Shanggu County and Dai County were shrouded in a dark cloud of war at this time. Liu Xiu's army stopped in the north, and its military power was approaching the various checkpoints of Taihang Mountain and Yanshan Mountain. Taiyuan County was immersed in a festive atmosphere because the emperor's sage was about to come to Taiyuan.

Taiyuan Prefect Du Guangguo and Taiyuan Duwei Zhang Shu were very busy these days. This was the emperor's first trip to Taiyuan. Both of them were a little excited and nervous, fearing that the poor reception would make His Majesty unhappy and delay their future.

In a highly centralized empire, major national affairs were decided by the emperor's words, and the promotion and deposition of officials depended on the emperor's likes and dislikes. Therefore, the slanderous ministers who would flatter and flattery were mostly high-ranking positions, and the honest ministers who spoke out loud and dared to advise were not favored by the master. Even the wise and powerful emperor Jianwu could not avoid the common people. Not only did they place nepotism, but they also had great opinions on Han Xin and others who were bluntly offended.

Du Guangguo knew very well that the emperor's visit was a rare opportunity. Compared to his visit to Chang'an to report on political affairs, the emperor could see the actual situation more intuitively when he went to Taiyuan. He wanted to show his political achievements to the emperor. If the emperor could be happy, he might be able to enter the court and become the Nine Ministers.

Since Du Guangguo became the prefect, he has ranked among the top in his annual assessment results. He is a famous capable official in the court. Not only is he excellent in his plan, but he can pass the governor's routine inspection every time.

All the ministers in the court praised him very well, and ministers often praised him in front of the emperor. The emperor once asked Zheng Shen to evaluate Du Guangguo. Zheng Shen said: "Your Majesty, Du Guangguo once studied under my school and had the title of master and apprentice. If I say he is not good, it will damage the friendship between master and apprentice, and if I say he is good, it will also be suspected of being partial. I am too familiar with him, and my evaluation will inevitably be unfair. I dare not speak about Du Guangguo's affairs. Your Majesty can shine with wise candles, and you can know its strengths and weaknesses and use it according to your talents."

While the dynasty praised Du Guangguo, the emperor was stunned to let him be the prefect for six or seven years, and he had never been promoted. Zheng Bai asked his father strangely why this was the case.

Zheng Shen replied: "There is no gold, no one is perfect. A person always has strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has different temperaments. There will always be people who like it, some people hate it, some people kiss it, and some people stay away from it. It is impossible to get everyone like it. If he is praised by everyone, there is only one reason, that is, he is pleasing everyone. Although His Majesty is young, he is well versed in human nature, and I believe he understands this truth."

Zheng Bai and Du Guangguo have always been close to each other and know him better than others. After listening to his father's words and thinking about it carefully, it really means this. Du Guangguo is a person with ambitions, ambitions, and has the means to support his ambitions. He is good at speaking and is good at dealing with people. He always speaks to people's hearts. This is his natural ability.

This time the emperor visited Taiyuan in person, which was an opportunity and a test for Du Guangguo, and it depends on how he grasped it.

These days, the whole county in Taiyuan was very busy. Du Guangguo had to personally inquire about the reception matters along the various counties passed by the emperor. The magistrates of each county were trembling and tried to arrange all matters carefully.

Because the situation in Hebei is tense and the military pressure along the Taihang Mountains is high, the emperor issued a special order to ask Du Guangguo and Zhang Shu to put the defense line in the Taihang area first, not to leave the border matters, and go out to greet him all the way to accompany him as the emperor.

Therefore, when the Holy Divine Arrives at Jiexiu in the southern part of Taiyuan, the county seat of Taiyuan was headed by Huang Changshi and came from Jinyang to welcome him. In addition to the county chief, the local county magistrate Wang County who was the main receptionist of Jiexiu.

Jiexiu City is at the foot of Jieshan. Jieshan was originally named Mianshan. The ancestor Jiezitui of the Spring and Autumn Period was burned to death on this mountain. In order to commemorate him, Jin Guanggong Chong'er changed Mianshan to Jieshan and established a temple to worship.

Jie Zitui "cut the trunks to serve the king" and lived in seclusion and "not saying goodbye". He is a representative figure of serving the king with loyalty. Such a person has always been loved by the court. The emperor inevitably had a political show, went to Jieshan himself and went to his temple to worship.

Jie Zitui's temple is very grand and looks very well maintained at first glance. Because the emperor worships, ordinary people are forbidden to go up the mountain this day, and only officials and soldiers accompany the emperor.

Liu Yu was full of energy and did not suffer from climbing mountains at all. Huang Changshi and Wang County Magistrate, who were accompanying him, were almost unable to keep up with the emperor's pace. Both of them were exhausted and panting.

The emperor looked at them and said, "I went from Hedong to Shangdang, and from Shangdang to Taiyuan, and there were many mountain roads along the way. I only rely on these two legs to measure the mountains and rivers of several counties, but I was exhausted. Do you know why?"

