Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 539 The Wild Grass Never Ends
"Failed?"

"Failed..."

In the fourth month of summer in the tenth year of Hongwu, when news of the Han army's great victory in the northern expedition spread throughout the north, in a river valley in the northeastern part of southern Gobi, nearly a thousand miles away from the Songmo battlefield, Li Keyong looked at the confident Li Sigong in disbelief, and his face suddenly turned ugly.

According to the Han Chinese version of the story, the enemy commander died in battle, and nearly 200,000 Khitan and Xi tribesmen were killed or captured. Yaolian Qinde and Shisechuo led the remaining tribes to escape to Checheer Mountain.

Li Sigong recounted the intelligence he had painstakingly obtained, his expression extremely grave.

The fact that the Han army was able to defeat the Khitan and Xi tribes so easily and quickly undoubtedly made the situation even more dangerous.

It should be noted that they had previously joined forces to attack the Tuju tribe of the Khitan, and it took more than 2,000 casualties to defeat the Tuju tribe, which had a population of only 10,000, and then divided up tens of thousands of tribesmen and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.

The Han army, from its inception to its conclusion, took only a little over a month, yet it inflicted heavy losses on the Khitan and Xi tribes, driving them all north of the Checheer Mountains.

Thinking of this, Li Keyong felt that not only was returning to the Central Plains hopeless, but even many valleys in the southern desert had become more dangerous. He could only turn his gaze back to Li Sigong:

“I have 70,000 followers and 20,000 soldiers. After you divided the Yinshan Tatars and the Heichezi Tatars, you also gained half of the Tuju tribe's followers, so you have at least 50,000 followers and 10,000 soldiers.”

"Now that Liu Jilong has subdued the Khitan and Xi tribes, he will probably launch an attack on the southern desert soon."

“A direct withdrawal is certainly not an option, but if you do not have a foothold in the northern desert, it will be difficult to withdraw in the future.”

"I have already sent people to find out that the Kyrgyz are now divided into three factions: Li Zheng in the west, Alpu in the east, and Li Gao in the royal court."

“Li Gao and Li Zheng each called themselves Are, while Alpu established his own independent regime in the eastern grasslands.”

“Alpu has 30,000 tents and at least 150,000 followers, as well as miscellaneous Khitan tribes that are attached to it, but they have at most 10,000 followers.”

"With the combined strength of the two of us, defeating Alp is not difficult. Once Alp is defeated, I will join you in ruling Julunbo!"

Li Keyong's words clearly indicated his intention to integrate the two armies into one, thus completely forming an alliance.

Upon hearing this, Li Sigong thought for a moment. Over the years, his health had deteriorated due to living in the southern desert, and his younger brother and descendants were no match for Li Keyong.

Rather than being swallowed up by Li Keyong in the future, it's better to merge them into one now, so that Li Keyong won't go so far as to exterminate them all.

Thinking of this, Li Sigong nodded and said, "You are the Emperor of Tang, but I cannot pay my respects."

“Agreed!” Li Keyong didn’t care about these formalities. He only cared about whether he could strengthen the two tribes and seize the grasslands in the eastern border of the northern desert from the Kyrgyz.

"This year, train the troops well. Next year, two of us will lead troops to seize the Alpu grasslands, and you will have the first choice for the Gonglushui grasslands!"

"it is good!"

With the agreement reached between the two, Li Sigong led his tribe to join Li Keyong's "Tang Kingdom".

No matter what they called themselves, in the eyes of the Han and other tribes, they could only be Tanguts and Shatuo.

Compared to the Khitan and Xi tribes, Li Keyong and Li Sigong were indeed not considered major enemies in the eyes of the Han emperor and his ministers at this time.

At this time, the Han Dynasty had emerged from the great victory at Songmo. After the victory, in addition to dealing with the southern barbarians in the southwest, the most important issue facing Liu Jilong was the dense population in Guanzhong.

"In that year, there were 8,872,150 households and 44,291,700 people in the country."

"There are 2,951,472 qing of cultivated land in the country, and according to the law, there are 5,902,457 shi of land tax that can be levied."

“The population of the Gyeonggi Province is now over three million, but the arable land in Guanzhong is almost entirely overgrown with straw and wild grass.”

"If we do not adapt and guide the way, we fear that we will see the same famine in Guanzhong as in previous years... I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider this and take action as soon as possible."

In May, with the summer harvest about to begin, Li Shangyin went to Zhenguan Palace to badmouth Liu Jilong.

Officials had mentioned the dense population of Guanzhong a few years ago, but no one expected that it would grow to three million in just a few years.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Li Shangyin, who had reported the matter, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke:

"This year, more than two thousand students have returned from their official duties. The Crown Prince will arrive in Luoyang soon. I intend to have the Crown Prince lead these two thousand students to inspect the capital and the surrounding areas. Those who break the law, along with their clansmen, will be exiled to Shannan East Circuit."

