The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 348 Farewell, Pei County

Fundamentally, the emperor wanted the amount of land and taxes to be clearly defined, and he wanted to increase the amount of land owned by farmers.

The land was redistributed, and the acreage was thoroughly investigated, which fundamentally cut off any possibility of the old nobles of the six states being reinstated. The land and farmland that originally belonged to the old nobles of the six states were distributed to the farmers.

Even if the former nobles of the six states wanted to restore their rule, their lands would have become farmland for farmers in various regions.

After the grand court assembly ended, Fusu kept Xiao He behind alone.

Inside the main hall of Zhangtai Palace, Fusu asked Xiao He, "Are you planning to go back this time?"

Xiao He bowed and said, "Your subject is fully prepared."

"I know that there are still many old nobles in Chu, and their land needs to be redistributed. I will have to trouble you with this matter."

"I accept your order."

Fusu said, "The Yangtze River floods, uneven distribution of farmland, and road repairs are all problems. But the affairs of Yunmeng Marsh are not so easy to manage."

Xiao He remained bowed, waiting for the emperor's order to travel south to the Chu region.

Fusu handed him the document appointing him as governor and said, "You can supervise the officials of various counties in Chu and also have the authority to provide guidance. Go to Pengcheng to take up your post."

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

Fusu stood inside Zhangtai Palace, watching Xiao He walk step by step into the sunlight until he was far away.

Winter has passed, and this year's warm spring has arrived quickly; it should be a wonderful year.

Gongzi Heng took over the affairs of the counties north of the Wei River and bid farewell to Xiao He.

In the seventh year of the new emperor's reign, in May, Xiao He and Cao Can arrived in Pengcheng.

All the counties under Pengcheng’s jurisdiction came to see this governor who came from Xianyang.

Liu Ji, the magistrate of Pei County, stood with many other magistrates. He saw Xiao He talking to the prefect, and then he saw an acquaintance.

"Cao Shen?"

Cao Can glanced at Liu Ji, ignored him, and continued to smile at Xiao He.

After settling many matters with the prefect, Xiao He began to explain the emperor's decrees to the magistrates of the various counties in the area.

As early as the beginning of spring this year, the emperor's decree had already reached the Chu region, keeping the officials there extremely busy. Now, Xiao He has arrived as well.

This clearly shows that this person came to carry out the emperor's decrees.

Just as the county magistrates had expected, Xiao He was talking about the matter of redistributing land this time, and he also mentioned the relocation of several counties.

The conversation didn't end until night.

During the meal, Xiao He and Cao Can finally tasted the rice from Chu, which they hadn't been able to enjoy for many years.

After everyone had left, only Liu Ji and his son remained.

Xiao He walked to the governor's office and saw Liu Ji looking as usual, which was not unexpected. He asked, "Liu Fei, I heard you've gotten married?"

Liu Fei replied, "Yes, it was arranged by Father..."

Before he could speak, his father pulled Xiao He away into the distance.

Upon seeing this scene, Cao Shen, who had just come out, looked disgusted, as if he felt uneasy just seeing Liu Ji.

This was certainly not ideal. As far as Cao Can was concerned, how could all the good things in the world fall on Liu Ji's head?

Thinking of this, Cao Shen gritted his teeth inwardly.

Outside the prefectural governor's mansion, seeing Xiao He turn around and look at him, Liu Ji pulled him a couple more steps outside.

"Liu Ying is still guarding the border, he..."

Liu Ji waved his hand and said, "Ying'er is such a grown-up, he won't get lost."

Xiao He asked again, "What do you want?"

Liu Ji asked in a low voice, "Why is Cao Shen back too?"

“He resigned from his position as county magistrate of Weibei, saying he wanted to follow me, so I had the Prime Minister’s office find him another official position so that he could still follow me.”

Liu Ji whispered, "So you've come here this time to deal with us county magistrates?"

Xiao He looked troubled and said, "No." "Then who are you here to reprimand with the emperor's decree?"

Xiao He closed his eyes. Talking to Liu Ji was exhausting. How come this person hasn't changed at all?

"How come you haven't improved at all after all these years?"

“Make progress? Heh heh heh…” Liu Ji spread his arms wide and said, “What progress can I make? Where can I make progress in this small place like Pei County?”

Xiao He rubbed his forehead and said again, "Don't worry, I'm here to govern the Chu region, not to lecture you."

As soon as Liu Ji turned around, he saw Liu Fei standing behind him, listening. He said, "Go, you can go home now."

Liu Fei remained standing, bowing and saying, "Uncle Xiao He holding the emperor's decree will naturally make the county magistrates panic, but that cannot change the status quo."

The implication is that even if you are my father, if you don't do things right, Uncle Xiao He will take you down.

Liu Fei certainly wouldn't say this directly to his father; he could only offer a subtle reminder.

After a while, Liu Ji turned back every few steps, as if he had endless things to say, and then left.

It's late now; it would be better to say what we need to say another day.

Xiao He turned to look at Liu Fei.

Liu Fei waved to someone behind him.

A figure emerged from the depths of the street. Cao Can looked at the newcomer with suspicion, his hand already on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

The newcomer was a burly man who bowed and said, "Guan Ying greets the Prefect."

Liu Fei explained, "This is an older brother I met while serving in the border army. He is a righteous and generous man with excellent skills."

Xiao He said, "You mentioned this person in your letter."

Cao Shen stepped forward, looked him over, and asked, "Guan Ying?"

"Exactly."

"From the border army?"

"Ah."

Cao Shen grabbed the other person's hand, saw the calluses and the roughness of the palm, patted the other person's arm, and replied, "Okay."

Guan Ying, just by standing here, gives people the feeling of being as still as a pine tree.

Cao Shen said, "From now on, you will follow me and assist the governor."

"Yes," Guan Ying answered loudly.

Liu Fei followed Xiao He and listened to Xiao He recount the events in Guanzhong.

Many people were promoted this year. If Xiao He hadn't come to Chu, he might already be working in the Prime Minister's office.

But it's good now. If we can cure Chu and go back in the future, we'll be able to sit in a better position.

Xiao He asked, "When do you plan to return to Xianyang?"

Liu Fei said, "The Imperial Academy has sent several letters, and I dare not refuse any longer. I will set off tomorrow."

After years of hard work, the uncle and nephew had finally settled down, but Liu Fei wanted to return to Xianyang.

Liu Fei said, "This time I'm taking my mother with me."

"You've spoken to your father?"

"I..." Liu Fei looked up at Xiao He and said, "If Father does not agree, I would like to ask Uncle Xiao He to say a few words."

Xiao He knew Liu Fei's thoughts beforehand. "I don't need to persuade him, he will agree. Liu Ji has always felt that he owes you and your son a lot."

Liu Fei lowered his head, seemingly wiping away tears with his sleeve.

As the sky brightened once more, Liu Fei prepared the carriage to return to Xianyang and stood in front of the city gate, watching his father talking with his mother.

The couple talked for a long time before saying goodbye. Liu Fei drove to Xianyang. Sitting on the carriage shaft, he looked back and saw his father standing in front of Pei County, gazing into the distance.

Liu Fei wiped away his tears again, thinking to himself: Farewell, Pei County.

(End of this chapter)