In the flower hall
Xu Kai, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, has been sitting on a nanmu armchair waiting for a while. He is dressed in the official uniform of a fifth-grade blue robe. He has a face like a crown jade, thin eyebrows and a short beard under his chin. He sits upright.
Suddenly I heard footsteps coming from outside. I put down the tea cup, got up from my seat, and saw a young man wearing a python suit and a jade belt entering the flower hall.
Xu Kai put on a facelift and calmed down his expression, cupped his hands and said, "I have met Uncle Yongning before." Jia Heng nodded and said, "Master Xu said no courtesy, please take a seat quickly."
While they were talking, the two of them took their seats respectively. This was not the first time they met, they had met before in Beijing. Jia Heng looked at Xu Kai and asked in a gentle voice: "When did Xu Shitao arrive in Luoyang?"
"The official just arrived yesterday," Xu Kai said.
Jia Heng nodded and said politely: "Mr. Han Ge must have said before that Runing and Kaifeng in Henan have experienced civil commotions, and there is a shortage of officials in the two places. A wise man like Xu Shishuo has come to Henan." It is a blessing for the people of both provinces to pastor and guard the place."
Han Huang recommended Xu Kailai to take up the post in Henan, and Jia Heng readily agreed. He also had the intention of returning Han Huang's favor in helping Jia Zheng be promoted to the General Affairs Department.
Xu Kai lowered his eyes slightly to show his humility and said: "I came to Henan just to seek peace and order and to share the worries of the court. Yongning Bo is the governor of Henan's military and political affairs, but I have some missions, so I hope you will be assigned."
Even if you are a high-ranking official in the Han Dynasty, when you get to the place, you must be patient for the time being when facing the frontier officials.
Jia Heng didn't care and said, "The Runing Mansion has been experiencing civil turmoil and is in ruins waiting to be revitalized. If Shi Xu knows the affairs of the Runing Mansion, where should we start?"
The Hanlin minister in front of me has a dignified appearance, gentleness and elegance, and is not arrogant. However, this person is a good friend of Lu Li, so of course, he cannot be preconceived.
Xu Kai was originally a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, and he obviously wanted to know the affairs of the government. Otherwise, if he sent a county magistrate, Qingliu would be in an uproar.
Xu Kai's face remained normal, he thought for a moment and said: "As Yongning Bo Chen He Shishu said, the first priority in governing Henan is agriculture, and the first priority is water conservancy. If a lower-level official is governing Runing, he should start with farmland water conservancy. In the past five years, Runing has suffered from droughts and poor harvests year after year. When the disaster was severe, there were even no harvests due to drought. Runing Prefecture has eight counties and one scattered prefecture under its jurisdiction, including the Ru River. Xinyang Prefecture is also adjacent to the Huai River, which can lead to two rivers. The water of the earth irrigates the grain fields, and at the same time, the officials judge the wrongdoers in the name of punishment."
Jia Heng nodded, looked Xu Kai up and down, and said, "Master Xu came here well prepared." These are what he was doing in Henan. Xu Kai clearly put in a lot of effort before coming. . Of course, it still needs to be observed whether people are talking about people when they see them and ghosts when they see ghosts.
Xu Kaidao: "I don't dare. I just read some chronicles of various prefectures and counties in Henan before coming here. I have a clear understanding of it. I also observed Yongning Bo's actions in governing Henan. He focused on farming and discerning injustice. This means that if there is no shortage of rice and millet, the people will be safe." , If there is no merit, then there will be less resentment.”
At the end of the day, it seems that Jia Heng's governance strategy in Henan is highly praised.
"Shi Shi Xu said that since he knew that I was in charge of Yu in Henan, did he know that he was in the pavilions of various provinces, counties, and villages, rectifying the administration of officials, investigating unjust prisons, and eradicating evil gentry?" Jia Heng looked calm and asked, but his eyes fell on the opposite side. On the young side.
In the officialdom, there are mostly civil servants who are like dogs to their superiors, wolves to their subordinates, and ghosts to their peers. Just listen to his words and watch his actions.
Xu Kai pondered for a moment and said: "As far as I know, the people punished by Uncle Yongning are mostly the powerful and evil gentry who bully men, dominate women, and live in a fish and meat village."
This was Jia Heng's disguise. He used the method of punishment to punish people openly and openly, and did not suppress the rebellion in the county and township pavilions.
