Chapter 106 The Emperor's Birthday
Chen Songyuan immediately said, "Sir, we must prepare some food first..."
In short, it costs money.
Don’t you have to eat while recruiting soldiers?
Lu Chenyang had a headache. He said, "The autumn tax is coming soon. We will collect a batch of tax grain and silver. We will keep all the tax grain and reserve the silver for necessary expenses. The rest will be used to buy grain."
Chen Songyuan said: "Due to the flood in Lingnan this time, I'm afraid there won't be much tax grain." And you have reduced it.
Lu Chenyang sighed softly: "Why am I so poor?"
Chen Songyuan couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips and said, "Sir, it's a bit difficult now, but once the workshop is completed next year, it will generate income."
Lu Chenyang was in high spirits. "Yes, there will be sweetness after bitterness. I won't be so poor forever! Winter is coming soon. We can't run out of supplies for Youwuyuan. Send someone to keep an eye on it and don't let the people below take advantage of the situation."
That was all the money he had saved with great difficulty!
Chen Songyuan responded respectfully.
Lu Chenyang was having such a hard time, living a miserable life himself, but he also wanted to make sure that the elderly and children lived well. He would never allow his subordinates to embezzle the money.
Chen Songyuan came from a wealthy family and knew all the intricacies of this matter very well, so he was the most suitable person to be entrusted with this matter.
The two of them fell into busyness again.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed, and Lu Chenyang is about to start inspecting various places.
Lu Chenyang ordered them to start reinforcing their houses in advance for the coming winter. However, he had not been informed when to leave for the inspection. He first went to Zhangtai County.
Zhangtai County was the worst-hit county, and Lu Chenyang provided the most disaster relief food.
He brought Gao Ming and Chen Songyuan with him on this inspection tour, to show them the real living conditions of the people. Tan Feng also assigned him a hundred guards, along with Lu Ning and Zhao Xi.
Lu Ning was chosen because of his good Qinggong skills, and Zhao Xi was chosen needless to say. An outstanding doctor is very important when accompanying.
It takes five days to travel from the city to Zhangtai County. When he arrived in Zhangtai County, Lu Chenyang first disguised himself and went to the countryside to see the situation of the people.
The people in the countryside have low incomes and most of them live in thatched houses, so winter is the hardest part for them.
Lu Chenyang had a good idea: a secret visit. However, he was very imposing, accompanied by maids and guards, and his temperament was different. He was recognized by the villagers almost as soon as he entered the village.
Lu Chenyang: “…”
Okay, he underestimated his popularity a bit.
This was mainly due to the good publicity given to him by the county school students who came here to provide disaster relief. Although the villagers had never seen Lu Chenyang, the students could describe him. Their descriptions were vivid, describing his handsome appearance, extraordinary temperament, and outstanding talent. In short, it was obvious at first glance that he was not an ordinary person.
It is very consistent with Lu Chenyang's image.
The village chief came out in a hurry and knelt down when he saw Lu Chenyang: "It is you, Lord Lu, right? I greet you, Lord Lu."
Lu Chenyang quickly helped him up: "Don't embarrass me, old man, please get up quickly." You look older than my father, I can't stand it.
The village chief was helped up, and Lu Chenyang asked carefully about what had happened during this period.
"...The county magistrate sent people to repair it, and did not collect taxes this year. We also received seeds. We are all grateful to Lord Lu." The village chief answered seriously.
Lu Chenyang nodded and visited a few households. Seeing that it was indeed as the village chief had said, he felt somewhat satisfied.
The village chief wanted to keep Lu Chenyang for dinner and asked his eldest grandson to kill a chicken.
Lu Chenyang smiled and said, "Old man, we still have to hurry on our way, so we won't have dinner. It's all that matters as long as you live well."
The village chief has two little grandsons at home. They look very smart and are great candidates for studying.
Unfortunately, it is not possible. County schools have not yet been universalized, and he cannot do it yet.
Lu Chenyang felt a little heavy-hearted and said, "Let's take it slow."
Eat your fill first.
This alone is not easy.
Lu Chenyang picked two or three more villages to visit. The county magistrate did a very good job and all the supplies that should be given to the people were distributed in place.
Lu Chenyang was relieved. He didn't even go into the city and rushed to the next county.
The third county Lu Chenyang went to was Daming County. As soon as Lu Chenyang got out of the official road, he knew that his whereabouts had been discovered.
There were people guarding the official road, and when they saw their team, they immediately turned around and went into the city.
"I guess the county magistrate of Qingshui County said that." Lu Chenyang said.
