Han Shizu

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 tour, the prince should stay in Beijing to supervise the country. There is no dispute about this.Of course, there were also people accompanying him in the East Palace. Liu Yang, the grandson of Emperor Wenhuan and Wenji, represented his filial piety. This was also appointed by the old emperor.

In the Hongde Hall, the lights were dim, 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 texture of which was visible to the naked eye. It appeared in the East Palace and was a special gift to the royal family.The world is at peace, which is naturally the era of the Renaissance. From the official to the private sector, the demand for paper, especially high-quality paper, has also increased and doubled. Today, the 29th year of Kaibao, the demand for high-quality paper in the market Still infinite.

After decades of development, Dahan's papermaking industry has also entered a relatively mature stage. The most advantageous among them 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. : Of all the papers in the world, 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, no government failed to do 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.

The development of rice paper began to expand rapidly, and the scale of the industry increased dramatically. 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 in Jing County. Almost every household in the 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 together the surrounding prefectures and counties such as She and Chi. Jiangdong paper has become prosperous from this. From the imperial court to local governments, official paper use mostly uses Jiangdong paper.Paper produced in large factories in Jingxian County was used by the upper-class dignitaries. Among them, rice paper with the highest quality became 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’s also 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 complicated expression, and silently let it burn to ashes.After calming down a little and regaining his usual majesty, Liu Yang rushed to Wang Yue, the chamberlain who had been waiting for him for a long time, and ordered: "Go and see how Wen Huan and Wen Ji are doing, and ask them to come to Hongde Hall to see me!"

"Yes!" Wang Yue didn't 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 accompany him and help him 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.

Shangyang Palace and the square in front of Pingguanfeng Palace are 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 hall, the civil and military officials who had stayed in Beijing were lined up in sequence, their waists slightly bent and their expressions respectful, many of them even showing some "piety".Extending from the palace platform are three thousand mighty Ouchi sergeants, serving as the core escort for this patrol.

At the same time, as usual, the four armies of Longqi, Tieqi, Husheng, and Fengguo under the two divisions of palace guards and guards also selected two battalions of soldiers to accompany him.They, together with the accompanying harem, relatives, ministers, and ministers' vehicles, have already formed a team and extended outside Shangyang Palace, waiting only for the order 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. A little dazed.He quickly came to his senses and said nothing. Without Liu Yang's support, the old emperor 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 an "unruly" feeling. "The temperament.

Basically ignoring the farewell ministers standing respectfully on both sides, he walked directly to the driver's side. The servants had already set up the foot steps for boarding the car.After stepping onto the ladder, before taking two steps, the old emperor turned around, looked at Liu Yang for a while, and then said softly: "I'll leave the capital and the imperial court to you!"

The old emperor's tone had some inexplicable meaning, as if he was entrusting him, but also vaguely "uneasy".Liu Yang, on the other hand, seemed not to notice the strangeness of the old emperor. He looked as usual and remained respectful. He solemnly clasped his fists and said, "Yes! I will definitely think carefully and act diligently, and I will 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 to get on the shaft of the car, then lowered himself into the car.Immediately afterwards, as Hu De sang "Get up", the imperial chariot set off. The old emperor also embarked on a tour again after nearly 20 years, although the destination was directly towards 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 looks. Sometimes they looked "respectfully" at the departing Luan Jia, and sometimes they looked at the prince carefully. The strange feeling in the air also intensified.
From Luoyang to Taikang Palace, it is a distance of more than [-] miles. As for the Royal Beiyuan, this distance is really not close. Perhaps because of this, 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. From the southeast, we left Dengfeng and directly passed through Xu and Cai to reach Shenzhou.

The imperial driver naturally chose the first route for this patrol. Although the journey was dozens of miles farther, 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, the Han Dynasty has invested a lot in basic transportation, especially in and around the important areas of Gyeonggi Province, 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 neglected potholes on the road have been filled in.Even Ruzhou has participated. What if the emperor passes through?
Of course, the more important reason is that the improvement of traffic along the way can 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.No matter how things go in the end, these are extremely positive when it comes to asking for money.

Precisely because the traffic conditions allowed, the old emperor's six-horse carriage was able to drive 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 walking speed is still not fast.

The concubines, ministers, civil and military officials, military guards, palace servants, and servants all added up to more than 2 people. With more than [-] people, it would not only be troublesome, but also the efficiency of the journey would inevitably be low.

Even if the patrol team has basically become mules and horses, the daily journey is less than [-] miles at the fastest and [-] to [-] miles at the slowest, plus the wind and rain hinder it and stops for rest.We set off in early summer, and by the time we arrived in Shenzhou, it was already mid-summer. It took more than a month.

With this large group of people and the low efficiency, it is obvious that the old emperor's 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 the work of local people.

When the imperial chariot set out and the large group passed by, even if it wasn't locusts raiding the area, it was almost there.Although the old emperor forbade local government officials to buy things while traveling, the necessities for traveling and camping were strictly needed. The daily consumption of more than 2 people basically had to be obtained nearby. Even if they were purchased with money, it would exceed the reception capacity of most states and counties.

Of course, the grain supply was provided by official warehouses along the way, but the needs of the camp were far from being met by some basic grain supplies.Under the general political principle of ensuring business needs, the cost of exceeding the limit is naturally borne by the officials and people in various places.

Since ancient times, how can any emperor's inspection tour benefit the local area and stimulate local economic growth?If so, that would be a miracle!
At the very least, this kind of outing with a grand display of ceremony, no matter how well done on the surface, 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.