The family studies in the Hou Mansion stopped suddenly. There was still class on the first day, but the next day we were notified that classes would be suspended. Master Du watched in confusion as the children were taken home by their parents. He ran to the elder to ask for instructions, and the elder told him not to panic. The suspension of the clan school was only temporary and would resume next year. Let him study at home with peace of mind and take care of his studies. Master Du is still confused, why is this? The elder kindly reminded him, "Don't go outside if you have nothing to do recently. Just stay around the Marquis Mansion to keep safe. Please tell Chen Guanlou not to collect antiques, calligraphy and paintings recently. I have been cultivating myself recently. We will wait until the New Year starts." ” Master Du returned home full of questions. Arrange for the old servant to buy wine and vegetables, and notify Chen Guanlou to come over for dinner in the evening. Chen Guan got off work downstairs, changed into regular clothes, and then rushed to Du Fuzi's house. We haven’t seen each other for a while, so I can’t help but talk about my family life. "The eldest master suddenly ordered the clan school to be suspended, and I don't know when it will resume. It was said to be next year, but when will it be next year? Although I was given a license to repair, I don't want to teach but only get money, so I don't feel at ease."
"What's the point of not being practical?" Chen Guanlou drank wine, "If you can take the money and do your knowledge with peace of mind, don't think about it." Master Du was very puzzled, "Tell me why the eldest master suddenly stopped studying the clan. I also heard that the eldest master issued a ban on the Hou Mansion, and he was not allowed to go out for anything. Even the year-end banquets were cancelled. The second room was very unhappy. When the old lady got into trouble, the elder still insisted on his opinion and never let go. " Chen Guanlou put down his wine glass, pursed his lips and said, "Maybe I really know the reason for this." "You know?" Du Fuzi was so surprised that he looked inexplicably surprised. "I'm just making a guess, I'm not sure it's correct." Chen Guanlou said. Du Fuzi said eagerly: "Quick, quick, I can't wait. No matter whether it's right or not, there is always an idea. If I don't figure out the reason, my head is about to explode." After that, he slapped his head a few times. , obviously this problem has been bothering him. Chen Guanlou organized his words and then said: "A few days ago, the imperial prison was robbed, as you know." "I know!" "The Heavenly Prison was also robbed at that time. But that's not the point. The point is that the imperial prison was robbed. I heard that the last time the imperial prison was robbed by thieves was fifty years ago. Calculating the time, it would have been in the late period of the late emperor. At the height of the battle for the heir apparent, the old emperor lost his temper and issued an order to kill anyone who was involved with the bandit, regardless of his status. , all the religious bandits will be caught, no matter how big or small, they will all be of the Yi tribe." "What does this have to do with the lord's ban?" Du Fuzi still didn't understand. Chen Guanlou suddenly lowered his voice, "I heard that many people have died in the palace recently, especially Taiji Palace." Master Du's eyes widened and he was doubtful, "Where did you get the news? Is it accurate?" Chen Guanlou told him quietly, "I am a jailer, and I have contacts with all three religions and nine schools in the capital. The news came from the mortuary in the imperial city. They are responsible for handling the corpses in the palace. Do you think this source of information is accurate?" Du Fuzi looked confused and patted his head, "You have said so much. Upon hearing it, these two things seem to have nothing to do with each other. But they both involve one person, and that is the old emperor. The old emperor will be imprisoned because of this. Being robbed and getting so angry is not possible, is it? Chen Guanlou nodded, "I didn't think it would be the case at first. Not only prison robberies, but also Tianlao, there would be one or two incidents every year. I didn't see the old emperor getting angry. At most, he just verbally reprimanded the Ministry of Punishment for not doing its job properly. However, the palace The large number of dead people inside did start from the robbery of Zhao Prison. Jiang Tu's raid on Dongzhou also started from the robbery of Zhao Prison. " Chen Guanlou also thought at first that the old emperor was making a fuss out of a molehill. It was just that the imperial prison was robbed, and it would be enough to deal with the Jinyiwei gang. As for a big war? But the old emperor really went to war. There have been rumors in the grapevine that the reason why Jiang Tu raided Dongzhou was because the old emperor could not calm down his anger and wanted to use the blood of the people of Dongzhou and the nine tribes of religious bandits to quell his anger. The source of this information is uncertain, and its accuracy is uncertain, but it suddenly opened up Chen Guanlou's thinking.
If the rumors are true, then everything makes sense. For unknown reasons, the robbery of the imperial prison aroused the old emperor's anger. This anger was extremely terrifying, and anyone who touched it would die. So Jiang Tu raided Dongzhou, people died every day in Taiji Palace, there was a rumble in the court, and the Grand Master ordered the Hou Mansion to be banned. "Old Emperor, this is..." Du Fuzi subconsciously lowered his voice, looked around, and then continued: "Are you crazy?" Chen Guanlou chuckled, "He must be crazy. He has been crazy since he started cultivating Taoism to seek immortality." Master Du immediately sighed, "If things continue like this, the people will be miserable. My son wrote to say that this year the government has increased taxes and collected free money four times a year. I have never seen this in all my years. That's it. The capital is a little better, there are not so many messy taxes. " "Taxes have been increased again? Why didn't I know?" Chen Guanlou was surprised. He was in the capital and a well-informed Tianlao, but he didn't know about the imperial court's increase in taxes. "Currently, the tax increase is only in the southeast, south and north of the Yangtze River. You don't know why it is excusable. By next year, it may be extended to the whole world." "When there was a rebellion in Jinzhou, the imperial court did not raise taxes. At that time, there were officials who cared about the people and said that the people were burdened with heavy burdens and it was not appropriate to increase taxes, forcing the old emperor to pay from internal funds. Now that the rebellion has been suppressed, Instead, we started to raise taxes. Isn’t this nonsense?” Chen Guanlou didn't understand the thinking of the men in the court. "Is there anything incomprehensible about this? If the old emperor bleeds, he must make up for it. When there are rebels in Jinzhou, they cannot impose more taxes for fear of stirring up civil unrest and shaking the foundation. Now that the rebels in Jinzhou want to quell the old The emperor is naturally not afraid of stirring up local civil unrest, and will send troops to quell the chaos in the worst case." Master Du is still insightful. He has probably seen many similar tricks and is very experienced. "So, life is indeed difficult in the local area. That is to say, the capital city, under the emperor's feet, stands out." Rabbits don't eat grass near their nests. The old emperor knew this well. When exploiting the common people, they usually avoid the capital. Because of this, the old emperor still had a good reputation in the eyes of the people in the capital. Even if the people in the capital scolded him, they still scolded the officials. Few people would say that the old emperor was a coward. This unique preferential treatment for the people in the capital not only makes everyone live a good life, but it also numbs everyone's ears and eyes. Chen Guanlou is already considered a smart and well-informed person, but he has not felt the hardships of the world. Other ordinary people must be more dull and do not understand why there is so much trouble in the local area every day. One moment there was a rebellion in the east, and another there was a rebellion in the west. You can live a good life, so why do you have to rebel? It can be called the popular version: why not eat minced meat!