HLnovel Chapter 135 Walking in the snow in search of plum blossoms
Chapter 135 Walking in the snow in search of plum blossoms
Chapter 135: Snow-covered Plum Blossoms
The sixth year of Zhongping, December 30th.
Liu Bian walked out of the palace in the snow holding an umbrella, with Xun You following behind him.
He also held an umbrella, half a step behind Liu Bian, and said, "Your Majesty, the salt administration, from the salt fields, transportation, trading, and officials at all levels, is basically ready. There are still some disputes over the Shangshutai, and it is expected to be submitted to Your Majesty after the new year."
Liu Bian knew exactly whether it was submitted or not.
Liu Bian was in a good mood as he stepped on the ankle-deep snow and heard the crunching sound. He smiled and said, "Well, what do you think of Yizhou?"
It was obvious that Liu Yan was now trying to become a local emperor. He ignored the orders of the imperial court, and from time to time, people impeached him in an attempt to embellish himself by claiming to be "the emperor's servant."
Xun You looked up at Liu Bian, trying to figure out what he was thinking, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has sent a letter to Yizhou, but the messenger has not returned yet. I'm afraid something happened on the way."
Liu Bian uttered a blank expression and said, "My uncle is also giving me problems."
Xun You didn't say anything.
After all, Liu Yan was appointed by the previous emperor and is a member of the Liu family.
Liu Bian had already thought of a countermeasure and said, "In the name of the Secretariat, send an order to Hanzhong Governor Sun Jian and Jingzhou Governor Wang Rui to block all entrances and exits of Yizhou. Not even a bird is allowed to enter or leave!"
Xun You looked slightly startled and said, "Your Majesty, what if..."
"There is no such thing as a single event,"
Liu Bian said calmly: "He doesn't have the courage yet, find something for Liu Zhang to do."
Xun You looked at Liu Bian's calm and composed profile, thought for a moment, and said, "I accept your order."
Liu Bian left the palace and walked towards the Hongdu Gate School. He asked, "What do you think of the reduction of redundant officials across the country?"
Xun You looked solemn and did not answer immediately.
The number of redundant officials in the Thirteen Prefectures of the Han Dynasty was dozens of times that of Luoyang City. Most of these people were recommended or even arranged by local aristocratic families. How could they agree to the imperial court's order to reduce the number of officials?
This place is not like Luoyang. The emperor is far away and no one knows what will happen!
Liu Bian glanced at him and said, "I heard that some people are worried that this will turn the officials and soldiers of the Han Dynasty into private officials and private soldiers of the governors, provincial governors, prefects, and county magistrates of various places?"
Xun You bowed his head, his expression solemn, and said hesitantly: "I have heard that too. I suggest you wait a little longer."
At present, officials of all ranks in the Thirteen Prefectures of the Han Dynasty still eat imperial food. Once the court reduces their ranks, these people will disappear from the list of court officials and appear on the private lists of local officials, and be supported by private individuals.
At that time, the prefectures, counties and districts of the Han Dynasty became private properties!
Liu Bian stepped on the snow, looking calm, and said, "There is nothing wrong with this idea. But you must remember that cutting redundant officials is only part of the story. The important thing is reform. It is my established idea that governors, provincial governors, prefects, and county magistrates will not lead troops, and this will be the national policy in the future."
Xun You knew Liu Bian’s idea, and perhaps he was the only one among the court officials who knew it.
He followed Liu Bian and said, "Your Majesty, regarding the establishment of military commanders in various states and counties to take charge of military affairs, when does Your Majesty plan to start?"
Liu Bian looked thoughtful and said, "Don't do anything for now, just cut down the redundant officials first."
Now the governors, provincial governors, and prefects in various places hold heavy troops and stabilize one side. If their military power is stripped away, the situation will immediately change and they will become a disaster. The Han Dynasty will inevitably fall apart.
Xun You was still hesitant, but he knew he couldn't stop Liu Bian. After thinking it over, he said, "Your Majesty, can we start with Bingzhou?"
Sili was too special, so there were basically no obstacles to reform. Bingzhou had just gone through a great chaos, so it was the most suitable, easiest, and least difficult place to reform.
Liu Bian glanced at him and said, "Start from the most chaotic place."
