The scenery along the way has not changed much, but for some reason, after leaving Hadong Province and entering Gyeonggi Province, Fang Jie always felt that he had discovered something different with his senses. The imperial capital Chang'an was the heart of the Sui Dynasty, and Gyeonggi Province was the rib that protected the heart.
In the twenty-four provinces of the Sui Dynasty, all governors except Gyeonggi Province were second-rank officials. The governor of Gyeonggi Province is a high-ranking official.
¡°Perhaps in the perception of ordinary people, a first-grade official is nothing more than a very, very big official. But you must know that this very big official represents the trust of His Majesty the Emperor. Since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, all the successive governors of Gyeonggi Province have been people whom the emperor highly valued and trusted. Gyeonggi Province protects the imperial capital. How could the emperor hand over this large area to someone he is worried about?
Just like, when fighting in battle, how dare the soldiers put their backs in front of the enemy?
Gyeonggi Province is a relatively small one among the twenty-four divisions of the Sui Dynasty. Even so, the territory of Gyeonggi Province is still larger than that of the Eastern Chu Kingdom.
When Fang Jie and his party entered Gyeonggi Province, the weather was already so warm that people began to be obsessed with the afternoon sun. Whenever he passed a village and saw the old people sitting quietly and peacefully on the pile of firewood, basking in the sun and chatting, Fang Jie would feel envious and happy. Feeling nostalgic for my past life. Older people are always a little tired and prefer to enjoy the warmth of the sun for a longer period of time than young people.
The content of their chats may not involve any major national events, but often more about memories of their youth.
When Fang Jie looked at the old people, he couldn't help but think that among these old-looking villagers, maybe some of them were veterans who had survived countless battles on the battlefield, and maybe some of them had once been rich. Although they were not wealthy in their later years, they were peaceful.
The social system of the Sui Dynasty has been gradually improved after a hundred years, and there are certain written regulations for the care of the elderly. For example, elderly people over the age of fifty can receive a subsidy of ten copper coins from the village government every month, and elderly people over the age of sixty can receive fifteen copper coins, as well as cotton-padded clothes and quilts every winter. If you can live to be seventy years old, not only will you get more subsidies and care, but even the county magistrate will have to avoid elderly people over seventy years old when they travel.
Especially in this generation of emperors, the attention paid to the elderly makes people feel warmer. Therefore, God Bless Emperor Yang Yi was called by the people the most respectful and filial emperor in the Sui Dynasty for hundreds of years.
There is a story that although I don¡¯t know whether it is true or not, it is very popular among the people. It is said that when the emperor was still the fourth prince, he once visited the south as an imperial envoy. When the honor guard passed a stone bridge, an old man on crutches, perhaps tired from walking, sat in the middle of the bridge to rest. I wonder if the afternoon sun was too warm at that time. After sitting for a while, the old man actually leaned on the bridge. fell asleep on the bed.
The Fourth Prince Yang Yi stopped his men from waking up the old man and drove him away. He walked over personally, took off his cloak and covered the old man with it. Worried that the old man would catch a cold, he specially asked someone to remove the cotton padding from his carriage and put it under the old man's body. He gently helped the old man lie down on the cotton padding. Then he sat down next to the old man and took a cattail leaf fan to drive away mosquitoes for the old man.
At that time, all the officials and attendants accompanying him were moved. After sitting like this for half an hour, the old man woke up. The fourth prince Yang Yi asked him how old he was, and the old man replied that he was seventy-two years old. Yang Yi immediately sealed a big red envelope and gave it to the old man, saying that this was the court's filial piety to the elderly over seventy years old.
He used the word "filial piety" instead of "gift".
After the old man woke up, Yang Yi helped the old man cross the bridge, and then the team started off. Just when people thought this episode was over, Yang Yi did something that people had to admire. He ordered people to find out where the old man lived, then arrested a large group of the old man's sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and scolded him severely in front of the whole village.
