Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 386 Liu Xie goes to the countryside, incognito

Although the order to send troops to attack Ma Chao has been issued, it will probably take about a month to complete all the mobilization and reorganization.

This speed is not slow. After all, sending troops is not a casual thing. Moreover, it will be more advantageous for the Han army to send troops after the weather turns cold and winter.

During this period, in addition to handling government affairs in the palace every day, Liu Xie also took time to inspect the villages and towns around Yecheng and conduct private visits.

The main purpose of doing this is to inspect the implementation of government orders.

The long-term wars have been a heavy burden on the people, so since Zhuge Liang took charge of people's livelihood, he has adopted various policies to help the people recuperate.

Liu Xie also supported Zhuge Liang's approach. After all, war hurts the people the most, and self-cultivation is essential.

Every time Liu Xie went out for inspection, he only brought Zhao Yun and a few guards with him, and never made a big fuss. This time, he came to a village at the foot of a mountain dozens of miles away from Yecheng.

It was almost evening now, and smoke was rising from most of the houses in the village, drifting into the air.

The entire village is divided into two by a ribbon-like river, and there are water wheels turning slowly on the river, irrigating the fields.

With the village as the center, fields spread outward, and thousands of acres of fertile land are in sight, reflecting golden light under the sun.

An old man wearing a straw raincoat, a yellow ox walking on a small path, a child wearing old linen clothes and running around with a runny nose, and a peasant wearing a linen shirt and trousers, a cap and straw sandals, and carrying a hoe...

A peaceful and tranquil scene.

Liu Xie stopped the carriage outside the village, and then walked into the village with Zhao Yun, while looking at the specific situation around the village.

Occasionally, villagers passing by noticed this young man who looked noble but had a gentle smile, and cast curious glances at him.

Liu Xie walked along the way, but couldn't help but sigh slightly.

Zhao Yun saw the emperor sigh suddenly, and asked with a little confusion: "My lord, what's wrong with you?"

When outside, he always called Liu Xie "Young Master" instead of "Your Majesty", to avoid exposing his identity.

Liu Xie shook his head and said, "Zilong, didn't you notice? Most of the people I met along the way were women or old people. There weren't many young and strong people."

Zhao Yun's expression froze slightly when he heard this.

He naturally understood why there were no young and strong people to be seen.

Because of the successive wars, many young and strong men in the Han Dynasty joined the army, and some even died on the battlefield.

This also indirectly shows the current situation of the Han Dynasty. It clearly needs a long period of recuperation, but it has to continue to wage war.

"Don't worry, sir. Only by unifying the Han Dynasty can the people live in peace."

"I believe that after the world is unified, as long as our Han Dynasty rests for a few decades, it will surely be able to regain its strength and return to the prosperity of the time when Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xiaojing were in power."

Zhao Yun said with a firm tone that he always believed that the emperor could lead the Han Dynasty to prosperity and create a prosperous era.

Liu Xie didn't say anything, but continued walking towards the village, intending to get a deeper understanding of the villagers' living conditions.

At this moment, he suddenly saw a pile of bundled branches passing by him, which made him stunned.

How can a branch walk?
After looking carefully, Liu Xie discovered that it was not the branches that were walking, but a little girl of eight or nine years old who was struggling to move forward while carrying the pile of branches on her back.

Because the branch she was carrying was too high, even her small body was obscured, so Liu Xie made a mistake.

"Little sister, wait a minute."

Seeing this, Liu Xie couldn't help but shout, and took two steps forward to stop the little girl.

The little girl stopped when she heard someone calling her.

Then she looked up and saw Liu Xie's handsome face full of gentleness, and she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

But when she saw Liu Xie's clean and tidy brocade robe, she couldn't help but take a step back subconsciously, and said timidly: "Sir...what do you want?"

Although she didn't know who Liu Xie was.

But Liu Xie's clothes were much more noble than the official she met on the road last time, and he was also so handsome, so he must be a nobleman in the city.

Therefore, she felt very nervous.

Liu Xie knew that he had frightened the little girl in front of him, so he quietly gestured to Zhao Yun to let him stay away, and then smiled gently at the little girl: "Don't be afraid, little sister, where is your home? I will take you back."

"Come, I'll help you carry these firewood."

As he said this, he was about to reach out and take the firewood from her.

