There is a pond in Zhengzhou city, surrounded by nearby residents in three layers inside and outside.
They didn't dare to get close, but just stood far away, stretching their heads to watch the fun.
A headless male corpse was fished out of the pond. The fisherman who discovered the body was explaining the situation to several yamen runners standing nearby with a sad face.
The man's corpse had been soaking in the pond for who knows how many days. His whole body was swollen and the stench was unbearable.
When the fish was first pulled out of the water, the fisherman was so scared that he peed his pants.
Deng Yan, a clerk under the Zhengzhou county magistrate, squatted beside the corpse without any hesitation, and even looked a little interested as he carefully examined the rotten corpse that others avoided.
The head of the corpse was cut off and the fracture was clean.
It is not so easy to cut off a human head. The murderer is very likely to be a martial arts expert with amazing arm strength.
Deng Yan was thinking while he was checking the body.
"Mr. Deng, it took me a long time to find you." He You, who was also an official under the county magistrate like Deng Yan, came hurriedly.
He You was shocked when he suddenly saw a highly decayed corpse.
"Don't be busy, don't be busy. The county magistrate has urgently ordered all officials in the county to come to the county office for discussion." He raised his sleeves to cover his eyes and said.
"Wait a moment." Deng Yan replied slowly.
He You grabbed his sleeve and walked away. "How can we wait when the county magistrate summons us? Let's put these cases aside for now. Do you think the impression you left in the eyes of the county magistrate and the county magistrate's eyes is not bad enough?"
Deng Yan was dragged onto the carriage helplessly. He lifted the curtain and looked towards the pond, saying, "What is going on? It's so urgent. The lord has already returned to Bianjing. What urgent matter could there be in Zhengzhou that requires everyone to gather together to discuss it?"
"The Lord has issued a decree from Bianjing, requiring each county to set up a county school and to encourage the establishment of private schools in the areas under its jurisdiction. Bianjing will hold regular examinations to examine the talents selected by the counties and select the best ones to be officials." He You said excitedly, "When the time comes, the number of students recommended by each county for recruitment will become one of the indicators for the county governor to report at the end of the year. Do you think the county governor is anxious?"
Soon after Zhengzhou became a new county of Jin State, the county governor and the county magistrate were eager to achieve good results in the annual "Shangji" in order to leave a good impression on their lord, and therefore attached great importance to this matter that would affect their annual assessment.
He You is the chief clerk. There is a shortage of civil servants in the yamen at present, so this matter is likely to fall on him. It is a chance for him to show his meritorious service.
Deng Yan was not interested: "I am just a minor official in charge of criminal cases. What does this have to do with me? I have other cases to deal with."
"How can it have nothing to do with you? The new policy of the lord clearly states that at the end of the year, all officials should be prepared to rectify their governance, and if it is appropriate, it should be done, and if it is not appropriate, it should be abolished. The 'governance' here includes the investigation of criminal cases, the arrest of bandits, the collection of taxes, the training of night guards, and the results of the education of the newly added county school."
He You happily patted the shoulder of his friend who was not good at socializing with his superiors, "Mr. Yan, you are so good at solving cases. The adults will definitely rely on your talent in the future and will no longer reject you as before."
Deng Yan was not interested in government affairs, he just hoped that the new policy would allow him to handle cases with less interference from his superiors and allow him to display his true abilities.
He You was very respectful to the new lord of Zhengzhou: "Mr. Yan, the lord has been in Zhengzhou for a long time. Have you ever met the lord? It's a pity that I have a low position and have no chance to see the lord's grace. It's really a great pity."
"I have never met the lord, but I have met Mr. Zhou who compiled the Jin Code," Deng Yan said. "Although he is disabled, he often comes to the county government offices to discuss the application of the newly compiled laws in real cases with us clerks. He is really a respectable lord. The lord must be a rare wise ruler to have such a wise minister to assist him."
In Dingtao, south of Bianjing, in an ordinary two-courtyard house, a young scholar wearing a hat with a tassel was holding a book and leading several children to read.
Dingtao was originally the land of Song State. Last year, the Jin State's general Mo Qiaosheng led his troops to invade, forcing Duke Xiang of Song to move the capital to Pengcheng.
Duke Xiang of Song ceded several counties in the north sandwiched between Jin and Wei to Jin.
Dingtao was originally a prosperous place, where scholars and literati gathered. Even the slightly wealthier families among the ordinary people often sent their children to the school to learn a few words.
