Chapter 2039: The Final Journey 7

The Jiangling affair clearly did not end with that public execution; even the smuggling and corruption cases alone had considerable follow-up. First was the recovery of illicit funds — so many offending civil and military officials, relying on the golden waterway, for as little as several years or as long as a dozen or more, exactly how much wealth they had embezzled, extorted, and plundered was hard to clarify without a thorough investigation and accounting.

For this matter, the old Emperor appointed Liu Wenji, having him lead men to search and seize. The first household raided was Fu Zhaoshou's mansion; as for the rest, one by one, almost none had any chance of escape.

This was truly a massive project — merely searching and sorting out the family properties of those hundred-plus bureaucrats and military officers was no small task. In fact, by the time the imperial carriage set forth and the old Emperor continued his southern inspection tour, not even half of the offending officials had been searched. Liu Wenji was left behind in Jiangling to see the matter through to completion. Of course, relying solely on Liu Wenji was unrealistic, so the old Emperor also left Censor Zhang Zhibai behind to assist.

Public execution and confiscation of family property were not all. The direct relatives of those hundred-plus offending officials and generals were all exiled, packed up entirely, and sent to Anxi. Liu Min was in the midst of a grand "reform," carried out with great fanfare, and was short on manpower. The old Emperor saw clearly: these people were scourges at home, but once in Anxi, they would be talents. With their "professional competence," they suited Liu Min's "camp" system perfectly.

Such handling was already the result of the old Emperor's restraint. By his original intention, he would have exiled all three clans, but in the end he relented. Fan Zhigu interceded on their behalf, and the old Emperor granted him that face.

Even so, after this, the political landscape of the Jinghu North Circuit changed drastically. Once-prominent great clans toppled and fell, turning to dust. Especially the Wei family — though not uprooted entirely, with Wei Zhong, the main trunk, fallen, the remaining minor branches, even if they retained some influence, faded into obscurity, and would likely gradually decline and sink, disappearing completely from Hubei's upper strata. Even "when the wall falls, everyone pushes" alone would be enough for the Wei descendants to endure.

Conversely, the direct line of the Wei family exiled to Anxi might actually have greater opportunity — as long as they were willing to work hard, there might yet come a day in Anxi when the family would revive.

And this was only those hundred-plus offending officials. Those previously taken down numbered in the hundreds. The difference in their handling was only that their lives were spared; the package of confiscated property and exile of the entire family was not waived. Of course, for the exile of these people, the old Emperor was this time impartial — Anxi, Andong, Linyi (New Chu), and even the South Seas all received their share; all were driven "overseas."

So many dead, so many demoted, so many positions vacated — the naval system aside, from the Jiangling prefectural office to the provincial administration commission, there was no shortage of important posts. That the Hubei officialdom would be set astir was entirely foreseeable.

In officialdom, it was always one radish per hole. In normal times, with so many positions undergoing transfer and change, a full round could take several years or even a decade without surprise.

But with the old Emperor's actions, while the Hubei bureaucracy was shaken with awe, for many it could also be called a godsend — such an opportunity was rarely seen in decades.

So many vacancies had to be filled. Officials great and small, including those who ordinarily only hoped to grind out seniority, could hardly remain unmoved. Some proactive individuals, even while the old Emperor was still in Jiangling, could not resist starting to "work the connections" up and down.

As for filling these vacancies, though the old Emperor harbored some misgivings, after deliberation he still handed it to Fan Zhigu — the Jinghu North Circuit provincial administration commission would draft the list of names and submit it to the Ministry of Personnel for approval.

This was naturally a show of support for Fan Zhigu. These vacated positions were important leverage for Fan Zhigu to thoroughly grasp the overall situation in Hubei. As for how Fan Zhigu would use them, the old Emperor had no mind to manage — he only hoped Fan Zhigu would not disappoint his expectations.

Liu Wenji was assigned to search and seize illicit wealth, so the old Emperor naturally would not treat his imperial grandsons unequally. Liu Wenhuan was simultaneously entrusted with important missions, mainly two tasks. First, the Hubei naval forces, having suffered this ordeal, were demoralized and combat-ineffective — such a state clearly could not be tolerated long-term and required immediate reorganization to swiftly restore order. The old Emperor handed the naval reorganization to Liu Wenhuan, with Commander Huyan Zan of the Inner Palace Army assisting, of course.

The other matter was "sweeping away vice and eliminating evil." On the prosperous shell of Jiangling Prefecture parasitized countless leeches, active at the bottom of society, appearing in dark corners and shadows, ceaselessly devouring the flesh and blood of the common people while also undermining the court's rule.

