While many dignitaries in Xijing were busy making final preparations for the emperor's tour, the East Palace was quiet, as if they were not disturbed by the hustle and bustle of the capital.
When the old emperor goes on a tour, the prince should stay in Beijing to supervise the country. There is no dispute about this. Of course, there are also people accompanying him in the East Palace, represented by Liu Yang, the grandson of the two emperors Wen Huan and Wen Ji.
Pointed.
In the Hongde Hall, the lights were bright, Liu Yang was wearing a single suit, with his waist slightly bowed, sitting behind the desk, his eyes calm and calm, examining the things on the desk.
It was a piece of rice paper. The quality was visible to the naked eye. It appeared in the East Palace and was a special gift to the royal family. The world was at peace, which was naturally the era of the Renaissance. From the official to the private sector, there was a demand for paper, especially high-quality paper.
It also increased and doubled. Today, the 29th year of Kaibao, the demand for high-quality paper in the market is still unlimited.
After decades of development, Dahan's papermaking industry has also entered a relatively mature stage. Among them, the most advantageous one is undoubtedly Jiangdong Paper. "Jiangdong Paper is expensive" was once the best interpretation of its value.
The most famous of Jiangdong paper is naturally the rice paper produced in Jingxian County, Xuanzhou. In addition to the superior industrial environment and outstanding product quality of Jingxian paper itself, its rapid development also benefited from the old emperor’s unintentional words.
: In the world of paper, rice paper is the best.
Then the development of rice paper received support from all aspects. The people were enthusiastic and the government was vigorous. At that time, with the endorsement of the old emperor, there was no government that did not try its best.
When Fan Zhigu was the magistrate of Xuanzhou, he paid special attention to the development of rice paper. He mobilized the whole state to develop the papermaking industry centered on Jingxian County, gave full play to the local advantages of his hometown, organized technical personnel, and provided free services to interested people in the state from material selection to manufacturing.
guide.
From then on, the development of rice paper began to expand rapidly, and the scale of the industry increased sharply. By the 29th year of Kaibao, in Xuanzhou, in addition to several large paper mills concentrated in Jing County, small and medium-sized private workshops were blooming everywhere, especially
Almost every household in Jingxian County knows some papermaking technology. In addition to managing their fields, ordinary farmers will also actively participate in the rice paper manufacturing industry chain.
Up to now, the paper produced in Xuanzhou has been exported to all parts of the Han Dynasty, and has brought the surrounding prefectures and counties such as She, Chi, etc. Jiangdong paper has become very popular. From the imperial court to local governments, official paper uses Jiangdong paper. It is produced in Jing.
The paper produced by the county's major factories was used by the upper-class dignitaries. Among them, the rice paper with the highest quality became the tribute paper exclusively used by the royal family and was strictly prohibited for ordinary people to use.
At this time, the five-inch rice paper in front of the prince showed a personnel diagram and a power structure diagram. The most important and critical military and political positions in the center of the imperial court were all reflected. The strict hierarchy of the upper class dignitaries of the Han Dynasty.
It also comes alive on paper.
Of course, what Liu Yang is most concerned about is obviously the recent personnel adjustments that the old emperor has intervened in, thinking about the newly appointed generals one by one, and the old emperor's considerations behind them.
His face was always calm and he pondered for a long time. Fang picked up his pen and checked some people on the personnel chart, such as Ma Huaiyu, the deputy commander of Gyeonggi Province. These are the people Liu Yang relies on the most and they also hold important positions.
.
After a long time, Liu Yang finally regained consciousness, sighed, put the paper on the candle with a complex expression, and silently let it burn to ashes. After a little calming down, Liu Yang returned to his usual majesty, and Liu Yang rushed to the side who had been waiting for him for a long time.
Wang Yue, the chamberlain, ordered: "Go and see Wen Huan and see how Wen Ji is doing, and ask them to come to Hongde Palace to see me!"
"Yes!" Wang Yue did not dare to neglect and responded immediately.
The two brothers Liu Wenhuan and Liu Wenji were traveling alone this time. Not only as the emperor's grandson, but also as representatives of the East Palace, it naturally contained certain political content, and the key points had to be explained by him personally.
But even so, Liu Yang still couldn't feel completely at ease. He had to give the brothers a "family order" to serve as assistants to avoid missing out on business trips. But who to send? Liu Yang thought about it for a while, and finally decided on one person: Xu Shilian.
The square in front of Shangyang Palace and Pingguanfeng Palace is somewhat deserted on weekdays, but under the bright sun at this time, it is bustling with people. Of course, although there are many people, they are in good order.
On the trail, dragon flags are flying, axes are majestic, and an honor guard of hundreds of people is standing in high spirits, ready to set off at any time. Everyone glows with dazzling brilliance under the sunshine.
The majestic Luan Jia stopped quietly on the royal road. Six pure white royal horses stood side by side, treading the ground from time to time. The charioteer sat in the driving seat with his back straight and his face solemn.
Under the palace platform, the civil and military officials who had stayed in Beijing were lined up in order, with slightly bent waists and respectful expressions. Many of them even had a bit of "piety". And extending from the palace platform were three thousand mighty Ouchi sergeants. As this
The core guard of Bande Patrol.
At the same time, as usual, in front of the palace, the Longqi, Iron Cavalry, Guardian and Fengguo armies subordinate to the two divisions of guards also selected two battalions of soldiers to accompany him. They were accompanied by the harem, relatives, ministers and ministers' vehicles.
The team has already formed and extends outside Shangyang Palace, waiting only for instructions to set off.