Jia Heng put down the tea cup, his eyes were fixed, without comment, but turned around and said: "Runing Mansion is a grain-producing land except Henan Mansion. The fields are flat, but in recent years, bandits have been infested and the crops are deserted. In front of you, Qian Yushan, the prefect of Ning, was greedy for life and afraid of death during the previous civil uprising in Runing. He betrayed and surrendered to the enemy. His official position has been assigned to the Henan Dusi. The relevant military generals will rebuild the government and security from Runing Prefecture first. The civil administration of Runing Prefecture needs to be honest and capable. Officials know the affairs of the government and care for the people's livelihood. Only in this way can we restore the old concept of longzhi. Xu Shi said that if he knew the affairs of Runing government, how many years would it take to achieve peace and order?"
Xu Kai knew that he had been recognized. He looked at the young and exaggerated face across from him and said, "Master Tai, if you give me three years, you will be able to achieve great success in Runing."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and said: "With a three-year term, the results are considerable, but this year Mr. Runing
After the chaos, there was a drought and the loss of household registration was serious, making the situation even more difficult..."
After saying that, he pondered for a moment and said: "There is still a shortage of people in the feudal government to participate in politics. Why don't you serve in the feudal government first? Is it better to give full play to your talents?"
To participate in political affairs, one starts from a third-grade official, which is one level higher than a prefect. It stands to reason that if a Hanlin official becomes an official, he will most likely be promoted to participate in political affairs.
Xu Kai's face became solemn, he cupped his hands and said: "I am not afraid of hardships, I just want to know and defend my side, and I hope Yongning Bo will fulfill my wish."
The prime minister must start from the state department. After he serves as the prefect, he will also have an understanding of the local states and counties in the Han Dynasty, and will also have a rich resume for entering the cabinet in the future.
If you are participating in politics in the feudal dynasty, you will be a deputy, and it will be difficult to achieve actual results. Moreover, if you are a prefect, once you have made achievements, you may not be able to be promoted to the chief envoy.
Jia Heng's face paused, looking at Xu Kai with a sincere look on his face, and secretly thought, this is an official with political resources in the court, and the party in power is not afraid of being welded in place.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly frowned and looked at the suddenly dim light in the room. He raised his eyes and looked outside. At some point, the sky seemed to get darker. He whispered, "Is it going to rain?"
While talking, he stood up from his seat and walked to the eaves to look at the sky. He saw that the sun was covered by dark clouds, and it seemed that dark clouds were gathering on the horizon. The wind started blowing, and the originally hot weather suddenly became much cooler and happier. But The lanterns on the corridor and the branches and leaves of the trees under the courtyard wall also swayed.
True to his words the day before yesterday, the weather in June can change at any time.
Xu Kai also stood up from his seat, came to the eaves of the corridor, raised his eyes to look at the sky outside, and said solemnly: "It is busy farming at this time, and the sky seems to want to rain."
Although Henan has had a poor harvest due to drought, it has not yet reached the end of the harvest. This is the busy farming season, and rain will definitely affect the wheat harvest.
Jia Heng frowned and said, "It's like a shower." Xu Kai:? ? ? "
Jia Heng said: "This is a thunderstorm, but this is the prelude to heavy rains that will turn into floods after summer begins."
The Kaifeng section of the Yellow River has been repaired and reinforced, but the Guidefu section has not yet been completely repaired. It will not be completed until the end of the month. Of course, God will not wait for the embankments to be repaired before it rains. There are already signs of this.
In fact, heavy rains do not cause flood plains to suddenly pour water from the sky, and then the Yellow River surges and roars in an instant. Floods come... Well, that is fantasy.
Rather, from the first rain, it can be intermittent and may last for a month with torrential rain and overcast rain. Especially in the Central Plains and Huainan, the hot and cold air currents form frontal rains, which may last for a month, and then fill up the rivers and lakes. Huainan is called the plum rain season.
The Dragon Boat Festival falls on May 5th, which is the middle of June in the Gregorian calendar, which is when it rains.
In Dream of Red Mansions, Baoyu molested Jin Chuan in Mrs. Wang's house on the Dragon Boat Festival, and then ran away. Then he saw Ling Guan drawing roses, got caught in the rain, and went back to give Xi Ren a hand while playing in the water in Yihong Courtyard. Remember your heart and feet.