It's the same old methods and approaches, but old methods and approaches don't have to be outdated, as long as they work.

There are over four thousand officials and as many as thirty thousand clerks in the two capital regions, and Liu Jilong simply doesn't believe they are all clean.

"I obey the decree..."

Li Shangyin bowed in agreement, then opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated.

Seeing his expression, Liu Jilong looked at him and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Your Majesty..." Li Shangyin took a deep breath, bowed and said, "I am old and frail, and my energy is exhausted. I am mindful of Your Majesty's great kindness and cannot bear to ask for permission so hastily."

"However, as the years slip by and time passes, I fear I may fail in my duties and betray the Emperor's trust. Therefore, I humbly request to retire and live out my days in the countryside, so that I may live out my remaining years in peace."

His words startled Liu Jilong, who then looked him up and down.

Li Shangyin, who was born in the eighth year of the Yuanhe era, is now seventy years old.

Before he spoke, Liu Jilong thought he was still the same Mr. Yishan, who was in his forties and looked somewhat thin.

After he made his request, Liu Jilong noticed that his skin was already loose, his hair and beard were sparse, and his body was hunched over.

He opened his mouth, wanting to persuade Li Shangyin to stay, but seeing Li Shangyin's expression, he finally nodded.
"After you leave, the Council of State Affairs should be led by Cui Shu, with Xiao Gou as the assistant."

"Although Zheng Tian still cherishes the memory of the previous dynasty, he cares more about the people. He can be appointed as a co-prime minister and enter the Hall of State Affairs."

"Your Majesty is wise." Li Shangyin breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Liu Jilong, and then turned to leave.

As he was about to step out of the Zhenguan Hall, he turned back to look at Liu Jilong, who was still watching him. He smiled and nodded at Liu Jilong before turning and walking away.

As he disappeared from sight, Liu Jilong couldn't help but say, "Master Yishan has grown old, and so have I..."

It was somewhat incongruous for someone in his thirties to say such a thing, but he could indeed feel his energy levels declining.

"Your Majesty is at the height of your power and looks no older than thirty. There's no reason for you to be old."

Ximen Jun then stepped forward to flatter Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong paid no attention to his words and simply lowered his head to deal with the memorials.

Seeing that he did not respond, Ximen Jun retreated awkwardly, occasionally stepping forward to add water and grind ink.

While he was dealing with the situation, Xiao Gou and Chen Jingchong entered the hall one after the other, bowed to him twice, and chanted "Long live the Emperor" three times.

"Give me a seat."

"Your Majesty, I humbly thank you for your great kindness."

Liu Jilong spoke, put down his vermilion pen, and looked at the two of them.

Seeing this, Xiao Gou turned to the side, gesturing for Chen Jingchong to speak first. Chen Jingchong, without any hesitation, bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, the civil and military examinations have both concluded. This is the list of successful candidates selected by Your Majesty, the Grand Secretariat, and the Three Departments and Six Ministries. We humbly request Your Majesty to review it."

After the incident with Li Shangyin, Liu Jilong couldn't help but take a closer look at Chen Jingchong. The 66-year-old Chen Jingchong also looked rather old, which made Liu Jilong feel the power of time even more clearly.

Even the greatest heroes grow old...

As Liu Jilong's eyes flickered, Ximen Junsui had already taken the list and presented it to Liu Jilong.

The imperial examinations were originally scheduled to begin in February or March, but due to the war in the north and the continuous spring rains in Luoyang in March, they were postponed to late April.

Since Emperor Liu Jilong copied the palace examination, metropolitan examination, provincial examination, and the anonymous grading system, which were perfected during the Song and Ming dynasties, he, as the emperor, naturally saw these students' examination papers.

However, because Liu Jilong insisted on keeping the names of candidates anonymous during the palace examination, he did not know who wrote the examination papers.

Now that the roster has been delivered to him, a sense of anticipation has stirred within him.

Thinking of this, he first opened the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and Xiao Gou followed suit, saying:

"This is the first time that the imperial examination has been held in this dynasty. More than 146,000 scholars from all over the country participated in the examination. More than 5,700 passed the provincial examination and 300 passed the metropolitan examination."

"More than 179,000 people participated in the military examination, 6,657 passed the provincial examination, and 300 passed the metropolitan examination."

Liu Jilong did not listen carefully to Xiao Gou's words, because he saw many names that looked somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar on the list of successful candidates in the civil and military examinations.

