Chapter 196 New Year
Chapter 196 New Year (Monthly Pass Plus 5)
After leaving Green Willow Garden, Wang Yan did not return home immediately, but took Pan Tao to Guangcheng Garden in the northwest.
At the foot of Guangcheng Palace, he met Le Kuan, who had been promoted to the position of Zhongdianmu Duwei.
It is hard to say whether it is good or bad to jump from a county official to a court official. But Le Kuan had no choice. He could only spend the New Year with livestock and could not go home.
Wang Yan and Pan Tao were not on official business, but one was the Minister of the Interior and the other was the Minister of the Taifu's office, and neither of them could be offended by him. He quickly invited them to a place called Zhilanyuan, located to the west of Guangcheng Palace.
The construction of this hospital started in the second half of last year and was completed a while ago.
The main building is built according to the terrain, forming a "peninsula" deep into the lake.
The place is not very big, but there are woods, bamboo gardens, courtyards, viewing pavilions, and even a waterside pavilion built on the lake.
We will decorate it again this year and move some utensils from Luoyang Zuozang to set it up, and it will be almost complete.
Wang Yan didn't think that building such a garden was a waste of money and labor.
Anyway, they were just conscripted civilians, as many as needed, to cut wood to build houses, mine stones from mountains, make bricks and tiles, etc., "no trouble at all."
"It seems like there's farmland on the other side?" Wang Yan squinted his eyes and looked for a long time, then asked uncertainly.
The farmland and Zhilan Courtyard don’t match. How was the scenery arranged?
Le Kuan was also a little embarrassed and explained, "It was originally a sea of bamboo. Marquis Luyang ordered a portion of it to be cut down to make bamboo utensils for Guangcheng Garden. After the land was burned, it was turned into farmland at the beginning of the year and millet was planted for one season."
"How much is the yield per mu?" Wang Yan retracted his gaze and asked casually.
"Less than two hu." Le Kuan replied.
This yield can be said to be very low. Even with the addition of riverbed silt, the yield is only around 60 kilograms.
"Who is farming?" Wang Yan asked again.
"Conscripts from Nanyang and Shunyang counties."
"Where's the food?"
"Provide them with food, and if there is any surplus, allow them to take it away."
Wang Yan looked around again.
He had actually paid attention to Guangchengyuan - he had noticed it on the map.
In terms of territory, it covers more than half a county, but no one has ever developed it. Even the wheat fields from the end of the Han Dynasty more than a hundred years ago are overgrown with weeds.
The imperial court has been involved in this place on a large scale for almost two years and three months. Relying on more than 60,000 teachers and laborers from the five counties and kingdoms, three palaces and gardens, namely Guangcheng Palace, Zhilanyuan, and Tangchi (natural hot spring), have been built.
In addition, more than a thousand hectares of farmland were opened up. Although the yield was laughable and could only provide food for the soldiers in the garrison, this was the first year.
By the time of spring planting in the second year of the Yongjia reign (308), the yield per mu would have increased significantly.
Later on, it increased year by year and finally became mature.
There is as much land in Guangchengze as you want, as long as you are willing to put in the effort to transform it.
Wang Yan subconsciously wanted to do something, but when he felt his body, he found that he had no divination equipment.
He walked calmly through Zhilan Courtyard, which had dozens of houses, and then walked a few miles west, where he saw an empty field with a foundation.
"Where is this place?" Wang Yan asked.
"Yongjia Cangcheng." Le Kuan replied, "After the spring planting next year, when all the laborers have gathered, we will officially start the construction."
"What's that over there?" Wang Yan pointed and asked.
Yongjia Cangcheng was built by the river. On the other side of the river, there are three newly constructed wooden buildings scattered around. They look like warehouses, but not entirely.
"Those are three hay fields," Le Kuan replied. "Before the livestock pass the winter, hay must be prepared, so hay fields are built to prepare for it. When the grass turns green in spring, the animals can be released into the wild. Next to the hay fields is the pasture, and now there are only more than 2,000 cattle, sheep, horses and pigs, which belong to the court."