Xu Kai frowned, looked at Jia Heng in surprise, and asked, "Uncle Yong Ning said before that heavy rains will cause floods. Could it be that it should be here?"
Jia Heng looked solemn and said: "I didn't say this. This is just the first game, and there will be several more games in the future. I will not keep you here. I will leave you as soon as possible after arrangements are made for the summer grain harvest." Guide Mansion inspects the river embankment."
Fortunately, the land in the Central Plains has been dry for too long, and many small rivers and lakes have dried up. There is still some time left, which should be enough to repair the river embankments.
Xu Kai looked solemn, cupped his hands and said, "Then I will take my leave."
With that said, he left Jia's house with all his worries on his mind. Jia Heng called Xu Kai and said, "Wait a minute."
Under Xu Kai's surprised gaze, Jia Heng's expression remained as calm as ever, and he ordered a maid: "Come here, bring an umbrella to Master Xu. If you go back to the post house, you will get sick if you get caught in the rain again." "
The maid responded, then ran all the way, took an umbrella from the side room, and handed it over. Xu Kaixin had complicated thoughts and said, "Thank you, Uncle Yongning."
With that said, he took the umbrella and left Jia's mansion along the long corridor.
After Xu Kai left the house, he looked back at the sky above the gate of Jia's house and saw dark clouds gathering in the sky. There were arcs of light among the thick clouds, which were clearly the result of heavy rain.
Celestial phenomena before the basin.
I quickly opened my umbrella, and sure enough, I heard a "click" and a loud "bang" in the western sky.
The raindrops that had originally gathered in the clouds could no longer hold up. The rain started to fall, and within a short while, the entire street was enveloped in thick rain and fog.
Xu Kai looked solemn, held up his umbrella, and walked along the street to the post house.
The first heavy rain after summer fell unexpectedly on the Dragon Boat Festival in the 15th year of Chongping, and it fell on the land of Henan.
On Jia Heng's side, he walked from the flower hall along the corridor to the back house, where he met Princess Xianning, who was wearing a long blue skirt, a fairy bun, and a crystal clear face.
"Sir, it's raining." Xian Ning stood under the eaves of the front porch of Moon Gate, looking at the rainy scene in the courtyard. He frowned, turned to look at the young man opposite with his bright eyes, and murmured again: "Mr. ,It's raining.
"Yes, it would be better if it were done half a month later. That way there would be more time to rush to repair the river embankment, and the busy farming season could pass quickly." Jia Heng said with a sigh.
Princess Xianning came closer. Concern could be seen on her bright and beautiful face, and she said in a clear voice, "Sir, are you going to Kaifeng Mansion?"
With that said, he followed Jia Heng to the back house. At this moment, there was thunder in the sky, thunder and lightning. Not long after, there was a heavy rain, falling on the eaves of the roof, and the strong wind blew the branches, dispersing the hot summer heat. of heat.
Jia Heng said: "Let's go to Guide Mansion. Kaifeng Mansion is fine. We will set off later in Henan Mansion to arrange for the summer grain harvest. By the way, we also need to send letters and deliver news to Shenjing Feige."
Princess Xianning said in a light voice: "Sir, if it rains like this, even pigeons can't fly.
Jia Heng smiled, and his original solemn mood eased a bit, and said, "If you don't tell me, I will forget it. Then I'll ride the horse six hundred miles to deliver the memorial urgently. Beware of summer floods in the north, and plum rain in Huaiyang." .”
Princess Xianning thought for a while and said softly: "Sir, can the people in the court calm down now?"
During these days, she also heard some rumors from her fourth uncle and aunt, saying that it was a waste of money and people, and a waste of money.
Jia Heng shook his head and said: "A long drought will turn into rain, and rain is normal. But I am afraid that this rain will really cause floods. Once the Yellow River bursts, the country will become a country thousands of miles away."
"Sir, shall I follow you to Guide Mansion?" Princess Xianning suddenly said with bright eyes.
The two of them have entered the backyard hall. At this moment, the eldest princess of Jinyang, Princess Qinghe, Yuan Chun, Tanchun, and Xiangyun are all waiting in the flower hall.
Princess Jinyang smiled, looked at the two people who came in, and said, "Tell us where you two are going, too?"
