Jiuxi

Chapter 1038 Extra 02 [Mirror] (Thanks to the generous reward from Alliance Leader Feng Xiaoxiao)
In early autumn, the sun is shining brightly.

In the fields somewhere in the northwest, farmers are working hard.

The golden wheat waves swayed gently in the wind; the heavy fruits bent the wheat stalks, contrasting with the farmers' sweaty yet smiling faces.

This land is a rare plain in the upper reaches of the Jing River, known as the granary of the northwest. However, for a long time in the past, ordinary people, who made up the majority of the local population, only owned a small number of fields. They worked very hard on the fertile land, but the grain they harvested belonged to the gentry and powerful. Often, after working hard for a year, they could not even afford food for their family.

Not to mention the numerous and endless levies and corvee labor, plus the fact that the Jinglian people would often conscript able-bodied men to undertake all kinds of difficult tasks. The people were starving and poorly clothed, and the situation was so miserable that it was hard to describe it.

In such a realistic environment, no matter how good the weather is or how abundant the harvest is, what does it have to do with ordinary people?
This situation did not change until five years ago. As the current emperor led his army to drive out the Jinglian people and recover the homeland in Jiangbei that had been lost for twenty years, and then implemented various benevolent policies to benefit the people, the people began to have a glimmer of hope that their lives would be better. At least they had their own land, and the government was doing its best to help them overcome the initial difficulties.

In a flash, more than five years passed. The current emperor conquered the Jing and Dai states in the north, completely unified the world, and naturally ascended the throne to establish the Great Qin Dynasty.

According to common sense, such major events have little to do with the common people, but they still cheered after hearing about it, because this means that the court's policies will not change, and the wise and powerful emperor will continue to sympathize with ordinary people like them.

This is indeed the case. Although the current emperor has been on the throne for only half a year, several national policies to enrich the people have been promulgated and announced to the world. Even the villagers of Dujia Village in Linchuan County, Dongqing Prefecture, learned about it clearly from the officials.

The situation is improving, who wouldn't work hard? Who would complain?
At noon, an ordinary horse-drawn carriage appeared on the dirt road outside the village. In addition to the coachman, there were two knights following it.

The carriage slowly stopped and an old man in simple clothes got off. He stood by the road and looked at the farmers in the fields who were packing up to go home for lunch, and watched quietly for a while.

The villagers naturally saw this strange outsider. Judging from the demeanor of him and his followers, they knew that he was not an ordinary person. However, the villagers did not seem to be surprised. They just glanced at him briefly and continued to talk and laugh and busy themselves with their own affairs.

In the wheat field closest to the dirt road, an old villager wearing short clothes and a pair of ramie shoes, carrying his farm tools, walked to the dirt road with a smile and said to the strange old man, "Are you asking for directions?"

The old man looked at the villager, who was about the same age as him. He saw that his face was full of wrinkles, but his body was quite strong, and there was no trace of depression between his eyebrows. So he said gently: "Thank you, old man. I didn't stop to ask for directions. I was just passing by."

The villager was Du Wang, who was already 56 years old this year. Although he did not look much different from before, because of the adventure four years ago, he had become quite a celebrity in the area. Not to mention Du Huo, the head of Dujia Village, even the magistrate of Linchuan County was quite respectful to him.

Du Wang was an honest and kind person by nature. He did not get into trouble because of this and continued to live his life peacefully, managing his own four acres of fertile land with his good farming skills.

If there is one change, it is that he has become bolder and dares to say hello to strangers passing by.

He looked up at the blazing sun at noon and said to the old man in front of him, "The sun is very hot right now. If you don't mind, please go to my house and have a drink and a bite to eat. We can continue our journey later."

The old man smiled and said, "Sorry to bother you then."

The group headed to Dujia Village, which was just over a mile away.

The villagers passing by greeted them kindly, but did not pay too much attention to these strangers. They naturally did not know that the simply dressed old man next to Du Wang was once an important official who led all officials in the court, the former left prime minister of Qi, Xue Nanting.

After entering the village, Xue Nanting carefully observed the environment inside the village.

