Chapter 209: Returning East

The seat of Hezhong Prefecture was called Hedong City.

During the time Liu Chengyou was touring the west, the entire city was tense, with soldiers patrolling and armor never resting. Since he harbored treacherous intentions, Li Shouzhen naturally kept a close watch on the court's movements. He even deeply suspected the purpose of Liu Chengyou's western tour, especially given that he himself had refused to go east to Luoyang for an audience.

In fact, with the guilt of a thief, Li Shouzhen had already prepared to raise troops. Of course, the "preparation" here referred to psychological preparation. Liu Chengyou's establishment of the Tong'an Army at Tong Pass had made him a startled bird, yet he was also hesitant to act for fear of harming the vase.

In the lavishly decorated hall, thick with smoke and gloom, a monk draped in a kasaya sat with eyes tightly shut, muttering incantations as if "channeling power." His countenance was solemn and grave, bearing the air of a great master. After a long while, he slowly opened his bright eyes, which gleamed with the light of wisdom.

This monk was known as "Zonglun," skilled in divination, who came and went from the Military Governor's mansion, treated as an honored guest, and had Li Shouzhen completely spellbound.

"Master, how is it?" Seeing this, Li Shouzhen, who had been waiting at the side, hurried forward to ask.

After deliberating with great poise, Zonglun stroked his beard and, with a kind and benevolent expression, smiled faintly at Li Shouzhen: "Governor, do not worry—there is alarm but no danger!"

Hearing this, Li Shouzhen's expression relaxed, and a relieved smile spread across his face.

As if by coincidence, a trusted aide hurried in to report: "Your Excellency, a letter has arrived from Luoyang!"

Slightly surprised, Li Shouzhen quickly tore it open and read. Soon, he burst into hearty laughter, thoroughly pleased.

At the side, Zonglun, who had been directing his disciples to pack up the ritual implements, stepped forward, offered a Buddhist salute, and said: "It seems good news has come from Luoyang."

Li Shouzhen waved the letter in his hand, his face brimming with smug satisfaction: "The young emperor has left Luoyang and is heading to Kaifeng. I did not obey the summons for an audience, yet not only did he not punish me, he did not even dare to reprimand me—instead, he wants to promote me and ennoble me, and is sending Chancellor Feng Dao in person to Hezhong to proclaim the edict. This is because he fears pushing me into outright rebellion and wants to placate this old man! The court's weakness is thus evident. Once the military governors of the realm learn of this, they will surely hold it in contempt—how can it defend the realm like this?"

"The court must surely be cowed by the might of the Pu Army and in awe of Your Excellency's prestige," Zonglun chimed in from the side.

"Truly as the Master said—Heaven's mandate still favors me!" Li Shouzhen laughed, then added with a mocking tone: "He wants to stabilize me, and I intend to deceive him in turn. Once I have contacted my allies, I will surely teach the young emperor and the court a lesson."

"Your Excellency's great enterprise is within reach."

"I borrow the Master's auspicious words."

"Your Excellency, Judge Zhao requests an audience."

"Xiuji, what do you seek from me?" Seeing Zhao Xiuji come to pay his respects, Li Shouzhen asked boisterously.

Zhao Xiuji's lips were pale, his expression gloomy. He coughed heavily several times, then clasped his hands and said to Li Shouzhen in a frail voice: "Your Excellency, your subordinate has fallen gravely ill. I have come to request resignation."

"Weren't you fine just the other day?" Li Shouzhen was taken aback, only now noticing Zhao Xiuji's complexion.

"The illness came suddenly—an unforeseen calamity beyond your subordinate's anticipation," Zhao Xiuji said bitterly.

"Then there's no need to resign," Li Shouzhen waved his hand and said: "You may set aside your duties for now and recuperate in the mansion. I will summon a good physician to treat you."

"Governor! The physician said what your subordinate has contracted is a malignant disease..." Zhao Xiuji coughed heavily again and said mournfully: "Medicine and stone cannot save it; I fear my days are numbered. A leaf falls to return to its root—your subordinate only wishes to drag this ailing body back to his hometown."

The two words "malignant disease" were spoken with great emphasis. Looking at Zhao Xiuji's condition, Li Shouzhen seemed to think of something, his expression shifting slightly. He waved his hand with some impatience: "Since that is so, I naturally will not obstruct you. Later, I will have money and silk sent to you as travel expenses, in recognition of your past merits."

Zhao Xiuji coughed heavily once more, and with trembling hands bowed in thanks to Li Shouzhen: "Thank you, Your Excellency. Your subordinate takes his leave."

After Zhao Xiuji withdrew, Li Shouzhen immediately left the room in disgust, his face full of ill fortune. He ordered the room cleaned while hurriedly going to bathe.

As for Zhao Xiuji, having obtained Li Shouzhen's consent, he took his family south that very night, leaving in great haste. Only when they reached Fengling Ford did he slow down.

"Husband, why are you in such a hurry?" His wife sat in the carriage, holding their two children, and asked nervously.

It was already dawn, the sky dim, and the sound of the Yellow River could be faintly heard. Zhao Xiuji, who showed none of the sickness he had displayed before Li Shouzhen, saw his wife's worry and reassured her: "I am avoiding disaster ahead of time!"

"The Governor harbors many suspicions toward the court, and his rebellious intent is already strong—he cannot be dissuaded. Yet he wishes to pit the single corner of Hezhong against the vast realm—that is no different from smashing an egg against a stone, courting his own destruction. Calamity is not far off!"

Zhao's wife did not understand such matters and could only nod along: "Then where are we going now?"

"First back to our hometown!" Zhao Xiuji said. He was, after all, a man of Kaifeng.

