Chapter 644: Gift List

Editor: Atlas Studios

Liu Dahei rushed to marry Jinhua before the New Year, and the Miao stockade’s New Year’s gifts for the Emperor also arrived in the capital before the New Year’s Eve.

When Qi Xiuyuan received the gift list, he finally understood why the officials of the Ministry of Rites looked constipated. It was because the Miao stockade had given him all the local specialties of Qiannan.

However, the local specialties that were presented to the Emperor were not ordinary local specialties. For example, the yams that the Yong Prefecture offered as tribute every year, which was certainly a different type of yam from the ones normal farming families ate.

After it was steamed and simply dipped in a little bit of white sugar, it could be said to be a great delicacy. Every year, Yongzhou would send a batch of such yams to the capital. Of so many nobles in the capital, other than the Emperor, only Minister Qin could receive such yams back then. If other officials wanted to eat them, they had to rely on Emperor Jingyan to reward them with it.

Having such “local specialties” was a great blessing for local officials. As long as there were no major problems during their tenure, as long as a certain quantity of “local specialties” entered the capital every year as tribute, it would not be a problem for them to be promoted and prosper.

However, it was a nightmare for the local people.

It would be fine if this thing was easy to plant, but if it was not. In order to ensure quality and production, officials would force the commoners to plant it. However, the harvest would be taken away for a low price and used as tools for officials to rise in rank and become rich.

As a result, the commoners could not plant grains, and the income from planting “tributes” was far from enough to support their families. Therefore, the offering of “local specialties” as tributes usually meant that the local government was beginning to show signs of decay.

Two days ago, when they received a delivery from Qiannan saying that the Miao stockade in Qiannan had presented a batch of local “specialties”, the courtiers were shocked. Then, they sighed and felt that Qi Haoran had acted quickly after arriving in Qiannan. In such a short time, he had managed to become buddies with the Miao stockade and make them respectfully send over tributes.

But at the same time, many people were worried.

As the Qi dynasty was newly established, it wasn’t yet time to collect these tribute items. However, no one knew whether this would disrupt the livelihood of the people in Qiannan. Since Qiannan was under the jurisdiction of Qi Haoran, no one dared to voice objections openly at court. Those who understood the situation could only sigh, “Time is not on our side,” and then they began to worry, hoping that other regions would not follow suit.

On the other hand, some people rubbed their fists and palms, eager to go all out to please the Emperor. They began to mull over which areas had “local specialties” that could be presented to ingratiate themselves with him.

However, Qi Xiuyuan knew that his younger brother was not the kind of person to do such a thing. He suspected that Fan Zijin was the mastermind, but he also felt that a smart guy like him shouldn’t have made such a mistake. Because he didn’t know the details, he could only wait and see.

When he received the gift list from Qiannan and his brother’s letter today, Qi Xiuyuan realized that it was his sister-in-law’s doing.

The “local specialties” sent over were bonafide local specialties that could be bought for a few copper coins on Qiannan Street and existed in abundance.

Upon learning the truth, Qi Xiuyuan laughed heartily and declared loudly, “I’m happy with these local specialties.”

The officials from the Ministry of Rites pursed their lips. The items were sent by Prince Rong, after all. Even if it was a pile of sh*t, the Emperor would probably be happy with it.

Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand to send the officials from the Ministry of Rites away and asked someone to call Rong Xuan and Yan Du over.

Not long after Qi Xiuyuan ascended the throne, he restored the good name of Grand Tutor Yan of the previous dynasty and removed the infamy related to him. Qi Xiuyuan said that in times of crisis, a man like Grand Tutor Yan who dared to serve the country at the risk of bearing infamy was worthy of respect. As such, he was given the posthumous title “Literary Integrity.”

Ancient and contemporary people believe that ‘Literary Integrity’ is the ultimate posthumous honor, beyond comparison. ‘Literary’ signifies extensive moral knowledge, while ‘Integrity’ represents securing one’s duties with integrity, embodying the pinnacle of scholarly virtue. Since the Tang dynasty, ‘Literary Integrity’ has been the most exalted posthumous title for a minister, one not bestowed lightly by the Emperor.

In the 238 years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there had been countless civil servants and generals. Yet, only five of them could obtain the posthumous title of “Literary Integrity”. Three of them were conferred by Emperor Shizong and could be considered founding ministers. The other two were also capable ministers in governance.

