The next day.
The emperor continued riding the imperial chariot, descending the shady slopes. After a brief rest, he ascended Liangfu Mountain. Liangfu Mountain is not far from Mount Tai, nestling beside Mount Culai and overlooking Mount Chaiwen. The mountain is steep, but not particularly high compared to Mount Tai.
Today was a Zen ceremony to honor the landowner. However, Emperor Feng was clearly no longer interested, and only offered token cooperation. Then, the locals presented their so-called auspicious offerings, including the jade artifacts Ning Que had crafted.
After the ceremony, Emperor Feng hurried down the mountain and returned to the palace. To appease the local people, he ordered that they be given rice and fat sheep. It should be noted that in preparation for his Fengshan ceremony, the local people were conscripted as laborers to build roads.
A minister petitioned for a general amnesty. But Emperor Feng was adamant, stating that rewards should be given only for meritorious service, a principle fundamental to the military merit system. The people of Jibei County had built roads for the Fengshan ceremony, a meritorious service they deserved.
As for the other people, what did they do?
Why can you get the reward?
This is the principle of serving the emperor.
Since he came to power, he has never granted amnesty to the people.
The main reason is that Dafeng is very poor at present.
If the grace is bestowed upon the whole world, the Ministry of Revenue will probably curse.
The operation of a dynasty cannot be separated from money!
Without money, nothing can be done.
The current focus of Dafeng is on Linzi, also preparing for the future Eastern Expedition. Not to mention the food and fodder, the warships that need to be built alone are enough to empty the national treasury!
So you really can’t blame Emperor Feng for being stingy.
Sometimes, the Weiyang Palace would argue for days over a million taels of silver. The court officials would argue fiercely, even the Emperor Feng was troubled. Whenever the Emperor Feng wanted to spend money, the Ministry of Revenue would always intervene first.
This is why Emperor Feng transferred Ning Que to Linzi ahead of time. He hoped that Ning Que could use his expertise to quickly build up Linzi, while also rapidly expanding the army and building warships!
Emperor Feng did not stay in Jibei County for long.
He set off in the imperial carriage. Linzi County was the final destination of his tour. After a brief inspection of the warships at the port, he would return to Chang'an.
"Xiao Ning, the front is Jimen. Your senior brother Leng Qian founded the Jixia Academy here, and Chen Xia is from Jixia. Over the years, many of the King of Qi's subordinates have come from Jixia."
"this……"
Ning Que was suddenly speechless.
He could hear the dissatisfaction in Emperor Feng's voice.
But he didn't have much choice.
As the elder of the Shenji Pavilion, Leng Qian's personality is most similar to that of a fortune teller. After descending the mountain, he returned to Linzi County and later founded the Jixia Academy. He taught and educated students with a few close friends, occasionally discussing world affairs.
Therefore, Jixia recruited students without discrimination and imposed no restrictions. If students performed well, they could enroll for free. As for their choices after graduation, Jixia never interfered, so their disciples were appointed to positions in various places.
"Actually, my brother, there's no need to worry."
"Ever since the establishment of the Zuoguan Law, the power of kings of other surnames has been reduced. Any ambitious person would want to come to Chang'an to serve. As for the remaining misfits, even if they defect to Tian Zhongxun, they won't be able to cause any trouble."
"Too."
Emperor Feng smiled and nodded, pointing forward. "Now that Linzi has been incorporated into the Dafeng territory, it's a good thing. I can go and see the difference between the Jixia Academy and the Six Arts later."
"Um."
Ning Que nodded.
Jixia is developing quite well now.
There are three to five hundred disciples.
Many famous scholars gathered in Jixia.
They drank wine, wrote poetry, and discussed things with each other every day. It was a lively place. The academic atmosphere was quite strong, and people often came to visit. There were even some scholars from other countries, such as Goguryeo and the Shang Dynasty...
The convoy slowly stopped.
What comes into view is the Hengmen Archway.
It took several people to hold up the two dragon-carved stone pillars, which supported a huge wooden beam on which were painted four large, flamboyant characters in gold sand.
【Jixia Academy! 】
Linzi County Magistrate Ouyang Zheng stood at the front. After a year, his skin was now dark and rough. He looked less like a high-ranking official and more like an old farmer working in the fields.
In Ning Que's words, Ouyang Zheng lived a life of unity of knowledge and action. After arriving in Linzi, he spent a full three months exploring almost every inch of the city.
When he first took over Linzi, it was a complete mess. Before Tian Zhongxun officially handed over the city, he plundered all the valuables in Linzi, and even collected taxes ten years later. The people were reduced to poverty, with no money to be exploited.
He also released all prisoners held in the three Linzi counties and dispersed them throughout Linzi. He also destroyed any items they couldn't take away, such as the port workshops. All capable craftsmen were taken to Jiaodong County by Tian Zhongxun.
Tian Zhongxun's attitude was very clear.
Aren’t you going to Linzi?
Okay, I’ll give it to you!
But can you catch it?
Ouyang Zheng was deeply aware of how difficult it was to govern Linzi, so he quickly promoted many officials from the Imperial Academy. He also issued an imperial edict to inform the people of the changes. Just when things were finally starting to improve, another imperial edict arrived...
He was asked to build the port and warships as soon as possible to prepare for the future eastern expedition to Goguryeo.
Upon hearing this news, Ouyang Zheng truly wanted to submit a letter of rebuttal, just as he had done previously. After all, Linzi was now extremely poor, making even collecting taxes difficult. Many wealthy landlords claimed to have already paid taxes and refused to pay again. They even hid their farmland, making it difficult for officials to collect taxes.
How to build a ship without money?
Isn't this asking too much?
Things had finally started to improve, but Emperor Fengdi's move undoubtedly made Linzi, which was not rich to begin with, even poorer.
The ambitious Emperor Feng ignored his petition, and to this day, he hadn't received any money. Instead, he planned to offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai. A grand procession, traveling over ten thousand miles round trip, how much would that cost?
Wouldn’t it be better to hit it in Linzi?
Watching the Emperor's motorcade approaching, Ouyang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and straightened his clothes. He had a lot to say, and he had to let the Emperor know the current situation!
Ouyang Zheng was followed by many officials, many of whom were unfamiliar faces, and were all selected by him for promotion.
Standing alongside him was Leng Qian, standing tall and straight in front, calmly observing the convoy. While in Chang'an, he had told Ning Que all about Linzi. After the wedding, Leng Qian returned to Linzi with the brothers Hai Zai and Hai Gui. Their main task was to select the right personnel and build warships.
Leng Qian actually received Ning Que's letter early on.
I hope he can fully assist Ouyang Zheng in governing Linzi.
Originally, he had some good feelings towards Tian Zhongxun, believing him to be capable. However, when Tian Zhongxun acted madly during the handover of Linzi, Leng Qian was completely disappointed.
Therefore, he did not help the King of Qi anymore.
He intentionally asked his disciples not to help Tian Zhongxun.
As for Ouyang Zheng's request, he naturally granted it. Even if it meant recruiting his disciples to serve as officials, he was very supportive. After all, many concepts of state governance need to be combined with practice!
Now, Ning Que has finally arrived in Linzi!
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