Chapter 1 August 15th

The full moon on the fifteenth of August was as round as a copper coin, its edges as white as ice shavings, the center a shade or two darker, resembling the translucent glow of a lamp, stirring contemplation.

The Yue Platform was still shrouded in smoke and mist. Most of the city's residents had returned home, but many villagers from outside the city continued to come and go. Moreover, the area was brightly lit, the moon was full, and monks and Taoists were taking turns performing rituals.

At the same time, within the central tent of the Yue Platform camp, a wave of heat surged, creating a world of its own.

Zhao, the official, who had been provoked by the words "shared wealth between rich and poor" and thrown his script away, had left the central tent early to admire the moon outside. However, the chief councilors and grand scholars of the Secretarial Pavilion remained behind to "discuss" a so-called comprehensive plan with the meritorious officials, monks, Taoists, and wealthy merchants of the Outer Pavilion.

Although it was called a discussion, the Outer Pavilion only had the "right to advise" but no "right to veto." The two sides were not on equal footing.

After all, the merchants were originally timid and seemed to have no right to speak. The Taoists, due to the Song emperors' reverence for Taoism, had basically chosen the upper-class route, which made the truly great Taoist temples like the Five Sacred Mountains Temple, the Dongxiao Palace, and the Mingdao Palace completely imperial property, and they could not possibly have any extra say. As for the meritorious officials, the core members of the imperial clan had been exiled to Nanyang, and the remaining people were clearly led by the two imperial fathers-in-law… In fact, this was also the reason why Zhao Jiu had previously focused on dealing with the monks.

The monks of the Song Dynasty were not only more professionally skilled in religion than the Taoists, but they were also better at reaching the lower levels of society. Their financial acumen was a generation ahead of the Taoists and landlords… Historically, the Shaolin Temple, the Great Xiangguo Temple, and the Lingjiu Temple were all recognized giants in the financial industry. The Southern Shaolin Temple, which was too far away to attend, was simply a financial pioneer in the maritime trade credit business this year.

As the saying goes, the front yard receptionist was the hall manager and counter operator, the Sutra Repository was responsible for accounting and auditing, the Arhat Hall was responsible for security and armed escort, the Discipline Institute was in charge of personnel management, and the Dharma Hall was the board of directors.

It can only be said that with such a small land area and a population of 120 million, apart from the productivity problems caused by the limitations of scientific and technological development, everything else that could be done had already been done.

In fact, it was precisely because of this that Zhao Jiu had always been apprehensive about the core issues of internal affairs. He always felt that he was just an ordinary college student with no experience, and that imperial power was so great that once he intervened arbitrarily, the result would be the bankruptcy of millions of families with a single word from the emperor.

Of course, he was also apprehensive about military affairs and personnel matters. That was his character. He was usually quite patient and tactful, and he was open to suggestions and willing to compromise. However, once he was pushed too far, he would often take drastic measures.

This was a flaw in his character, but it was also a strength, because for better or worse, he was who he was. Presumably, the chief councilors, ministers, and generals had all become accustomed to it.

"Your Majesty."

The chief councilors emerged from the hall and came to the open space of the military camp to see Zhao, the official. Seeing that the official was lost in thought while gazing at the moon under Yang Yizhong's protection, it was still Lü Haowen who spoke up. This public minister, whose family had believed in Buddhism for generations, was particularly concerned about this matter, perhaps because it involved the Buddhist community. "A general plan has been drawn up…"

Zhao Jiu, who had been gazing at the moon with his hands behind his back, turned around without saying a word.

"Overall, it is not much different from what was discussed before." Lü Haowen quickly stepped forward and reported in general terms. "Retired soldiers of the Imperial Guard and family members of the loyal martyrs will enjoy extremely low-interest Evergreen Seed Loan quotas; all major temples in the Central Plains under control, like the Taoist temples, must have their abbots approved by the imperial court, and of course, the imperial court can also directly appoint and remove them; the abbots and masters of each temple and Taoist temple, the designated major merchants and major meritorious landlords, must bear joint and several legal responsibility and accept the imperial court's accounting checks; the right to purchase 'barren land' by temples and Taoist temples will be abolished, as will the old right of temples and Taoist temples to be exempt from personal service taxes (i.e., head tax; monks in the Song Dynasty were exempt from head tax, but had to pay land tax and labor service fees)… This will last for one year. If things go well, it will be promoted to the south."

