Hezhong Mansion, the government is called Hedong City.
During Liu Chengyou's western tour, the whole city seemed very tense. Soldiers were patrolling and their armor was not resting. Since he had different ambitions, Li Shouzhen naturally paid close attention to the court's orientation. They even doubted the purpose of Liu Chengyou's western tour, especially when he refused to go east to Luoyang for an audience.
In fact, with a guilty conscience, Li Shouzhen was already ready to raise troops. Of course, the preparation here refers to psychological preparation. Liu Chengyou set up the Tong'an Army in Tongguan, which made it a frightened bird, but he also used a rat weapon to avoid it.
In the smoky and luxuriously decorated palace hall, a monk wearing cassocks was closing his eyes tightly and mumbling words, as if he was "exerting power." Looking at his face, he is solemn and solemn, but he has the temperament of an eminent monk. After a long time, he slowly opened his bright eyes glowing with wisdom.
This monk, named "Zong Lun", was good at divination. He came in and out of Commander Jiedu's mansion and was treated as an honored guest. He fooled Li Shouzhen into a daze.
"Master, how are you?" Seeing this, Li Shouzhen, who was waiting by the side, hurried forward and asked.
After some contemplation with great grace, Zong Lun stroked his beard, smiled kindly at Li Shouzhen and said, "Don't worry, there is no danger!"
Hearing this, Li Shouzhen's expression relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
It must have been a coincidence that a confidant of the Secret Service came in a hurry to report: "Come on, Commander-in-Chief, a letter from Luoyang!"
Slightly surprised, Li Shouzhen quickly opened it and read it. Soon, he burst out laughing, very happily.
On the side, Zong Lun, who was instructing his disciples to pack up their magic weapons, stepped forward, performed a Buddhist salute, and said, "It seems that good news has come from Luoyang."
Li Shouzhen held up the letter in his hand, with some pride on his face: "The little emperor left Luoyang and went to Kaifeng. I didn't come to see you according to the imperial edict. Instead of convicting me, he didn't even dare to issue an order. Instead, he wanted to give me He was promoted to an official position, and Prime Minister Feng Dao was sent to the river in person to promulgate the edict. This is because he is afraid that he will completely force me to rebel, and he wants to stabilize me! The imperial court is weak. From this, it can be seen that if the world knows it, it will definitely despise it. How can we hold on to our country?”
"The imperial court must be frightened by the power of Pu's army and afraid of the power of the emperor." Zong Lun agreed from the side.
"As the Master said, destiny is still with me!" Li Shouzhen said with a smile, and said with a hint of meaning: "He wants to stabilize me, and I am trying to confuse him. When I contact my allies, I will definitely give the little emperor and his A lesson for the imperial court.”
"You can expect great things from me."
"Borrow the Master's auspicious words."
"Commander Jie, Zhao Tuiguan wants to see you."
"Xiuji, what do you want from me?" Li Shouzhen asked carelessly when he saw Zhao Xiuji coming to pay him a visit.
Zhao Xiuji's lips turned white, his expression was gloomy, he coughed several times, raised his hands and said to Li Shouzhen in a weak voice: "Commander, I am seriously ill, and I have come to ask for my resignation."
"Wasn't it fine last time?" Li Shouzhen was stunned, and then noticed Zhao Xiuji's face.
"The illness came suddenly, and the unexpected disaster was beyond the expectations of my subordinates." Zhao Xiuji said bitterly.
"Then there's no need to resign." Li Shouzhen waved his hand and said, "You can temporarily put down your government affairs and recuperate in the mansion. I will ask a good doctor to treat you."
"Your Majesty! The doctor said that the disease I contracted is a serious disease..." Zhao Xiuji coughed heavily again and said sadly: "There is no cure, and I am afraid that time is running out. The leaves have fallen back to their roots, and I just want to Hold on to your illness and return to your hometown."
The word "illness" was pronounced with a strong accent. Looking at Zhao Xiuji's appearance, Li Shouzhen thought of something, her expression changed slightly, and she waved her hands impatiently: "In that case, I can't stand in my way. Later, I will order someone to hand over the money." The silk will be used as road materials to support your previous efforts."
Zhao Xiuji coughed a few more times and thanked Li Shouzhen with trembling hands: "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief. I will take my leave."
After Zhao Xiuji withdrew, Li Shouzhen immediately left the room in disgust with a look of bad luck on his face. He ordered people to clean the room and hurriedly went to take a bath.
As for Zhao Xiuji, after getting Li Shouzhen's permission, he and his family went south that night in a hurry. It didn't slow down until Fengling Jintou.
"Why are the officials in such a hurry?" His wife asked anxiously, sitting in the carriage with her children in her arms.
It was already evening, the sky was dark, and the sound of the Yellow River could be faintly heard. Zhao Xiuji didn't look sick in front of Li Shouzhen at this time. Seeing his wife's worry, he comforted her and said, "I'm trying to avoid trouble in advance!"
"Commander Jie has many suspicions about the imperial court, and his rebellion is already strong, so he cannot be dissuaded. However, his desire to use a corner of the river to resist the power of the world is tantamount to throwing an egg against a stone and bringing about his own destruction. Disaster is not far away!"
Zhao's wife didn't understand this, so she could only nod: "Then where are we going now?"
"Go back to your hometown first!" Zhao Xiuji said. He is still from Kaifeng.
