371, Imperial Edict Arrives
371, Imperial Edict Arrives
Looking at the backs of Prince Ding and his group leaving, Lu Mingfei cursed: "Old fox!"
When the guards nearby heard their master scolding their prince, they just glanced at their master and pretended not to hear anything.
"Forget it, this old fox is quite generous, just forgive him." Thinking of what he had just asked for from Prince Ding, Lu Mingfei decided to forgive the old fox for scaring him just now.
He suspected that Prince Ding had come for the grain in his hands from the very beginning, not just to get his good son back.
When he met Ma Ge's gaze, Lu Mingfei remembered that the guards around him were all from Prince Ding's Mansion. Did his brothers hear what he said when he scolded Prince Ding just now?
However, what he said was the truth, so it shouldn't be considered an insult, right?
"Ahem, let's go back." After a dry cough, he returned to the city with a few guards.
The person that Prince Ding promised him arrived in Li County two days later.
These people who came were at their disposal. During this period, they only had to take care of their food and lodging, and did not need to pay them immediately.
As for the wages of these people, they needed to exchange them for grain, which was also the payment method he had agreed on with King Ding. King Ding would provide the people and land, and they would be responsible for arranging the work, and they would give King Ding 30% of the grain produced.
These grains will be provided to the Zhenbei Army as military rations to help them through the winter.
It just so happened that after the autumn harvest, the fields could be used to plant another crop of vegetables, so all the people who arrived were arranged to plant vegetables.
With the experience of growing vegetables last fall and winter, they were able to arrange the vegetable planting this year more smoothly. In addition, with more people and more land, they could plant more vegetables.
When these vegetables are harvested, they will be processed together with the grain harvested in autumn, made into vegetable cakes and sent to the military camp.
This was also the payment method agreed upon by Lu Mingfei and Prince Ding. Because they didn't have much food in stock, if they added vegetables to make coarse grain cakes, the total amount could be increased, allowing more soldiers to have something to eat this winter and not suffer too much.
He also made an agreement with Prince Ding that Prince Ding would send people to assist them with spring plowing in the spring.
Similarly, they also need to use food to settle wages.
Lu Mingfei knew that Prince Ding was attracted by his grain and farming methods. Although they were both farmers, the land in Li County was the best, with the highest grain yield per acre.
Otherwise, Prince Ding has plenty of land and people, so wouldn't it be better for him to send people to farm the land himself? Why did he send people to work here?
They had spent years researching how to increase the yield per acre of land. However, Lu Mingfei had also promised Prince Ding that he would teach these methods to the people he sent without reservation.
In addition, after learning that they had a garment workshop here that produced high-quality winter clothes, Prince Ding agreed to provide them with wool throughout the year, but in return, half of the clothes produced by their garment workshop had to be provided to the Zhenbei Army.
Lu Mingfei negotiated all these cooperation agreements and terms with Prince Ding one by one. Furthermore, Prince Ding also agreed to develop Li County as Pingzhou's second largest city, and that Li County would be responsible for many of the supplies for the frontline Zhenbei Army.
With this fixed military supply order in the future, they will be able to support the entire Li County.
Although they could not earn much from Prince Ding, they could use these materials to exchange for labor, so it was not a loss. They could sell the remaining half of the materials elsewhere and still make money.
At the same time, Prince Ding also gave him great authority. In the future, if they want to do something in Li County, they no longer need to apply to the prefect Shangguan Li, but can directly apply to Prince Ding.
This saves you the trouble in the middle.
So if you think about it this way, it can be said that both parties are mutually beneficial!
After arranging things one by one and assigning them to specialized personnel, Lu Mingfei remembered the matter of clearing the names of his senior colleagues, Fu Zheng and Wang Wang, so he picked up his pen and wrote a memorial to the regent who was far away in Kyoto Prefecture.
There is also a private letter between them.
***
However, what Lu Mingfei did not expect was that in February after the new year, along with the imperial edict pardoning Fu Zheng and Wang Wang, there was also an imperial edict transferring him back to Beijing.
Although he was a little surprised, he knew in his heart that Zhao Lang must have controlled the situation in Kyoto Prefecture, otherwise Zhao Lang would not have used the little emperor's men to issue such an imperial edict to recall him back to Kyoto Prefecture.
"My lord, thank you Lord for your kindness."
"Master Lu, please stand up."
The eunuch who delivered the decree placed it in Lord Lu's hands, smiled, and asked him to stand up. He then said to Lord Lu, "The Prince Regent has instructed you to pack your belongings and return to the capital with me as soon as possible."
"Okay. Give me two days. After I have arranged things here, I will go with you." Lu Mingfei asked someone to come and take the eunuch and others away to rest.
After the eunuchs who announced the decree left, Fu Zheng, Wang Wang and others still had expressions of disbelief on their faces.