Wang Yan nodded and asked, "I heard that the Marquis of Luyang has thousands of horses, which are set free in the garden, but I don't know where they are."
"It's more than 20 miles away, a bit far." Le Kuan replied, "The Marquis of Luyang has sent more than a thousand soldiers to station and guard the place, so ordinary people dare not approach."
Wang Yan grunted and said nothing.
Pan Tao remained calm, but his heart was in turmoil.
He did have closer contacts with Shao Xun, but it was impossible for him to get a glimpse of the full picture of Luyang Hou's power. It could even be said that he knew less than Yu Liang and Xu Lang.
Before coming to Liang County, he learned one thing: the more than 1,000 hectares of land cultivated by the Guangchengze soldiers this year will be handed over to the captured Jisang bandits for cultivation next year. This is one of the landmark events of Shao Xun's full involvement in Guangchengze.
The fields ostensibly belonged to the imperial court, but who was using them was very particular. In any case, the emperor had no idea what was going on here, he only knew that the palace was being renovated.
As long as you don't hesitate to spend a lot of money, you can open up thousands of hectares of land in Guangchengze, and there is no shortage of irrigated land. If it is completed, it will really make people jealous, and then someone may come to compete for it.
He thought of the prophecy of "the Luo River stopping flowing", and his heart moved. But he said nothing and continued watching.
Next, the few of them walked until dark, rested for a night in Zhilan Courtyard, and then went to Guangcheng Palace the next day to meet Empress Hui Yang before returning to Luoyang.
On the way back, Wang Yan kept thinking about Yang Xianrong's condition just now.
It seems to be much better than when the previous emperor passed away?
There were many books and picture albums in the hall. Wang Yan didn't feel comfortable flipping through them, but they should have been collected by Empress Hui or even written by her herself.
I heard that she sent people to Xincheng, Luhun and other places to look for farmers who were good at growing rice, in order to plant rice in Guangchengze.
Wang Yan could only be stunned by this. Why did the woman do these things all day long?
But on second thought, Queen Hui is still in her youth, living alone in the deep palace, so it would be good for her to find something to do to avoid doing something that catches people off guard.
Pan Tao was also thinking about it, but his angle was different from Wang Yan's.
He is good at judging people.
When Wang Dun was young, he commented: "Your bee eyes are already exposed, but your jackal cry is not yet heard. You will surely eat people, and you will also be eaten by people."
When I saw Queen Yang this time, I felt something was wrong.
Yang didn't like the chores very much. Pan Tao could clearly see that Empress Hui was doing those things patiently, as if she was making a deal.
There is a lot to talk about when it comes to trading.
If it was a transaction between a man and a woman, something extra would always happen at the end, especially for a woman like Empress Hui who lived alone. Pan Tao had some guesses in his mind, and was a little worried, would something happen in the end that would bring shame to the royal family?
However, in today's world, with the country in turmoil and many heroes fighting for supremacy, compared to these, Queen Hui's affairs are not worth mentioning.
He sat up straight and began to think about how the situation would develop next.
Marquis Luyang made a bold guess. He was skeptical and just watched quietly to see if things would develop as Marquis Luyang expected.
If this comes true, many things will have to be replanned.
******
After Wang and Pan returned to Luoyang, they soon welcomed the New Year's Day.
Emperor Sima Chi held a banquet in the palace and invited all the ministers, and the atmosphere was full of joy.
In Liang County and Guangchengyuan areas, the New Year atmosphere is also very strong.
Before dawn, Shao Xun was busy outside the main hall of Guangcheng Palace.
The wind on the mountain late at night was bitingly cold and the breath turned into ice.
The chilblains on Shao Xun's hands almost all cracked, and blood was oozing out. But he still arranged the bamboos meticulously, and when the sky was getting light, he lit the fire.
"Crack!" The sound of firecrackers spread throughout the lonely and cold palace.
Yang Xianrong was awakened from her sleep and when she heard the sound of firecrackers outside, she hurriedly called the palace servants to ask.
