When entering Jinyang, Emperor Liu did not visit Taiyuan Palace. It was not because he was used to living in the beautiful buildings in the east and west capitals that he looked down on the "shabby" nature of Jinyang, but in this old capital, there was something worthy of Emperor Liu's gratitude. There is only the old residence of the prince.
"Why are you following me?" Accompanied by a group of people, Emperor Liu entered the old Taiyuan Palace and couldn't help but look at Prince Liu Yang.
Liu Yang was a little stunned by this question. He had basically followed the attendants and studied hard along the way. Therefore, he replied: "I am waiting for you!"
"I don't need you to serve me here. There are so many people here. Are you afraid that they won't serve me well?" Emperor Liu chuckled and said, "I'll give you a holiday and do something that a prince should do!"
"Please give me your Majesty's orders!" Liu Yang responded with his hands raised in the eyes of everyone.
"It's still too high here!" Emperor Liu pointed to his feet, looked at Liu Yang, and said, "If you stay with me for a long time, I'm afraid your vision will no longer be able to broaden your horizons. There are many things that cannot be done by reading the memorial. It's enough to listen to the report. Go out and take a look, Jinyang is the place where my family rose to prominence. It's a rare visit, so you should learn more about it!"
Emperor Liu began to assign homework again. After hearing this, Liu Yang had nothing to say and responded: "Yes!"
"Where is the prefect of Taiyuan?" Emperor Liu called out to the civil and military officers who were greeting him.
One of the slightly older officials in scarlet robes came out of the queue and bowed: "Your Majesty, Lu Yi, is hereby ordered!"
Looking at this veteran minister, he had an elegant temperament, but he looked a little old. On the side, Zhang Dejun reminded Emperor Liu: "He is the father of Lu Duoxun, the governor of Hexi Province!"
Emperor Liu nodded slightly and smiled at Lu Yi: "Lu Qing, I know that you are one of the most virtuous ministers and officials in Hedong Road. You also gave birth to a good son, and you brought a pillar to the court who can be entrusted with other affairs. Talent!"
"Your Majesty has praised me, I am so ashamed of myself!" Lu Yi naturally felt relieved when he and his son were praised together. His old face was filled with a smile, and his mouth was almost grinning.
Lu Yi was very senior. He was a Ming Jing official in the later Tang Dynasty. He also served as a local official in the later Jin Dynasty. After entering the Han Dynasty, he also held many positions and was always a high official in Daozhou.
In fact, based on his political achievements and qualifications, it is possible for him to become an envoy, but he has a son named Lu Duoxun. As Lu Duoxun's official position became bigger and bigger, until he was promoted to the chief envoy of Hexi, his road to advancement had basically reached its peak.
However, no matter what, the position of Taiyuan magistrate is not small at all. Among the existing state capitals of the Han Dynasty, only Luoyang and Kaifeng were able to maintain a stable level of power.
"Excuse me, Lu Qing. Please work hard and be a tour guide for the prince!" Emperor Liu said directly to Lu Yi.
"This is an honor for me, veteran!" Lu Yi said immediately.
"Everyone else has dispersed. Everyone returns to his own duties and takes care of his own business!" Looking at the group of people gathered respectfully in front of the palace, Emperor Liu gave another order.
"yes!"
However, Shi Xizai, the newly appointed governor of Hedong, was left to talk with Emperor Liu. It had only been a few months since we had been away from the capital, and now we saw each other again, and there was no sense of unfamiliarity.
The concubines, princes and attendants began to settle in. It had to be said that the old Taiyuan Palace, where Emperor Liu and his family were housed, was really crowded, but that was just the atmosphere. Yantuo, the eunuch, found room for improvement. Among the followers, there was no one who was more familiar with the palace than him. After all, he was an old man from the past.
"Every plant, every tree, every house in this mansion has not changed at all!" In the pavilion in the back garden, feeling the autumn wind blowing across the lake, Emperor Liu wiped the stone table and said with emotion: "I am still the same. Remember, Emperor Gaozu often drank wine and cooled off in this pavilion!"
