On the outskirts of Chang'an, people were waiting here to welcome Fan Wenjin, the general manager of Liangzhou, back to the court.
Li Gang, the white-haired Minister of Rites, welcomed Fan Wenjin here on behalf of the imperial court. In addition to several officials from the Ministry of Rites, he was also followed by Fang Xuanling, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Liu Zhenghui, the Minister of Zhongshu, and Chu, the Changshi of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Suiliang.
There were people from the three provinces and six ministries present, and the standards for receiving Fan Wenjin, the general manager of Liangzhou, were not low, simply because Fan Wenjin was the most special one among all the general managers.
Fan Wenjin and his entourage walked on the road for more than half a month, stopping and going. Counties along the way would greet them grandly and greet the general manager.
Fan Wenjin did not refuse. It was not because he was greedy for vanity, but because he was not in good health and could not bear the hard work of the journey. He had to rest for a day or two before continuing on the journey, so when he returned to Chang'an, he was already on the road. It's early March.
At this time, the weather is getting warmer, the southerly wind is blowing, the ice and snow are melting, and there is gradually some greenery on the roadsides. The spring in Kansai has shown some colors.
Coming all the way east, it feels like the world has changed.
It has to be said that near Fufeng, Fan Wenjin and his party also met people from Xiangxiong, Supi and Yalong who were returning to Shannan.
These plateau guests stayed in Chang'an for almost half a year, and finally set out to return west in the spring of the seventh year of Yuanzhen.
The two teams met unexpectedly in Fufeng. They were also acquaintances with Fan Wenjin, the general manager of Liangzhou, because it was Liangzhou that they came to Datang.
Although he had not passed through Guzang at that time, as a landowner, Fan Wenjin personally led Liangzhou officials to welcome him to the north of Jishi Mountain.
Firstly, it was to lead the army to reward the troops, and secondly, it was to receive foreign envoys on behalf of the local county government in Liangzhou.
Now half a year has passed, and the envoys who came to meet with the Tang Dynasty returned the same way. Fan Wenjin handed over his post as the general manager of Liangzhou and returned to the court to report on his duties.
When the two teams met, they had no intention of reminiscing about old times. They said hello and passed each other.
Xu Jingzong, the governor of Fufeng County, was very busy. After receiving Fan Wenjin and his entourage who returned to the court, he also welcomed the envoys from the Three Kingdoms of Shannan. He continued to act as a post envoy, welcoming and sending them off.
Queen Subi Mara and her party followed the same process as Fan Wenjin. They accepted the hospitality of Xu Jingzong and the county officials, then took a leisurely look at the emperor's "former residence" and went to a nearby temple to burn incense. , and set off to leave.
Almost everyone who passes by Fufeng is like this, mainly to express their respect for His Majesty the Emperor. In fact, if you look at the things in Fufeng County, you will know that the emperor’s former residence is probably no longer found. Now these are all Newly built.
But that does not hinder the fact that the emperor is from Fufeng, nor does it prevent the officials in the county from flattering him. The officials in Fufeng county have taken advantage of this light, and if they do not use it properly, they are simply irresponsible for their own careers.
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Fan Wenjin and his party headed east along the Weishui River. When they passed through Han Chang'an, Jingzhao Yin Yuanlang led the Jingzhao officials to welcome Fan Wenjin into the city and stayed there for two days.
Yuen Long personally accompanied Fan Wenjin and Zhou Jun to visit the ancient city of Chang'an. During this period, he even told people that there would be some action here this year. To see the authentic Han Chang'an, live now. In a year or two, this place may have changed.
Fan Wenjin asked, why is this? Does His Majesty want to rebuild the forbidden gardens of the Forbidden City in the Han Dynasty for your enjoyment?
This was because Fan Wenjin was used to living a hard life and could not hear talk of building palaces, so he asked this question. Of course, the Jade Girl Terrace built by Li Gui also impressed him very deeply.
That tall and stick-like building almost exhausted the last bit of manpower and material resources in the northwest, causing everyone to complain, and Liang Shuo also died because of it.
It is similar to Yang Guang's construction of Luoyang City and canal digging projects, except that the things Yang Guang built are still useful, while Li Gui is simply out of his mind and pursues immortality, immortality and Buddhahood.
, there is no style at all.
Yuan Long didn't pay much attention, but Zhou Jun frowned. His thoughts were similar to Fan Wenjin's. How much manpower and material resources would it cost to rebuild Han Chang'an?
The emperor's brother-in-law, Yuan Shiming, is still in charge of this place now. This is not a good sign. After returning, he will have to report to Wen Pushe and others. If we can do our best to stop it, it will be a great good.
These are the officials in the early Tang Dynasty. Many of them had a strong sense of morality and a sense of responsibility for taking the world as their own responsibility.
Since ancient times, and even in the future, officials are indispensable for these things. Once officials lose these potential constraints and rely only on the law, there will be a large number of mediocre people who do nothing but occupy their official positions.
official.
There are also some guys who only know how to fight for power, which is even worse.
As a result, the entire bureaucratic system will appear rigid, incompetent, unresponsive, chaotic, etc., and lack the ability to correct deviations. Then... the dynasty will slowly enter a period of decline.
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However, Yuen Long's answer was that there was no problem. He put forward the future plan for Han Chang'an that he had discussed with Su Shichang and others.
