Mid-October.

The First Emperor's procession finally returned to Xianyang.

It's just that the current Xianyang has long since lost the hustle and bustle of half a month ago, and it is relatively calm and peaceful.

The streets are still crowded, but they are also a lot sparse.

The officials of the major counties and counties across the country who had gathered in Xianyang had all left one after another in the past half a month.

The annual meeting has also come to an end.

The First Emperor didn't catch up after all.

Although this time the Shangji Conference, under the influence of the frequent political events of the imperial court, did not seem to be very enthusiastic, but the absence of the first emperor still made many courtiers wonderful.

After all

It was the first time since the first emperor was absent.

Before, whether it was during the unification of the world or the tour after the founding of the country, the first emperor did not miss the Shangji Conference, which also made many officials feel strange.

Perhaps the First Emperor is really delegating power one after another.

With the return of the First Emperor, naturally, the courtiers who were originally dissatisfied with those major policies finally had an outlet, and the confessions like snowflakes were sent to the palace one after another and presented to the first emperor's big case.

But the result did not turn out as these courtiers had hoped.

The First Emperor paid no heed.

Directly pressed down.

Seeing the actions of the First Emperor, the hundred officials have been completely awakened, and the practice of Fusu has not been tacitly approved by the First Emperor, and perhaps the First Emperor is also in favor of the bold implementation of Fusu.

After understanding the attitude of the first emperor, no one in the Manchu Dynasty had any objections.

Zhang Cang's position as a young man was completely turned positive.

This 'political upheaval' that shook the whole country was finally firmly implemented, and the order conveyed by Fusu last month finally reached the hands of local county officials after being transmitted day and night by the postman.

It was also heard in the ears of the local scholars and nobles.

Time.

They're at odds.

Surabaya-gun.

The world has turned cold.

The streets of the county are already sparsely populated.

Families with a little wealth of money have put on thick clothes from top to bottom, while poor families, although still wearing single clothes, are also busy one after another, storing firewood, grass and winter grain for the winter.

I hope to survive the coming winter this year.

At this moment, a figure in the city shuttled, zigzag through several alleys, and stopped in front of a low and sturdy stone gate, Liu Ji raised his hand and knocked on the door three times, and then waited patiently.

In a moment.

The door creaked softly, and a woman said in surprise: "Ah! Brother Liu is here, come in. ”

Liu Ji grinned and walked in very casually.

The woman closed the door and walked forward quickly, shouting to the main house with the candle lit, "Brother Liu is here." ”

As the woman spoke, a man in the room said yes in a loud voice.

Immediately, a medium-sized, slightly chubby figure walked out quickly and said with a smile: "Brother Liu, it came faster than I expected." ”

Liu Ji smiled: "That's natural, you Xiao He finally had a banquet at home, how could I not come when I Liu Ji heard the news?" But your houses in the county are too basic. ”

"These county officials are really not worthy of people."

Liu Ji couldn't help but scold.

Xiao He is the county official of Surabaya County, and he ended up living in this dilapidated house.

Xiao He chuckled and said: "The house in the county is expensive, and this house cost me nearly a month or two, and this is still rented to me cheaply by the other party for the sake of me being an official in the county, otherwise I may not be able to rent it." ”

"Let's go! House in advance. ”

Liu Ji was not timid at all, just like in his own home, looking up and down, quite uneven.

Xiao He is still too clean after all.

If you are like other officials, a little greedy for ink, not to mention anything else, there are at least high-gate mansions, and even the good land and industry in the county may have already been prepared, how can you live so poorly?

But he also knew Xiao He's ambitions.

So just a few complaints.

Go inside.

The woman who had just opened the door had already poured hot tea on a large plate.

Xiao He said with a smile: "This is Zhenze spring tea, although it is not as good as the letter tea in Kanto, but it is better than the cool and defeating the fire, and it tastes good." ”

The woman is a gentle and virtuous young man, and she poured tea and withdrew.

Liu Ji looked at the tea in front of him suspiciously, took a few sips, and spit out the tea leaves in his mouth, and said speechlessly: "I really don't know why you respect this tea so much, what's so delicious about it?" It's bland. ”

"What's the best drink?"

"Why don't you bring me some sugar water with honey?"

Hear the words.

Xiao He smiled casually.

He said slowly: "The wine is indeed sweet and delicious, but the imperial court has explicitly banned alcohol, and there are only a few days a year when you can drink alcohol publicly, as for other times, it is illegal, and the imperial court does not waste so much food." ”

"The tea is light, but the taste is really good."

