Standing in front of the city gate, Ye Sanlang raised his head and looked at the two powerful characters on the towering city gate: Yangzhou. Feeling insignificant in their hearts, the people around them slowly walked towards the city, but they raised their heads and looked at the name of the city on the city gate.
At this time, a veteran noticed these two dazzling people, walked over, and asked: "Is this your first time in Yangzhou?"
Ye Sanlang nodded.
"Isn't this city gate grand? How many country people were shocked when they saw this city gate for the first time." The veteran said proudly.
Only then did Ye Sanlang notice the veteran in front of him. He looked him up and down and saw that he was tall and energetic. He was not at all timid or cunning like other soldiers.
"May I have your name?"
"Name? I don't dare to take it seriously. My nickname is Maohao and my surname is Lei."
Ye Sanlang recorded the name in his mind and said, "Does this little brother have great ambitions in the future?"
Hearing this, Lei Maohao sighed: "Well, back then I was full of passion and wholeheartedly joined the army, wanting to protect my family and the country. Who would have thought that the military system in various places in the Central Plains was corrupted, and the garrisons in various states and counties were also very corrupt. What am I doing now? I don’t even think about it anymore, I’m just waiting for the day when I can retire and go home to farm.”
"Don't give up on your goals so early. Just wait, the day will come sooner or later." After saying that, Ye Sanlang entered the world-famous Yangzhou City.
Lei Maohao looked at the two people's retreating figures. Some monks were confused. Then, he gradually realized. Could it be that they were the sons of some general family? He began to have vague expectations for the future.
As soon as Ye Sanlang entered the city, he saw the wide main road in front of him. It was so wide that it was comparable to the Zhuque Street in Chang'an.
They walked around the street and found that the layout of Yangzhou was very similar to that of Chang'an. There were even East and West markets. After asking, they found out that this was the style of Chang'an after Yangzhou was rebuilt.
Seeing that Li Sihan was a little tired, Ye Sanlang found a less conspicuous inn called "Laifu", and the two of them each had a room.
In the room, Ye Sanlang once again sorted out all the known information about Yangzhou. At present, the next people he wants to contact are the governor Liu Zhao and Sima Lu Yongming. This Liu Zhao definitely does not seem to be a good official, and his name is In fact, he was even the brother-in-law of Prince Li Heng, which disgusted him very much. He never had a good impression of Li Heng.
As for Sima Lu Yongming, he is an unknown factor. Basically, except for the fact that he has passed the college entrance examination for several years in the official records, most people don't have a deep impression of him. And he also felt that since the emperor had told him that he could try to win over him, he should also get in touch with him, but he should first see his impression among the people.
He went out and found a random food stall, ate something, and started chatting with the shop owner. He talked about the scenery of Jiangnan and the people's livelihood in Yangzhou, and then his real theme came.
"Speaking of your Sima Lu Yongming, who is he?"
"Lu Sima? To be honest, even we Yangzhou people are not very familiar with him. He has always lived in seclusion, but he has also done a lot of good things. He built several roads for us and opened a porridge shed to relieve refugees. In fact, everyone is grateful from the bottom of his heart. He and the other two state officials are all relatives of the emperor, but they don't do anything practical for the people, and the people hate them."
I see, but this aroused Ye Sanlang's curiosity as to why this Lu Yongming was so mysterious.
After inquiring about his residence, Ye Sanlang disguised himself slightly and went there for a while.
Lu Yongming's house was in Dongrenfang, an inconspicuous house. Standing in front of the door, Ye Sanlang had no idea that this was the residence of the No. 3 man in Yangzhou. From this moment on, he had a good impression of Sima. .
He knocked gently on the door, and after a while, an old man's voice rang out.
"Who?"
"I am from Chang'an. I have something to ask to see Lu Sima."
"My husband is ill in bed, you'd better please come back."
How is it possible? I heard that he was still dealing with government affairs a few days ago. It must be because of Li Huaiyuan's unexpected death. He didn't dare to argue with Liu Zhao, so he pretended to be ill.
"Please tell your husband that my surname is Ye, and he will let me in."
There was silence inside the door for a while, and Ye Sanlang knew that he had replied. Not long after, the door opened with a creak, and an old man slowly walked out, looked him over, and said, "Mr. please."
He walked into the door, and Ye Sanlang followed him. He walked through several corridors along the way. Ye Sanlang took a look at the garden. It was very lush with flowers and plants. It was obvious that he liked these very much in his leisure time. .
When he reached a room, the old man stopped and said, "Sir, you are waiting in the study." After that, he left.
Ye Sanlang knocked on the door, and a deep voice sounded from inside the door: "Come in."
He opened the door, and a quaint study appeared in front of him. There were many paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, including calligraphy by several famous today's artists.
A man who looked middle-aged was standing in front of the desk at the moment. He seemed to be examining the paintings on the table without looking back.
"Your Majesty, Yangzhou Sima Lu Yongming, welcomes Censor Ye to visit my little study."
Ye Sanlang was a little surprised: "Lu Sima, did you know it was me without even looking back?"
"From the moment Li Changshi asked the Prime Minister to hand the emperor that piece of information, I knew that things were going to break out. Sure enough, Li Changshi died suddenly within a few days. I expected that the emperor could not turn a blind eye to this. Then you will be the most popular person in Chang'an. Based on the recent situation, I concluded that this is why you were appointed as the supervisory censor, and the emperor will definitely let me intervene, so it is expected that you will visit my residence."
Ye Sanlang immediately gave a thumbs up: "Lu Sima is indeed an extraordinary person!"
He turned around and said: "It's just Sima in a mere state."
"In other words, with Lu Sima's talent, Ren Yizhou Sima is too talented."
"I wonder what the emperor means?"
"Everything is based on my work report. What Lu Sima wants depends on Lu Sima's performance."
He sighed and began to ask: "Ye Yushi, what do you think of the Tang Dynasty today?"
"Do you want me to tell the truth?"
Lu Yongming nodded.
"To be honest, since the seizure of Shibao City in the 17th year of Kaiyuan, the Tang Dynasty has gradually become corrupt. There have been land annexations outside, corruption inside, and the military system has been corrupted. Although it looks like a kingdom in heaven, it is actually corrupt inside. ."
"Yes." He sighed. If no one does anything practical for the people now, then how can the people trust the government? The people are the foundation of the country. If we don't treat them well, our country will be in danger. "
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