Therefore, there are quite a few private schools like this in the city.
"Mr. Bo Wen, Mr. Bo Wen." Another young scholar called out from outside the door. It was Li Que, a good friend of the teacher here, Dong Bo Wen.
Dong Bowen said a few words to the students, walked out of the school, and invited his friends to sit in a side room.
"Why are you so happy, Mr. Que?" Dong Bowen made tea for the guest.
"Bowen, have you heard?" Li Que said excitedly, "The Marquis of Jinyue has issued a new policy to establish county schools, promote private schools, and hold imperial examinations to recruit scholars! Commoners like you and me will also have the opportunity to serve as officials in the court."
Dong Bowen was surprised: "Are you serious?"
"Of course it is true. There is a notice posted on the gate of the county office. The county will set up a county school. Students of the county school can take the examination and be selected. Those who pass the examination will not only be exempted from taxes, but also receive a few stones of millet every month to supplement their family expenses. It's just that it's not easy to pass the examination. Only thirty people are recruited in the whole county. But for a talent like Mr. Bo Wen, it will be easy for him to be selected."
Dong Bowen pondered for a moment, "This really surprises me. Earlier, I saw that our new lord promoted the system of conferring titles based on military merit. I thought he was a brave and aggressive person who was dedicated to expanding the territory. But I didn't expect that he had such foresight."
"This is a move to improve people's morality and enlighten their wisdom." Li Que's face flushed with excitement, and he lowered his voice in front of his friends. "To be honest, I think this new lord is much better than Duke Xiang of Song. The cession of Dingtao to Jin is not a bad thing for the people of Dingtao."
Dong Bowen narrowed his eyes. "The Lord's move is not only to enlighten the people. It also allows children from poor families to serve as officials in the court, breaking the monopoly of the aristocratic families on the court. Lord Que, you are right. We are indeed lucky to be the subjects of such a Lord."
Similar conversations were heard one after another throughout the territory of Jin State.
But Cheng Qianye, who issued these decrees, had no idea how much of a stir her decree would cause across the country.
She had returned to Bianjing and was sitting in the Chaowu Palace, waving to her two-year-old "son" Cheng Peng: "Peng'er, come to me."
The two-year-old boy clung to his mother Concubine Xu's sleeve.
Since he was born, he has spent very little time with his father.
The young boy looked at the handsome young man in front of him with admiration and nervousness, hesitating and not daring to step forward.
It was not until his mother gently pushed him on the back that he mustered up the courage, walked forward, stretched out his chubby white hands, saluted properly, and with a flushed face, called out, "Father."
Cheng Qianye picked him up, put him on his knees, picked up the brush and ink, and wrote the word "Qian" and the word "Yu" on the white paper.
"Peng'er, can you read? I'll teach you how to read," Cheng Qianye pointed at the words on the table and read, "This word is pronounced Qian, and this word is pronounced Yu. They are your father's name. Come, read after me, Qian, Yu."
The childish voice of repeating was heard in the spacious Chaowu Palace.
Concubine Xu turned her face away and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.
At this point, the only people in this world who could miss her real husband were her, the princess in front of her, and the lady dowager.
When Ajia came in, he saw Cheng Qianye teaching Cheng Peng his name.
"The word 'Peng' means a long and arduous journey. In the future, our Great Jin's territory will grow larger and larger. Peng'er will be like a roc spreading its wings to protect our country."
Cheng Peng sat on his father's lap, his eyes sparkling, listening to his father telling him the wish given by his name.
Seeing Ajia coming in, Cheng Qianye took his son down from his knees and asked Concubine Xu to take him back.
She took the memorials handed over by Ajia and reviewed them one by one.
"Lord... Lord." Ajia stammered.
"Go ahead." Cheng Qianye didn't even raise his head.
Ajia hesitated and said, "Master Zhou gave that person a name, named Zhou Ming, after Master Zhou's surname."
Cheng Qianye raised his eyebrows and looked at Ajia.
"so what?"
Ajia's face turned a little red. He didn't say anything for a long time. He just looked at the paper on Cheng Qianye's desk where Cheng Peng had just been taught to recognize his name.
Cheng Qianye laughed, turned out a piece of white paper, and picked up a pen: "Okay, I'll give you a name too. What do you want? Cheng like me or do you have any other name you want?"
"I was still young at that time, but I still vaguely remember that my last name was Xia."