Facing the concerned glances, Jia Heng said: "I will go to Guide Mansion today to inspect the river embankment." Yuanchun's plump and jade face showed concern, and asked: "Brother Heng, is it because of the heavy rain?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "It is the plum rain season, and this year's summer flood is coming. Time may still be a little rushed. Some river embankments have not been completely completed and need urgent repairs. I will go and see it in person before I feel relieved."
He is not too worried about the section of the Yellow River in Henan. More than 100,000 soldiers and civilians are working together, which is the Huaiyang section. If the rainy season starts heavy and the heavy rains continue in recent months, problems will arise in the Jiangzuo area.
Everyone who was talking became worried.
The eldest princess of Jinyang said softly: "Ziyu, let's eat first." "Well, let's eat first." Jia Heng sat down and began to eat.
This time it rained from the end of noon to the beginning of the afternoon, and then it became lighter. Then the heavy rain gradually stopped, and then the sun appeared in the sky again. It seemed to become clear, but the clouds in the sky were still in the same pattern. Moving southward at a rapid speed, this is the cloud phenomenon of summer frontal rain.
Jia Heng had lunch at the mansion and wrote a memorial instructing Liu Jixian to send Jinyi to the capital by express delivery 600 miles away. Then at three quarters, he went to the Henan government office to summon the officials of Henan government.
At this moment, the Henan government office was already crowded, and officials gathered together and talked about it.
Xie Xingke, the Prime Minister of Henan Prefecture, said: "It rained once and stopped again. What is going on?" "I'm afraid I have to ask God.
went. Wu Zongyi, the general magistrate of Henan Prefecture, sighed and continued.
Henan Prefect Meng Jinwen frowned and said in a deep voice, "It's been two or three years since there has been such a heavy rain. I'm afraid it's not a good sign."
In the official hall, everyone in Henan Mansion was talking about it.
The northern provinces of the Han Dynasty have been suffering from drought for many years, and there is even a month of sunshine in summer. Such heavy rain has indeed not been seen for two years. Even if it is short-lived, the dramatic change in the sky just now has been in the memory of Henan officials for several years. Never seen.
"Master Tai has arrived." At this moment, the angry voice of the Jinyi Mansion guard came from the back hall, and the originally noisy voice in the official hall was silenced.
Then Jia Heng dressed in a python and obeyed the government's back hall, entered the official hall, sat behind the desk, and looked at the officials of Henan Prefecture below.
"I have met your Excellency." Henan Prefecture officials all said in greeting.
Jia Heng looked at the officials below and said, "Everyone, please excuse me."
"Thank you, sir." Everyone's voices sounded in the official hall, and then they all stood up.
Jia Heng looked calm and said: "As you have just seen, the first heavy rain after summer is coming, which is not a good thing for me in Henan. It is now the busy time of farming and people are rushing to harvest wheat. It coincides with the big change in the sky. The officials of Henan Prefecture and County will next organize manpower to help the people speed up the harvest of summer grain, and I will also lead my personal guards to Guide Prefecture to supervise the construction of river embankments."
Although the condition of the Yellow River embankment in Guide Prefecture is slightly better, it still needs to be repaired to be safe. The officials of Henan Prefecture below were shocked when they heard this and looked at each other in confusion.
When Uncle Yongning is going to Guide Mansion, is he really worried about heavy rains causing floods?
Meng Jinwen looked worried as he cupped his hands and said, "Master Taipei, will there be continuous rain this summer like the past five years?"
Jia Heng said: "No one can say for sure, but it's always good to be on guard." As he said that, he began to assign tasks.
After a while, a scribe entered the official hall and reported: "Your Majesty, Mr. Xu Kaifeng, a scholar at the Hanlin Academy, handed over a greeting card and said he came to see you."
Jia Heng was slightly surprised and ordered: "Let him wait in the side hall. I am arranging official duties and will come over later."
Then he handed over to the officials of the Henan Prefecture, and in the name of the governor, he sent orders to the Henan Prefectures to speed up the summer grain harvest, and then came to the side hall.
"I have met Master Tai Guan." Xu Kai cupped his hands and said.
"No need." Jia Heng asked, "Isn't Master Xu going back to the post house? When will he leave for Runing to take up his post?" Xu Kai did not answer, but asked, "Master Taitai is going to Guide." Build a dike?"