The scholars who passed the imperial examinations included Guo Chongtao, Zhang Jun, Li Juchuan, Li Xiji, Lu Zhi, Yan Keqiu, Gao Yu, Li Zhen, Zhao Guangfeng, and Ren Huan...

The military examination graduates included Xu Wen, Yang Shihou, Shi Shucong, Gao Jichang, Zhang Quanyi, Wang Chuzhi, Liu Xun, Fu Cunshen, and Wang Yanzhang…

Some of these names were very familiar to him, while others were both familiar and unfamiliar.

The imperial examinations of the Han Dynasty were divided into three grades: first, second, and third, representing the top three, excellent, and second-best, respectively. The top scholars (状元, 榜眼, 探花) and other scholars (进士, 同进士) were awarded based on their rankings.

In the current list, the top scholar is Yan Keqiu, whom Liu Jilong is not very familiar with; the second-place scholar is Gao Yu; the third-place scholar is Guo Chongtao; and the rest of the names that Liu Jilong is familiar with are basically among the second-class scholars.

The Han Dynasty placed greater emphasis on grassroots officials, so these Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) would not directly enter the Hanlin Academy as they did in the Ming Dynasty. Instead, they would be assigned to serve in the Three Provinces, Six Ministries, and Nine Temples before being appointed as principal officials in other regions.

Among them, the three who came from the first rank would be granted the official position of the lower seventh rank, the two who came from the second rank would be granted the official position of the lower eighth rank, and the three who came from the third rank would be granted the official position of the lower ninth rank.

After serving in the Southern Office for a year, they would be promoted one rank before being sent down to lower-level positions, and assigned to major grassroots official posts such as county magistrate and county assistant in the more populous upper and middle counties.

They had only just begun, yet they had already surpassed those officials who had taken the paths of university examinations and civil service examinations.

If they are consistently rated as excellent during their tenure, they will be promoted faster than other officials.

This is naturally somewhat unfair, but the imperial examination was far more difficult than the university entrance examination, so it is normal to have some special treatment.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at the list of martial arts examination candidates, which included Xu Wen, the top martial arts scholar; Yang Shihou, the second-ranked martial arts scholar; and Fu Cunshen, the third-ranked martial arts scholar.

Liu Jilong was surprised that Xu Wen could win the top score in the martial arts exam, but after carefully reviewing Xu Wen's exam paper, he understood why he could become the top martial arts scholar.

In terms of strategy and tactics, he was far inferior to Yang Shihou and Fu Cunshen, but his strategy was comprehensive enough.

War is not just war; it is a continuation of politics, and the essence of politics is the distribution of interests.

Xu Wen's strategies and tactics were inferior to many of those who passed the military examination, but he wrote exceptionally well about the political and diplomatic means behind the war.

From a purely policy perspective, Xu Wen's exam paper was undoubtedly the most impressive among all the military candidates, so he was selected as a "model" and became the top military scholar in the first military examination held in this drought-stricken year.

The problem of anonymous naming was thus placed before Liu Jilong. Without anonymous naming, he would certainly not have chosen Xu Wen as the martial arts champion, given how disgusting the Xu family's past deeds were.

Now that he has been chosen, Liu Jilong naturally will not go back on his word.

Moreover, Xu Wen grew up under the rule of the Han Dynasty since he was a teenager. Given that environment changes people, perhaps he wasn't so bad after all.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong did not destroy the list, and calmly nodded, saying, "Make the list of martial arts candidates copy and archive it, and post it."

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

Xiao Gou and Chen Jingchong bowed deeply, while Liu Jilong spoke up, saying, "Now that the northern border is somewhat peaceful, we should give you the opportunity to make further advances."

"I wish to summon An Pohu, Luo Yin, Husi Guang, Zheng Chu, Zhang Chang and others to court. The Five Military Commissions have discussed and decided on the list of those to be promoted and sent it to the Grand Secretariat for detailed review. I will make a decision immediately."

His old brothers, the youngest of whom was fifty years old, were of age to be entering the court.

If the older generation always occupies the positions, how can the lower-ranking officers be trained?
"Your Majesty..." Chen Jingchong bowed and said, "I believe that Liu Zhijun, the military commissioner of Huainan Circuit, and Zhu Zhen and Li Tangbin, the captains, are all talented and can be transferred to the northern frontier."

“Alright.” Liu Jilong nodded slightly. He had transferred Liu Zhijun and others to Henan and Huainan provinces one after another. Now, ten years later, these people had not followed the initial rebels and caused trouble, which made them worthy of his trust.

The main task in the north right now is maintaining order, so sending them there to test them out gradually shouldn't be a problem.