Like most of the villages he had seen along the way, Dujia Village also had only one main road. Although it was a dirt road, it was very smooth and relatively clean, with almost no livestock manure to be seen.

Du Wang seemed to know what Xue Nanting was thinking, and laughed briskly, "This is the result of the county magistrate's officials telling us many times that livestock defecating and urinating everywhere can easily make people sick, and that we should try to keep the livestock in a pen and not let them run around freely."

Although Xue Nanting was not an expert in medicine, his uncle was a famous doctor of the time, and he knew that this part of the new policy had been approved by Xue Huaiyi, so he nodded and said, "This is indeed very useful."

"That's not all."

Du Wang sighed, "They also asked us to boil more hot water to drink, saying that drinking cold water can easily make us sick. If the taxes collected by the court were not lower than before, who would be willing to use firewood to boil hot water every day? Another thing is to take a bath more frequently. Fortunately, the weather is hot now, so it's okay to take a cold shower."

Xue Nanting couldn't help but fall into silence.

He had experienced ups and downs in officialdom throughout his life and served as a prime minister for many years. He knew very well what the rules of officialdom were. No matter how good the policies formulated by the court were, the officials in the prefectures and counties below would not necessarily implement them honestly.

However, during the past six months, he visited various places and even though he found that some officials were still in office but doing nothing, the situation was generally prosperous. This shows that the performance evaluation system and the integrity maintenance system in the new policy were playing a role, and the supervision system personally built by Lu Chen was of great merit.

He understood how difficult it was to do this.

While chatting, they arrived at Du Wang's house. Xue Nanting could tell at a glance that these were three newly built earthen houses, and the yard outside and the small kitchen had also been tidied up.

"The old man can't afford to build a new house just by taking care of the crops. This is because my granddaughter has a promising future. She works in a weaving workshop of a company in the county. Although she was only an apprentice in the first two years, she was paid. In the last two years, she officially became a weaver and her salary increased a lot. This child is very filial. The first thing she did when she earned money was to build a house for me."

Du Wang revealed all his emotions at once, with no attempt to conceal his pride and honor on his face.

He warmly invited Xue Nanting and his three followers to sit down. The decoration of the house was still simple, but there was a table and stools after all.

Xue Nanting also smiled and said, "You are so lucky, old man."

"It's not that I'm lucky, it's that the current emperor is good and the court is good."

Du Wang was not vague at all. He poured tea for everyone. There were a few ordinary tea leaves floating in the ordinary coarse porcelain bowl. Although it was very simple, at least it was hot water and hot tea.

Xue Nanting had never used such rough tea sets or drank such inferior tea before, but he did not show any disgust and took a big sip.

Du Wang's smile brightened when he saw this. He sat opposite Xue Nanting and said, "To be honest, if it weren't for the current emperor's help, I would have died a long time ago."

He then briefly recounted his experiences for most of his life, which made everyone feel extremely heavy.

Xue Nanting looked around the room and asked respectfully, "Is it very different now?"

"Yes."

Du Wang drank the rough tea in the bowl and then talked about the changes in the past few years.

Getting your own land is just the beginning. At first, no one can be sure that life will get better in the future. Perhaps before long, many powerful families like the Xu family will appear and try every means to take away the land from the people.

But this time the government was indeed different.

From the very beginning, different levels of taxation were strictly implemented according to the household classification system, to the construction of water conservancy and irrigation facilities in various places, and then to the government helping the people improve agricultural tools and farming methods, the grain output could be slowly increased. Although the people had not yet reached the point where they could eat their fill every day, it was at least better than the previous situation of going hungry every other day.

Xue Nanting pondered and said, "According to what my father-in-law said, everything is good now, and the bad things that happened before will never happen again?"

"It's not that good."

Du Wang subconsciously glanced outside the door, then lowered his voice and said, "Two years ago, someone in the county wanted to increase taxes, saying that the county government's expenses were too high. As a result, within two months, the person who proposed it, County Magistrate Liu, was arrested and imprisoned in the prefectural jail. Later, the prefectural government posted a notice, clearly stating that County Magistrate Liu had been corrupt and abused his power."

