Chapter 1214: The Old Residence

Entering Jinyang, Emperor Liu did not visit Taiyuan Palace. It was not that he had grown accustomed to the magnificent towers of the Eastern and Western Capitals and looked down on Jinyang's "simplicity," but rather that within this old capital, the only place worthy of Emperor Liu's reminiscence was the old princely residence.

"Why are you following along?" Accompanied by a crowd of attendants as he toured the old Taiyuan princely residence, Emperor Liu couldn't help but glance at Crown Prince Liu Yang.

Liu Yang was somewhat taken aback by the question. Throughout this journey, he had basically stayed close to the imperial presence, diligently learning. Thus, he replied, "Your servant attends upon Your Majesty!"

"I don't need your attendance here. With so many people around, are you afraid they won't serve Me well enough?" Emperor Liu said with a light laugh. "I'm giving you some time off—go do what a Crown Prince ought to do!"

"Please instruct me, Your Majesty!" Under the gaze of the assembled crowd, Liu Yang clasped his hands and responded.

"My position here is still too high!" Emperor Liu pointed at the ground beneath his feet, looking at Liu Yang, and said, "Stay by My side too long, and I fear your horizons will never be able to lower again. Many things cannot be understood just by reading memorials and listening to reports. Go out and walk around, see for yourself. Jinyang is where my family rose. Since we rarely come here, you should also learn more about it!"

Emperor Liu was assigning homework again. Hearing this, Liu Yang had nothing else to say, and bowed in acknowledgment: "Yes!"

"Where is the Prefect of Taiyuan?" Emperor Liu called out toward the assembled civil and military officials who had come to welcome him.

One of them, a slightly elderly official in a crimson robe, stepped forward and bowed: "Your servant Lu Yi, at Your Majesty's command!"

Looking at this old minister, who carried a refined and scholarly bearing but appeared somewhat aged, Zhang Dejun reminded Emperor Liu from the side: "He is the father of Lu Duoxun, the Administration Commissioner of Hexi!"

Emperor Liu nodded slightly and said to Lu Yi with a smile, "Minister Lu, I know of you—one of the most worthy officials and good administrators in Hedong Circuit. You've also raised a fine son, bringing the court a pillar of talent who can be entrusted with affairs of a whole region!"

"Your Majesty flatters me; this old servant is unworthy of such praise!" Being praised together with his son, Lu Yi naturally felt greatly honored. An elderly face brimmed with smiles, his mouth nearly splitting ear to ear.

Lu Yi was a man of considerable seniority. He had passed the Mingjing examination during the Later Tang, served as a local chief official during the Later Jin, and after entering the Han, had held various posts, always remaining a senior official of the circuit.

In fact, with his achievements and seniority, becoming a Governor of a circuit was also possible—except that he had a son named Lu Duoxun. As Lu Duoxun's official rank grew higher and higher, until he rose to become Administration Commissioner of Hexi, his father's path of advancement had basically reached its ceiling.

But regardless, the position of Prefect of Taiyuan was by no means a small one. Among the existing prefectures of the Great Han, only Luoyang and Kaifeng could firmly outrank it in official grade.

"I'll trouble Minister Lu to go to some effort and serve as a guide for the Crown Prince!" Emperor Liu said directly to Lu Yi.

"This is this old servant's honor!" Lu Yi immediately declared.

"Everyone else, disperse—return to your duties, attend to your own affairs!" Looking at the crowd respectfully gathered before the residence, Emperor Liu gave another instruction.

"Yes!"

However, the newly appointed Administration Commissioner of Hedong, Shi Xizai, was kept behind to converse with Emperor Liu. Only a few months had passed since they parted at the capital, and meeting again now, there was no sense of estrangement.

The consorts, princes, and attendant servants began to move in. It had to be said, this old Taiyuan princely residence was rather cramped for accommodating the family Emperor Liu had brought along—but then again, what they were experiencing was merely the atmosphere. The eunuch Yan Tuo, however, found room to display his usefulness; among the crowd, no one knew the residence better than he did, for he was after all one of the old retainers from the original days.

"Every blade of grass, every tree, every room, every structure in this residence—nothing has changed at all!" In the pavilion of the rear garden, feeling the autumn breeze sweeping across the lake, Emperor Liu wiped the stone table and sighed with emotion: "I still remember that in those days, Gaozu often drank wine and enjoyed the cool air in this very pavilion!"

Emperor Liu sat while Shi Xizai stood. Hearing his reminiscence, Shi Xizai picked up the conversation: "Knowing that Your Majesty cherishes the past, over these years, all affairs of the former residence have been maintained and arranged according to the old ways, so as to welcome Your Majesty's visit at any time."

