Chapter 212 The grass is dry and the water is trickling
"A husband's ordinary filth cannot be irrigated by the river." [Salt and Iron Theory: Rich and Poor]
Xun You went south with the army in early March. Out of secrecy, he refused to tell Xun Yu and others the details. So Chen Qun had to make random guesses on his own. He looked at a few strong farmers in tattered clothes and tanned by the sun in the distance.
The man tried to go to a nearby canal to divert water, but was suddenly stopped by several well-dressed people waiting here. Chen Ji's ears didn't work and he couldn't hear what was being argued about, so he turned around and asked Chen Qun.
Chen Qun listened quietly and said: "This is a ditch opened privately by local people. It was not built by the government, so these people do not allow others to divert water."
This kind of thing is common all over the world. Chen Ji frowned even deeper and asked: "The imperial court is promoting river construction. I think there are rivers everywhere. Why don't they divert water from the canals built by the government?"
Chen Qun listened carefully, as if he heard something, his face suddenly showed a bit of anger: "It said there was insufficient water and it was blocked."
"Which arrogant person is this?" Chen Ji was very angry.
Once the livelihood of ordinary people is cut off, they have to borrow money from everywhere, or sell their children and land. In the end, the cheapest ones are the small tycoons who do not have a deep foundation and are in urgent need of accumulating property. Many high-ranking families today have come along this way, but it is just that
After they transformed into nobles who were inheritors of classics and did not need to rely on land output to maintain their social status, they not only dismissed such dirty and underhanded methods, but also vigorously resisted them to draw a clear line.
Chen Qun also didn't like this kind of behavior. He saw that the director of Zhidao Pavilion who had just received them had walked to the field and personally participated in the peace talks. Soon, the steward in Chinese clothes reluctantly
Let people dig canals and allow farmers to divert water on their own.
The farmers knelt down and kowtowed to the chief of the pavilion with grateful faces, expressing their gratitude.
Chen Ji's expression softened slightly and he said, "This pavilion chief is a sensible person."
"Zhidaoting is located near Baqiao. It is the most densely populated place east of Chang'an and the people are happy. The traffic between the east and the west is too much. If you don't choose an upright and capable person, Wang Ling's face will not look good in Chang'an." Chen
The group interface said.
"In any case, this matter is by no means a special case. At this time, the imperial court must not ignore it." Chen Ji nodded heavily, having made up his mind, and said: "After I officially take office in the imperial court, I will definitely
Reporting this matter is of great concern to the overall situation, so we should take precautions before they happen."
So Chen Ji and Chen Qun walked back to the elegant room where they were resting. The hot water in the teapot on the table had already become lukewarm. Chen Ji didn't mind and just took a cup and drank it. Then he and Ting who came after hearing the news
After a few long words, Chen Ji's affection for the unattractive pavilion chief in front of him doubled this time. He no longer looked at him coldly. Instead, he carefully asked about his surname, family background, and knowledge. The pavilion chief was flattered.
When asked about Shicai's situation, the pavilion chief did not doubt that he was there and said directly: "The imperial court has indeed presided over the construction of many canals in various places. If not mentioning other things, it is the nearby canals and ponds. I personally supervised them."
But, Taichang Gong Ruijian, there is only so much water in the river, so the more trenches are dug, the more water will be distributed. Moreover, it has not rained for a month, and the weather is hot, so the water dries out quickly.
Often there is not much water flowing into the ground, so there is such a thing as fighting for water."
"So, even if there is a severe drought, as long as there is little water in the river, the ditch will be useless?" Chen Ji said worriedly.
The pavilion chief waved his hands repeatedly: "That's not true. In addition to repairing ditches, the imperial court also dug many ponds to store water. Among other things, the Kunming Pond in Shanglin Garden is huge. I heard it can hold an entire pond.
As long as the water in the county is released, it is hard to say whether the drought in Sanfu will be alleviated, but at least Jingzhao will be preserved."
He had never been to Shanglin, but he just followed what others said and described it with jealousy, and he said it in a serious way. In fact, he also knew that it was almost impossible. If the water in Kunming Pool was drained, where would the emperor go?
Going for a summer vacation?
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Chen Ji felt that it was feasible. He and Chen Qun looked at each other and understood each other. Since they have entered the court as officials, they must make a splash and make great achievements no matter what.
, Otherwise, how can we attract the attention of the world and become famous?
