It won't be long before the beginning of summer. Although the period has not yet arrived, Emperor Liu seems to have already felt the torturous heat, and even felt a sense of fear. Immediately they called Shaofu Liu Gui and asked anxiously: "How long will it take for the palace to be built?"
The palace that the Han Dynasty is still building today is, of course, the summer resort located at Jigong Mountain in Xinyang County. After Emperor Liu made up his mind to build it, the construction officially started as early as the late autumn of last year. Now, it has been almost half a year.
Emperor Liu didn't care how the Shaofu and the Ministry of Industry handled matters, and had little to do with the progress. But as summer approached, he had to be more concerned.
In terms of political talent, Liu Gui was the best eunuch of the Han Dynasty. He was also quite arrogant outside. However, like most domestic slaves, they were cautious, courteous and loyal in front of Emperor Liu. At this time, he noticed the old emperor's eager tone and became even more careful. He responded respectfully: "The official family, according to the current progress, It will take about half a year to complete the palace..."
"It will take so long!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu immediately became angry: "Half a year, thank you for your ability to speak out, how do you want me to spend this summer?"
Liu Gui couldn't stand any longer, so he knelt down and knelt down to apologize: "Young man is not doing his job well, please be punished by the officials!"
Looking down at Liu Gui, the old emperor pondered for a moment, his expression returned to normal, and asked: "Why did it take so long?"
Paying attention to the change in the old emperor's expression and tone, Liu Gui said: "This is all a small matter and not considered carefully. As soon as the big work started, we first spent more than a month widening and repairing the road into the mountain to pass the wood and stone materials used in the construction. Since the design of the main pavilion of the villa is too grand and the overall layout is too complex, there were many difficulties during the construction process, which took time to overcome.
In addition, although the Shaofu and the Ministry of Industry have deployed thousands of craftsmen of various types, there is a serious shortage of labor among civilians..."
"There are Cai, Shen, Guang, Huang, An, Sui, and civilians from the six states around you to call upon you. Is there still a shortage of people?" Emperor Liu said in a bad tone.
Liu Gui hurriedly explained: "The officials have previously explained that the construction of the palace and the recruitment of civilians must be cherished and not abused. Last year's autumn harvest and this year's spring seedlings will infringe on the farming season, so they deliberately restrained the recruitment of civilians!"
"Bullshit!" After listening to his explanation, Emperor Liu immediately gave this evaluation: "Not to mention the Shaofu and the Ministry of Industry, as for those local officials, I don't know them? In a project like Ligong, using people's power, they Can you stick to the bottom line and love the people?"
Seeing that Emperor Liu did not hide his suspicion, Liu Gui was a little flustered. What does "not mention the Shaofu" mean? Doesn't this mean that in the eyes of officials, the Shaofu also has problems.
"Officials, how dare you dare to deceive the emperor?" Not caring about anything else, Liu Gui hurriedly kowtowed and said: "It's just the official teachings. Always remember them in your heart, think carefully and act with sincerity, and dare not forget them. I have also visited several times. We are constantly paying attention to the progress of the project. It will indeed take a certain amount of time to complete, so please let the officials know for sure!"
After listening to his statement, Emperor Liu's face was not moved at all. He just looked at him with a dull look. After a long time, Fang said indifferently: "I believe what you said for the time being. I will not pursue the matter of the construction period. If I give you enough time, I will settle in Xijing this year, but next summer I will definitely visit the Villa!"
Hearing this, Liu Gui suddenly became happy. If this is the case, then things will be easier to handle. However, before he could say anything, Emperor Liu added coldly: "However, your words have been put here. If I hear anything bad, then I will first ask you whether !”
As soon as these words came out, Liu Gui felt a huge pressure coming straight at him. How could there be no problems with such a big project? How could there be no problems with the use of people's power, not to mention whether there was corruption or bribery or personal enrichment?
Liu Gui really kept his secret to the old emperor. In more than half a year, dozens of people had died on the construction site of the Jigong Mountain Palace, not to mention the disabled. After all, the palace was being built in the middle of the mountain. The level of difficulty and danger is far higher than that on flat ground.
However, the words have been released, and they must be fulfilled with tears and gritted teeth, otherwise it will be the crime of deceiving the emperor with the risk of death. Although his heart was hanging by a huge stone, Liu Gui still had a calm and confident look on his face, and he said respectfully: "Please rest assured, officials, I will choose a day to go to Xinyang to stay and personally supervise the construction of the palace!"
It's a pity that this sincere and dedicated determination did not move Emperor Liu. He could only hear him reprimanding: "If you go to Xinyang, who will take care of all the affairs of the Young Mansion? A divorced palace requires my Young Mansion Supervisor to personally supervise the work? Which one is lighter and which one is heavier, you can’t tell?”