As he listened, Zhao Jiu suddenly sighed: "These people are probably muttering to themselves right now, saying that I talk about the poor, but I'm just relying on my soldiers to plunder them. They're only agreeing now because they're at my mercy, but in their hearts, they must be a million times unconvinced, and who knows when they'll cause trouble for me."

"Not necessarily." Lü Haowen shook his head in response. "The heavens are great, the earth is great, but the imperial family is the greatest. For more than a hundred years, the Taoist temples in the world have almost become the imperial family's ancestral temples. At the beginning of the Jianyan era, the imperial court openly demanded that Taoist temples everywhere contribute floating wealth to the government. Dare I ask, what does the sangha count for? If there really are monks who are not convinced, or who rely on the strength of the southern Buddhist community to bully the north and come to the Central Plains temples to speak up, I, who am somewhat familiar with Buddhist stories, will naturally take over for Your Majesty…"

"The Buddhist community is just a tool." Zhao Jiu also shook his head repeatedly. "The key is high-interest loans. Since ancient times, rent and interest have been the two major obstacles to the survival of the poor. The essence of today's matter lies in restarting the Evergreen Seed Law in the Central Plains by people outside the government, reducing interest rates on the one hand and extracting wealth on the other. It's not really aimed at any Buddhist community… Whoever wants to argue can argue, whoever is unconvinced can be unconvinced. As long as they don't incite rebellion, I'm too lazy to bother with them. Prime Minister Lü had better not bother with them either."

"If Your Majesty doesn't want to bother with them, then naturally I won't bother with them. But I have many familiar monks here who are now sitting in the south. If they really come to find me, I really can't push them away…" Lü Haowen smiled bitterly for a moment, but then hesitated. "However, this is not the crucial matter I wanted to talk about."

"What does Prime Minister Lü mean?" Zhao Jiu frowned slightly when he saw this. "Are you still disagreeing with my idea of using martial arts students to supervise and audit the Evergreen Seed Loans? I said long ago that there is no room for compromise on this matter."

"Your Majesty." Lü Haowen faced him solemnly under the moonlight. "I have thought about this matter, and what Your Majesty said is indeed reasonable. The Central Plains has experienced war, and many refugees from Hebei and retired and injured Imperial Guard soldiers have been resettled. To ensure that the lenders cannot deceive these people, it is best to have people with connections to the army do it… But there is one thing I must say."

"Please speak, Prime Minister."

"That is, the person in charge must be selected from among the proper civil officials. Your Majesty can directly control and interfere, but he must be formally placed under the Ministry of Revenue. In particular, Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan must not be allowed to touch this matter. This is because the Martial Academy is located in the Yanfu Palace, and the martial arts students were originally suspected of being subordinates of Yang and Liu when they were studying. Allowing them to manage it would undoubtedly add wealth to the Imperial Guards, and I fear that it would lead to the disaster of the Shence Army in the Tang Dynasty." Lü Haowen said solemnly, drawing glances from the other chief councilors behind him. Yang Yizhong was even more embarrassed and could only lower his head and pretend not to hear. "In other words, we can imitate the example of the Dibao (official gazette), but we should not imitate the examples of the Imperial City Division and secret memorials."

"What about Recorder Yu Yunwen?" Zhao Jiu sighed and also faced him solemnly. "Attach a Military Statistics Department under the Ministry of Revenue and let him be the first Military Statistics Department Secretary."

"Who exactly to use is naturally a matter for Your Majesty and the Department of State Affairs. I should not say much." Lü Haowen said earnestly.

Zhao Jiu slowly nodded.

