"Wang Wei, I heard that you are good at writing poems. Look at this majestic Zhongnan Mountain, do you have any masterpieces?"
Li Longji ignored Zhang Jiuling, who was in a daze. Instead, he pointed to a snow-capped mountain peak in front of him and asked a middle-aged scholar next to him who seemed to have no energy.
In Fang Chongyong's previous life, Wang Wei was a famous poet in history.
But at this time, although he was famous in Chang'an and Luoyang, his official career was not going well. Before last year, he was semi-idle. In order to resume his official career, he had to write a poem to Zhang Jiuling to ask for an official position.
Although Wang Wei appears to be a talented person, he has no energy and spirit now. Even if he goes on a patrol with the emperor, he does not feel happy at all.
"Taiyi is close to the capital of heaven, with mountains and seas connected.
The white clouds look back and merge, and the blue mist comes in to see nothing.
The peaks in the field change, and the clouds and sunshine are different.
If you want to stay somewhere, ask the woodcutter across the water."
Wang Wei looked at the mountains in the distance and chanted directly.
This poem is amazing!
Compose a poem in seven steps? Create on-site?
How is it possible? There are still seven more steps to a seven-step poem. How can it be possible to blurt it out like Wang Wei?
This was written by Wang Wei two days in advance after Zhang Jiuling told him that Li Longji was going to travel to Zhongnan Mountain with hundreds of officials! In fact, he didn't want to give it to Li Longji first, but behind him was not a person, but a family. p>
He doesn't have to do many bad things if he wants to. If he fails to seize the opportunity, he will offend not only Li Longji, but also Zhang Jiuling, who supports him!
"What a poem!"
Li Longji applauded. His words came from his heart and were not false at all. As the emperor, he had no need to compliment Wang Wei.
Wang Wei bowed to Li Longji and said, "The sage is so complimentary."
"It is indeed a good poem, you don't have to be humble."
Li Longji looked at Wang Wei with emotion, feeling mixed in his heart.
Her younger sister, Princess Yuzhen, was very attracted to Wang Wei, but... they were not meant for each other. The main reason why Wang Wei was demoted from a Beijing official was because Li Longji wanted to vent his anger on his sister.
It is simply unreasonable for Wang Wei to go back to his hometown to get married without saying hello!
Now that the anger is gone, there is no need to hold on to it. Even Princess Yuzhen no longer cares about this episode. Li Longji feels that it is time to put an end to this matter.
Princess Yuzhen has already given birth to two sons to a certain man! There is really no need to hold on to Wang Wei.
"Nowadays, border towns need talents. Why don't you go to the Liangzhou Hexi Jiedu shogunate and become a supervisory censor and a Jiedu judge."
Li Longji sighed and said, he thought to himself that his sister's bad relationship should come to an end.
It’s hard to say whether this appointment is a promotion or a demotion.
Just like Fang Chongyong's scumbag father Fang Youde previously served as a supervisory censor, this is actually an example of someone in the court not liking to see him and fearing that he would use his power as a close minister of the emperor to exclude him from the court.
Going to the Jiedushi envoy to serve as a supervisory censor and a Jiedushi magistrate actually meant that the emperor placed central airborne officials in the feudal towns. The main purpose was to check the account books to see if the Jiedushi envoy had acted for public benefit.
This position seems to be of great weight, but in fact it is not. Having a position and being dispatched are one thing, but whether it can be effective is another matter. Officials parachuted in from the central government do not understand the local people's conditions and want to rashly interfere in government affairs, they will definitely be severely punished.
Resistance and backlash.
Not to mention that this person's daily whereabouts will be firmly controlled by Jiedushi's cronies.
This kind of work is really not something that a great poet and writer who can only write poetry can do well. To put it bluntly, Li Longji also knows the truth, and what he does is to let Wang Wei go to the border town to fish, which is very interesting. During the Kaiyuan period, the central government of the Tang Dynasty still had very tight control over Jiedushi. Although the military rations had been entrusted to the local governments, the weapons, money and silk were still controlled by the central government. This kind of control was systematic and would not change just because of one or two governors.
subverted by the absence of mid-level supervisory officials.
