Han Shizu

At the height of autumn in August, on the Qiantang River, under the gaze of everyone, a white line flashed. It was the raging tide, accompanied by a thunderous sound, rushing from far to near. The peak of the tide rose in an instant, forming a The water wall, which is more than ten feet high, is covered with white waves, pushing across the embankment with majestic momentum.

The world's great tide and natural wonders are displayed in front of the onlookers at this moment, which is both amazing and awe-inspiring.

The waves crashed against the shore, and the waves exploded. The tens of thousands of tide-watchers on the riverbank were overwhelmed one after another, like a defeated army. This is exactly what "one wave breaks through ten thousand armies".

Over the past few decades, tide watching in Qiantang has become a trend, not only in Hangzhou, but also in the entire southeastern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi regions, and even further away in Daozhou, where some well-fed rich people and literati The poets are all famous. Many foreign maritime merchants traveling to the southeast would come to see it whenever they had free time.

Hangzhou is particularly lively around the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Qiantang Tide has become the most important city card of Hangzhou, the Southeast Chamber of Commerce. At least in the current Han Empire, it is much more famous than West Lake.

This year, it is particularly lively. The most special thing is that the emperor is touring the south and Luan is here. Emperor Liu Wenpeng's tour was his first real trip since he ascended the throne. In the end, in the "North-South Controversy", he chose to go south. This was a tendency brought about by the tour ten years ago.

At first, because of the "dramatic changes" in the Ruyang Palace, he was urgently recalled to the capital, installed as a crown prince, and then "locked" in and around the capital for ten years.

It started in late summer and set off from Luoyang. Judging from the conditions of the camp alone, Liu Wenpeng's tour can be regarded as "traveling lightly and simply". In addition to the two thousand imperial guards in silver armor, there were only a few internal servants, banzhi and a few maids. There were only about twenty officials in the court, and the only minister was Wang Qinruo, the minister of Zhongshu. The entire camp had less than three thousand people.

Although the scale is not large, it is a horse-drawn carriage with high mobility, making it easy for the emperor to travel with him. Except for the emperor in Gyeonggi, he is like a dragon that has escaped from the shoals. He patrols and plays as much as he wants in his territory, satisfying his selfish desires at the same time. , also brings up the smoke and filth along the way.

The biggest difference from his ancestors and fathers is that he did not issue an edict in accordance with the customary regulations, prohibiting welcome contributions, and did not even make symbolic superficial efforts. Therefore, it is conceivable that there was a chaotic scene along Liu Wenpeng's patrol route. In order to welcome Luan Jia, bureaucrats from various places naturally began to "strengthen" again.

From the government to the people, it can be called "a chaotic dance of demons". Wherever Luan Jia stayed, some of the local preparations were used to worship the emperor. As for those places where the emperor disdained, the things prepared by the government were naturally made easier for the bureaucrats and were taken from the people. If they could not be used for the king, they were basically used for the ruling class. This is a true portrayal.

Those who went too far were some unscrupulous officials on the Huaixi Road. Because the emperor's patrol route had nothing to do with Huaixi, but there were still many prefectures and counties "actively preparing" to welcome the Holy Emperor.

What if His Majesty the Emperor has his own thoughts and changes the route? This is a great opportunity to show the style of Huaixi and show the loyalty of the officials and the people! The situation of "the officials and gentry are returned in full, and the common people are divided into 30 and 70" has become the most common phenomenon in many prefectures and counties in Huaixi when it comes to welcoming guests.

Compared to ten years ago, Liu Wenpeng was much more wanton this time. After all, Liu Fang, the emperor's uncle, was watching over him and he couldn't enjoy many things.

After a joyful journey south, Luan Jia arrived in Hangzhou on August 10th and received a very warm welcome from the officials and people of Zhejiang and Zhejiang. Of course, compared with the heartfelt awe and admiration of the officials and the people when Shizu and Taizong came to Hangzhou, in the autumn of the sixth year of Pingkang, the warm and cordial atmosphere with thousands of people and crowds of spectators, the surging emotions were somewhat different. distortion.

Indispensable behind the scenes were the operations of the Liangzhe Province bureaucrats headed by Chen Yaozuo, the chief envoy of Liangzhe Province. In order to welcome the emperor and make the emperor feel at home, Chen Yaozuo and other dignitaries also racked their brains and brains, and what was presented to the emperor was , is the most glorious and beautiful thing in Liangzhe Road.

