Cheng Futai only stayed for a while and left without saying a few words.
Shen Yi and Zhao Xianggong both stood up to see him off. After the Henan governor left, Mr. Shen and Zhao Changping sat back in their original seats. Mr. Shen reached out to add tea to Mr. Zhao, then shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "My way Counting was all learned by Qi people."
The public opinion war of this era was basically invented by Shen Yi. Shen Yi often spread rumors in the north and made up nursery rhymes. The more classic one is the song "Open the city gate to welcome the Emperor of Han", which spreads widely in the north of the Huaihe River. region, spread over a wide range.
Now, every one of these tricks has been learned by the Purity Department of Northern Qi, and now almost all of them are used on Shen Yi himself.
Most of the nursery rhymes in the north today were written by the Purity Secretary, and the same is probably true for the gods in the south.
Mr. Zhao lowered his head to drink tea and sighed softly: "You stand too high and do too many things. Firstly, you will make people jealous, and secondly, you will make people hate you."
"This is roughly what the sage said about the word "zhongyong"."
"Mean mean."
Mr. Shen disagreed and said: "In this world, someone always has to stand up to do something. If I don't stand up, no one will dare to do this."
Zhao Xianggong lowered his head and said: "That's what I said, but Zi Heng should be more careful about this matter. Should he go to His Majesty's place and explain it to His Majesty?"
"This kind of thing is getting darker and darker."
Mr. Shen said silently: "We'll see what Chen Yu says when he comes later."
Mr. Zhao stood up, looked back at Shen Yi, and said softly: "He may not come to see Zi Heng."
Mr. Shen stood up and said with a smile: "If he doesn't come, it will be easy. I don't have to worry too much about what I do later."
As soon as Shen Yi finished speaking, Jiang Sheng ran over and lowered his head to report: "Sir, Chen Fantai would like to see you."
Mr. Zhao smiled slightly and said, "It seems that they are still afraid of you, Ziheng."
Mr. Shen smiled and said: "Now that I am in charge of affairs in the north, they are naturally afraid of me. When the court moves to the north, they will become bolder."
Zhao Xianggong thought for a while and said: "Zi Heng is here to meet guests. I won't stay much longer. I have to deal with some documents sent by Jiankang later."
Mr. Shen said softly: "I'll see my uncle off first."
After the two men left the yard one after another, Jiang Sheng invited Chen Yu in. At this time, Shen Yi was sitting in the main hall again. Chen Yu stepped in and bowed his head in salute: "Your Majesty, Chen Yu, pays homage to the Taibao ."
As far as official positions are concerned, the title of Taibao, who is ranked among the Three Dukes, is naturally more prestigious than this title. Chen Yu is a sober person and is also very particular about how to address him.
Mr. Shen thought for a while, still sitting on the chair and did not get up. He just smiled and nodded: "Chen Fantai is polite, sit down and talk."
Chen Yu thanked him and sat down. Then he took out a wooden box from his sleeve, handed it to Shen Yi with both hands, and said with a smile: "Taobao, a jade mine was opened not long ago in Kaifeng Mansion. Let me go and see it." I took a look at it and spent money to buy a few pieces. This piece is in excellent condition and is considered a specialty, so I gave it to Taibao as a token of respect."
Mr. Shen looked at the wooden box, but did not take it. Instead, he lowered his head to drink tea and said slowly: "No reward for no merit, so forget it."
Chen Yu looked sincere and said: "The Taibao has made immortal contributions to Da Chen. Everyone in Da Chen respects the Taibao. This thing is just some of the thoughts of the lower officials."
Shen Yi still didn't answer, but looked up at Chen Yu and asked with a smile: "Chen Fantai, I heard that some nursery rhymes about me are now being sung in Henan. Has Fantai heard about this?"
Chen Yu was startled, then put the wooden box on the table, lowered his head slightly and said, "Go back to the Taibao. The official is in charge of the political affairs of Henan Province. He naturally knows about this. He is about to report this matter to the Taibao."
Chen Fantai paused and continued.
"Just now, your Majesty has been notified and explained the matter to His Majesty."
"This matter must be the work of the Northern Qi rebels, who intend to sow discord between Your Majesty and the Taibao."
Hearing this, Mr. Shen frowned: "What should Chen Fantai explain to His Majesty about this matter?"
Chen Yu looked calm, lowered his head and said: "The Taibao is loyal to the country. Even if a low-ranking official speaks lightly, he must defend the Taibao."
