I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 341: Kill Huo Guang of Chang'an, govern the country, and serve as prime minister. Let's see who is the loyal minister! (Please subscribe)
The last few days of October passed by in the blink of an eye; the first few days of November did not stay in Chang'an City for too long.

Half a month passed like a white horse passing by.

Although it is now a warm period in Eurasia that has lasted for more than [-] years, by November, the city of Chang'an was still dripping with ice.

The ninth day of November is the winter solstice this year. The sky has been gloomy for many days, but it still hasn’t snowed.

No matter in Shangguanli, Qili, Beique Jiadi, or in the northern city of Chang'an City, people are discussing when the first snow will fall after dinner.

Auspicious snow heralds a good year, so this snow is something that many people look forward to.

Keep the land warm, accumulate water to benefit the fields, add fertilizers, freeze to death insects and flies...

A hearty snow not only brings beautiful scenery, but also makes farming work smoother in the coming year.

Otherwise, how could these ordinary people digging in the fields expect such freezing weather?

Moreover, once it snows, it means that the New Year is approaching, and people who have been busy for a year can finally take a breath.

Since the beginning of autumn, everyone from the emperor to the courtiers to the common people has been very busy.

Fortunately, there are some good signs in everything, giving this huge city of Chang'an some new vitality.

The accounting and reporting process for each county has come to an end.

This year's tax money and grain have also been smoothly deposited into the warehouse, which is more than [-]% more than in previous years.

The structure of the Shangshu Office of China and North Korea was rebuilt. Courtiers came and went, some were happy and some were worried.

The general and the emperor reconciled as before, without causing too many troubles.

The guilty minister was still imprisoned in imperial prison, and the back house of Taichang Temple was still guarded by swordsmen and halberds.

The prime minister had been ill for a month since his appointment, but it had not improved. It is said that after being successfully imprisoned, he became even more seriously ill.

The emperor and the empress played the piano and the piano in harmony. They could be seen cutting lamp grass under the window of Jiaofang Hall every night. They would give birth to an heir in the coming year.

These things all happened before this day, and two important things will happen today.

One is in Taixue and the other is in Jiaofang Hall.

……

Outside the Imperial College in the west of Chang'an City, the world's chariots arrived as scheduled.

Not for the doctoral students, but for the high-ranking officials of the county.

The county and state accounting officials who came to Chang'an City to review the accounting reports had already begun to pack their bags and prepare to return home.

After being away from home for a few months, everyone was as eager to return as they were to the magistrate of Changshi County, to the petty official of Dou Shi.

This year's accounting and reporting matter, although there were a few twists and turns, it was finally over.

Originally, the emperor wanted to personally review and report on the affairs of each county, but in the end it was replaced by Prime Minister Wei and Xiao Wangzhi.

The two of them were very capable and selfless, so they really made these senior planners suffer a lot.

In previous years, the prime minister who could get the "best" status could only get the "equal" status this year; in previous years, the prime minister who could get the "even" status could only get the "dian" status this year.

The words "Zui, Ping, Dian" directly determine the promotion and demotion of the governors and prime ministers in the coming year.

Of course, this evaluation was only related to the future of the governor of the county and had little to do with the accounting officials, so their mood of returning home was not affected.

However, today's Shangji officials are a little uneasy because the emperor is going to summon them at Taixue.

The main hall of Taixue was not big enough to accommodate too many people, so the chief planners who were summoned were all the highest-ranking officials sent to Chang'an from each county.

Today, the entire Han Dynasty has a total of one hundred and three counties, so there should be one hundred and three officials who go to Taixue.

In the past, the Shangji officials would return home immediately after completing the Shangji review matters for their respective counties. They would not stay in Chang'an for too long, and the number of Shangji officials would become smaller and smaller.

But this year is different. All the accounting officials from these one hundred and three counties have stayed until the end, and no one has returned home early.

……

Just after noon, the officials came to the open space in front of Taixue one after another.

There is already a Changyi Lang garrison here, which means that the emperor is in Taixue at this moment, but he has not yet let the chief planners go in to interview the emperor.

Today, it still hasn't snowed yet, but the "whooshing" wind is blowing coldly, and the sounds of sneezing and nose blowing can be heard from time to time among the crowd.