"The generals of Jiannan, Shannan, Qianzhong, Lingnan and other regions should not be transferred for the time being. We will be going to fight the southern barbarians after winter this year. These military graduates can go to the southwest to observe the old generals' campaign against the southern barbarians."

"Your subject will obey the imperial decree..."

Liu Jilong gave the instructions, and Chen Jingchong respectfully agreed. Then, seeing that Liu Jilong had not given any further instructions and that Xiao Gou was not planning to leave, he bowed and left first.

After he left, Liu Jilong looked towards Xiaogou and picked up the list of successful candidates in the civil service examination.

"I have just reviewed the list of successful candidates. Nearly 40% of them are from Guandong, which is similar to the number selected from Guanxi, while only 42 are from Jiangnan."

"The four routes of Lingnan, Jiannan, and Shannan, east and west, only had thirty-six people. However, Jiannan and Shannan West routes had been running official schools for more than ten years, and the number of graduates was countless."

Liu Jilong paused, then lowered his voice: "Prime Minister Xiao, are these all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) personally selected by me?"

"Your Majesty..." Xiao Gou sighed inwardly upon hearing this, and respectfully bowed, saying, "This is the reason why I have not been careful enough to retreat."

Xiao Gou noticed something was wrong as soon as he got the roster, but he still showed it to Liu Jilong because he knew he couldn't keep it a secret. After all, Liu Jilong wasn't a monarch like Li Chen or Li Cui.

"Of the 43 examination papers selected by His Majesty, after careful review and verification by the officials, they were rejected because of their poor writing style."

Xiao Gou answered truthfully, but his answer made Liu Jilong's eyes flicker.

There were only 300 places available for the imperial examinations, and 43 of them were replaced, which means that nearly 15% of the places were changed.

"You, along with Prime Minister Cui and Minister Zheng, should reread the documents to see if the problem lies in the poor texture or if there is another reason."

Liu Jilong spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened, but Xiao Gou and Ximen Junsui, who knew him well, knew that Luoyang was about to change.

"Your subject will obey your decree..."

Xiao Gou respectfully received the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination from Ximen Junsui and carefully withdrew from the Zhenguan Hall.

After he left, Liu Jilong turned his attention to the list of military examination graduates on the table, because there was also something wrong with this list, but Liu Jilong did not expose it.

The military examinations were presided over by veteran generals of the Five Military Commands, and reviewed and approved by Liu Jilong himself. Even though some of the meritorious officials were arrogant and domineering, they all knew what the emperor's approval meant, and no one dared to change it.

However, the fact that the palace examination was not changed does not mean that there were no changes at all. At least in the provincial and metropolitan examinations, which Liu Jilong could not see, the meritorious officials did not restrain themselves.

"Where has the Crown Prince gone...?"

When Liu Jilong asked, Ximen Junsui, who was already tense, quickly bowed and said, "We have already arrived in Xiangyang and will be able to return to Luoyang by early June at the latest."

Upon learning of Liu Lie's whereabouts, Liu Jilong nodded in response, and then continued to handle the memorials from the various officials.

Despite having a cabinet that could provide advice at any time, he, as emperor, could not ignore everything. He still had to read the memorials and select suggestions to implement.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

As he processed the memorials, time passed unnoticed. The evening drums sounded in Luoyang, while Cui Shu, Xiao Gou, and Zheng Tian, ​​all around fifty-five years old, stayed up all night reviewing the documents.

There were 300 exam papers, each with less than 3,000 characters. Most candidates managed to keep their papers to around 2,800 characters, and they were written in classical Chinese, making them a painful read.

If these 840,000 characters of classical Chinese were replaced with colloquial language, the content could be translated into at least tens of millions of words of colloquialisms. The quotations and allusions would require them to constantly search through ancient books to understand them.

The three dared not summon the examiners and reviewers of the imperial examinations, and could only grit their teeth and review them, while also taking time to deal with urgent memorials and imperial edicts.

This could be kept secret for a day or two, but as time went on, and with the list of successful candidates still undecided, many people found out what the three ministers were doing.

Many people were restless and prepared to rush to the Hall of State Affairs, but they were all persuaded to turn back by the soldiers of the Six Armies of the Northern Army outside the Hall of State Affairs.

Twenty days passed quickly. When Liu Jilong saw Cui Shu, Xiao Gou, and Zheng Tian again, the three of them were not only listless, but also thinner.

"Your Majesty, this is the list of candidates for the civil service examination, which has been reviewed and revised by the three of us."

Cui Shu tried to force a smile, but he couldn't manage one. Liu Jilong, on the other hand, nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen. Please have a seat."

At Liu Jilong's signal, Ximen Jun had a chair brought over, while Liu Jilong began to peruse the new list.

As expected, although this matter consumed a lot of Cui Shu's and others' efforts, the new list was finally more acceptable than the one from a few days ago.