"Seniors, please stand up quickly." Lu Mingfei came over and helped the seniors who were kneeling on the ground to their feet, then explained with a smile: "Last year, I wrote a letter to the Kyoto Prefecture to pardon your crimes.
We didn't tell you at the time because we were afraid the result wouldn't be what we wanted and we were afraid you would be disappointed, so we didn't tell you about this in advance."
"Sir, we don't know how to thank you. If it weren't for you, all of us would have gone to hell long ago and wouldn't have had the chance to live until now... I never thought that I could be cleared of the charges today and reinstated." Fu Zheng said while wiping away tears.
Only officials like them who had personally experienced imprisonment and exile knew how much suffering they had endured along the way. Not only did they suffer, but their wives, children, and families also suffered.
If it weren't for Lu Mingfei's help, they would have died on the way to exile long ago. How could they possibly live to see the day they see the light of day again?
"Sir, please accept our greetings!" Wang Wang was even more direct and was about to kneel down to them.
"No, no, no, don't kneel!" Lu Mingfei quickly held these people back. If he really asked these seniors to kneel down and thank him, he was afraid that his life would be shortened by decades.
"Please, don't kneel."
He was so frightened that he quickly clasped his hands together and begged these seniors not to kneel down to him.
Fu Zheng couldn't help laughing when he saw Lu Mingfei's expression. He called out to the other old friends, "Stop scaring the adults. Adults don't care about these things."
After hearing this, the other people gave up the idea of kowtow to their elders.
"Seniors, please just call me by my name from now on, and don't call me sir. You have been reinstated now, and your official position is higher than mine, a small county magistrate of the seventh rank. I should be the one to call you seniors." Lu Mingfei didn't expect that Zhao Lang was trying to get exiled officials like Fu Zheng and Wang Wang reinstated. He didn't know how much effort Zhao Lang put in to accomplish this.
But he also knew that Zhao Lang would help Fu Zheng, Wang Wang and others clear their charges and reinstate their positions largely because he was the one who wrote that memorial.
Of course, he would not tell these seniors in front of him about these speculations, letting them think that the Regent was impressed by their abilities and wanted them to return to Beijing.
Now the court is probably dominated by Prime Minister Wan, so they have to find ways to win over a group of officials who stand on their side. These officials who have returned to the court are good targets for winning over.
Fu Zheng knew Lu Mingfei's personality and character. Since Lu Mingfei asked for this, he agreed. "Okay, in that case, we will call you Mingfei."
After a few words outside, they moved into the house to discuss business.
The real matter is about who will take over the affairs of Li County after they leave, and who will be sent by the court to take over the affairs here.
"After we leave, I don't know who will be in charge of this mess in Li County. I originally thought that I would work here for three years before leaving, but I didn't expect that the court would suddenly order me to go back." Lu Mingfei didn't expect that the imperial edict to transfer him back to Beijing had arrived before his three-year term was up.
However, it took them nearly two years to build Li County into what it is today.
To this end, they have consulted and discussed countless times and made many plans and ideas, but now less than half of these plans and ideas have been realized.
So they are not very confident in handing this over to anyone.
Fu Zheng is also involved in planning the future development of Li County. Having been here for nearly two years, he has developed an affection for this piece of land. "No matter who takes over, we are not very reassured. Why don't I write a petition and stay here to continue what we have been trying to accomplish?"
"Brother Fu, you, you want to stay?" Wang Wang looked incredulous. They dreamed of going back to Kyoto Prefecture, but they never thought that Fu Zheng would take the initiative to ask to stay.
The others all looked at Fu Zheng.
Lu Mingfei paused and did not immediately persuade Fu Zheng to go back or agree to let Fu Zheng stay. He looked at Fu Zheng and waited for him to continue speaking.
"We have been living in Kyoto Prefecture since we were born. If it weren't for this time..." Fu Zheng paused before continuing, "Having come to Li County, we wouldn't even know what a small county on the border looks like."
"I really want to see Li County one day become what we envision. I also want to see our army one day conquer the Hu people outside the Great Wall and turn them into citizens of Dayan."
"Before, we only thought about the interests of our family. It was Mingfei who made me see the interests of the people and the interests of the country."
Fu Zheng said the last sentence while looking at Lu Mingfei, "Mingfei showed me what an official should do most."
The others fell silent upon hearing this, because up to this point, they were still thinking about their own and their family's interests.
Lu Mingfei thought for a moment and promised Fu Zheng: "If you are willing to stay here, I will write a letter to the Regent to allow you to stay here."
"Once you have finished your work here and realized our plan, I will find a way to transfer you back to Kyoto Prefecture."
"Okay, it's a deal." Fu Zheng did not doubt whether Lu Mingfei could not fulfill his promise, because he did not care about it. Even if he stayed here as a small county magistrate in the future, he would be happy with it.
After they chatted for a while and arranged some things here, Lu Mingfei asked the seniors to go home first and tell their families the good news.
Today's update.
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