Of course, in the final analysis, Wang Wei's talent only lies in his poetry. There are not many amazing and outstanding achievements in politics, so he can live there.
Wang Wei went to Hexi Fanzhen to become an official. In fact, it may be that Li Longji didn't want to see him anymore, so he kicked him away by "promotion and external transfer", which also blocked Wang Wei's promotion path.
As for what the real reason is, who knows?
"Thank you saint for your grace."
Wang Wei's face showed neither sadness nor joy, and he bowed and saluted. He seemed respectful, but in fact he was distant.
"Mr. Zhang, what do you think of my appointment?"
Li Longji meaningfully asked Zhang Jiuling that it was Zhang Jiuling who recommended Wang Wei back to Chang'an from Luoyang and appointed him as a capital official.
"The sage makes his decision with one word, and the humble ministers have no objections."
Zhang Jiuling bowed and saluted, frowning slightly. He always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put it into words. Li Longji's words and deeds were different from usual.
"The Lantern Festival is coming soon. This year's Lantern Festival needs to be properly organized."
After Li Longji said this, he saw Chen Xuanli, the general of the "Left and Right Flying Cavalry" of the Beiya Forbidden Army, coming over and whispering in Li Longji's ear, and then stepped aside to wait for dispatch.
The left and right flying cavalry were Li Longji's personal guards. During the Kaiyuan period, the Nanya Forbidden Army, which had close ties with foreign dynasties, had declined. Chen Xuanli, Li Longji's former Qianlong minister, suddenly emerged as a new force, and his authority became increasingly important. At the beginning, Li Longji also asked Fang Youde if he would like to
He was willing to serve as the commander of the flying cavalry, but Fang Youde refused.
"Return to the palace."
Li Longji coldly uttered two words from his mouth, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
……
The emperor came with all his officials to enjoy themselves, and the hurried trip to Mount Zhongnan became a joke that all the ministers did not dare to laugh at.
Of course, Fang Chongyong, Zheng Shuqing and his party could not know about this seemingly inexplicable thing. They were hurrying slowly through the Nanyang Basin, turning westward into Neixiang County, and were preparing to return to Chang'an via Wuguan Road. p>
However, when they arrived at Neixiang County, they found that there was no post house here!
You must know that this is the entrance to the "Shangshan Road" which is the only way to enter Wuguan. Regarding Shangshan Road, the poet Jia Dao of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem to describe the precipitousness here as "One mountain does not end, another mountain welcomes it, and there is not even half a mile in a hundred miles."
"Ping".
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They are all mountain roads, with uneven terrain and dense vegetation! Travelers grit their teeth and walk more than a hundred miles of mountain roads every time, and whoever walks knows how it feels.
Because the road was not good, it was impossible to ride a horse or use a carriage, so the government simply laid it down and did not even set up a post station. Walking through this hundred-mile mountain road, there are densely packed post stations stretching all the way to Lantian!
It's a bit like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate.
The court's posture seems to be saying: It's a shortcut anyway, if you like to walk, don't walk! If you want to be served at the inn, there is no door!
Uncle Zheng, an upright official, suffered from hypocritical illness. He walked more than a hundred miles on the mountain road. What if he got sick from exhaustion?
He is a man who wants to join Chang'an and take charge of the court's accounts! The court is waiting for him to save them! Climbing mountains and walking will cost you a lot of money. People who don't know better think they are fleeing!
So Zheng Shuqing waved his hand and chose to directly take the carriage rented from the county town, go north from Nanyang to Luoyang, the eastern capital, then take a detour to board the official ship at the water station in Shaanzhou, and finally follow the official ship directly to Chang'an by water.
