Chapter 1513: The Difficult Fengshan Sacrifices

In the end, the appointment of the Prefectural Administrator of Puzhou was settled smoothly. With Zhao Pu's support, it was clearly not going to be a major problem. It was just like Zhao Pu—one day he raised the matter, and the next day it was settled. Of course, there was also the fact that the Puzhou post had been left vacant and needed to be filled anyway.

Pan You got what he wanted and didn't worry about much else. He cheerfully took his official credentials and rode east to assume his post in Puzhou, giving the distinct impression of someone freed from constraints. Of course, perhaps others were also glad to see him go.

The Secretariat Drafters were allotted four positions. With Pan You's departure, a slot immediately opened up. Zhao Pu lost one wing that could draw fire, and at the same time, the overall aesthetic level of the court could recover somewhat.

Before his departure, Emperor Liu still granted Pan You a private audience. Although this man had too many qualities that displeased Emperor Liu, setting aside some prejudice, one could find that Pan You was not as detestable as his appearance suggested.

Of course, Emperor Liu only made some perfunctory remarks, expressing his expectations for Pan You and his concern for the officials and people of Puzhou. Pan You, for his part, put on a look of gratitude for imperial grace, and right there in the hall made a military pledge, declaring that if Puzhou were not greatly governed within three years, he would voluntarily resign in favor of the worthy and submit himself to imprisonment and prosecution.

His words were vehement, leaving no room for himself, which matched his character. That resolute display nearly made Emperor Liu laugh.

What Pan You did not know was that Zhao Pu had already reported the Puzhou appointment to Emperor Liu in advance, and only after obtaining Emperor Liu's approval was the decree issued. Even for a mere Prefectural Administrator post, Zhao Pu was considerate enough to first seek Emperor Liu's instruction.

Emperor Liu had asked: "He can handle drafting edicts and proclamations, but can Pan You bear the civil governance of a whole prefecture?" Clearly, Emperor Liu still harbored doubts about Pan You's actual governing ability. After all, those who can speak eloquently and debate current affairs may not necessarily be strong in practical administrative matters.

Emperor Liu sometimes could not escape the influence of fixed impressions. In his view, perhaps this Pan You was only suited for idle theorizing. However, Zhao Pu's face had to be respected, and so Pan You's appointment to Puzhou proceeded without any real obstruction.

Emperor Liu's days in Kaifeng ultimately became ones of comfortable leisure. Of course, he did not confine himself within the palace walls of the Eastern Capital. He enjoyed going out, roaming the Eastern Capital, taking in all its splendor—though he used the pretext of "observing the people's condition," the essence of pleasure-seeking was not concealed.

The goal of having Zhao Pu accompany the imperial carriage to relax and unwind was not achieved either. Along the way, aside from attending the emperor during the journey, Zhao Pu was basically immersed in various affairs. After arriving in Kaifeng, he spent most of his time in Guangzheng Hall.

Emperor Liu did not insist, and Zhao Pu was content with his diligence. The sovereign and minister each tended to their own matters, and they complemented each other well. It must be said that having a chancellor like Zhao Pu to help handle state affairs was very favorable for the emperor—at least it freed him from the burden of tedious routine matters.

The former Emperor Liu had certainly been a model of diligence in governance, but after all these years, if he were asked to return to that level of work intensity, he probably could not last even half a month.

Zhao Pu was essentially shouldering the unnecessary heaviness and burden on Emperor Liu's behalf, but he took pleasure in it—this was the embodiment of a chancellor's value.

Zhao Pu's ability was beyond doubt. No matter how tedious the matter, it could hardly disturb his mind; no matter how heavy the responsibility, it could hardly crush him; no matter how difficult the problem, he could always propose a solution.

Give him sufficient trust and a stage, and he could return to Emperor Liu a world at peace. Though this smacks somewhat of flattery, in Emperor Liu's personal view, among all the successive chancellors, Zhao Pu was the one who suited his wishes best.

Of course, this did not mean the other chancellors were inferior to Zhao Pu. It was simply a matter of circumstance—the national situation, the state of affairs, and even Emperor Liu himself were all changing. And while Zhao Pu was not a perfect man, with him in charge of governance, Emperor Liu truly had far less to worry about.

