Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 35 "The Iron-Faced Censor"

It was called a mansion, but when he followed the servants in, Lu Beigu felt like he was in a palace.

I asked quietly and found out that it was actually converted from the royal palace!

In the past, the former Tang Jiannan Xichuan Jiedushi worked here. This place was originally used as the Jiedushi's office. There were tall buildings such as Baichi Tower in the office, which overlooked the lake behind.

The lake is named Mahachi. There is a story that during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Yan, the "Bodhisattva Emperor" of the Southern Dynasty, vigorously promoted Buddhism in the country, and Buddhism also spread in Shu. The lake was named "Mahachi" because of the words of the Hu monks. This name was inherited during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

In the first year of Zhenyuan in the Former Tang Dynasty, the then Jiedushi Wei Nie initially dug the Jieyuxi River and connected it with the Maha Pond. In the seventh year of Dazhong in the Former Tang Dynasty, the then Jiedushi Bai Minzhong dug the Jinshuihe River, which diverted river water from the west of the city into the city and merged into the Maha Pond, connecting with the Jieyuxi River and merging into the Youzi River in the east of the city. From then on, the Maha Pond became a completely living water source.

Later, this place was converted into a royal palace by the Later Shu Dynasty, and the Maha Pond was renamed Longyue Pond. The Later Shu Dynasty built palaces, pavilions and towers around the pond, which covered an area of ​​ten miles. The scenery was extremely magnificent.

Now the name has been changed back. Some of these buildings around the pond have been demolished, some have become residences of wealthy businessmen, but the vast majority are still the residences of the Chengdu prefect himself.

"Isn't this beyond the limit?"

A question mark appeared in Lu Beigu's head.

But he didn't dare ask.

But in a trance, Lu Beigu really felt that Liu Yong's "Looking at the Sea Tide" was a standard realistic technique.

Although this is not Hangzhou, he really saw with his own eyes what "the painted bridge with willows in the smoke and the green curtains in the wind" looked like. Although the autumn osmanthus may not be in bloom for a long time, the beautiful scenery of the ten miles of lotus flowers is right before his eyes.

So, along the way, Lu Beigu even had some doubts about whether those high-ranking officials who had been demoted to serve as prefects of Chengdu were willing to return.
And after experiencing the two events of Shu brocade and the royal palace, he was finally able to truly feel it.

——The Song Dynasty really enriched its scholars and officials!

I can only say that it was really great to be an official in the Song Dynasty, especially to be able to reach the level of prefect or governor.

Even if you can't live in a palace-turned-government mansion like Zhang Fangping, it's quite comfortable to stay at home like Su Shi and go out for a "Thousand Riders Rolling Across the Plains" ride.

Arriving at a rare clear area of ​​water beside the lotus-filled Maha Pond, they boarded a small boat specially set up to ferry them to the pond. The branches of the weeping willows along the shore almost reached the bow of the boat.

The boat slowly pushed through the lotus flowers and sailed into Maha Pond.

Lu Beigu's sleeves were lifted by the wind that carried the fishy smell of water. There were fish everywhere here, and they were not afraid of people at all. He saw a red carp jumping out of the water very close to his right hand side. Its scales flashed with a cinnabar-like luster in the setting sun, and then it "splashed" into the shadows of the clouds that were broken up by the oars.

It is a paradise for fishermen.

However, the Taihu stones that were once carefully carved by the craftsmen of the Later Shu court are no longer well-maintained. Not only are they covered with algae, but withered lotus stems are also entangled in the stone holes, making them look completely unattractive.

These stones, which were bought at great expense, are now only used as navigation coordinates for the boatman half immersed in the clear water.

Soon, the boat arrived at the island in the middle of the lake and they stepped ashore.

There was only a courtyard here, and there was no one in the hall, not even servants or maids.

Li Pan had just found a seat with Lu Beigu when a sneaky figure appeared at the door of the hall.

When Li Pan saw the man, he quickly said to Lu Beigu, "I'm going to go out and talk to someone. You wait here."

