Chapter 1522: Wanting It Both Ways

A gentle breeze caressed the land, the green grass spread like a mist, and the area around Mount Tai had been painted anew by the rich colors of spring. Even with the full efforts of Yanzhou Prefecture and enormous investment, the newly built town could hardly bear the burden of receiving over a hundred thousand people—even reduced to a tenth, it would still be too much.

Therefore, surrounding the brand-new, tidy little town, camps spread out like cut blocks of tofu, with a great number of tents and sheds erected among them—complex in layout, yet orderly in arrangement.

Of course, apart from the imperial retinue, the tens of thousands of scholars, commoners, artisans, and merchants who had gathered of their own accord received no care in clothing, food, lodging, or transport. Many had brought their own dried rations and camped out in the open at the foot of Mount Tai, braving wind and dew.

On both sides of the imperial road that ran straight toward Mount Tai, stalwart and imposing imperial guards stood neatly at attention to the left of the road, each with a waist saber at their side, like sculptures, eyes fixed straight ahead.

On the imperial road, palace attendants holding brooms carefully swept away fallen leaves and dust, performing the road-cleaning work before the great ceremony. Accompanied by several ministers, Emperor Liu and Empress Fu strolled along it, observing the surroundings.

Zhang Qixian was permitted to attend the emperor, ready to answer any questions. However, Emperor Liu rarely asked anything, remaining silent throughout, using his own eyes to personally gather all kinds of information and observations.

This left Zhang Qixian feeling rather uneasy. For his work in Yanzhou, he had received high praise from Chancellor Zhao Pu, yet judging by the emperor's demeanor, there seemed to be little goodwill—which made Zhang Qixian wonder whether there was still something he had failed to do properly.

Fortunately, Prince Qin, Liu Xu, was nearby and conversed with him in a friendly manner, occasionally asking about details of the preparations, which somewhat set his mind at ease.

The imperial road was not long—only a little over thirty li, two zhang wide, ample for the imperial carriage to pass, smoothly paved all the way to the entrance of the Mount Tai road. Walking on it gave one a solid, firm feeling; the leveling was excellently controlled, with almost no undulation.

Along the roadside, besides the neatly arranged locust, willow, catalpa, and paulownia trees tinged with green, stretching out to both sides were large tracts of newly reclaimed farmland, crisscrossed with paths and ridges, rich in layering.

Not only had the land been reclaimed, but it had all been planted with wheat. It was already late spring, and the dense stands of wheat had dyed the earth a deep ink-green. The crops looked to be growing well, and under the spring breeze, waves rippled across the fields. Gazing out at the sight, one could not help but feel relaxed and joyful.

Perhaps it was only this touch of green that allowed Emperor Liu's mood to ease somewhat. He summoned Zhang Qixian, pointed at the wheat fields to the left of the road, and asked, "Arranging these wheat fields must have taken considerable thought!"

"To answer Your Majesty, these areas were originally wasteland. Although Yanzhou's manpower is not abundant, there are still commoners skilled in reclamation. The government offices provided the money, seedlings, plow oxen, and farm tools, and hired over a thousand farmers to open up the fields along the imperial road. They only need to tend the crops according to the government's requirements..." Zhang Qixian replied.

"You have painted quite a grand picture on this land of Mount Tai!" Emperor Liu glanced at Zhang Qixian and said, "But compared to the imperial road beneath our feet, compared to those altars, what pleases me most are these farmlands, these thriving wheat crops! Agriculture is the foundation of the state, and food is the heaven of the people—this must always be remembered!"

"Yes!" Zhang Qixian hurriedly responded, finally receiving positive recognition from Emperor Liu.

"To whom do these farmlands belong?" Emperor Liu thought of something and asked.

Zhang Qixian said, "Your ministers believed they should be assigned to the Court of the Imperial Treasury!"

Clearly, Yanzhou Prefecture had considered the special significance of these lands. Emperor Liu, however, obviously did not care about such matters. He furrowed his brow and gave a direct instruction: "No need. Must the Court of the Imperial Treasury divert its energy to manage these few plots of land?

I have looked into the surrounding environment—nestled against mountains and waters, with fertile fields on all sides, it should be developed properly. These fields should be given to the common people to farm!"

"Yes!"

"I have also heard that Yanzhou Prefecture has ordered that officials and commoners alike are forbidden to pass through?" Emperor Liu raised another matter.

"That is indeed the case!" Unable to gauge Emperor Liu's intentions, Zhang Qixian answered with great caution.

"I understand your thinking!" Emperor Liu paid no heed to his unease and said directly, "This will likely be my only visit to Mount Tai. After the great ceremony, lift the restriction. Roads are built for people to walk on after all—if they can benefit the local people, that would be best!"

"Your Majesty's love for the people fills me with boundless admiration!" Zhang Qixian's words came readily.

"Enough!" Emperor Liu waved his hand, paused to think for a moment, then said, "The Fengshan altar is to the east, isn't it? Let's go take a look!"

"Yes!" Zhang Qixian hurriedly arranged for people to clear the way and lead.