"Marquis Luyang is setting off firecrackers outside, saying he is welcoming the New Year for the Queen." The palace maid replied with her head lowered.
Yang Xianrong stood there in a daze.
The soft quilt slid down from the shoulders, and when it passed the chest, it paused for a moment, then fell down tremblingly.
The corners of her mouth gradually curled up, once, twice, three times, and gradually the whole room seemed to brighten up.
"Crackle!" sounds came one after another.
Yang Xianrong quickly dressed herself and walked out of the palace.
In the distance are snow-capped mountains.
At the foot of the mountains, courtyards, pavilions, rivers, ponds and farmlands are dotted among them, with deer running and tigers and wolves howling in the distance.
Living in this place is like being a hermit.
But Yang Xianrong was not a hermit, nor did she have any idea of becoming a hermit. She was a woman who was spoiled as a child and frightened when she grew up.
The palace maid brought a Hu bed over, and Yang Xianrong sat there, holding her chin and watching quietly, just as bright as she was in Jinyong City.
Shao Xun stood up and bowed, his face looking a little gray and dark.
Yang Xianrong burst out laughing.
Shao Xun also laughed and asked, "Did the Queen set off firecrackers?"
Yang Xianrong shook his head.
Shao Xun picked up a piece and handed it over, saying, "Zhengdan is the day of the three yuan. When the cock crows, firecrackers are set off in front of the courtyard to ward off evil spirits. I came here in the middle of the night and prepared so many to exorcise the evil spirits for the queen."
Yang Xianrong felt warm in her heart and took the firecrackers with some excitement.
"Put it in the fire." Shao Xun pointed to the blazing fire and said.
Yang Xianrong hummed, stood up and walked over. But just as she got close, there was a loud bang from the fire, which frightened her so much that she staggered.
Shao Xun was quick-witted and reached out to hold Yang Xianrong in his arms.
The field fell silent for a moment.
Yang Xianrong struggled slightly, and Shao Xun quickly let go and took two steps back.
"Bang!" The firecrackers exploded again, but they were no match for the loud thumping of his violently beating heart.
The queen's waist is so soft.
He raised his head and looked at Yang Xianrong.
Yang Xianrong had her back to him.
As the cool mountain breeze blew over, the queen's ears became even redder like blood.
After a moment, she flicked her hair, picked up the bamboo and put it into the fire.
The flames gradually engulfed the bamboo joints. No one spoke and the atmosphere became slightly charming.
"Bang!" The sound of firecrackers rang out again.
Shao Xun's heartbeat has returned to normal.
He secretly sighed that he still didn't have enough self-control. It had only been a year since he last touched a woman, but he started to have wild thoughts.
"The evil spirits are gone." The queen didn't say anything, so Shao Xun could only bite the bullet and chat awkwardly: "I don't know when this saying started."
Yang Xianrong turned around, with a few traces of blush still on her face, but her expression had returned to normal.
I only heard her say, "The Shenyi Jing says, 'There is a person in the mountains in the west, more than a foot tall, with one foot, and is not afraid of people. If you offend him, you will get cold and hot, and he is called Shansao. If you put a bamboo in the fire, there will be a crackling sound, and Shansao will be frightened.' The Xuanhuang Jing also calls him the Shanchao ghost."
"I see." Shao Xun continued the awkward conversation.
Yang Xianrong had completely recovered and said happily, "When I lived in the palace, there were also courtyard fires on New Year's Day, but I never lit them myself. Today - I am very happy, and my childhood wish has come true."
The smile on her face was completely genuine, without any utilitarianism, just pure joy.
Shao Xun was also happy for her and said, "Compared to last year, the Queen is much more relaxed."
The first course of treatment was considered a success, right?
Yang Xianrong glanced at him and said nothing. She just turned around and looked at the beautiful mountains and land.
Shao Xun silently burned the remaining firecrackers, then bowed and said goodbye.
Yang Xianrong seemed not to hear anything and stood in the wind, motionless.
(End of this chapter)