The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 712 Hearing is not true
The road to Luoyang has become much smoother than before.

Several Hu cavalrymen on fast horses were clearing the way on the official road, and following behind them were several carriages, and finally dozens of cavalrymen.

The attire of these Hu cavalry was completely different from that of the Xianbei, Xiongnu and other forces.

They wore tall felt hats, a bit like the mountain crowns of the pre-Qin period, cloth armor, and belts made of animal fur around their waists. They were looking around curiously.

There were two people in the carriage, one old and one young.

The old man looked really old, with white hair, and even his beard and eyebrows were a little gray. He looked very kind.

At this moment, he was looking at the situation outside through the car curtain, with an indescribable loneliness in his eyes.

The younger one was just a baby, sitting aside very respectfully with his head lowered, not daring to look the old man in the eye.

"I haven't been back for decades and everything has changed, but not as much as I expected."

The old man looked at the scene outside where prosperity and ruins intersected, and couldn't help but sigh.

The child hurriedly said, "Mr. Cheng, since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been single-mindedly focused on unification, with no time for other matters. Now that unification has just been completed, the prosperity of various regions has only occurred in the past few years."

Hearing his words, the old man couldn't help laughing.

"Do you think I'm looking down on His Majesty? Do you need a child like you to defend His Majesty?"

The child smiled awkwardly, "It's just that Mr. Cheng hasn't been to the Central Plains for many years, and I'm afraid you don't know the situation here."

The old man's name was Cheng Yi, and he was the Chief of the Western Regions of the Wei Dynasty.

In terms of seniority, this position of his was conferred by Emperor Wen, Cao Pi. He almost thought he was forgotten and would die in the Western Regions. Unexpectedly, now, the court finally remembered him, and the emperor issued an edict to let him return, allowing him to return to his hometown to recuperate.

Cheng Yi didn't know what to feel.

As for this young boy, he was born into a prominent family in Anding. His grandfather had some friendship with Chengyi and was his former subordinate.

His father worked in the imperial palace. When Cheng Yi passed by Liangzhou this time, his family elders asked Cheng Yi to take the boy with him to Luoyang.

He said that he should find a famous teacher in Luoyang to prepare for entering the Imperial College.

Cheng Yi did not refuse and took the boy with him on the road.

This guy is still very young, but he is extremely smart and speaks fluently. He doesn't look like a child at all.

Cheng Yi couldn't help but ask, "At your age, you seem to be quite knowledgeable about the affairs of the court?"

The child quickly said, "Father would come back from time to time and tell me about Your Majesty's many talents. He also told me to study hard so that I could assist Your Majesty in the future."

Cheng Yi laughed again.

Unexpectedly, the little guy looked up angrily and asked, "Are you mocking my ambitions, Mr. Cheng?"

"You're just like your great-grandfather, boy. With such ambition, why are you afraid of being laughed at? Keep up the good work and study hard!"

"only"

The boy immediately gave in.

Cheng Yi stopped teasing the little guy and looked outside again.

He had been away from the Central Plains for a long time, but Yongliang had not changed much. It was only after entering the Sili area that some more obvious changes could be seen.

For example, the hordes of corvée laborers?

Are you going to use corvee labor on such a scale just after pacifying the country?

Cheng Yi was a little puzzled.

The closer the carriage got to Luoyang, the more uneasy Cheng Yi felt. He had been in the Western Regions for many years and had never returned to the Central Plains during all this time. He had no idea what changes had taken place in the temple.

Of course, he still knew some important things.

Including the behavior of the Sima family and many things that happened after Cao Mao came to power.

However, hearing about it is definitely different from seeing it with your own eyes.

He had never met the emperor.

All he knew about this emperor was that he was cruel and ruthless, and would execute entire clans and exile people into the wild at will.

Sometimes he corresponded with his good friends in the Central Plains, but the other parties disappeared while he was writing. Later he learned that they had been punished by the emperor.

This made Cheng Yi very worried. He didn't know what he would encounter after returning to Luoyang this time. He had to be vigilant enough and must not say anything rude in front of the emperor to cause trouble for his clan.

Compared to him, the little kid was getting happier. Looking at the people working outside, he couldn't help but shouting.

He was full of expectations for Luoyang.

After traveling for several more days, they finally arrived outside Luoyang.

From a distance, they saw a group of people waiting for them.

Seeing this person, Cheng Yi smiled and asked the Hu cavalry to stop, then pulled the little kid out of the carriage.

"Greetings, Mr. Cheng!" The man hurriedly bowed to greet him.

This person is not very old and looks honest.

This man was called Zhang Wen, and he was Cao Mao's Imperial Secretary.

In fact, he was responsible for cooking for Cao Mao and serving wine and fruit.

When the child saw him, he also hurriedly bowed to greet him.

Zhang Wen smiled at his son.

His son, named Zhang Gui, was intelligent since childhood and looked like his mother, quite handsome and with the potential to be a famous scholar.