Mr. Shen didn't frown anymore, but he was already a little unhappy.
If Chen Yu only reported this matter to the emperor, then although he was suspected of provoking trouble, he was not a threat to Shen Yi. On the contrary, the emperor might feel more at ease.
However, if someone like Chen Yu explained to Shen Yi, what would Emperor Hong De think?
Does he feel that the entire north of the Huaihe River is monolithic and everyone has the surname Shen?
Mr. Shen didn't say much, but the look he looked at Chen Yu was already a little unkind.
He lowered his head and took a sip of tea, changed the subject, and said: "Henan has been managed very well in the past two years. Cheng Futai and Chen Fantai have both made great contributions. Now they can take over the emperor. I don't think they can use it." How long will it take for Chen Fantai to be promoted?"
He looked at Chen Yu and said with a smile: "Maybe next year, if His Majesty is happy, he will transfer you back to Jiankang and let you enter Zhongshu to pay homage to the Prime Minister."
After hearing this, Chen Yu's expression changed, he stood up from the chair, lowered his head and said: "The Taibao's words are a disgrace to the lower official. The lower official's moral character is shallow. To be able to reach his current position is because of His Majesty's promotion and Taibao's care. I don’t dare to think about it anymore.”
Mr. Shen narrowed his eyes, stood up, and walked out: "I think Chen Fantai has a bright future. He may be able to take over from Prime Minister Yang and be in charge of Zhongshu in the future."
After saying this, Shen Yi said nothing and strode outside, never looking at Chen Yu again.
Chen Yu looked up at Shen Yi's leaving figure, his expression uncertain, but he took several deep breaths and did not dare to say a word.
………………
A few days later, the emperor finally arrived at Kaifeng City. Because the coffin was moving too slowly, His Majesty ordered the emperor to continue going north. The emperor himself was stationed in Kaifeng and wanted to rest for a few days in the capital of Henan Province. .
After arriving in Kaifeng, wherever His Majesty the Emperor went, the people on both sides of the road knelt on the ground, and the mountains shouted long live, like thunder.
His Majesty the Emperor turned to look at Shen Yi, who was riding beside the emperor, and said with a smile: "It's really neat."
Mr. Shen lowered his head slightly, leaned over and said with a smile: "This shows that the officials in Henan are good at training the people."
When the emperor heard this, he looked up at Shen Yi, and then smiled hoarsely: "There seems to be an overtone in what Shen Qing said."
"No."
Mr. Shen lowered his head and said with a smile: "Henan has recovered really well. In two years, it has almost caught up with Shandong."
"This is because we have a solid foundation."
The emperor said: "In the past few years during Shen Qing's Northern Expedition, he did little to disturb the people, so that the war disaster did not spread. Now that Zhu Li has been driven away, people's livelihood has naturally recovered very quickly."
While the monarch and his ministers were talking, the emperor's car had already stopped at the parade prepared by Henan Governor Cheng Tingzhi for His Majesty the Emperor. After the emperor entered the parade, he sat in the main hall, raised his head, took a sip of herbal tea, and said: "This weather, It gets hot when you say it’s hot.”
Mr. Shen sat under the emperor and said with a smile: "It's already April and it's almost May. It's normal for it to be warmer."
The emperor took another sip of tea and looked up at Shen Yi: "Does Shen Qing also know about this Henan nursery rhyme?"
Shen Yi lowered his head and said: "I know, these are the tricks I used in my early years. The Cleansing Department brought them and used them on me again."
The emperor took a breath and said, "I have asked the internal guards to conduct a detailed investigation."
He rubbed his brows, feeling a little troubled: "Master Zhu Li is gone, but the people from the Purity Department are still there, and their activities are even crazier. It's really annoying."
Mr. Shen bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The people from the Purity Department are still here because the Northern Qi Dynasty was destroyed not long ago. In addition, they also took away a lot of property, so they have money to support this so-called Purity Department."
"In a few years, Your Majesty will be the leader of the world. If I try to find a way to suppress the people outside the customs and cut off their way of transporting money into the customs, the Purity Department will naturally disappear."
"Um."
The emperor nodded and said, "I can rest assured that Shen Qing is doing things."
He paused and then asked: "It's been more than half a month since I arrived in Henan. What do Shen Qing think of these two chief officials in Henan?"
Shen Yi thought carefully and then said: "Your Majesty, Cheng Tingzhi has enough means and abilities, but he is only suitable for the local area. After serving in Henan, he can be transferred to Shaanxi to do more things for your Majesty."