It is unfilial to let an old man in his seventies go out alone without anyone to support him, especially The old man plans to walk more than ten miles to the town to buy the sweet-scented osmanthus cake he wants to eat. No one took the initiative to help the elderly buy it, which is even more intolerable.
When the whip was whipped, the old man¡¯s son and grandson cried and accepted the punishment.
This incident has been praised by the people, and of course it soon reached the ears of His Majesty the Sui Emperor at that time. His Majesty the Emperor was silent for a long time after knowing this, and then gave up the idea of ??making the third prince the crown prince after a while.
Later it was said that the old man lived to be in his nineties and died without any illness.
Before he died, the old man held the hand of his nearly eighty-year-old son and said that he had wronged you because he had been unable to raise his head in the village for half his life. But it was worth the whipping in exchange for our family having no worries for the rest of our lives.Don¡¯t I still have such a huge sum of money? Now that I am going to die, I can use this money to buy a house in the city and let the children go to the city. I can¡¯t let them follow you again. He was made a laughing stock by the people in the village.
Of course, no one else knows this.
Fang Jie heard this story before entering Gyeonggi Province. At that time, he just smiled and whispered one word. Although Da Quan, Mu Xiaoyao and Mr. Zhuo all heard it, no one understood the meaning of the word. Mr. Zhuo thought quietly and realized that this seemingly carefree young man's mind was surprisingly clear.
The word explained by Fang is: "show"
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There are seven counties in Gyeonggi Province. They entered Gyeonggi Province from Hadong Road through Xiping County. They passed straight through Xiping County and then Beidi County. After passing through Sanshui, Sanyang and Sanyuan, they reached Chang'an City, the imperial capital of the Sui Dynasty. .
What I have to say is that the security after entering Gyeonggi-do is amazing. When Fang Jie and his party were walking along Hexi Road and Hedong Road, they occasionally encountered a few robbers while passing through the mountains and fields. After entering Xiping County, Fang Jie suddenly realized what the difference he had always felt was. In every city or even every village, not to mention strongmen and gangsters, not even the beggar Hanako was seen.
After walking for hundreds of miles in Xiping County, I didn¡¯t see a single beggar. Even in Fang Jie's previous life, this would be a grand occasion that would be difficult to achieve. This shows that officials in Gyeonggi Province, which is closest to the imperial capital, do not dare to do nothing.
"The prosperity of the Sui Dynasty is rare in the world."
When he was looking for an inn to stay in the town of Lulai County, Fang Jie couldn't help but sigh.
Mr. Zhuo just smiled after hearing this and said that it was because officials in Gyeonggi Province knew a truth and did not dare to slack off.
Fang asked why. Mr. Zhuo smiled and said that since the founding of the Sui Dynasty, the officials of Gyeonggi Province have been killed the most by successive emperors. Because this place is too close to the imperial capital, and the officials are not very trusting and harmonious among themselves, so if anyone makes a mistake, it won't be long before a memorial to impeach him will be placed on the emperor's desk.
Officials have to be wary not only of so-called unscrupulous people who dare to come to the capital to complain, but also of their colleagues around them. No one knew if it was his good friend who had been drinking and drinking tea with him before, but the next day he wrote a memorial to the court about his faults.
"Officials don't protect each other, they don't even trust each other"
Fang Jie murmured something and then sighed: "I don't know whether such an officialdom is a blessing or a misfortune for the Sui Dynasty."
Mr. Zhuo became interested when he heard this sentence. After sitting down, he asked: "What is a blessing? What is a misfortune?"