"It doesn't hurt to drink more."

Liu Ji shook his head, but didn't drink it again.

Xiao He didn't mind.

The annual meeting has come to an end.

This time, the official who went to participate in the plan was no longer Xiao He, but Cao Shen.

Today, Xiao He calculated the time, it was the day of Cao Shen's return, so he was ready to wash the dust for Cao Shen at home.

At the same time, he also sent a message to Liu Ji and others.

As for Lu Ze, Zhou Bo and others, they couldn't get out because they were on errands in the local pavilion.

There is also no time to come to Surabaya-gun.

Ultimately.

Only Liu Ji came.

As for why Xiao He deliberately waited for Cao Shen, Liu Ji knew it.

Last month, the imperial court issued an order to build several large transit warehouses throughout the Kanto region, including Jiujiang Shouchun, a Linjun in Surabaya County.

They will send thousands of people to Surabaya County.

Xiao He and Liu Ji don't care much about the requisition and distribution tasks under the imperial court, and they have long been accustomed to the relevant orders of the imperial court over the years, but they are very suspicious of the imperial court's construction of warehouses in Kanto.

Shouchun is the old capital of the Chu State.

In the past, it was called Ying.

Shouchun is located in Jiujiang County, which, as the name suggests, has accessible waterways and connects several nearby counties.

If the warehouse is really rebuilt in Shouchun, it will actually be of great benefit to all parts of Kanto, but in the past, the imperial court has always suppressed Kanto, although it is not said clearly, but anyone with a discerning eye can see it.

Why did the imperial court turn so much?

Is it because His Royal Highness is inextricably linked with Chu Di?

But they have been in contact with His Highness, how could His Highness really change the position of the entire court because of this relationship?

The resistance is self-evident.

on this.

Both were puzzled.

Therefore, I want to seek some answers from Cao Shen.

Liu Ji leaned on the case, still feeling unhappy, and asked directly: "Xiao He, why do you think the imperial court is doing this?" Is it really to save a little money on the road? ”

Xiao He put down the tea bowl, shook his head and said, "I don't know." ”

"We are in Surabaya County, too far away from Xianyang, and we know too little news, what the specific situation is, I am afraid that we can only get it when Cao Shen comes back, but during this time, the news that has been transmitted back from Xianyang has been a lot in the past few months, and the movement is also very large, but what we know is too general and too scattered."

Xiao He's face was solemn.

He had a hunch that something big had happened in Xianyang.

It's just that he couldn't imagine that anything big could happen in Xianyang.

Liu Ji's eyes flashed, and he said in a low voice: "Xiao He, do you say that these warehouses will eventually fall into the hands of the nobles?" With these warehouses, the strength of these nobles will be greatly increased, and they will even have the confidence to openly rebel at that time. ”

Xiao He glanced at Liu Ji, but did not speak.

He pondered for a while, and said in a condensed voice: "It is indeed possible, but we can all think of it, the imperial court cannot think of it, and in the past, the imperial court was strictly guarded against Kanto, and it is unlikely that such a big change will be made suddenly, and there must be things that we can't think of, but we can't see through it at present." ”

Liu Ji nodded.

They really couldn't see the actions of the imperial court.

But.

The two didn't have to wait long.

The officials who went to participate in the plan have returned one after another.

It's just that most of the officials received relevant information as soon as they returned to the county, and then greeted each other and walked towards the major houses in the city, and Cao Shen was no exception.

Not much.

There was a knock outside Xiao He's stone door.

Xiao He and Liu Ji glanced at each other, and the corners of their mouths showed a smile.

This time, it was no longer a woman who went out to greet her, but Xiao He and Liu Ji.

The door opened.

Cao Shen really appeared outside the door.

It's just that his face is relatively haggard, but his eyes are bright.

Seems very energetic.

Cao Shen saluted Xiao He and Liu Ji.

Liu Ji looked around and said with a smile: "What are we people polite, if you don't come again, I will starve to death, this time Xiao He wants to entertain you, but he has invested blood, good tea and good meat." ”

Cao Shen couldn't help but smile.

The three of them entered the house, and before Xiao He and Liu Ji could speak, Cao Shen took the initiative to speak.

Cao Shen said: "Xianyang is different. ”

Hear the words.

Xiao He and Liu Ji glanced at each other, with a dignified look in their eyes.

They asked Cao Shen to sit down first, and then they were curious: "You have been in Xianyang for more than ten days, what happened in Xianyang?" Have you heard any specific news? ”

"Shaofu has changed." Cao Sando.