So Chen Ji and his son rested for a while, ignored the pavilion chief's repeated attempts to stay, and took advantage of the sun to set off in a light carriage to Chang'an.
The Chen family's family property in Yingchuan had been plundered by the troops led by Li Jue and Guo Si a few years ago. Even though others later donated money to help, they did not purchase real estate in Chang'an beforehand when they came on this trip. Fortunately, according to the Han system,
The imperial court will allocate different levels of residences to officials according to different grades for free. Chen and his son do not have to worry about having no place to live. However, they were informed in advance when they moved in that if Chen Ji retired due to transfer or resignation, he would
At that time, the official residence must be returned to the court.
This is different from the previous rules. Chen Qun inquired curiously and learned that the emperor believed that free housing allocation and permanent residence were not desirable. Although Chang'an City is now spacious and has few residents, there is no guarantee that it will not happen in the future.
If it develops into a metropolis, it will definitely lead to a situation of "too many officials and few houses" and "no house to divide". Therefore, we simply added a time limit for permanent housing and revised the official residence system.
After hearing this, Chen Ji didn't mind these external things. Instead, he understood the emperor's intelligence and wisdom from this level more deeply, and he felt even more pleased.
The father and son had just settled down in their new mansion. They each took a shower and changed clothes. After washing off the dust from their bodies, someone handed them a name card at the door and said that the visitor, Zhao Yan, was waiting to see them.
Zhao Yan, whose courtesy name was Boran, was from Yingchuan. He had close friendship with Xin Pi, Chen Qun and Du Xi, and they had similar reputations, so they were named "Xin Chen Du Zhao". In his early twenties, Zhao Yan was already a member of Yingchuan.
He was a leader among the new generations of scholars in Sichuan. When he took refuge in Jingzhou, he saw that the imperial court was in a state of revival, so he and Du Xi and others made an arduous trek to Guanzhong, planning to join the officialdom.
Later, on the recommendation of Xun You, he entered the Department of Civil Affairs and became one of the first batch of officials to study in the Department of Civil Affairs. He passed the examination in September last year. Because of his outstanding character and appearance, he was worshiped as a visitor and specially in charge of guests.
Appreciate things.
After hearing the news, he came here for both public and private reasons. Not only did he tell Chen Ji to meet the emperor and guide him, but also, as a junior of Chen Ji and a friend of Chen Qun, he came to inquire about his daily life.
"It's great that Mr. Chen is here!" Zhao Yan looked at Chen Ji, then at his friends, and said happily: "If it's another day or two later, I'm afraid I won't be able to receive you two."
"What's the reason for this?" Chen Qun asked puzzledly.
Zhao Yan has a good face, neither too handsome to make people feel ashamed nor too ugly to make people disgusted. He always treats people with kindness, kindness and enthusiasm, which is why he is at ease in the audience stage and in the court.
He is very popular and is often involved in official affairs: "The edict has been issued, and tomorrow I will go to Hanzhong and serve as the Shangyong Order."
"Ah, I didn't expect that I would hear a good thing when I came here." Chen Qun sat opposite Zhao Yan, with a sincere look of joy on his face, feeling happy for this old friend.
When Chen Ji heard this, he twitched his brows and said, "Sichuan has been pacified?"
The news of Hanzhong's conquest had already spread throughout Guanzhong. Although it was of little use in alleviating the drought, it undoubtedly inspired people's hearts. Chen Ji and Chen Qun had already learned about this when they came, and what they wanted to know more now was the situation in Yizhou.
"Hanzhong has been pacified long ago. Although Shu has not been restored, but according to my daily delivery, the war in the south should be successful within ten days." The Yezhetai is a department where news circulates very quickly. Zhao Yan occasionally acted as an envoy and rushed to Hanzhong.
Xuanzhao also talked about this matter through other colleagues at other times. There is no doubt about the accuracy of the information. He said in a low voice: "Now that the drought has begun, everyone inside and outside the court is a little restless. If the drought happens to be in full swing in Shu,
It was calm before, but it can alleviate the temporary difficulties."
Chen Ji said with a smile: "It's just right. There is a drought, the people are uneasy, and the common people are suffering. I just want to persuade the country to stop the war as soon as possible. I will go to the palace later and discuss this matter with the country."
"Shan." Seeing that Chen Ji had already made up his mind about how to express himself, Zhao Yan stopped going into detail and said with a smile: "Then please, Mr. Chen, please come with me to the palace?"