Besides lying down, I also know a little about power struggles

Chapter 91 Centenarian

The prefect of Guzhou was named Song, and the chief secretary of Prince Jing's palace was named Qiu. The two had been busy in Guzhou since they received the imperial edict and learned that the prince was going to tour the south.

Before Feng Twelve came, Guzhou had already prepared almost all the ceremonial equipment to welcome the prince. When the two men met Feng Twelve at this time, although they were a little nervous, their words and conversation showed that they knew what they were doing and were definitely not just fooling around.

Prefect Song and Chief Clerk Qiu accompanied Feng Twelve and sat in the main hall, facing the beautiful scenery of the garden, chatting and laughing.

"I have drawn up a tour route for Your Highness," Prefect Song sent a book, "These villages and towns were first recommended by the counties, and then surveyed and selected by the government office. Some of them value filial piety, some have a flourishing literary style, some have high grain production, some have unique craftsmanship, and some have beautiful scenery, which is very different from the north. In addition to understanding the people's sentiments, the prince can also take in the local style to comfort himself from the hardships of the southern tour."

Feng Twelve opened the booklet and simply flipped through a few pages. Seeing the detailed and meticulous planning, he nodded slightly and said, "Master Song is very meticulous. Thank you for your help."

Prefect Song smiled and waved his hands: "I don't deserve this compliment. The manpower of the prefecture is limited. Thanks to the great help of Chief Secretary Qiu, we can draw up such a detailed schedule."

Qiu Changshi stroked his short beard subtly and smiled slightly: "Sir Song is too modest. I just took advantage of you and found out which villages and towns are worth visiting."

Prefect Song laughed loudly: "That's right, the prince is a free-spirited person. There is no place in Guzhou that he has not visited."

Qiu Changshi followed with a smile and looked at Feng Twelve: "Your Highness, did you meet my prince on this trip?"

Feng Twelve closed the book and said, "I saw him in Linshui County."

Qiu Changshi was silent for a moment: "Then why didn't he come back with you?"

"I need his help with something, so I asked him to stay first." Feng Twelve said, "Are you in a hurry to find him?"

Qiu Changshi smiled, looking relieved: "To be honest, Your Highness, we received the imperial decree of the Crown Prince's southern tour, so we sent a message to the prince, hoping that he would return from Linshui County as soon as possible. He should have returned by now, but he has not been seen for a long time. We thought that something went wrong with the messenger, but we didn't expect that you two have already met. Then I can rest assured."

At this point, he called out, "Congwen."

A middle-aged official in blue came in from outside. He was dark and thin, holding a wooden box in his hand.

Qiu Changshi waved him over, took the wooden box, and personally handed it to Feng Twelve: "This is a small gift prepared by Prince Jing's Mansion. I would like the Crown Prince to take it back to the capital and present it to Your Majesty. I would like Your Highness to help review it and see if there is anything you can choose from."

Feng Twelve saw a thick book in the wooden box, with a brand new brocade cover. He picked it up and saw that the pages were thick and thin, and made of different materials. He asked, "What is this?"

Qiu Changshi said: "This is a clever idea of ​​the prince. I originally intended to present it as a birthday gift to your majesty. It just so happens that the crown prince is on a southern tour, so it's the same if I give it to the crown prince."

He motioned to Feng Twelve to open the book, only to see that the handwriting on it was very different. Some seemed like that of a great calligrapher, while others looked like that of a child in elementary school. On each page were written a few auspicious words, some elegant, some simple.

Feng Twelve took a quick look and understood the meaning: "Who are these people?"

"Your Highness has a good eye." Qiu Changshi said with a smile, "Those who wrote these are all centenarians from all over Guzhou. Some of them are well-read, while others are just farmers. Your Highness asked them to work together to write this "Centenarian Chronicle", hoping that Da Zhao will be safe and prosperous, and that Your Majesty will live a long and blessed life."

Feng Twelve put the scroll back into the box and said, "You must have traveled to many places to find so many centenarians."

"Your Highness is right," said Qiu Changshi, pointing to the thin and dark official behind him, "This is Liu Congwen, the clerk of the palace. He personally obtained this book, "The Chronicle of Centenarians," by visiting the people."

When Liu Congwen heard that Qiu Changshi mentioned him, he took a half step to the side, revealed his figure, and bowed to Feng Twelve: "This humble official greets His Highness the Twelfth Prince."

Feng Twelve looked at him and said, "No need to be polite, Liu Dianbu." Qiu Changshi introduced with a smile, "Most of the drafts of the prince's documents are usually written by Congwen. He is proficient in writing and is highly valued by the prince."

"You are too kind, Mr. Secretary," Liu Congwen said with a subtle smile, "I am just doing my duty."

He stood by for a while and saw Prefect Song and Feng Twelve discussing important inspection matters. He nodded to Chief Clerk Qiu and quietly left the hall.

As a provincial capital, Guzhou's posthouse conditions are more than ten times better than those in Linshui County. There are more than twenty elegant houses, two or three small courtyards, pavilions, towers, gardens and waterside pavilions.

Liu Congwen was brushing the flowers and willows when he turned the path and saw the postmaster coming with his clerks carrying food boxes.

The postmaster saw him and greeted him with a smile. Liu Congwen smiled back and looked at the food boxes in their hands: "This doesn't look like food from the post station."

"Yes," the postmaster replied, "It was almost noon when the twelfth prince came, and the posthouse didn't have time to prepare food. The prefect wanted to hold a banquet in the restaurant, but because of the rush of time, there was no time to prepare, so he sent me out to buy wine and food to fill the stomachs of the prince and the guards he brought with him."

Liu Congwen raised his head and looked outside, and saw several people entering and leaving the side courtyard on the right.

"Why is there a girl here?" he asked one of them.

The postmaster looked back and said with a smile, "I don't know either. The girl came with His Majesty the Twelfth Prince. I heard from the guards that she seemed to be an orphan they rescued on the road."

"Looking at her behavior, she doesn't seem like a girl from a poor family." Liu Congwen looked at her from a distance.

"I think so," said the postmaster. "That girl is very kind and speaks freely. She doesn't have the habit of being timid."

Liu Congwen nodded and looked away.

Fang Tong was talking to Xiaonian when she suddenly felt someone was looking at her. She looked up and saw a thin, dark-skinned official in blue clothes walking past the gate of the courtyard.

Xiaonian saw that she stopped talking and followed her line of sight. "That's an official from Prince Jing's mansion. He's so dark, so his surname should be Liu."

Before they set out from the capital, each of them had a booklet in which they recorded a clear list of personnel in local government offices along the way.

Fang Tong praised: "You have a really good memory."

Xiao Nian said, "Hey!" "This is the most basic skill for a guard. Miss Fang, His Highness said he has a lot of social engagements these days and he's afraid you'll be bored in the inn. If you want to go out, let me know and I'll bring someone to follow you."

Fang Tong smiled and nodded, taking the food box he brought: "I'm not in a hurry to go out, but I want to trouble Guard Xiaonian for something."

"Just say it." Xiaonian said.

"Guzhou's customs are different from the capital. If it's convenient, please ask Guard Xiaonian to find some local customs for me," Fang Tong said. "You don't have to buy them specially. When I came here, I saw a bookstore at the entrance of the alley in the southeast street. I asked His Highness if I could borrow books there."

Xiao Nian responded readily: "Leave this little thing to me, I'll have someone do it later."

(End of this chapter)