Accompanied by Liu Yang, the old emperor slowly walked down the imperial steps, holding on to the story-filled bamboo joint. Halfway there, he stopped in the hall and looked down at the huge formation in front of the hall, with his old eyes flashing.
A little dazed.
He quickly came to his senses and without saying anything else, the old emperor got rid of Liu Yang's support and continued walking step by step. His pace was probably the most leisurely he had done in recent years.
In the square, everyone is dressed up in rich clothes, except the old emperor, who does not wear a crown or a dragon robe, just an ordinary black embroidered robe, and even his bun still expresses a sense of "rebelliousness".
"The temperament.
Basically ignoring the farewell ministers standing respectfully on both sides, he walked directly to the side of Luan Jia. The servants had already set up the steps for boarding the carriage. After stepping on the steps, the old emperor turned around and looked at Liu Yang.
After a while, he said softly: "The capital and the imperial court will be left to you!"
The old emperor's tone had some inexplicable meaning, as if he was entrusting, but also a little "uneasy". Liu Yang, on the other hand, seemed not to notice the old emperor's strangeness, his expression was as usual, he remained respectful, and he held his fists solemnly
He said: "Yes! I will definitely think carefully and act diligently, do my best in politics, and live up to your majesty's trust!"
Seeing his reaction, he glanced at Liu Yang with complicated eyes. Without saying anything else, he turned around and waited for the carriage, then lowered himself into the carriage. Then, as Hu De sang "Get on the road", the carriage took off.
The old emperor also embarked on a tour again after nearly twenty years, although the destination was directly to Taikang Palace in Jigong Mountain.
Prince Liu Yang stood on the royal road, silently looking at Luan Jia who was slowly walking away. He felt an inexplicable impulse, but he suppressed it with all his strength and speed. However, his brows became more serious, which could not make anyone guess.
Find out what he is thinking.
Similarly, the ministers who came to see him off also had different eyes. One moment they looked "respectfully" at the departing Luan Jia, and the other moment they looked at the prince carefully. The strange feeling in the air also intensified.
From Luoyang to Taikang Palace, it is a long distance of more than 700 miles. As for the Royal Beiyuan, this distance is really not close. Perhaps it is for this reason that the old emperor made those personnel adjustments before leaving Beijing. That was just him
What you think is a safe move is just a matter of personal satisfaction.
Jigong Mountain is in Shenzhou. As far as the current transportation line is concerned, there are only two roads for the brigade to go to Shenzhou. One is to go out of Luoyang in the east, pass through Zhengzhou and go all the way south, passing Xu and Caizhou; the other is to go to Shenzhou.
Leaving Dengfeng from the southeast, he passed directly through Xu Cai and arrived at Shenzhou.
The imperial driver naturally chose the first route for this patrol. Although the journey was dozens of miles further, the traffic conditions out of Beijing were much better. The "Luo-Zheng" straight road alone was the highest-level official road of the Han Dynasty.
Over the past few decades, Han Dynasty has invested a lot in basic transportation, especially in the important areas of Gyeonggi and its surrounding areas, which are well connected in all directions, at least until Shenzhou, the road is smooth.
Taking into account the convenience of the emperor's south, during the construction of the Taikang Palace, the four states of Zheng, Xu, Cai, and Shen along the way carried out certain projects on the main straight roads in the territory. Many road sections that had been in disrepair were upgraded, and they were no longer suitable for daily use.
The unnoticed potholes on the road have been filled in. Even Ruzhou has participated. What if the imperial driver crosses the border?
Of course, the more important reason is that the improvement of traffic along the way can also be regarded as a supporting project for the construction of the palace. As long as you apply for it, the Taoist priest will allocate some money, and you can even get a sum of money from the Shaofu. Don't worry about it.
How did you do in the end? When it comes to asking for money, these are extremely positive.
Precisely because the traffic conditions allowed, the old emperor's six-horse carriage had to go all the way to Shenzhou. Apart from crossing the river and crossing the bridge, there was basically no need to stop and transfer. However, even so, the driving speed was still not very fast.
The total number of concubines, princes, civil and military officials, guards and palace servants, servants, and others totaled more than 20,000 people. If there were too many people, it would not only be troublesome, but also the efficiency of the journey would inevitably be reduced.
Even if the patrol team has basically become mules and horses, the daily journey will be less than forty miles at the fastest and twenty or thirty miles at the slowest. In addition, it will be hindered by wind and rain and stop for rest. We set off in early summer and arrived in Shenzhou.
, it’s mid-summer, and it took more than a month.
With this large group of people and the low efficiency, it is obvious that the old emperor's inspection tour was not at all like the imperial edict to inspect people's livelihood and observe people's sentiments.
The profound impact this tour has had on the people has already begun with the decision to build a summer palace more than two years ago. From construction projects to road projects, they are all major projects, all of which require money, food, and labor from the local people.
When the imperial chariot set off and the brigade passed by, even if locusts were not plundering the territory, they were still there. Although the old emperor forbade local government officials to place objects on the road during the trip, the necessities for the camp were just needed. The daily consumption of more than 20,000 people was basically enough.
Getting materials nearby, even if you spend money to buy them, exceeds the reception capacity of most states and counties.
Of course, the grain supply is provided by official warehouses along the way, but the demands of the operation are far from being met by some basic grain supplies. Under the general political principle of ensuring the demand of the operation, the cost of the excess part will naturally be borne by various localities.
The officials and the people shouldered the responsibility.
Since ancient times, has any emperor's tour been able to benefit the local area and stimulate local economic growth? If so, it would be a miracle!
At least, this kind of grand display of ceremony and grand outing, no matter how superficial it is, brings to local officials and people, in addition to the majesty of the emperor, it should only bring a heavy burden that affects their lives.