Therefore, aiming to eliminate the vicious and restore public security, the murky air beneath Jiangling Prefecture's prosperous facade had to be clarified anew. Of course, no matter how vicious the claws, they were only claws — without the protection of the powerful, they were not worth mentioning. So when the sweep concluded, it still came down to a problem of governing corruption and opposing graft. And the largest umbrella over Jiangling Prefecture had already snapped, which reduced no small amount of resistance for Liu Wenhuan.

The old Emperor made no great show over giving his two imperial grandsons these tasks, but to those with discerning eyes, it was a special and obvious political signal — clearly he was testing the two imperial grandsons.

And indeed it was so. Far away in Jiangling, with none of the Eastern Palace's retainers or assistant officials present, Liu Wenji had only two attendants at his side. Though the old Emperor had provided Zhang Zhibai and Huyan Zan to assist, he had given prior instructions that they were only to provide a safety net — in handling matters, they were to largely let the two imperial grandsons exercise free rein, with the focus of observation being their personal qualities.

At this, many far-sighted people could not help but sigh — it seemed the choice of the next-generation ruler lay between these two imperial grandsons. Yet once this thought arose, it invited even more doubts.

If the imperial will favored the two imperial grandsons, then how to explain the Eastern Palace's legitimate son? He was the legitimate imperial grandson; ritual propriety could not be abolished. Even if a Grand Imperial Heir were enfeoffed, given the current political climate, not many would oppose it — at least none would dare oppose it openly.

At the same time, although Imperial Grandson Wenji was the Crown Prince's own son, the Khitan blood flowing in his veins had to be considered. Though the Great Han's customs were not so particular about such matters, everything feared comparison — Liu Wenhuan, in contrast, was of the purest pedigree, far more acceptable to people.

Moreover, the Khitan still existed in Mobei. If Wenji were to inherit, would that not give the foreign barbarians an opportunity to covet the Central Plains? Such a grave political risk, even His Majesty the Emperor would not dare take! But the Emperor was ultimately old now...

As for those who troubled themselves over nothing and worried about the sky falling, the old Emperor paid them no mind at all. He cared about what he cared about — placing the two imperial grandsons in Jiangling, assigning them tasks, and then quietly observing was all.

The matter of the next-generation successor was far off — after all, even the Crown Prince had not yet ascended — but at the same time it was near, for once the old Emperor died, who inherited the title would become a great affair of state.

Therefore, how could the old Emperor not ponder it? Only, this matter was far more difficult for him than when he had established Liu Yang as Crown Prince back then. Setting aside questions of legitimacy, how could that child in Luoyang, not yet five years old, be favored over these two imperial grandsons he had practically watched grow up?

The old Emperor naturally could not wait for the Jiangling affair to conclude before departing. His southern inspection was not only for the Jinghu North Circuit — the Emperor's grace and authority were to be spread across the entire southern realm. How could the officials and people of one Hubei circuit enjoy "exclusive favor"? Thus, after ten days in Jiangling, the old Emperor issued an edict and continued his southern journey.

Before the carriage departed, the old Emperor issued another edict, this time to the Jiangnan and Jiangxi circuits, with clear intent: both circuits' military command offices were to reorganize their respective naval forces.

The ills of the Hubei naval forces were likely present in the entire southern navy; Hubei's malady was probably not an isolated case in the southern realm. The old Emperor's edict was naturally a warning — if the Jiangling affair served as a lesson before them and they still did not rein in and correct themselves, then when the imperial carriage arrived and another fierce storm was stirred up, it would pose not the slightest difficulty for the old Emperor!

Departing from Jiangling and heading south, the route taken was the same as when Duke Wei, Murong Yanzhao, had pacified Chu nearly forty years ago — his memories of it were somewhat blurred. Back then, the old Emperor had only studied roads, cities, rivers and lakes, and terrain on maps through front-line battle reports. Now, walking the path himself counted as a journey of reminiscence, of no small significance.

Following the river south, then turning east, heading for Yuezhou. Yuezhou was the third-ranked upper prefecture of the Jinghu North Circuit, with a population numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Though the phrase was worn from use, this was truly a land of fish and rice, a place of natural abundance — especially over the past few decades, developing at tremendous speed. The bounty of Dongting's waters was enough to nourish the people for a thousand generations.

Upon reaching Yuezhou, he took in the Dongting scenery, sampled the fish, shrimp, and crabs, and savored the lakes and mountains. Though the autumn wind was cool, it possessed a charm of its own. Of course, the Yueyang Tower was a must-visit. Though it had not yet gained nationwide fame from that celebrated essay by Lord Fan Wenzheng, the grandeur within the tower and the scenery without were in no way inferior to the Yellow Crane Tower.

The Great Han's Yueyang Tower had also been newly rebuilt, not recently — it was reconstructed under the leadership of Qin Zaixiong, Marquis of Hongjiang, when he was stationed at Baling in earlier years, counting as one of the landmarks of the flourishing age.

