After leaving Green Willow Garden, Wang Yan did not return home immediately. Instead, he took Pan Tao to Guangcheng Garden in the northwest.
At the foot of Guangcheng Palace, he met Le Kuan, who had been promoted to the rank of Captain of Zhongdian Mu.
It's hard to say whether it was good or bad to be promoted from being a lieutenant to a court official. But Lekuan had no choice. During the Chinese New Year, he had to live with livestock and could not return home.
Wang Yan and Pan Tao were not on official business, but one was a Situ and the other was a Sima of the Taifu and Shogunate. He could not offend them, so he quickly invited them to a place called Zhilan Yuan located to the west of Guangcheng Palace.
The construction of this hospital started in the second half of last year and was just completed a while ago.
The main building is built according to the terrain and is a "peninsula" deep into the lake.
The place is not very big, but there are woods, bamboo gardens, courtyards, viewing pavilions, and even waterside pavilions built on the lake.
This year I will decorate it again, move some Luoyang Zuozang utensils and decorate it, and it will almost be completed.
Wang Yan doesn't think that building such a garden is a waste of time and money.
Anyway, they were conscripted civilian slaves, as many as needed, felling wood to build houses, digging out mountains to get stones, firing bricks and tiles, etc., "it doesn't take much trouble".
"It seems like there's farmland on the other side?" Wang Yan squinted his eyes for a long time and asked uncertainly.
Farmland and Zhilan Courtyard don’t match each other. How did you design the scenery?
Le Kuan was also a little embarrassed and explained: "There was originally a sea of ​​bamboo. Marquis Lu Yang ordered a part of it to be cut down to make bamboo utensils for use in Guangcheng Garden. After burning the land, it was turned into farmland at the beginning of the year and planted.
One season of millet.”
"How much is the harvest per acre?" Wang Yan looked back and asked casually.
"Less than two husks of dendrobium." Lekuan replied.
This yield can be said to be very low. Even if river bottom silt is applied, the yield is only about 60 kilograms.
"Who farms?" Wang Yan asked again.
"Servants from Nanyang and Shunyang counties."
"Where's the food?"
"Give them food, and if there is any leftover, allow them to take it away."
Wang Yan looked around again.
He had actually paid attention to Guangcheng Garden - on the map.
In terms of local boundaries, it covers more than half of the county, but no one has ever developed it. Even the wheat fields of the late Han Dynasty more than a hundred years ago were covered with weeds.
It has been almost two years and three months since the imperial court intervened in this area on a large scale. With the help of more than 60,000 servants and servants from the five counties, three palaces and gardens, Guangcheng Palace, Zhilan Yuan, and Tangchi (natural hot spring) were built.
In addition, more than a thousand hectares of farmland have been opened up. Although the output is ridiculous and can only be eaten by the farmers, this is the first year.
When spring sowing occurs in the second year of Yongjia (308), the yield per mu will increase to a certain extent.
After that, it increased year by year, and finally became mature.
You can get as much land as you want in Guangchengze, as long as you are willing to put in the effort to transform it.
Wang Yan subconsciously wanted to do something, but when he touched his body, he didn't bring any divination equipment.
He calmly walked through Zhilan Courtyard, which had dozens of houses, and then walked westward, where he saw an empty site with a foundation laid.
"Where is this?" Wang Yan asked.
"Yongjia Cangcheng." Le Kuan replied: "After the spring planting next year, the construction will be officially completed when the waiting men gather together."
"What's over there?" Wang Yan stretched out his hand and asked.
Yongjia Cangcheng is built next to a stream. On the other side of the stream, there are three wooden buildings that have just started to be scattered. They look like warehouses, but they are not exactly like them.
"Those are three hay yards." Le Kuan replied: "Before the livestock goes through the winter, hay needs to be prepared, so hay yards are built to prepare it. After the grass turns green in the spring, it can be released wild. Next to the hay yard, there is
This is a pastoral garden, and now there are only more than 2,000 cattle, sheep, horses and dolphins, which are owned by the imperial court."
