The last days of October passed in the blink of an eye; The first few days of November did not stay in Chang'an City for long.

Half a month's time, like a white horse passing through the gap.

Although it is now a warm period in Eurasia that has lasted for more than 800 years, by November, Chang'an City is still dripping into ice.

On the ninth day of November, it was the winter solstice of this year, and the sky was overcast for many days, but there was still no snow.

Whether it is in Shangguanli, Qili, Beique Jiadi, or in the north city of Chang'an City, people are talking about when the first snow will fall after tea and dinner.

The snow is a good year, so this snow is something that many people look forward to.

Keep the land warm, accumulate water fields, add fertilizer, freeze to death......

A hearty snow not only brings beautiful scenery, but also makes farming smoother in the coming year.

Otherwise, how could these ordinary people who were digging in the ground expect this weather to freeze to death?

Moreover, once it snows, it means that the end of the year is closer, and people who have been busy for a year can finally take a breather.

Since the beginning of autumn, from the Son of Heaven, to the courtiers, to the common people, they have been very busy.

But fortunately, there are some good signs in everything, which gives this huge Chang'an City some new vitality.

The matter of the county's verification and reporting has come to an end.

This year's tax money and grain have also been successfully put into the warehouse, more than 20% more than in previous years.

The pattern of the Chinese and Korean Shangshu Administration has been rebuilt, and the courtiers have come in and out, and some people are happy and some are worried.

The general and the Son of Heaven reconciled as before, and there were not too many waves.

The criminal minister Le Cheng is still locked up in the edict prison, and the back house of Taichang Temple is still guarded by sword halberders.

Prime Minister Ren Gong has been ill for a month, but it has not improved, and it is said that after Le Cheng was imprisoned, he became even sicker.

The emperor and the empress are in harmony, and they can be seen cutting lamps and grass under the window of the Jiaofang Hall every night, and they will give birth to children in the next year.

All of these things happened before this day, and there are two important things that are going to happen today.

One is in Taixue, and the other is in Jiaofang Palace.

……

Outside the Taixue in the west of Chang'an City, the world's car battle came as promised.

Not for the disciples of the doctors, but for the officials of the county.

The county officials who came to Chang'an City to report have already begun to pack their bags and prepare to go home.

After leaving his hometown for a few months, from Changshi Juncheng to the petty officials who fought for food, everyone was like an arrow.

This year's accounting and reporting incident, although there were a few waves in the middle, it was finally over.

Originally, the Son of Heaven was going to personally come to check the affairs of the counties, but in the end, Wei Xiang and Xiao Wangzhi were replaced to do this.

The two are very capable and selfless, so they really made these officials suffer a little.

In previous years, you could get the "most" guard, but this year you only got "flat"; In previous years, you could get the "flat" shouxiang, but this year you only got the "temple".

And the words "most, flat, and hall" are major events that directly determine the promotion and debasement of the county ministers in the coming year.

Of course, this evaluation is only related to the future of the county and the governor, and it has little to do with the officials, so their mood to return to their hometown has not been affected.

However, there is some anxiety in the hearts of the rulers today, because the Son of Heaven is going to summon them in Taixue.

The place of the Taixue main hall is not large, and it can't accommodate too many people, and the officials who were ordered to come to Chang'an are the ones with the highest rank sent by the counties.

Today, there are a total of one hundred and three counties in the entire Han Dynasty, so there should be one hundred and three officials who go to Taixue.

In the past, after the commissioner finished the verification and reporting of the county, he would immediately return to his hometown, and would not stay in Chang'an for too long, and the number of magistrates would become smaller and smaller.

But this year is different, all the magistrates of these one hundred and three counties were left to the end, and none of them returned to their hometowns ahead of schedule.

……

Just after noon, the officials came to the open space in front of Taixue one after another.

There is already Changyi Lang guarding here, which means that the Son of Heaven is in Taixue at the moment, but he has not yet let the officials go in to face the saint.

Today, it still hasn't snowed yet, but the "whirring" wind is blowing coldly, and the sound of sneezing and blowing nose can be heard from time to time in the crowd.

After waiting for boredom, these officials got together in groups of three or five and chatted in the dialects of Tiannan and Haibei.