Emperor Liu sat and Shi Xizai stood, listening to his emotion, and then said: "I know that His Majesty is nostalgic for the past. Over the years, everything in the residence has been arranged and maintained according to the past, so as to welcome His Majesty at any time."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu felt a little ungrateful. He looked at Shi Xizai and said, "How many manpower does this cost, and how much materials does it cost every year? Isn't it a waste just for this mansion that has been vacant all year round?"
As he spoke, Emperor Liu's tone seemed to be a bit harsh, but Shi Xizai was not intimidated by him, and just responded calmly: "After all, this is an old Qiandi mansion, it is of great significance, and the necessary expenses should still be spent. There is nothing wrong with what the Taiyuan government did in this matter. Furthermore, I have also investigated and found that on weekdays, there are only a few servants and soldiers in the government to take care of it, and the manpower expenditure does not exceed twenty people!"
After hearing what he said, Emperor Liu smiled again: "You are still the same as before. You have been serving the same government and you still haven't changed at all!"
Shi Xizai bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me if there is any conflict!"
"You don't mean what you said!" Emperor Liu shook his head: "Over the years, I have long been accustomed to your temper. How can I be held accountable for my words!"
"This is all because of Your Majesty's magnanimity, I am ashamed of myself!" Shi Xizai's description was also softer.
After so many years, if Emperor Liu were to give Shi Xizai an evaluation, it would probably be in two words: pure minister.
"I intend that all maintenance and upkeep of buildings such as the dormitory, the palace, and the annex from now on will be funded by internal funds and the young government will be responsible. It will no longer consume the financial resources of local officials and reduce the burden on the local government!" Emperor Liu said so Said: "The Taiyuan Palace alone and the Hedong government's annual expenses are not a small amount of money, right?"
Hearing what Emperor Liu said, Shi Xizai became energetic. If such a financial burden could be solved, it would be of course only good for Hedong Prefecture.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Shi Xizai sang praises to Emperor Liu from the bottom of his heart.
Emperor Liu chuckled: "As it should be. Even you, Shi Ningji, have become accustomed to praising me for my wisdom. Rather than singing praises to me, I would rather see ministers like you manage the place well. Bless the country and bring peace to the whole country!"
"I will do whatever I can!" Shi Xizai said solemnly.
"Sit, it's hard to lean all the time!" Seeing him standing all the time, Emperor Liu gestured to Shi Xizai and said: "My northern tour came suddenly. I heard that you came specifically from Baode Mansion. Are you coming back to make arrangements for welcoming your arrival? I also heard that in the past few months since you came to Hedong, you have basically visited and inspected prefectures, counties, towns, and even villages. I am here to disturb you!"
"Your Majesty's words are serious!" Shi Xizai sat down and responded respectfully: "It is the courtesy of the emperor to greet the emperor when he is lucky enough to greet you."
"I am very happy that you, the chief envoy, can practice your own way and go to the mountains and countryside!" Emperor Liu said: "But, I hope you don't just focus on the form, but on the implementation!"
Emperor Liu's words were a warning to Shi Xizai. It is still a problem from before. Among local officials, there are still many people who practice formality, which is improved compared to the past. However, it is really difficult to judge whether it is just a formality or a diligent work. It is difficult to define.
The result was that when he heard ministers and officials running downstairs diligently, Emperor Liu would inevitably have some doubts in his heart. After all, Emperor Liu was also a master when it came to showing off. Of course, he rarely expresses this emotion, and he cannot stop eating because of choking, let alone let his subjective judgment dampen the enthusiasm of officials to do things.
Shi Xizai obviously understood and said frankly: "To be honest with you, your Majesty, in the past few months since I came to Hedong, I have not stayed in the official office for more than half a month, the previous policy has not been changed, and I have not issued any major orders. However, in During this period of time, I have basically visited all the prefectures and counties under my jurisdiction, just to understand the local political situation and people's conditions, and then implement policies according to local conditions and circumstances!"
This is also because he has been following Emperor Liu for a long time, and his behavior is obviously influenced by Emperor Liu. Emperor Liu was naturally satisfied with this. After all, he was someone he valued.
"Baode Mansion can be considered a remote place in Hedong!" Just in time, Emperor Liu asked about some conditions in Hedong.