Wang Yan nodded and asked again: "I heard that Marquis Lu Yang has thousands of horses and they are loose in the garden, but I don't know where they are."
"It's a little far away from here, more than twenty miles away." Lekuan replied: "Marquis Lu Yang sent more than a thousand soldiers to guard it, and ordinary people dare not approach it."
Wang Yan groaned and said nothing.
Pan Tao also remained calm, but his heart was churning.
It is true that he had a closer relationship with Shao Xun, but it was impossible to get a full picture of Lu Yanghou's power. It can even be said that he knew that there were more people than Yu Liang and Xu Lang.
Before coming to Liang County, he learned one thing: the more than 1,000 hectares of land cultivated by Guangchengze Tunding this year will be farmed by Jisang bandit prisoners next year. This is a landmark event for Shao Xun's full involvement in Guangchengze.
one.
On the surface, the fields belong to the imperial court, but who uses them is very particular. Anyway, the emperor doesn't know what is going on here, he only knows that he is building a palace garden.
In Guangchengze, as long as the money is spent, thousands of hectares of land can be opened up, and there is no shortage of water for irrigation. If the renovation is completed, it will really make people jealous, and someone may come to fight for it.
He thought of the prophecy that "Luo Shui will stop flowing", and his heart moved, but he said nothing and continued to watch.
Next, they stayed until dark, rested for one night in Zhilan Courtyard, and went to Guangcheng Palace to meet Empress Hui Yangshi the next day before returning to Luoyang.
On the way back, Wang Yan kept thinking about Yang Xianrong's state just now.
It seems much better than when the late emperor was in power?
There were many books and albums placed in the palace. Wang Yan was too embarrassed to look through them, but they must have been collected by Empress Hui or even written by her herself.
I heard that she sent people to Xincheng, Luhun and other places to find farmers who are good at growing rice, and they want to plant rice in Guangcheng Ze.
Wang Yan could only be stunned at this, why is this woman doing all these things all day long?
But then I thought about it, Queen Hui was in her youth and living alone in the palace, so it was good to find something to do, so as not to do something that would catch people off guard.
Pan Tao was also thinking, from a different angle than Wang Yan.
He is good at understanding people.
When Wang Dun was young, he made a comment: "The king's bee eyes have been exposed, but the sound of the jackal has not shaken his ears. He must be able to eat people, and he should be eaten by people."
When I saw the Sheep Queen this time, I felt something was wrong.
The Yang family didn't like the general affairs very much. Pan Tao could completely see that Queen Hui was patiently doing those things, as if she was making a deal.
This kind of thing is quite straightforward when it comes to trading.
If it is a transaction between a man and a woman, something extra will always happen at the end of the transaction, especially for a woman like Queen Hui who lives alone.
Pan Tao had some speculations in his mind and was a little worried. Will something happen in the end that would bring shame to the Tian family?
However, in the current world, where the world is unstable and heroes are competing for power, compared to these things, Queen Hui's story is not worth mentioning.
He sat upright and began to think about the next direction of the situation.
Marquis Lu Yang made a bold guess. He was hesitant to believe it, so he just observed quietly to see if things would develop as Marquis Lu Yang expected.
If it comes true, many things will have to be re-planned.
****
After Wang and Pan returned to Luoyang, they soon ushered in Zhengdan.
The emperor Sima Chi held a banquet in the palace and invited all the ministers to enjoy themselves.
In Liang County and the Guangcheng Garden area, the atmosphere of the New Year is also very strong.
Before dawn, Shao Xun went to work outside the main hall of Guangcheng Palace.
The cold wind on the mountain late at night was biting and the breath turned to ice.
The frostbite on Shao Xun's hands was almost completely cracked, with blood oozing out. But he still arranged the bamboos meticulously, and when the sky was dim, he lit the fire.
"Crack!" The sound of firecrackers spread throughout the lonely and cold palace.
Yang Xianrong woke up from his sleep. When he heard the sound of firecrackers outside, he quickly called the palace people to ask.