At a young age, he had already studied the classics and was able to explain the principles of everything.

The elders in the clan all said that the prosperity of the family depended on this child.

The Zhang family of Anding are descendants of Zhang Er, King Jing of Changshan in the Western Han Dynasty, that is, the lineage of Zhang Ao.

They are considered a prominent family in the local area, and their generations of filial and honest people have never been interrupted over the years. However, they have never been able to reach the position of a top family, and no bigwigs at the level of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers have emerged.

They also hope that someone will emerge from the clan who can change the situation.

Cheng Yi looked at Zhang Wen in front of him. He subconsciously wanted to ask something, but he held back.

"I brought this child to you. Please take him with you. I have to go and prepare everything for the audience with His Majesty."

Zhang Wen smiled and said, "Mr. Cheng, you have come from afar. If you want to see His Majesty, you must wait at least three days. Today is my day off, so please come to my house so I can welcome you."

Cheng Yi hesitated for a moment and said, "I am an outsider and you are a close official. If I go to your residence, I am afraid it would be inappropriate."

Hearing his words, Zhang Wen laughed, "Things are different now. There aren't so many demands in Luoyang now, and His Majesty won't care about such a small matter. Please don't worry!"

Cheng Yi got back into the car. Zhang Wen was now sitting in front of him, telling him about the changes in Luoyang.

"The court is not the same now as it was back then. You're in Yongliang, so you don't know much. Life is actually much better now than it was back then. Although we're not allowed to take official robes or drink alcohol, there aren't many restrictions on officials occasionally gathering together or traveling to different places."

"Your Majesty is a tolerant person. As long as the law is not violated, he will not care much about other matters."

"In the past, those of us in the palace lived in constant fear, fearing we'd be executed for any offense. But now, except for those who demanded bribes or seized farmland, everyone else lives a comfortable life. So far, no one has been executed for a minor offense."

"It's the same in Luoyang. Those officials privately say that Your Majesty is cruel. Oh, if it were in the past, they wouldn't even have the courage to speak privately! Now, at least they can still say a few words!"

Cheng Yi was very surprised to hear Zhang Wen's words.

According to the letters and news he had originally received in the Western Regions.

It is said that this emperor was extremely cruel and harsh to his ministers and the people.

A series of strict laws were implemented one after another, and everything was strict, which gave a feeling similar to the tyrannical Qin Dynasty. The ministers lived a very difficult life and dared not even breathe deeply.

But listening to Zhang Wen's words at this moment was completely different from what I knew before.

Which one is true?
When the two men's carriage entered Luoyang, Cheng Yi suddenly felt that what Zhang Wen said seemed to be right.

Luoyang at this moment seems particularly prosperous and lively.

This was a completely different scene from the Luoyang in Chengyi's mind.

He saw vendors along the road shouting loudly, and farmers carrying hoes were bargaining with the vendors, oblivious to the people around them.

A scholar leading a horse passed by with his head lowered, and these people didn't even look at him.

In the taverns on both ends, customers were laughing and someone could be heard reading poetry aloud.

Luoyang was almost filled with people, with carriages connected to each other, making it difficult to pass through. It was so densely packed that almost every place within reach of the eyes was filled with people.

Cheng Yi took a deep breath. Having lived in the Western Regions for a long time, he had never seen such a scene before!
Judging from the scene in Luoyang, it was nothing like what he had seen in the letters, with harsh laws and heavy punishments, and people being looked down upon on the streets.

This is clearly a very relaxed social atmosphere, with smiles on the faces of people along the way.

This is definitely not something you would see in a harsh atmosphere.

Looking at Cheng Yi's astonished face, Zhang Wen smiled and said, "There are still few people here! If it were any earlier, we would still be stuck at the city gate!"

After they arrived at Zhang's house, Cheng Yi first sent someone to inform the emperor of his movements, waiting for His Majesty to summon him.

Immediately, Zhang Wen prepared a welcoming banquet for him.

At the banquet, Zhang Wen told him in detail about the changes in the world over the years.

"When I say it's harsh, I'm only being harsh on those high-ranking officials in the court who have bad behavior, and on those playboys. They can no longer amass wealth wantonly, and those playboys dare not go out on the streets to cause chaos."

"I can't speak for other places, but right here in Luoyang, those playboys are more honest than the children of farmers. He Sikong is watching them closely, hoping they will make mistakes. They don't dare to cause trouble, so everything is fine."

"I still remember that before Your Majesty ascended the throne, someone dared to embezzle the money used to purchase food for our palace. The price quoted was outrageous. A month's worth of imperial meals cost one million coins. Haha, that's nearly ten million coins a year, enough to feed an army."

"No one dares to do that now. Those who dare to do so have already gone to see the Emperor Taizu!"

Zhang Wen smiled and praised the emperor. Cheng Yi thought to himself: No wonder your child looks like that. It turns out he was brought up by you!
(End of this chapter)