After pondering for a moment, Prime Minister Lü continued: "There is also a small matter. I think Your Majesty is verbally unconcerned about the Buddhist community, but in reality, you are being overly cautious, even counterproductive… In the past, it was difficult for the sangha to even come into contact with the Son of Heaven, but Your Majesty has personally visited the Great Xiangguo Temple and the Shaolin Temple many times, and has also sent the Supreme Taoist Emperor to the Shaolin Temple for resettlement, and has also appointed Fahe as the abbot of the Shaolin Temple. Today, when restarting the Evergreen Seed Law, you are also starting with the Shaolin Temple, which instead seems to be involuntarily elevating the Buddhist community."

Zhao Jiu thought about it for a moment and was incredulous: "Does Prime Minister Lü mean that I'm slapping the monks in the face, but I'm actually praising them?"

Lü Haowen nodded repeatedly, but then slowly shook his head.

Zhao Jiu was speechless for a moment.

"That is indeed what I mean." Lü Haowen said with a bitter smile. "I am not learning from the monks to play with words, but I feel again that Your Majesty is willing to reason like this, whether it is with the monks or with the chief councilors, it is always a good thing for the whole world… Compared to this, Your Majesty asking the monks of the Chan sect to endorse the bodhisattvas of the Tantric sect, and treating the arhats, whom the Mahayana Buddhism despises, as a favor to Abbot Fahe, is really an insignificant matter."

At this point, Zhao Jiu could not help but laugh: "So, the worst and most unreasonable person in the world is actually the emperor?"

Unexpectedly, amidst the surprised gazes of the other four chief councilors behind him, Lü Haowen actually nodded slightly: "That is what I mean, and I hope that Your Majesty can continue to do so in the future, and strive to use virtue to restrain him."

"I understand." Zhao Jiu nodded, and then slowly asked in the silence of the chief councilors. "Does Prime Minister Lü have anything else to say?"

"Yes." Lü Haowen replied with his hands folded under the moonlight. "Lü Yihao, the strategist Lü, acts fiercely and cannot be a prime minister, but he is a good knife for practical work. While he is still in the southeast and healthy, if the *New Evergreen Seed Law* here in the Central Plains is implemented smoothly, he can be allowed to implement it in the southeast a little earlier…"

"I understand." Zhao Jiu smiled softly, as if he had thought of something.

"And the *Market Exchange Law*, although it has the same drawbacks as the *Evergreen Seed Law*, both being the exploitation of officials for profit, the *New Evergreen Seed Law* is feasible, but it cannot be said that the *New Market Exchange Law* is feasible… Your Majesty must be cautious."

"Understood, anything else?"

"Also, I wish to resign from the position of Co-ordinator of Military Affairs and Chief of the Secretarial Pavilion." Lü Haowen continued to speak slowly, and the surrounding people did not show too much surprise.

"Why?" Zhao Jiu obviously did not look too surprised either.

"I am nearly seventy years old, my body is weakening day by day, my energy is weakening day by day, and my mind is becoming more and more confused. I have also experienced the old events of the prosperous and abundant Yu Da era, and I have personally witnessed Cai Jing holding the position of public minister at the age of seventy and fighting for power and profit with the various traitors. I have become wary in my heart and do not want to wield power and be the target of the world's attention, this is one reason…"

Hearing this, Zhao Ding instinctively wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not open his mouth.

"I first received the position of Public Minister, then I was added to the position of Secretarial Pavilion, and now I have been added to the position of Public Pavilion. In addition, I am studying Original Learning, and the affairs are complicated, which will only deplete my energy and prevent me from studying them carefully. I want to leave the Secretarial Pavilion and the Public Minister, only serve as the Chief of the Public Pavilion for one year, and then carefully study Original Learning, this is the second reason." Lü Haowen continued to speak earnestly. "Also, my eldest son, Lü Benzhong, is already forty-eight years old this year, and the other sons have also come of age early, but because of me, they have not been able to take office for a long time. As a father, I also have the heart of a loving parent and do not want to hinder their careers… This is the third reason."

Zhao Jiu finally nodded slowly.