As they traveled, he could not help but look back. Zhao Xiuji stroked his beard and sighed deeply: "Since the Tianfu era, I have followed Li Shouzhen through several commands, and never did I expect such an outcome. Years of effort—it is also that I failed to judge a man's character..."

With Li Shouzhen's writ, the guards on the north bank of Fengling Ford let them pass without hesitation. After crossing south at this hour, they were directly detained and questioned by the Tong'an Army. When Yang Ye learned of the news, he invited them in. There was no going back to his hometown, so in desperation, Zhao Xiuji had no choice but to temporarily lodge under Yang Ye's command at Tong Pass.

No matter how arrogantly self-important Li Shouzhen was, on Liu Chengyou's side, the road back east was smooth.

On this western tour, he had punished corrupt officials, dealt with wicked clerks, struck at old meritorious families and powerful magnates, rectified unhealthy practices, released land, increased registered households, encouraged production, and pacified the people. Counting carefully, he had indeed accomplished quite a lot.

Moreover, Su Fengji had been imprisoned, Feng Dao had been sent to Hezhong, Shi Hongzhao was guarding the Western Capital—of the three chancellors accompanying him (Shi Hongzhao held the title of Chief Minister), not one had returned to the capital intact.

It seemed that accompanying the emperor on tour was not a favor but rather somewhat inauspicious. One could only wonder whether, if Liu Chengyou toured the provinces again in the future, the chancellors would tremble in their hearts.

The conditions among the common folk in the capital region, after Liu Chengyou's cleanup, had clearly improved. Though far from great governance, at least things had stabilized. What Liu Chengyou wanted was stability—to let the people farm well for him.

When passing by Sishui County, seeing the famous pass that had stood for millennia, Liu Chengyou was moved and issued an order to the Bureau of Military Affairs, directing it to deliberate and dispatch generals to station elite troops of the imperial army there. This, again, could be considered a check on Shi Hongzhao's garrison of the Western Capital. Though Shi Hongzhao was unlikely to cause any major problems—after all, in this era, local rebellions truly did not follow reason—but preparedness prevents calamity. In strategic planning, one must always consider things thoroughly.

Passing through Zhengzhou again, he rested for a night and sent someone to inspect the situation. He was greatly pleased.

The new Defense Commissioner, Jing Fan, had already assumed office, taking charge of military and civil affairs and handling routine matters, all on the right track. Previously, Liu Chengyou had received Jing Fan in Luoyang and personally examined him. As others had described, he was a man of firmness and trustworthiness, past forty, whose edges had been somewhat worn down by the vicissitudes of officialdom in these extraordinary times, yet his speech and bearing still revealed a restrained assertiveness.

His responses before the emperor were perfectly appropriate, displaying an air of competence throughout. When Liu Chengyou consulted him on the governing policy for Zhengzhou, he was already prepared and narrated without hesitation. Summarized, it came down to five phrases: encourage agriculture and sericulture, promote farming and weaving, clarify laws and discipline, establish authority and trust, and stabilize the people's hearts. This was clearly a manifestation of understanding the times and grasping the sovereign's intent.

Though one exchange of no particular depth could not make Liu Chengyou think too highly of Jing Fan, there was at least a favorable impression. After the audience, he dispatched him east to Zhengzhou to take up his post. Upon assuming office, he had toured all the counties under his jurisdiction to understand the situation.

As for the current state of affairs, his administrative ability was evident. He governed by law and reason, distinguishing the loyal from the treacherous, and handled every matter until both officials and commoners were convinced and had no complaints. In truth, given his tough style, whether there were actually any complaints was hard to say—at least on the surface, it appeared so.

Building on Liu Shenjiao's foundation of agricultural governance, Jing Fan continued to deepen the promotion of farming and cultivation. He personally went to the fields several times, inspected rural conditions, and inquired of the farming households. His hands-on approach caused his official reputation to spread throughout Zhengzhou in a short time.

At present, Grain Rain had already arrived, and the spring plowing in Zhengzhou was essentially complete. Due to silted irrigation canals, these past two days Jing Fan had been organizing the limited labor force to dredge several main canals within the prefecture to facilitate irrigation. Some officials in the prefecture opposed this, because undertaking the project would consume not only manpower but also money and grain, and the treasury was empty. But Jing Fan overruled all objections, willing to exhaust the treasury to carry out works benefiting agriculture.

Upon learning of Jing Fan's governance, Liu Chengyou issued an edict summoning him to report the details in person. His heart was greatly comforted, and he commended him. He even remarked in front of the assembled civil and military officials: "Governing the realm from memorials and documents will inevitably lead to oversights. If one wishes to make governance smooth and the people settled, one must personally attend to affairs. All officials under heaven should take Jing Fan as their model!"

Such high praise was naturally unexpected, and even Jing Fan himself was deeply moved. For the first time, he felt genuine respect for the young Son of Heaven. As the saying goes—treat a man as a state scholar, and he will repay you as a state scholar. There was something of that flavor.

Of course, for Jing Fan, this might have been somewhat excessive praise. But on Liu Chengyou's side, it was not necessarily without the intention of demonstrating his attitude toward appointing officials and employing men. What the superior likes, the inferior will carry to excess. In this regard, Liu Chengyou did hope that all officials under heaven would emulate his mindset. Of course, he was also well aware that this was merely a beautiful wish.

Moreover, if all officials under heaven were like Jing Fan, that might not be a good thing for the Emperor and the state either.

After passing Zhengzhou, there were no further stops.

On renwu (the third day) of the fourth month, Liu Chengyou's imperial carriage returned to Kaifeng, and he issued an edict that all civil and military officials and generals should remain at their posts and need not come to welcome him.

The Beginning of Summer was approaching.