"The great ceremony is imminent, yet you seem to be in low spirits?" Inside the imperial carriage, Empress Fu looked at Emperor Liu's brow, which had remained difficult to relax, and asked softly.

"You noticed?" Emperor Liu looked up at her.

Empress Fu nodded and said calmly, "It's not just me—perhaps only a few people failed to notice! The ministers below are surely anxious as well. Look at that Zhang Qixian—he's probably fretting with self-doubt right now!"

"Heh!" Hearing this, Emperor Liu let out a derisive laugh and said, "As long as he's not greedy, not corrupt, not negligent, and does his own duty well, what does he have to be nervous about!"

These words were spoken with the ease of someone who had never stood in the other's shoes. After a moment of deliberation, Emperor Liu sighed, "One Fengshan ceremony, and the scale has been blown up too grand! It exhausts the people and wastes resources!"

Hearing Emperor Liu say this, Empress Fu thought to herself that she had guessed right, looking at the somewhat disgruntled Emperor Liu. In her heart, she knew well that Emperor Liu had fallen into his old habit of wanting to have it both ways again.

After pondering for a moment, Empress Fu said, "The Fengshan ceremony is not just your affair—it is also a great matter of the court. In this lifetime, there will likely be only this one occasion. Holding it with greater pomp is hardly blameworthy. What your ministers are thinking, perhaps, is to make the ceremony as perfect as possible, so as not to leave any regrets..."

"Let's take it as such!" Emperor Liu thought it over again and smiled at Empress Fu.

When the Son of Heaven smiled, the spring light enveloping Mount Tai seemed to shine even more brilliantly. Emperor Liu's mood did appear to have improved somewhat—at least the gloom on his face had dissipated considerably. Perhaps he simply needed a reason, an excuse, preferably spoken by someone else's mouth—and there was no one more suitable to offer comforting words than the Empress.

At Daiyue Town, at the Crown Prince's residence, Liu Yang frowned slightly as he looked at the elderly man in brocade robes with white-streaked temples seated below. This man was Song Xiong, the Administration Commissioner of Liaodong. For the Fengshan ceremony, the old minister, heedless of his advanced age, had traveled a thousand li to Mount Tai to observe the rites. Given his status, he was naturally qualified to attend.

In fact, there were quite a few major military and civil officials like him. Of course, those who arrived at the field headquarters were primarily received by the Crown Prince Liu Yang and Chancellor Zhao Pu.

As for Emperor Liu, he selectively received some people. Naturally, these men had not merely come to observe the ceremony—local administrative affairs, the current situations and difficulties they faced, and other political matters all needed to be communicated directly with the central government on this occasion.

Song Xiong had achieved some results during his years in Liaodong. For a place where everything was in ruins awaiting reconstruction, achievements were also relatively easy to make.

After several years of governance, Liaodong had already been rebuilt from the ruins of war. Though in various aspects it might still be far from the level it had enjoyed under Liao's rule, the overall environment—both politically and in terms of people's livelihoods—was developing steadily toward stability.

Especially in agricultural matters, the results were remarkable. On the Liao River plain, production and cultivation had been fully restored. In Song Xiong's words, starting from this year, Liaodong would basically no longer need the court's support in grain. Of course, there was one precondition—the grain and pay for the Liaodong garrison troops were calculated separately.

And Song Xiong's audience with Liu Yang, besides reporting on Liaodong's political conditions and people's livelihoods, was primarily to bring news concerning the stability of the northeast.

"In your view, Lord Song, are the Jurchen and the Shiwei people truly about to go to war?" Liu Yang said.

Song Xiong stroked his aged beard and said, "Military intelligence will be reported by Patrol Inspector Ma himself. This old minister can only make some conjectures based on the signs already revealed by the Wanyan tribe. According to investigation, since the beginning of spring this year, the Wanyan tribe has been purchasing large quantities of grain, medicine, shoes, and clothing from the Liaodong trade markets—roughly estimated, enough to supply five thousand troops for half a year. Given the Jurchen's circumstances, they might even be able to sustain consumption for longer..."

"In light of this, this old minister has already ordered restrictions on trade with the Jurchen at the border markets!" Song Xiong said.

"Why?" Liu Yang asked in return.

Song Xiong was somewhat taken aback: "This old minister believed that stabilizing the Liaodong situation should take priority at present. The Wanyan tribe's desire to stir up trouble and go to war with the Shiwei is truly detrimental to Liaodong's stability. Therefore, this old minister thought it appropriate to impose certain restrictions on the Wanyan tribe! Moreover, at this time, His Majesty's Fengshan ceremony is underway..."

Liu Yang abruptly cut off Song Xiong, saying, "Lord Song should know that the territory of the Tieli Prefecture was explicitly granted to the Wanyan tribe by the court in writing, and they were permitted to take it as they saw fit."

"This old minister understands!" Song Xiong was silent for a moment, then said solemnly, "However, I believe that regarding the conflicts among the various tribes in the northeast, the court should primarily focus on mediation and appeasement. Sitting idly by while they descend into chaos and attack one another does no good for the overall situation in the northeast, will affect Liaodong's tranquility, and will also impact the court's control over the northeast..."