Chapter 531 532【No desire, no desire】
In the next period of time, Su Qinglian and Xiangyun got along pretty well.
Su Qinglian is talented, she knows everything from piano, chess, calligraphy and painting to poetry and poetry; Xiangyun is also a talented woman, especially in the field of calligraphy, painting and poetry appreciation.
Therefore, the two can be said to be sympathetic to each other, and they hate each other too late, and they soon get along as if they were one person.
After Xiangyun and Xiangyun accepted Su Qinglian, they found a good day and auspicious day to accept Su Qinglian as a concubine.
This also made He Shen quite jealous.
During this tour to the south, Xiang Nan was promoted to two ranks in a row. He was promoted to be a bachelor of the Imperial Academy, and he was promoted to be a minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Compared with Xiang Nan, he only admired the feathers with double eyes.
"Congratulations to Mr. Ji, congratulations to Mr. Ji, the joy of being admitted to the imperial examination is so enviable." He Shen clasped his hands and smiled.
"Why are you talking sourly with adults?" Xiang Nan asked with a smile when he heard it.
"To be honest, Mr. Ji, I do have pantothenic acid. But I know that there are people who are more sour than me." He Shen smiled, "Do you know who this person is?"
"You don't have to be secretive with the adults. During the trip to Hangzhou, you, me, and the one who met Qing Lian." Xiang Nan pointed to the sky and said, "You want to say that pantothenic acid is him, right?"
He Shen was taken aback for a moment, and then asked, "Since Mr. Ji knows, why doesn't he back down? You still want to fight with that one? Are you not afraid of offending him?"
He originally thought that Xiang Nan didn't know that the emperor was also attracted to Su Qinglian.
"Not afraid." Xiang Nan waved his hand and said, "He Shen, I'm not like you. You want to be a minister of power, and power is more important than anything else in your eyes.
So in order to please the emperor, you flatter, flatter, flatter, and even the woman you like, you can present to the emperor.
And I want nothing. I didn't want to be a high official, nor did I want to make a lot of money. I don't need others to respect me or be afraid of me. So I don't have to deliberately please anyone, and I live relatively freely.
Qing Lian is the woman I like, so I want it, I can't use her in exchange for fame and fortune. And my lord, isn't it good to be a free and easy person like me? "
He Shen flattened his mouth and was speechless.
…
Two months later, Governor Shang Rong of Zhili asked for an order to build a garden for the emperor's leisure and summer use.
As soon as the memorial was presented, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Rites and other ministries immediately followed and seconded the proposal one after another.
He Shen is even more supportive, "Your Majesty, you take care of everything and work hard for state affairs every day. It is really hard. You should build a garden for your entertainment."
Qianlong was delighted to hear what they said.
He calls himself a perfect old man, thinks very highly of himself, and wants the best in everything.
The garden naturally wants to be magnificent and extremely gorgeous. In this way, not only can you enjoy the prosperity of the garden, the beauty of lakes and mountains, but also the envy of future generations.
However, he also knows that it costs money to build a garden, and it costs a lot of money.
If it is for one's own selfishness, large-scale construction and public funds are wasted, and it will not be good if it is not publicized.
So, he looked at Xiang Nan, "Ji Xiaolan, what do you think?"
From Haidian to Xiangshan, it stretches for more than 20 miles, and it is magnificent. In my opinion, Qin Shihuang's Efang Palace is no more than this. The construction costs of all previous gardens are very high, and the construction of Changchun Garden alone cost 110,000 taels of silver.
The repair and maintenance costs over the years are as high as one million, which is really a big burden. Therefore, in Yichen's opinion, it doesn't matter if the new garden is not repaired. "
When Qianlong heard this, his face darkened.
…
"Your Majesty, Mr. Ji is worried about building gardens and spending public funds. It is also a good intention." He Shen smiled, "I have an idea that can resolve this problem."
"Oh, tell me." Qianlong asked quickly after hearing this.
"The emperor cares about the world and works hard for the affairs of the state. Building gardens to entertain you is also for the benefit of the Qing Dynasty and the common people.
Therefore, every citizen of the Qing Dynasty should give a heart, and I suggest that we raise money to build gardens across the country. The minister took the lead and pledged five thousand taels. "He Shen said immediately.
"Good writing with adults!"
"My lord's words are very true!"
"Master He is indeed loyal to the emperor and patriotic!"
When He Shen said something, all the officials immediately agreed with each other loudly.
"Your Majesty, I do not agree with Mr. He's proposal. Although Mr. He said it was a donation, when the order is passed down, it is very likely to be misinterpreted as apportionment.
The officials below set up clever names to collect all kinds of exorbitant taxes, and the people of Li have long been unbearable. Now that the garden fee is added, the common people will be even more burdened, and it is difficult to support it. Xiang Nan immediately said again.
"My lord Ji, the emperor is the emperor of the world. The emperor worries about state affairs and takes care of everything. It is very hard. For the sake of the emperor, my people in the Qing Dynasty can't even donate a little money?
If they are not even willing to pay this little money, how can they be regarded as loyal to the emperor and patriotic? "He Shen retorted.
"Your Majesty is really nice and knows how to label you. In this case, the emperor, I suggest that all officials in the Qing Dynasty donate all their family property for the emperor to build gardens." Xiang Nan bowed, "Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty. The official's If the family property comes from the emperor, then it will be dedicated to the emperor to relieve the emperor's worries. If it is not dedicated, it will be disloyal and unfilial.
The minister took the lead and donated all his property. The emperor can send Ouchi guards to the minister's house to search the house today. "
Xiang Nan's words immediately excited all the officials.
Xiang Nan is an upright official with little property. Unlike them, they all hugged a lot. They are reluctant to donate their property.
Besides, there are only six people in the thatched cottage, and the cost of living and spending is only thirty or forty taels of silver a year.
But all of them have big families and great careers. There are as few as dozens of people and as many as hundreds of people. If all the family property is offered up, will this big family drink the northwest wind?
"Enough, Ji Xiaolan, stop messing around." Qianlong shouted, no matter how much he wanted to repair the garden, he couldn't do it by copying the houses of hundreds of officials. Otherwise, no one would dare to be an official. Who would he rely on to manage the world, and who would listen to what he said?
"Let's talk about the repair of the garden, and the court will be scattered!" Qianlong waved his hand immediately.
…
"Ji Xiaolan, you are presumptuous, you deceive the emperor, and you have no eyes for the emperor. What's wrong with the emperor's garden, you block it from left to right? It's not your money?" He Shen argued.
"And my lord, the world is so big, where is there no disaster, where is there no difficulty? The treasury only has so little money, and we don't set aside more to deal with disasters. What will we do if something happens?" Xiang Nan rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you really care about the emperor, If you want him to have fun, that’s fine, you pay for it yourself. You and your lord’s property must be donated, and ten summer manors may be enough to build it.”
"You're talking nonsense!" He Shen was taken aback and quickly denied it.
(end of this chapter)