Whether it was in Henan, Gyeonggi Province, Jianghuai, or Hangzhou, what Liu Wenpeng saw was the prosperity, clear rivers and seas under his rule. For this reason, he even felt proud.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a grand "Mid-Autumn Moon Appreciation Party" was held at the Liangzhejiang Office (formerly the Wuyue Palace, which was renovated after the reduction of the imperial system). Silk, bamboo, etc., were fully presented to the emperor.

That night, the city of Hangzhou was brightly lit, with dazzling fireworks, scenes of singing and dancing, and the sound of laughter and joy until nightfall.

Emperor Liu Wenpeng was even more satisfied with the arrangement of the two Zhejiang Taoist priests, and praised the Chief Envoy Chen Yaozuo as a loyal minister.

Chen Yaozuonai came from a family of officials, and his father Chen Shenghuanai was the former chief envoy of Jiangnan Province. This family, which entered the central political stage of the empire from the southwest, is already a famous political family in the Han Dynasty today.

Chen Yaozuo was already the chief official of the Taoist Department in Liangzhe, which was rich in wealth and food. His brother Chen Yaosou served as Minister of the Ministry of Industry in the central government. His younger brother Chen Yaozi was the number one scholar in the Yongxi period and is now the Zhizhigao. .

The Chen family, father and son, are all outstanding people. Even if you don't mention the old father who has passed away a few years ago, these three brothers are enough to hold up a small part of the political map of the Han Dynasty.

Chen Yaozuo's flattery to the emperor was obviously not the act of a pure minister with a loyal heart, but rather contained a hint of flattery and flattery. But there is nothing he can do. He not only represents himself, but also represents the Chen family and the political forces attached to them.

For the Chen family, which did not have a deep foundation and was far from close to the country, the emperor, especially a willful emperor, could not afford to offend him at all. Otherwise, decades of hard work and management by two generations may be wasted with just one edict.

Of course, to be able to climb all the way to the position of Chief Envoy of Zhejiang Province, in addition to the political resources left by his father, he himself still has sufficient qualities.

After all, although the current ruling class of the Han Empire has some shortcomings, at least in the upper class, everyone is like a wolf. If the background is not deep, if the connections are not thick, and if the ability is not strong, it is It is absolutely impossible to reach the level of a chief official. After all, the higher you climb, the narrower the space becomes. This is an irrefutable truth.

At the same time, it was precisely because he climbed to this position, stood at a sufficient height, and admired the different scenery that Chen Yaozuo felt the squeeze from the old powerful forces, as well as countless people who wanted to pull them down and replace them with their own bodies. Emerging bureaucracy.

At least, the three brothers of the Chen family are all in important positions, which is really eye-catching. In such a situation, they don't have many choices. It is impossible to surrender to a certain powerful force, and they will inevitably be attacked by a group of people. The only and reliable way out is the emperor.

However, the current emperor is not that reliable. Therefore, after confirming the news that the emperor was going to visit Hangzhou, Chen Yaozuo also went through a complicated ideological struggle and finally decided to try his best to cater to the emperor's preferences and needs and make him feel at home. , as for more, that’s not necessary.

Obviously, in the eyes of a powerful person like Chen Yaozuo, he is not approachable today! During Chen Yaozuo's tenure in Zhejiang and Zhejiang, in addition to comprehensive agricultural and mulberry farming, he also developed economy and education. The biggest sharing was the comprehensive upgrade and construction of the Qiantang embankment.

The foundation of the current Qiantang embankment was laid by Qian Miao, King of Wuyue a hundred years ago. Defending the sea stone pond is his outstanding contribution. Over the past century, various governments have repaired the Jianggan levee in response to the Qiantang tidal wave, but the repairs have been patchy and patchy.

Chen Yaozuo had a family background and was quite accomplished in water conservancy. The renovation of the Qiantang Embankment was his most dazzling water conservancy achievement. In terms of engineering, he also innovatively proposed a "low-salary, solid-soil method" .

It was difficult for Liu Wenpeng to have any interest in what Chen Yaozuo reported and the benefits that the construction of Qiantang embankment would bring to the people of Zhejiang. However, he was very interested in the famous Qiantang tide in the southeast, especially around August 18th, which was the best time to watch the tide, so he went to watch the tide.

On Phoenix Mountain, the howling autumn wind carried the moisture of the sea water, making Liu Wenpeng's face twitch. And the tides coming one after another, with such majestic and shocking momentum, actually made him speechless for a moment.

At least, after seeing the power of nature with his own eyes, Liu Wenpeng gave up the idea of ​​taking a boat out to sea to see it in person. The rolling waves are so terrifying that it would be too dangerous if encountered on the sea. Liu Wenpeng is extremely cautious when it comes to things and risks beyond his control. He can dispel any curiosity.

