During the dinner, Yang Ming asked Fang Xuanling some questions about the palace. The latter answered them one by one and even prepared a stack of files for Yang Ming to review.
Yang Ming asked Nuan Dong to put the files away first, and he would read them when he had time.
The next step is to ask about Xiao Mohe.
Xiao Mohe is not currently in Hedong County, but in the mountains near Ruicheng County, south of Hedong County, suppressing bandits.
It is said that there are many water bandits in Ruicheng area. Because it is close to the Yellow River, water bandits often rob passing merchant ships.
The Yellow River waterway, from Pujin Ferry to the mouth of the sea, is unobstructed. However, there is a problem. Because the water level of the Yellow River is relatively shallow, boats can only be used when the water level rises during the summer and autumn rainy seasons. Moreover, it is still Small and medium-sized ships and large ships cannot pass at all.
It is only open to navigation for about seven months every year. Once it is open to navigation, it will be a magnificent sight of thousands of sails passing by.
Normally, water bandits should live by the water or on a boat, but not the Yellow River. Because of its fast currents and the water level rising and receding, living on a boat is almost like wearing your head in your belt.
You can't live on the shore, because you'll easily be surrounded by officers and soldiers, so you have to live in deep mountains and old forests.
Xiao Mohe has a bandit suppression document issued by the county government office in his hand. Basically, within the scope of Hedong County, he can get food and supplies anywhere.
No wonder there are endless bandits to suppress. Now is the time when the waterway is open to navigation, and there is an endless stream of passing merchant ships. The bandits can be said to be out in force. Otherwise, after the autumn when the waterway is cut off, they will have nothing to grab.
As for the construction progress of the palace, Yang Ming will find out when he goes there tomorrow.
At this time, Yang Ming asked Nuan Dong to bring two brocade boxes and handed them to Hong Fu Nu, who quickly caught them with both hands.
Yang Ming smiled and said, "I came in such a hurry that I didn't have time to prepare, so I prepared a few small gifts to congratulate you two on your wedding."
Li Jing hurriedly stood up and clasped his hands: "His Highness has traveled far away to come here. Li Jing is so grateful that he cannot deserve such a generous gift from His Highness."
Yang Ming smiled and waved his hand: "You and I have known each other for many years, and I have never regarded you as an outsider. You are welcome."
If it was a gift from someone else, Hong Fu Nu would definitely keep it, but if it was a gift from Yang Ming, she had to open it. This was customary.
In the Sui Dynasty, gifts given by elders and nobles with higher status needed to be thanked in person. This was called a thank-you gift.
When she opened the first brocade box, she found a comb made of jade. Hongfu Nu recognized it at a glance. It was a Khotan material known as the fairy among jade.
She was born in a superior family, so she naturally knew about this thing. Besides, Yang Su had no less than Khotan jade in her house.
This piece alone is already valuable.
Opening the second brocade box, there is a pair of bracelets, still made of Khotan material, mutton fat white jade, flawless white, exuding a warm luster under the light, cool to the touch, as delicate as a baby's skin.
The two pieces of jade are flawless. In the Sui Dynasty, except for a few places such as Daxing, Luoyang, Yangzhou, and Jinyang, mutton-fat jade was not available on the market because it was produced in the Western Regions and was priceless. The city’s top luxury goods.
Hong Fu Nu sighed, carefully put the brocade box away, and said to Yang Ming Nafu:
"How can I be so favored by His Highness as a commoner's girl?"
"Definitely," Yang Ming smiled.
When Fang Xuanling saw the two pieces of jade, he was also surprised. It wasn't that he couldn't afford mutton-fat jade, but that he couldn't afford it.
The value of mutton-fat jade is too high. If you spend a huge sum of money to buy one, your life will immediately become embarrassment. It is really not cost-effective. It is like a poor person who has to go to a restaurant after having no meal.
It was quite generous for the Hedong King to give away such treasures to others. Of course, the main reason was his strong financial resources.
No... why is there a cart full of watered-down wine when I get here?
Next, Fang Xuanling almost dropped his jaw.
The King of Jin also got a reward? One shot is ten thousand dollars?
Li Jing and his wife were also surprised. They never expected that the majestic King Jin would reward them and his wife.
How could they be so virtuous and capable, and how could they be so favored?
So the couple left the main room and knelt down in the direction of Daxing to worship as a thank you.
The couple still didn't know that the person they were kneeling on would become the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty in two months.
After dinner, Li Jing and his wife personally sent Yang Ming to the guest room to go to bed. All the bedding and utensils were new and had been prepared by Hongfu Nu.
Early the next morning, accompanied by Li Jing and Fang Xuanling, Yang Ming rushed to the location of the new palace.
Li Jing is the magistrate of Hedong County, so he should go to the Yamen to handle official business, but then again, accompanying Yang Ming is also official business.
Sure enough, although it was still early in the morning, the streets were already crowded with business travelers, and the county town emerged from the silence of the night and returned to the bustling bustle of the day.
There are a lot of caravans here, and the accents are noisy. There are even many barbarian merchants from the Western Regions.
The stench of mules and horses wafted through the streets, and this aspect also showed the development of Hedong trade.
The palace is located in the northwest of Hedong County. According to the people from the Ministry of Industry, this place has the best feng shui in Hedong County.
The person responsible for building the Hedong Palace was a general supervisor under the Ministry of Industry. The young eunuch Yu Wenli was the nephew of Yu Wenkai, the Minister of Industry, and served as the chief engineer of the Hedong Palace.