"Marquis Lu Yang set off firecrackers outside to welcome the Queen to the New Year." The palace man bowed his head and replied.
Yang Xianrong was stunned.
The soft quilt slipped from the shoulders, and when it passed by the chest, it hesitated for a while, and then fell down tremblingly.
The corners of her mouth gradually turned up, once, twice, and three times, and gradually the whole room seemed to become brighter.
"Crack!" the sound came one after another.
Yang Xianrong quickly dressed up and walked out of the palace gate.
In the distance are snow-capped mountains.
At the foothills of the mountains, courtyards, pavilions, rivers, ponds, and farmland are dotted with deer herds running around, and tigers and wolves roaring.
Living in this place is like a hermit.
But Yang Xianrong is not a hermit, and she has no intention of becoming a hermit. She is a woman who was spoiled as a child and frightened when she grew up.
The palace servants brought over a bed, and Yang Xianrong sat there, holding his chin and watching quietly, just like the brightness of Jin Yong City.
Shao Xun stood up and bowed, his face a little gray.
Yang Xianrong chuckled.
Shao Xun also laughed and said, "Did the Queen let off the firecrackers?"
Yang Xianrong shook his head.
Shao Xun picked up a piece, handed it over, and said: "On the first day of the lunar month, when the rooster crows, firecrackers will be fired in front of the court to ward off evil spirits. I came in the middle of the night and prepared such a big feast.
Heap, to drive away evil spirits for the queen."
Yang Xianrong felt warm in his heart and took the firecracker with some excitement.
"Place it in the fire." Shao Xun pointed to the burning fire and said.
Yang Xianrong hummed, got up and walked over. Unexpectedly, as soon as she got closer, there was a "bang" in the fire, which scared her and staggered.
Shao Xun, with quick eyes and quick hands, reached out and held the sheep Xianrong in his arms.
The place fell silent for a moment.
Yang Xianrong struggled slightly, and Shao Xun quickly let go and took two steps back.
"Bang!" The firecrackers exploded again, but they were unable to withstand the loud "bang" of his heart beating violently.
The queen's waist is so soft.
He raised his head and looked at the sheep.
Sheep Xianrong turned his back to him.
The cool mountain breeze blew in, but the queen's ears became as red as blood.
After a while, she flipped up her hair, picked up the bamboo, and put it into the fire.
The flames gradually engulfed the bamboo joints, no one spoke, and the atmosphere became slightly more charming.
"Bang!" The sound of firecrackers started again.
Shao Xun's heartbeat has returned to normal.
He secretly lamented that he still didn't have enough concentration. He hadn't touched a woman for a year, and he started to have random thoughts.
"Evil ghosts should be avoided." The queen did not speak, so Shao Xun could only talk awkwardly: "I don't know when this saying came from."
Yang Xianrong turned around, there was still a trace of blush on his face, but his expression returned to normal.
Just listen to her say: "The "Shen Yi Jing" says, 'There is a person in the mountains in the west. He is more than a foot long and has one foot. His nature is not afraid of people. If he offends, it will cause people with cold and heat, which is called mountain poison. If you put bamboo on fire, it will kill you (pò)
There is a sound, but the mountain is frightened. The "Xuanhuang Jing" also calls it a ghost in a mountain nest."
"That's it." Shao Xun continued the awkward conversation.
Yang Xianrong has completely returned to normal, and he said happily: "When I lived in the palace, there was also a fire in the palace on Zhengdan, but I never set it off with my own hands. Today - I am very happy, and my childhood wish has come true."
The smile on her face was completely sincere, not utilitarian at all, just pure happiness.
Shao Xun was also happy for her and said: "Compared to last year, the queen is much more open-minded."
The first course of treatment is considered a success, right?
Yang Xianrong glanced at him and said nothing. He just turned around and looked at the beautiful mountains and rivers.
Shao Xun silently burned the remaining firecrackers and then bowed and said goodbye.
Sheep Xianrong seemed not to hear anything and stood motionless against the wind.
Chapter completed!