"One hundred from Kansai, seventy-five from Kanto, sixty-seven from Jiangnan, and fifty-eight from the Southwest, that's not bad."

The top scholar, Yan Keqiu, was from Guanzhong; the second-ranked scholar, Gao Yu, was from Huainan; and the third-ranked scholar, Guo Chongtao, was from Hedong.

Although there were no scholars from Jiangnan, this approach was not likely to anger them. After all, Jiangnan was brought under the rule of the imperial court later than Guanzhong and Guandong. As long as the number of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Jiangnan was not too small, it would be fine.

"Send it to the archive."

"Your subject will obey your decree..."

Seeing Liu Jilong finally nod, Cui Shu and the others breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter was over.

With the list back in hand, the three respectfully withdrew from the Zhenguan Hall.

Liu Jilong breathed a sigh of relief after they left, and kept tapping the armrest of the chair with his hand.

“Hongwu… Hongwu…”

Liu Jilong slowly closed his eyes. He had long known that this group of people would do this. After all, since the An Lushan Rebellion, the imperial examination had been the only way for the sons of powerful families to rise in society, and it had nothing to do with ordinary people.

That's why Liu Jilong was able to guess that they wouldn't easily give up their former privileges and was prepared to unleash a massacre.

However, these officials from powerful and influential families always had more experience and depth than ordinary officials, and were not as foolish as the officials under Zhu Yuanzhang.

He only needed to speak, and these powerful families would eventually bow their heads. However, their bowing this time was for a better future, something Liu Jilong could not tolerate. But this matter could not be handled by him alone. His eldest son had grown up, and he himself was over fifty. It was time for him to deal with these sordid affairs in the court.

With this in mind, he picked up his pen and continued to work on the memorials, and the Three Departments and Six Ministries were working at a fast pace.

"Clang... clang... clang..."

On the 28th day of the fifth month of the summer of the tenth year of Hongwu in the Han Dynasty, with the conclusion and posting of the results of the first imperial examination of the Han Dynasty, the names and hometowns of the three hundred successful candidates were quickly posted in three places designated by the court, and were guarded by the Jinwu Guard with weapons.

The main list outside the imperial city, the secondary list on Tianjin Bridge, and the list pavilion in front of the Imperial College were all crowded with people.

"Yan Keqiu, the top scholar, is from Chaoyi, Tongzhou, Jingji Circuit!"

"Gao Yu, the second-place scholar, is from Jiangdu, Yangzhou, Huainan Circuit!"

"Guo Chongtao, the third-ranked scholar, is from Yanmen, Daizhou, Hedong Circuit!"

"Li, the first in Class Two..."

The chants continued, some people breathed a sigh of relief, while others anxiously awaited their names being called.

Even if you know you've passed the exam, there are differences between the top three. How many people who have made it this far are content with just getting into the top three?
"Kansai, Kanto, Huainan, but there's no Jiangnan region..."

"Jiannan and Shannan didn't get their turn either, did they?"

"Seventeen Jinshi from Hebei Province, haha..."

"Hedong not only produced a third-place scholar, but also twenty-three successful candidates in the imperial examinations?"

"There were twenty-two Jinshi from Henan Province and fifteen Jinshi from Dongji..."

"Fortunately, there are 67 Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the eastern and western circuits of Jiangnan, far exceeding the number of Jinshi in the northern circuits, hahahahaha!"

"A certain scholar from Jiannan has done quite well, producing twenty Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). He will surely occupy thirty seats in the next examination..."

Of the 300 available Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), Longyou Circuit undoubtedly had the most, with a total of 39 Jinshi, six more than the second-ranked Jiangnan East Circuit.

Although some students complained, it did not cause any disturbance, since the situation of the more than 300 successful candidates in this imperial examination had already been thoroughly investigated by many people.

Compared to the previous dynasty, where the imperial examinations were basically monopolized by powerful families, nearly 100 of the 300 successful candidates in this palace examination came from commoner backgrounds.

The remaining two hundred people were either sons of officials, powerful families, or from military or noble families.

Although the gap is still huge, the path to the imperial examinations for commoners is much better than in the previous dynasty.

With these commoner scholars as role models, those commoner students who failed the imperial examination were not discouraged, but prepared to participate in the second imperial examination three years later.

While they were making preparations, information about the imperial examination was also sent to various counties through the National Gazette, which Liu Lie, who had already entered the Eastern Capital region, was reviewing.

Compared to the imperial edict, the font in the national gazette was smaller, but it used an entire page to list the hometowns, ages, and family backgrounds of the three hundred successful candidates.

It has only been seven years since the establishment of official schools. According to the ten-year school system for primary and secondary schools, there are still three years before the number of commoner students will surge.

