It snowed suddenly during the night.

When Xiao Cheng got up in the morning, there was already a layer of it on the ground. When he stepped on it, it just covered his feet.

This made him so interested that he stopped riding in the carriage and insisted on walking through the snow to go to work at the palace in the imperial city.

The chief assistant is very happy, but it is the guards below who are suffering.

Ever since he was assassinated in Xuzhou, Xiao Cheng's security work has suddenly risen to several levels.

The carriage he is riding in now has been manufactured through special processing.

It doesn't look like anything special from the outside, but in fact, iron plates are installed on the front, back, left and right. Not to mention ordinary crossbows, even the Eight Ox Crossbow can overturn the entire car to the ground at most with one crossbow.

, but it is impossible to penetrate the car.

The number of accompanying warriors has also increased greatly. In the past, there were only eight guards, but now there are thirty-two, which has quadrupled. I heard that this was the order issued by the small official immediately after hearing that the chief minister was assassinated.

, the chief assistant was unwilling, and the official even cried. In the end, the chief assistant compromised.

The two warriors who are close to him are carefully selected and both are over seven feet tall. Their biggest advantage is that if there is any trouble, the two of them can trap Xiao Cheng in it as soon as they come together. They are quite qualified.

of human shield.

Of course, what the world doesn't know is that Xiao Cheng's broad sleeves actually have two short blades that can cut iron like clay.

Xiao Cheng has always been shown to others by his literary name. When he was young, he was known as a scholar. At a young age, he won the Jinshi. Few people know that Xiao Cheng is not weak in Kung Fu.

, although he is not as good as top generals like Xiao Ding and Yelu Min, he is still a good player.

Xiao Cheng was in a very happy mood.

Wu Ke's errand this time was very pleasing to the eye.

People are in high spirits during happy events, so Xiao Cheng walked very slowly along the way, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Speaking of which, although he walked this road every day, he really didn't have a chance to take a look at this street.

It wasn't until he discovered that wherever he passed, all the pedestrians on the street moved to one side, bowed their heads, and some even hurriedly hid in the alleys, that he realized that it seemed that it was very possible for him to travel like this.

I missed other people's affairs, so I quickened my pace.

After he left the street, the street finally regained its vitality.

It immediately became bustling.

For ordinary people, whether it's snowing or not, they still have to go out and do things.

Although Jiangning Mansion is now the capital of the Song Dynasty, there are still quite a few people who will not be able to eat if they do not work today.

Jiangning people are actually very satisfied with this new first assistant.

At this time in previous years, the price of food would have increased by at least 40 to 50%, and when food increased, it would inevitably drive up other prices. After a year of hard work, there was still a little bit of savings, which I originally planned to give to my mother-in-law.

Those who had to pull two feet of cloth to make a new shirt suddenly lost it because of the increase in price.

Compared to new clothes, eating is obviously more important.

The festival is a joyous occasion for those whose families have a surplus of food, but for many people whose families do not have a surplus of food, it is a difficult new year!

There is no price increase this year.

On the contrary, meat prices are still falling.

Be it pork, chicken, duck or fish, they are all declining.

The only thing that has gone up is the mutton.

I heard that the chief minister ordered a lot of grain to be transferred from Guizhou Road, Yunnan Road and Guangdong and Guangxi.

Jiangning people are very strange.

In their minds, Guizhou Road and Yunnan Road are places with smog. The most familiar Lingnan has always been the place where prisoners were distributed. How come food is shipped there?

Probably because Jiangning is now the place where officials are stationed, the imperial court wants to have some face, so it does not hesitate to subsidize Jiangning with food from there to make the people here feel grateful.

Many Qingliu scholars basically had this understanding, and felt that this was just the chief minister's move to win people's hearts.

How could a poor and poor place be able to breastfeed in the opposite direction to a rich and prosperous place like Jiangnan!

This is far beyond their knowledge, so they can only explain it with their own ideas.

What they don't know is that in the past few years, places like Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangdong and Guangxi have undergone earth-shaking changes under the careful management of Xiao Cheng and others.

Of course, a lot of the food here was also extorted from places further south.

When the Song Dynasty was on the border, some small countries in the south could only pay tribute to this giant in fear. After all, Dali, a country of ten thousand chariots, had only perished not many years ago!