"Hey, the wind in Chang'an City is really cold, it almost froze my eyes, and we will go down to the lake to swim at this time." Guan Jia said.

"Isn't that west, even those over there in Hepu County, don't swim more, and you have to use a fan to go to bed at night." Guan Yi is self-satisfied.

"I heard that the people of Hepu County like to stew snake soup the most in this autumn and winter season, but is there such a thing?" Guan C asked.

"Snakes? How can you eat that poison? It's crazy! Guan Ding said.

"Eh, how can you make a few dishes, this snake soup is a big supplement, eating a bowl can make you dry all night!" Guan Yi scoffed at Guan Ding's statement.

"Really!?" The eyes of the three officials, who were close to the age of no confusion, lit up.

"How could I lie to you, stew with that old mother, the effect is the best!" Guan Yi said half-truthfully.

The other three probably thought about the strange appearance of the snake again, and finally dismissed the idea of serving a bowl, and turned the conversation elsewhere.

"Today, I don't know what the county magistrate is looking for us."

"Do you want to give me other rewards?"

"What good things do you think, all the reckoning officers are here today, and it is impossible to reward everyone."

There was a silence - since it is not a good thing, it can only be a bad thing.

They immediately put away the playful expressions on their faces and remembered the unresolved matter.

Later, the Son of Heaven won't let them answer that question in public, but it's not easy to answer.

With this in mind, several officials wanted to get together and discuss it—and others around them thought similarly.

Then, before they could speak, the door that was a little mottled by Taixue opened.

A young internal official ran out and shouted, "His Majesty the Emperor has summoned the county magistrate!" ”

More than 100 officials were in a commotion, and then they spontaneously lined up and rushed in.

They walked through the front yard and came to the middle courtyard, and immediately saw that the Son of Heaven was sitting under the eaves of the main hall in the cold wind, and beside him were the prime minister of Wei and Xiao Wangzhi of the imperial history.

The reckoning officials who came in first saluted the Son of Heaven and then reported to their homes, and then stood in the courtyard waiting for their colleagues.

Just now they were talking witticisms, but now they all kept their mouths shut.

After about a quarter of an hour, all the reckoning officers came in and filled the corners and corners of the middle court.

Everyone exhaled and inhaled together, and the white air that erupted from the internal organs made the immortal aura flutter in this not spacious courtyard.

Everyone remained silent, and no one dared to speak.

I don't know which one is bold, and suddenly shouted: "Weichen asks His Majesty the Emperor!" ”

The officials in the field seemed to have received some signal, and they were stunned for a moment, and then they fell to their knees with a hula la.

"Weichen asks His Majesty the Emperor!"

Liu He looked at these officials whose skin was cracked by the cold wind, and he couldn't bear it, so he raised his hand and said, "Zhongqing is flat." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After everyone stood still, Liu He also stood up from the couch.

He walked from under the eaves to the courtyard, and went straight to the front of the officials, and asked several officials in succession, what their names were, what county they came from, and how old they were......

The Han Dynasty has a total of thirteen assassins, and one hundred and three counties.

The westernmost is Dunhuang County, the easternmost is Lelang County, the northernmost is Liaodong Six Counties, and the southernmost is Rinan County.

Many of these places are thousands of miles away from Chang'an City, and it takes at least a few months to come and go, which is not only a long distance, but also dangerous.

Tigers, leopards, jackals, poisonous snakes, insects and ants, reckless miasma, bandits and gangsters...... can take people's lives.

However, these officials still came to Chang'an thousands of miles away, without any hesitation or shirk.

For this alone, Liu He felt that they were better than many pampered courtiers in the court.

It was not Huo Guang who maintained the rule of the Han Empire, but these magistrates who pronounced the edict of the Son of Heaven to the counties.

Liu He deliberately named the names of the officials of the counties farthest away from Chang'an, and let them come to the forefront.

All of them are dark-skinned and weather-beaten – estimated to spend most of the year on the road and in Chang'an City.

I don't know how many of the rectrollers died on the road.

Liu He originally wanted to take the opportunity of their return to their hometown today to knock them down, but at this moment, he couldn't say the clichés that had been prepared for a long time.

"Zhongqing is a senior official, and he came all the way to Chang'an, which is a great merit."