"The heavens of Luoyang are about to descend into chaos..."

Putting down the newspaper, Liu Lie looked at the pastoral scenery outside the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief.

He now needs to think carefully about how to tell his father about his experiences over the past few years.

Thinking of this, he slowly closed his eyes, while the carriage continued to approach Luoyang City.

The hundred or so guards flanking the carriage drew attention, but once the people saw their armor, they quickly looked away.

Two days later, Liu Lie finally returned to Luoyang City, his gaze sweeping over the city, which had remained unchanged from three years ago.

There were more people on the streets, and the people were still full of energy. This was not only because the eastern capital had not suffered any disasters this year, but also because of the court's three-month annual recruitment period for construction projects.

After the autumn harvest, the imperial court would recruit workers to do official work for a month, and then recruit workers for two more months in winter.

Thirty coins of wages, if you're frugal and don't live in the city, three months' wages would be enough to live in the countryside for seven or eight months, provided you don't suffer any disaster.

If a disaster strikes, local prices will skyrocket, and having two or three strings of cash in hand, or even twenty or thirty strings, will be of no use.

"Luoyang hasn't changed much compared to three years ago."

Liu Lie couldn't help but speak, while a slightly jarring voice came from inside the carriage: "Your Highness is quite right, Luoyang remains peaceful and prosperous."

Upon hearing the voice, Liu Lie looked over and saw an elderly-looking eunuch sitting among them, who was the person sent by the palace to greet him.

In the past, Liu Lie would never have paid any attention to these disabled people in his eyes.

After his trip to the southwest, he realized that not all places in the world could be as peaceful and stable as Longyou. The person before him might have been forced into the palace.

"I have just returned to Luoyang, and I have long forgotten all the old friends I used to know. I do need someone to help me out."

Thinking of this, Liu Lie looked at the eunuch and asked, "Would you be willing to become the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace?"

"This servant could not have asked for it, and I kowtow to thank Your Highness for your great kindness..."

Without the slightest hesitation, the eunuch bowed and kowtowed, but his posture was proper, quite different from the other eunuchs in the palace who were either dull or overly shrewd and obsequious.

He seemed not to be a eunuch, but a proper minister.

"What is your name?" Liu Lie became increasingly interested in him, and the eunuch continued to rise politely and bow, saying, "This servant's name is Zhang Chengye, and I am the adopted son of the former eunuch Zhang Tai..."

Upon hearing him announce his family's whereabouts, Liu Lie couldn't help but smile and remarked with emotion, "Our Liu family is truly inseparable from the Zhang family."

“Hehe…” He shook his head, then instructed Zhang Chengye: “Later, you go to the East Palace and find some trustworthy people. I’m going to the Zhenguan Hall.”

"This servant is enlightened," Zhang Chengye replied respectfully, while Liu Lie turned his gaze to the outside of the carriage window.

This time, he was very different from before. He understood the benefits of power and also knew what it was like to be without it.

Lost in thought, the carriage slowly drove towards the palace, and Zhang Chengye, as expected of an old man who had entered the palace at a young age, was a true veteran.

He had arranged a carriage in advance, so when Liu Lie got out of the car, there was already a carriage waiting in front of him.

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Liu Jilong ordered all the thresholds in the palace to be filled in to facilitate the movement of carriages.

Among the meritorious officials of the court, those who were of advanced age, such as Chen Jingchong, Cui Shu, Gao Jinda, Li Shangyin, and Wang Shi, all had small sedan chairs permitted by Liu Jilong to ride in.

To put it simply, a small carriage is a narrower version of a horse-drawn carriage. It was commissioned by Liu Jilong and incorporated into the imperial system of allowing officials to ride in carriages within the palace.

As for the former palanquins, they had long been abolished by Liu Jilong's order, and it was stipulated that officials were only allowed to ride in carriages and horses, and not in palanquins.

Even Liu Lie, the crown prince, could only travel to the palace in a carriage at this moment. Zhang Chengye arranged for a eunuch to help Liu Lie get in and out of the carriage, while he himself went to the East Palace.

"Is that a light carriage?"

"The Crown Prince is back?"

"It must be the Crown Prince returning..."

The appearance of the chariot immediately attracted the attention of many officials and patrolling soldiers.

Liu Lie remained unmoved, his mind preoccupied only with how to perform later.

A quarter of an hour later, as the carriage stopped outside the Zhenguan Hall, Liu Lie alighted, and at the same time, the voices of eunuchs from the court were heard.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully report that the Crown Prince requests an audience..."

"Enter!"

Liu Jilong's voice still carried weight; though it wasn't loud, it sounded like drumsticks striking one's ear.

