Da Tang Si Zi: My Six Super Rich Little Nuggets!

Chapter 231 The people praise Jing's virtue and carry the heart of the Way in Mian.

No matter how prosperous a place is, the people are still just ordinary people.

In Guangzhou, the people were deeply grateful to Qiu Rongjing and were determined to erect a monument in his honor.

This monument is not comparable to an ordinary banner from the future; it carries a weighty sentiment.

Upon hearing this, Saburo Zian pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

Xiao Si had always been curious about the salary distribution of prefectural and county officials. Now, with bright eyes, she asked, "Zi An, how exactly are the salaries of prefectural and county officials distributed?"

Sanlang Zian said unhurriedly, "The imperial court first allocates a sum of money to lend to the wealthy households in the area. These wealthy households pay interest to the imperial court according to the rules, and this interest becomes the salary of the local officials."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Si clapped his hands and exclaimed, "I understand! Now that we've entered the prosperous Tang Dynasty, unlike when the country was first established, everyone was vying to take the civil service exam, resulting in more and more officials and a corresponding increase in expenses. So the court doubled the interest rate, right?"

Sanlang Zian frowned slightly, his expression full of worry: "That's right. But with this doubling, many wealthy households can't keep up with the cash flow, and their businesses are going bankrupt one after another. The situation is worrying. When Cui Ruochong saw this, he submitted a memorial suggesting that the salaries of officials be carefully calculated and that they be increased only slightly on the basis of the people's taxes, in order to solve the immediate crisis. No more interest rates should be raised."

Xiao Si was listening intently when suddenly his eyes lit up: "Cui Ruochong? Cui Mian? Cui Kai's son?"

Sanlang Zian nodded, staring blankly at Xiaosi making an X.

The little rhinoceros grinned, showing its teeth.

"Haha, sorry, I'm getting carried away again. I've heard that Cui Mian might be the real author of 'The Humble Dwelling Inscription'! Traditional anthologies, like 'The Collected Works of Liu Mengde,' 'Selected Prose from Past Dynasties,' and 'Selected Translations of Ancient Prose,' all attribute the author of 'The Humble Dwelling Inscription' to Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty!!"

However, some scholars have discovered that "The Humble Abode Inscription" is nowhere to be found in either "The Collected Works of Liu Binke" or "The Supplementary Collection of Liu Binke," but the "New Book of Tang" records that Cui Mian "once wrote 'The Humble Abode Inscription' to express his aspirations"! There might really be a hidden meaning here; you'd better find me an opportunity to study it carefully..."

Sanlang Zian shook his head, laughed, and then nodded.

The next morning at court, Qiu Rongjing slammed his court tablet heavily on the imperial desk, startling the birds perched on the beams into flight.

Xiao Si, clutching Gao Lishi's robe, hid under the eaves. Through the carved window lattice, she watched as the morning light reddened his snow-white temples, thinking: This eunuch is indeed thoughtful, and incredibly handsome. Then, she was drawn in by Qiu Rongjing's voice—

&34;If Your Majesty allows a monument to be erected in Guangzhou, ten prefectures will follow suit tomorrow! The people erecting a monument reflects their will, while officials accepting one is driven by greed—back then, when I and Cui Kai dredged the Pearl River in Guangzhou, it was merely our duty. How could we allow the people to inscribe our merits with lapis lazuli? This would encourage the people's sycophantic mentality, which is not good! &34;

The water clock dripped, and Sanlang Zian's vermilion brush hovered over the memorial again and again: &34; Jingqing's hard work and great achievements... &34;

&34; Hard work is a subject's duty! &34; Qiu Rongjing suddenly tore open the front of Comrade Cui's official robe, revealing an old scar, &34; In the seventh year of Kaiyuan, when pirates robbed grain, Cui Kai took this knife to save the people. Was it for a monument in later generations?! &34;

Looking at the scar, Xiao Si recalled that last year she had secretly rummaged through the archives of the history museum and seen that the people of Guangzhou had wrapped a blood-stained official's robe with thirty bolts of silk, saying they wanted to enshrine it in the ancestral hall...

Outside the palace, the night wind swirled withered leaves. Gao Lishi's whisk became tangled in Xiao Si's hair tie, and she drifted off again: "Sigh, I really didn't expect that Gao, who was supposed to be a scholar-official who despised the powerful and was unrestrained, a negative example—the Gao who carried Li Bai's boots—is actually so handsome!! I guess it's more in line with the aesthetics of a little girl from the future; that skin..."

Qiu Rongjing then said: "Your Majesty, I have already drafted the 'Prohibition of Erecting Steles for Living Shrines.' Starting with me, any official who accepts a stele erected by the people during his term of office will be fined three years' salary!"

He suddenly pulled out half a piece of broken jade from his sleeve—the very item that Cui Mian carried at his waist. "Today, Cui Mian presented his father's handwritten note: 'During the Zhenguan era, officials had no monuments, yet they had umbrellas for the people! Justice resides in the hearts of the people. We must not allow the umbrella ribs to replace the monument stone, nor let the people's hearts change their nature. If everyone knows what is good, then evil is already here!'"

Sanlang realized that once good deeds are labeled, they are easily exploited by unscrupulous people!

Xiao Si thought to himself: In the future, if I see any monuments or statues erected, I should be more cautious.