After the Daqing Festival, the hungover Emperor Han took a nap. It was past three o'clock in the morning, and he lazily got up from the Long Live Hall. There was still a nauseating stench in his stomach, and before he could wash himself off, he received a notice that the Marquis of Kaifeng Prefecture wanted to see him.
His mind was confused and his body was heavy. Perhaps seeing that Liu Chengyou looked too tired, the chamberlain Sun Yanxi tried to persuade him: "It is a national holiday now. If the officials are unhappy, they may refuse to see him!"
"How dare you speak nonsense!" After listening to his advice, Liu Chengyou immediately scolded: "Hou Yi is here at this time. There must be something important. How can I not see him!"
Seeing the sullen look on the emperor's face, Sun Yanxi became frightened and hurriedly said: "Young man is really stupid. Please punish him!"
"That's all, go and invite Hou Yi in!" Liu Chengyou raised his hand.
According to the holiday system of the Han Dynasty, the first month of the Han Dynasty is considered the happiest month for Han officials. There are seven days off on the first day of the year and three days off on the first day of the new year. If you add the daily ten days off and report illness, you can not work for half a month. .
Therefore, after the National Day ceremony, it was a good time for Han ministers to rest and relax. Regardless of outside Beijing, in Kaifeng's yamen offices, except for the officials who were required to stay on duty and maintain basic operations, most people were enjoying their holidays.
Of course, some special departments are not included, such as Kaifeng Mansion. With festivals and celebrations, the whole city is happy, and the curfew has been lifted, lanterns are everywhere, people are roaming the market day and night, and the requirements for public security are extremely high. In the capital, apart from the imperial guards and inspections, Kaifeng Mansion is in charge. Among all the yamen, the one that dislikes celebrating festivals the least is probably Kaifeng Mansion...
Hou Yi, Yin of Kaifeng Prefecture, is almost seventy-four years old. He was a military general and went through the entire three generations of the late Tang Dynasty and later. In the early years of Qianyou, he worked for Fengxiang Jiedu. At that time, the Han Dynasty was just established and the future was unclear. Due to doubts and fears, he got involved with Meng Shu.
However, after Wang Jun led his troops west to Guanzhong to Qushu, he saw the direction of the situation and decisively stepped back from the brink and took the initiative to come to Beijing to plead guilty. At that time, perhaps for the purpose of appeasing Fang Zhen, Liu Chengyou did not criticize him. Instead, he expressed appreciation for the veteran's "awakening" and gave him the title of Duke of Lu and made him the governor of Kaifeng.
Later, he resigned and went to Chenzhou to replace the deceased former prime minister Zhao Ying, and then transferred to Qingzhou. After Li Gu was promoted to prime minister, the position of Kaifeng Fuyin became vacant again. After thinking for a long time, Liu Chengyou thought of Hou Yi again and sent someone to investigate the old man's physical condition. Well, healthy, able to drink alcohol, eat meat, have good teeth, and maintain a good physical and mental state. Therefore, the order was issued, and the Duke of Lu and Hou Yi, the prefect of Qingzhou, were transferred to Tokyo and served as the prefect of Kaifeng.
Guan Houyi's life experience can also be described as a legend. Born into a humble family, he was a poor peasant for three generations. He was born in troubled times and joined the army. He inspired the army with his martial arts and gradually became prosperous. For more than half a century, it can be said that it has completely experienced the changes in current affairs from the late Tang Dynasty to this point. In the contemporary era when old officials are withering away, it is the only remaining witness to the history of troubled times.
Throughout his life, there were many ups and downs between Tang, Jin, Han, and Shu. However, after surrendering to the Han Dynasty, he was able to maintain a prosperous official career, high titles, honors, and the emperor's trust. Now, he has twice served as the prefect of Kaifeng, the capital of the world, a position of real power with a high status in the court, which is definitely not something ordinary people can do.
The strange situation of Hou Yi makes people sigh and envy him at the same time. Many people don't understand why Hou Yi, a vulgar warrior who is slippery and has no great talents, is still in his seventies and half of his body has been buried in the loess. How can he still be used in such an important manner by the emperor?
For Liu Chengyou, Hou Yi can only say that his senses are very good, and he feels inexplicably comfortable. As for Hou Yi, as the saying goes, people become demons when they grow old. He has witnessed decades of changes in the world with his own eyes, and has seen through the warmth and coldness of human relationships. He is a very sensible person, knows choices and trade-offs, is very measured in what he does, and understands what can and cannot be done. In addition, he is indeed older. No matter which position he is placed in, he can adjust it at any time without causing any political waves.
In the past few years, Liu Chengyou dismissed a large number of veterans out of "sympathy" and advocated the replacement of young and promising people. However, after several years, there were still many veterans who were active in the political arena of the Han Dynasty and held important positions of power, and Hou Yi was considered one of them. Facts have proved that it was just a purge of old ministers and nobles by the emperor to seize power.
Soon, a short, stocky old man in purple clothes with white hair and snowy beard walked into the Long Live Hall, hunched over and saluted Liu Chengyou.
Liu Chengyou was brushing his teeth, and the astringent taste of green salt spread in his mouth. He glanced at Hou Yi, and Liu Chengyou said to him: "Sit down first! Wait for me to finish cooking first!"
"yes!"