Liu Xie was very friendly, and the little girl let down her guard towards him. But when she heard that Liu Xie wanted to help her carry firewood, she stepped back and shook her head.

"No, no need. I can carry it myself."

"Sir, the clothes you are wearing are so beautiful, they must be very expensive. The firewood will scratch your clothes."

She nervously refused and continued on her way.

Liu Xie had no choice but to follow her all the way, and at the same time quietly reached out to help her carry the firewood to relieve the pressure.

Zhao Yun followed from a distance behind.

Liu Xie walked with the little girl on the ridge of the field, chatting with her and asking some simple questions.

"How old are you, little sister?"

"Seven years old."

"Only seven years old? Why are you out here alone collecting firewood? Where are the adults in your family?"

Liu Xie was surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that the little girl in front of him was only seven years old and she ran to the mountains to collect firewood at such a young age.

The little girl whispered back, "My grandma is sick. Her legs are not good and she can't walk."

"What about your parents?"

Liu Xie sighed inwardly and then asked.

The little girl's eyes dimmed and she pursed her lips and said, "My father died on the battlefield, and my mother died of illness last year."

"There are only me and grandma left at home."

Liu Xie fell silent after hearing this. After a while, he asked again, "In which battle did your father die?"

"Fight the rebels and take back Bingzhou!"

The little girl's eyes suddenly lit up, she puffed out her chest and spoke with great pride, her voice also filled with pride.

"Your father is a great hero."

A hint of tenderness flashed in the depths of Liu Xie's eyes.

He touched the little girl's head and asked, "Where do you live and what's your name?"

For some reason, the little girl felt very fond of this strange man who suddenly appeared.

Therefore, in response to Liu Xie's question, she narrowed her eyes and smiled, "It's just down the slope ahead! What's your name, sir?"

Liu Xie smiled softly upon hearing this and said, "Of course you have to tell me your name first, then I can tell you. I have a child at home, too."

"My name is Zhaodi. My father gave me this name because he always wanted to give me a younger brother."

"Zhao Di..."

"What about you, big brother? What's your name?"

"My brother's surname is Liu, and his name is Bohe."

"Liu Bohe? Sir, your name is really nice, but why do you have the same surname as the current emperor?"

"It's just a coincidence."

"Sir, you are really good-looking."

"You are also very beautiful."...

Two figures, one big and one small, were walking and talking and laughing on the ridge of the field, their backs stretched extremely long by the setting sun.

Liu Xie followed Zhaodi all the way back home.

Zhaodi's home was very simple, just a thatched hut covered with mud. It was obvious at first glance that she was very poor.

When Liu Xie saw this scene, he frowned deeply in his heart.

Zhaodi's father was a soldier who died in battle. According to the pension standards, he can receive a lot of pension, and he can also get some supplies from the government every month, which is definitely enough for the life of this pair of grandparents and grandchildren.

But Zhaodi's family was so poor that it didn't look like they had successfully received the pension.

"Could it be that the pension was withheld?"

Liu Xie couldn't help but think in his heart that this was the only possibility he could think of at the moment, and he hated the idea of ​​withholding compensation for soldiers who died in battle.

Although he didn't show anything on the surface at this time, he had already made up his mind to go back and investigate thoroughly.

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"Who is outside..."

Perhaps hearing the sound, a white-haired old woman walked out tremblingly, leaning on a cane.

When Zhaodi saw the old woman, she put down her firewood and threw herself into her arms, calling out sweetly, "Grandma!"

"Hey!"

The old woman hugged Zhaodi and smiled kindly, then looked up at Liu Xie, who was dressed in extraordinary clothes, and said with a little uneasiness: "Sir, you are..."

"Grandma, it was this young master who sent me back."

"The young master is coming from the city."

Zhaodi raised her head and said to the old woman.

The old woman heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, and touched Zhaodi's head and said, "It seems that my Zhaodi has met a noble person."

Zhaodi chuckled and rubbed the old woman's palm.

"Auntie, I came to the village from Yecheng to check on the implementation of military pensions. I heard from Zhaodi that your son died on the battlefield, so I came to see you."

"I apologize if I disturbed you."

Liu Xie bowed to the old woman and said, his attitude was sincere and there was no discomfort at all.

