The sorrow of the death of the former emperor Liu Heng was just diluted by the breath of the New Year, and the news of the empress dowager's illness came out, which completely shattered the festive atmosphere in Chang'an City.

When I learned that the Empress Dowager was ill, it was also because of the death of the first emperor, and the grief that was hidden in the hearts of the people of Chang'an earlier couldn't help but be aroused again.

Almost overnight, the entire city of Chang'an was filled with a burst of weeping;

The end of the year is approaching, and the head of the year, Yuan Shuo, is approaching, but there is no minister in the court who cares about his own work.

Almost on the day that the Empress Dowager fell ill, all the officials with more than 2,000 stones, as well as all the meritorious relatives in Chang'an, gathered outside the Changle Palace.

Just half a day later, a landscape exclusive to this era appeared on Zhangtai Street outside the west palace wall of Changle Palace.

-- The ministers of the court, the princes and nobles gathered together to pray to God to transfer the diseases of the empress dowager to themselves through an extremely ancient sacrifice······

Not surprisingly, Liu Sheng also went.

Not only Liu Sheng went, but all the princes, including Liu Pengzu and the emperor's eldest son Liu Rong, participated in this sacrifice of 'let me suffer illness for the empress dowager'.

As a guest of later generations, Liu Sheng certainly understood: This is just a feudal superstition, which will not play any role at all, and will not alleviate the pain of the Empress Dowager in the slightest;

But the bizarre thing is that among the hundreds of people who participated in this sacrifice, Liu Sheng, the ninth son of the emperor, was the only one who sincerely wanted to make this sacrifice work······

Xu is Liu Sheng's piety, really moved by the unknown in the underworld, or it may be that the Empress Dowager Bo Shijiren has her own heavenly appearance, after several days of unconscious, the Empress Dowager finally woke up from her slumber the day before the New Year.

Grandmother turned the corner, and Liu Qizi, the son of heaven, breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately issued an edict: give all mothers in the world two pieces of cloth, two catties of meat, and a title that could only be promoted by virtue of military exploits in the Qin period a few decades ago.

The Empress Dowager turned the corner, and Chang'an City was crying and laughing, ushering in the arrival of a new era.

And the brothers Liu Sheng and Liu Pengzu finally came to the Anhou Mansion in Shangguanli, which is located outside the east palace wall of Weiyang Palace and is located in the aristocratic settlement area of Chang'an: Shangguanli, on the 15th day of October in winter······

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"Hmm······"

"It is rumored that Prime Minister Shen Tujia is an honest official, so looking at it, it really deserves its reputation."

When he came to the Hou Mansion, he only looked at the gate of the Hou Mansion for a while, and Liu Sheng couldn't help but let out such an exclamation.

After 'apprenticeship to the prime minister' became an established fact, Liu Sheng also took advantage of the past period of time to get to know his own teacher: when he was the prime minister, he was the prime minister, so Anhou Shen Tujia.

To Liu Sheng's surprise, everyone who was asked by Liu Sheng mentioned one point without exception: Shen Tujia, the breeze on his sleeves is outrageous!

Before seeing it with his own eyes, Liu Sheng only thought that Shen Tujia cherished his feathers and did not fall behind, or deliberately created a personal image, so that everyone did not forget to mention 'This is a clean official'.

But when he came to the Hou Mansion and saw the magnificent, extravagant vermilion gates in Shangguanli, as well as the stone carvings of various divine beasts standing at the door, Liu Sheng finally understood: Shen Tujia's 'incorruptible' is almost impossible to be fake news.

——As far as Liu Sheng saw with his own eyes: the dignified Anhou Mansion, but there is nothing outside the gate, even the gate is only made of old wood all over the ravine, and the whole body is a dull brown, and it is two big wooden planks!

Walking into the Hou Mansion, the situation was not much better.

As far as Liu Sheng could see, the entire Hou Mansion, which covered an area of dozens of zhang, had no more than ten servants in total!

Although the house has been sprinkled and cleaned, there is hardly a single thing that was born within ten years as far as the eye can see;

Even the few servants were dressed in coarse clothes that were so old that they had faded, and although their complexions were still ruddy, their bodies were not rich in the slightest.

"Prime Minister Wanshi's Yulu, so Anhou's 500 households can be so poor?"

subconsciously let out an exclamation, which provoked Liu Pengzu on the side to explain carefully.

"The prime minister's rank is ten thousand stones, but the actual rank is only four thousand stones; As for the 500 households in the Guanhou Kingdom, the annual tax is four or five thousand stone of grain. ”

"If you change someone else, you may be able to live a more nourishing life with nearly 10,000 stone of grain a year;"

"But the prime minister was born in the army, and all those who followed the prime minister in the early years, whether they were killed in battle, wounded or disabled, were taken care of by the prime minister at home."

"After counting the full battle, the prime minister can be regarded as hanging the livelihood of hundreds of widows and orphans of martyrs, and hundreds of disabled soldiers······"

Hearing Liu Pengzu's words, Liu Sheng's face couldn't help but change slightly, and he suddenly paid tribute to this old prime minister who was born in the army, but was extremely righteous to his comrades-in-arms!

Through the understanding of the past period of time, Liu Sheng already knew that Prime Minister Shen Tujia was the last person to survive in the court among the founding fathers;

The identity of the founding father + the head of a hundred officials is enough to make Shen Tujia proud of the court, and even Liu Qi, the son of heaven, has to give three points.

Such a person, if he wants to enjoy life, his personal income of nearly 10,000 stones per year will definitely allow Shen Tujia to live a life that is not extravagant, but also rich enough.

Because in this era, the annual consumption of a family of five is only 100 stone rice, two or three pieces of cloth, plus a little salt and vinegar, and soy sauce.

But even after Shen Tujia became the prime minister, he still did not forget those old guys who followed him from birth to death and made meritorious contributions, and even took the initiative to take on the lives of the families of martyrs and disabled soldiers.

With such a high wind and bright festival, even Liu Sheng, a guest from later generations, can only give a thumbs up and praise: worthy of being the founding father!

Soon, Liu Sheng felt a little ashamed of his extravagant life in the past few years.

Because when Liu Pengzu and Liu Sheng, under the guidance of the servants, came to the 'study' in the old Anhou Mansion, what caught the eyes of the two brothers was a pavilion that was ventilated on all sides and only covered by wooden boards······

"Whew~"

Taking a deep breath and dispelling the shame in his heart a little, Liu Sheng finally stepped forward with his brother Liu Pengzu and bowed his hand to Shen Tujia in unison.

"Teacher."

A soft cry only provoked the old prime minister to subconsciously turn his head, and when he saw the person clearly, he only smiled.

"If the two sons don't like it, it's convenient to go around the house and take a look."

"The old man still has unfinished official business······

Before he finished speaking, Shen Tujia lowered his head again, supported his body, squinted his eyes, and carefully examined the bamboo slips in front of him.