CH 162

Posted by NYXBIRD on FEBRUARY 22, 2022

The city of Anfeng did not become very chaotic, mainly due to being guarded by heavy troops. The common people did not dare to go out, and the officials could not escape. Speaking from another perspective, Anfeng was much easier to settle than other big cities. The reason was simple: other big cities had affluent families and without their cooperation, even the total number of people in the city might not be known officially. Because many slaves and servants did not have household registration, and so long as the master did not report them when registering households, these people would exist as “invisible people”.

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Also called hidden households, no one would even know when they died.

But Anfeng was an imperial city, and Liu Futong would naturally not let these so-called affluent families hold any power.

Therefore, once the officials were taken down, there would be no local snakes that could fight against the passing strong dragon in Anfeng City.

With no leader, Anfeng was taken over very smoothly.

Chen Baisong had already had the experience. He first asked people to take inventory of the treasury. The weapons depot and the grain depot were the places where the most people were dispatched.

In addition, the things in the palace were also taken into inventory and put into storage, and the valuable objects of officials’ homes must also be put into storage after they were seized and confiscated.

How to treat the common people was also quite simple, let them stay at home first, and then divide a region to reopen the market, lest the common people starve to death at home.

It didn’t matter if they dared to come out or not, they would come out naturally when they were hungry.

Han Lin’er also revealed the emperor’s private treasury. Hong Xiu had been working hard on him for the past few days. Han Lin’er was quite stubborn at first. But after starving him for a few days with only water but also not allowing him out of the room to relieve himself, he could no longer take it anymore.

And so Hong Xiu could now successfully retire from her task.

On the other hand, An Laosi was so busy every day that his feet barely touched the ground, but he was always in high spirits. According to his words, it was only now that he felt alive. Whereas he had felt like walking dead during the previous days.

After being busy for three months, Chen Baisong returned to court with most of the troops and Hong Xiu.

Leaving An Laosi and his several confidants in Anfeng to wait for the officials to be dispatched by the imperial court.

An Laosi went to see him the night before he left, and started crying without even managing to say a few words.

The main idea was: “You must mention me in front of the emperor, otherwise I have no meaning to live, and it is better to die here now.”

Chen Baisong didn’t understand the thoughts of these civil servants before, but now he understood.

Military officials rely on military merit to climb up the ranks, and civil servants rely on the favor of the emperor. Only when the emperor remembered him, did everything he did had meaning.

Otherwise, no matter how much he did, if the emperor did not remember, or did not know at all, it was all useless in the end.

Especially now that there were no powerful officials in the court, so even the option of giving bribes to said officials was out.

Song Shizhao was the only one who could claim to be a powerful official, but Song Shizhao was a clever person. He even suppressed his own disciples. Even now his first disciple, Yang Shaowei, was still doing the job of running errands. If others wanted to step on him, use him as a ladder to reach the heavens, then they were just delusional.

Song Lian was also a person who didn’t care about such things. Although the things he handled were all major matters, he didn’t care about the affairs of the court.

As for Zheng Qingfeng——this was a pure official, at least that was how he behaved now, so except for the emperor’s words, nobody else’s words were taken to heart.

They have their own survival wisdom in the court and would never be used by others.

And since ancient times, there had never been an emperor who liked the officials forming factions for personal gain.

The bad relationship between civil officials and military officials might even be the emperors’ own intention.

One side was in charge of the people’s livelihood, and the other side had military power. Combining the two, the emperor could easily be overthrown.

No emperor was that stupid.

And the officials, no matter what they think themselves, if the above revealed such intentions, then they would have to carry it out.

Although Lin Yuan hadn’t revealed it yet, the civil officials and the generals were already clearly divided.

Han Lin’er was also taken to the capital.

He was a sinner and was locked in a prison cart. Only Hong Xiu occasionally visited him and gave him some food and water.

Han Lin’er watched Hong Xiu come over, anf don’t know how many thoughts flashed in his heart, but in the end he couldn’t say a word.

Hong Xiu handed the steamed bun to Han Lin’er.

Han Lin’er pursed his lips. His lip was starting to peel, his cheeks were pale, and he looked like he was suffering from a serious illness. He said with difficulty, “Thank you.”

Hong Xiu looked at him and sighed in her heart.

Han Lin’er had the luck of being the emperor, but not the fate.

When Hong Xiu looked at him now, she only felt that he was a pitiful loser, and still in the end he didn’t know where he lost.

“Hong Xiu.” Han Lin’er already knew that her name was Hong Xiu. He was no longer willing to call her by a false name when he knew. He closed his eyes and asked, “Zhen…..where are my concubines…..”

Hong Xiu: “Those who wanted to go home went back, and those who didn’t want to go back went to the nunnery.”

Most of them went to the nunnery.

Because their fathers and brothers were officials, even if they go back, they have to face their homes being seized and confiscated. It was unknown whether their fathers and brothers would survive and whether they would be implicated.

So they would rather choose to be nuns, and then they could return to the secular world when the world was at peace again in the future.

There were also those who didn’t care about their own safety and wanted to go home and live or die with their family, but this was the minority.

Han Lin’er: “What about the Empress and Consort Li?”

Hong Xiu: “The Empress went to the nunnery, and Consort Li went home.”

A tear fell from Han Lin’er’s eyes: “Consort Li…..is a most loyal and loving person.”

Hong Xiu watched him cry, and her heart did not fluctuate at all: “The path is chosen by oneself, I only hope they don’t regret it in the future.”