Only, back then not just the tower was built — the dikes and canals were repaired along with it, integrating them into one whole, serving both as scenery and benefiting the common people. Qin Zaixiong, Marquis of Hongjiang, had genuinely accomplished no small number of achievements in the current dynasty of the Great Han. Coming from Yao origins to reach this point was truly rare.

Therefore, after ascending the Yueyang Tower, the old Emperor naturally thought of this old Yao barbarian and immediately sent men to summon him for a personal audience. Qin Zaixiong was already past seventy, and though still vigorous in spirit, he had withdrawn from military and political affairs, retired from office, and returned home to his native place.

However, though he no longer held official commissions, that did not mean he had completely retired. Qin Zaixiong's influence in the two Hu circuits spanned both Han and barbarian alike. In recent years, in Chenzhou, Qin Zaixiong had built bridges, repaired roads, dug canals, dredged waterways, promoted education, and advanced sinicization — one item after another, his figure was behind them all. And inevitably, Chenzhou had gradually become the Qin clan's "independent kingdom."

When the Emperor summoned him, Qin Zaixiong, who "happened" to be touring Dongting, swiftly came for an audience. At such a "coincidence," the old Emperor merely smiled it off. As for Qin Zaixiong himself, the old Emperor's attitude remained mild.

The old Emperor had said long ago: if all the barbarians under heaven were like the Marquis of Hongjiang, then China would have no more worries of barbarians. Of course, in all the world, there was only this one Qin Zaixiong.

Inevitably, the conversation touched upon Qin Zaixiong's influence in the two Hu circuits and pointed at his control over Chenzhou. Qin Zaixiong's political awareness was hardly weak — he listened with a pounding heart and trembling fear. Fortunately, the old Emperor only touched upon it lightly, and in the end even encouraged him to continue his efforts, to assist the authorities, ensure Chenzhou's stable and orderly development, dissolve Han-barbarian conflicts, and benefit the local people.

For these words of encouragement, Qin Zaixiong naturally expressed a thousand thanks and ten thousand gratitudes, weeping with gratitude — while inwardly pondering that he should still restrain himself somewhat going forward. Though his word was law in Chenzhou, he truly could not withstand a single light sentence from the Son of Heaven.

Yuezhou was indeed prosperous and populous, but not worth the old Emperor lingering overlong — after only five days, he set forth again. However, the day before departure, the old Emperor personally ascended the western gate tower of Baling, having heard that Zhou Xingfeng had died in battle there back then.

The old Emperor went up on the city wall, paid his respects, and even specially offered incense for someone. Of course, a mere Zhou Xingfeng could not bear a bow from the old Emperor — back then he had been but a military governor who had entrenched himself against the imperial army. What the old Emperor bowed to was merely that period of rugged, glorious years.

From Yuezhou to Changsha Prefecture, he still traveled by boat, which stirred considerable emotion in the old Emperor — in less than two months since heading south, he had ridden boats more than he had in sixty years.

From Baling, out of the Yangtze, across Dongting, and up the Xiang River southward — a journey of over two hundred li by water brought him to Changsha. With Dongting as the boundary dividing Jinghu north and south, yet separated by only one lake, the two circuits presented vastly different local customs.

The reason perhaps lay in the complexity of Hunan's population composition, which included a large number of immigrant populations. After the pacification of Chu back then, the Hunan region was utterly desolate, scarred everywhere, with population sharply reduced — statistics showed fewer than one million people.

Thereafter came a decade-and-more of development and revival for the Jinghu South Circuit, and population policy was the most fundamental among them. In the early years, officials of the Jinghu South Circuit, from the circuit office down, were all actively seeking change — encouraging childbirth internally, and externally recruiting on a grand scale. Refugees, displaced persons, barbarian peoples, alien peoples, even mountain bandits and robbers — as long as they were human, they were accepted according to regulations, no matter their origin.

Developed to the present day, it could be said that over half of Hunan's population came from other circuits and prefectures. This had created Hunan's multicultural, complex social conditions — and the most conspicuous manifestation was, of course, Changsha city.

Over the past nearly forty years, Hunan, which had suffered repeated warfare, had developed from a state of utter poverty. From Bian Guidang and Zan Jurun, to Zhao Kuangyi and Li Fang, and then to the current Guo Xin — merely from the appointments, one could see the court's emphasis on Hunan.

At the same time, the Jinghu South Circuit was also the beginning of the court's vigorous development of the Huguang region. Decades later, it had become the most conspicuous marker of all, with remarkable achievements.

With a developed economy, abundant population, and thriving culture, as early as ten years ago there was the description "when Huguang ripens, the world is fed." Though it might smack of exaggeration, it still demonstrated the development of the two Hu circuits.

By comparison, Hunan's journey to its present state was more difficult, for its foundation had been weaker — and the Great Han's Jinghu South Circuit could truly be called the most thoroughly developed in all of history.