Reborn in the late Northern Wei Dynasty

Chapter 124
From the ninth day of September in the first year of Taichang (532), Gao Cheng left Yecheng and went south to the land of Qingqi.

After two years, the sun of Luoyang finally returned to his loyal city of Ye.

In the third year of Taichang (534), on July [-]th, the weather was fine, and the people of Yecheng were bathed in brilliance.

On the official road outside the northern city of Yecheng, the early autumn sun shone on Zhang Dexing, looking at the golden fields, his eyes were full of joy.

Zhang Dexing is from Fuyang, Cangzhou. In the first year of Taichang, Gao Cheng presided over the Hebei scientific examination and recorded it. Originally, his grades ranked second in the agricultural department, but No.1 was from Xiangzhou. Gao Cheng then switched the two places and promoted Zhang Dexing to The first in the Agricultural Affairs Department was appointed as the Juntian envoy of Xiangzhou, and the No.2 was awarded the Juntian envoy of Jizhou.

There are also several county-level land equalizers below, but they are all candidates with lower rankings.

"Zhang Juntian, you always say that you are the son's disciple. Today, the son returns to Yecheng, won't you go to greet him?"

One official laughed.

Everyone laughed after hearing this.

It turned out that Zhang Dexing also had a prosperous life, but his family was in decline, and he was forced to make a living by farming, so he was born at the bottom.Therefore, even if they got an official position, they usually don't have much airs, and the relationship between them is pretty good.

Zhang Dexing waved his hand:

"Concentrating on your work is the best reward for your son."

In fact, Zhang Dexing didn't think that Gao Cheng still remembered him, he was the aloof prince of Bohai, he had heard about his deeds in the past few years, he had pacified Sanjing, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and recently defeated Yuwentai in Tongguan.

Such a big man, when he casually encouraged himself at the beginning, how could he still remember that they pretended to be the whole world in their hearts.

Seeing Zhang Dexing's appearance, the officials also felt bored.

The big guys have mixed feelings about him.

There is jealousy, a class jump is completed in one exam, and everyone who sees it is jealous.

There is admiration, as Zhang Dexing himself said, concentrating on work is the reward for Gao Cheng. In the two years since he took office, he has never dared to slack off.

There is also dislike. Having such a hard-working boss can be regarded as their bad luck, and they were assigned to work under Zhang Dexing.

Knowing that the son arrived in Yecheng early today, all the officials in the city were on vacation, and those with a little bit of status all went out of the city to welcome the son, just like King Gao came to Yecheng some time ago.

But at this time, Zhang Dexing took them to inspect the fields as usual. He just came back from Qinghe County a few days ago, and today he is going to Guangping County. How could the subordinates be happy with such a chief official.

During the march, a knight rode from behind and shouted:

"Who is Xiangzhou Juntian envoy Zhang Dexing!"

Everyone turned their heads one after another, each with a look of surprise.

"I am."

Zhang Dexing stood up.

The knight looked at Zhang Dexing and said anxiously:

"Follow me back to the city, the prince wants to see you!"

After saying that, he asked Zhang Dexing to ride with him. Under the surprised eyes of all the staff, Zhang Dexing rode back to the city with the knight.

The official who made a joke earlier murmured:

"Is he really a disciple of the world?"

Everyone looked at me, and I looked at you, all in a daze.

Then someone suddenly asked:

"Then shall we still go to Guangping County?"

What else is going on here!Everyone happily ran to Yecheng.

My chief officer is the confidant of the prince!Go back and hug this leg tightly, are you afraid that you will have no future?

Yecheng Bohai Palace.

Because Gao Huan lived in Yecheng some time ago, the Bohai Palace did not feel ruined.

Gao Cheng, who was tired from the journey, only received Duan Rong, the governor of Xiangzhou, and declined the audience of other officials.

Duan Rong is his own uncle and Duan Shao's father, so he can't neglect him no matter what.

What's more, Duan Rong has the grace to save Gao Cheng's life.

In the first year of Xiaochang (525), Gao Huan failed to assassinate Du Luozhou in Hebei, and led Duan Rong, Wei Jing, Cai Jun and their families to Ge Rong.