This is also the most important official road to Chang'an. Not only is the road flat, but you can also ride a horse-drawn carriage along the way.
The only problem is that the waterway from Luoyang to Chang'an seems not very easy to travel.
But Zheng Shuqing, who was eager to return home, felt that it would be faster to take the water route. At most, in Shaanzhou, the Yellow River flow is more rapid and a little more dangerous... At worst, he will switch to the land route.
It’s impossible to walk anyway!
As a result, after they arrived in Shaanzhou, it didn't take long for the Yellow River to flood. The group of people saw that the river water was mixed with broken ice from the upstream, not to mention the small ones, but the larger ones were enough to destroy ordinary ships.
It was knocked over and sank, and the boat capsized with dead people.
They were delayed for a while at the inn in Shaanzhou, where Zheng Shuqing complained that they should have taken Wuguan Road in the first place. Of course, these are all things for later.
After a long journey, on the Lantern Festival, they went north from Nanyang to Luoyang and then took a carriage to Shaanzhou, resting at Gantangyi outside the county. The long journey and fatigue caused not only Fang Chongyong and Fang Laique as children, but also as officials.
Zheng Shuqing, who was in labor, and Yan Zhuang, who had to go home to farm on weekdays, were half exhausted.
Only A Duan, who was used to running in the mountains, didn't feel anything at all, and even felt so idle.
This journey was extremely difficult, but they had to listen to Zheng Shuqing.
Not only is Zheng Shuqing an adult and Fang Chongyong still a child, but there is also a factor that cannot be ignored: Zheng Shuqing has official customs clearance documents and official identity certificates on his person.
Before Zheng Shuqing returned to Chang'an to report on his duties, he was still the nominal "Kuizhou Governor". This status was very useful when traveling, and he could enjoy the convenience brought by the inn without spending any money.
Fang Chongyong, whose soul comes from modern times, has naturally seen all the big scenes and feels that it doesn't matter. But Yan Zhuang, a small official working at the grassroots level, has finally seen the "arrogance" of those postmen and postmen in front of him, and
"Hou Gong" in front of Zheng Shuqing.
This dealt a huge blow to his self-esteem.
In Datang, if you don’t have power, you have nothing!
This prosperous age only belongs to certain people. If you have power, you can play with them. Without power, this prosperous age does not belong to you!
At dusk of the Lantern Festival, Zheng Shuqing and his party came to the bank of the Yellow River. On one side, the inn behind them began to display lights and colorful decorations to celebrate the festival. On the other side, the Yellow River in front of them was frozen and everything was silent. Under the setting sun, the two formed a strong contrast, as if
They are standing on the border between life and death.
Except for fools like Fang Laique and A Duan who don't need to think about anything, Zheng Shuqing and the others all have their own minds and have no intention of admiring the moon by the river with the cold wind blowing.
So everyone returned to the lobby of the post station, gathered around a table, poured red lotus spring, and asked the postman to bring cooked Yellow River carp, and they drank and chatted.
This carp was caught by farmers in the surrounding area by cutting through the ice of the Yellow River, and it was very expensive. Even at the inn, you can't get it without paying. Shaanzhou is not far from Chang'an, and the inn here welcomes many dignitaries.
, Zheng Shuqing's status as governor was not very useful, and he could not "get whoring" for good food that exceeded the official's custom specifications.
Of course, if Zhang Jiuling or Li Linfu came, it would be a different story.
"Brother Yan is from Hebei. Listening to your words, it seems that people in Hebei have quite a lot of complaints against the imperial court. I don't know why?"
Fang Chongyong asked while rubbing his hands and eating carp.
This Yellow River carp is cooked with a local flavor, rough and delicious, and the taste is a bit heavy, not as exquisite as the "Chang'an cuisine" that Zheng Shuqing treats guests to.
It’s just that the ingredients are fresh.