Xue Nanting asked with great interest: "Did the officials from the government office discover this?"

"The old man is not very clear."

Du Wang shook his head and continued, "But in recent years, we can see strangers appearing every few months. There are officials from the capital and officials from the government office. They will go deep into the fields and talk to ordinary people like us about various things, such as how is the harvest this year, whether the officials have done anything wrong, how the county magistrate is doing, etc. It seems that the problem of County Magistrate Liu was exposed in this way."

He looked at Xue Nanting who seemed to be thinking about something, and said with a smile: "If you were not young, I would have thought that you were also a censor sent by the court."

At this point, Xue Nanting already understood why Du Wang dared to tell everything in detail. In the past, there must have been imperial censors at all levels who came here to inquire about the people's sentiments, and they were not just there to take a quick look, but were able to actually help the people solve their problems. Therefore, ordinary people like Du Wang, who had worked hard all their lives, had developed a rare trust in the government.

At this moment, Xue Nanting, who was once the prime minister, was deeply moved.

He continued to chat with Du Wang for a while, and finally asked his followers to cook with the ingredients they brought, and had a simple meal with Du Wang. He left ten taels of silver to express his gratitude, and then continued his journey west.

Four days later, the carriage finally entered the city of Dongqing Prefecture.

Xue Nanting wandered around the city for three days before he asked his personal attendants to go to the government office to pass on the message.

When Xue Ruogu, the prefect of Dongqing, came out in person to greet him, Xue Nanting almost failed to recognize his eldest son.

Compared with four years ago, Xue Ruogu, then 36 years old, looked like a middle-aged man who had experienced many vicissitudes of life and was no longer the modest gentleman he used to be.

His skin was rough, his eye sockets were slightly sunken, and his official uniform was washed white, making him look rather shabby. The only thing that made Xue Nanting feel relieved was that he was in good spirits, and his eyes were no longer as gentle and peaceful as before, but had a bit more sharpness.

Xue Ruogu was so excited to suddenly see his father whom he had not seen for many years that he immediately kowtowed and said, "An unfilial son greets his father!"

"Get up quickly." Xue Nanting was somewhat touched and sighed softly, "It must not have been easy for you these past few years."

Xue Ruogu stood up and forced a smile, saying, "Father, as an official appointed by the court, I dare not slack off. I have to do my best."

Xue Nanting looked at his thin face and said, "Well, you didn't disappoint your father."

After arriving at the main hall of the back house and sitting down, Xue Ruogu hurriedly asked his wife and children to come and pay their respects to his father, which naturally led to another round of sighs.

After his wife and children left, the father and son sat opposite each other and fell into a long silence.

Xue Nanting looked around the simple furnishings in the room and slowly started talking: "Don't be resentful of the Queen Mother. She has done her best, but human power is always limited. In that environment where one could fall off a cliff at the slightest mistake, she could only make the most reasonable and safest choice at the time."

"Father, how dare I blame the Queen Mother?"

Xue Ruogu looked at Xue Nanting calmly and said calmly: "Ever since I left the capital and came here four years ago, I have been thinking about the right and wrong of this matter."

Xue Nanting asked, "Did you gain anything?"

"At first, I was really distressed, because from Emperor Gojong to Emperor Cheoljong, they all placed high hopes on me, but I was unable to do my best to protect the foundation of the Lee royal family. I hated myself for not being careful and my inability to do anything for the royal family, which ultimately led to a hasty end."

Talking about the sudden incident four years ago, Xue Ruogu revealed a hint of bitterness, then shook his head and said, "I thought the Queen Mother's banishment of me from the capital was just a temporary measure, and I would definitely face retaliation from the current emperor later, but I didn't expect him to ignore me. At that time, I realized that he had never regarded me as an opponent, and of course I was not qualified to be his opponent. In the first few months, I was in a daze, like a walking corpse. The then Lingzhou Governor Gao Ruli did not impeach me for this. He just took me to visit various villages and towns."

Xue Nanting looked at him with a complicated expression.