Chen Songyuan said, "Fang Qing is too honest. I guess he wouldn't know until we left. But Peng Tu from Qingshui County is a shrewd man. He probably tipped off the moment we arrived. The magistrate of Daming County was a classmate of his, so he must have received the news."
He is a local and knows the background of the local county magistrate very well.
However, the magistrate of Daming County, Hong He, did not show up, and accompanied Lu Chen to continue the incognito visit.
Lu Chenyang took a few turns and found that Hong He was quite diligent, so he went into the county government office to meet him.
Hong He immediately came out to greet Lu Chenyang upon seeing him: "...Meetings, County Magistrate Lu."
He was also the county magistrate, so why should he salute him? But how could he put it? When he saw Lu Chenyang, he not only saluted, but also wanted to kneel down directly.
Even though Lu Chenyang is gentle.
"There's no need to be so polite, County Magistrate Hong." Lu Chenyang accepted it calmly. "County Magistrate Hong, you have governed Daming County well. This is all thanks to you!"
"This is my duty." Hong He said modestly.
Lu Chenyang nodded. "Indeed, as a local official, it is your duty to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment. The imperial examination is so difficult, and you all managed to survive. This shows that you are all capable people. You should use your talents to benefit the people."
Hong He immediately agreed, his attitude very respectful. "Lord Lu, we all studied hard for many years before entering the court as officials. Now that we are able to serve as county magistrates, we also want to work for the benefit of the people. Unfortunately, my talent and ability are mediocre, and I have never been able to organize myself. Now that Lord Lu is here, I can finally organize myself. I am willing to follow Lord Lu and govern the people well. I only hope to have a clear conscience and live up to the people's expectations."
Lu Chenyang smiled and said, "It is a blessing for the people that County Magistrate Hong has such a heart."
Lu Chenyang left Daming County. Chen Songyuan beside him asked in confusion, "Your Excellency, don't you blame him for inquiring about your whereabouts? He learned about your whereabouts from Peng Tu, so he seems to be putting on an act."
Lu Chenyang said, "Isn't this good? He's smart, knows the times, and can use his brain. He'll find out where I'm going, and he'll be afraid of me, and he'll be willing to govern the people well. That's enough."
Gao Ming said, "Your Excellency is absolutely right. As the saying goes, when water is too clear, there are no fish. People who are too honest don't make good officials. One must be flexible. I think Hong He is a good example."
This is the difference between Gao Ming and Chen Songyuan. Gao Ming is a juren after all, so he looks at things from a more macro perspective, while Chen Songyuan is only a scholar, so the two of them look at things from different perspectives.
Chen Songyuan thought about it carefully and felt that what they said made sense. He couldn't help but admire them and said, "Your Excellency and Mr. Gao have great insights. I am very grateful for your guidance. It seems that I still have a lot to learn."
Lu Chenyang smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, there's no need to underestimate yourself. When three people walk together, there's always someone who can teach me something. We learn from each other."
The three of them smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Lu Chenyang made a complete inspection and was generally satisfied. The county magistrates all knew that Lu Chenyang was planning to arrest someone to establish his authority, so no one dared to fool around, and the series of measures were implemented very effectively.
Lu Chenyang expressed his satisfaction, saying that he actually didn't have to establish his authority.
When Lu Chenyang finished his journey and returned to the provincial capital, it was already the winter solstice, and the emperor's birthday had also arrived.
The emperor's birthday is on the third day after the winter solstice. This is the emperor's 50th birthday, and the whole country is celebrating.
But even such a festive day has nothing to do with Lingnan.
However, half a month later, Lu Chenyang found out what happened at the birthday party.
The second prince presented the emperor with a tiger talisman of 100,000 Yan family soldiers as a birthday gift, stating that the emperor should be in charge of the military power. The whole court was shocked.
The second prince gave away his and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion's greatest support.
Emperor Qianyuan was also shocked and stared at his son for a long time.
But the second prince just knelt in the hall with his head lowered, looking humble and submissive.
Emperor Qianyuan was very pleased and showed an unusually kind expression towards his son.
He said frankly that the gift sent by the second prince was very pleasing to the eye.
Then this winter, the issue of the Yan family army's affiliation caused people in the court to be uneasy, and various forces frequently used tactics.
But these had nothing to do with the Second Prince and the Duke of Zhenguo. After the Duke of Zhenguo handed over the tiger talisman, the impeachment against him gradually died down.
Emperor Qianyuan seemed to have forgotten this person.
Oh, and one more thing. The Second Prince, who had originally been treated kindly by the Emperor because he presented him with the Tiger Tally, has now angered the Emperor again.
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