"Shaofu?" Xiao He frowned, a little unclear.

Cao Shen said again: "Replaced by Zhang Cang." ”

"Zhang Cang?!" Xiao He and Liu Ji were shocked, they knew that Zhang Cang, the reason why he was recruited into the affairs mansion was because of Zhang Cang's recommendation, but Zhang Cang at that time was just an ordinary imperial history, and now he has become the Shaofu of Jiuqing's important ministers?

That's a little too fast.

But.

It's good for them.

After all, they are also in Zhang Cang's vein.

Cao Shen continued: "I heard the news from Xianyang, before Zhang Cang took over the Shaofu, he had a debate with the courtiers, and then proposed a set of methods of 'opening up sources and reducing expenditures', in which 'open source' is to ease relations with the Xiongnu and communicate with each other. ”

"And 'throttling' is the construction of warehouses in the Kanto region."

"But that's not all."

"Zhang Cangshaofu's measures are even more extreme, he not only wants to ease the relationship with the Xiongnu, but also to stop the construction of the Great Wall, and before I left, the twelve golden people placed in the city have also been forced to return to the furnace, as well as Afang Palace, which has also been suspended, and now Zhang Cangshaofu, it seems that he wants to do a big job, even if it deviates from the past policy, he will not change."

"Many people in the DPRK and China say that this is the three fires of the new official."

“.”

Cao Shen told all the news he had heard.

Hear out.

Xiao He and Liu Ji were silent.

They thought about it a lot before, but they didn't think about it, the root cause was to change Shaofu.

A new broom sweeps clean.

If you look at it this way, you can understand it.

According to the existing policy, it is difficult for Shaofu to make achievements, after all, it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice, so the new official will definitely seek change when he takes office, but the change is so big and the turn is so urgent, it really catches people off guard.

It can't help but make them think about it.

Liu Jidao: "What is Your Highness's attitude towards this?" ”

Cao Shen said in a deep voice: "As far as I know, His Royal Highness strongly supported it, and even refuted General Meng Tian for this, and the reason why the imperial court has such a big turn is actually related to His Royal Highness, it is rumored that His Royal Highness locked himself in the palace for a few days, and then summoned the original Shaofu to Zhang Cang, and it didn't take long for the relevant decree to be issued." ”

"I guess this is probably also the mind of His Highness."

"Your Highness is bent on change!"

Xiao He's brows furrowed even tighter.

He felt that it was not that simple, but he really couldn't think of a reason.

Because it's too impulsive and bold.

It seems that he doesn't care about the consequences at all, and he doesn't care about the consequences at all, as if His Royal Highness has formed a path dependence, in the past, His Royal Highness relied on the 'official mountains and seas' to lay the path of the prince for himself, and now he is trying to do the same, by controlling the Shaofu, to further seek more money and food, in order to consolidate his position and prestige.

But it's too aggressive.

These policies are clearly for the benefit of the Xiongnu and the Kanto.

At least from the bright side, the Xiongnu have retreated for thousands of miles, and now they can make a comeback, the Kanto region is under heavy pressure and high endowment, and the people have very little food, so the rebellion is basically difficult to become a climate, and now the construction of warehouses in the Kanto region does not give the Kanto a chance to become bigger and stronger?

Liu Ji frowned.

He is not as negative as Xiao He.

After pondering for a while, Liu Ji asked again, "What follow-up measures does the imperial court have?" Or is there any rumor in Xianyang? I don't quite believe that the imperial court will only implement it, regardless of the follow-up. ”

Xiao He also looked over.

Cao Shen stroked his beard, thought about it carefully, and said uncertainly: "When I was leaving, it seems that there was indeed some news that the imperial court would build an officer academy in Beiyuan to strengthen the training of generals in the army. ”

"What else?" Liu Ji continued to ask.

"That's all." Cao Shen shook his head.

Liu Ji's fingertips tapped lightly on the desk, his brows tightened, as if he was thinking about something, at this time Xiao He and Cao Shen didn't speak, just sat quietly on the side, waiting for Liu Ji to speak.

Long.

Liu Ji raised his head and said uncertainly: "Perhaps. The imperial court did not implement a policy indiscriminately, but had already made detailed preparations, and had already prepared all the measures to deal with it, whether it was northern Xinjiang or Kwantung, in fact, it had always been between the applause of the imperial court. ”

"Maybe that's just the beginning!"

(End of chapter)