“The messiest place?”
Xun You paused and said, "Your Majesty, do you mean Qingzhou?"
Now in the entire Han Dynasty, except for Liangzhou occupied by the Three Qiang, Qingzhou is the most chaotic, with more than half of the place completely out of control. In the remaining counties and prefectures, the bandits and the imperial army have fought repeatedly, and the war is burning endlessly.
Liu Bian held an umbrella and walked slowly in the snow, saying, "When we recover a county, we will handle it according to the new system of the court."
Xun You followed without changing his expression.
I thought of the 'land survey' that was about to be implemented in Bingzhou. If it were implemented in Qingzhou, I'm afraid the local noble families would gang up on it, which would make the situation even more chaotic.
"We can't wait for the right time to change." Liu Bian said calmly, as if he had heard Xun You's thoughts.
Xun You took a deep breath, feeling the pressure like a mountain. He put down his umbrella, raised his hand and said, "I obey your order!"
Liu Bian nodded and said, "These are only known to us, the king and his subjects. We have to take it step by step. We can't give up because of choking, nor can we eat too much at one go."
"I understand." Xun You said solemnly. He picked up the umbrella and followed Liu Bian.
He looked at Liu Bian's back, his eyes moved, and he thought to himself: "I guess, Your Majesty is under more pressure."
"Why is she here?" Liu Bian suddenly said.
Xun You turned around and saw Cai Wenji holding an umbrella and wearing plain clothes, entering the Hongdu Gate School.
Xun You said, "I think he is going to see Cai Taichang. I heard that Cai Taichang has been very busy recently. He is busy with the affairs of Taichang, Taixue, and Hongdumenxue, and he is also involved in the revision of the classics in Dongguan."
Liu Bian frowned slightly. Cai Yong hasn't figured out the affairs of Hongdumen School and Taixue yet, and now he's going to revise the classics!
"You go back first, I want to take a walk." Liu Bian walked towards Hongdu Gate.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully bid you farewell." Xun You raised his hand and suddenly felt that he had said too much.
Xun You stopped, and Pan Yin, Dian Wei and the plainclothes guards who were not far behind him quickly followed, making a series of crunching sounds in the snow.
Liu Bian, dressed in casual clothes, like an ordinary nobleman, holding an umbrella, came to the gate of Hongdumen School.
"What a magnificent gate!" Liu Bian almost blurted out.
The last time I came here was in summer, and the gate was still being dismantled. Now the gate is as white as stone and jade, with two pillars with carved beams and painted rafters, and a gold-plated plaque, which makes it sparkle.
Pan Yin stood behind Liu Bian, bowed and said nothing.
"Hongdu Gate is a restricted area. No outsiders are allowed to approach!" Several officers rushed out of the gate, stood at the door, and shouted at Liu Bian with a fierce look in their eyes.
Liu Bian was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "It looks a bit like that." Then he waved his hand at Pan Yin.
Pan Yin stepped forward and said something. The leading officer hurriedly said, "Please come in, everyone. The Minister of Rites has instructions. Please come in quickly."
Liu Bian entered the Hongdu Gate School holding an umbrella.
Although everything is covered in snow, it can still be seen that the construction and decoration of Hongdumen School does not look like a school, but more like a mansion.
They are arranged in an orderly manner and are lined up one after another, making it look like a very prosperous neighborhood.
There was no longer the chaos that Liu Bian had seen before, and the sound of reading could still be faintly heard.
Liu Bian was walking leisurely, and suddenly turned his head to look at Dian Wei, and said with a smile: "Is that man still giving you trouble?"
Dian Wei was much taller than Liu Bian. Hearing this, he lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "I found him. I broke his legs and threw him out."
Liu Bian couldn't help but laugh and said, "Well done!"
Dian Wei grinned.
After walking a few steps, Liu Bian looked up at the sky and asked, "What is the King of Bohai busy with?"
Pan Yin took a step forward, his face slightly tense, and said, "Your Majesty, the King of Bohai usually moves between the small courtyard, the Shangshutai, and the small courtyard of the Empress Dowager. There are only these three places."
Liu Bian looked at the "Book Collection Pavilion" of Hongdu Gate School not far away, and said thoughtfully: "After the New Year, let him come here to enroll, so as to be more high-profile."
