Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

The Chengdu Plain has been a prosperous land since ancient times, densely populated with crisscrossing roads, and is the most fertile part of Sichuan.

Chen Zhi had previously set off from Chengdu at night, galloping at full speed, and arrived in Xindu just as dawn broke. Today, his return to Chengdu was much more leisurely. Chen Zhi rode at the very front of the group, and rarely had time to carefully observe the villages and towns and the smoke rising from the chimneys along the official road, to see the most authentic living conditions of the people of this era.

This is what peaceful times are like...

With Prime Minister Zhuge's talent, he managed to govern the Shu region through years of conquest while simultaneously ensuring production and preventing the people's livelihood from collapsing—a feat few others could achieve. Ensuring the integrity of the system established by the Prime Minister was significant not only for the Northern Expeditions and the Han dynasty, but also for the countless people of Shu.

Chen Zhi continued walking at a leisurely pace, letting the scenery flow by before his eyes, his sense of closeness to this era growing with each passing moment. When he was about ten miles north of Chengdu, Chen Zhi spotted a group of dozens of soldiers waiting by the roadside.

As you get closer, you can see that the person in the lead is wearing a military officer's robe and a pheasant-feathered crown, with two pheasant feathers standing upright on the left side of the road. He must be a military officer with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain).

As they drew closer, the blue sash hanging from the waistband became visible. Once Chen Zhi could clearly see the man's face, he clapped his hands and laughed loudly on horseback, then waved and called out:

"Brother Xiuran! It's you!"

Seeing Chen Zhi rein in his horse and approach on foot, Liu Yin bowed and said, "I, Liu Yin, am here on His Majesty's orders to welcome Imperial Censor Chen back to the capital."

"Brother Xiuran, just call me by my courtesy name Fengzong!" Chen Zhi offered a slight gesture of support, greeting him with a smile, "I've long said that Brother Xiuran has a bright future ahead of him. It's only been a little over ten days since we parted, and you're already a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand piculs of grain!"

"Imperial Censor Chen, please don't joke. It's only equivalent to a two-thousand-stone official, how can it be considered a high-ranking official of two-thousand-stone?" Liu Yin's face showed a hint of shyness at this moment, and he said with an awkward smile, "If I had known that Imperial Censor Chen would be returning today, His Majesty would have promoted me to a lieutenant general yesterday and ordered me to come out of the city ten miles today to welcome you back."

In the Han Dynasty's official system, "two thousand shi" was a synonym for a high-ranking official. "Two thousand shi" could be divided into middle "two thousand shi", true "two thousand shi", "two thousand shi", and "comparable to two thousand shi", with "comparable to two thousand shi" being the most basic rank among the "two thousand shi" officials.

"Brother Xiuran, just call me Fengzong!" Chen Zhi deliberately put on a stern face.

"Following the orders!" Liu Yin could only nod with a smile, feeling helpless.

"Haha, thank you for welcoming me today, Brother Xiuran," Chen Zhi laughed. "How is Your Majesty? How is Chengdu?"

Liu Yin said, "Everything is fine. Fengzong's trip took less than twenty days. What major changes could have occurred in Chengdu? Please follow me straight into the palace. His Majesty is waiting for Fengzong in the Chonghua Hall."

Chen Zhi responded, "Jiang Boyue is also in the army. Does Your Majesty wish to see him?"

Liu Yin replied, "It should be that I should see Feng Zong first and then General Jiang; there was no mention of summoning them at the same time."

Chen Zhi nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Xiuran. Why don't we mount our horses and travel together?"

"Great!" Liu Yin exclaimed with delight.

Liu Yin has always been someone who knows how to behave appropriately.

He understood perfectly well that he had wasted many years in his position as a Thousand-Stone Sima, and if he hadn't gone north to Hanzhong with Chen Zhi, how could he have received such a reward? The heroes of this world are often not judged by age, official rank, or other conventional standards. When the time is right, they can rise like dragons.