Fang Jie sat down on the bed, lying down and leaning on his arms, saying, "Fortunately, because officials don't protect each other, the people naturally benefit a lot. Because of this, His Majesty the Emperor doesn't have to worry about officials forming cliques for personal gain." . Courtiers, if local officials do not collude with each other, the Sui Dynasty will be stable. Your Majesty is probably happy to see this situation happen, and I have never seen it happen before. We are so wary of each other.¡±
"As for misfortune I mean what if, if the Sui Dynasty is in any dangerous situation, there is complete distrust between officials and generals, which is a huge hidden danger. For example, if foreign enemies invade the territory of the Sui Dynasty, there is no guarantee that they will not be killed because of the officials. If there is a crisis like this, the biggest problem that Sui will face will come from within. "
After hearing these words, Mr. Zhuo just smiled lightly and asked: "Then do you think there is any country in the world where soldiers can step into the territory of the Sui Dynasty? Meng Yuan? Or Dong Chu, who is as weak as a sheep? Nanyan?¡±
In the tone of this sentence, the arrogance and confidence of a Sui person are vividly displayed.
Fang Jie thought about it carefully, then shook his head: "I really can't think of any other country in the world where soldiers can run rampant in the territory of the Sui Dynasty."
"but¡¡"
He paused and said: "If it were not for the Qiangu Mingjun, I would not dare to let the ministers below be so trembling and intrigue. Otherwise, the emperor would be so tired that he would vomit blood?"
"Disrespectful"
Mr. Zhuo rolled his eyes at Fang Jie and said.
"Respect and disrespect are not on the surface, but on the heart."
Fang Jie said seriously.
Mr. Zhuo glanced at Fang Jie and suddenly sighed: "I don't see much respect for His Majesty the Sui Emperor from your heart."
Fang Jie was stunned, and then said angrily: "You are cheating!"
Mr. Zhuo smiled, pondered for a while and said: "Since you also said that unless you have the eternal Mingjun, you can'tIf you try hard to control this kind of situation, I can tell you seriously. Since Your Majesty can single-handedly change the situation of the court into this, naturally he can also single-handedly change the situation of the court into another state. When His Majesty wanted the officials to be disunited, none of them dared to unite. When His Majesty wants the officials to unite, who dares not to unite? "
Fang Jie was startled, and then said sincerely: "You are so domineering."
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Mr. Zhuo looked at Fang Jie and asked seriously: "Why do I always feel that you are full of doubts, uncertainties, and even a sense of crisis about everything? I have never seen this kind of mentality in any young person, even if Even a dying old man may not be able to see certain things as clearly as you. Aren¡¯t you tired of living like this every day?¡±
Fang Jie thought for a while and replied: "Maybe it's habit."
Mr. Zhuo said: "Then I am more curious, what kind of experience made you develop such a habit?"
Fang Jie smiled and said, "Can't you see it yourself?"
Mr. Zhuo rolled his eyes at him and said: "Do you think that reading minds is omnipotent? I have said before that for people with strong minds or strong defenses, mind reading has no meaning. I can't see the deepest part of your heart. There are things hidden everywhere, so I wonder how you can have such a deep city at your age?"
Fang Jie said seriously: "Can this be considered a talent?"
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Mr. Zhuo found it difficult to continue asking. He was silent for a while and said: "Actually what I'm more curious about is that although you have been saying that you are not sure about being admitted to the Yanwu Academy, no matter in your tone or in your heart, you don't seem to be too excited about entering the Yanwu Academy. So much worry. What kind of skills are you hiding?"
Fang Jie asked: "Sir, you really want to know?"
Mr. Zhuo nodded.
Fang Jie looked around and saw that there was no one around. He leaned close to Mr. Zhuo's ear and said in a very soft voice: "I won't tell you"
Seeing that Mr. Zhuo's frustrated expression was really cute, Fang Jie smiled and said: "Actually, I'm not sure whether I can enter the martial arts academy, but I seem to be a little sure that I can dive into the officialdom of the Sui Dynasty. Maybe I am more suitable to be a Civil servant? Because the methods I can think of so far may sound ridiculous and naive, but they are novel and effective. Maybe they will impress the scholars and scholars in our Sui Dynasty, and even His Majesty the Emperor will be impressed by me. Woolen cloth."
Mr. Zhuo thought for a while and said, "Perhaps you will realize after you become a civil servant It turns out that the smell of blood among civil servants is much stronger than that between generals."