Chapter 1392: Governor Zhao in Power

In March, Luoyang presented a scene of thriving prosperity, even surpassing its former glory, having completely emerged from the shadow of war. After all, this was beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, where the influence of court policy was greatest—any stirring at the top would promptly be reflected among the common folk. Moreover, as the premier region of the realm, the court would not permit sustained decline; it was certain to guarantee a flourishing appearance.

On the broad thoroughfares, traffic flowed like a ceaseless stream; lush roadside trees radiated vibrant vitality. Masts and sails stood in dense ranks upon the Yi and Luo rivers, while crowds surged through the streets and markets with endless clamor. Seasonal fruits and goods poured into the markets in an unbroken supply, and wine shops, tea houses, brothels, and painting studios were all thronged with patrons.

Since Luoyang's restoration and the court's westward relocation, the Western Capital's prosperity had grown greater with each passing year, and its imperial aura had overshadowed that of previous days. In the words of some officials in the Astronomical Bureau, it was a convergence of popular vitality and the flourishing of the kingly way.

However, compared to the Eastern Capital, Kaifeng, Emperor Liu always felt something was lacking—when it came to prosperity, Kaifeng still reigned supreme! Of course, Emperor Liu chalked it up to his own psychological bias; Kaifeng's rise seemed to be the tide of the times, as if heaven and earth conspired in its favor. Emperor Liu's westward move, by contrast, had been swimming against the current.

Compared to Luoyang, Kaifeng had a thousand and ten thousand virtues, but one—its lack of natural defensive terrain—and another—the constant threat of Yellow River floods—were enough to give one pause. Of course, the matter of relocating the capital was already settled reality; Emperor Liu merely felt a lingering nostalgia whenever he thought of Kaifeng.

After all, he had spent so many years in Kaifeng. His diligent governance and unification of the realm had all begun there. Jinyang was the dragon-rising land of the Great Han, but Kaifeng was where Emperor Liu had risen to prominence.

Setting aside personal sentiment, Emperor Liu was quite satisfied with present-day Luoyang. It sat at the center of the realm, connected in all directions, with secure strategic advantages, while also covering the western frontier.

With spring light resplendent and sunshine radiant, Emperor Liu traveled lightly with a modest retinue, roaming freely through the imperial capital. Nearly two months had passed since Emperor Liu last left the palace. As he grew older, he had become increasingly able to sit still and endure solitude—in the Qianyou era, he had spent nearly half his time outside the palace walls, unwilling to be confined by those solemn, majestic, and magnificent palaces and courts.

As the imperial capital, Luoyang never lacked for topics of discussion. Even setting aside universal political debate, even the common street folk could hold forth on matters of state and livelihood—even if their views were shallow and one-sided, or outright nonsense, they took delight in it all the same.

Of course, factional struggles and grand military policies were ultimately too distant from the common people. Unless they felt the effects directly, most people would not care what new policies or measures the court had introduced.

Lately, for the people of Luoyang, the most eye-catching thing was but one matter—or rather, one person. They had welcomed a new Governor, a new parent-official: Zhao Kuangyi.

If the Great Han had a trending list these days, then within the Western Capital, the newly appointed Governor of Luoyang, Zhao Kuangyi, would absolutely be a daily trending topic, making the charts every single day.

Though Zhao Kuangyi had been in office for less than twenty days, he had already accomplished several things that caused a sensation throughout the court and the realm. A new broom sweeps clean—after assuming his post, Zhao Kuangyi held back for only three days before burning bright and fierce, scorching some people until they cried out in misery.

Zhao Kuangyi could be considered to have achieved success at a young age, but what belied his years was his seasoned style of handling affairs and mature political acumen. Before even taking office, he had secretly mapped out the entire situation of the Luoyang prefectural government from top to bottom—this was no difficult task for the Zhao family.

The interpersonal relations within the government offices, including the connections behind the subordinate clerks, were all clear in his mind. Who could be used, who was worth winning over, who could be offended, who needed to be struck down—all of it had been planned in advance. The three days of restraint were merely for taking over and familiarizing himself; once the threads were sorted, he began governing and handling affairs according to his plan.

Within a few days, he had investigated and dealt with more than twenty officials and clerks of various ranks under the Luoyang prefectural government. These officials were either guilty of wrongdoing, dereliction of duty, or misconduct—in short, Zhao Kuangyi handled each case with solid evidence, and no amount of wining and dining or pleading on their behalf would sway him.

But even so, Zhao Kuangyi's methods drew considerable criticism. In particular, some elder ministers at court directly slapped the label of "young and impetuous, arrogant and overbearing" onto Zhao Kuangyi.

How could anyone conduct affairs like this? The moment power was in hand, he issued orders; no sooner had he taken office than he struck at dissenters and promoted his cronies, acting arbitrarily and autocratically. Wasn't this just throwing governance into chaos?

The Luoyang prefectural government was the capital's administration, governing one city, over ten counties, and more than a million people. Its responsibilities were weighty, and all eyes were upon it. What was needed was stability and peace. Zhao Kuangyi's approach had thrown the entire government into panic, with everyone feeling endangered. If the prefectural government fell into chaos, how could the officials and people of Luoyang remain secure...

