Chapter 100 Dongdu
Once the canal was dug and the highway was repaired, Zhuo County had become the most important transportation hub in the northern border of the Sui Dynasty, and the status of Li Jiancheng, the prefect, naturally rose as well.

Especially after the war against Goguryeo is completed, the emperor will certainly bestow generous rewards, and raising logistics and food supplies will also be a great achievement. In the eyes of the other prefects, Li Jiancheng will return to Beijing and be promoted within a few years.

Who could have imagined that the invincible and all-conquering Sui Dynasty would be defeated by the mere Goguryeo.

Since they had already set out, they were in no hurry to travel on. Whenever they came across a place with beautiful scenery, they would visit it and make comparisons after the exploration.

Everyone deliberately avoided places where corvée laborers were working. Anyone who saw that scene would feel heartbroken and had no mood to travel.

If the king of all nations does not have mercy on his people, what can these officials do?

They also never spoke about state affairs because there was nothing to talk about. His Majesty the Emperor was invincible and powerful, and all nations came to pay tribute to him. Could there be anything wrong with that?

They slowly arrived at the Eastern Capital and reported for an audience with the emperor, but the emperor was in no mood to see them. He only asked Li Jiancheng to stay and wait, and the others to meet again at the court meeting.

The governors looked as if they had expected it, bowed to Li Jiancheng and left. Even those who lived in Chang'an were not afraid, as they had so many relatives and friends, how could they not have a place to stay?

Li Jiancheng waited for more than an hour, and Wang Yi secretly sent someone to tell him that the Western Regions countries had presented several princesses to the emperor, who were quite favored by him and were still having a banquet at that time.

After more than an hour, Wang Yi came over to invite Li Jiancheng to come over. After entering the hall and paying his respects, Li Jiancheng looked up and said, "Your Majesty has lost weight."

Yang Guang looked very satisfied, so he smiled kindly and said, "Among all the ministers, you are the only one who cares about my health. The others are just talking about wasting money and manpower. Oh, if we don't deal with the Western Turks and Tuyuhun and restore the trade route with the Western Regions, what can we save by being frugal?"

"No one is wiser than Your Majesty!"

"How's the situation in Zhuo County?"

"Reporting to your majesty, the Yongji Canal has been opened to Zhuo County, and the two roads are also under construction. Before leaving, the officials of Linshuo Palace instructed their subordinates to gather craftsmen to start construction."

Yang Guang nodded in satisfaction, and then asked casually, "Did you guys talk about government affairs along the way? What are the gains and losses?"

Li Jiancheng was tense from beginning to end. It would be wrong to answer that he had never talked about it because the emperor would not believe him.

"Your Majesty's literary and military virtues far surpass those of the Zhou and Han dynasties. You defeated Tuyuhun and expanded the territory by thousands of miles. Your prestige is so great that we all wish we could follow Your Majesty and witness this great achievement in person."

The emperor's face showed no joy or anger. After a moment, he asked again, "Among them, is there anyone who is dissatisfied with my order?"

Li Jiancheng pretended to hesitate and said, "It's nothing. I just met them and traveled with them. I don't know them very well. We mainly talked about the government affairs of the county along the way."

Seeing that it was just this, the emperor waved his hand wearily. Li Jiancheng tactfully said goodbye and did not send anyone to convey a message after leaving the palace. The emperor must be keeping an eye on these local governors.

Li Jiancheng had his own mansion in Dongdu. As soon as he left the palace, he was greeted by servants. After returning to the mansion, he took a bath, changed his clothes, and then had a good meal.

This was also the first time Li Jiancheng moved in after the mansion was officially completed. The servants began preparing since they received the news, and naturally, the preparations were perfect and there was nothing wrong with them.

The staple food is Qingjing Rice. The name is simple, but it is not easy to make. The leaves and branches of the southern candlewood are pounded to get the dark green juice, which is used to soak the rice. After nine steaming and nine drying, the rice is small and black like pearls. It tastes delicious and has the effect of strengthening the muscles and improving the complexion. Long-term consumption can whiten the skin and prevent aging. The dishes include Feiluan roasted lamb, roasted deer legs, and sugar crabs, as well as a few snacks and fruits. After eating, Li Jiancheng wiped his hands and smiled, "You are thoughtful."

The steward of the Dongdu Mansion breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This is what the servants are supposed to do."

Li Jiancheng said, "It's almost the New Year, and the people in the palace will give you a reward of one string of money and three pieces of silk."

The servants in the room bowed happily upon hearing this: "We, the servants, thank you for your reward, my lord. May you live forever."

Although they are all family-born children, they cannot be exempted from the rewards they deserve, especially as the New Year is approaching, and they must be given money to buy new clothes.

This is also the reason why common people would sell their children to marry into wealthy and powerful families. As long as they don't make any mistakes and don't try to curry favor with the rich and powerful, and are loyal to their duties, they will not lack food and clothing, and they will also be respectable when they go out, and ordinary yamen runners will not dare to bully them.

This is much better than those who have to beg for food from the land. Not only themselves, but also their children and grandchildren will have a place to stay and do not have to perform labor service or pay taxes.

From then on, Li Jiancheng rarely had the opportunity to eat in the mansion, and he returned to the life he had in Chang'an. The only difference was that his seat was moved forward.

Although local officials of the same rank are slightly inferior to Beijing officials, it also depends on the specific circumstances of the person. Li Jiancheng is no longer just someone with a backer, he himself has become a backer for many people.

You don't need to rely on others to transfer back to Beijing. You can go back if you want, so naturally there will be no gap.

After his wedding, he was sent to a remote place to serve as an official in a county, which made many people treat him as the head of the Li family. It was only because he was still young, otherwise they could call him Mr. Li.

It was at this time that Li Jiancheng met Yang Xuangan, whom he had not seen for a long time. Yang Xuangan looked more robust and his every move was very charming. It was obvious that the death of his father Yang Su had not defeated this former chief of the nobles, but made him more mature and stable.

When Yang Xuangan saw Li Jiancheng, he strode forward and hugged him, as if the past grudge had never existed. However, there was indeed no direct conflict between the two of them.

What made Yang Xuangan dissatisfied was that he had originally thought that Li Jiancheng would be a little brother who would always be at his beck and call, but he did not expect that Li Jiancheng would suddenly jump up and snatch away the glory that belonged to him.

"It's been a while since I last saw it."

Li Jiancheng smiled and patted his back, but it felt like he was patting stone: "Brother, how are you?"

"It has been two years since we last met in Chang'an."

Seeing this, the crowd dispersed to some places for the two of them to reminisce about the past. Li Jiancheng pulled him to sit down and said, "I heard that brother and His Majesty went on a southern tour."

"Yes." Yang Xuangan took a big gulp of wine and said, "It's a pity that you didn't go. The journey was too difficult, especially when we were climbing the mountain and staying in the valley. Many of my family soldiers froze to death, and dozens died of illness after we came down the mountain. It's really not a place that we Central Plains people can often visit."

The main reason is that there are too many people. The front army has to be careful of ambushes, and the central army has to protect His Majesty. If only dozens or hundreds of people went there, nothing would happen.

Pei Ju had been here many times and had never heard of such a huge loss, but this was not something that could be said openly, so how could Your Majesty be wrong?
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(End of this chapter)