A month later, Liu Changqing arrived in Tongzhou area under the king's order.
At this time, the construction and excavation of the large river canal was almost completed. It was the review stage, and it was a normal procedure for the imperial court to send important officials.
Upon learning of his arrival, Han Ju, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, was about to hold a banquet to welcome him, but was stopped by Zhang Jingrui.
Han Ju was puzzled and said: "Although Liu Changqing has been the prime minister for a long time, he came here with the king's order to patrol for the sky. If I don't treat him more and offend him, then when he returns to the capital, , I might want to speak ill of you in front of the king."
Zhang Jingrui smiled and said: "That's not necessary. Liu Changqing is a very pedantic person. If you are full of delicacies from the mountains and seas, he will not hesitate to read your book, saying that you are extravagant and wasteful with public funds."
"This... I understand." Han Ju nodded and ordered people to make arrangements.
The next day, the two sides met. After exchanging greetings at the gate of the mansion, Zhang Jingrui also extended his hand sideways and said, "Please, Mr. Liu."
"please."
Although there were many officials accompanying this reception banquet, the food and drinks were relatively simple. During the banquet, Liu Changqing also raised the issue of the huge consumption of gold and silver.
In this regard, Zhang Jingrui did not explain too much, but said: "Every time the imperial court allocates funds, it is requested by me, and it will definitely benefit the fortifications. If Master Liu wants to verify all the official accounts, we will fully cooperate with you."
"That's very good." Liu Changqing nodded.
Zhang Jingrui, a talented man in Shu, has served successively as the magistrate of Longxiang County, the magistrate of Yongan County, the magistrate of Zitong County, the magistrate of Longyou County, the magistrate of Xuzhou County, the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. His talents can be judged from his political achievements and resume. You can get a glimpse of it.
How could such a minister feel guilty? On the same day, he ordered officials to transfer the required official documents to Liu Changqing. After the dinner, the latter also started to light up the lamp in the study to verify and check carefully.
The next day, Liu Changqing asked again to go to the fortification site with Zhang Jingrui. Since he was ordered by the king, the latter could not refuse. The two of them walked side by side along the river. Liu Changqing was the first to open the topic and said: "This water conservancy project is huge, and tens of thousands of civilians have to be recruited." More than 10,000 yuan, wages recorded, I don’t know if there was any deduction by officials.”
Hearing this, Zhang Jingrui turned slightly sideways and pointed at a large group of civilian workers who were still working on the construction in Hanoi: "Regarding this point, Mr. Liu can investigate secretly. It is best not to leave any doubts."
Liu Changqing nodded again and said: "The official document stated that after the completion of the large river canal, there will be a surplus of 2.4 million taels of silver. However, it seems that Mr. Zhang has no intention of returning it to the national treasury."
"This money is intended to be reserved for the Water Transport Department. For river canals to be able to sail, there must be docks and migrant workers to protect the canals and dredge them, so as to ensure the long-term use of both business and civilians. I have already drafted a memorial on this matter. We need to report it to the king." Zhang Jingrui said.
"Okay." Liu Changqing had nothing to say.
After walking and chatting for a while, Zhang Jingrui changed the topic after talking about the river canals, "By the way, I heard that Jia You has been promoted to the post of governor of Su Nei Shi?"
"That's right, Mr. Zhang is at the forefront of the fortifications and is quite well informed."
"I'm a little worried. The history of Zhi Su Nei was stolen by Ding Rong." Zhang Jingrui said: "The Three Gongs and Nine Ministers are the ministers of the country. If Ding Rong gets this position, there will be three important ministers in our court."
"Oh? I'd like to hear the details." Liu Changqing became interested.
Zhang Jingrui said: "I obey the decree, I accept the decree, and I have obtained the decree."
When Liu Changqing heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled heartily.
Although the relationship between the two of them is not very good, they are both good ministers who serve the country wholeheartedly. They have always upheld the belief that if the king makes a mistake and the minister fails to admonish him, it will be a capital crime for the minister.
In Zhang Jingrui's view, managing internal history is very important. As one of the nine ministers, if you blindly flatter the emperor and cater to the emperor's wishes, but fail to raise the issue in a timely manner when the emperor makes mistakes in decision-making, you are not worthy of being a minister of the country.
When courtiers should remonstrate, they should do so. Even if it is inconsistent with the emperor's wishes, his view is consistent with Liu Changqing's.
After half-jokingly chatting about this matter, Zhang Jingrui added: "By the way, Mr. Liu, the fortification of the big river canal is in the final stage, which is particularly important. I may not be able to stay here for a long time. Next, I will be accompanied by Mr. Han Ju. , I hope you can forgive me."
"No, no, Mr. Zhang is serious, state affairs come first." Liu Changqing hurriedly replied.
During this trip to Tongzhou, no problems were found. All allocations for fortifications had detailed accounts, official documents and files were found to be unquestionable, and everything had evidence for examination.
Half a month later, Liu Changqing finished his inspection here, sorted out the files on hand, and began to bid farewell to Zhang Jingrui.
For Zhang Jingrui, Liu Changqing felt that they had met so late. When they parted, they even bowed their hands and said, "Master Zhang is a model of a gentleman and a gentleman. It is a great blessing to be an official in the same court as you." ."
"These words are very embarrassing for Zhang." Zhang Jingrui quickly returned the courtesy: "When it comes to moral integrity as a scholar, Mr. Liu is the one who really does not avoid the sword..."
After a business exchange, the two of them valued each other, and the trip to Tongzhou was considered a successful conclusion.
More than half a month later, Jingyang County.
This place is very close to Qinzhou and can be regarded as a prosperous place bordering the capital.
Because Liu Changqing was ordered by the king, he was equivalent to an imperial envoy, so Xiao Yuan mobilized many imperial guards for his safety.
On the wide street, the imperial guards were marching. The imperial guards were all wearing bright armor, wearing red cloaks on their backs, red tassels on their heads, and sabers hanging on their waists. They looked very powerful.
In such a scene, the people in the city consciously retreated to both sides, watching and discussing.
Among the crowd, an old woman dressed in simple clothes and covered with patches stood on tiptoe to watch from time to time. At the same time, she asked others: "Brother, who is this..."
The passerby glanced at her, shook his head and said, "I'm not sure, but looking at this posture, he is definitely a high official. You see, these soldiers are all members of the Forbidden Army..."
"Ah?" Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in the old woman's eyes. Seeing that the guards were about to pass by, she began to squeeze out of the crowd and rushed directly to the middle of the street. She knelt down with a thud and shouted sadly:
"My lord, if you stay, the common people will be wronged. The common people will be wronged -"
This sudden change caused the entire team to stop instantly and put them on alert. The captain of the imperial army was furious. He pressed his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist and yelled: "You are so bold! How dare you intercept the imperial envoy's vehicle!"
Imperial envoy? Hearing this, the old woman not only was not afraid, but showed surprise on her face, kowtowed again and said: "Please, the imperial envoy, please make the decision for the common people. The common people have great grievances -"
"Bold! Come here! Get it for me!" The captain of the Forbidden Army was responsible for her responsibilities. There was no room for her to cry.
Following his order, several forbidden troops were about to take action, but Liu Changqing's voice came from behind them: "Wait a minute."
As he spoke, he also opened the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, looked at the old woman and said, "What are your grievances? Why don't you let the local government accept the case? You can know the crime of blocking the carriage."