Tired of waiting, these senior planning officials gathered together in small groups and started chatting in dialects from all over the world.

"Hey, the wind in Chang'an City is really cold. It almost cracked my buttocks. At this time in Kuaiji County, we can still go down to the lake to swim," Guan Jia said.

"Why don't you go to the west? Over there in Hepu County, don't swim anymore and fan yourself when you go to bed at night." Guan Yi said proudly.

"I heard that people in Hepu County like to stew snake soup the most during this autumn and winter season. Is this true?" Guan Bing asked.

"Snake? How can you eat that poisonous thing? It's so crazy!" Guan Ding said.

"Hey, how can you be rich enough to serve a few dishes? This snake soup is so nourishing that one bowl will keep you busy all night!" Guan Yi sneered at Guan Ding's statement.

"Seriously!?" The eyes of the three officials, who were approaching their forties, all lit up.

"How could I lie to you? Stewing it with the old lady will have the best effect!" Guan Yi said half-truthfully.

The other three people may have thought about the strange appearance of the snake, and finally gave up the idea of ​​serving a bowl, and turned the conversation elsewhere.

"Today, I don't know what the county magistrate wants to do with us."

"Are you going to give me a reward?"

"What kind of good things are you thinking of? All the top planners are here today. It's impossible to give rewards to everyone."

There was a moment of silence - since it was not a good thing, it could only be a bad thing.

They immediately put away the joking expressions on their faces and remembered the unresolved matter.

Later, the emperor will not let them answer that question in public, it is not easy to answer.

Thinking of this, several officials wanted to get together to discuss it - other people around them also had similar ideas.

Then, before they could speak, the somewhat mottled door of Taixue opened.

A young internal official ran out and shouted loudly: "His Majesty the Emperor has summoned the county chief accountant!"

There was a commotion among the more than a hundred accounting officers, and then they spontaneously lined up and filed in.

They passed through the front yard and came to the middle yard, and immediately saw the emperor sitting under the eaves of the main hall despite the cold wind, and beside him were the Censor Zhongcheng Wei Xiang and the Censor Xiao Wangzhi.

The senior accounting officials who came in first saluted the emperor and then announced their homes, and then stood in the courtyard waiting for their colleagues.

Just now they were all making witty remarks, but now they all kept their mouths tightly shut.

About half a quarter of an hour later, all the planning officials came in and filled every corner of the middle courtyard.

Everyone exhaled and inhaled together, and the white air gushing out from the internal organs filled the small courtyard with a fairy air.

Everyone remained silent, no one dared to speak.

I don't know who was brave enough to suddenly shout: "I greet His Majesty the Emperor!"

The senior planners in the field seemed to have received some signal. They were stunned for a moment, and then fell to their knees with a roar.

"We greet His Majesty the Emperor!"

Liu He couldn't bear to look at these officials whose skin was cracked by the cold wind, so he raised his hand and said, "Everyone is safe."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After everyone stood still, Liu He also stood up from the couch.

He walked under the eaves into the courtyard and came directly in front of the Shangji officials. He asked several Shangji officials who they were by name, what county they were from, and how old they were...

The Han Dynasty had a total of [-] governors and [-] counties.

The westernmost is Dunhuang County, the easternmost is Lelang County, the northernmost is Liaodong Six County, and the southernmost is Rinan County.

Many of these places are thousands of miles away from Chang'an City, and it takes at least several months to get back and forth. The journey is not only long, but also full of dangers.

Tigers, leopards, jackals, poisonous snakes, insects and ants, grass miasma, bandits and thugs... can all kill people.

However, these officials still traveled thousands of miles to Chang'an without any hesitation or shirk.

Just for this reason, Liu He felt that they were better than many pampered courtiers in the court.

It was not Huo Guang who maintained the rule of the Han Empire, but the local officials who issued the emperor's edicts to various counties.

Liu He specifically named the chief planners of the counties farthest from Chang'an and brought them to the forefront.

All of them were dark-skinned and weather-beaten - they had probably spent most of the year on the road and in the city of Chang'an.

I don’t even know how many Shangji officials died on the road.

Liu He originally wanted to take advantage of their return home today to hit them, but at this moment he couldn't say the clichés he had prepared.

