When we arrived at the outskirts of Fengxian County, we saw many people busy working in the fields along the road.
The common people have no extravagant desires, and just enough to eat and drink. But even this small demand has been met by few emperors over the past thousand years.
When the emperor came in person, the people knelt on both sides of the road, either confused or surprised, excited or dull, to welcome the emperor who was like a god in their hearts.
They shouted "Long live" in a chaotic manner, with their voices rising one after another.
Zhao Huan lifted the curtain of his sedan chair and waved to the people. Some looked at him in bewilderment. They realized that the emperor was a young man, not the old grandfather as they had heard. Moreover, this emperor looked no different from them. So this was the emperor, and this was what he looked like.
"Stop!" Zhao Huan ordered people to stop the sedan chair because he discovered something.
The guards stopped, and the carriage stopped. Someone came over and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, and Zhao Huan stepped out.
"Long live! Long live!" The people on both sides became even more excited.
Zhao Huan came to the place he had just seen. Several officials dressed in yamen clothes were kneeling on the side of the road with bare feet and their trouser legs rolled up.
"All of you, stand up." Zhao Huan said to them.
The officials stood up, and the one in the lead, a man dressed as a scholar, looked at him.
Zhao Huan was about to ask when Yun Niang came down from behind him and said, "Master Fan!"
Zhao Huan looked at the scholar in surprise: "Are you Fan Zha, the legal advisor of Fengxian County?"
The scholar hurriedly knelt again and said, "Master Fan Zha, the Chief Clerk of Fengxian County, pays homage to the Emperor, Long Live His Majesty!"
"What are you guys doing here?" Zhao Huan asked.
Fan Zha replied, "Your Majesty, I am helping the people divert water and plant rice."
Zhao Huan looked at these officials, all covered in mud and looking like monkeys, and smiled: "Interesting. The magistrate of Fengxian County is rushing to welcome me from a hundred miles away, and you, a legal advisor, are actually planting rice seedlings here. Interesting, very interesting."
Fan Zha was terrified. "It's early spring and drought has hit. The land is dry and water-starved. I was with the yamen officials digging a canal to divert water, and I was late welcoming Your Majesty. I deserve death, death! This was my own fault and has nothing to do with anyone else. Please, Your Majesty, punish me alone."
The crime of disrespect in the Song Dynasty was extremely serious. Although it was not as harsh as that in the Ming Dynasty, disrespect to the emperor was serious enough to warrant beheading.
Zhao Huan laughed heartily. "Fan Zha, you were so bold in the Yunniang case, yet you are so scared now. First, tell me, who gave you this name?"
Fan Zha was stunned: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is my father."
"Where does this name come from? What does it mean?" Zhao Huan asked.
Fan Zha was somewhat baffled, so the emperor had no choice but to answer truthfully: "Your Majesty, I lack the element of water in my five elements. 'Zha' is related to water, that's right. Your Majesty, Yunniang's case is truly unjust. I beg your Majesty to make the decision!"
"Uh," Zhao Huan said, feeling somewhat embarrassed. It turned out that 渣 was just a name for a certain type of water, without any other meaning. It wasn't the scumbag or scumbag people used to refer to. "Come on, since you've met me here, take me to the government office. As for Yunniang, I'll make the final decision."
So, several mud-covered yamen officials led the current Song Emperor Zhao Huan and his entourage to the Fengxian County government office. Fan Zha and his men led the way tremblingly. Zhao Huan asked Cao Dongsheng beside him, "Dongsheng, what do you think of this man?"
Cao Dongsheng replied honestly: "Your Majesty, this man is much better than that county magistrate."
Zhao Huan nodded: "I'm just a little timid, what a pity."
Cao Dongsheng disagreed: "Your Majesty, that's not necessarily true. He risked his life to let Yunniang file a complaint with the Emperor. I think this man is extremely audacious."
Zhao Huan laughed and said, "It's not that he's incredibly bold, it's that he's incredibly lustful. Didn't you see the way Fan Zha looked at Yun Niang? Damn it!"
"Your Majesty, you mean to say..."
Zhao Huan's chest was filled with a burning fire: "What do you know, you damned eunuch? This scumbag Fan is most likely attracted to Yun Niang."
Yunniang was fair and beautiful, and Zhao Huan was inevitably a little distracted. When he saw Fan Zha's concern for Yunniang, which was based on her beauty, he understood even more clearly. So our dog emperor became a little jealous. The problem was that Yunniang was actually still a virgin.
Fengxian County wasn't large, but the county government office was quite impressive. Two large lions stood at the entrance, and a row of red lanterns hung above it. The entrance was spotlessly clean, clearly in preparation for the emperor's visit.
Zhao Huan was even more surprised when he arrived at the palace. The interior was decorated with exquisite decorations and a variety of antique furniture. Just looking at these luxurious furniture, it was even better than those in the provincial government.
"Fan Zha, I want to ask you the truth. Are these furnitures all purchased by the government?" Zhao Huan's tone was already a little angry.
Fan Zha did not dare to hide it: "Your Majesty, these utensils were borrowed by our county magistrate from those wealthy families. He said that he borrowed them to welcome Your Majesty."
Zhao Huan's expression softened slightly. "I don't think Bai Qingsheng would dare to buy so many luxurious items without permission. If he did, I would definitely take his head."
Anyway, he was shocked and sweat broke out on his forehead. If these instruments were really purchased by the government, they must have been obtained by squeezing the people's money.
Zhao Huan walked into the hall and sat down. He picked up the cannon and banged it. Everyone below shuddered.
When Bai Qingsheng arrived at the outskirts of the city, he heard that the emperor was visiting Fengxian County. He was overjoyed. It seemed his days of preparation had paid off. He hurried to the yamen, and suddenly his steps felt lighter and more energetic.
When they arrived at the gate of the yamen, they could hear Zhao Huan and Fan Zha talking from afar, occasionally mixed with the emperor's laughter.
Bai Qingsheng was furious. "I worked so hard to prepare to welcome the emperor, and you, a mere legal advisor, are enjoying all the limelight. If I had known earlier, I would have sent you to welcome him, and I would have stayed at the county government office to do it myself."
"Your humble servant, County Magistrate Bai Qingsheng, kowtows to Your Majesty. Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!" Before even entering the yamen, Bai Qingsheng knelt down and shouted loudly.
Zhao Huan frowned and said, "Bai Qingsheng, as a county magistrate, why don't you stay at the government office to work, but go a hundred miles away to greet me?"
Bai Qingsheng saw Zhao Huan's displeased expression and felt a surge of fear. "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I heard that Your Majesty is passing through this county. It is a great honor for me to see you. My colleagues and I always say to each other, 'As officials, we dare not say that we have devoted ourselves to serving our country and our people. If I could see you in my lifetime, I would die with no regrets!'"
Zhao Huan smiled slightly, "Now that you've met me, you can die without regrets?"
Bai Qingsheng panicked, not knowing what the emperor meant by this: "I am terrified!"
"Bai Qingsheng, raise your dog eyes and look, who is kneeling down there!"
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