On the way, he was chased and killed by Du Luozhou. At that time, Lou Zhaojun had to take care of his two daughters. Gao Cheng, who was not yet five years old, could not sit on the back of the bull and slipped down several times, which slowed down the speed of the team.

Gao Huan was about to shoot Gao Cheng to death with a bow and arrow. Lou Zhaojun shouted for help. It was Duan Rong who took the bow and arrow from Gao Huan's hand and Gao Cheng was lucky enough to survive.

Of course, if Gao Huan really wanted to be ruthless, how could he wait until Lou Zhaojun called for help before Duan Rong would grab the bow.

After reminiscing bitterness and sweetness, Gao Cheng personally sent his uncle Duan Rong out of the house, and told Duan Shao not to return to the military camp outside the city during this period, and to serve Duan Rong well.

In front of Duan Rong, he said sadly:
"Those whom Cheng hates, it is difficult to see their father and king, and they cannot accept joy at their knees."

Duan Shao is lustful, but he is indeed a filial son, even if Gao Cheng doesn't tell him, he still has to be filial.

But looking at Gao Cheng's pretentious face, Duan Shao felt disgusted.

The key point is that his father, Duan Rong, believed in this guy's performance, which made Duan Shao even more disgusted.

In recent years, Duan Rong and Gao Cheng really didn't spend much time together, except when Gao Huan first arrived in Xindu, Gao Cheng proposed to take Cangzhou and move some Xianbei women and children to ease the conflict between Hu and Han, and the two partnered in Cangzhou for a while.

Other than that, they rarely meet each other, and their understanding of Gao Cheng is certainly not as good as that of Duan Shao who has been with him day and night for the past four years.

After seeing off Duan Rong, Duan Shao and his son, Gao Cheng returned to the Bohai Palace and waited patiently for Zhang Dexing.

To be honest, Gao Cheng really forgot about this person at first, but he definitely remembered the Juntian Envoy he created.

Hebei is the land of the Gao family's Longxing. Now the two father and son are in Jinyang, Shanxi, and Luoyang, Henan. Without being able to sit in Hebei, Gao Cheng naturally wants to lurk in Hebei to listen to the wind.

Before entering the city, many spies who listened to Xu went to report to the post where Gao Cheng stayed.

I heard an interesting thing.

An eccentric in Hebei officialdom, Zhang Dexing, Xiangzhou Juntian envoy.

The so-called Xiangzhou Juntian Envoy was set up by Gao Cheng. It has a very low rank, but has a lot of power. It is in charge of the recovery and distribution of Xiangzhou public land, and the oil and water in it are gone.

Nowadays, the promotion of officials is still in accordance with the cut-off age system established by Cui Liang, regardless of ability, regardless of political achievements, only seniority.

However, Zhang Dexing's official position is humble and rich, and he can't be promoted if he does a poor job. He needs to get seniority.

In this kind of situation, it’s okay to not be corrupt, but in addition to handling official duties, he often goes to the counties and counties to check the farmland in the village, lest the public land will be seized by the rich.

When others asked him why, Zhang Dexing always said: I am a disciple of the eldest son. If I do well, I will add luster to my benefactor. If I do poorly, I will discredit my benefactor.

According to Xiao Gaowang's experience, it is hard to believe that such a person would exist after entering the officialdom of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

With the level of government officials in the Northern Wei Dynasty, it is not bad that corruption does not abuse the people.

It is not easy to be mindful of the people while being corrupt, and to do something practical for the people, that is Master Qingtian.

Among Gao Cheng's aides, there are many people who are corrupt, such as Chen Yuankang, who is the most valued. In history, he was alienated by the original owner because of accepting bribes.

But thinking about it carefully, it is one thing for Chen Yuankang to love money, but he is really willing to sacrifice his life for himself. Unfortunately, when the original owner really understood this truth, it was already too late.

In a dynasty that has been established for hundreds of years, but officials have no salaries, there is no place for the word honesty from the source.

This is also thanks to Empress Dowager Feng's implementation of the Ban Lu System, which pays salaries to the big guys, so that officials can restrain themselves from corruption.