Similar criticisms, though not yet rising to the level of outright denunciation, still reached Emperor Liu's ears. Those who spoke were either pure-stream critics discussing governance or those whose faces Zhao Kuangyi had slapped.

But Zhao Kuangyi faced these criticisms with fearless composure, continuing to do as he pleased, unmoved by the clamor. The stir was considerable, yet upon careful examination of Zhao Kuangyi's actions, those he dealt with were all low-ranking officials and minor clerks with shallow foundations. Not a single one with real background or backing was touched—instead, he did his utmost to befriend and win them over.

The so-called panic throughout the Luoyang government was directed only at those with guilty consciences and no one to rely on. And the vast Luoyang prefectural government was not so easily thrown into chaos; its operations remained stable throughout. The only difference was that a new big leader had come to power, and under the banner of purifying officialdom, he had cleared out some vermin and established his authority.

As for the remarks criticizing his methods, Zhao Kuangyi sneered at them, even justifying them with fine words: bearing the heavy responsibility of governing a million people of the Western Capital, he could not permit favoritism. He said he had taken this post of Governor precisely to offend people, and he was not afraid of offending them. If Luoyang could be governed well, he feared neither praise nor blame...

How high-sounding, how grand and upright the persona he projected! This was Zhao Kuangyi—when it came to courting reputation, he was truly a master. And if he were merely striking at dissenters to establish authority, then Zhao Kuangyi could hardly escape the suspicion of being tyrannical and domineering.

More importantly, he genuinely displayed his practical talent. What the people of the Eastern Capital most relished discussing was Zhao Kuangyi's reassertion and strict enforcement of the complaint-drum system. He publicly proclaimed that within the jurisdiction of Luoyang prefecture, any citizen with grievances, urgent cases, or suggestions—regardless of the matter's size or the hour of day or night—could strike the drum to be heard, and he would personally receive them and resolve their troubles.

Zhao Kuangyi said what he meant and did what he said. Within half a month, he had received more than two hundred citizens and handled their matters with remarkable efficiency and thoroughness. Even those who might have been suspected of stirring up trouble or harassing officials were treated with equanimity.

In the past, the Luoyang prefectural government rarely held open court sessions except for major or important cases; ordinary matters were handled by subordinate Administrative Assistants and other staff. Zhao Kuangyi was different—he personally attended to matters great and small, and threw the government doors wide open, conducting affairs in broad daylight for all to observe. Handling over ten cases in open court within a single day was routine for him.

And before the government offices, crowds of onlookers began gathering daily, coming in an endless stream. Some said this disturbed the peace of the yamen and was detrimental to official work, but Zhao Kuangyi firmly declared that governance meant enforcing the law impartially, and there was nothing that could not be seen—no need for concealment. As long as the people did not trespass or disrupt order, they were free to watch.

Zhao Kuangyi had attracted so much attention and earned such a great reputation during this period that Emperor Liu, upon leaving the palace, naturally carried a measure of curiosity to see for himself.

Inside and outside the yamen, over ten yamen runners stood at solemn attention, maintaining order. Facing the gathered onlookers, they did not exactly wear smiles, but they had set aside the brutish arrogance they had once displayed.

And Zhao Kuangyi, clad in his official robe, conducted cases in open court like a star, drawing everyone's attention. With another crack of the gavel, shortly afterward an old farmer walked out, wearing an expression of a thousand thanks and ten thousand gratitudes. Two runners followed him, and after exiting the yamen, they passed through the crowd and departed directly.

A burst of discussion inevitably erupted among the onlookers. They were too far away for the words to be heard clearly, but they were all praises of Zhao Kuangyi—diligent in governance, loving the people, and the like.

Emperor Liu sent Zhang Dejun, who was accompanying the imperial carriage, to investigate. He quickly returned to the carriage and reported: "Your Majesty, a farmer from Kaifeng had lost an ox and came to the yamen to file a complaint. Governor Zhao personally received and questioned him, and arranged for runners to investigate. The people all praise his closeness to the common folk..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu could not help shaking his head and said: "This Governor Zhao Kuangyi—when someone loses an ox, he has to personally handle the complaint. Does he spend his days on such trifling matters?"

At this, Zhang Dejun reported: "Your Majesty, since Governor Zhao took office, he has risen early and retired late, personally attending to everything regardless of size, never once slackening. The response among the people has been excellent, with much praise!"

"Everyone says this man is shrewd and capable, but isn't being an official like this exhausting?" Emperor Liu smiled with amusement and shook his head.

Riding in the same carriage as Emperor Liu was Prince Yong, Liu Chenghsun, who seemed to hold some favorable opinion of Zhao Kuangyi. He responded: "Governor Zhao has only just taken office; he naturally needs to show results. Since he has made his promises, he must fulfill them—otherwise, wouldn't he be courting fame falsely? To have such an energetic, tireless capable official is also a blessing for the court!"