As for Grand Tutor Yan, a minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was conferred a title in the Great Qi Dynasty. He was also the first minister of the Great Qi Dynasty to be conferred the posthumous title “Literary Integrity”. All the ministers with the posthumous title of “Literary Integrity” were highly respected and their names went down in history as famous ministers.

The fact that the Emperor had given Grand Tutor Yan a posthumous title could be considered to have ended the controversy that the scholars and the commoners had about him. It could also be considered to be an approval of the peace talks that Grand Tutor Yan had proposed in the previous dynasty.

After receiving the imperial edict, Yan Du came out of the Yan residence for the first time. He knelt at the door and cried bitterly. Then, he took his son, Yan Fu, and knelt at the palace gates, pleading for reinstatement.

This event became the basis for the famous theatrical play known as “Father and Son Kneeling at the Palace Gates to Repay the Emperor’s Grace”.

Qi Xiuyuan was in need of talent at the moment, and Yan Du and Yan Fu were no doubt talented individuals with excellent morals. Because he had conferred a posthumous title to Grand Tutor Yan, it solidified their loyalty towards him. Although Rong Xuan was capable, his actions were always restrained due to his lack of prestige. Qi Xiuyuan simply appointed Yan Du as the right minister and let him work alongside Rong Xuan.

Rong Xuan admired the Yan family’s style to begin with, and Yan Du was loyal to Qi Xiuyuan. Hence, it took the two of them only half a month of working together before they got used to each other and cooperated well.

The two of them came together, not understanding why the Emperor was looking for them at this time.

Beaming, Qi Xiuyuan handed Qiannan’s gift list to the two of them. He asked, “What do you think of this gift list?”

Yan Du was about to persuade Qi Xiuyuan to put an end to the trend of receiving “local specialties” tributes when he saw the items on the gift list. After getting over his shock, he asked, “Could it be that the pork used in this cured pork is exceptionally precious?”

With a laugh, Qi Xiuyuan said, “Minister Yan, look at the price at the back.”

When Yan Du saw the price label of “12 copper coins per catty” of the Liver Tonic Herb, he was speechless. After deliberating for a moment, he said, “His Majesty, I’m afraid that the court officials will attack the Miao stockade and Prince Rong tomorrow. After all, this gift…”

Rong Xuan had already thought of Qi Xiuyuan’s intentions. Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan was looking at him with a smile, he cupped his hands and said, “Our people are blessed to have such a benevolent ruler as Your Majesty.”

Yan Du jolted back to his senses and his eyes lit up. “Your Majesty wants to take the opportunity to abolish the system of ‘local specialties’ and return the freedom of choosing what to plant to the commoners?”

Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly and sighed. “Not long ago, Yong Prefecture, Chaozhou, Fuzhou, and other regions sent local specialties. As it was a tradition, I didn’t pay attention to them. If Qiannan hadn’t sent these things this time, I wouldn’t have thought of this. Before I ascended the throne, I’d also heard that the ‘local specialties’ that were respectfully offered as tribute to the palace sometimes deployed the resources of an entire county or even a prefecture. Not to mention that Great Qi is recuperating now, even in its prime, they shouldn’t be so extravagant. Qiannan’s gift list came at the right time. Why don’t the two ministers go back and write a charter to abolish all those malpractices?”

Rong Xuan and Yan Du looked at each other and replied in unison.

Qi Xiuyuan looked at the gift list again and knocked on the table. Then, he picked up the letter and read it again. He couldn’t help but laugh.

When he walked into the Palace of Earthly Tranquility with the letter, it was bustling with activity, and laughter came from inside. Qi Xiuyuan stopped the emissary from reporting and walked in. He saw his son running around in a blue Miao costume, even punching into the air from time to time, making Li Jinghua laugh non-stop.

It was rare for Qi Xiuyuan to see his son so lively, so he asked with a smile, “What’s making you so happy?”

Only then did everyone see the Emperor and bow. Qi Xiuyuan waved his hand, but Little Treasure ran over and hugged his father’s leg. He looked up and said, “Father, I’m learning boxing from my younger brother. Do you think I did it like him?”

“Oh? Father didn’t see it clearly just now. Punch again and let me see.”

Qi Xiuyuan sat on the couch and watched him with a smile.

Little Treasure started to hum as he punched into the air. Looking at his far-from-perfect actions, Qi Xiuyuan laughed. “You’re definitely not as good at boxing as your brother. Your uncle wrote that he can shatter a table with one punch now.”

Little Treasure’s mouth fell open.

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