Jia Heng nodded and said with a worried expression: "The construction of the river embankment in Guide is still intensifying. I am still a little worried. I can dig the embankment and diversion in the past few months, and I can feel more settled." .”
Xu Kai pondered for a moment, stared at the young man in python suit opposite, and said: "I am willing to go with Uncle Yongning."
Jia Heng frowned and said, "Why?"
Xu Kai explained: "After Xiaguan learned about Runing Mansion, he started to build water conservancy projects extensively. Now the construction of the Yellow River embankment is in full swing. Xiaguan first took a look at the construction of the river. Xiaguan had no experience in this matter before."
Jia Heng's face was stunned for a moment, and there was a hint of admiration in his eyes, and he said: "That's okay. The matter of repairing the river involves many aspects, so you need to be well aware of it. You can go back and settle down in the family later, and we will go back to Henan Mansion later." The Yamen are waiting for me, and I will go to Guide Mansion overnight with me."
This Xu Shidao is a down-to-earth and hard-working person. Xu Kai cupped his hands and said, "Then I will take my leave."
--
--
Shenjing, three days later, Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall
Emperor Chongping summoned the cabinet ministers, military aircraft department, six ministers, ministers and other ministers to discuss matters together. At this moment, there were more than ten important ministers in the court below, and everything was dark.
The middle-aged emperor's face was cold and hard. He held the memorial in his hand, but there was a hint of strangeness in his voice. He said, "Have you all seen the memorial that Uncle Yong Ning delivered in Henan? I and Jia Ziyu have seen it." It has been said a long time ago that after summer, a prolonged drought will inevitably lead to rain, so the cabinet immediately issued a document to the northern provinces to beware of rain and floods and to harvest summer grain."
Jia Heng's memorial was sent to the General Affairs Department, which pointed out that the first heavy rain fell in Henan after the summer began, reminding the court to pay attention to flood disasters.
At this moment, what Emperor Chongping said was almost as if "Kobe and I scored 81 points together..."
Yang Guochang looked ugly and said in a gray voice: "Your Majesty, there are no memorials delivered to the northern provinces at the moment. I think it's just raining in Henan. After summer, the weather has been changeable. It hasn't rained in Henan for many years, so rain is a common thing. Now the provinces are speeding up the harvest of summer grain and hurrying to dry it. Even if there is rain, it will not hinder the collection of summer grain. I hope your Majesty can rest assured."
The emperor's words to children are as if they are gods, so what if it rains?
It's just a rain. Xiao'er himself mentioned in his memorial, "The so-called thunderstorm rain, the rain is accompanied by thunder, coming and going quickly...
Of course there is more to say later.
Emperor Chongping's eyes flashed and he asked: "Where is the Jianghuai area? Is there any report from the Nanhe River Yamen? Du Jitong, the Governor of Water Transport, has the plum rain come in the Jianghuai area this year?"
The Meiyu floods had occurred during the Longzhi period, and Emperor Chongping was naturally impressed. However, in the past few years, there had been a severe drought in the north, and the Yellow River had become much calmer.
At this time, Han Huang raised his hands and said: "Reporting to the Holy Spirit, there is no report from the Jianghuai area. Maybe it is still on the way, I don't know."
After hesitating for a moment, he finally added.
At this time, the sun was still shining in the Jianghuai area, the sky was clear, and there was not a single cloud in sight. It would obviously take some time for the plum rain clouds to move to the Jianghuai area.
Emperor Chongping said: "Immediately write a message to the governor's office of Nanhe, Peng Ye, the deputy censor of the capital on the left, Yu De, the censor of Qiandu on the right, and other relevant officials, asking them to inspect the river embankments in preparation for the summer floods. He also ordered the governor of Huaiyang and the governor of water transportation Du Ji Tong, always pay attention to the celestial phenomena. If there is indeed a plum rain in Huaiyang, you will rush 600 miles away to report it without any mistakes."
"Yes." Han Huang responded with his hands raised.
Emperor Chongping said: "According to Uncle Yongning, this may be a heavy rain in summer. The northern provinces must be careful to prevent floods and step up construction of water conservancy projects. The land along the Yellow River must not be lost!"
Zhao Mo frowned below, a little uncomfortable with Emperor Chongping's sentence patterns. According to what Yong Ningbo said...
Not to mention taking ten thousand steps back, it was just a rain. Why did it happen?