Hongdu School? King of Bohai?
Pan Yin was startled, then suddenly alert and said, "Yes."
Liu Bian nodded and walked straight towards the library.
This library is more grand than other buildings. The steps look like white marble and the gate is ancient and I wonder where it came from.
"This was really built to a high standard by Cai Yong." Liu Bian said to himself. He always felt that Cai Yong was not simply building a school, but was intentionally turning this place into a 'holy place'.
Before Liu Bian stepped forward, Cai Yong and his daughter Cai Wenji hurried out and raised their hands to greet him.
Liu Bian put away his umbrella and said, "Forget it. Why are there no students here? Are they on holiday?"
Cai Yong still raised his hand to greet him, and then said: "I know that your Majesty has asked them to go somewhere else."
Liu Bian glanced at him. Doesn’t this guy know how to guess his superiors’ intentions at all?
Cai Wenji stood aside, tall and slender, with a veil on her face, eyes like water, and a graceful temperament.
The only downside is that there is a faint scar on the forehead.
Liu Bian quickly retracted his gaze, coughed awkwardly in his heart, and said with a smile: "Take me around to have a look."
"Yes, Your Majesty, please." Cai Yong said excitedly, like a child offering a treasure.
Liu Bian looked calm and stepped forward.
Cai Wenji looked at Liu Bian, frowned, and somewhat reluctantly followed her father.
As soon as Liu Bian entered the door, he saw two rows of huge bookshelves from afar, divided into six sections. Above the bookshelves there were six clear plaques: Six Arts, Various Philosophers, Military Books, Mathematics, Medical Skills, and Poetry.
The bookshelf is filled with books, piled up to the brim. A rough calculation shows that there are probably tens of thousands of them.
Cai Yong followed beside him. Seeing Liu Bian's surprise, he was even more delighted. He followed Liu Bian closely and introduced: "Your Majesty, my collection of books is all here. There are 34,000 volumes in total, classified into A, B, C, and D. Students of Hongdu School can borrow and copy them. The library is equipped with pens, ink, and paper, and can accommodate 500 people..."
Liu Bian listened, nodded continuously, and said: "Your family has done a good job. However, in my opinion, the books in the world are nothing more than four categories, classics, history, philosophy, and collections. The classics, the first one to be recommended is the Book of Songs, followed by Zhouli, and then Zuo Zhuan, Analects, etc. As for history, Sima Qian's Records should be the first. Philosophy refers to the various schools of thought. Although our dynasty has abolished the hundreds of schools of thought, how can we easily cut off the learning of the saints? We, the descendants, still need to carry on the lost knowledge of the saints and bring peace to the world for all generations. As for collections, the first one should be Chu Ci..."
Liu Bian's past expertise came into play and he spoke incessantly.
Cai Yong, who was standing by, listened with unprecedented seriousness, his eyes showing a thoughtful look, and his heart was filled with excitement. He thought to himself, "Classics, history, and miscellaneous works? That's right, your majesty has included them just right! To carry on the lost knowledge of the past sages and bring peace to the world for all eternity, you are worthy of being your majesty, with such a grand spirit!"
Cai Wenji's eyes lit up and she was a little surprised at Liu Bian's words.
"Isn't it rumored that Your Majesty has been unlearned and lazy since childhood?" Cai Wenji looked at Liu Bian quietly.
"This scripture can also be divided into poetry, books, rituals, music, etc...."
"History, from Yao and Shun to the present day, the historian's pen covers everything..."
"Son, I like the Legalists the most, followed by the Military Strategists. The learning of the sages is vast and profound..."
Cai Yong and Cai Wenji listened more carefully. It was the first time they heard these words. As erudite and studious people, they were extremely attracted to them!
Liu Bian talked for a long time, smacked his lips with a look of unfulfilled meaning, and said, "I am just talking nonsense, the Cai family don't have to take it seriously."
Cai Yong immediately raised his hand, with a solemn expression, and said, "Your Majesty, your words are so powerful, I will learn from you!"
Cai Wenji followed suit and bowed gently.
Liu Bian waved his hand, and suddenly saw a large inkstone not far ahead, as big as a washbasin. He walked over curiously and asked, "What is this for?"