Chapter 528: Reducing the Feudal Lords

In the Secretariat, a draft edict addressed to Hedong had just been completed and sent to the Chancellery for review. Tao Gu clicked his tongue and remarked to those around him with a sigh: "These days, the court has been dispatching envoys to Hedong without cease, and military and civil orders have been frequent. Something is about to happen in Hedong!"

Having said this, he leisurely picked up a cup of tea and took a sip with great flair. Hearing this, a young official nearby could not help but ask: "Master Tao, what do you mean by that?"

"You all serve in the central government and deal with the court's confidential matters. Can you not even see such a trend?" Tao Gu raised his head slightly and smiled faintly: "The Prince of Taiyuan has governed the ten prefectures of Hedong for six years now, and has not come to court for many years. Under Hedong's rule, among the officials and generals, there are countless who collude in corruption. Though the Prince of Taiyuan is of imperial kin, if this continues, it will ultimately be no benefit to the state or the sovereign. The court has long been vigilant—how could it not make changes!"

The officials present showed looks of sudden realization and offered flattery. But inevitably, some secretly sneered at Tao Gu's somewhat self-satisfied demeanor. To use Liu Chengyou's words, at this moment, Tao Gu had clearly lost much of the reverence he once had.

Inside Chongzheng Hall, Liu Chengyou had just finished receiving Murong Yanchao, discussing with him the governance of Kaifeng Prefecture. As the foremost region of the realm, Kaifeng Prefecture drew the attention of all under heaven, especially the Eastern Capital.

The previous Governor, Hou Yi, was an old hand, and being advanced in years, lacked the energy for bold initiatives. He simply acted according to the court's regulations—when the court issued orders, he never delayed, merely implementing them as prescribed. Beyond that, as long as no trouble was brought to Governor Hou, everyone was left in peace. Thus, Hou Yi's governance had a flavor of "governing by non-interference."

Compared to Hou Yi, Murong Yanchao's administration was far more proactive and vigorous. Striving for public order and market prosperity, within half a year, Kaifeng Prefecture had issued over a dozen decrees, rectifying many matters that Governor Murong found displeasing.

Roads were cleared and widened, public security was strengthened, markets were reorganized—for the northern, eastern, and southern markets of the Eastern Capital, Murong Yanchao established a set of simple yet effective management regulations covering all trades.

As for Murong Yanchao himself, his personal conduct was flawed—he was especially greedy and fond of amassing wealth. While governing Kaifeng Prefecture, he was not without embezzlement and favoritism, but compared to his administrative achievements, these amounted to little.

During the Huainan campaign, the Eastern Capital was inevitably affected by the war. Murong Yanchao had merit in suppressing disturbances and maintaining order in the streets and markets.

Another thing that surprised Liu Chengyou was that this imperial uncle seemed to possess an extraordinary talent for criminal cases and litigation. Through his hands, over seventy cases had been resolved. Moreover, the old cases left over from Hou Yi's tenure had also been cleared up by Murong Yanchao within these six months...

Murong Yanchao's tenure at Kaifeng Prefecture could be described as "remarkable achievements."

"My imperial uncle has brought good governance, praised by scholars and commoners alike—my heart is greatly comforted!" Staring at Murong Yanchao, who stood respectfully in the hall—this famous "black, rough, and tough" man—Liu Chengyou said with a slight smile on his lips: "Return to your office now. Continue your efforts!"

"Yes!" Murong Yanchao acknowledged.

As he left the hall, Murong Yanchao's expression was not pleasant—his face appeared even darker, the "Yanluo of the Kunlun" keeping a grim, judge-of-the-underworld countenance. Though his achievements had been praised by the Son of Heaven, his most beloved young son had been dispatched to the Fengxiang front lines.

As for Liu Chengyou, the purpose of summoning Murong Yanchao to the palace was inherently to issue a warning. Some people, if not warned and admonished, would eventually cause trouble—and Murong Yanchao clearly belonged to that category.