"The ministers are the chief planners. Coming all the way to Chang'an is a great achievement."

"A few days ago, the Prime Minister suddenly fell ill. I couldn't spare any manpower to do this. I could only ask the ministers to copy books here at the Imperial Academy. I really had no choice but to..."

"This year, many changes have occurred in Chang'an City. When I first ascended the throne, I was inevitably in a hurry, which delayed the return home of all the ministers, so that I am still on the road today."

"I am very ashamed, and I would like to apologize to all your ministers."

Liu He spoke very emotionally and sincerely, but this time he did not bow down, but just bowed.

For Shang Jiguan, who had been traveling for half a year, the emperor's salute was already heavy enough, and they all returned the favor.

"Prime Minister Wei, Xiao Wangzhi, do you two also want to apologize to the superiors?" Liu He said to the two people behind him.

"No." Prime Minister Wei and Xiao Wangzhi stood up and bowed respectfully to everyone like the emperor.

"I have offended many people in the past ten days. Although it is my duty, it is inevitable that I will offend and make things difficult. The two of us hereby apologize to all our colleagues."

The two salutes from the heart of the monarch and his ministers made all the senior planners very touched and moved.

They are all high-ranking officials in the county and are highly respected.

But he has suffered a lot along the way, and in Chang'an City, he has received countless rolls of eyes and cold faces.

Now that he was suddenly recognized by the emperor and the two "iron-faced judges", he naturally felt a warm feeling.

"Your Majesty, this is all the duties of a humble minister, so don't worry!"

"That's right, we have our responsibilities, so why should we suffer?"

"It's a blessing to be able to come to Chang'an City!"

"Your Majesty is the one who works the hardest among the great men because he has everything to do every day!"

"Wei Gong and Xiao Gong, you are also fulfilling your duties, don't worry too much!"

……

The chief planners shouted in confusion in the courtyard. They seemed a little unruly, but the atmosphere was very harmonious and seemed to have taken away the overwhelming chill.

Liu He was also moved by this. He was not familiar with these Shangji officials. Most of them could not name them, let alone how they were officials in their daily lives.

But in this situation, Liu He recognized them, or at least respected them.

The tunnel soldiers on the Great Wall beacons, the post soldiers in the wilderness, the soldiers who accompanied the army in the northern expedition, the soldiers who paved roads and built bridges...

Countless ordinary people like this contributed to the Han Empire in the wind, frost, rain and snow.

Their names are destined not to be left in the history books, but they coexist with the Han Dynasty.

"I have decided that starting from this year, all the accounting officials who come to Beijing, regardless of their rank, can go to the Shaofu to receive a month's salary and rice when they leave Chang'an."

"The farther away the county is from Chang'an, the more money and rations the chief planner can receive. I will ask the young master to start processing it immediately!"

"This is my heartfelt gift. It's not much. It's just a meeting gift for all of you who love me, your wives, children, and children. I hope you will express my respect and apology to them on my behalf!"

There was silence for a while among the senior officials, and then some people began to sob softly. It was not known whether they were feeling the emperor's gift or thinking of their family members who had been separated for a long time.

"Thank you for the generous reward, Your Majesty!" Shi Xiabai, the skinny and old elder of Rinan County, said with choked sobs.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the generous reward!" Everyone bowed and bowed.

"Please get up quickly, all the ministers can get back on their feet!" Liu He said in a panic.

The sobbing in the crowd gradually disappeared, and Liu He then put his hands behind his back again and walked to the eaves of the main hall, which was slightly higher than the courtyard.

"My dear friends, do you still remember the question I asked you here that day?"

There might be someone who couldn't remember, but everyone nodded.

"I originally wanted to ask you this question in person, but I was short of time and it was already too late."

"But there is a long way to go. I hope you all will take this issue back to the counties."

"Let the officials in the county think carefully about what makes a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and who should the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty be loyal to?"

"I hope to receive petitions from various counties and counties so that I can see your answers."

After Liu He finished speaking, the senior planners in the courtyard were obviously relieved that they did not have to deal with the matter directly in front of the emperor, which made them feel like they had received an amnesty.

But then they thought about it, why is this question so difficult to answer?Isn't this answer already in front of them?

So, everyone said happily: "I will accept the order!"