That battle made the Song Dynasty's reputation still spread in the south.

Even though the Song Dynasty was subsequently defeated by the Liao Kingdom and even the emperor was captured, it is obvious that even if the Song Dynasty has now become a sick lion, it is not something that a sheep can provoke.

In fact, in the eyes of these small southern countries, the Song Dynasty was really not a sick lion, because the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces displayed in front of them were all unparalleled in power.

With a happy mood, Xiao Cheng arrived at his official hall.

The two corridors on the left and right of the imperial city are the official halls of officials.

The first assistant, Xiao Cheng, and the second assistant, Si Junchao, live on the left and right of the public hall, separated only by a lotus pond. If they want, they can sit on the bench in the corridor and have a cup of tea each.

Have a casual chat without making too much noise.

But the fact is that in the past two years, these two have never appeared in the same picture at the same time.

There seems to be a tacit understanding between the two. If Xiao Cheng comes out, Si Junchao will not appear.

The two of them will not come to the office at the same time, because they are likely to bump into each other when entering the door, and they will not leave work together, either in tandem or in tandem.

When he stepped into the door, Xiao Cheng glanced at the opposite side. This year, the second assistant came very early!

In the past, Si Junchao would arrive at the office and start working almost immediately before noon.

Today he actually came earlier than Xiao Cheng.

With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, Xiao Cheng smiled and opened the cotton curtain and stepped into the room.

The coldness outside was immediately replaced by the warm breath.

In the outer hall, a dozen green-robed officials were busy working on their desks. When they saw Xiao Cheng coming in, they just bowed to signal.

It's not that they are rude, it's that Xiao Cheng doesn't care about these etiquettes and doesn't let them delay their progress by giving him gifts when they are busy.

These lower-level officials always arrive much earlier than the chief officials.

Before the chief officer arrived, they had to prioritize many things and submit them to their immediate superior, who would then review them before sending them to Xiao Cheng.

Although these people have a low status, they really have a lot of power.

If you offend them, it is common for them to keep your fold for ten and a half days. Of course, if you are respectful, your fold will be placed in the optimal position as soon as it arrives.

Liu Xin was promoted to the seventh rank this year and became the immediate boss of this group of green-robed officials.

His father was Liu Jun, who had won Xuzhou's special honors.

This is another way for Xiao Cheng to win over Liu Jun.

Everyone knows that this location is the most convenient way to achieve success.

The last person to hold this position was Luo Xin, and now he is in the sixth subject. Although he has only been promoted to a certain level, once he is outside, he will immediately be promoted to a red robe.

Holding a stack of folded papers, Liu Xin walked into the inner hall with light steps.

Putting these notes in front of Xiao Cheng, Liu Xin did not leave immediately, but smiled and said: "Chief Assistant, Jiangning City was really lively last night!"

"Oh, have you heard anything too?" Xiao Cheng asked with a smile.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but I think it's definitely not a bad thing!" Liu Xin smiled reservedly and glanced outside. Isn't it the Cifu's public hall opposite?

He and Xiao Cheng are similar in age, but their status is very different.

It is necessary to show one's abilities without letting the chief assistant think that one is flattering. This situation must be grasped well.

What I can win for myself is my current position. Whether I can go further depends on my performance.

Fortunately, since taking office, no mistakes have been made.

This position, if nothing goes wrong, is the best political achievement.

This is what his father Liu Jun warned him repeatedly.

Some places require you to be innovative, like the magistrate Lu Wan of Qiao County, who set up refugee camps, carried out urban sanitation, built public toilets and a series of other things, and then fell into the eyes of the chief minister, and he was about to jump over the dragon's gate.

Wearing a red robe.

From being a sixth-rank official in Shangxian County, he was promoted three levels in a row to become a fifth-rank official, leaping over a hurdle that many people would never be able to overcome in their lifetime.

But for him, it is to put the most important things in front of Xiao Cheng as soon as possible, and then when Xiao Cheng needs to consult something, he can give the corresponding answer without hesitation.

It sounds simple, but it is really difficult to do it.

Because the chief minister is the steward of this huge country and has to take care of everything.

After hearing Liu Xin's words, Xiao Cheng burst out laughing.

"It's really not a bad thing! It should be a good thing."
To be continued...