Cheng Qianye thought for a moment and wrote down two neat characters: "Why should we be sad about the passing of spring and beauty? Summer trees are just as charming as yin and yang. Now it is summer, and your last name is Xia, so you should be called Xia Fei."
She took out a piece of bright and pleasing jade from the drawer, placed it on the paper with Xia Fei's name on it, and handed them to the girl beside her.
"Fei Tong Fei, Xia Fei, in my eyes you are as beautiful as jade."
When Zhang Fu was walking towards Chaowu Palace, he happened to meet Xia Fei standing in the corridor outside the palace.
The usually indifferent Deadpool held a thin piece of white paper in his hands, with a piece of emerald green jade on the paper.
She stared down at the gem that glittered in the summer sun, with an expression Zhang Fu had never seen before.
"Ajia, what's wrong?" Zhang Fu asked.
Xia Fei came back to her senses, looked up at Zhang Fu, and smiled in the sunshine.
"Master Zhang, I will no longer be called Ajia. The master has given me the name Xia Fei."
Zhang Fu entered Chaowu Hall, and Cheng Qianye was reading the front-line battle report sent by Mo Qiaosheng.
Mo Qiaosheng led an army of 200,000 and crossed the Qinling Mountains and headed towards Hanzhong where Han Quanlin was.
Han Quanlin was furious and led his troops to fight personally as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
"Sir Zhang, take a look. It's another victory report. Qiao Sheng has never let me down." Cheng Qianye handed over the military report excitedly.
Zhang Fu was not as happy as Cheng Qianye. He was silent for a moment and then said, "My lord, General Mo has made great contributions in the war. Should he be rewarded with something?"
"Of course," Cheng Qianye said, "According to his military merits, he should be promoted to the sixteenth level of the Great Lord."
"What if he really takes over the entire Hanzhong area?"
"Then let him be promoted to Marquis, Marquis of Guannei."
Zhang Fu bowed and said, "General Mo, if you continue to make achievements at this rate, there will be a day when you will not be able to be given any more titles."
Cheng Qianye sat back and straightened up. She looked at Zhang Fu and realized that there was something else behind his words: "Master Zhang, if you have any doubts in your heart, please speak up."
Zhang Fu sighed helplessly, bowed, and said, "My lord, our Jin State has expanded its territory and population in recent years, and its military strength has increased tenfold compared to two years ago. Now the total number of soldiers in the whole territory is more than 400,000. But the army led by General Fengdu Mo alone has as many as 200,000 soldiers and horses."
He looked at Cheng Qianye seriously, "Moreover, as the war continues, his troops can continue to increase. He has occupied the cities around Fengdu and can even go to war against Han Quanlin independently without our supply of food and grass."
"My Lord, I know you trust General Mo, but as the ruler of a country, you cannot rely on the fate of the country solely on the word trust."
"I understand what you mean." Cheng Qianye looked at Zhang Fu, "I will seriously consider what you said. But I have my own decision in my heart, and please trust my judgment."
Zhang Fu said no more, bowed his head and left.
Cheng Qianye sighed, took out a private letter that Mo Qiaosheng had sent her along with the battle report, slowly opened it, and read it bit by bit.
The neat handwriting recorded every detail of life on the front line, and between the lines, the writer's implicit lovesickness was revealed.
At the end of the letter, a line of words was written in very small letters, which was a reply to Cheng Qianye's previous private letter:
As long as the lord likes it, even if it hurts me... it doesn't matter.
Cheng Qianye bit his lip: This guy actually learned how to seduce people.
I don’t care what title he has. When he has no more titles to his name, I will marry the princess to him.
The author has something to say: I'm asking for a day off tomorrow, and I hope leaders will approve my leave note, haha.
I also saw some cute people discussing Yang Sheng's problem.
It doesn't mean that if Qiao Sheng rebels, all the soldiers will follow him in rebellion. For a monarch like Cheng Qianye who is more popular, the risks his generals will have to bear are relatively large if they rebel.
However, as a monarch, he would definitely not trust such a general who has a large army, is self-sufficient with his troops, and has conquered a territory that is almost as large as the country's territory. As Qiao Sheng's confidant, Yang Sheng must have considered it from Qiao Sheng's perspective. After all, this concerns Qiao Sheng's life, and there is no real threat to the lord.
I feel that if the lord did not have enough trust in Qiao Sheng, Qiao Sheng's fate would have been similar to Han Xin's.