Pushing Forward Step by Step

"The gifts given to Dongfang Shuo include five 300-year-old ginseng roots, tongxin grass, astragalus, cinnabar, bear bile, gallnut, raspberry, and arisaema, in varying quantities?"

The Weiyang Palace, where the new emperor resided, did not oversee the overall affairs of the court, but this did not mean that the new emperor was unaware of the arrangements made at the Palace of Peace and Happiness.

Knowing that Palace of Peace and Happiness had bestowed medicinal herbs upon him, the new emperor felt uneasy about visiting Zhang Xuezhou's residence.

Someone saved my life, and we agreed on what kind of reward I wanted, but they broke their promise.

One is the breaking of the rule that "a ruler's word is law," and the other is the realization that "an emperor's life is cheap."

The new emperor not only broke his promise, but his life was also only worth five ginseng roots that were three hundred years old.

The rewards given by Palace of Peace and Happiness were quite standard; the high-grade medicines that weren't particularly valuable in recent years could be requisitioned from the Imperial Medical Hall.

If it's just a matter of this level of tipping, the new emperor can handle it himself; there's no need for Palace of Peace and Happiness to get involved.

His gaze darkened slightly as he listened to the reports from the young eunuchs, then he looked at Sima Xiangru had come to apologize early that morning.

What did Xiangru think about this matter?

The new emperor waved for the young eunuch to take his leave, then looked at Sima Xiangru.

Sima Xiangru's time in the Weiyang Palace was not very long. The other party had to wait for the court meeting to end, then hand over the token, and then wait for it to be passed to the new emperor for summons. This process took a very long time.

Even so, Sima Xiangru stood in the palace for an hour.

During this hour, the new emperor recounted in bits and pieces what he had heard from Zhang Xuezhou.

The new emperor had a good memory, but he couldn't remember so much about social structures and currency wars. His narration was extremely fragmented, and he could only explain the important parts that he needed.

Even so, Sima Xiangru's forehead was constantly covered in a light sweat.

When the new emperor is in a good mood, he will ask questions day and night. Last night, when I visited his residence, he must have been asking him these kinds of macro-level policy questions.

But Sima Xiangru couldn't explain it clearly in a short time.

If his works such as "Rhapsody of Zixu" and "Rhapsody of the Shanglin Park" represent a general category, the new emperor's works have become much more detailed.

It's easy to talk about such macro-level concepts, but very difficult to put them into practice.

Sima Xiangru searched for a long time but couldn't find a truly practical solution, so he didn't dare to speak or give a casual answer.

"Sang Yang, what do you think?"

The topic of currency involves the economy, and the new emperor summoned Sang Hongyang to hear about it.

"Your Majesty is right," Sang Hongyang pondered. "Currency unification was something the previous Emperor Qin had already done. He abolished the currencies of pearls, jade, tortoise shells, silver, and tin used by the states of Yan, Zhao, Qi, Han, Wei, and Chu, allowing for the smooth flow of goods within Qin's territory, with unprecedented and enormous impact."

"And then?" the new emperor asked.

"But the destruction caused by this currency was equally enormous," Sang Hongyang pointed out. "Countless wealthy merchants Wuyou overnight, laying an indelible foundation for the downfall of the Qin Dynasty!"

"Are you saying that my decision to implement monetary policies will inevitably sow the seeds of disaster?" the new emperor asked.

"I wouldn't dare!"

Sang Hongyang immediately lowered his head.

Theory and practical application are two different things; a correct theory does not mean it will work in reality.

The Luoyang merchant group travels far and wide and possesses an extremely complex currency system. Just thinking about how his Lineage would lose countless riches under such a currency reform made Sang Hongyang tremble, as he felt there would be many opponents.

Even Sang Hongyang was opposing this unification of currency at that time.

"Things need to be done step by step. Your Majesty can try things out first, instead of pushing it all the way through at once," Sima Xiangru, raising his head. "Everything needs a gradual process; without this process, trouble is bound to ensue."

"Step by step?"

The new emperor nodded thoughtfully.

Sima Xiangru someone who knew a little about everything and could chime in on anything.

The other party was extremely quick-witted and was also valued by the new emperor.

Sima Xiangru didn't recommend it, or he suggested that it was feasible with caution.

The other party suggested taking it step by step, making initial attempts to see the results, which greatly pleased the new emperor.

"Your Majesty can proceed first in Chang'an City," Sang Hongyang said. "If it works in Chang'an City, then we can extend it to other counties!"

"Feasible!"

The new emperor nodded.

Only now did he finally see a glimmer of support, and he understood why Zhang Xuezhou was all talk and no action, insisting that he be the one to summarize.

This is indeed not an easy task, even for an emperor like him, it requires pushing things forward step by step.

This process will inevitably be fraught with various pain points and difficulties.

"I have heard that corruption is rampant in the Northern Border Military Region, to the point that it has become a top-down rule, completely disregarding imperial decrees. What do you suggest we do about this?"

The questions the new emperor used to test Zhang Xuezhou, he would use to test others as well, and he wouldn't fixate on the answers provided by just one person.

"Investigate!" Sang Hongyang whispered.

"Verifiable!"

Sima Xiangru agreement.

"Who will investigate?" the new emperor asked.

Sang Hongyang and Sima Xiangru's answers were too simplistic, so the new emperor pressed for further questions.

"The Imperial Censor oversees all officials in the realm, so this matter should naturally be investigated by the Imperial Zhuang Qingdi," Sima Xiangru.

"What if he arrests and kills a few corrupt generals, but the corruption in the Northern Border is not eradicated?" the new emperor asked.

"Investigate again, interrogate again, then execute again!"

Sima Xiangru's response began to fall into a hushed tone.

He belatedly realized that the question the new emperor had posed was a death trap. If he hadn't been blind at the time, and if the court had started arguing about this matter, Zhuang Qingdi would have definitely assigned him to inspect the Northern Border, and had almost delegated the task to Sima Xiangru.

Kill a few, then kill a few more; as the killing continues, trouble will inevitably follow.

The Northern Border Military Region will not rebel against the imperial court, but it would not be difficult to kill Sima Xiangru or drag Sima Xiangru them. And if the imperial court sends someone to do so, the result will be the same.

He suddenly recalled the new emperor's previous account of social development and social structures, which also included topics such as currency wars.

Only then did Sima Xiangru realize that someone had already perfectly answered the new emperor's question.

This perfection doesn't mean the other party solved the new emperor's problem, but rather that the other party perfectly absolved themselves of responsibility and completed the new emperor's strategic questioning.

"Your Majesty must already know the answer, right?"

Sima Xiangru hesitated for a moment before asking the question.

"Um!"

The new emperor snorted and nodded.

Sang Hongyang was unaware of the intricacies involved, Sima Xiangru only realized it belatedly.

The Northern Border Military Region has serious problems, and an investigation is inevitable.

However, few civil officials dared to travel thousands of miles to reorganize the Northern Border Military Region. Even if Zhuang Qingdi were to handle it, it would only be a formality, and catching a few scapegoats would be considered an explanation. It would be very difficult to do it properly.

After some thought, the new emperor couldn't help but think of Anguo, who had been recommended by Tian Fen, Zhang Xuezhou, and others.

"Practice Ironclad Techniques, and you'll be able to withstand beatings and stay alive!"

The new emperor couldn't help but read Zhang Xuezhou's recommendation aloud. He felt that Anguo, someone skilled at self-preservation, was the perfect candidate to handle matters in the Northern Border.

If the other party can handle the situation to his satisfaction, he will definitely give them an important position in the future.