As the eldest son, he had a smooth life from childhood to adulthood, with almost no twists and turns. He was known as a child prodigy in his childhood, and ranked second in the palace examination before he was twenty years old. After that, he was favored by the two emperors of the former Qi Dynasty and held a high and noble official position until Empress Dowager Ning banished him from the capital.

On the surface, the prefect of Dongqing and the director of the Imperial College have the same rank, but the old hands in the officialdom know what such a transfer means.

It can be said that from that moment on, Xue Ruogu would never have the possibility of becoming a prime minister in his life.

Faced with such a gap, the pressure and resentment in Xue Ruogu's heart can be imagined. Xue Nanting was worried that he would become more extreme, so he could only continue to leave him alone and occasionally send him a few letters to comfort him.

Xue Ruogu continued, "I followed Lord Gao for more than three months, and visited every corner of Dongqing Prefecture. I saw the real life of the people, and gradually realized the significance of the new policy. Finally, Lord Gao told me that the court does not support idle people, and he will not impeach me for your sake, but I must make a decision. Either I will resign immediately, or I will make some achievements in this position of prefect, and prove to the court and the world that I am not a waste who can only rely on my father for shelter."

This is indeed Gao Ruli's speaking style.

Xue Nanting said with a sigh: "So you have been trying hard to make achievements in the past few years."

Xue Ruogu's eyes brightened at this moment: "Father, there are a total of twelve prefectures in Hexi Province. At the end of last year, the prefectures were evaluated and Dongqing Prefecture ranked third."

"I know. I heard Brother Yanbi mention it before I left Beijing. I have been traveling around Dongqing Prefecture for more than a month and have seen with my own eyes that the lives of the people have indeed improved significantly. Although this is not your own achievement, as an official, you have done a very good job."

Xue Nanting nodded slightly and asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

Xue Ruogu was silent for a while, then said with relief: "Father, the emperor did not pursue my crime, nor did he demote me to a commoner. He still acquiesced to my position as the prefect of Dongqing. This is already a great grace. I think the only thing I can do is to continue to be loyal to this position. No matter if it takes ten or twenty years, as long as I can see the new policy being implemented and the people's lives getting better, maybe my life will not be lived in vain."

Xue Nanting sighed and said, "That's fine."

Xue Ruogu looked at his father who was nearly 60 years old and couldn't help feeling sad for a moment.

No one knew his father's ambitions better than him, but because of Xue Nanting's loyalty to the Li royal family, after Empress Dowager Ning decided to abdicate, in order to avoid arousing Lu Chen's suspicion and resentment, and also to make way for Xu Zuo as soon as possible, he had to leave the court sadly.

Doesn't he want to work hard for the people of this world?

Have you ever had no regrets?

As if he could see what his eldest son was thinking, Xue Nanting smiled and said, "I am already very old. This time I wanted to see the effect of the new policy with my own eyes. At the same time, I was also a little worried about you, so I spent nearly a year traveling around. Now that my wish has been fulfilled, I should return to my ancestral home in Qingyuan, Jiangnan, and do some small things to benefit my hometown."

Xue Ruogu said in a trembling voice: "Father..."

Xue Nanting said, "After this separation, I'm afraid we won't see each other again in this life. I don't have any other requests for you. I just hope that you will make up your mind and not hesitate to change your mind. Just keep going forward. If you can accomplish one thing in your life, you will live up to the reputation of our Qingyuan Xue family for thousands of years."

Xue Ruogu was overwhelmed with emotions. He stood up and bowed again, and Xue Nanting did not stop him.

A few days later, Xue Nanting set out south.

In fact, he wanted to stay here for a while longer and teach Xue Ruogu as much as possible about his lifelong experience as an official. However, an imperial edict came from the capital, summoning him back to the capital. Although Xue Nanting had already resigned, he was unable to disobey the order.

In early November of the first year of Datong, the carriage slowly drove into the capital.

Under the guidance of the eunuch, Xue Nanting once again entered the imperial palace after nearly a year.

Although he had prepared himself mentally on the way, Xue Nanting was still dazed for a moment when he saw the very young Emperor of Qin in the spacious and bright Qinzheng Hall.

