui didn't know what to say, even though he failed to obtain more money from the emperor's private treasury.
But seeing the emperor in this state, five thousand strings was already quite difficult to come by, and it was better not to push one's luck.
However, this five thousand strings was still a drop in the bucket for the entire northern border of the Tang Dynasty.
As the saying goes, the emperor does not worry about a shortage of food for the soldiers, but if the money and supplies cannot arrive in time, it will cause big problems in the long run.
In history, many military mutinies were caused by the lack of money and supplies.
Thinking about it was giving them a headache.
For a moment, the three of them looked at each other in silence, unable to say a word.
After a while, Changsun Wuji weakly broke the silence,
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, let's go and talk to the boss Zhang. Now we can only hope that this genius can really communicate with the ghosts and gods."
Originally, this was just Changsun Wuji's joke to break the awkwardness, but when Li Shimin heard the name Boss Zhang, he inexplicably gained confidence and became more energized.
Li Shimin nodded seriously and replied,
"What the Fuji says is reasonable. We can't come up with any good ideas right now, so it's better to ask Boss Zhang. I believe this pillar of the community from the marketplace will not let me down."
Du Ruhui was confused and didn't understand what was being said.
The evaluation of the two men was confusing, as they called Boss Zhang a genius and a pillar of the community, even though he was just a commoner.
They even had to go to him for advice on the matter of the empty treasury, a major national issue.
How could he not know such a person?
Had he really fallen behind?
Or was it because he had embezzled five thousand strings from the emperor's private treasury that he was no longer in the emperor's favor?
But he had done it for the sake of the Tang Dynasty's military affairs!!
Furthermore, the emperor had obviously already had contact with this genius from the marketplace, and even Changsun Wuji knew him, but he hadn't had the chance to embezzle the emperor's treasury before.
Was it possible that the emperor was omniscient, and had prevented him from making contact with the genius from the marketplace?
Du Ruhui's mind was full of questions, and all sorts of thoughts were going through his head.
After all, the evaluations from Li Shimin and his officials were too high just now. If one looked at it objectively, there were not many in the court who could receive such praise.
Fortunately, although Changsun Wuji was unaware of Du Ruhui's complex thoughts, as a colleague, he naturally took the initiative to explain to Du Ruhui, who was ignorant.
So Changsun Wuji repeated the earth-shattering words he had heard today at the Zhangnuo Tavern almost verbatim to Du Ruhui, of course, he wouldn't reveal anything about himself or the next emperor.
As a result, Du Ruhui became even more confused. Unlike Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji, he was of the same age as Lao Zhang who worked for Li Shimin in the past. They had a good relationship even back when they were in Taiyuan.
But now even Lao Zhang's son had made such remarkable achievements?
For the first time, Du Ruhui felt that he might be getting old.