"Some time ago, the prime minister suddenly fell ill, and I couldn't spare manpower to do this verification and planning for a while, so I could only let Zhongqing learn to copy books here, and I really couldn't help myself......"

"This year, many changes have happened in Chang'an City, and when I first ascended the throne, it was inevitable that I would be in a hurry, which delayed Zhongqing's return home, so that I am still in detention today."

"I am very ashamed, and here I apologize to the ministers."

Liu He said very emotionally and sincerely, but this time he did not bow down, but just bowed.

For the Shangji who has been running around for half a year, the Son of Heaven's gift is heavy enough, and they have returned the salute one after another.

"Wei Xiang, Xiao Wangzhi, do you two also want to make amends to all the judges?" Liu He said to the two behind him.

"No."

Wei Xiang and Xiao Wangzhi then stood up, like the Son of Heaven, and bowed respectfully to everyone.

"There have been many offenses in the past ten days, although it is the duty, but it is inevitable that there will be offenses and difficulties, and the two of us are here to make amends to your colleagues."

The two heartfelt salutes of the three monarchs and ministers touched and moved the officials very much.

They are all high-ranking officials in their counties and are highly respected.

But I have suffered a lot along the way, and in this Chang'an City, I don't know how many white eyes and cold faces I have seen.

Now that he has suddenly been recognized by the Son of Heaven and the two "iron-masked judges", he naturally feels a burst of warmth.

"Your Majesty, this is all the duty of Weichen, it's not hard!"

"Yes, I have to wait for my duties, why do I have to suffer?"

"To be able to come to Chang'an City is a blessing for three lives!"

"Your Majesty has every opportunity, and he is the hardest working person in the Han Dynasty!"

"Duke Wei and Duke Xiao, you are also performing your duties, don't worry about it!"

……

The reckoning officers shouted out in the courtyard in confusion, looking a little unruly, but the atmosphere was very harmonious, and it seemed to clear away the oppressive chill a lot.

Liu He was also moved, he was not familiar with these officials, most of them couldn't be named, and he didn't know how they were officials on weekdays.

But in this situation, on a case-by-case basis, Liu He recognized them, or at least respected them.

The tunnel soldiers on the beacon of the Great Wall, the post soldiers in the wilderness, the soldiers who accompanied the army to the north, and the soldiers who paved the roads and built bridges......

Countless such ordinary people contributed to the Han Empire in the wind, frost, rain and snow.

Their names are destined to be left in the history books, but they coexist with the Han Dynasty.

"I have decided that starting from this year, all the officials who come to Beijing, regardless of rank, can go to Shaofu to receive a month's worth of money, grain and rice when they leave Chang'an."

"The farther away from Chang'an, the more money, grain, and rice the rector can receive, and I will let the Shaofu do it immediately!"

"This is a part of my heart, not much, it should be a meeting gift for all of you, Aiqing's wife and children, I hope that the secretary will transfer my respect and apology to them on my behalf!"

There was silence for a while, and then some people sobbed quietly, and they didn't know if they were inspired by the gift of the Son of Heaven, or if they remembered their long-separated family members.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The thin and old elder Shi Xia of Ninan County said in a choked voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" All of them bowed down.

"Hurry up, please get up, all the ministers are flat!" Liu He said in a panic.

The sobbing sound in the crowd gradually disappeared, and Liu Hecai regained his hands behind his back and walked to the eaves of the main hall slightly higher than the courtyard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you remember the question I asked you here that day?"

Somewhere might not be remembered, everyone nodded their heads.

"I wanted to ask you this question personally, but time was running out and it was too late."

"But in the future, I hope that you Aiqing will bring this problem back to the counties."

"Let the subordinate officials in the county think about it, what is the loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and who should the loyal minister of the Han Dynasty be loyal to?"

"I hope to receive letters from the counties so that I can see your answers."

After Liu He finished speaking, the officials in the courtyard were obviously relieved that they didn't have to deal with it directly in front of the Son of Heaven, which made them feel like they were amnesty.

But when they think about it, what's so hard about answering this question? Isn't the answer already in front of them?