Thinking this, Liu Lie entered the Zhenguan Hall. There were already seats prepared for him, but they were not for Liu Lie; they were for Cao Mao, who was returning in triumph.

Liu Jilong sat on the golden platform, his gaze fixed intently on Liu Lie's chest, making him feel both happy and somewhat burdened.

"Your son Lie greets Father..."

"Come up."

Liu Jilong nodded in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze back to Cao Mao: "I did not expect the war on the front lines to end so quickly, which meant I did not give you a chance to demonstrate your abilities."

Cao Mao felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this, after all, he was leading tens of thousands of elite troops from the two capital regions on a northern expedition, and before setting off he had said that he would lead his troops to perform well.

As a result, apart from killing and capturing some Xi tribesmen in the Yanshan Mountains, he did not gain any other merit.

This is not his fault. After all, An Pohu, Husi Guang, and Zhang Yanhui were the main force in this battle, while the elite soldiers from the two capitals and Cao Mao were just reserves who would step in when they encountered difficulties.

Unexpectedly, Anpohu and Husiguang directly defeated and drove out the Khitan, while Cao Mao and Zhang Yanhui's preparations over the past six months were in vain.

"You will be the commander of the next northern expedition."

Liu Jilong reassured Cao Mao, who nodded, rose, and bowed to Liu Jilong, saying, "Your subject has nothing to report, I respectfully withdraw..."

"Go down and get some rest, spend time with your family."

Liu Jilong raised his hand and waved it in the air, signaling him to hurry back. Cao Mao looked at Liu Lie, their eyes met, and he gave him an affirmative look before leaving Zhenguan Hall.

After he left, Liu Jilong slowly got up and faced his twenty-four-year-old son, carefully observing him.

He had the same thick eyebrows, long eyes, and sharp eyes as me, and was even a little taller than me. He was tall and imposing, and was good enough to be the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations.

"Like me, just not quite there."

Liu Jilong laughed heartily, while Liu Lie felt a wave of embarrassment.

If the two of them were to go out and pretend to be wealthy, others would surely assume that Liu Jilong is the elder brother and Liu Lie is the younger brother.

“Aye doesn’t seem to age.”

When Liu Lie saw that his father was joking with him, he became bolder and took the initiative to describe Liu Jilong's appearance.

Faced with these words, Liu Jilong stroked his short beard and said, "I'm getting a bit old."

After sighing, he looked at Liu Lie and asked with interest, "Are you still willing to give up your power?"

"Uh..." Liu Lie didn't know what to say. He was worried that his father would overthink things, but he also felt that he wouldn't. So he stammered in this dilemma. In the end, Liu Jilong grabbed his shoulder and used a little force, which made him scream in pain.

"Uh-"

Liu Lie felt like his shoulders were about to be crushed by his father, while Liu Jilong laughed heartily, "Feeling better now?"

"I feel better now." Liu Lie rubbed his shoulder with his left hand, his expression a mixture of anger, hatred, and fear.

"Speak when you feel refreshed!"

He sat down in his chair and gestured for Liu Lie to sit down as well, but the chair was too short to accommodate the two tall men sitting side by side.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong immediately picked up Liu Lie and put him on his lap, saying with a smile, "When you were little, your father used to hold you like this."

Although his actions were clearly awkward, for some reason, Liu Lie, who had been tense, relaxed and took the initiative to speak:

“I am already aware of Father’s arrangements. It is thanks to Father’s arrangements that I have come to know the suffering of the people.”

Whether he was farming in Shule or serving as a soldier in Tingzhou, Liu Lie never felt that life was so hard.

Since whether he was a garrison soldier or a combat soldier, he and the others ate roughly the same amount of rations, so he didn't feel any difference.

Only after this trip to Puning County did he realize that the conditions in different places were different, and that the conditions in places like central Guizhou, western Shandong, and western Hunan were so harsh.

Reflecting on what he had seen and heard, he said to Liu Jilong:

"When I was in Guizhou, although the imperial court had already distributed the land equally to the local people, due to the terrain, many people only had three or four acres of arable land, which was not enough to earn enough for their own food. The people wore tattered clothes and were starving."

"Although the government provided them with land reclamation grain, after they painstakingly reclaimed the wasteland, a great flood came and not only destroyed the wasteland, but also swallowed up the fertile fields and turned them into wasteland."

"To avoid floods, the local people had no choice but to cultivate their fields on the mountains."

"But the mountains are cold and the crop yield is very low. It is common for an acre to produce only five or six bushels of grain. How can that be enough for the people to eat?"

"Although the imperial court ordered certain officials to build canals, those canals are only capable of dealing with minor disasters. If there are several days of rain, there is a risk of landslides and mudslides."