Liu Yin and Chen Zhi traveled from Chengdu to Hanzhong in four days, spending less than three days together in Hanzhong. In those seven days, Liu Yin had enough time to see Chen Zhi's wisdom, talent, and composure beyond his years. As an imperial envoy, how could Chen Zhi, with his position, effectively navigate the complex relationships between the generals and officials of Hanzhong? What did a salary of two thousand shi mean to him?

Liu Yin held Chen Zhi in the highest esteem.

The palace was located north of Chengdu, and by this time, there were no longer any signs of the vigilance Chen Zhi had shown when he left. Liu Yin escorted Chen Zhi and Jiang Wei to the Jizhou Gate, and then two young eunuchs led the way, all the way to the Chonghua Palace, where Liu Shan usually resided.

However, to be fair, there weren't many particularly old eunuchs in the Chengdu palace. The Shu Han dynasty had been established for less than twenty years, and Chengdu was neither the Han capital Luoyang nor Xuchang, which was a unique feature of the new dynasty, as it didn't need to take in many eunuchs from the Han palace like Cao Pi did.

"Imperial Censor Chen, General Jiang." Huang Liu, who was guarding outside the hall, greeted them with a smile and nodded in greeting: "His Majesty has summoned Imperial Censor Chen to come in first to report. General Jiang, please wait outside for the summons."

"Yes." Jiang Wei stood up straight, nodded in response, glanced around a few times, and seemed a little reserved, clearly not a frequent visitor.

Chen Zhi walked quite casually to Huang Liu, his back to Jiang Wei, and reached into his left sleeve with his right hand, rummaging around for a few moments. Seeing Huang Liu's eyes brighten slightly and his back gradually bend, Chen Zhi laughed a few times and patted Huang Liu's shoulder: "The journey back was long, so I didn't bring you a gift. I'll make it up to you another day."

"Imperial Censor Chen, you flatter me so much! I can't accept this." Huang Liu realized Chen Zhi was teasing him and his smile became even more obsequious. "His Majesty misses you every day, Imperial Censor. Now that you're back, His Majesty will be overjoyed! Don't keep His Majesty waiting any longer, Imperial Censor, please come in quickly!"

"Okay." Chen Zhi nodded, then took off his shoes at the door and watched as Huang Liu opened the door, holding a staff in his left hand and a wooden box in his right.

Jiang Wei glanced at him and roughly guessed that the eunuch was probably trying to extort a bribe from Chen Zhi, and he immediately felt disgusted.

As Huang Liu smiled and closed the palace door behind him, he turned to arrange for Jiang Wei to wait, but his gaze met Jiang Wei's cold stare, and he couldn't help but shiver. Jiang Wei had been a general for many years, and his eyes held a fierce and imposing presence; his gaze was far beyond what a mere eunuch could withstand.

"General Jiang, please wait a moment." Huang Liu was both surprised and annoyed. He bowed slightly to Jiang Wei, then walked away to a stop about ten steps away. He glanced at Jiang Wei a few times and secretly snorted.

Who are you trying to scare? You can stand here all you want!

No seats available!

……

Inside the Chonghua Hall.

"Fengzong!" Liu Shan frowned as he saw the palace doors open from the outside, only to find that it was Chen Zhi. He quickly rose from his imperial couch and exclaimed, "Fengzong has finally returned!"

"His Majesty!"

Chen Zhi responded loudly, then took small steps forward, stopping when he was about three zhang away from Liu Shan. He met Liu Shan's gaze, straightened his back, and slowly knelt down. He placed his staff to his left and the letter to his right, then knelt and kowtowed, his voice trembling slightly with deep emotion.

"Your Majesty's virtue and power have protected me, and I have not failed your command. Today I return from Hanzhong to Your Majesty to return the imperial staff!"

On the way to the palace, Chen Zhi had already rehearsed the scene in his mind many times, and even carefully considered several versions of his actions and tone of voice, striving to achieve the most affectionate, moving, and loyal effect.

Not everyone in this world is a wise man like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, with keen insight and the ability to see through people's hearts. If you are dealing with the Prime Minister, you should seek the truth and speak frankly.

When dealing with most superiors or lords, expressing emotions is just as important as doing a good job, sometimes even ten or a hundred times more important.

How could Liu Shan be exempt from worldly customs?