The imperial palace of the Eastern Han Dynasty consisted of two palaces, the South Palace and the North Palace, which were connected by a covered walkway. The covered walkway led west to Yongmen Gate, and beyond Yongmen Gate was the bustling West Market, the most popular market in Luoyang.
To the east is the Middle East Gate, and beyond the Middle East Gate lies a road paved with bluestone slabs.
The road was lined with mansions and residences, and most of the officials in Luoyang built their mansions here.
After finishing their duties, the officials walked through the covered walkway and the East Gate, exited the palace, and returned to their respective homes.
At the Middle East Gate, a middle-aged official of about forty years old stood at the gate, greeting his colleagues who kept passing by. He was about seven feet tall, with a kind face and a refined and easygoing demeanor.
This man was Song Feng, the then-Director of the Imperial Household Department. The Director of the Imperial Household Department was in charge of gate security, which, to put it bluntly, meant he was in charge of guarding the gates. He was equivalent to a security captain, except that he was in charge of guarding all the gates of the palace.
Song Feng was a descendant of Song Chang, a meritorious official in the founding of the Western Han Dynasty. His great-aunt, née Song, was a concubine of Emperor Zhang of Han. His father, Song Yan, served as the Grand Master of Qinghe and was posthumously enfeoffed as the Marquis of Shengxiang. Moreover, the Song family had marital ties with many relatives of the Liu family because of Concubine Song.
Although Song Feng was just a gatekeeper, the Song family had a certain social standing and status at the time. In addition, Song Feng was a kind and gentle person who never argued with others, so he had a very harmonious relationship with the officials in the court.
As one high-ranking official after another walked out of the Middle East gate, Song Feng's smile never stopped.
After the last high-ranking official left, Song Feng checked the time and felt that those with lower ranks should also be finishing their shifts soon.
Song Feng then found a place to rest.
An official under the jurisdiction of the Taicang magistrate saw Song Feng at the gate, a slight smile on his face, and then stepped forward to greet Song Feng with a cupped-hand salute and a smile:
"Thank you for your hard work, Song Sihu!!"
Song Feng quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said with a smile, "It is my duty, I dare not complain!"
During their pleasantries, officials kept coming up to greet Song Feng, and Song Feng, in turn, smiled and chatted with them.
Most of these officials were mid- to lower-ranking officials, and their backgrounds were similar to Song Feng's. Although they were much better off than ordinary powerful clans, they were still quite different from the top families like the Yuan, Zhong, and Xun families, which were currently enjoying great influence.
Even the Cui and Wei families were much stronger than them, belonging to the lower-middle class of aristocratic families. They were essentially tools in the court, with little say in the matter. They were always among the first to arrive and the last to arrive each day, so they all chose to stick together.
The reason Song Feng gathered with them was not to compete for power and profit, but simply so that they could look after each other in the future.
At this moment, all the high-ranking officials and their superiors had left, so everyone gathered together and began to discuss some trivial matters concerning both the court and the outside world.
The official in charge of the Taicang granary shook his head and sighed.
"Yang Biao of the Yang family and Xun You of the Xun family are doing very well in Liaoxi and Dunhuang. At a young age, they have become prefects of a prefecture. In terms of official rank and salary, they have surpassed most of us. It makes us feel ashamed!"
"Indeed! With these two descendants in the Yang and Xun families, they will likely only go further!" another middle-aged official couldn't help but sigh.
"Moreover, last month His Majesty sent the descendants of the Zhong, Sima, and Chen families to inspect various regions. This is truly an honor. Once they achieve merit, I'm afraid the three families will also benefit greatly!"
"Yes! I wonder when His Majesty will finally notice us!"
The officials also began to shake their heads and sigh. They did not dare to blame the emperor, after all, the young descendants appointed by the emperor were indeed rare talents. If anyone was to blame, it was their own family for not having such outstanding descendants.
Although they have some talented descendants, given their official positions, they can't exert much influence.
Take the recommendation process as an example. For the same position, even if they and the Yuan family recommended someone together, the emperor would still give priority to the person recommended by the Yuan family.
All they hoped for was for the emperor to glance at them, even just for the slightest chance! If things continued like this, the gap between them and the powerful and influential families would only widen.
Just as everyone was chatting, Cao Song, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and several other officials in charge of agricultural affairs appeared out of nowhere.
Cao Song took out a bag of rice seeds from his sleeve and handed it to an official beside him. "I went through a lot of trouble to get these from Lü Qiang. Keep them safe. Next year, open up a plot of land near the agricultural college and try planting them to see if our seedlings can grow!"
The official carefully took the rice seeds and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Grand Minister of Agriculture, I will take good care of them!"
Cao Song smiled and nodded, glanced at everyone, and then said with a laugh:
"Hehe~ Nowadays, His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and all the officials in the court like to eat rice, but it needs to be transported from Yangzhou or even further south. The roads are difficult to travel, and there are losses along the way, so the cost is really too high. If we can successfully cultivate it, then your days in the court will be much easier in the future!"
The agricultural officials exchanged glances, then looked at Cao Song with gratitude and said respectfully, "We thank the Grand Minister of Agriculture for his kindness!"
Cao Song waved his hand and laughed, "Haha~ No need for that. This is His Majesty's will. If you want to thank someone, go thank His Majesty!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