"If the mountains collapse and the earth is buried, countless farmlands will be lost, and countless people will be left in despair."

"Even if the imperial court paid wages, Puning is located in a remote area, and the people can't buy anything even if they have money. They can only wait for the imperial court to send oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other necessities, not to mention anything else."

"If I hadn't personally witnessed the hardships of the people in the countryside of Puning, I would never have imagined that there were such impoverished places when people in Jiangnan, Hebei, and even the bitterly cold Anxi and Beiting could have enough to eat."

Liu Lie was filled with emotion, but Liu Jilong was not moved by his words, simply because he knew that there were still many such places in the world today.

Although the imperial court applied the same policies to all the provinces and counties, the different resources in each region meant that the rich and poor varied from place to place.

Guanzhong had an advantage during the time of the overland Silk Road.

When the Maritime Silk Road comes into being, the advantage will immediately shift to the coast, while the inland areas will gradually weaken.

A shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain transported from the plains of Guandong would lose at most half a dou (another unit of dry measure) or even less every hundred li (a unit of distance), but in the mountainous areas of the southwest...

Even places that seem close may require gritting your teeth and walking for miles to reach, resulting in unbearable losses.

These are inherent disadvantages that are not easy to change.

All the imperial court could do was to continuously invest resources and regulate the population of all regions of the country in order to ensure that peace could last longer.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Liu Lie and took the initiative to speak to him:

"The two capital regions now have a population of nearly five million. Seven or eight tenths of the wasteland in Guanzhong has been reclaimed, and six or seven tenths of the wasteland in Dongji has also been reclaimed."

“If we ignore this, the old days of cannibalism will surely repeat themselves.”

"Now that you have returned, I intend to have you lead the commoner graduates who passed this year's imperial examinations to reshuffle the Censorate, recruit university graduates as censors, and thoroughly investigate the two capital regions."

Liu Jilong's words made Liu Lie instinctively stop breathing, after all, he knew how many people his father had migrated over the years.

Putting aside other matters, the Doulu Zhuan case alone involved hundreds of thousands of people, 30% of whom died on the road.

This was under the condition that the Han Dynasty provided complete supplies for the immigrants along the way. If it were another dynasty, the number of deaths would probably be twice as high.

While Liu Lie was still in a daze, Liu Jilong knew what he was thinking and took the initiative to speak:

"You work in the local government, haven't you ever seen officials harassing the people and extorting money from them?"

"If you had seen them, you would know that these people deserved to die, and the court's decision to allow them to migrate and live was already a lenient gesture."

"If you haven't met him before, then take this opportunity to meet him. Let the Duke of Cheng accompany you on this trip."

Duke Cheng, also known as Zhao Ying, was someone Liu Lie was quite familiar with, and he was the crown prince, but he was still somewhat afraid of this elusive "elder".

"Your subject is willing to go. This opportunity can allow us to see just how sordid the affairs of the two capitals can be!"

Liu Lie adopted a calm demeanor, and Liu Jilong, seeing this, did not expose him, but instead turned his gaze to Ximen Junsui.

Upon seeing this, Ximen Jun immediately presented Liu Lie with the edict that Liu Jilong had already written.

"Your Highness, this is His Majesty's edict. As long as Your Highness gives the order, the Grand Secretariat can be instructed to draft regulations for the Three Departments and Six Ministries and proceed directly with the implementation."

Liu Lie understood Ximen Junsui's words very well. The so-called supplementary procedures were nothing more than acting first and reporting later, catching the other party off guard.

Even with his limited knowledge, he could tell that the group of rats had probably sensed the danger long ago and were now obediently trying to survive the "winter".

If I can find them, that would be fine, but if I can't, my prestige as the crown prince will be greatly diminished.

He looked at his father, only to see that his father had already stepped down from the golden platform and was walking away without looking back.

"There are still several months until you graduate from the university. In the meantime, you should familiarize yourself with the affairs of the court."

Ximen Jun hurriedly followed, and Liu Lie, unlike before, did not complain incessantly. Instead, he respectfully bowed to Ximen Jun's back and said, "Your subject obeys the decree..."

When he got up, his father had already disappeared, and he carefully sat down on the chair on the golden platform.

What was once an ordinary chair in his eyes now seems like glass, as if he's worried that the slightest force will shatter it completely.

However, this cautiousness disappeared as he settled into his seat, and his gaze swept across the Zhenguan Hall, rushing out of the hall.

He loved this feeling of being on top of the world. If he could, he would never get up and would sit on this golden platform forever.

But he knew that in order to realize this wish, he had to achieve something to show his father and the officials!
"If that's the case... then where should we begin?"

(End of this chapter)