"How dare he!" A bit later, when Liu Chengyou learned of Tao Gu's remarks, his mood immediately soured, and he rebuked coldly.

Zhang Dejun, who was reporting at his side, was startled and instinctively lowered his head.

"This Tao Gu! Lately he has grown increasingly loose-tongued and lacking in self-respect!" Liu Chengyou said coldly, then ordered: "Summon Tao Gu for an audience!"

"Yes!" Zhang Dejun hurriedly acknowledged and turned to leave, but before he had exited the hall, Liu Chengyou called him back.

Rising and pacing a few steps, pondering for a moment, Liu Chengyou raised his hand and instructed: "Issue an edict—appoint Tao Gu as Deputy Commissioner of the Pacification Commission!"

Not long ago, Liu Chengyou had finally established the Pacification Commission in the court, dedicated to promulgating imperial authority, state statutes, and royal teachings. The various pacification commissioners who had previously operated between military and civil affairs were now fully separated into an independent office, with Zhao Shangjiao appointed as Commissioner of the Pacification Commission to organize the bureau.

The reason Liu Chengyou treated Tao Gu coldly was due to the southern campaign—when Liu Chengyou had entrusted him with overseeing Shouzhou, his hands had been far too dirty. According to Li Shaoyou's report, when Tao Gu was ordered to review the Shouchun prison, he found that many of the prisoners were prominent clans, wealthy households, and officials of the city. Tao Gu's greed was stirred, and he had people hint to them that they could ransom themselves with goods and money. Through this, Tao Gu obtained over ten thousand strings of cash.

Over the years, Liu Chengyou had received many reports of Tao Gu's improper conduct and had mostly tolerated it. But this time was the most disappointing, and so came the subsequent cold treatment.

This time, making Tao Gu the Deputy Commissioner of the newly established Pacification Commission counted as both a demotion and a warning. For him, Liu Chengyou had already taken into account his years of service and contributions. If Tao Gu still failed to be vigilant and refused to reform afterward, then Liu Chengyou would absolutely find it hard to tolerate him any longer.

Letting out a soft sigh, Liu Chengyou found that the problems before him came one after another, endlessly emerging with no end in sight. It had only been so long—the realm was not yet pacified—yet already many in the court had begun to corrupt and degenerate, including many "old hands" who had followed Liu Chengyou.

However, thinking of Tao Gu's words, Liu Chengyou subconsciously walked to the map and set his gaze upon the territory of Hedong.

Since returning to court from the southern campaign, Liu Chengyou had been mainly occupied with three matters: first, the continued digestion and consolidation of Huainan; second, defending against Shu and securing the borders; third, reducing the power of the feudal lords and reclaiming authority.

And for reducing feudal power, Liu Chengyou planned to start with Hedong. In terms of status, strength, and strategic position, Hedong was the foremost garrison of the realm. Liu Chengyou's choice to take on Hedong first was made after comprehensive consideration. This time, he chose to tackle the big before the small, the difficult before the easy—if Hedong could be properly rectified, the rest would be handled with greater ease.

Against Hedong, Liu Chengyou had already prepared an entire set of combined measures from the Eastern Capital. The only question was how his imperial uncle Liu Chong would respond, and whether he could withstand it.

As Tao Gu had said, something was indeed about to happen in Hedong!

Staring at the various prefectures of Hedong, Liu Chengyou's mind wandered, his eyes growing somewhat distant. After a long while, he raised his hand and instructed: "Pass the word—any reports from Hedong are to be delivered to me immediately!"

"Yes!"

Liu Chengyou had sent three waves of people to Hedong: Chancellor Fan Zhi, Commissioner of the Wude Office Li Shaoyou, and Chief Inspector of the Palace Command Zhao Kuangyin. Each had received personal instructions from Liu Chengyou before departing.

Within the Great Han, the prelude to reducing feudal power had thus begun.