Compared with the magnificent tide that contains fatal dangers, there is another person who also makes Liu Wenpeng cautious, such as Linzi King Liu Wenji, who is standing next to him respectfully, wearing a thick coat and looking sickly.

"Second brother, it is said that the soil and water of the south of the Yangtze River nourishes people. How come you have been getting worse and worse after living in the southeast for so many years?" Liu Wenpeng said, seemingly confused.

Upon hearing the question, Liu Wenji showed no signs of confusion in his eyes. He coughed heavily, covered his mouth and nose with a silk scarf, and said feebly: "Diseases can originate from the outside, and they can also originate from the inside. I belong to the latter, and it depends on where I am. The environment has nothing to do with it.”

As he spoke, he put away his silk scarf and looked up at the still raging tide of Qiantang in the distance. His face was pale and he sighed in a low tone: "I am old and sick, but I don't know that such a vast river and sea can still be seen." Several times."

Hearing what Liu Wenji said, Liu Wenpeng was surprised and looked at him carefully. No matter from his complexion, words or actions, he didn't seem to be in a good condition.

Liu Wenpeng rolled his eyes and said: "Second brother, what are you talking about in frustration? Take good care of yourself. This beautiful sea view is not for you to enjoy.

To see a doctor, you still need to prescribe the right medicine. In my opinion, my second brother may have been misunderstood by a quack doctor. In this case, I will send you another famous imperial doctor to take a look."

Can feel Liu Wenpeng's gaze, Liu Wenji still had little expression on his face, coughed twice more, and then said: "Thank you for your grace! The imperial doctors in the palace are all national experts. It would be great if they could give me a diagnosis." but!"

Seeing that Liu Wenji did not refuse, Liu Wenpeng withdrew his gaze, raised his head slightly, and stood facing the wind. He seemed to remember something, and said leisurely: "Before, someone in the court proposed that the second brother should go to the country. It seems that this matter will be delayed for a while. It’s been a while!”

Liu Wenji's heart finally trembled. If it weren't for his strong self-control, he might have clenched his fists. But his face remained calm, and he responded calmly: "It's all my fault for my unsatisfactory body. I have already thought about it. If I can be cured, I will go to the sea and go to the country. If it is difficult to cure, I will bury my bones in the southeast. Your Majesty." It will be fulfilled. As for the feudal country, let’s wait for future generations to manage it.”

"Descendants." Liu Wenpeng couldn't help but murmured, a feeling of heartache spread, and he thought of his deceased prince.

His attention couldn't help but shift. Liu Wenpeng asked: "How many emperor's nephews and nieces do I have now?"

Liu Wenji said softly: "Your Majesty, the prefacers are four sons and two daughters."

Hearing this, an idea suddenly occurred in Liu Wenpeng's mind. He turned to look at Liu Wenji, but seeing that his second brother still looked like he was "full of bad luck", he did not speak in the end.

He is still young and there is no need to rush into such a strategy

It seemed that Liu Wenji had forgotten that he was ill and could not blow the wind for too long. Liu Wenpeng stayed on Fenghuang Mountain for more than an hour and ended up catching a cold. Although the wind in the south is not as strong as in the north, if you dare to underestimate him, you will definitely Suffered backlash!

That night, the imperial physician Zhu Hong was ordered to go to Linzi King Liu Wenji to diagnose his illness. It is unknown what kind of process he went through. In short, when Zhu Hong returned to Liu Wenpeng, the answer he received was similar to what he had heard before.

Moreover, Zhu Hong secretly revealed to the emperor that King Linzi's illness was deep in the bone marrow, difficult to cure, and easily relapsed. If he took good care of himself and worked less, he might be able to extend his life by a few years. Otherwise, his condition would be unpredictable.

Hearing such an answer, Liu Wenpeng couldn't help but confirm it with Zhu Hong repeatedly, and even asked for some details. After receiving a positive answer, his expression looked very wonderful.

The next day, Liu Wenpeng issued an edict that Liu Wenji, the king of Linzi in the Jin Dynasty, was the king of Jing. He appointed him as the governor of Huguang, patrolling the sky on his behalf, going to the two lakes to inspect the administration of officials, and calm the people and pacify the barbarians.

For Liu Wenpeng, no matter what Liu Wenji's condition was, at least he could no longer let his second brother stay in the prosperous place in the southeast. At the same time, he summoned Wang Qinruo and other close officials to discuss how to mobilize the officialdom in the southeast. The purpose was still to control Liu Wenji's power.