Hearing this, Emperor Liu seemed somewhat unappreciative, looking at Shi Xizai and saying, "How much manpower does this require? How much money and materials are spent every year? For a residence that sits empty all year round—isn't this wasteful?"

As he spoke, Emperor Liu's tone seemed to grow several degrees sterner. However, Shi Xizai was not intimidated by him, and merely replied calmly, "This is, after all, the old residence of Your Majesty's former days—of great significance. The necessary expenditures are still appropriate. The Taiyuan authorities' handling of this matter is not improper. Moreover, I have also inquired and found that on ordinary days, only a few servants and soldiers look after the residence; the manpower expended does not exceed twenty people!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu laughed again: "You, still the same as ever. You're already an Administration Commissioner of a whole circuit, yet you haven't changed one bit!"

Shi Xizai bowed and said, "If I have given any offense, I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

"Those words of yours are insincere!" Emperor Liu shook his head. "After all these years, I've long grown accustomed to this temperament of yours. How could I punish someone for their words!"

"This is all due to Your Majesty's magnanimity; your servant is ashamed!" Shi Xizai's expression also softened somewhat.

After all these years, if Emperor Liu were to give Shi Xizai an evaluation, it might be just two words: a pure minister.

"I intend that for buildings such as former residences, traveling palaces, and detached villas, all future maintenance and repairs shall be funded from the imperial privy purse, with the Directorate for Imperial Manufactories taking charge—no longer consuming the manpower and finances of local governments, lightening their burden as well!" Emperor Liu said. "Even for Taiyuan Palace alone, what the Hedong authorities spend each year is no small sum, is it!"

Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Shi Xizai's spirits lifted. If such a financial burden could be resolved, it would naturally be nothing but beneficial for the Hedong circuit government.

"Your Majesty is wise and brilliant!" Shi Xizai sang praises to Emperor Liu from the bottom of his heart.

Emperor Liu chuckled: "It is only proper. Even you, Shi Ningji, praising Me as wise and brilliant has become a habit. Rather than singing praises to Me, I would rather see ministers like you govern the localities well, benefit the people of your native places, and ensure peace for the region!"

"Your servant will spare no effort!" Shi Xizai said solemnly.

"Sit—keeping your body bent all this time must be tiring!" Seeing him still standing, Emperor Liu gestured to Shi Xizai and said, "My northern tour this time came rather suddenly. I heard you rushed back specially from Baode Prefecture to make arrangements for receiving the imperial visit? I also heard that in the months since you took office in Hedong, you've basically been traveling to prefectures, counties, towns, and even villages to inspect and observe. My coming here has rather disturbed you!"

"Your Majesty's words are too heavy!" Shi Xizai took his seat and replied respectfully: "When the Son of Heaven graces a place with his presence, receiving and attending to the imperial carriage is the proper courtesy your servant ought to fulfill."

"As this Administration Commissioner, you are able to practice what you preach, get out on your own two feet, go up the mountains and down to the villages—I am very gratified!" Emperor Liu said. "However, I hope you won't merely focus on form—it must be implemented in substance!"

These words of Emperor Liu's could be considered a warning to Shi Xizai. It was still the same issue from before: among local officials, there were still plenty who engaged in formalistic practices. Compared to the past, things had improved somewhat, but this matter was truly difficult to judge—whether one was merely going through the motions or diligently handling affairs was very hard to define.

The result was that whenever he heard of ministers or officials diligently rushing down to the grassroots, Emperor Liu couldn't help but harbor some suspicion. After all, when it came to putting on a show, he, Emperor Liu, was also a master. Of course, he rarely displayed such feelings openly—one must not stop eating for fear of choking, nor dampen the enthusiasm of officials for doing real work based on subjective judgment.

Shi Xizai clearly understood, and said with frank openness: "To be honest with Your Majesty, in the months since I took office in Hedong, I have not spent a full half month in the government office altogether. I have not changed the policies of my predecessor, nor have I issued any major decree. However, during this time, I have basically visited all the prefectures, counties, and towns under my jurisdiction—precisely so that after understanding the local governance and people's conditions, I can adapt measures to local circumstances and govern according to the actual situation!"

This was also a result of having followed Emperor Liu for so long—his style of conduct had clearly been influenced by Emperor Liu. Naturally, Emperor Liu was still satisfied with this, for this was after all someone he held in high regard.

"Baode Prefecture—that counts as a poor and remote corner of Hedong, doesn't it?" Just then, Emperor Liu asked about some conditions in Hedong.