Yan Zhuang glanced at Zheng Shuqing, and the former governor sighed and said: "If you don't leave this room, it doesn't matter if you say it. It's better to defend the people than to defend the river. Even if we don't say it, there are many people in the world who will say it." Hearing this, Yan Zhuang nodded and said: "In the first year of Wu Zhou's Long Live Tongtian (696 AD), Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong, the leaders of the Khitan tribe in Yingzhou, were dissatisfied with Zhao Wenhui, the governor of Yingzhou in Wuzhou.
They mistreated them, killed Zhao Wenhui directly, and led his army into Hebei.
Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong did not expect that their fatal blow would trigger the spontaneous followers of hundreds of thousands of people in Hebei, and their troops would soon expand from a few thousand to tens of thousands.
With the help of the Turks and at great cost, it took Wu and Zhou's army more than a year to wipe out this "invasion", and even the famous general Wang Xiaojie died in the battle.
Since the losses were so great, after the Wu and Zhou armies wiped out the "invasion" of Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong, the imperial court would naturally begin to settle accounts in the fall.
So Wu Yizong, the king of Hanei in Wuzhou who was responsible for "counterinsurgency", reported to the court and proposed to kill all the hundreds of thousands of people who participated in the "invasion of Hebei", including Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong.
Although Di Renjie and others tried their best to stop it, and the court did not give such an order... Wu Yizong did not show mercy. The people of Hebei suffered countless casualties. Anyone who was forced to become a thief and escaped was regarded as a traitor and was directly executed. Even in many places in Hebei
Nine out of ten rooms are empty.
This happened more than thirty years ago. There is no need to mention the earlier ones. They are too numerous to count."
Yan Zhuang drank all the Red Lotus Spring in the wine glass, and mocked himself with red eyes: "I, a poor boy from Hebei Province, would never be able to drink this Red Lotus Spring in my life if I didn't have the help of noble people. Only Zheng Shijun can have such a fine wine.
Only such a big shot is qualified to enjoy it."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, looked at Zheng Shuqing and asked, "Are these true?"
Zheng Shuqing hesitated for a moment, and finally let out a long sigh, nodded slightly and said: "There may be some discrepancies in the details, but it's generally good."
He is a court official, and he cannot explain many things clearly. What are the facts? In fact, there are many people who experienced that incident are still alive, so what can't be said?
After listening to Yan Zhuang's introduction, Fang Chongyong felt that the Yingzhou Rebellion during the Wu and Zhou Dynasties looked like a "simplified version" of the Anshi Rebellion.
Just:
At that time, land annexation had not completely destroyed the foundation of the army, and the imperial court's control over the army was still very firm.
At that time, except for Hebei, the rest of the world was generally stable, taxes were relatively light, and there was a lot of private savings.
At that time, Chang'an's population had not yet expanded to what it is today, and the importance of the canal was not as urgent as it is today.
At that time, the imperial army was handling things fairly well, and there was no such outrageous maneuvers as Li Longji did during the Anshi Rebellion.
It's just that the Yingzhou Rebellion always has a particularly strong smell of the Anshi Rebellion. It was a rebellion in the border towns of Hebei, and the people of Hebei relied on it, growing like a snowball!
From the Yingzhou Rebellion to the fact that most of Pei Yaoqing's 7 million shi of grain left Hebei, these things are just the tip of the iceberg. The hatred of the people of Hebei for Tang Ting is deep in the bone marrow, passed down from generation to generation, and is getting deeper and deeper year by year.
Hebei and the imperial court are disgusted with each other, which is the best outcome now. However, Li Longji and the imperial court are still thinking of squeezing Hebei as hard as possible. It would be weird if nothing happens!
"Zheng Shijun will be Du Zhi Lang in the future, so he should collect less taxes from Hebei."
Fang Chongyong said with a helpless smile.
"Are you stupid? Tuzhiro only cares about how the court's taxes are spent. It's not me who has the final say on how those taxes are collected. Besides, I'm not Tuzhiro now! You might as well tell the saint face to face.