Both of them replied that they didn't know. The emperor sighed: "It's good that they are all Shangdang ginseng! I was a little tired, so I ate Shangdang ginseng, which was quite beneficial, so I became strong and tireless."

Huang Changshi said: "Shangdang ginseng is indeed a top-notch supplement, but it is not easy to store and is mostly eaten by locals. In our Taiyuan, Shangdang ginseng is rarely available."

The emperor said: "Zheng Qing, the official of ginseng grain, has a method to store ginseng, which can prevent it from rotting for several months. Shangdang ginseng will be in the world immediately so that all people can benefit. There are officials from the Ginseng Grain Department here. If you are interested, you can ask him to tell me."

"This is a great thing!" Huang Changshi smiled and said, "After Your Majesty, I really want to buy a few branches to make up for it. My legs are far worse than Your Majesty."

Liu Yu has always been concerned about advertising for Shangdang ginseng, so that Shangdang county can use this to raise enough military rations and retain more soldiers. He practiced his actions and would publicize the benefits of ginseng from time to time. The officials who participated in the Grain Department had already negotiated several big deals along the way.

People like Huang Changshi and Wang County Magistrate have been officials for many years, so how can they not hear the emperor's voice-over?

The magistrate Wang thought to himself: "No wonder some people say that the emperor is good at managing finances. The richness of the young mansion is better than the national treasury. It turns out that I always remember to make money."

He reacted quickly and immediately said: "Your Majesty, Jiexiu is located at the intersection of Hedong, Shangdang and Taiyuan counties. It has always been a place where merchants and travelers gather and goods are distributed. It is an excellent place to transfer. I ask Your Majesty to set up a division of the Ginseng Department in Jiexiu and send officials to station here to help Shangdang ginseng travel around the world."

The emperor was very happy when he heard this and suddenly felt good about the unpretentious magistrate Wang County. There is no doubt that this is a flexible and capable official with a skilled mind and a good idea. He can speak out. In short, this kid has a future.

When Huang Changshi saw that County Magistrate Wang took the lead and got the emperor's praise first, he felt a little sad and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, Jinyang is an important town in Bingzhou. The powerful and powerful merchants in Taiyuan gathered in Jinyang. He wanted to send officials to the Grain Bureau to settle in. Jinyang should be the best."

The emperor said: "Jinyang is suitable, and the world is good. You can set up ginseng and grain departments in these two places to sell Shangdang ginseng."

When the emperor thought of getting rich again, he couldn't help but feel happy.

A group of people worshipped Jie Zitui and went down the mountain to return to Jiexiu City. The emperor suddenly asked: "Wang Qing, I have passed many villages all the way, but I rarely see smoke from cooking, even when I eat. Why is this? Don't they need to eat?"

The county magistrate of Jiexiu County replied: "Your Majesty, in order to remember the wise man Jiezi, in the month of his death, he did not move fireworks for a whole month, and only ate cold food. Duke Wen of Jin moved hundreds of families here to guard the tombs for Jiezi. Most of the people in Jiexiu were descendants of the descendants of the tomb guards. Therefore, the custom of cold food was added to Jiexiu. Some people had been cold food for two months or even three months... Your Majesty did not see smoke from cooking all the way, not because the people in Jiexiu were poor and could not eat, but to commemorate Jiezi."

Huang Changshi said: "Your Majesty, under the rule of Du Prefect, Taiyuan County has been in great education. The people respect the wise and are willing to do so. It is up to Your Majesty to spread the wise and not to eat hot. Only by virtue of Your Majesty's kindness and virtue in the world can the people value wise so much."

The emperor frowned when he heard this. The Cold Food Festival in later generations was also a name. Many young people didn’t even know how this festival came about. In reality, few people ate cold food to celebrate the festival. Unexpectedly, the ancients did not move fireworks a month, drank cold water and had cold food every day, and no fire to keep warm, so why wouldn’t they be frost-disease?

I don’t know if this custom was spontaneously formed or was stipulated by the government. In short, it is very unhealthy and may cause great harm to the human body... Isn’t it just a commemoration? It’s enough to have the meaning. Is it necessary to be so serious?

The emperor ignored Huang Changshi's flattery and asked Wang County Magistrate: "Wang Qing, what is the livelihood of the county in the month of cold food?"

"Your Majesty, every time it comes to cold food, there is almost no firewood in the county, and there is very little food and food required, and there is also... more people are sick."

"I'm afraid there are many people who die!" The emperor's face was a little unfair. County Magistrate Wang did not dare to take the blame. Huang Changshi felt it was a bit bad. He just pushed the emperor with evidence of the Cold Food Festival as a major education business. Unexpectedly, the emperor did not care about education at all, but only asked about people's livelihood.

It seems that the emperor disagrees with the cold food industry. What's worse is that he just put the pot on the emperor himself, saying that the people's cold food industry for a long time was due to the emperor's benevolence.