Lu Beigu nodded, and saw Li Pan go out and talk privately with the man who looked like a minor official in the corridor.

He couldn't hear what was said.

The clerk whispered, "Mr. Zhang is in a good mood today and is currently talking to someone. You'll have to wait a moment. He'll probably be almost done talking. After that, Mr. Zhang will need to change his clothes before he can see you."

"Which superior is talking to Mr. Zhang?"

"Zhao Yan, the transport envoy of Yizhou Road." Li Pan was stunned when he heard the words of the clerk.

"——Is it the 'Iron-faced Censor'?"

Zhao Yan, whose courtesy name was Yuedao, was a Jinshi in the first year of Jingyou. He once served as the Imperial Censor in the Palace. He was known as the "Iron-faced Censor" because he did not shy away from impeaching those in power.

This person was very famous in the court of the Song Dynasty. He usually carried a zither and a crane with him. He was simple in his administration and honest and upright. He would report his daytime work to heaven in his formal attire and by burning incense at night. He was an upright gentleman who "kept everything secret".

But Lu Beigu inside didn't know this.

Before he could even sit down, he saw an old man with a gaunt face and slightly prominent cheekbones appear from behind the screen. The old man had a little gray in his hair and beard and looked to be in his fifties. He was wearing a simple brown shirt and looked like he was about to leave.

The old man stopped when he saw Lu Beigu sitting on the side of the hall.

He looked at her sharply for a moment, then asked.

"My son, how old are you this year?"

Out of politeness, customer Lu Bei answered angrily.

"I'll be seventeen next year."

The old man sighed and said, "He's not even as old as my youngest son. Why did you come to see Mr. Zhang?"

"Because of a policy paper." Lu Beigu answered concisely.

"Strategy theory?"

The old man seemed to remember something, and he turned around the screen and went into the inner room. Then, with a sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets, he actually took out a piece of paper.

He walked up to Lu Beigu and dusted himself off.

"'Summer Control Strategy'?"

The old man asked, "Is this the policy paper you're talking about?"

Lu Beigu wondered how many sheep were running through his mind. Who was this old man? Was he just casually looking through Zhang Fangping's room?
Zhang Fangping himself?

But it doesn't feel like it.

"Yes."

The old man read it through, his brows relaxed at first, but then he frowned.

"We should now prohibit the export of Qing salt and ironware from the border. We should establish a tea and horse trading agency on the Qinfeng Road and take over the Qingtang Tubo trade. Once their treasuries are empty and their tribes are alienated, even a hundred thousand soldiers will be nothing more than hungry eagles and tigers. It's a good idea, but do you know what the Qingtang Tubo situation is like now?"

"heard about it."

Lu Beigu replied, "It covers an area of ​​over 3,000 li and has a population of over one million households. It borders the Song, Xia, Khotan, and Lugan Qiang. It seems to be reviving the grandeur of the Songtsen Gampo era."

The old man nodded and casually said, "The Hehuang area is a necessary place for the 'Ancient Tuyuhun Road', located to the south and north of the Western Regions. Back then, Empress Dowager Hu of the Northern Wei Dynasty sent the monk Song Yun westward. He could have gone through Hexi, but due to local unrest, Song Yun and his companions had no choice but to travel west through the Tuyuhun Qinghai Road. This is how this trade route was opened up."

"Now that the Xia Kingdom is powerful, it has repeatedly robbed tribute merchants and detained travelers in the Western Regions, imposing heavy taxes on merchants to supplement military funds. As a result, more merchants have taken this 'Ancient Tuyuhun Road,' and cities like Qingtang, Miaochuan, and Lingu have gradually prospered."

"But have you ever considered that if our dynasty and Qingtang Tubo officially established a trading market for trade, just as we did with Liao and Xia, and allowed it to continue to grow, would we see another scene like the former Tang Tubo general Ma Chongying leading a 200,000-strong Tubo and Dangxiang coalition army to capture Chang'an?"

(End of this chapter)