"Okay, we say goodbye today, but we will see you again tomorrow. In the early autumn of next year, I will be waiting for you all at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an City, and I will hold a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust..."

"I wish you all a safe journey!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The voice was louder than before.

Without saying anything more, the officials saluted the emperor again and walked out of the middle courtyard of Taixue.

In twos and threes, they happily walked briskly towards Chang'an City.

Some people will be able to return home soon, but some people may have to spend New Year's Eve on the road.

At this moment, the emperor had arrived at the edge of the high platform in front of the Taixue Gate, watching the senior planners leave.

Wang Shi, the imperial eunuch, and a group of doctorate officials also came to wait behind the emperor.

"King style."

"Wei Chen is here."

"The doctoral disciples in Jiang Taixue immediately called out here."

"Your Majesty, why did you call them here?"

"Let them give these meritorious and hard-working Shangji officials a gift, and let them also think about how they can be good loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty."

"promise!"

Soon, the PhD disciples poured over from the backyard and stood behind Liu He with respectful and serious expressions.

The figures of those senior planners were gradually moving away. In the strong wind that was gradually blowing, they were like pieces of small lonely boats, swaying left and right, sometimes gathering and sometimes separated.

In the end, under the gaze of the emperor and the doctor's disciples, all the officials in the county were blurred into the vast world.

……

In a side hall of Jiaofang Hall, Huo Chengjun stood awkwardly in front of a wooden board painted with black paint, holding something like a white lime block in his hand.

The former is a blackboard and the latter is chalk - they were made by the Emperor's order.

In front of Huo Chengjun, there were ten young palace maids sitting, the oldest of whom was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest was only eight or nine years old.

They are the smartest, innocent and lively maids in the Jiaofang Palace. Some have grown up in the Weiyang Palace since childhood, and some came from the General's Palace with Huo Chengjun.

At this moment, there is a book, a one-foot-square blackboard and a few pieces of chalk on the table in front of each of them.

On the cover of that thin book were several Han scribes from "Children's Literacy".

The palace maids looked at the queen who was dressed very quietly in front of them with expectation and novelty, and their faces could not hide their eagerness to try.

In the past few days, the queen has issued an edict to teach them how to read from today on.

They didn't know why they women needed to be literate, but they were still very happy and excited.

At least I have something new to do to pass the time.

Just think of it as playing games with the queen.

Just like when I was a kid, I pretended to be a family drinker. There were countless things I could pretend to do. At this moment, it was just pretending to be a man to read and read.

However, there were also a handful of palace ladies who held their breath in their hearts. They wanted to see what was so difficult about these "words" and "books" and why only men could learn them.

Huo Chengjun was a little nervous.

She has actually practiced with the emperor in private many times. Every time, the emperor speaks first, and then Huo Chengjun learns to speak again.

After a few days, she had learned something similar, and she also gained a new understanding.

Even so, she was still a little nervous.

Just when the palace ladies couldn't sit still, Huo Chengjun finally turned around and wrote the word "female" on the blackboard.

"From today on, I will teach you twenty words every day. After one month, it will be six hundred words. Whoever learns the most will be rewarded with a thousand coins."

Huo Chengjun said these words softly, but with the queen's unique calmness and indifference.

When the palace ladies heard this, they immediately sat up straighter. Their serious look made them look really cute.

"This character is the character for female, and female is opposite to male..."

Huo Chengjun gestured back and forth between himself and the palace maid. Although he was still a little flustered, he expressed his meaning clearly.

And some palace maids have already begun to write on the small blackboard in the same way.

This was the first time they knew that they looked like this in the book.

"Whether it's me, you, or Shang Guanli's ladies, it's all the same woman..."

Huo Chengjun became more proficient as he spoke, and a kind of strength slowly grew deep in his heart.

This kind of power made her unable to stop and felt extremely happy.

Maybe this is the "different life" that the emperor said?
So it's really special.

……

Today, the wind in Chang'an City is getting stronger and stronger, and everyone seems to have smelled a hint of ice and snow, which must have come from Mobei.

But what's strange is that the smell of ice and snow is extremely pure, not like having just experienced killing and blood.

Has the Battle of Mobei not started yet?

The first snow in Chang'an City is finally getting closer.

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(End of this chapter)