However, there were too many spies talking about Zhang Dexing, and Gao Cheng was also shaken, so he hurriedly ordered someone to call Zhang Dexing, intending to find out by himself.

Hearing people's reports, Zhang Dexing took his officials to Guangping County to inspect the fields early in the morning, and he just came back from Qinghe County a few days ago.

Gao Cheng was more interested in this person, so he quickly ordered his guards to chase him along the north official road of the city.

It was already dusk when Zhang Dexing and his guards arrived at the Bohai Palace.

Gao Cheng looked at the middle-aged man in his 30s in front of him, and at the first glance, he believed the descriptions of the spies.

Zhang Dexing has a dark complexion. Even though he used to be a farmer to support his family, he has been an official for more than two years, and he has not raised his skin. He is thin and does not look pampered.

Gao Cheng sat on his knees in the wing room, holding the teapot, poured two cups of tea himself, pushed one of the cups to Zhang Dexing who was opposite the table, and said:

"It's hot, drink tea first."

"Thank you son for the tea."

With trembling hands, Zhang Dexing picked up the teacup and drank it down, then put it down lightly, not daring to make a sound at all.

"I heard that when others asked you why you worked so hard, you said that you were my disciple and you could not live up to my expectations. Tell me what you really think."

Gao Cheng has been watching Zhang Dexing all the time, he really wants to see through this person.

Fearing that he would pretend to be perfunctory, he emphasized:
"I want to listen to the truth, if there is falsehood, I can distinguish it myself."

He clearly had a clear conscience, but Zhang Dexing was sweating coldly on his back after being stared at by Gao Cheng. He didn't dare to lie, and said straight to his heart:
"Xiaguan's family has fallen, and he has to work as a farmer, and he has suffered enough from farming.

"The prince opened the scientific examination and hired him based on his talents and learning. If he was lucky enough to get into an official position, he should repay the prince's kindness.

Hearing this, Gao Cheng softened his expression, lifted the teapot to fill Zhang Dexing with a cup of tea, pushed it to him, and asked:
"In the officialdom of the Great Wei, everyone is corrupt, why do you never take bribes?"

Zhang Dexing drank another cup and replied truthfully:

"The lower officials do not have the support of their families, and it is not easy to get an official, so they should be cherished.

"Even though the position of Juntian envoy is lowly, the power is heavy, and there are not many people who want to seek this position.

"Since taking office, the lower officials have been trembling, not daring to let others find fault, because they are worried that someone will take advantage of the opportunity to make trouble and lose this official position.

"It makes the future generations toil hard in the fields every day, and it is still rare to have enough food and clothing."

Still an official fan, a smile appeared on Gao Cheng's face.

But he likes this kind of official fans.

Filled up another cup of tea, this time he didn't push it, but picked up the teacup with one hand, handed it to Zhang Dexing, and asked again:
"You went to Qinghe County a few days ago, and today you are going to Guangping County. Each county has its own county-level land equalizers. You don't sit in the yamen hall in Yecheng, why do you travel around?"

Zhang Dexing still drank it all in one gulp, put down his teacup and replied:

"Now that I'm free, staying in Yecheng is just sitting in the yamen hall, and the lower officials have left officials in the yamen, so they won't delay the business.

"I used to go to the counties and counties to check, because I was worried that the wealthy people would seize the people's good land and use the bad to buy the good.

"Now it's because the son asked the emperor to check the hermits. After hearing about it, the lower officials wanted to use the name of going to the countryside to check the land and mu, and secretly visited the hermits of the wealthy family."

Hearing this, Gao Cheng's expression became solemn, he filled up the tea again, raised the teacup with both hands, got up and handed it to Zhang Dexing.

Zhang Dexing took it in fear and trepidation, and drank another cup.

Gao Cheng smiled and said:
"You're fine, can you take me to your house?"

Zhang Dexing's face showed embarrassment, which made Gao Cheng unhappy, but he also couldn't tell whether Zhang Dexing was acting the same way on the outside, and was hiding the money behind the scenes.

Gao Huan was still affected by Gao Cheng's reputation, so he had to be careful not to allow himself to see his family members.

