The chamberlain led Liu Rengui past the main hall, entered through the side door, and entered the side hall. Compared to the grandeur of the main hall, the side hall was more of a resting place.
Looking at the peeling red paint on the pillars, leaving mottled marks, Liu Rengui was deeply moved. It is said among the people that His Majesty had a lot of money and had money to buy all kinds of farm tools. He built dozens of large waterwheel workshops on the Wei River, and even even
The university that is about to be completed is also funded by His Majesty. However, over the years, His Majesty has never carried out any major construction projects, never proposed to build a palace, and was not even willing to repair the palace.
Looking at where His Majesty used the money, Liu Rengui admired the saint's broad-mindedness and frugality. With such a saint emperor alive, it was inevitable that the Tang Dynasty would prosper.
"Prefect Liu, we're here." The chamberlain stopped in front of the door and said to him, "Your Majesty is resting inside. Please come, Prefect Liu."
"Thank you." Liu Rengui nodded and stepped into the room. When he saw the emperor resting with his eyes closed, he took two steps forward and bowed at the designated distance, "Your Majesty, Liu Rengui, is here to see His Majesty the Emperor."
After the voice fell, Li Zhiyun opened his eyes and said, "Sit down."
"yes."
The chamberlain brought a futon and Liu Rengui knelt down.
It is an unintentional move. Although tables and chairs have become common, the etiquette related to "giving a seat" in the palace has not changed. The Ministry of Rites has always emphasized that it would be disrespectful to His Majesty to give a "chair seat", so it can only be given
Kneel and sit.
At first, Li Zhiyun didn't understand it very well. Later, he understood the meaning from the perspective of "sight".
Sitting on a chair means looking directly at the emperor, which is disrespectful, while sitting on one's knees means looking up, which is a system of etiquette.
Details reflect etiquette.
In the early years of the imperial court, there was not so much emphasis on etiquette, but now that the Tang Dynasty is in its prime, etiquette is getting more and more attention.
There are also certain things to pay attention to when sitting on your knees. The most basic thing is that your back should be straight and your head should be lowered.
"Some time ago, the Bulu tribe rebelled. According to imperial law, they should all be executed. I read your memorial. Although it was detailed enough, I still want to hear what you thought at the time." Li Zhiyun said lightly.
.
Liu Rengui cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, when I was in Lingzhou, I saw how severely the grassland people were being oppressed. Not only the prairie people themselves were oppressed, but also the officials in our court were oppressing them. I didn't sympathize with them, but thought about them.
, if the high pressure continues for a long time, I am afraid that there will be endless troubles, so I only punish the culprits and let the civilians go. In this way..."
There are two wooden screens on the left and right sides of Li Zhiyun, with people sitting behind them. One is the historian who recorded the emperor's daily life, and the other is Qi Wang Li Chengzhao.
The historian could not always be with the emperor. If the emperor was discussing military and state affairs, the historian would automatically avoid it. If the emperor returned to the harem to sleep, the historian could not follow him. Sometimes, the emperor specifically asked the historian to go down, and the historian had to go.
Historiographers after the Spring and Autumn Period no longer had much integrity to speak of. They could record only what the emperor wanted them to record.
Of course, occasionally there would be historians who were clever and secretly recorded some information that did not involve major military events. For example, when Li Zhiyun first proposed Na Chen as concubine, one historian recorded a lot of information about the emperor's anger.
This time Li Zhiyun summoned Liu Rengui, historians can also record one or two things. But to be honest, when Li Zhiyun's chronicle is compiled in the future, this scene may not be included. However, another scene is very likely to be included.
"I summoned Rengui to consult on local affairs, and King Qi Chengzhao sat aside to avoid listening."
After finishing writing, the historian glanced at King Qi and bowed his head silently. The position of the prince was currently undecided, but this King Qi, who had always caused trouble, was allowed by the saint to avoid political affairs. If the news spread, it would probably shock everyone.
Let's catch people's chins.
At this moment, Li Chengzhao had no time to care about what the historian thought. He was trying hard to keep up with his father's pace.
From ordinary things in Lingzhou to climate, hydrology, population, number of households, etc., his father could actually talk about all the trivial matters in quite detail, which shocked Li Chengzhao.
Can this really be remembered?
Li Chengzhao deeply realized that he was still very young.
Not mentioning Li Chengzhao, Liu Rengui was also sweating profusely at this moment. Facing all the questions raised by the emperor, he broke into cold sweat. Almost everything he said was very insightful, and some were even factual.
He originally guessed that the sage must have investigated what happened in Lingzhou before summoning him. But as the sage told all the big and small things in Lingzhou in the past years, Liu Rengui realized that the sage might not be investigating on a temporary basis.
, but always remember things in Lingzhou very clearly.
Otherwise, how could the saint easily tell the number of people left in Lingzhou after a natural disaster in the third year of Zhenguan, as well as the amount of food that year.
This is too scary.
He remembered an unrealistic rumor. It was said that every governor who came to Beijing to report on his duties would be extremely nervous when faced with the questions raised by the sage, because the sage knew the situation of every state, and even every county!
The actual situation is naturally not that exaggerated, but it is similar. If Li Zhiyun wanted to meet the governor of that place, he would definitely learn about the situation in that place in previous years and make a summary before meeting him.
The center is like the brain, and the places are like the limbs. If you don't know the specific situation of the place, you can decide things with a snap of your head, or you have only half-knowledge. This is an opportunity for local officials to take advantage of loopholes.
After asking the question, Li Zhiyun picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea, and continued: "In the past, there was an important road in Lingzhou, which was often used by merchants for smuggling, but now it is being strictly investigated?"
"Yes..." Liu Rengui answered cautiously. His brain was working crazily at this moment, going through all the news about Lingzhou affairs in his mind, ready to answer the questions raised by the saint at any time.
Li Chengzhao, who was behind the screen, had sweat on his forehead and looked quite strenuous. This was the first time for him to attend the local governor's work report. He never expected that he would have to ask so many questions, let alone that his father knew so much.
.
Half an hour later, the matter regarding Lingzhou finally came to an end.
Liu Rengui's whole body was tense and he didn't dare to relax for a moment.
"Give me tea."
"Yes." The chamberlain brought tea to Liu Rengui.
Liu Rengui took a sip and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Zhiyun said: "You have done well in Lingzhou. I plan to let you go to Liaodong Road to govern the local people. Are you willing?"
"I am willing." He agreed directly without thinking. Since the saint specially summoned him and asked him to go to Liaodong Road, there must be the saint's deep intention.
"Okay." Li Zhiyun pondered slightly and said: "There are some natural harbors in Baekje Province and Silla Province in Liaodong Province. After you go there, you should make more efforts to manage them. In addition, you should find out more about Japan."
Although Liu Rengui felt strange, he still followed the order.
"I obey the decree."
"Go down." Li Zhiyun leaned against the table gently, looking a little tired.
"I take my leave." Liu Rengui bowed again and slowly retreated.
When Liu Rengui left the side hall, he realized that his whole back was soaked with sweat. He was secretly glad that he had taken things seriously in Lingzhou before meeting the saint, otherwise he would have been troubled by the saint's three or two problems.
Just show your true colors.
Sure enough, when the Holy Emperor is in power, he must do things seriously and not be opportunistic.