However, even the unflappable Chancellor Zhao eventually encountered difficulties, and there were always matters that gave him pause and hesitation.

On the broad official desk were piled memorials and documents, one of which bore obvious signs of repeated reading, spread open quietly. Zhao Pu leaned against the edge of the desk, slightly lost in thought.

The memorial came from Yanzhou, submitted by Zhang Qixian of the Yanzhou prefectural office, concerning the local disaster relief situation. Of course, if it were merely about the disaster, it would not have caused Zhao Pu to fall into such deep contemplation.

In that great flood that had swept the entire Central Plains, Yanzhou, situated in the heart of Henan, naturally suffered as well. However, compared to the areas along the rivers, Yanzhou's situation was relatively better. What it mainly suffered was rain damage, but the losses were still considerable—in the already concluded summer tax statistics, Yanzhou's field output had still sharply declined.

Moreover, with Zhang Qixian's capable response, up to now, while epidemics were still raging in Chanzhou and Daming Prefecture, Yanzhou's territory remained free of trouble and had already entered the track of recovery and restoration.

What made Zhao Pu hesitate were still those two words: the Fengshan sacrifices.

Originally, the main purpose of sending Zhang Qixian to assume the post in Yanzhou was to prepare the ground for Emperor Liu's Fengshan ceremony. To this end, Zhao Pu had even personally given Zhang Qixian detailed instructions.

According to the original plan, Zhang Qixian would have about a year to make preparations in Yanzhou, and by the spring of the eleventh year of Kaibao, the imperial carriage would tour eastward to Mount Tai.

After arriving in Yanzhou, Zhang Qixian quickly set to work—conscripting labor, opening mountain roads, and building sacrificial altars. Such undertakings that tax the people and waste resources always take time, and Zhang Qixian was not one to seek quick results. Everything proceeded according to plan, in an orderly manner.

However, plans could not keep up with changes. The sudden disaster nearly brought all preparations for the Fengshan sacrifices in Yanzhou to a complete halt.

Even bearing his mission, over the past few months Zhang Qixian's main energy had been spent on disaster relief and protecting the people. Only now, with the situation in the prefecture improving, had the delayed Fengshan preparations been put back on the agenda.

Zhang Qixian's inquiry thus arrived. Though the wording in the memorial was somewhat veiled, the meaning was clear: whether to continue the preparations.

The matter of the Fengshan sacrifices had not been proclaimed to the world. All of this was being prepared in advance by considerate ministers like Zhao Pu who understood the emperor's intentions, based on Emperor Liu's ambiguous attitude.

If there were no unexpected events, they would wait for auspicious omens to emerge across the Great Han, for officials and people both inside and outside to eagerly petition, and for Emperor Liu, amid the support of the multitude, to issue an edict for the Fengshan sacrifices.

But an unexpected event had precisely occurred. In the face of this once-in-twenty-years great calamity, for Emperor Liu to go to Mount Tai, sacrifice to heaven and earth, and inscribe stone monuments to recount his achievements would seem somewhat inopportune.

Zhang Qixian's memorial conveyed two meanings: first, whether the Fengshan plan should proceed as scheduled; second, if it were to continue, then he would request support from the court, as with the prefecture's current state, relying solely on Yanzhou's manpower, wealth, and resources would be far from sufficient.

It was precisely because Zhao Pu discerned this intent that he felt the difficulty. The stakes involved were worth careful consideration. They had discerned the emperor's wishes and thus begun preparations; now that such a setback had occurred, how to proceed next was also worth deliberation.

Sometimes, good things can turn into bad things, and merits can turn into faults—especially when it concerns the emperor's reputation.

After considering repeatedly, Zhao Pu put away the memorial and decided that he should communicate further with Emperor Liu on this matter. Matters of this kind, in this situation, required Emperor Liu to make his imperial intent clear, and no longer remain ambiguous.

And Zhao Pu only hoped that when the matter was raised, Emperor Liu would not pretend to ask "Is there such a thing?"—feigning surprise while already knowing the answer...