While walking, he couldn't help but look back. Zhao Xiuji stroked his beard and sighed: "Since the Tianfu years, I have followed Li Shouzhen and traveled to several towns. I never thought that this would be the result. After several years of work, I can't recognize people well." ....."
With Li Shouzhen's warrant, the guards on the north bank of Fenglingjin simply let them go. At this time, after crossing south, he was directly taken into custody and interrogated by the Tong'an army. Yang Ye learned the news and invited him. He could not return to his hometown, so Zhao Xiuji had no choice but to temporarily stay under Yang Ye's tent in Tongguan.
...
No matter how arrogant Li Shouzhen was, Liu Chengyou's journey back east was smooth.
During this western tour, we punished corrupt officials, punished evil officials, attacked old tyrants and rightists, rectified bad habits, released land, increased registered households, encouraged production, and calmed people's hearts. Call upon Jiedu and arrange prevention and control chokeholds in the river. After careful calculation, I have done a lot.
In addition, Su Fengji was imprisoned, Feng Dao envoy was in Hezhong, and Shi Hongzhao was guarding Xijing. None of the three accompanying ministers (Shi Hongzhao had the title of Tongpingzhangshi) were able to follow him back to the capital intact.
It seems that accompanying Liu Chengyou on a tour is not a favor, but seems a bit unlucky. I wonder if the ministers will be trembling if Liu Chengyou goes on tour again in the future.
The situation among the people in Gyeonggi Province has obviously improved after Liu Chengyou cleaned up the situation. Although it is far from a great improvement, it has at least stabilized. What Liu Chengyou wants is stability so that the people can cultivate the land for him.
When passing through Sishui County, Liu Chengyou saw the famous pass through the ages. He felt something in his heart and sent an order to the Privy Council to discuss the matter and sent the generals and elite imperial guards to garrison it. This can be regarded as a check and balance for Shi Hongzhao to guard Xijing. Although Shi Hongzhao may not have any big problems, after all, local rebellions in this era are really not very reasonable, but to be prepared, temples count, you must always consider it carefully.
Passing through Zhengzhou again, I rested for a night and sent someone to inspect it. I was very happy.
The new defense envoy Jing Fan has already taken office, taking over military affairs and handling general affairs, and is on the right track. Previously, Liu Chengyou had met Jing Fan in Luoyang and inspected it personally. As described by others, he is a man of strong faith and integrity. The ups and downs of officialdom in this special era have slightly worn away his edges, but his words and deeds still reveal some restrained strength.
When you ask questions before you, you are very decent and show your ability. Liu Chengyou consulted on Zhengzhou's policy policy, and he was well prepared. He recounted it without thinking, and summarized it in five phrases: to encourage farmers and mulberry trees, to promote farming and weaving, to clarify laws and disciplines, to establish WeChat, and to stabilize people's hearts. This is obviously a manifestation of knowing the current situation and being aware of the situation.
Although a not particularly in-depth exchange could not make Liu Chengyou appreciate Jing Fan too much, he still had a good impression. After meeting the emperor, he sent him east to Zhengzhou to take over the job. At the beginning of taking office, he visited all the counties under his jurisdiction to understand the situation.
As far as the current situation is concerned, his political ability is outstanding. He governs according to the law and is reasonable, distinguishes loyalties and detects traitors, and handles all affairs in such a way that the officials and the people will be convinced without any complaints. In fact, with his tough style, it is unclear whether he has any complaints or not, at least on the surface it seems like this.
On the basis of Liu Shen's work on farming, Jing Fan continued to encourage farmers to manage farming, went to the fields several times, inspected the countryside, and consulted farmers. His personal performance made his official reputation spread throughout Zhengzhou in a short period of time.
Nowadays, Grain Rain has arrived, and spring plowing in Zhengzhou is basically over. Due to the siltation of the ditches, Jing Fanzheng organized a small number of people to dredge several main canals in the state in the past two days to facilitate irrigation. In this regard, some officials in the state objected because the construction project would not only consume manpower, but also money and food, and the treasury would be empty. Jing Fan tried his best to do things that benefit farmers despite all the public opinion.
After learning about Jingfan's governance, he ordered him to present the details. Liu Chengyou felt very relieved and commended him. In front of the accompanying civil and military personnel, he also expressed emotion: "Ruling the country through memorials and official documents will inevitably lead to omissions. If you want to make the government smooth and the people stable, you need to be hands-on. Officials in the world should follow Jing Fan as an example!"
Such a favorable review was surprising. Even Jing Fan himself was very moved. For the first time, he felt respect for the young emperor. There is a saying that goes like this: the country's nobles will treat you, and the country's nobles will repay you. It has some meaning.
Of course, there may be some suspicion of excessive praise for Jing Fan. But on Liu Chengyou's part, he may not have used this to show his attitude towards officials and people. What is good at the top must be good at the bottom. In this regard, Liu Chengyou hopes that officials all over the world will follow his example. Of course, I also know that it is just a beautiful extravagant wish.
Furthermore, if all the officials in the world are like Jing Fan, it may not be a good thing for the emperor and the country.
After passing Zhengzhou, there was no longer any stop.
On Renwu in April (the third day of the lunar month), Liu Chengyou returned to Kaifeng. He ordered civil and military officers to follow their respective duties and there was no need to welcome him.
It will be the beginning of summer.