As a big family, they are particularly good at engineering, including civil engineering and farmland water conservancy.
Yu Wenkai, Minister of Industry, was the chief architect of Daxing City and Renshou Palace. He was responsible for building the Great Wall, digging canals, and building granaries.
In the future, after Yang Guang succeeds to the throne, he will also be responsible for building Luoyang, the eastern capital. He will make Luoyang as magnificent as Daxing City.
When I arrived at the place, I saw that not only the courtyard wall had been repaired, but the inner courtyard was also in rough shape, and it only needed detailed work such as decorating the beams and painting the pillars.
There are stone lions, lamp posts, horse-tethering posts, and horse-mounting stones outside the gate of the mansion. After entering, there is a screen wall with the benevolent beast Qilin carved on it.
After entering the courtyard, there are front hall, middle hall and back hall, a total of sixteen courtyards. There are also double towers on the east and west sides, one hanging bell and the other hanging drum.
There is also a back garden with a dug pool and new willow trees planted along the bank.
Yes, yes, this is his future home. Yang Ming visited each place with great interest, not wanting to miss any place.
During this period, after the young prisoner Yu Wenli learned the news, he hurriedly chased after him and said politely:
"General Prisoner Yu Wenli has met His Highness."
Yang Ming nodded, and raised his hand to signal the other party to follow him, so that he could introduce every corner of the palace to him.
Yang Ming stayed in the palace for a whole day, during which he was only invited to his home for lunch by the prefect Dou Qing at noon.
During lunch, Yang Ming still didn't give him a good look.
What does it mean to "set the position"? I am the king of the county and you are the prefect. If I don't give you a good face, it is called "setting the position".
If I talk, laugh, and drink with you, this is called lowering one's status.
That night, Yang Ming still stayed at Li Jing's house, and Fang Xuanling also followed him. He was Yang Ming's subordinate official, and he had to accompany Yang Ming everywhere except when he slept and went to the toilet.
In fact, Yang Ming was very kind to him and even let him sit at the table for dinner. Under normal circumstances, Fang Xuanling was not qualified to sit at the same table with him.
It's not that Yang Ming refuses to treat virtuous corporals, but it's because he is bound by his status. He is the king of the county, and there are many rules and regulations that restrict him.
Just like today in the palace, the craftsmen can sit on the floor and gulp down the rice in the bowl, but can he?
He couldn't even drink from a gourd in front of others.
Originally, Yang Ming's original plan for the trip to Hedong was half a month. He would be delayed for about ten days on the way, so he would only have four or five days to stay in Hedong County.
When he came this time, he specially asked Xu Jing to go to the staff department and prepare a request for leave for Li Jing.
In this way, Li Jing can return to his hometown to get married with peace of mind next month.
It will take at least three months for him to get married because Longxi is too far away.
On the first day he came here, Li Jing even suggested sending someone to notify Xiao Mohe, but Yang Ming thought it was unnecessary. They were in the midst of suppressing bandits. Let him suppress them and train me to have a strong fighting force. The Prince's Palace Trilogy will do.
If you can't practice it, get out of here.
On the fourth day, Yang Ming revealed to Li Jing that he would return to Beijing the next day and asked him if there was anything he needed help with.
In fact, Li Jing had nothing to do, but in the six months since he took office in Hedong, his eldest brother Li Duan had come to Hedong three times to see him. The first two times were for visits, and the third time had something other than asking for guilt.
The reason for questioning was, of course, because of Hongfunu. His eldest brother once reprimanded him for humiliating the family by marrying a maid, but reprimands were reprimands, and the result could not be changed, because the marriage was personally arranged by the empress at the court meeting.
The only thing left is to tell Li Jing that the King of Hedong has a respected status and has a wide network in the capital. Although he followed Shi Wansui to resist the Turks in the north, he won a great victory, but he did not get any credit and was almost convicted. Fortunately, Yang Ming took advantage of it. Through mediation, he was granted the title of "Tongsansi".
The eldest brother Li Duan hoped that Li Jing could join the army and obtain the title of Lord.
Li Duan is the eldest son and the Duke of Yongkang County. Li Jing is the second son and has nothing, so the eldest brother hopes that he can use the big tree of Yang Ming. Once there is a war somewhere, it is best to go with the army and fight on the battlefield to obtain the Lord. , you can provide shade to your descendants.
In this regard, Li Duan is completely considering the future of his younger brother.
In fact, it was very simple for Li Jing to enter the military system. His two uncles, Han Senshou and Han Hong, both had this ability. However, his two uncles' abilities were not as good as Yang Ming, the county king.
That's why the eldest brother Li Duan suggested that he take Yang Ming's path.
Li Jing was also honest and told Yang Ming everything about the conversation between his elder brother Li Duan and him. He even told Yang Ming about the big tree.
After Yang Ming heard this, of course he was very happy, because Li Jing was destined to follow the path of the military. Not to mention being a county magistrate, or a prefect, that would be burying talents.
Your belonging is on the battlefield, and that is your stage.
So Yang Ming nodded and said: "Don't worry, I will keep an eye on you. If there is a rebellion somewhere, I can even recommend you as a general. If there is a war in the north, I can also arrange for you."
After hearing this, Li Jing stood up and clasped his hands and said, "Li Jing will rely on His Highness for the rest of his life."
Yang Ming smiled and said nothing.
I have to rely on you in this life...