In fact, these matters had been roughly discussed, and according to custom, he had to ask Fang Xuanling, Xu Shiji, or even Wei Zheng and others in Luoyang for their opinions.
A person who has suffered a big loss will think twice about doing something big. He knows that he is not very successful, so he will ask those who are talented in his eyes.
After going through this process, I made a plan, and then I went to my sister and brother-in-law to show up and ask for advice in private, and then it was officially sent to the Shangshu Province, or to the Zhongshu Province to go through the formal process.
You see, when people do this, they are not afraid of being slow, but afraid of making mistakes. No matter how picky outsiders are, if something goes wrong, Yuan Shiming cannot be blamed.
When I talked about this with Fan Wenjin and Zhou Jun, firstly, it was a bit of a show-off. Secondly, I saw that these two people were very dignified. One of them had been the general manager of Liangzhou for many years. It was a bit strange to tell them.
It means testing the waters.
Hearing what he said, Fan Wenjin and Zhou Jun's doubts were gone. As long as the emperor did not build a large-scale construction project just for enjoyment, they would no longer have any resistance.
In his excitement, he stayed here for two more days. After all, Yuen Long was the emperor's brother-in-law. Fan Wenjin was in need of someone to guide him, so he deliberately made friends with Yuen Long.
This made Yuen Long very happy. Fan Wenjin gave him a lot of practical suggestions, and he got along very well with him in conversation. If the official position of the other party was not too high, he would recommend it to the central government and let Fan Wen come to Jingzhao to take up a post.
Yuen Long also had a very good impression on Fan Wenjin. He felt that this man was sincere in his treatment of others and did not have the airs of a nobleman from Guanxi or a relative.
There is a slight age difference between the two of them, but they are equally matched in terms of rank. They are both senior officials of the third rank, so they can be friends on equal terms. Unfortunately, the time they got together was too short, and they could not form a deep friendship for the time being.
Before leaving, both of them felt a little reluctant to leave. Yuen Long showed his special power again and quietly said to Fan Wenjin, "When the eldest brother came, I sent someone to inquire about it. The eldest brother was about to have a baby."
Heavy responsibilities are added.
As for the official position, it is up to Your Majesty to decide. When the eldest brother has established a firm foothold in Chang'an, I will come to ask for a glass of water and wine. Then the eldest brother will not recognize me."
Fan Wenjin was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He finally realized the benefits of being friends with his relatives. It was so convenient. Well, Yuan Shiming will take care of things.
So Fan Wenjin also showed the boldness of a Northwester, patted his chest and said to Yuen Long: "My dear brother has a charming temperament. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, even if you come to see me, I will definitely not refuse."
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Therefore, when Fan Wen entered the outskirts of Chang'an, his mood was no longer comparable to when he left Liangzhou. He felt quite comfortable and no longer worried.
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Seeing the people coming out to greet them in the distance, Fan Wenjin took a quick look and immediately dismounted his horse, walked to the front and exchanged salutes with the people.
He didn't recognize any of the people who came to greet him. Seeing that Li Gang was quite old and was the leader of everyone, Fan Wenjin sighed inwardly that he was still in office at such an old age. Alas, it's really not easy to be an official.
When he was introduced, this was Li Gang and Li Wenji, the Minister of Rites. Fan Wenjin was surprised and immediately became more respectful.
He had heard the name of Li Gang, who was the former prince's tutor in the Sui Dynasty. When he was still young, Li Wenji was already famous all over the world.
The most talked about thing is that Li Gang joined the army when he was the king of Northern Zhou Dynasty Yu Wenxian when he was young. Emperor Xuan Yun wanted to kill Yu Wenxian, so he captured Li Gang and asked him to frame Yu Wenxian so that he could accuse Yu Wenxian.
Several people were arrested at that time, all close to Yu Wenxian. Others surrendered, but Li Gang refused to obey, thus leaving behind a reputation of loyalty.
That is a reputation earned at the risk of one's life. Being praised by everyone is the greatest compliment to a person's character, and it is also a role model for the world.
Everyone likes to praise such people, but when the critical moment comes, there are really not many people who can maintain their integrity. Li Gang is such a person who people have to admire.
Therefore, even if Fan Wenjin was in the same rank as Li Gang, he still had to bow to Li Gang as a disciple to show his respect.
When encountering such a senior and useless old guy, not to mention Fan Wenjin, everyone else was mediocre. Except for the emperor, He Chou and a few other people, no one in Chang'an City could win against Li Wenji.
While Fan Wen was doing the ceremony, he was thinking, maybe this was the power given to him by the court? It was quite gentle, and it didn't make him spin. It was okay, okay.
Zhou Jun introduced other people to him beside him. They were all outstanding people and should not be ignored lightly.
Everyone met each other politely and had a lot of good things to say, so there was no need to elaborate.
After mounting their horses and walking together, Fan Wenjin was talking to Li Gang while secretly thinking that although the battle seemed big, it was actually quite appropriate.
What he was afraid of was seeing the emperor or a prince appearing in the suburbs. That would be too much and would definitely not be a good thing for him.
"I remember, Mr. Fan has been to Chang'an before, right?"
Fan Wenjin smiled and said: "Shang Shu saw me in Chang'an? It shouldn't be..."
Li Gang stroked his beard, looked at General Manager Fan from the corner of his eye, and said slowly: "I have never met the General Manager. I just heard that the General Manager worked in the palace of Prince Wei Zhao, that's why I said this."