Chapter 531 Chapter 532 [No desire and no desire]
For the next period of time, the relationship between Su Qinglian and Xiangyun was quite good.
Su Qinglian is talented, and knows all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and poetry; Xiangyun is also a talented woman, especially in the fields of calligraphy, painting, and poetry appreciation.
Therefore, it can be said that the two of them cherished each other, met each other late, and soon got along as if they were the same person.
After Xiang Nan and other Xiangyun accepted Su Qinglian, they found a good and auspicious day to take Su Qinglian as their concubine.
This also made He Shen quite jealous.
During this southern tour, Xiang Nan was promoted to a bachelor''s degree in the Hanlin Academy, and was promoted to minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was also granted the title of Prince Shaobao. It can be said that he had both wealth and wealth.
In comparison, he only admires and wears two-eyed flower feathers, which is far behind Xiang Nan.
“Congratulations to Mr. Ji, congratulations to Mr. Ji. It’s such an enviable joy for me to have passed the exam.” He Shen cupped his hands and said with a smile.
"Why are you so sour when talking to adults?" Xiang Nan asked with a smile after hearing this.
“To be honest, Mr. Ji, I am indeed a little sore. But I know that there is someone who is more sore than me.” He Shen smiled and said, “Do you know who this person is?”
"There is no need to be too close to you, sir. During the trip to Hangzhou, it''s just you, me, and that one person who has met Qing Lian." Xiang Nan pointed to the sky and said, "You want to say that he is the one with pancreatic acidosis, right?"
He Shen was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Since Mr. Ji knows this, why don''t you give in? Are you still going to fight with that person? Aren''t you afraid of offending him?"
He originally thought that Xiang Nan didn''t know that the emperor was also attracted to Su Qinglian.
"Don''t be afraid." Xiang Nan waved his hand and said, "Heshen, I''m not like you. You want to be a powerful minister, and power is more important to you than anything else.
So in order to please the emperor, you flatter, you flatter, you flatter, you can even donate to the emperor the woman you like.
And I have no desires or desires. I don''t want to be a high official, nor do I want to make a lot of money. I don’t need others to respect me or fear me. So I don’t have to deliberately please anyone, and I live relatively freely.
Qinglian is the woman I like, so I want it. I can’t afford to trade her for fame and fortune. Sir, isn''t it nice to be as free and easy as I am? "
He Shen flattened his mouth and was speechless.
…
In the blink of an eye, two months later, Shang Rong, the governor of Zhili, requested an order to build a garden for the emperor to relax and escape from the summer heat.
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 supported the proposal.
He Shen even gave strong support, "Your Majesty, you have many things to do and work on state affairs every day. It is really hard. You should build a garden for your entertainment."
Qianlong was naturally happy when he heard what they said.
He prides himself on being a perfect old man, thinks highly of himself, and wants to be the best in everything.
?It is natural to want to build a garden that is magnificent and magnificent. In this way, you can not only enjoy the splendor of the garden, the beauty of the lakes and mountains, but also be envied by future generations.
?However, he also knows that it costs money to build a garden, and it costs a lot of money.
??If you build large-scale construction projects for your own selfish interests and waste public funds, it will not be heard if it is not spread.
So, he looked at Xiang Nan, "Ji Xiaolan, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, the Qing Dynasty entered the country, made Yanjing its capital, and inherited the Forbidden City. From then on, the royal buildings were mainly gardens." Xiang Nan bowed and said, "Since Emperor Shunzhi, Jingyi has been built Garden, Jingming Garden, Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Changchun Garden, Xichun Garden, Jingchun Garden... there are more than 90 royal gardens, large and small, stretching for more than 20 miles from Haidian to Xiangshan, and they are spectacular. Look, Qin Shihuang''s Afang Palace was nothing more than this, and the construction costs of all gardens were very high. The construction of Changchun Garden alone cost 110,000 taels of silver.
?The repair and maintenance costs over the years have reached millions, which is really a big burden. Therefore, according to Yichen, it is okay not to repair this new garden. "
Qianlong''s face darkened when he heard this.
…
“Your Majesty, Sir Ji is worried about spending public money on building gardens, and he has good intentions.” He Shen smiled and said, “I have an idea that can solve this problem.”
“Oh, tell me.” Qianlong asked quickly after hearing this.
“Your Majesty cares about the world and works hard for state affairs. Building gardens for your entertainment also benefits the Qing Dynasty and the people.
Therefore, every citizen of the Qing Dynasty should contribute his or her heart. I suggest that we raise money nationwide to build gardens. I took the lead and pledged five thousand taels. "He Shen said immediately.
“Good work, Mr. He!”
“This is absolutely true, Mr. He!”
“Master He is indeed loyal and patriotic!”
As soon as Heshen said something, all the officials immediately echoed in unison and loudly echoed.
“Your Majesty, I do not agree with Master He’s proposal. Although Master He said it was a donation, when the decree is passed down to the lower level, it is very likely to be misinterpreted as an apportionment.
?The officials below used clever names to collect all kinds of exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and the people of Li were already unbearable. Now coupled with the gardening fees, the people have become even more burdened, making it difficult to support them. Xiang Nan said immediately.
"Lord Ji, the emperor is the emperor of the world. The emperor is concerned about state affairs and takes care of all kinds of things every day, which is very hard. We, the people of the Qing Dynasty, can''t donate even a little money for the emperor?"
?If they are not even willing to pay this amount of money, how can they be considered loyal and patriotic? "He Shen retorted.
"Your Majesty, you are really good at criticizing me. In that case, Your Majesty, I suggest that all officials in the Qing Dynasty donate all their property to the Emperor to build the garden." Xiang Nan bowed and said, "Eating the emperor''s salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor. Officials'' The family property comes from the emperor, so it should be dedicated to the emperor to relieve the emperor''s worries. If you don''t donate it, it would be unfaithful and unfilial.
Him, I took the lead and donated all my family property. The emperor can send the imperial guards to the minister''s house today to search the house. "
Xiang Nan''s words immediately made all the officials excited.
Xiang Nan is an upright official and has little family property. Unlike them, they all hugged each other a lot. They are reluctant to give up their family property.
Besides, there are only six people in the thatched cottage, so we are frugal and spend only thirty or forty taels of silver a year.
But all of them have big families and big businesses, ranging from dozens to hundreds of people. If all the family property is donated, will everyone in this big family drink the northwest wind?
"That''s enough, Ji Xiaolan, stop messing around." Qianlong shouted decisively. No matter how much he wanted to build a garden, he couldn''t build it by copying hundreds of officials'' homes. Otherwise, no one would dare to be an official. Who does he, the emperor, rely on to govern the world? Who else is willing to listen to what he says?
“Let’s talk about repairing the garden before we leave the court!” Qianlong immediately waved his hand.
…
"Ji Xiaolan, you are presumptuous, you deceive the emperor, and you have no regard for the emperor. What''s wrong with the emperor''s gardening? Are you so obstructive? It''s not your money spent?" He Shen argued.
"My lord, the world is so big. Where can there be no disasters or difficulties? The treasury only has so little money and doesn''t leave much to deal with disasters. What will happen 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, you can pay for it yourself. You and the adults have to donate all their property. I''m afraid it''s enough to build ten summer estates. "
“You’re talking nonsense!” He Shen was startled and quickly denied it.
(End of this chapter)