Behind the imperial desk, Lu Chen looked calmly at the prime minister of the previous dynasty whom he had known for ten years.

Xue Nanting calmed himself, stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Prime Minister Xue, there is no need to be so polite."

Lu Chen called out a seemingly inappropriate title, and then said: "Come here, please take a seat."

Xue Nanting sighed silently in his heart, then thanked him and sat down, his eyes turning to the old man sitting opposite him.

The former director of the Weaving Bureau was Qin Zheng.

When Lu Chen ascended the throne in the first half of the year, Qin Zheng submitted a petition to resign and return home. Lu Chen agreed to his resignation and conferred him the title of Duke of Cheng'an County, but did not allow him to leave the capital.

At first, many people thought that the emperor wanted to purge the secret guards of the previous dynasty, but later they found that this was not the case at all. The emperor seemed to have forgotten Qin Zheng and never mentioned him until today.

"In fact, I know very well that although you two have not done anything out of line, I still feel a little entangled in my heart because you have failed the expectations of my old friend and failed to protect the foundation of Qi, allowing me to successfully change the throne."

Lu Chen's opening remarks were extremely direct. Fortunately, Xue Nanting and Qin Zheng had experienced countless ups and downs in their lives, and now they had no desires or fears, so they would not be frightened by this.

Qin Zheng spoke first: "Your Majesty, the past is over. I just want to return home to retire. I hope Your Majesty will approve it."

Xue Nanting also nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I am now too old and exhausted. I only hope to return to my hometown and do my best to help the elders there."

The attitudes of the two were very clear, and the faces of the eunuchs and the imperial guards Qin Zilong were not very good.

Lu Chen looked normal. Looking at the two people's reserved and solemn expressions, he asked briefly, "Are you willing?"

After these words were spoken, Xue Nanting and Qin Zheng, even though they had hearts as hard as stone, felt a little disappointed for a moment.

"You are old now, and it is indeed inconvenient for you to continue to work hard at the desk for a long time, but this does not mean that you cannot continue to shine and make contributions."

Lu Chen stood up slowly, looked at the two and said, "I am going to set up another Guanzheng Palace and appoint several Guanzheng Palace scholars. They are not allowed to interfere in any specific government affairs, nor do they have the right to interfere in the operation of the central and local government offices. However, the Guanzheng Palace scholars can come to me at any time and speak frankly about the shortcomings of me, all the officials of the Great Qin, and the implementation of the new policies. As long as their words are meaningful, I will never blame them."

The two of them had now understood Lu Chen's intention, and couldn't help but show a look of surprise, and stood up almost at the same time.

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Prime Minister Xue, Duke of Cheng'an, are you willing to serve as a scholar in the Guanzheng Palace?"

Qin Zheng sighed, "Your Majesty is so trustworthy, how dare I disobey you?"

Xue Nanting took a longer time to consider. He knew that Lu Chen had been trying his best to build a top-down supervision system in recent years. What he had seen and heard in various places in the past year could also prove the effectiveness of this national policy. But he did not quite understand why this emperor who ruled the world was not satisfied and added some restrictions on himself?
Being good at accepting advice can certainly make one's name go down in history, but how many emperors from ancient times to the present can truly do this?
Lu Chen saw what Xue Nanting was thinking, and said frankly: "Four years ago in Zhuo Garden, I told Queen Mother Ning that for me, public-spiritedness is private-spiritedness, and private-spiritedness is public-spiritedness. I still think so today. I really don't want to waste my breath and words explaining the right and wrong of the past. Then please watch from the sidelines. Do I just covet this chair, or do I hope that this world can become a better place, and that more and more people will not starve to death, freeze to death, or die of illness?"

When Xue Nanting heard these words, it was like the sound of a long and endless bell.

He stared blankly at the emperor, who was only 31 years old this year. Looking at those clear and determined eyes, the ice deep in his heart began to melt.

Thinking about his experiences in various places over the past year, and seeing the lively smiles on the faces of those simple people, Xue Nanting's vicissitudes of life finally showed a smile. He bowed to Lu Chen and said, "I accept your order."

(End of this chapter)