So, everyone said happily: "Wait for the order! ”

"Okay, goodbye today, see you again in the future, in the early autumn of next year, I will wait for the secretaries in Chang'an City, and hold a banquet for the secretaries to wash the dust......"

"I wish all Aiqing a smooth journey!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The voice was louder than before.

Without further words, after the officials saluted the Son of Heaven again, they walked out of the middle courtyard of Taixue.

Threes, threes, twos, joyful, and walked briskly in the direction of Chang'an City.

Some people will be able to return home soon, but others may be on the way to Chinese New Year's Eve.

At this moment, the Son of Heaven had come to the edge of the high platform in front of the Taixue Gate, watching the officials leave.

And Taixue Ling Wang Shi and a group of doctors and officials also came to wait behind the Son of Heaven.

"King's style."

"Wechen is here."

"The Doctor disciple in Taixue immediately called out here."

"Your Majesty, what did you call them for?"

"Let them send these meritorious and hard-working magistrates, and let them also think about how to be loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty."

"No!"

Soon, the doctoral disciples rushed over from the backyard and stood behind Liu He in unison, their expressions respectful and serious.

The figures of those magistrates were gradually fading away, and in the wind, they were like small lonely boats, rocking from side to side, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing.

In the end, under the attention of the Son of Heaven and the disciples of the Doctor, all the county officials were blurred in the vast world.

……

In a side hall of the Jiaofang Palace, Huo Chengjun stood a little cramped in front of a wooden board that had been painted with black paint, holding a white lime block in his hand.

The former is a blackboard, the latter is chalk - this is made by the Son of Heaven.

In front of Huo Chengjun, there were ten young palace maids, the eldest of whom was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest was only eight or nine years old.

They are the most clever, innocent, and lively palace maids in this Jiaofang Palace, some of them have grown up in this Weiyang Palace since they were children, and some of them came from the General's Mansion with Huo Chengjun.

At this moment, each of them had a book, a one-foot-square blackboard, and a few pieces of chalk on the desk in front of them.

That thin book, on the cover is "Tongmeng Literacy" several Han Li.

The palace maids looked at the queen in front of them with antiquation and novelty, and their faces could not hide their eagerness.

In the past few days, the queen has issued a decree that from today onwards, she will teach them to read.

They don't know why they, the women, need to be literate, but they are still very happy and excited.

At least there can be something new to pass the time.

Just think of it as a game with the queen.

Just like when I was a child, there are countless things that can be pretended, but at this moment it is nothing more than pretending to be a man to read and write.

However, there are also a very small number of palace maids who hold their breath in their hearts, they want to see what is difficult about these "characters" and "books", and why only men can learn them.

Huo Chengjun was a little nervous.

She has actually practiced with the Son of Heaven many times in private, and every time the Son of Heaven speaks first, and then Huo Chengjun learns to speak again.

After a few days, she has learned seven or eight points of similarity, and she has a new understanding.

Even so, she was still a little nervous.

Just when the palace maids couldn't sit still, Huo Chengjun finally turned around and typed the word "female" on the blackboard.

"From today onwards, I will teach you twenty words a day, and in a month it will be six hundred words.

Huo Chengjun said these words softly, but he had the calmness and indifference unique to the queen.

When the palace maids heard this, they all sat up straighter, and their serious appearance made them look cute.

"This character is a female character, and women and men are opposite ......"

Huo Chengjun was comparing back and forth between himself and the palace maid, although he was still a little flustered, he also expressed his meaning clearly.

And some palace maids have begun to write on the small blackboard in a similar way.

This was the first time they knew that they were like this in a book.

"Whether it's me, or you, or the ladies in Shangguan, it's all the same ......"

The more Huo Chengjun spoke, the more proficient he became, and a kind of power slowly grew in his heart.

This power makes her unable to stop and feel happy.

Maybe this is what the Son of Heaven said about "a different life"?

Then it's really special.

……

Today, the wind in Chang'an City is getting stronger and stronger, and everyone seems to have smelled a trace of ice and snow, presumably from Mobei.

But what is strange is that the smell of ice and snow is exceptionally pure, not at all like the killing and blood that has just been experienced.

Hasn't the Battle of Mobei started yet?

This first snow in Chang'an City is finally getting closer and closer.

Ask for a subscription!

(End of chapter)