When the old woman heard that it was an official from the city, she hurriedly said, "Sir, please come in quickly."

"Someone from the government came to check once before. I didn't expect that someone from the city would come as well. The court is really good to us common people."

As he said this, he was about to welcome Liu Xie into the house.

Liu Xie did not refuse and went straight into the house.

The room was very simple.

There was nothing else in the room except a few tables, chairs and benches. Liu Xie could see all the furnishings inside at a glance.

What attracted Liu Xie's attention most was something placed on a table on the north side, which was a spirit tablet.

Seeing the tablet, Liu Xie stepped forward and bowed solemnly to it, kneeling deeply to the ground.

The old woman and Zhaodi watched the scene before them.

Zhaodi looked up at the old woman with some curiosity and asked, "Grandma, is Young Master Liu a friend of my father? He looks so sad."

"I don't know. How could your father have such a noble friend? Wait...what's his last name?"

The old woman was shocked when she heard this and looked at Zhaodi.

Zhaodi didn't know why her grandmother reacted so strongly, so she said carefully, "His last name is Liu..."

The old woman suddenly looked up at Liu Xie who straightened up, with disbelief in her eyes.

Although she is old, she is not confused.

Liu is the royal surname. Anyone with the surname Liu must be a member of the royal family. The young man in front of him must not be an ordinary official.

And she had recently heard some rumors that the emperor would occasionally go to the countryside incognito to sympathize with the people. Could it be that the person in front of her...

"You, you are..."

Liu Xie saw that the old woman might have guessed his identity, so he whispered, "It's me."

When the old woman heard the title "I", her eyes instantly turned red. She had a myriad of words in her heart, but they were stuck in her throat and she couldn't say them.

Subconsciously, I wanted to kneel down and salute.

But Liu Xie held her and said, "Old lady, you are old and have difficulty walking, so there is no need to be polite."

The old woman nodded hurriedly, extremely excited.

Then she trembled and came to her son's spirit tablet, touched it with her hand, and said with tears in her eyes: "Son... His Majesty is here to see you, it's His Majesty!"

"Mother has always blamed you for abandoning your widow and orphan at home to join the army. Now mother doesn't blame you anymore. Mother doesn't blame you anymore."

Zhaodi didn't know why her grandma was crying.

But she vaguely heard the words "Your Majesty", so she looked at Liu Xie with some fear and curiosity and asked, "Sir, are you the wise and mighty emperor that my grandmother often talked about?"

At such a young age, she didn't understand the importance of the emperor.

All I know is that he is a very high-ranking official.

Liu Xie squatted down and said softly: "I am not that great, let alone wise and brave."

"The truly powerful ones are people like your father. They are the real heroes, the heroes of our Han people."

Zhaodi seemed to understand what he said, but not quite.

Then Liu Xie asked the old woman seriously, "Old lady, has your son's pension been embezzled?"

"If this is the case, please tell me and I will investigate it thoroughly!"

Zhaodi was young and didn't understand much, so he asked the old woman directly what was going on.

"Withholding?"

The old woman was slightly stunned when she heard this, and then she said, "Your Majesty, no one has embezzled my son's pension, and the grain distributed by the government every month has been received on time."

"No one embezzled the pension? Then..."

Liu Xie was stunned and subconsciously looked at the dilapidated house and residence where the old woman lived, and his doubts became even greater.

If no one is corrupt, why is the living environment so bad?
The old woman said softly, "When the imperial court called for donations, I took the initiative to donate most of the money to help the refugees."

The old woman touched Zhaodi's hair and said kindly, "I and my granddaughter don't need to live in a nice house. This is enough."

"Besides, my granddaughter will need a dowry when she grows up, so I'm saving all the money for her. If I pass away in the future, she will be able to live a better life with this money."

Zhaodi burst into tears after hearing this. She hugged the old woman and cried, "Grandma! I won't let you die..."

After listening to this, Liu Xie fell into complete silence.

The old woman bowed to Liu Xie tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, you have increased the pensions for the military families and reduced the corvée and taxes for the people. You are a truly wise ruler."

"I never thought that a noble person like you would condescend to visit my humble house."

"It is a blessing for our Han Dynasty to have an emperor like you. I believe that Your Majesty will be able to destroy all the traitors and let the people of the world live in peace."

(End of this chapter)