Although he was scolded, Liu Gui felt relieved after hearing this. The small scolding revealed the official's trust in him. As soon as his thoughts changed, Liu Gui also quickly expressed his position: "Yes! I will definitely pay more attention to ensure that the palace is successfully completed!"
After Liu Gui withdrew, the old emperor stayed in the palace with his brows furrowed and deep in thought. For many things, the old emperor was actually not confused. He had an idea in his mind. However, due to some inexplicable reasons, it was difficult to be confused.
Take the construction of the Jigong Mountain Summer Palace as an example. How could Emperor Liu not be aware of its difficulty, and how could he not be aware of the various problems that might arise? In this imperial era, with the current level of construction technology, it is tantamount to wishful thinking to create a perfect project that is “clear and white”.
And summoning Liu Gui today for this questioning is actually a warning, or a reminder: Putting aside the facts, you have to make the construction of the palace beautiful for me, and you have to make the final decision on appearance.
Obviously, Emperor Liu was aware of the "waste of people and money" in the construction of the palace. However, it was him who enjoyed the enjoyment and he who cared about face. If he wanted to take care of both, he needed to whitewash the peace, and Liu Gui was obviously able to do this well. of.
Thinking about it, with his intelligence, he should understand what I mean... After pondering for a while, Emperor Liu thought to himself.
Before long, Hu De, the head of the chamberlain, came to report, and the prince asked to see him. After making the announcement as usual, Liu Yang looked calm and smiled, and reported to Emperor Liu: "Wen Yuan has arrived in Beijing!"
"Oh?" Sure enough, Emperor Liu's interest was greatly increased, and the lines on his face softened: "Where is the person?"
"When I received the news, I was still in the post house. I ordered Wen Huan to go out of the city and greet him on his behalf!" Liu Yang said.
"This arrangement is good!" Emperor Liu said with a smile: "Although Wenhuan is good, he is not like Wenyuan. He is the eldest son of the emperor, and he has been trained in the border areas since childhood and has gone through many tests. Although Wenhuan has been tempered by Anxi and his party, he has grown up Not small, but far from enough. We should learn more from Wen Yuan, and there should be more exchanges between the younger generations..."
"What your Majesty said is true, and this is what I said!" Liu Yang softly agreed with the old emperor.
Emperor Liu was in high spirits, his eyes were slightly blurred, and he sighed slightly: "Among the emperor's grandsons, there are none more than Wen Yuan and Wen Hai. Wen Yuan came to Beijing, but I don't know how Wen Hai is doing in Yunnan?"
Hearing this, Liu Yang cupped his hands and said: "Wen Hai is in Yunnan. He has recruited local mountain people to form a volunteer force and is training to suppress bandits. According to the Privy Council report, Wen Hai had previously submitted a memorial requesting to lead troops into Tibet to help suppress the rebellion. !”
The old emperor frowned suddenly and his attention was diverted: "What is the situation at Liu Xi's place now? When will the chaos subside?"
Liu Yang reported calmly: "Since Yin Jilun led his troops to the west, the situation in Luoche has been stabilized. In the opinion of the third brother, the rebellion of the two kings in the west, although it was very loud, was actually a scabies disease. On the contrary, Luoche's situation was These two places and Yalong are the essence of Tubo and need to be stabilized. As long as these two places obey, the whole of Tubo can be stabilized.
According to the plan of the third brother, he planned to use this rebellion to conduct an overall screening and cleanup of the Tubo forces, attack the forces of the kings, and further expand the court's influence and control over the various tribes.
The third brother has appointed more than a dozen new chieftains on behalf of the imperial court, and the results have been good. At the same time, he requested the imperial court to mobilize monks to spread Buddhism to Tibet...
At the moment, the biggest problem is that there are more than 10,000 troops stationed in Tibet, the roads are rugged, logistics is difficult, the weather is uncomfortable, and there are many injuries and illnesses. The court needs more support! "
After listening to Liu Yang's report, Emperor Liu's cloudy old eyes became a little brighter. Looking at Liu Yang, who always had a calm expression, he asked softly: "What do you think?"
Liu Yang had clearly planned this for a long time and said: "The third brother has great courage and great strategy. He wants to return to Tubo and eliminate the troubles on the plateau for a long time. I should give him my full support and help him complete this task!"
"Okay!" Emperor Liu's attitude was very clear.
Noticing the old emperor's expression, Liu Yang secretly thought: "Sure enough!"
Of course, Liu Yang also discussed it with the ministers. The Tubo incident had been delayed for a long time, and it was also a waste of money and food for the army and the people. However, the impact on the imperial court is obviously smaller. Under normal circumstances, only the southwestern roads need to exert their strength.
Compared with the cost of the Western Expedition, there is no comparison. Once the accounts are calculated, there is something to be done... Of course, it has to be said that the old emperor's opinion is very important!