"Back then, when I was appointed as Prime Minister at the Mingdao Palace, my colleagues, such as Li Boji (Li Gang), had been dismissed for several years, and Huang Qianshan had ended up in such a result. The two Zong and Wang died for the country, Zhang, the Prime Minister (Zhang Que), died of illness on the way, and Prime Minister Xu retired urgently. Even Yuwen, the Prime Minister (Yuwen Xuzhong), and Lü, the Strategist (Lü Yihao), who later ascended to the position of Prime Minister, are now only governing in the localities and have actually lost their power as chief councilors… In fact, I had long intended to retire, but because of the entrusted matters of Your Majesty in Yiyou Gate, I had to postpone it slightly." Lü Haowen became more and more fluent as he spoke. "But now the negotiations have ended, the two emperors have been settled, the pacifying officials in the court have left, the puppet Qi has been destroyed, and the country is actually stable. Today's grand ceremony is also to mark the shift in the balance of power between the Song and Jin dynasties. The time and the situation are right, and I really should not stay any longer… This is the fourth reason!"

"Before Prime Minister Xu left that day, he specifically said that Lü Yihao could not be used and that Lü Qing's keeping the position of Public Minister was safe." These words were a bit heavy, so Zhao Jiu quickly smiled and said, "Who would have thought that Qing would leave today using his retirement as a reason? I don't know how I should respond to his questioning in the future?"

When the people heard Zhao Jiu change his address, they all understood in their hearts.

"That was because Prime Minister Xu was afraid that Your Majesty would disregard the people's livelihood and be hastily instigated by Lü, the Strategist, to launch a northern expedition… But now it seems that Your Majesty is prudent and knowledgeable about politics, and is not at all what he thought." Lü Haowen said indifferently. "Moreover, he left without saying goodbye and spends his days fishing in Wenzhou, leaving me here in the lurch. Why should I bother to respond to him?"

When Zhao Jiu heard this, he was about to nod, and the chief councilors were also preparing to heap praise on Prime Minister Lü.

"Your Majesty is willing to reason, and I should also be frank… There is also a fifth reason." However, Lü Haowen hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he made his words clear. "I have received great kindness from Your Majesty, and thus have this encounter between monarch and minister. But in the past, in times of chaos, I also received the kindness of the Supreme Yuan Sheng Emperor. Before, for public affairs, I sent the Yuan Sheng Emperor to reside in the Dongxiao Palace in Shaoxing. Naturally, I was free of guilt in my heart, but in my private heart, I was still somewhat uneasy… I know Your Majesty's intentions, but I still hope that Your Majesty can treat the Yuan Sheng Emperor a little kindly."

Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help but sneer: "If that's the case, Qing might as well take good care of yourself and study Original Learning more in Tokyo City. The better your health is, the greater your ability is, the more I will listen to you… Don't say I didn't warn you."

Lü Haowen sighed.

At this time, Zhao Ding, who had been cautiously silent for a long time, couldn't help but look at Zhang Jun. The latter understood that the former was not in a position to come forward at this time, so he stepped forward and said with a smile, cupping his hands: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lü and Your Majesty have been in harmony as monarch and minister for four or five years and have accomplished great things. Today, when he resigns, does Your Majesty not have a good poem or essay to give him? I still remember that last month, when Commander Yue took his leave, Your Majesty encouraged him with 'Three hundred and sixty days a year, mostly spent crossing spears on horseback,' which can be called simple and wondrous…"

Zhao Jiu also smiled, but pointed to the sky with his finger: "Is Deyuan confused? Why would I make any new poems or lyrics today? Even old poems and lyrics only have one masterpiece."

Below Lü Haowen, the chief councilors, together with Yang Yizhong, were each stunned, but they almost all realized it when they looked up.

The lyrics said:

When will the moon be clear?
With a cup of wine, I ask the blue sky.
I do not know what season it would be tonight
In the palaces on high.
I want to fly home,
Only I fear the crystal towers and jade halls
Are too cold for me on high!
I rise and dance, with my shadow I play.
Better so than to be idle here!
Rounding the red pavilion,
Stooping to look through gauze windows,
She shines on the sleepless.
The moon should not have hatred.
Why does she shine full only at times of parting?
People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion;
The moon is dim or bright, waxes and wanes—
This imperfection has always been.
May we all be blessed with longevity,
Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.