The emperor said: "Respect the ancestors in their hearts and not the body, inside and not the outside, and do not have to be attached to the form. I believe that the ancestors do not want future generations to starve and get cold because of them. This custom of cold food should be changed!"

The magistrate Wang knelt down, "Your Majesty, as Your Majesty said, during cold food, there are many sick people, and doctors are too busy, and the dead are several times more than usual. Your Majesty clearly understands that cold food is indeed a bad habit."

Liu Yu was a little surprised, "Why do people have to obey such bad habits for starvation, cold or even deaths in order to die?"

"Your Majesty, everyone is cold food, so they should be respected as a virtuous person. If someone does not follow the custom of cold food, they will be ridiculed and bear the name of disrespectful person."

Liu Yu nodded. This is because he was bound by his reputation. The invisible pressure in society is huge. Sometimes people can only be forced to follow the crowd. It takes courage to be unique.

"In order to commemorate the ancestors, people starve and froze, and even lose their lives, it is definitely not done by the wise. Jie Zi has a spirit in heaven, and he does not want anyone to die for him. This custom should be changed. To commemorate the ancestors, it takes three days to eat cold food, and this matter will be left to you."

County Magistrate Wang received the order and thought to himself that the custom of cold food for the whole month has been passed down for a long time, and people die of cold food every year. Local officials not only ignored it, but instead used this matter as evidence of the education industry and promoted it. Those who died of cold food even wanted to build arches for them to commend them for their respect for their virtuousness. Today the emperor changed this rule, which was indeed a good thing. From this matter, it seems that this young emperor was a pragmatic and flexible person.

County Magistrate Wang was a pragmatic person. When everyone was trying to understand the best in the officialdom and gained fame, County Magistrate Wang buried his head in doing a lot of practical things. The county seat of the world was the best in the county, but County Magistrate Wang was not very popular with the prefect.

Fortunately, the emperor had a good impression of him. The magistrate of the county answered the emperor's questions all the time, and talked about the political affairs in the county with a clear understanding. He could tell it clearly, and at first glance he was a clear-headed official.

Understanding the people's sentiments and discovering talents is the benefit of the emperor's personal inspection. In normal times, it is difficult for officials of the Wangxian Magistrate to have interactions with the emperor. Even if they meet occasionally, they will be in the court, bowing from afar, and secretly looking at it, and they can't even say anything, let alone having some communication with the emperor.

The emperor visited the counties in Hedong, and almost every county came to him, and attached great importance to the county magistrate. In comparison, the county magistrate Wang, who was in the realm of the world, was considered a top talent.

The emperor stayed in the realm for a few days and then went north to Qi County. The Qi County Magistrate's surname was Zhang, which acted completely differently from the Wang County Magistrate.

The streets of Qi County are extremely lively. Various colorful silks are hanging from the houses on both sides of the street, red and green, and they are very beautiful. Men and women kneel on both sides of the road, shouting chants to the emperor in unison.

County Magistrate Zhang said: "When the people learned that Your Majesty came to the small county, they all came out to greet Your Majesty, pay tribute to Your Majesty's beauty, and thank Your Majesty for your great kindness."

The emperor pointed to both sides of the street and asked, "These colorful silks were spontaneously taken out by the people and hung them at the window to welcome me?"

"That's right," said the magistrate Zhang: "Your Majesty's grace is so great that it brings all people to the world, and the people are grateful to you. Your Majesty is so happy that they are here in person."

The emperor said: "The streets are full of cloth. It seems that the people of Qi County are quite rich. What is the population of Qi County? How much does it take for a year?"

"Return to Your Majesty, the small county households have 12,123, and the number of 53,47. Last year, the county has produced 4.8 million stones of grain."

"What? Four and eight million stones? How can a small county of 10,000 households produce three million stones of grain?" The emperor was shocked, but his face remained silent, "How much cultivated land in Qi County? How much per mu yield?"

"Your Majesty, the small county has only a few thousand hectares of arable land, but the yield is high per mu! Thanks to your Majesty Hongfu, the average yield of this county is 16 stones per mu. The Sumai that just harvested this year has grown aquatic wheat, with one stem and nine ears. This is a sign of great luck!"

Huang Changshi said, "Your Majesty is as good as plants and trees, and even Qi County has Jiahe. Your Majesty, this is a rare auspicious auspiciousness!"

Xiangrui? Liu Yu sneered secretly. Now the average yield per mu of the Han Dynasty is only three or four stones, and ten stones per mu is the best land. The average yield per mu in Qi County is actually 16 stones per mu! Isn’t this the routine of yield per mu by ten thousand jin back then?

These people not only dare to brag, but also are keen on auspiciousness, because in the eyes of the ancients, auspiciousness is God's commendation of the emperor and an affirmation of his achievements. Most emperors like auspiciousness, and ministers' contributions are a great achievement.
Chapter completed!