After gargling his mouth and face, Liu Chengyou felt a little better. He sat on the imperial desk and looked at Hou Yi, the young man. Hou Yi usually likes to laugh, and he does the same in front of Liu Chengyou, but at this time, his face is bitter and stained with filth, as if it was smoked, and he just needs to write the word "something happened" clearly. .
The sun was high outside, spreading spring rays, and shining into the palace. Liu Chengyou asked, "Mr. Hou came to the palace so early to ask for an audience. Could it be that something happened in the city last night?"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Hou Yi stood up and reported nervously: "Last night there was a fire in Nancheng!"
On the National Day and the Lantern Festival, everything is about stability. At this time, something goes wrong, which is very disappointing, just like a gorgeous painting suddenly stained with an ink stain. Think more carefully. If someone uses this to make any lies or prophecies, the impact will be even worse.
After listening to his report, Liu Chengyou frowned slightly and asked: "What is the reason? How is the fire? How are the casualties? How are the losses?"
After hearing the question, Hou Yi replied: "Your Majesty, after verification, it was the market lanterns that collapsed, the fire broke out, and the house was damaged. After hearing the news last night, I urgently arranged for the troops to rescue the soldiers and civilians together with the patrol. Fortunately, we were near the water. It will be destroyed after two hours.
During the celebration last night, officials and people drank too much and got drunk. Due to the fire, 42 people were burned or choked to death, 132 people were burned, 1 official house, 3 warehouses, 2 temples, and 245 private houses were burned down... .”
Listening to the loss statistics, Liu Chengyou felt like he had a toothache. This was not a fire, but a big fire. Suppressing a little anger in his heart, Liu Chengyou scolded: "I have repeatedly mentioned that we need to strengthen security inspections to prevent hidden dangers, especially during festivals like this. Why do such big fires still happen!"
"My lord, my mismanagement and improper precautions have led to disasters. Your Majesty, please hold me accountable!" Hou Yi immediately knelt down and asked himself to take the blame.
With this attitude, coupled with the "smoky makeup" on his old face, Liu Chengyou calmed down his emotions, waved to him and said, "Get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Mr. Hou Yi let out a sigh of relief. Yes, he passed the test.
After pondering for a while, Liu Chengyou frowned and said, "Do you know how many fires have occurred in Tokyo in the past few years?"
"Your Majesty, I looked through the case file. Since the seventh year of Qianyou, there have been 43 major and minor attacks, but the casualties and losses are not as good as this one!" Hou Yi replied carefully.
Glancing at him, I saw that this little old man had done a lot of work. Speaking of which, the main reason for the frequent fires in Tokyo is that Tokyo has been rebuilt, the urban pattern has changed drastically, and the boundaries between cities and towns have been broken. Coupled with the cancellation of the curfew, Tokyo has become a city that never sleeps. Since it is a city that never sleeps, the risk of fires naturally increases. .
The city is developing at a rapid pace, but the supporting management has failed to keep up. There is no shortage of knowledgeable people in the DPRK and the Kaifeng Prefecture has also introduced some management regulations and measures, but it is not easy to achieve perfection. If you don't suffer a big loss, how can you learn a lesson?
"It can be seen from this!" Staring at Hou Yi, Liu Chengyou said with a serious expression: "Tokyo's management has great risks and loopholes. The prevention and control of this fire situation needs to be strengthened in particular!"
"What your Majesty said is true!" Hou Yi followed the topic and said: "After this fire, I am particularly vigilant. I specially discussed with my staff and came up with some remedial regulations, please see it!"
Presenting a note to Liu Chengyou, Hou Yi explained succinctly: "First, strengthen publicity on fire prevention among the people of Tokyo, and make corrections if there are potential fire hazards; second, increase the punishment for those who have caught fire; third, increase patrols." , especially at night; fourth, recruit people from each street to serve as fire-fighting teams. If there is a fire, they will gather together to put out the fire; fifth, set up a fire prevention station every five miles in the city, with three officials for prevention Control and management; sixth, increase water storage for emergency use..."
After listening to his statement and reading the memorial presented by Hou Yi, Liu Chengyou's serious face finally softened. He looked at the old man and said, "It's not too late to make up for it! This measure is good. If it can be taken earlier, Come out, why do you think this is so, consider it very comprehensively, and implement it as soon as possible!"
"Yes!" Hou Yi responded.
Seeing the tired look on his face and the smell of fireworks all over his body, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but said softly: "Thank you for your hard work. It's not easy at such an old age."
"Your Majesty, your words are serious! I am really ashamed that my veteran neglected his duty, causing casualties and property losses among soldiers and civilians!" Hou Yi said again, with a clear voice and a very upright attitude.
After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou ordered: "In this way, you can comfort the people who were injured or killed by the disaster on my behalf. Those whose houses have been destroyed should first find a place to resettle. For their reconstruction, Kaifeng Mansion can issue subsidies as appropriate!"
"Yes! Your Majesty is kind and virtuous, I am very grateful to you!"
Soon after, Liu Chengyou received reports from the Wude Division and the Imperial City Division about the fire in Nancheng. The Wude Division reported in detail.
Later, there was a fire in Nancheng, the censor, who impeached Hou Yi and asked him to be dismissed from his post and punished for his crimes. In response, Liu Chengyou only fined Hou Yi half a year's salary.