Han Lin’er only saw their choices, but did not see why they made such choices.

Hong Xiu had been a maid in the Empress’s palace, so she naturally knew why the Empress preferred to go to the nunnery. When the Empress was forgotten by Han Lin’er, her family seldom visited the palace again. Even if they did, they never cared about her, and only wanted to take advantage of her.

If the Empress didn’t agree, they could stay away from the palace for several months.

They wanted the Empress to always remember her surname, and they wanted the Empress to always remember that if she hadn’t been born in this family, she wouldn’t be the Empress.

“We all supported you to this position, shouldn’t you repay us?”

The harem and the court were originally interdependent. The fathers and brothers were in the front of the imperial palace and the sisters were in the back of the imperial palace. Only then could a family grow.

The Empress could only bow her head, and so long as there was once then she couldn’t lift it up again.

At first, she just bowed her head to her parents, and later even her sister-in-law dared to enter the palace to make requests.

Over time, that bit of familial love would be wiped out with the desire for power, and there would be no chance to rekindle it again.

Consort Li was a different situation. When she was unfavored in the palace, her father and brothers tried their best to give her money so that she could live better.

When she finally became successful, her father and brothers never asked her for a favor.

Hong Xiu said softly, “A heart in exchange for a heart.”

Han Lin’er sighed.

Most of the women in the harem went to the nunnery, and who knew if it wasn’t because their hearts were chilled by their family members.

Of course, there were also those who were self-preserving and wanted to survive.

Han Lin’er sighed again: “I’ve failed them.”

Hong Xiu comforted him: “Put down your worries, they didn’t marry you, they married the imperial throne, and it’s not like you have failed them.”

Han Liner’s expression became distorted for a moment, and he couldn’t tell whether Hong Xiu was comforting him or mocking him.

Han Lin’er suddenly sneered and said, “Then what benefit did the Southern King promise you? You have served me, so he may not let you continue to serve him?”

Hong Xiu smiled, a smile so moving, gentle like water: “His Majesty never looked down on me just because I am a woman, thinking that I could only do so much. When I go back this time, His Majesty will give me an official position.”

Because her credit was big enough to stop most people’s mouths.

And because she was Lin Yuan’s die-hard loyalist, those officials who considered themselves to be His Majesty’s die-hard loyalists would not open their mouths in protest.

If these people in power did not speak, then the rest were nothing to worry about.

And she also believed that since His Majesty planned to give her an official position, he would definitely consider the future.

Han Lin’er laughed loudly: “A woman, actually wants to be an official, does that Southern King really have no people left to use?”

Hong Xiu didn’t argue with him, just smiled: “Why can’t women be officials?”

On the day they returned to Beijing, it was windy, it had rained heavily the night before, and the temperature suddenly dropped. The seasonal change was sometimes just that quick, just after a day and summer becomes autumn.

Lin Yuan first rewarded the lieutenants and military officials who came back with Chen Baisong. After a battle, it was natural to be rewarded for meritorious deeds.

Official positions were rewarded less, most were rewarded manors and land.

However, the manors and land were still owned by the imperial court, only the rent was reduced or exempted for several years.

If the court wanted to take it back, it was easy, just calculate the rent and give it to them, and then make up for the year’s harvest.

But for the soldiers, this was a huge benefit.

As for Chen Baisong, Lin Yuan was not going to confer another title.

Now Chen Baisong was already a general, and Lin Yuan had only four major generals.

Chen Baisong’s achievements this time were not enough to make him the Generalissimo.

After all, everyone knew that this time, no matter who was leading the army they would still be able to defeat Anfeng, this achievement was not enough to convince the public.

So Lin Yuan gave him a mansion, a plaque, and a garden.

This award seemed to be heavy enough, but it did not exceed the limit, so the outsiders all felt that the emperor was wise.

Rewards and punishments were also limited and could not be given arbitrarily.

Otherwise, the system would be messed up.

But what Lin Yuan did next was to really pour a bowl of cold water into the hot oil.

——He appointed a woman who came from Anfeng as the Yuanshi of the Court of Censors, of the fifth rank.

The city was in an uproar.

Song Shizhao hurriedly rushed to the palace to see Lin Yuan, and when he went in, he saw Lin Yuan was eating double-skin milk, which was also sprinkled with preserved fruit and jam, because it was iced, there was also a coldness radiating from it.

Song Shizhao bowed first, and after Lin Yuan excused him did he stand up and say with sweat all over his forehead, “Your Majesty…..it has become crazy outside.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “What’s the fuss?”

Song Shizhao: “Since ancient times, there has been no precedent for a woman to be an official. Even during the Tang Dynasty, a female official was only a position in the inner palace, and had no political power…..”

Lin Yuan: “Zhen knows.”

Song Shizhao was taken aback.

Lin Yuan added: “That’s why Zhen set up a Court of Censors.”

The Court of Censors was a new department, and no one knew what the Court of Censors did, everyone was still observing.

Lin Yuan took a mouthful of the double skin milk: “So don’t worry, there will always be someone who will jump out.”

Those who want to enter the Court of Censors would naturally jump out to defend Lin Yuan.

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If a woman could be a Yuanshi of the Court of Censors, then wouldn’t they have an even higher position when they entered?

Since this was the case, His Majesty could not be wrong, even if he was wrong, they must say he was right.

AN: The Court of Censors was a department of the Qing Dynasty, and there was no such position as Yuanshi.