But whatever the reason, Gao Cheng couldn't accept it. He suppressed his smile and said coldly:
"What? You don't want to?"

Zhang Dexing said with a bitter face:

"The prince doesn't think that the humble house is simple, and it's too late for the officials to rejoice, it's just..."

"Just what? Say!"

Gao Cheng's face darkened.

"It's just whether the prince can let the subordinate go to the toilet at the mansion first."

Zhang Dexing wondered.

Gao Cheng couldn't get over this sentence, so he quickly called the guards to take Zhang Dexing to the toilet.

When the people left, Gao Cheng picked up the teapot that had bottomed out, and laughed dumbfoundedly.

'This cup is really big today!

The same goes for Zhang Dexing. I saw him gulping down a cup and thought he was thirsty, so I just poured him a cup. '

Gao Cheng thought to himself:

'However, after eating, I felt the urge to urinate, my kidney is not very good. '

I can't help but worry about whether Zhang Dexing's family is harmonious.

Not long after leaving, Zhang Dexing returned to the wing room, and then led Gao Cheng, who was guarded by the guards, home.

"This is your home?"

Gao Cheng looked at an ordinary dwelling in front of him and asked in doubt.

Zhang Dexing scratched his head and said in shame:

"The lower official's family is poor, and it's not easy to live in Ye City. When I took over my wife and children from Cangzhou, I found someone to rent this house."

As he said that, he didn't dare to keep Gao Cheng waiting for a long time, so he quickly knocked on the door and called out his wife's name.

Before the door opened, a woman's voice came into Gao Cheng's ears accompanied by the sound of a baby crying.

"Come on! Come on! Good Zhang Dexing! You told me to go to Guangping on business in the morning, and sneaked back in the evening! Do you think that I stole the man and deliberately caught the adulterous!"

"Families have shrewd wives, and families have shrewd wives."

Zhang Dexing explained to Gao Cheng in a low voice.

Gao Cheng worked so hard to hold back his laughter, unable to open his mouth, he could only wave his hand to show that he understood.

The guards around were not as concerned about Zhang Dexing's face as Gao Cheng, and most of them covered their mouths and laughed, making Zhang Dexing very embarrassed.

With a click, the wooden peg was removed, and the door was pulled open.

An ordinary-looking woman stood in the door with a baby in her arms.

The woman was about to scold Zhang Dexing again, but she saw Gao Cheng, a young man in brocade clothes, standing outside the door, accompanied by many guards, and Zhang Dexing gave her wild winks, so she stopped talking.

Zhang Dexing said:

"My lord, this is Zhuo Jing."

Prince? !
Mrs. Zhang was shocked when she heard the words, and hurriedly hugged the baby and knelt down to salute.

Gao Cheng looked at this woman, he was actually a bit displeased in his heart, no matter what Zhang Dexing was ordered by the court, this woman was so vicious, it was really embarrassing.

But when he entered Zhang Dexing's house and heard about the woman's difficulties, he couldn't help but respect her.

It turned out that in order to let Zhang Dexing prepare for the exam at ease, the woman took care of the farming work alone and suffered a lot.

When Zhang Dexing became an official, he often went out to inspect the fields, but he was always away from home.

She was a woman living alone in the strange city of Ye with her son who was under two years old, and once there were street thugs who knocked on the door at night.

Frightened, she had no choice but to pretend to be aggressive, so that street thugs would not dare to bully her.

　The second one was brought, and today it is gone.

　　There is a question about the last chapter that I forgot to tell you. Regarding Cao Ni, the records of the Western Wei and Eastern Wei are different.

　　The Western Wei Dynasty said that Zhao Gui and Li Hushui poured water into Lingzhou, Cao Ni surrendered and was killed, and all his followers were moved to Chang'an.

　　The Eastern Wei Dynasty said that the Azhiluo people rescued Lingzhou, and Cao Ni and his son-in-law chose [-] households to return to the east.

　　Considering that Liu Feng, Cao Ni's son-in-law, really became a general of the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi later on, I choose to adopt the Eastern Wei statement.

　　The description of Zhang Dexing and his wife was registered in Chapter 59.

　　Keep asking for votes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)